Missions watch: Lucas Erceg

Lucas Erceg of the 2019 San Antonio Missions playing for the Milwaukee Brewers in a 2020 spring training game at American Family Fields of Phoenix. - photo by Joe Alexander
Lucas Erceg playing for the Milwaukee Brewers in a 2020 spring training game at American Family Fields of Phoenix.
One in a series of brief looks at players with ties to the San Antonio Missions as we get ready for the 2020 baseball season.

One of the best infield arms in the Milwaukee Brewers minor league system belongs to Lucas Erceg.

The 24-year-old from California showed off his skills last summer at Wolff Stadium – primarily as the San Antonio Missions’ third baseman.

What held Erceg back was a season when he struggled to get in an extended groove at the plate. The left-handed hitter batted .218 with 15 home runs in 116 games in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. He struck out 102 times in 357 at-bats.

A second-round draft pick by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2016, Erceg batted a combined .327 his first professional season in rookie and Class A ball in the summer of 2016.

Erceg is with the Brewers’ big club in 2020 spring training, seeing action at both third base and first base. He has played in 13 Cactus League games so far and is hitting .182 with one home run and five RBIs in 22 at-bats.

It doesn’t look like the Brewers have room for Erceg on their opening day roster, so he appears likely to be back at Wolff Stadium with the Missions a month from now when they open their 2020 season on April 9.

Update: On Monday afternoon, Erceg was one of nine players the Brewers reassigned to Minor League camp. The list also includes pitchers Thomas Jankins and Miguel Sanchez from the 2019 Missions.

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