Brewer Fanatic’s 2024 Brewers MVP

Honorable Mentions
SP Tobias Myers
138 IP, 3.00 ERA, 3.91 FIP, 1.17 WHIP, 8.3 SO/9, 2.3 BB/9, 140 ERA+, 2.7 rWAR
Myers had a stellar season and was recently voted as the team’s most valuable pitcher so it only makes sense that he would also be one of the most valuable players. He might have been one of the most underrated starting pitchers in the entire National League this year as his rookie campaign drastically outperformed any prior expectations.

He’s one of a few young pieces that could carry the existing NL Central dynasty for the next several years. He’ll still have to avoid a sophomore slump but with less pressure next year and more veteran arms in the rotation, there’s a good chance he’ll be even better next year. 

OF Christian Yelich
315 PA, .315/.406/.504, 12 2B, 3 3B, 11 HR, 42 RBI, 21 SB, 151 OPS+, 2.2 rWAR
It’s an absolute shame to see Yelich’s best season since his MVP-caliber campaign in 2019 cut short by back injury. He was on an absolutely torrid stretch and was seeming to peak before he went down in July, posting a 1.008 OPS for the month. He was pummeling baseballs while exercising elite plate discipline and stealing bases and a monumental pace. If not for those pesky back issues, there’s a good chance he would have gotten some MVP votes for his troubles.

If Yelich had been in the lineup all season, could the postseason outcome have been different? Perhaps, it’s always hard to say, but it poses an interesting question: is he back (get it, cause back surgery)? From 2021-2023, he never had an OPS >.900 for a single month. In 2024, he had two months with a total OPS >1.000, indicating a potential return to form. We’ll have to wait until next season to see but with just a few years left in his baseball prime, Milwaukee is undoubtedly looking to get the most out of the face of their franchise.

2B Brice Turang
619 PA, .254/.316/.349, 142 H, 24 2B, 4 3B, 7 HR, 57 RBI, 50 SB, 85 OPS+, 4.6 rWAR
Already named Brewer Fanatic’s Most Improved Player of 2024, Turang’s overall contributions were enough to make him one of the most important names in the lineup. Offensively, he looked great in the first half with a .731 OPS before hitting a wall and regressing to a 2023 level in the second half. On the bright side, his performance against four-seam fastballs was strong all year (except for an ugly July) and a big step up from last season. 

Defensively, Turang was otherworldly and has a decent chance of winning the National League Gold Glove award for his position. In fact, it may not even be close if Defensive Runs Saved is to be believed. Turang’s 21 DRS is 11 more than the next-best guy in the National League (Ketel Marte, 10). It was a big reason his WAR was so high despite his below-average offensive contributions. Looking ahead to 2025, my watch will always be set to Turang Time.

SP Freddy Peralta
173 ⅔ IP, 3.68 ERA, 4.16 FIP, 1.22 WHIP, 10.4 SO/9, 3.5 BB/9, 114 ERA+, 2.6 rWAR
Like Myers, Peralta recently shared Brewer Fanatic’s Pitcher of the Year award for 2024. Peralta’s numbers weren’t as nice as Myers but his total workload and raw stuff helped compensate for a slight difference in ERA. He’s an unlikely ace, especially for a roster as loaded in pitching talent as the Brewers but things could be a lot worse - you could always have Patrick Corbin throw 174 ⅔ innings for your team.

Peralta can be a somewhat frustrating pitcher to watch, with his 9.4% walk rate and tendency to give up some loud contact but he’s genuinely pretty good, I promise. Would I wager my unborn child’s college tuition on him having a quality start in the postseason? Probably not, but he’s on a team-friendly contract with a reasonable $8 million team option coming up, a fair price for 170 innings of <4.00 ERA pitching.

Top 3 Most Valuable Players of 2024
3. OF Jackson Chourio
573 PA, .275/.327/.464, 29 2B, 4 3B, 21 HR, 79 RBI, 22 SB, 117 OPS+, 3.8 rWAR
I don’t know about you guys, but to me, this Chourio guy really came out of nowhere. I mean, who expected this young kid to be this good? I sure didn’t! After all, I didn't see him at the Perfect Game showcase so what gives?

Totally kidding of course, Chourio was ranked the eighth-best prospect in baseball in 2023 and scouts have raved about his diverse skill set since he was naught but a teenager, emphasizing his outstanding power, speed, and fielding ability. After making the Opening Day roster, fans realized they’d get a full season to watch the 20-year old grow and develop into a bona fide major-leaguer. Many analysts and projection systems assumed he was going to need some time to ramp up but boy did he come to the office ready to work.

Chourio did struggle for the first two months of the season, posting a .608 OPS in April and a .542 OPS in May. His fielding was inconsistent and he was sometimes out of position, an understandable side effect of moving from center field to corner outfield. However starting in June, he must have started taking an extra multivitamin gummy in the morning because he went on a rampage, slashing .303/.358/.525 through the rest of the season. With his glove, he ended the year with 12 DRS, putting him in the top 10 of all outfielders. When the lights were the brightest in the playoffs, he went 5-11 with two homers and three RBI, getting on base twice in all three games against the Mets. 

The Brewers front office is notoriously frugal so to sign Chourio to a $82 million contract to win his services for the next eight years could not have been offered lightly. Now that we’ve seen him in the big leagues for a full year, the next seven may be even better than we had hoped. 

2. SS Willy Adames
688 PA, .251/.331/.462, 33 2B, 32 HR, 112 RBI, 21 SB, 118 OPS+, 3.1 rWAR
Did 2023 make you think that Willy Adames was potentially washed up? Don’t worry, it made me think that too, kind of. There were a lot of concerns about his ability to hit the ball hard and maintain a tight strike zone and it showed in his numbers. Last year’s batting average of .217 and slugging percentage of .407 were both career lows for a full season. 

Perhaps he had been saving all of his energy for his contract year because 2024 gave us the Willy Adames we have all come to know and love. You know, the one that’s a great shortstop and winks in the dugout. His 118 OPS+ was his best mark since his superb 2021 season when he first landed in Milwaukee. His slugging percentage returned to healthy levels and he set a new career-high for doubles, home runs and RBI.

Sadly, this may be the last time we’ll be seeing Willy in Wisconsin. As one of the few prized shortstops on the free agent market this year (Vanessa Hudgens’ husband is the other), he’ll likely receive a call from a big market team with a gargantuan offer, one that the humble village of Milwaukee probably won’t be able to compete with. Can Cooper Pratt fill his shoes? Will Brice Turang have to move over to shortstop? Find out on the next episode of Brewer Ball Z.

Brewer Fanatic’s Most Valuable Player for 2024
1. C William Contreras
679 PA, .281/.365/.466, 37 2B, 2 3B, 23 HR, 92 RBI, 9 SB, 129 OPS+, 4.9 rWAR
You know, I have a suspicion that players with “Will” as the first four letters of their first name tend to be great Brewers. William Contreras. Willy Adames. WillRobin Yount. The proof is in the pudding. 

As the player on the team with the highest rWAR this year, it makes sense that Contreras would also be the team’s MVP. But let’s do away with these newfangled metrics and return to the basic numbers that made baseball great. He led the team in runs (99), doubles, walks (78), batting average, on-base percentage, slugging, intentional walks (5), and K/BB (1.78). He also had the second-most plate appearances on the team as a catcher, a testament to the sheer strength of the man’s legs and willingness to play the sport of baseball.

Defensively, he seemed to have forgotten the improvements he made last year to his blocking and framing ability, regressing to a league-average backstop in those aspects but he still managed to accumulate six DRS, a new single-season record for him. 

Contreras will hit arbitration for the first time this offseason and MLB Trade Rumors has estimated that he’ll earn $7.6 million, a pretty penny but so far, he seems to be worth every penny. Milwaukee only has three years left of team control over him but by then, we may be blessed with a brand new catcher talent in Jeferson Quero. For now, let’s enjoy the best catcher in the National League in Brewer blue.