Stolen Bases Are Fueling Brewers' Quick Start To Season

[Steve Drumwright]

Image courtesy of © Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Should we be surprised that the Milwaukee Brewers are leading MLB in stolen bases? Probably not. After all, the Crew finished second in MLB last year with 164 steals, 30 behind the Tampa Bay Rays.

It is more the frequency—and the success rate—that the Brewers are swiping bases.

After six games, the Brewers had 15 steals in 16 tries. The Colorado Rockies (double-checks notes, yes, the Rockies) are second with nine in 12 attempts. Those are the only teams to have double-digit attempts entering the weekend.

At this rate, 2.5 per game, the Brewers are on pace for 405 steals, which would easily break the MLB record of 347 set by the 1911 New York Giants. But, of course, it is too early to even consider that. We are talking about six games.

David Hamilton, thought to be the utility infielder entering the season, is the early ringleader of this band of thieves. The former Brewers prospect who was shipped away before the 2022 season and then brought back in the six-player Caleb Durbin trade with the Boston Red Sox this spring has four stolen bases, tied for the MLB lead. Hamilton has started four times, three at third base and another at shortstop, and is just off to a 2-for-12 start, meaning he has twice as many steals as hits. Hamilton has also walked four times.

Center fielder Garrett Mitchell is right behind with three steals, which is the same or better total than 14 teams.

Is it just because Hamilton is a better base stealer than Durbin is? Or Mitchell than Blake Perkins?

That might be part of the answer.

Hamilton swiped 55 bases over the last two seasons with the Red Sox, getting 33 in 98 games (317 plate appearances) in 2024 and 22 in 91 games (194 PAs) in 2025. Durbin, meanwhile, had a minor-league reputation of being a base-stealer, getting 31 in 105 games in 2022, 36 in 69 games in 2023, and 31 in 90 games in 2024. But it was in the 2024 Arizona Fall League where he really stood out. In just 24 games, Durbin swiped 29 bases in 30 attempts. But Durbin didn't flash that ability in his only season with the Crew. He tried to steal just 24 times and was successful 18 times in 136 games. Maybe Durbin didn't have the green light to run? Or maybe he didn't feel comfortable running as a rookie? Durbin tried to steal after getting his first hit with the Red Sox this year.

It could be a change in mindset, too, for the Brewers in 2026. Especially now, with not having the injured Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn, manager Pat Murphy may have decided to be more aggressive without two of his more dependable power hitters.

It could also be a tool to get the Crew's offense ignited early in the season. Remember, the Brewers didn't hit their stride last year until around Memorial Day weekend and needed 11- and 14-game winning streaks to win the NL Central by five games. The Brewers entered this weekend averaging 7.5 runs per game, again an unsustainable rate. But that could help players loosen up in the early stages of the season, hoping that more power follows later on.

Mitchell is another interesting case. Speed is definitely part of his talent toolbox. He has 26 steals in his 146-game start-and-stop four-plus-year career in the majors and 41 in 158 minor-league games. That 41 is more indicative of the type of trouble Mitchell can create on the basepaths when healthy. He has begun 2026 with three steals in five games, including two in the second game of the season against the Chicago White Sox, the same game Hamilton stole a pair.

That game saw the Crew steal seven times against the White Sox, including another pair by Joey Ortiz. They all came against catcher Reese McGuire, who had been in camp with the Brewers this spring before opting out of his contract just before Opening Day, so maybe they knew they could run wild. McGuire would have begun this year as a backup at Triple-A Nashville had he stayed with the Crew. Nick Fortes, whom the Tampa Bay Rays acquired for his defense last year, allowed a pair of two-steal games when he was behind the plate in the second series of the season.

Whatever the reason, the aggressiveness to begin the season has been noticeable and helped the Brewers be one of three MLB teams to jump out to a 5-1 start.

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[Snoebird]

Garrett Mitchell is an ignitor, and we got to see him at his best in Game 1 of the twin bill. He'll set a good example for Chourio when both are fully healthy. The switch to Spencer Allen as the first base coach has enhanced the running game, and he deserves a separate story. But the bigger picture is that this team is a collective stress test. Teams that can't match the Crew's fundamental skills will suffer for it.