Milwaukee Brewers 2026 Position Analysis: Center Field

[Harold Hutchison]

Image courtesy of © Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

How deep are the Brewers in center field? Put it this way: In 2025, they set a team record for wins in the regular season despite their top two center fielders from 2024 missing substantial time, and turning to what was arguably a worst-case scenario at the position.

What is their center field situation like in 2026? Let’s take a look.

The Starter: Garrett Mitchell
Mitchell was Milwaukee’s first-round pick in the truncated 2020 draft. His offensive profile is tied to his high-end speed and power, and he has a strong arm and plays excellent overall defense in the middle of the outfield.

When he’s been on the field, Mitchell’s been productive. In 141 career games, he’s posted a 112 OPS+ and 3.6 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference. That WAR total would have been third on the team among position players in 2025. The problem is that these 141 games have been scattered across four seasons, from his 2022 debut to 2025.

Mitchell has also shown vulnerability to high heat when he does play. He’s good at forcing pitchers to pitch to spots where he can crush the ball, though. He just has to keep himself on the field, and not the injured list.

The Backups

• Brandon Lockridge
• Jackson Chourio
• Sal Frelick

In addition to Lockridge, who has flashed some serious potential of his own in spring training, both Jackson Chourio and Sal Frelick would be very capable starters in center field if needed. Chourio, of course, spent most of his time there in 2025.

Lockridge unlocked more offensive potential over the offseason and could end up being an excellent secondary return on the Devin Williams trade. He was acquired for Nestor Cortes, who came over from the Yankees.

Chourio and Frelick are slated to be the starters in left field and right field, respectively, but both came up through the farm system primarily as center fielders, and most major-league teams would love to have them in center.

Other 40-Man Roster Options

• Blake Perkins
• Steward Berroa
• Akil Baddoo

In 2024, Blake Perkins was a Gold Glove finalist and arguably the team’s primary center fielder. He’s now going to be at Triple-A Nashville, partially because of Lockridge’s spring breakout. Baddoo and Berroa are more likely to get their center field starts in Nashville, if they aren’t released. Both players hover close enough to the fringe of the 40-man roster that if the team makes an external addition, it could come at their expense.

Prospects

• Luis Lara
• Braylon Payne
• Jose Anderson
• Kenny Fenelon
• Eduardo Garcia

Lara is an intriguing mix of Perkins and Frelick, likely to start in Nashville and be knocking on the door to the majors. Payne has a potentially dynamic bat, but he will need to cut down on his strikeouts and stay healthy; he's far from the big leagues. Anderson and Fenelon are raw talents who were international free agents. Garcia, at one point, was Milwaukee’s Shortstop of the Future, but has been bypassed by Cooper Pratt, Jesús Made, and Luis Peña. Still, he's turned himself into a valuable utility player who can competently handle center field, among other positions.

Overview
The Brewers will have plenty of depth, and should be able to count on excellent production at the plate, on the basepaths, and in the field from whoever ends up as the primary center fielder in 2026. If it has to come from Chourio and/or Frelick, though, that production could come at the cost of value in the corner spots.

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[Spaul149]

Lockridge was acquired for Jorge Quintana  in a deadline deal last year. Not the Williams trade.

[Brock Beauchamp]

25 minutes ago, Spaul149 said:

Lockridge was acquired for Jorge Quintana  in a deadline deal last year. Not the Williams trade.

Welcome to Brewer Fanatic. The wording is a bit confusing, but Lockridge is part of the Williams trade tree via Nestor Cortes.

"Lockridge unlocked more offensive potential over the offseason and could end up being an excellent secondary return on the Devin Williams trade. He was acquired for Nestor Cortes, who came over from the Yankees."