Milwaukee Brewers 2026 Position Analysis: First Base

The Brewers have had an interesting situation at first base since Eric Thames departed after the 2019 season. While they have received some excellent production in the aggregate in some seasons, their primary starter has not topped 1.0 Wins Above Replacement (according to Baseball Reference) in any season since then.*

Could that change? Let’s look at the position and see who Milwaukee has for 2026.

The Starter
Andrew Vaughn
.308/.375/.493, 9 home runs, 46 RBIs in 64 games with Milwaukee
Vaughn was acquired in exchange for disgruntled right-handed starting pitcher Aaron Civale last June. The deal worked out quite well for Milwaukee, as Vaughn provided some right-handed pop that helped make up for the absence of Rhys Hoskins due to injury.

An increasingly well-rounded hitter, Vaughn didn’t just club homers; he also delivered 14 doubles. That balanced power and an improved walk rate pushed his OPS to .869 during his time with the Brewers.

If Vaughn manages to equal his 141 OPS+ (where 100 is average and higher is better) from his 2025 in Milwaukee, the Brewers would be in position to rival the league leaders in value from first base. Vaughn would help the Brewers maintain length in their lineup, behind Jackson Chourio, Christian Yelich, William Contreras, and Brice Turang.

*Incidentally, Vaughn actually exceeded the 1.0 WAR threshold in 2025, but wasn’t the primary starter at first base for the Brewers, Hoskins, who posted 0.9 WAR, was.

The “Platoon Partner”
Jake Bauers
.235/.353/.399, 7 home runs, 28 RBIs in 85 games
Bauers is not likely to be the primary first baseman for the Brewers; nor is he a strict platoon partner for Vaughn. He’ll exist in a more flexible timeshare with Vaughn, and find supplemental playing time in the outfield corners.

Like Vaughn, Bauers had a career year with Milwaukee in 2025. In this case, he rebounded from being non-tendered after the 2024 season and posted a 111 OPS+, fueled by improved plate discipline (32 walks in 183 at-bats in 2025, compared to 39 in 302 at-bats in 2024). He's also capable of even more power than Vaughn, with the best sheer bat speed on the team.

Down The Depth Chart
On the 40-man roster, the “third first baseman” is former top-100 prospect Tyler Black, whose biggest issue is finding a defensive home. Black has had a couple cups of coffee in the majors, but hasn’t had a chance to get untracked, being stuck behind external additions Hoskins, Vaughn, and Bauers over the past two seasons. He's also failed to develop the power required of a bat-first player, but that might be changing this spring. He not only cracked four extra-base hits before leaving for Team Canada and the World Baseball Classic, but has been hitting the ball harder this spring than he has in the past two years, in terms of exit velocity.

In the upper minors, the Brewers have other prospects who could emerge as contributors. Blake Burke and Luke Adams could someday form a traditional platoon arrangement, with Adams also able to play some third base. Burke, acquired with a competitive-balance pick the Brewers acquired in the Corbin Burnes trade, is a lefty power bat. Adams is an OBP machine who adds some power and average speed as a right-handed hitter.

The Brewers also have 2025 first-round draft pick Andrew Fischer, a natural first baseman who’s proving capable at the hot corner. Fischer has been performing extremely well in the World Baseball Classic for team Italy, batting 4-for-11 with two doubles, a home run, a walk and just two strikeouts entering Monday's semifinal against Venezuela. He could force his way to the high minors—or even Milwaukee—in 2026.

Overview
Milwaukee’s star prospects and players are often in the outfield or the middle infield. First base in Milwaukee hasn’t seen a long-term primary starter since Prince Fielder’s departure after the 2011 season. Right now, though, there are several players with a chance to change that in the organization. We could see one of them seize the position this year.