The Brewers are selecting the contract of first baseman Jon Singleton, reports Robert Murray of FanSided (Twitter link). Milwaukee has an opening on the 40-man roster after releasing Luke Voit this week, so they’ll only need to make a corresponding 26-man move.
It sets the stage for Singleton’s first major league action in nearly eight years. A top prospect during his days in the Astros’ farm system a decade ago, he signed a $10MM extension before reaching the majors. Singleton debuted midway through the 2014 campaign but slumped to a .168/.285/.335 line over 362 plate appearances. He’d get into 18 games the following year, with what seemed to be his final MLB appearance coming in October 2015.
After a season and a half in the upper minors, Singleton was hit with a third career suspension for a failed drug of abuse test. The Astros released him and he was out of the sport entirely for a couple seasons. Singleton has since spoken about his struggle with marijuana addiction. After a few years away, he began a comeback in Mexico in 2021. A monster showing there led Milwaukee to add him on a minor league deal for 2022.
Singleton has spent the past season-plus with the Brewers’ top affiliate in Nashville. He hit .219/.374/.439 there last season. The Brewers re-signed him and carried him on the 40-man roster for a spell over the offseason before waiving him on the eve of Spring Training. He returned to the organization on a new minor league deal and is hitting well for the Sounds.
In 48 games, Singleton owns a .259/.387/.489 line. He’s connected on ten home runs, walked at a stellar 17.5% clip and kept his strikeouts to a lower than average 19.3% rate. Singleton showed plenty of patience and power last season as well but he’s putting the ball in play far more consistently this year. He’s sliced his strikeout percentage more than eight points from 27.7% year over year.
As a result, Singleton earns a promotion that marks a huge moment in an incredible comeback effort. He returns to the big leagues a few months shy of his 32nd birthday having overcome the personal hurdles about which he’s been open. Now that he’s back in the majors, he’ll add a left-handed first base/designated hitter option to Craig Counsell’s bench. The Brewers have Rowdy Tellez and Darin Ruf in a first base platoon. The latter suffered a leg laceration in this evening’s game, however, raising the possibility of an injured list stint.
How can you not be romantic about baseball?
Thanks Brad. Or shall I say Billie.
Quite the opposite profile that his name might suggest
Nowadays, some will say that his .168/.285/.335 line is productive, because he sometimes walks.
Last year, that may have been with the shift, but consider OPS. A guy like Gallo who is .210/.360/.500, for example, is definitely considered productive.
Hoping for the best for Singleton, takes a lot of effort and willpower to stick with something after being written off so long ago.
Where’s AJ Reed when you need him?
Especially when he has already been paid well for a minor league career.
Is there no limit how many failed drug tests you can get before banned for life in MILB?
Not for pot.
Nor should there be for pot.
They only test for banned substances. They prevented him from going to the minors with the contract he signed which allowed him to avoid different drug testing policy.
Remember when he signed that super team friendly deal and people were mad that he sold himself low?
He might have set himself up for life if he didn’t blow all his money. $10 mill. is about $6 mill. after tax. He could spend $250k a year and not run out if it was properly invested. I never blame players for cashing in, even if they might get more by waiting. You just never know what could happen.
It’s amazing to me that baseball fans think it’s dumb for players to sign team-friendly extensions. Throwing away a chance you set yourself and your family up for all your lives (and even future generations with proper investments) for the chance to…also set yourself and future generations up, but with more money than you will ever need, and all the destructive temptations that come with it? If you can nab like $20 or more million out of the gate, you’d be a fool not to do it.
Everyone’s Agent has entered the chat
What does that even mean when people throw out the tired adage of “setting up your entire family for their lives and their children’s lives and the lives of…”
Nobody is ever going to work again or should work again for seven generations because this one individual worked hard and made himself successful?
Evan White concurs..
No surprise he puff puff passed through waivers earlier this year.
The guy has sat for so long with 420 career plate appearances, which always geeked me for his marijuana suspension
His first PA will be the end of an era
You made me look. Well done sir.
Will be DFA in about 5 days
There is no such thing as marijuana addiction.
Welcome back to the Show, Jon!
There is but okay then.
@darkside I don’t think some people realize/accept that essentially anything you do/use excessively is an addiction. Many don’t realize that even things like caffeine are additive.
@ DarkSide830 Only in the sense that you can be addicted to something like bubblegum. No physical addiction.
If it negatively affects your life and you cannot stop, it’s an addiction, whatever it is. You can support pot/legalization and also realize that some people get addicted.
MLBTR is an addiction. I think pot falls under the same category in type of addiction where it is more emotional than physical but I’m sure someone will set me straight.
Exactly. Sugar is far more “addictive” than weed.
We’re all on PEDs. Posting Every Day.
“After a season and a half in the upper minors, Singleton was hit with a third career suspension for a failed drug of abuse test.”
PSA- Weed ain’t drugs, kids.
MLBTR is not an addiction … just cause I check it every 20mins, or 1st thing after waking up, or last thing b4 bed doesn’t mean anything … I can stop whenever I want … OMG I am an addict ! I NEED IT ! Don’t judge me … look in the mirror lol
Ahh, you’are one of those “weed is not a drug guys” lol. “It’s just an herb mannnn.” Give me a break, are Opium, Nicotine, and Caffeine not drugs? They are natural as well. Just because something should be legal and is relatively harmless doesn’t mean it isn’t a drug.
Welcome back to the show, Jon. Congrats.
Man what a life… Houston knew about his addiction before signing him long term. There’s an interesting article about the contract he signed in order to avoid certain minor league drug testing. Yet, they still shamed him for smoking pot. Wish him all the luck in the world and a tip of the cap to battling back
As he steps in for his first at-bat, the umps call time out. After some discussion on the field Jon gets suspended for partying and smoking the ganja to much after this promotion. Ohhh soooo clooose!
Get it together, man. What a stupid thing to become addicted to and ruin your career over. “I just want to sit here all day, feel sleepy, and smell horrifically while breathing in recycled toxic air.”
Must you be so blunt, Notts?
You just described working in an office
His walk up song better be Sweet Leaf
Or something by Bob Marley.
Imagine thinking marijuana is addicting.
Talk about a blast from the past. Best of luck to mistsr Singleton. I remember when he was supposed to be the Astros 1B of the future.
I’m not sure which part I like more..seeing his entire (career) life story with every transaction he’s a part of, or reading countless, repeated comments/debates/arguments about whether marijuana is addictive, should or shouldn’t be illegal, and why by all the resident medical professionals.
Peter Tosh would be proud
But would Daniel Tosh??
Good for Singleton. I hope he rakes.
When “team friendly extensions” aren’t exactly team friendly.