Milwaukee Brewers 2026 Position Analysis: Shortstop

[Jason Wang]

Image courtesy of © Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

When Joey Ortiz was acquired from the Orioles in the Corbin Burnes trade, it was more or less assumed that he would inherit shortstop from Willy Adames. He was the No. 63 overall prospect in baseball in 2024, according to MLB Pipeline, and even though he was playing a new position (third base), his rookie year was quite encouraging.

His first year after moving back to shortstop was less than ideal. A year-long offensive slump limited him to a 67 wRC+. His defensive contributions (depending on which figure you look at) were just good enough to keep him above replacement-level, but the future of the position isn’t as clear as it once seemed.

There’s still time to turn things around. Ortiz is 27 years old, and there’s reason to believe that his performance at the plate last year was the exception, not the rule. Much of his offensive struggles came from a steep decline in plate discipline rather than a holistic degradation of talent. A side-by-side comparison demonstrates that other than his chase rate increasing and walk rate decreasing, most of his numbers remained in line with 2024.

	2024	2025
Barrel %	4.6	3.0
LA Sweet Spot %	26.6	27.4
Squared Up %	23.0	23.3
Whiff %	17.1	16.0
K %	20.2	14.6
Chase %	24.7	33.3
BB %	11.0	5.3

Surface-level spring training statistics only matter so much, given their limited sample and the variance of opposing competition, but his 10.9% walk rate thus far is at least trending in the right direction. His power also seems to have returned, with his average exit velocity jumping to 91.9 mph and his 90th-percentile EV making a similar leap to 107.2 mph, both marked improvements on where those metrics were last season. 

In other words, there’s still hope for Joey Ortiz, but it’s far from a sure thing. The uncertainty of it all is exactly what led a savvy team like the Milwaukee Brewers—who take no unnecessary risks—to go about getting a backup with a chance to become the starter. 

Although they sent much of their 2025 infield depth to the Red Sox in the Caleb Durbin trade, the front office replenished it by acquiring David Hamilton in that very deal. They'd also scooped up Jett Williams from the Mets in the Freddy Peralta deal.

Williams is currently MLB Pipeline's 51st-ranked prospect and carries all the usual characteristics of a player who has made it this far in a 5-foot-7 frame. He’s fast, pulls the ball in the air frequently, and is athletic enough to play in the outfield, or at multiple spots around the infield. Hamilton is the far superior defender—perhaps over Ortiz, as well as Williams.

The dynamic Williams spent most of his minor-league season in Double-A last year but also played 34 games in Triple-A, posting a cumulative 136 wRC+ with 17 home runs and 34 stolen bases. His well-rounded offensive profile already seems sufficient for a step up in competition, as he's been excellent in spring training, slashing .375/.500/.625 over his 20 plate appearances. 

Of course, he’ll also have to maintain his success in Triple-A. His time in spring training was somewhat truncated by a quad injury he sustained at the end of February, and given a larger sample, any current issues (can he make enough contact? Is his plate discipline good enough to handle the best pitching in the world?) would have been clearer. Milwaukee is in no rush to call up Williams, and have already assigned him to minor-league camp.

Hamilton is the more significant short-term threat to Ortiz's playing time. He's batting a less impressive .231/.294/.371 this spring, but he brings elite speed (and aggressiveness on the bases) and that excellent glove, so there's a chance he'll force the issue at either short or third base. Williams, meanwhile, will prepare for his time in the big leagues by playing multiple positions, as his long-term home is probably either second base or center field, anyway.

In the medium term, Cooper Pratt is the one who might take over shortstop from Ortiz, unless the incumbent shortstop reasserts himself sharp-like. Pratt only had a 107 wRC+ in Double-A last year, but the potential is obvious, and his glove is ahead of his bat. Behind him (and gaining fast) are Jesús Made and Luis Peña. There's a swamp-like fluidity to this group, but from it, the team is almost certain to get something great—but that's not guaranteed to happen this year.

It can be tempting to look at this year as a holdover year before the organization’s most promising prospects blossom into full-fledged big leaguers. However, what the team has on the table is far from a group of replacement-level journeymen. While it may not be clear who will receive the most playing time at the role, Milwaukee has no shortage of promising options. 

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