This is going to be a pretty scary infield.
On Monday, Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell announced that Mike Moustakas will be the club's primary second baseman, even though he's spent his entire career at third base.
#Brewers manager Craig Counsell makes it official. Mike Moustakas is team's primary starting second baseman.
— Tom (@Haudricourt) March 11, 2019
This shouldn't come as a complete shock to fans, as it appeared it was headed this way. However, Travis Shaw spent time at second base last year once they acquired Moustakas, and now he'll be the primary third baseman for the Brew Crew.
Moustakas has never played second, ever, but... Arcia can cover a lotttt of ground at short, and this team shifts so much anyway that evaluating their infield defense can't be a straight-up positional analysis, I think! (Wrote about this in October: https://t.co/3BLN3Y5Ng6) https://t.co/GTmXp2ueCz
— Emma Baccellieri (@emmabaccellieri) March 11, 2019
It's doubtful Moustakas will ever become a Gold Glover on the right side of the infield, but with how much the Brewers shift and the defensive ability of shortstop Orlando Arcia, it's not inconceivable to picture Moustakas being an average second baseman.
For the Brewers, it's all about getting as much offense into the everyday lineup, which this decision certainly does. I'm sure Moustakas wouldn't have re-signed with Milwaukee if he was against playing second base. He's an athlete for his size, and as mentioned before, the shift will help him a lot defensively.