Top 25 Milwaukee Brewers Player Assets of 2026: 6-10

This is part four of a five-part series about top Milwaukee Brewers player assets for 2026.

Part 1: Players 21-25
Part 2: Players 16-20
Part 3: Players 11-15
Part 4: Players 6-10:

10. Caleb Durbin
2026 Season Age: 26
Controlled through: 2031
Jason's rank: 16 | Michael's rank: 9 | Steve's rank: 11
Durbin was acquired (along with Nestor Cortes) from the New York Yankees for Devin Williams last December and was added into the mix at third base as spring training began. When Vinny Capra and Oliver Dunn batted a combined .134 (9-for-67) for Milwaukee, Durbin was called up from Triple-A Nashville. He got a hit in his first big league at-bat, and the newest Brewer third sacker was found.

Other than a slow month of May, Durbin was fairly consistent and finished the season with a batting line of .256/.334/.387, across 445 at-bats. Durbin hit lefties and righties equally (.717 OPS vs. LHP, .722 OPS vs. RHP) and showed a bit of power (11 homers) and speed (18 stolen bases). He was one of the few players to play well in the postseason, including 4-for-13 against Los Angeles in the NLCS.

Defensively, Durbin posted a Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) number of +5, which placed him in the company of Gold Glovers Nolan Arenado (+6) and Matt Chapman (+5). His Outs Above Average (OAA) was +2, which was in the middle of the pack for third basemen.

Durbin had a fine rookie year, and with little pressure on him to start the upcoming season, the Brewers should expect even more from him in his sophomore campaign.

Caleb Durbin on his rookie season.

9. Brandon Woodruff
2026 Season Age: 33
Controlled through: 2026
Jason's rank: 23 | Michael's rank: 6 | Steve's rank: 6
Jason appears to be a little skeptical about Woodruff’s 2026 season, while the other two think that this season will be ‘business as usual’ for Big Woo. We all know what he can do, but the question is whether he can recover from the lat strain he suffered late last year—and avoid further injuries.

Woodruff struck out batters at a higher rate than in 2023, increasing his K rate from 29.2% to 32.2%. He also changed his repertoire, using fewer fastballs (41% to 30%) while throwing more cutters and sinkers. His velocity dropped a couple ticks, but he found ample compensations for that shortfall.

The righty accepted the qualifying offer (QO) of $22.025 million, and if he can have a successful season, he will be in line for a big raise in 2027.

8. Quinn Priester
2026 Season Age: 25
Controlled through: 2030
Jason's rank: 12 | Michael's rank: 12 | Steve's rank: 8
‘The Reverend’ had a great stretch for Milwaukee last year, winning 12 straight decisions while pitching well enough that Milwaukee won 19 consecutive contests while he was on the mound.

Priester came over from the Boston Red Sox in an April trade that much of ‘Bushville’ hated. Losing Yophery Rodriguez, John Holobetz, and a competitive draft pick for a seemingly fringy pitcher chapped the hides of many Brewer fans.

However, when Priester started winning, he quickly became a fan favorite. He became a sinker, slider, cutter guy, throwing those three offerings a combined 89% of the time to great success. He improved his K rate from 15% to 20% and kept his groundball rate at 56%, a great thing when you have Turang-Ortiz-Durbin behind you.  

Priester has a pretty safe lock on a starting job in the rotation; he would have to fall apart in order to lose it.

Quinn Priester reflecting on the 2025 season.

7. Sal Frelick
2026 Season Age: 26
Controlled through: 2029
Jason's rank: 15 | Michael's rank: 5 | Steve's rank: 9
Frelick starred in football, baseball, and hockey at Lexington High School in Massachusetts. Is it any wonder that the guy would dive for any ball or run through a fence to catch a fly ball? The lefty-swinging Frelick, aka ‘The Hit Collector,’ has become a fan favorite in Milwaukee, a smaller, faster version of ‘Stormin’ Gorman Thomas, a much-beloved Brewer from 40 years ago. 

Frelick has already won a Gold Glove in 2024 and challenged for a batting title in 2025. What more can he do? He set a career high with 12 home runs and 19 stolen bases, and smart money says he will better those numbers soon.

In 2025, Frelick actually hit for a better average (.301) against lefties than against righties (.282), though all his power came against opposite-handed pitchers. Everyday play and some minor injuries made for a long season for Frelick, which might have been a big part of his less-than-stellar 1-for-14 showing against Los Angeles in the NLCS.

One thing to know about Frelick: he will never give up. That is the kind of player that Milwaukee fans fall in love with.

Sal Frelick's crazy twin killing in the NLCS.

6. Jesús Made
2026 Season Age: 19
Controlled through: TBD
Jason's rank: 2 | Michael's rank: 7 | Steve's rank: 17
There is much discord in the rankings of this trio of BF scribes for the future Brewer infielder. All I know is that all three of us hope that he lives up to what all the scouts have projected for him.

Made has moved quickly up the ladder, from Single-A to High-A to Double-A, all in one year. Made should start at Biloxi this year, and if history is any guide, will be at Triple-A Nashville before the year ends.

Made has 60 grades for the hit, power, arm, and overall tools. Last year at three levels, he batted .285/.379/.413 across 453 at-bats. He has good line-drive power, as he stroked 28 two-baggers and showed his speed tool with 47 stolen bases.

Currently ranked the fourth-best prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline, the 18-year-old phenom has an ETA of 2028 at ‘The Ueck,’ but if he keeps making progress like he has been, we could see him as early as September 2026 in a big-league uniform.

Made's first home run in at Double-A Biloxi.

Next up, Part 5 (1-5). Enjoy!

Let us know how we are doing. Did we miss anyone? Somebody rated too high or too low? Start the conversation in the comments section below!