Luis Rengifo, who the Milwaukee Brewers paid $3.5 million this offseason, has gone from an offensive liability to arguably one of the best players in baseball since joining the San Diego Padres. This dude was struggling hard with Milwaukee, posting a dismal .534 OPS across 57 games and 185 at-bats. But then, as USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported, the Brewers cut ties in June, and the script flipped like crazy.
The Brewers’ Bleak Bet and a Justifiable Exit (At The Time)
Milwaukee brought Rengifo in to be their everyday third baseman, a move that quickly soured. His numbers were just flat-out brutal for the Brewers: a .205 batting average, .280 on-base percentage, and a .254 slugging percentage with zero home runs and only 19 RBI in those 57 games. His bWAR? A negative 0.3! Yeah, it was rough. The offensive production from the left side of their infield was just not cutting it, and their starters were underwhelming across the board. Nightengale wrote that these numbers were “incredibly bleak,” and honestly, it’s hard to argue. Given they could turn to younger players like Cooper Pratt, letting Rengifo go didn’t look like a bad decision when it happened. It seemed like a move they had to make to clear a roster spot.
Padres’ Gold: Rengifo’s Jaw-Dropping Turnaround
Then “it’s part of baseball,” as Rengifo himself put it. Since hitting San Diego, he’s been on an absolute tear. In just 27 games and 93 at-bats with the Padres, Rengifo is smashing it with four home runs. His batting average jumped to a stellar .323, his on-base percentage is a fantastic .411, and his slugging percentage is a powerful .473. That adds up to an incredible .884 OPS! And his bWAR? It rocketed up to 1.1, in under half the games he played for the Brewers. Imagine that shift! For the Padres, it’s nothing short of fantastic luck.
Brewers fans have every right to feel like the franchise made a colossal mistake here. It certainly looks like one, even if it was “unavoidable” given his initial struggles. They couldn’t have predicted this kind of turnaround, but man, talk about some incredibly bad luck for Milwaukee. Good thing for the Brewers he’s not tearing it up for teams like the Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, or Los Angeles Dodgers, who are their top competition in the National League. Still, you have to wonder what could have been.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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