The Brewers announced they have selected first baseman Jon Singleton and right-hander Cam Robinson to their roster ahead of tonight’s Rule 5 protection deadline. They also previously announced that infielder Brice Turang and right-hander Abner Uribe have been selected.
Singleton has had a remarkable journey to get back onto a 40-man roster. A member of Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects lists every year between 2011-14, the power-hitting first baseman signed a $10MM extension with the Astros in June 2014. That came in conjunction with his first big league promotion, a precursor to pre-MLB guarantees for players like Scott Kingery, Eloy Jiménez and Luis Robert. Houston’s hope was they’d found a middle-of-the-order presence for years to come, but the left-handed hitter didn’t meet the lofty expectations.
Over the next season and a half, Singleton sputtered to a .171/.290/.331 line in 114 MLB games. After playing the 2016-17 seasons in the high minors, he was released in May 2018. That came on the heels of a third career suspension following a failed test for a drug of abuse. As McCalvy chronicled in greater detail this past spring, Singleton has been open about his battle with marijuana addiction.
Singleton spent a few years out of the game but returned to professional baseball in Mexico last year. He spent the entire 2022 campaign with the Brew Crew’s top affiliate in Nashville, putting together a solid season. Through 581 plate appearances, he hit .219/.375/.434. His batting average isn’t eye-catching, but he connected on 24 home runs and drew walks in an incredible 20.1% of his trips to the dish. Even with an elevated 27.7% strikeout rate, he ranked 15th among 148 International League hitters (minimum 300 plate appearances) in on-base percentage and tied for seventh in long balls.
That wasn’t enough to earn him an MLB roster spot last season, but he re-signed with Milwaukee on a minor league deal last month. He’ll now get back onto the 40-man roster, giving him an inside track at returning to the big leagues for the first time in eight years.
Robinson was a 23rd round pick out of a Florida high school in 2017. The 23-year-old is a pure reliever who’s pitched his way up to Triple-A Nashville. He struggled there but excelled earlier in the year at High-A Wisconsin and Double-A Biloxi. Between the three affiliates, he posted a 2.49 ERA with a 31.6% strikeout percentage over 65 innings.
Jon Singleton? Did I miss the calendar reverting to 2014?
Is he really only 30? he’s been around forever. Had good numbers in AAA last year. [Well, 24 HRs, but .219 avg.]
He’s going to get a lot of negativity here, but I saw Singleton play this past summer. He’s in great shape and surprisingly agile around first base. Still big and strong, a true three outcome player: HR, BB, SO. Maybe the shift going away helps him return successfully…
Good point on the shift. That’s what I was missing.
If the walk rate and the power are still there, the extra base hits would be huge.
The walks and power are there. I was really surprised at his defensive ability for a 230 dude. I don’t know about a 40 man spot, but definitely worth a long, serious consideration…
What are we missing on Singleton?
He’s 30 and just put up a .219/.375/.434 slash line in AAA. Not bad as a depth piece, but I thought Milwaukee had too deep of a roster to need to protect him.
I wonder if they will try to trade rowdy
Rowdy isn’t a long term building block. He’s either a K or a homerun.
Rowdy’s 20.2% K% was better than the league average of 22.4% last year.
Shift will help him as well….
They can always drop him at anytime. If anything id be more upset as Singleton because the Rule V would guarantee a mlb roster spot.
He’s in the same spot either way. If selected in rule 5 he would have had to be on the major league roster or let go at end of Spring Training. With the Brewers he will have to make the major league roster or let go at the end of Spring Training.
No, he’s signed to a minor league contract.
No, he is on the 40 man now with no options, he will have to be on the Brewers or be DFA.
Forgot about having to be optioned off the 40-man.
He could be outrighted to the minors. He doesn’t have the service time to reject and it doesn’t appear that he’s been outrighted previously.
It could be a way to protect him from the Rule 5, as another team might not claim him off waivers, as opposed to taking him in the Rule 5.. Rule 5s can be returned; waiver claims can’t.
I hope that Jon Singleton never gets another plate appearance in MLB. For a guy busted not once, but twice for weed, it is hilarious that he has 420 plate appearances in MLB haha.
Are you seriously wrung out over a guy smoking weed?
Can you seriously not comprehend what he is posting? He just means that since 420 is like the number for weed, he hopes that a guy that’s been busted for it twice always keeps that number of plate appearances. Not complicated.
It’s only weed bro.
You’d think an updated photo would be available?
I guess this means bye bye Rowdy and hello cheaper replacement. Too bad. Rowdy was the only Brewers regular whose walk-up music didn’t make me cringe.
Not defending other walk-up songs but, Rowdy’s was complete ass. Probably the worst since Corey Hart
What can I say? I’m a country boy.
Hart’s was bad, Gabe Gross’ was worse. And I call myself a Christian.
Milwaukee must have a weak farm system if they have room on their 40 man to protect a Singleton type player.