Grading Every 2026 Brewers Position Player

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The Milwaukee Brewers saw many different faces take the field throughout the 2026 season, with 24 position players recording at least one plate appearance. From young players beginning to make their mark in the majors to veterans who have been important parts of the organization, each brought something unique to the Brewers’ lineup.

As the season unfolded, some players established themselves as key contributors at the top of the order, while others saw their roles change, for better or for worse. With the full season now behind us, it's a good time to look back at what each player brought to the NL Central division champs. Here's a look at all 24 Brewers position players who stepped into the batter’s box this season, with each player receiving a grade based on their 2026 performance. The players are listed here by total plate appearances.

Brice Turang (680 PA): A
Led Brewers position players in fWAR, RBIs, doubles, hits, and runs. He continues to be one of the best development stories for the Brewers and one heck of a defensive second baseman. Hopefully, his playoff performance backs up the show he put on in the regular season.

William Contreras (640 PA): B
Played well this season, slashing .270/.341/.417 with 18 home runs. The slugging percentage has fallen off since the 2024 season, and that may never come back, but that doesn’t mean he's a bad offensive player. His long-term future with the Brewers may be in question, but he's been a great player overall and had a solid season. You just wanted a little more out of the two-time Silver Slugger award winner.

Jake Bauers (578 PA): A+
Had the highest OPS on the team this year. A free agent at season’s end, Bauers hit 26 homers, which led the Brewers. His on-base prowess set him apart, as well: his .389 OBP was the third highest in baseball. Bauers has performed in the playoffs before. Now, it's time for him to do it again, with the altered setup that triggered this breakout.

Jackson Chourio (573 PA): A+
Missed time with injury but didn’t miss a beat. He delivered arguably the biggest swing of the year against the Cubs, hitting a game-tying dinger in the 9th inning when the Brewers were down to their last out. His OPS is the highest it's ever been (.837), even with a horrid month of July wherein he slashed .229/.283/.305. Chourio bounced back thereafter, posting an OPS over .900 in August and September, and those numbers should carry into the NLDS.

Garrett Mitchell (531 PA): B+
Finally healthy and performed great, slashing .262/.354/.416 with 30 doubles and 11 bombs. Appearing in 145 games was the biggest win for Mitchell and the Brewers, and that level of health has been part of the success story for the team this year.

Christian Yelich (500 PA): D
Wasn’t up to the standards the Yelich we all know and love has set. He had his moments, but his OPS+ was below average for the first time in his career. The new captain of the Brewers has embodied everything Milwaukee has wanted throughout his time here, and hopefully, the playoffs erase the bad taste of the former MVP’s regular season.

Joey Ortiz (415 PA): B-
Outperformed expectations once he slid over to third base. Had a .207/.299/.262 line before Cooper Pratt was called up, but a .310/.348/.491 after. His defense didn’t miss a beat, and it was good to see a season that started so negatively end on a strong note for a player who had struggled offensively since the 2024 season.

David Hamilton (387 PA): C-
An elite baserunner with 95th-percentile sprint speed, but a below-average offensive and defensive player. Hamilton garnered a lot of hype before the season, but the reality is that he is an ok bench bat, and his speed will be useful in the postseason.

Sal Frelick (384 PA): D
Regressed heavily this season, posting a 70 OPS+ just a year removed from an above-average season. Suffered a right shoulder strain which revealed an underlying torn labrum, which could have led to the decline in production. Hopefully, a healthy Frelick is a positive offensive force, though his production was worse when he came back.

Andrew Vaughn (331 PA): A-
Did what he was supposed to do and more against lefties (.938 OPS) and was surprisingly above-average against righties, as well (.764 OPS). Could find himself in an expanded role next season, with Bauers heading for free agency. Only 6 homers from him is slightly disappointing, though the opportunities were too sporadic to judge that harshly.

Gary Sánchez (275 PA): B-
Was a great offseason signing to be the backup catcher. A three-true-outcome approach, Sánchez demonstrated a level of patience not seen before in his career. Though he struggled with ABS, both offensively and defensively, he was a great player for the limited role he played.

Cooper Pratt (266 PA): B
Had a better-than-expected offensive season. There weren’t concerns about his stellar defense, and a line of .281/.350/.368 is nothing to scoff at for a rookie. He stole 19 bases, as well, showcasing his 88th-percentile sprint speed.

Luis Lara (212 PA): B-
Did not show the offensive upside he demonstrated in Nashville when he was called up, but his stellar defensive plays made up for it. Lara is seemingly always crashing into the outfield wall to rob a homer. Here’s to many more of those in the future from the promising rookie.

Luis Rengifo (209 PA): F
Was extremely disappointing as one of the only offseason acquisitions Milwaukee made to the offense, but the team moved on at the right time. Pratt and Ortiz were significantly better than Rengifo was this season. He slashed .205/.280/.254 without a homer. Good for him for bouncing back with the Padres, though. He suffered a late-August knee injury that ensured no one emerges from the season feeling good.

Brandon Lockridge (113 PA): C-
Was hyped up before the season as a breakout candidate and performed decently in the time he did spend with the Brewers, slashing .277/.348/.327. A severe right knee injury in May knocked him out until August. Lockridge wasn’t in Milwaukee long before being optioned to Nashville. His speed is his defining trait and could be useful for the Brewers in the future, even though it wasn’t for much of the 2026 season.

Blake Perkins (101 PA): D-
Posted career-worst numbers for the Brewers and was eventually traded to the Guardians at the deadline. His .701 OPS against lefties was still alright, but the team was running out of room in the outfield.

Tyler Black (28 PA): C+
Had a great stint for Milwaukee, slashing .333/.357/.481 with 4 doubles, but there's a reason why that stint didn't last long. He still needs to find a defensive position, and time may be running out on him to contribute to the Brewers on a regular basis.

Greg Jones (24 PA): F
-0.5 fWAR and a .174 OPS in this small of a sample is not very good. He also signed with the rival Cubs after he was granted free agency—maybe as a double-agent.

Luis Matos (21 PA): D-
Was not a big contributor this season; just a warm body for the outfield early in the campaign. Still in the organization, though, and is only 24, though it is unlikely that he ever contributes meaningfully for the Brewers given his career major-league line of .230/.279/.363. Maybe the Brewers work some of their magic.

Jonathan Ornelas (9 PA): C-
Another small sample for a fill-in player, a .444 OPS isn’t good, and that's on par with his career OPS of .483—although that's in only 80 career plate appearances.

Bo Naylor (9 PA): C
Could be a part of the future for the Brewers. He was acquired from the Guardians at the deadline, tore it up at Nashville to the tune of a .283/.353/.550 line (albeit in a small sample of 68 plate appearances), and eventually was called up in September. Naylor didn’t play much as the Brewers chased home-field advantage, but he has the potential to be the biggest riser from this list come next season.

Braden Shewmake (8 PA): C
An add off waivers by the Brewers in July, Shewmake didn’t have a lot of time to establish himself, but did slash .286/.250/.429 in this small sample.

Jihwan Bae (4 PA): C
Made a little bit of an impact by getting a hit, stealing a base, and scoring a run in this small sample. It isn’t enough to give him a higher grade, though.

Jeferson Quero (2 PA): C
Did not have enough plate appearances to give a higher grade. Hopefully, he forces the issue to earn more playing time at the big-league level next season.

There's plenty to be excited about heading into October. Turang, Bauers, and Chourio are leading the way, with players like Mitchell, Contreras, and Yelich (who could take over games over the course of multiple at-bats) in support.

The hard part starts now. The journey to the World Series isn’t easy, and the Brewers will need every guy on this list (who will be on the playoff roster) to contribute the best they can in the role they're entrusted with by Pat Murphy. If Milwaukee does that, they should have nothing to worry about with this group and an elite pitching staff to go along with it.