When Joey Wendle was traded this past offseason, I don’t think anyone was surprised. Sure, he was coming off of an All-Star caliber season and a return to his rookie year form, but it’s the Tampa Bay Rays’ way to trade assets that start rising in costs from arbitration. And the return of Kameron Misner from the Marlins is tantalizing: a boom or bust power bat who will start the year at Double-A Montogomery and look to develop more boom and less bust hopefully. But, the real reason Tampa Bay was so easily able to let go of a fan favorite in Wendle was because of who they had someone to replace him. And that is Vidal Brujan.
Many who have followed Brujan from his earliest days in the system know that the current role he’s projected for in 2022, is much different than what many fans once expected from the top second base prospect. Brujan was an instant success in his first year in the minors back in 2015, slashing .301/.411/.403. His contact skills were exceptional, had the speed to burn, and played all over the infield, splitting time at third, short, and second. From there on, he would make the switch to second base full time and consistently moved through the Rays’ system to the tops of prospect lists. But the original plan of being the Rays franchise second baseman was quickly thrown off after current franchise cornerstone, Brandon Lowe signed an extension and took over the position. Prospect sensation, Wander Franco would then cement his job at shortstop promptly, and many fans were soon considering where Brujan had a role on the team. Tampa Bay’s front office also saw this dilemma, thought of a new role for him and tested him out in it in 2021 in the minors. That’s when Vidal Brujan made the full-time switch to a super-utility role.
Super-utility players in baseball are quickly becoming the game’s next biggest asset to have. They might not always get some of the credit that big-time starters get, but there’s a case to be made that they could be some of the most important guys on the team because of their versatility. Look around, and you’ll see the most winning teams in the league deploy these types of guys. The Dodgers have one of the best in Chris Taylor, who was vital to the 2021 Dodgers last season after a plethora of injuries and bad performances had them down in the regular season. The White Sox deploy Leury Garcia, an average switch hitter who can play almost everywhere in the infield and outfield. And, finally, the Red Sox own the best in the game right now in Enrique Hernandez who split time between center field, second base, and shortstop last year, all while leading the entire team in WAR. In today’s current game, it is becoming far more apparent how important depth is to lasting the marathon of the regular season and the injuries that come along with it. The strong depth and capable minor leaguers to fill in for injured starters are certainly important for winning games, but I would argue that super-utility type players might be even more important because of their proven nature to play wherever they are needed.
Brujan quickly made the shift to the super-utility role but was going to do it in Triple-A first. No longer just a second baseman, Brujan was now playing third, shortstop, second as well as every outfield position, getting mostly equal playing time at all of them through the course of the season. And though still profiling as a plus defender at second base, Brujan showed the exceptional range needed to play shortstop and third base as well. The switch to him getting outfield time as well only widens the range of defensive talents he possesses, handling each outfield spot pretty well for a player’s first year at the position. While a knee-jerk reaction for a comparison to Brujan might be Ben Zobrist to many Rays fans, I think a better comparison is current Diamondbacks INF/OF Ketel Marte, one of the top players in today’s game. Brujan has the exceptional hitting skills to be a consistently high average and on-base hitter like Marte, but maybe not the home run power like him (though he still possesses great gap power).
With the 2022 season just on the horizon, it finally looks like Brujan has a cemented role on this contending Rays squad. It might not be the Franco/Brujan consistent duo up the middle we expected, but a super-utility man on the 26 man roster isn’t so bad either. After less than a cup of coffee stint with the big league team last year, watch for him to finally have a starting role and get consistent at-bats year-round. His defensive capabilities around the diamond make him such a weapon already but the fact that he can also switch hit will make him one of Kevin Cash’s favorite tools to deploy all year. Arozarena took the crown of AL Rookie of the Year last year, and look for that trend to keep on going this year with super-utility man Vidal Brujan potentially making it two Rays in a row.