Webb, De Jesus among Crew's Minor League signings
MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers continued to add to their Spring Training roster on Tuesday by announcing a Minor League agreement with reliever Ryan Webb, who joined four others this week in signing Minors deals with invitations to big league camp.
Besides Webb, who has pitched in the Majors for five different teams including the 2016 Rays, the Brewers this week signed left-hander Andrew Barbosa, utility man Iván De Jesús Jr. and right-hander Forrest Snow, while re-signing catcher Rene Garcia.
Webb, 30, has appeared in the Major Leagues in each of the past six seasons -- logging 375 appearances, all in relief. He pitched in at least 50 games from 2010-14 with the Padres, Marlins and Orioles, including a career-high 66 appearances with a career-best 133 ERA+ for the Marlins in 2013.
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De Jesus, 29, has logged time in the Major Leagues for the Dodgers, Red Sox and Reds. He set career highs for the 2016 Reds with 104 games and 243 plate appearances while slashing .253/.311/.312. He has big league experience at all four infield positions and left field.
That versatility gives De Jesus a shot with the Brewers, who like many clubs have put a premium on players who can play all over the diamond. One of them, Hernán Pérez, came to camp in 2016 as a non-roster invitee and wound up logging 430 plate appearances in a breakthrough year.
Webb and De Jesus are both sons of big leaguers. Webb's father, Hank, pitched for the Mets and Dodgers. De Jesus' father played 15 seasons for seven teams and was the regular shortstop for the Cubs and Phillies in the late 1970s and early '80s.
Barbosa, Garcia and Snow have yet to play in the Majors, but all made it to Triple-A this past season. Garcia will be entering his third year as a Brewers farmhand.