2024 Milwaukee Brewers Positional Preview: Right Field

Right field was a bit of a revolving door last year. With Christian Yelich getting the lion’s share of reps in left field and Joey Wiemer getting most of the starts in center, right field was split more evenly among Tyrone Taylor, Blake Perkins, and Sal Frelick. Now that the team's shiny prospect has been officially been called up, is the situation more stable?

The Starter: Jackson Chourio
2023 MLB Stats: Did Not Play - Minor Leagues;
2023 Double-A Stats: 122 G, 559 PA, .280/.336/.467, 22 HR, 23 2B
2024 ZiPS Projections: 130 G, 560 PA, .258/.305/.411, 17 HR, 1.4 fWAR

Scouting Report: The hottest story of the offseason has been all about Chourio, and waiting to see whether he would make the Opening Day roster. It's now been confirmed that he'll play in the first game of the season but will be slotted in right field instead of his usual spot in center, spending the last few weeks of spring training in his new position. There are a few pros to this, all of which are broken down in great detail by Matt Trueblood, but it boils down to giving him a chance to acclimate to the major leagues while reducing injury risk. At just a few weeks over the age of 20, he's got a long way to go before he becomes the player that scouts have him cracked up to be. For a player on whom so much rides (especially given his sizable contract), the Brewers will do as much as they can to protect their investment.

He hit well in spring training, slashing .323/.373/.403 over 67 plate appearances with two doubles and a triple. Although he has made a few errors in right field, he is known to be an excellent defender and won an MiLB Gold Glove Award in 2022. It wouldn't be surprising to see him iron out any kinks after getting more reps in his new role. However, one of the main downsides of placing Chourio in right field is that his best tool, his 70-grade speed, won't be as beneficial. On the other hand, playing a less demanding defensive position will allow him to focus on his performance at the plate, a tradeoff the Brewers would be happy to make given their relatively low projected offensive numbers. Either way, expect him to make even more great catches in 2024.

Other Options: While Chourio's ascent into the show has been the biggest story of the spring, the team's second-biggest story this offseason was Sal Frelick getting reps at third base and being groomed to be the starter at that position. He has now been moved back to the outfield, given the recent Garrett Mitchell injury, and it seems like he'll be placed in center. Nevertheless, right field was where Frelick spent most of his time in 2023, logging 246 ⅓ innings as opposed to 196 innings spent in center, so the team might still use him as a flex option if needed.

Frelick is an excellent baseball talent. While not as flashy as some of the other young players in today’s game, he profiles much like your great-grandfather’s favorite baseball player. Although he struggled to barrel the ball consistently, his excellent plate discipline numbers helped to lift his offense to more acceptable levels. He may have added a little more pop to his swing in the offseason, slashing .273/.365/.491 with two home runs and four doubles in spring training, but only time will tell whether he can sustain this success against major-league pitching.

His non-hitting-related tools are what make him such a valuable player. He played excellent defense in 2023, posting 7 Outs Above Average (OAA) and 6 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), great numbers for a relatively short stint in the bigs. It’ll be hard to forget the two catches he made in his debut against the Braves.

His excellent speed is also a huge boost to his range as a defender. As a prospect, he received a grade of 70 for his speed tool and boasted top-quartile sprint speed. This also helps compensate for his apparent lack of power, because it enables him to beat out certain ground balls and stretch singles into extra-base hits. 

After Frelick, the third name on the depth chart would be Blake Perkins. His primary role in 2023 was in right field as well, although he saw slightly less time than Frelick, logging just 190 total innings. His profile paints him to be a slightly watered-down version of Frelick, with similar weaknesses when it comes to power but a significantly higher strikeout rate, at 27.4%. Interestingly, his chase and walk rates of 16.8% and 13.7% were both better than Frelick’s.

Perkins also had a stellar glove in right field, also posting 7 OAA and 8 DRS, helped by his best-in-class sprint speed and top-tier arm strength. Perkins was the ninth-fastest player in MLB--not bad given the class of competition, which included Elly De La Cruz, Bobby Witt Jr., Trea Turner, and Corbin Carroll. Ultimately, it wouldn’t be the end of the world to utilize Perkins, but it would mean sacrificing even more offensive production, a price that may be too hefty for this Brewers squad. 

Another dark-horse candidate for right field could be Joey Wiemer, who just missed out on the Opening Day roster. He spent pretty much all of his time in center field, but he’s a scrappy fella who could be slotted in very soon if the team finds itself in a worst-case scenario. He hits the ball a little harder than his two co-workers mentioned above, but his plate discipline pales in comparison. Overall, his great defense and mediocre offense continue the existing theme among Brewers right-fielders.

The Big Question: The biggest uncertainty is exactly how long we should expect Chourio to remain in right field. What does the team need to see before bumping him to center? Is that something they foresee happening at any point in the year? Furthermore, if the Brewers are dissatisfied with Joey Ortiz and/or Andruw Monasterio at third base, how does moving Frelick to the infield shake things up? Would his place be taken by a healthy Mitchell, or someone else in a crowded Milwaukee outfield?

When discussing any young, unproven talents, we often have more questions than answers. He might not show off his true potential until a few years from now, and it remains to be seen if starting him off in right field is actually the right decision from a roster construction standpoint, but hey, you never know. Baseball is a fickle sport, but isn't that exactly why we all love it so much?