The Milwaukee Brewers have made the playoffs for six of the past seven years but have not won a World Series, despite having some of the savviest management in baseball at that time. The Brewers have one of the best young hitters is the game in Jackson Chourro and one of the most storied hitters in Christain Yelich. Milwaukee will miss Devon Williams less than readers think but probably will not advance much further than they have in the very difficult National League. How far do you think the Brewers will get this season?
Milwaukee Brewers Starting Rotation
Freddy Peralta is turning into a bona fide ace of the Brewers staff. He better with Brandon Woodruff still out following shoulder surgery. Peralta has made at least 30 starts for Milwaukee in the past two seasons. With the injury to Woodruff, the second starter for the team is Nestor Cortes, whom they acquired via trade from the New York Yankees. The crafty Lefty does not throw hard but gets batters out with an excellent cutter and slider.
The third starter for the Brewers is Aaron Civale. He lacks velocity as well, but he has a diverse arsenal. Tobias Myers is currently the fourth starting pitcher for Milwaukee. He was a breakout star last season who logged a 3.00 earned run average. If Woodruff cannot go, look for youngsters DL Hall and Aaron Ashby.
Milwaukee Brewers Bullpen
The Brewers’ bullpen led the National League last season with a 3.11 earned run average. It remains a strength of this team. Trevor Megill is the closer, as he was in the first half of the season last year when Devin Williams was injured. Now, Williams has been traded to the Yankees, and McGill is ready to step in. Joel Payamps tied for the team lead in holds last season and is a reliable setup man. Jared Koenig and Bryan Hudson are left-handed specialists. Nick Mears, Elvis Peguero, and Grant Wolfram provide bullpen depth for the Brewers. Youngsters DL Hall and Connor Thomas may end up in the Milwaukee bullpen.
Catcher
The Brewers have one of the best offensive catchers in baseball in William Contreras. He is just an average defensive catcher, but he can hit. In fact, Milwaukee Manager Pat Murphy maximized his value last season by using him as the designated hitter, which pushed Contreras’ games played to 155. The backup, Eric Haase, returns as well. He is a pretty good hitter as well; he had an .819 on base plus slugging average last season in limited duty.
Infield
The Brewers have Rhys Hoskins at first base. He did play in 131 games last year after missing all of 2023 with a torn ACL. But he had the worst hitting and fielding stats of his career. At second base, Milwaukee has Brice Turang, who is an elite defender and a base stealing threat, but he slumped with the bat in the second half of last season. Joey Ortiz is moving from third base to shortstop to replace the departed Willy Adames, who left in the offseason as a free agent signee of the San Francisco Giants. Replacing Adames at third base will either be Caleb Durbin or 27-year-old Oliver Dunn.
Outfield
In the outfield, the Brewers have budding star Jackson Chourio in left field. He is one of the fastest players in major league baseball, and he had a .914 on base plus slugging percentage in the second half of last season. Garrett Mitchell will play center field for Milwaukee. He might be faster than Chourio and is an excellent defender. He missed half of the 2024 season with a fractured hand. In right field, the Brewers have Sal Frelick, who is also a good defender, but it is reasonable to wonder if he will hit.
Designated Hitter
Christian Yelich is the Brewers’ designated hitter nowadays. He played in only 73 games last year but remains one of the most powerful batters in the league. The designated hitter spot is perfect for him, as it will protect him somewhat. He had 11 home runs last year and a .315 batting average before having back surgery. While most teams will use the designated hitter spot to provide days of rest for several of their players, Milwaukee probably will not.
Management
The Brewers’ management is excellent. They do a lot with severe financial constraints. Matt Arnold is the head of baseball operations. He has quieted concerns about tthe 2022 departure of David Stearns. The manager of Milwaukee is Pat Murphy, who was the National League Manager of the Year in 2024 and is excellent at maximizing talent.
Conclusion
The Brewers have been a good, not great, baseball team lately. That is likely to continue as Milwaukee is probably good enough to win a weak National League Central division. However, they are not good enough to compete with the high-spending Mets or Dodgers. They proved they could not compete with the Mets last season.
