Best And Worst Case Scenarios For The Brewers In Center Field

The Roster Situation
Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick, and Blake Perkins saw action for the Brewers in center field in 2024, with Perkins, a Gold Glove finalist, as the primary center fielder. Jackson Chourio and Christian Yelich also have professional experience in that spot, as have Brewer Hicklen and Tyler Black.

Among the non-roster invitees, Luis Lara and Manuel Margot also have experience in center field, with Lara being a top prospect. First baseman Ernesto Martinez has handled this position capably in brief minor-league stints.

The Best Case Scenario – Garrett Mitchell has 130 starts in center field
Mitchell is perhaps the Brewers’ most dynamic offensive threat in center field. He posted 2.0 WAR in 69 games, per Baseball-Reference. In his 116 total games, he’s racked up 3.6 WAR, with a 121 OPS+.

A healthy Mitchell is easily an All-Star caliber player – think a left-handed Carlos Gomez at his 2013-2014 peak. He provides defense, speed, power, and on-base skills. He also reduced his strikeout percentage from nearly 50% to 36%. He has made adjustments to MLB pitching and is an easy 30-30 threat.

Not that Frelick and Perkins are horrible choices, either. The former is a Gold Glover who brings speed and some good on-base skills and would be a viable starter and leadoff hitter for at least two-thirds of MLB teams.

Perkins brings defense, some OBP skills, and speed. He can stretch a lineup at worst and can provide some punch. Like Frelick, most of MLB’s teams would be very happy to have him in center.

But Mitchell is, far and away, the Crew’s best option in center.

The Worst Case Scenario – Jackson Chourio or Christian Yelich see significant time in center field
Here’s the thing: Jackson Chourio would be one of the best center fielders in Major League Baseball. Heck, 29 other teams in MLB would love to have him in center (if the Brewers were inclined to deal him, which they aren’t, barring an insane offer that would make the Brewers’ haul in the William Contreras trade look like petty theft). So, why is it a bad sign if he sees a lot of time there?

The big reason would be either injury or ineffectiveness involving Frelick, Mitchell, and Perkins, at the very least. The Brewers also elected not to try Tyler Black there despite his (limited) experience. In one sense, it is a sign of the team’s depth at this position that having a player of Chourio’s caliber starting a significant number of games is arguably the worst-case option.

The same can also apply to Yelich, albeit to a lesser degree. Center field has never been his primary position, and he last played there in 2019.

Overview
Like left field, center field is a strength for the Brewers in many ways. Part of this stems from their strategy of having many good center fielders and moving some to left field or right field to ensure playing time.

In this case, it’s about finding the best from a wealth of good choices. With so many good defenders, the bat will be the tiebreaker, which points to Mitchell – at least for 2025.

That said, the Brewers can fare well with other players, either directly or indirectly, and that could include Martinez and Black, both of whom have intriguing offensive profiles. The real question of whether things go well or poorly in 2025 is how far down the depth chart they go.