The 2024 Milwaukee Brewers Will Run More Than Almost Anyone Else in MLB

The Los Angeles Angels lead the Cactus League (and the Grapefruit League, too, for that matter) with 43 stolen bases this spring. Right on their heels, though, are the Brewers, at 42. They've also been caught 16 times, and swiping bags at a rate south of 73% probably won't engender that kind of aggressiveness once the season begins. Spring training is for ironing out the kinks that lead to some of those outs, though, and for learning how to pick spots better. It's also not a big deal that, for instance, Luis Lara, Yonny Hernandez and Chavez Young (three far-off prospects) were caught six times in nine tries.

Manager Pat Murphy has been unflinching and candid about this: the Brewers will run this year. Stolen bases will be a huge part of their game, for the first time since the early days of the Craig Counsell era. In 2016, of course, the Crew led MLB in steals. In 2017, they were second, and in 2018, they were fourth. Thereafter, though, they got much more power-oriented, slower, and less aggressive on the bases. The rising tide of steals across MLB lifted their boat last year, but they were still just 11th in steals and 12th in steal attempts.

One aspect of Murphy's eagerness to play Sal Frelick, Brice Turang, and Garrett Mitchell regularly is his belief in disrupting the game rhythm of left-handed starting pitchers, and another is the defensive value each of them offers. A third, though, is the fact that all three figure to be able to create runs with their speed, once they reach base. Turang has stolen six bases in eight tries this spring. Mitchell is 2-for-2. Frelick has been caught in half of his six attempts, but again, success isn't necessarily the goal during the spring. It's about getting reads and learning from bad reps, on the bases just as much as at third base.

Christian Yelich is another key player in this regard. His efficiency as a basestealer was a huge part of his resurgent campaign in 2023, with 28 thefts in 31 tries. He's unlikely to run as much this year, as he projects to hit in the middle of the lineup rather than batting leadoff, but Yelich will keep the offense dynamic even in the more power-focused stretch of the lineup. Jackson Chourio is the biggest wild card, though. The 20-year-old rookie stole 44 bases in 53 tries in the minors last year, and another three in Venezuelan Winter League action. He's also 2-for-3 this spring. Chourio's speed is part of why he's the most exciting player on the team as the season begins, and why he could be one of the most exciting in the league. 

In addition to those five main threats, every role player will be expected to run at times, just as they did last year. Oliver Dunn stole five bases without being caught in the Cactus League. Tyler Black, Vinny Capra, and Blake Perkins were all 3-for-3. While Murphy is no more likely to drop down a sacrifice bunt than was his predecessor, he's firm in his commitment to applying pressure to the defense and creating extra runs by taking the extra base.

I wouldn't be surprised if this team steals 180 bases this year, the way they did back in 2016. That team was lousy, and over half those bases were stolen by two players (Jonathan Villar and Hernán Pérez) who only played as much as they did because they were on a lousy team. This year's mix of speedsters is very different, though, with their batting and fielding value far exceeding that of Villar, Pérez, and Keon Broxton. The team will hope that their steals translate to many more wins.