The Brewers Should Call Up Mario Feliciano

Alright. I get it. The Milwaukee Brewers already have way too many catchers on their major league roster with Omar Narvaez, Victor Caratini, and Pedro Severino . These catchers have been extremely effective at the plate and behind the plate. That being said, Mario Feliciano deserves more at-bats at the major league level.

Feliciano was drafted in 2016 by Milwaukee in the second round. Originally hailing from Puerto Rico, he had attended the Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy prior to the draft. He had a breakout year in 2019 where he won Carolina League MVP as a result of his stellar offense. Bashing 19 home runs and slashing .270/.323/.473 that season in High-A, he proved himself as more than capable with a bat in his hands; especially at the age of 21.

It should be mentioned that in the 2018 offseason, Feliciano required arthroscopic surgery and missed two months of the 2021 season as a result of a shoulder injury. Despite being so young, it led many to wonder if this trend of injuries will continue with the backstop prospect. 

Feliciano was called up to the majors, played one game late in the 2021 season where he drew a walk, and was immediately sent back down to the minors. A real “cup of coffee in the majors” type of situation. So far in 2022, he has spent the season in Triple-A Nashville and his numbers definitely make a substantial argument for a major league promotion. 

Feliciano is slashing .303/.355/.389 with a .744 OPS, 51 games into the 2022 season. He has an 18% strikeout rate and a 6% walk rate. His defensive numbers are solid with a .992 fielding percentage and 3 errors.

At the age of 23, Feliciano is the youngest player on the Brewers’ 40-man roster. 

The sample size for Feliciano is admittedly small in terms of time in the majors. He played one game in 2021 but he has played 31 games in Spring Training. His 2021 performance was really impressive. He played 14 games and slashed .429/.467/.857 with a 1.324 OPS. Granted a lot of players tend to put up great numbers in Spring Training, only to fall apart in the regular season. 

He has shown that he is very quick on his feet and he has an above average arm. However, Feliciano’s power has diminished over the years, mostly due to the injuries as previously mentioned. So far this season, he has only hit two home runs in Nashville. 

The Brewers need bats. Their offense is performing below average. A player with a high batting average and good on-base percentage is an especially good fit.

What the Brewers don’t need is another catcher. While this is a bit of a reach, Feliciano has played 7 of his 51 games as a designated hitter this season. He obviously would not be a permanent solution to the team’s problem on offense but he does deserve more time at the major league level, especially with the strides in offense he has made this season in Nashville. 

He shows a lot of potential and could eventually work his way up to being the next everyday catcher in a season or two. After all, Omar Narvaez will be a free agent after the 2022 season and it seems unlikely he will return next season due to the abundance of catchers that the team already has.

There is a lot of promise and intrigue with Feliciano as a prospect and while he may not be well known to every MLB fan, his performance over speaks for itself. He deserves a shot during the 2022 season to really prove himself as a viable option behind the plate.