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For the basics on Brewers’ shortstop Jean Segura, check out Jason Hunt’s piece from last season here.
What has his performance been like?
Jean Segura was dealt from the Angels to the Brewers as part of last season’s Zack Greinke trade. In 44 games with the Brewers he was able to steal 7 bases with a .264 AVG, 13 BB, and despite the fact that he didn’t notch a home-run he did have 7 extra-base hits. Segura also performed impressively in winter-ball. He was red-hot in spring training, hitting .367 with 5 SB and 8 extra-base hits. The hot-hitting has carried over into the first 3 weeks of the season. He has hit so well that he is now the Brewers #2 hitter, slotting in between Norichika Aoki and Ryan Braun. Thus far in the regular season Segura is hitting .367 with 1 HR, 4 SB, and a .906 OPS. Although the batting average is a bit inflated, Segura would still be performing very well even with neutral luck.
What is his current status?
Hitting in between Aoki and Braun is going to have it’s advantages. Segura is going to see a lot of fastballs if Aoki is on-base and should have ample opportunity to steal bases due to Braun being a patient hitter and most pitchers not wanting to go right at him. The trade from the Angels to the Brewers has really boosted Segura’s value. He has the SS job all to himself and is hitting in a great lineup and hitter’s ballpark.
What can we expect moving forward?
I expect Segura to stick in the #2 hole in the lineup and end up scoring a ton of runs. His overall stats could be similar to what we saw from Aoki last year: .288 AVG, 10 HR, 30 SB, 50 RBI, 81 R
That line might be a little optimistic on the HR and RBI but is pretty reasonable elsewhere. The most HR that Segura hit in any year in the minors was 10. Segura, still only 23, has pop that is continuing to develop. If he improves any further as a base-runner, continues to get the green light, and really benefits from playing half of his games in Miller Park then a season where he hits 12-15 HR with 40 SB could be on the horizon. Add in a solid batting average with that power-speed combo and you have, potentially, one of the most valuable fantasy and real-life SS in the game.