Milwaukee Brewers' Cooper Pratt got his first MLB start at shortstop. How did he look out there?
Despite being in high school just three years ago, Cooper Pratt can officially check making his MLB debut off his bucket list.
The Milwaukee Brewers had Pratt bat eighth in the lineup on Tuesday, June 17, and allowed him to make his first career start at shortstop.
Even though Pratt went 0-for-3 with a trio of groundouts, it was great to see him out there as this team gave him an eight-year, $50 million contract for a reason.
Sure, he had a throwing error, but his first defensive play was doubling up the Cleveland Guardians with Brice Turang, and that's a defensive duo Brewers fans should get used to seeing.
Pratt Discusses his MLB Debut
Pratt may have recorded his first error before getting his first hit, but at the end of the day he said he'll remember, "that we won. The vibes were fantastic."
He added, "Maybe I'll remember the ball I threw halfway up the net," alluding to his error on an overthrow. Thankfully, Robert Gasser was phenomenal and was able to record a double play to get out of the inning.
Pratt put the error behind him in no time, but it's clear the nerves were there, and for good reason. This moment was years in the making, and there's a lot riding on a prospect who was paid that much money before he ever made his big league debut.
Pat Murphy Discusses Pratt's Debut
"You know, if he would've looked down to the third-base coach that one time he hit the ground ball to second, we were going to hit and run right there. We had it on but we didn't get the sign to him cause he didn't look down," Murphy said.
Murphy continued, "He would've had his first hit but I'm proud of the kid. Proud of him, first game, get it out of the way."
Pratt Eyes First Big League Hit
Thankfully for Pratt, this team believes in him and he'll be a mainstay in the lineup for the foreseeable future.
There will be moments where he isn't playing at shortstop or is given an off day for someone like David Hamilton or Joey Ortiz, but Milwaukee immediately threw him into the fire and won't be changing their mind based off one game.
Pratt has two more chances to record his first big-league hit at American Family Field before the Brewers pack up for a six-game road-stand in Atlanta and Cincinnati.
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