sveumrules

41 Series Down, 11 Series Remain. So far the Brewers Series Record for the season is 28 W - 11 L - 2 T. Individual Series Results are... 3 W - 0 L (x7) 4 W - 1 L (x1) 3 W - 1 L (x3) 2 W - 1 L (x17) 2 W - 2 L (x1) 1 W - 1 L (x1) 1 W - 2 L (x8) 0 W - 3 L (x3) 35 of the Series have been of the standard three game variety with the Brewers sitting +12 Wins on Sweeps (21 W - 9 L) and +9 Wins on Splits (42 W - 33 L). For the six oddball series that were 2, 4, or 5 games long the Brewers have come out another +9 Wins ahead at (16 W - 7 L).

Yeah, the first season that DRS is available is 2002. In that time there have been an even 50 players with at least 5,000 innings at first base. Fielder is 50th with -101 DRS, Ryan Howard is 49th with -76 DRS, Josh Bell is 48th with -46 DRS. Prince was a DH out of the womb.

A tall athletic first baseman is always preferable, but Christian Walker (listed at 5'11" and 208 lbs) has put up some of the gaudiest 1B fielding stats of the StatCast Era (& 5'10" Carlos Santana is right there with him) so being limited vertically doesn't necessarily impede one from reaching the highest highs. Vaughn (0 DRS | 0 FRV over 941 innings as a Brewer) has graded out better than the taller more aesthetically pleasing Bauers (-6 DRS | -7 FRV over 869 innings) these last two years for whatever that is or isn't worth.

No doubt the strength of the system is the bats currently, but the crazy run scoring environment makes some of the stat lines look a lot more skewed at first glance. Tyson Hardin's 5.85 ERA (121 ERA-) has been ugly for instance, but he's got a much more impressive 3.50 FIP (72 FIP-) under the hood. Of the 95 pitchers in the minors with at least 100 IP so far that 3.50 FIP is 8th while his 3.66 xFIP is 3rd. Those underlying indicators tend to be better predictors of what the future may hold. Some of the other more impressive pitching performers (once adjusting for that crazy run scoring environment) this year... 25yo Cameron Wagoner (AA/AAA) 33 IP of 39 ERA- | 66 FIP- 23yo Jack Seppings (A+/AA/AAA) 64 IP of 79 ERA- | 85 FIP- 23yo Jaron DeBerry (AA) 108 IP of 92 ERA- | 100 FIP- 21yo Bishop Letson (AA) 75 IP of 94 ERA- | 93 FIP- 23yo Braylon Owens (A+/AA) 93 IP of 77 ERA- | 73 FIP- 22yo JD Thompson (ACL/A+/AA) 41 IP of 79 ERA- | 78 FIP- 21yo Wande Torres (A+) 104 IP of 85 ERA- | 88 FIP- 19yo Ethan Dorchies (A+) 98 IP of 94 ERA- | 94 FIP- 20yo Josh Knoth (ACL/A+) 63 IP of 86 ERA- | 76 FIP- 20yo Jayden Dubanewicz (ACL/A/A+) 69 IP of 80 ERA- | 92 FIP- 22yo Andrew Healy (A/A+) 69 IP of 81 ERA- | 83 FIP- 21yo Jose Meneses (A/A+) 52 IP of 48 ERA- | 62 FIP- 21yo Daniel Corniel (ACL/A+) 43 IP of 69 ERA- | 89 FIP- 19yo Miqueas Mercedes (A) 62 IP of 64 ERA- | 88 FIP- 18yo Diustin Mayorquin (ACL/A) 58 IP of 80 ERA- | 92 FIP- 19yo Derlin Garcia (DSL) 56 IP of 57 ERA- | 75 FIP- 18yo Raymond Sarmiento (DSL) 48 IP of 55 ERA- | 78 FIP- 19yo Paul Hoff (DSL) 44 IP of 31 ERA- | 66 FIP- 17yo Alexander Mercedes (DSL) 34 IP of 99 ERA- | 73 FIP-

They're kind of like the AA version of the Nationals. Also already wrapped up a playoff spot winning the 1st Half Championship.

2023 1st Half 49 W - 42 L (.538 W%) 2023 2nd Half 43 W - 28 L (.607 W%) 2024 1st Half 55 W - 42 L (.567 W%) 2024 2nd Half 38 W - 27 L (.585 W%) 2025 1st Half 56 W - 40 L (.583 W%) 2025 2nd Half 41 W - 25 L (.621 W%) 2026 1st Half 59 W - 37 L (.615 W%) 2026 2nd Half (so far) 19 W - 11 L (.633 W%) ...they're doing it again...

Seattle pitchers benefit greatly from their home park... 2026 SEA Home 3.32 ERA (2nd) | 3.60 FIP (4th) | .289 wOBA (4th) 2026 SEA Road 4.40 ERA (17th) | 3.95 FIP (5th) | .324 wOBA (17th) Going back to 2022 their 3,095 runs allowed are 4th fewest in MLB, but they've pitched to a 3.22 ERA (1st) | 3.56 FIP (2nd) | .279 wOBA (1st) at home versus a 4.21 ERA (13th) | 4.17 FIP (16th) | .317 wOBA (15th) on the road.

The Brewers 129 wRC+ at 2B is the best in MLB. The Dodgers are at an 87 wRC+ (22nd), the Cubs a 96 wRC+ (15th), the Braves have a 102 wRC+ (12th). The Brewers 145 wRC+ at 1B is third in MLB. The Braves aren't far off at a 141 wRC+ (5th), the Dodgers are 9th with a 130 wRC+, while the Cubs are 20th with a 107 wRC+. The Brewers 74 wRC+ at SS is 27th on the year, but has been considerably upgraded since Cooper Pratt (103 wRC+) came up. The Braves have been even worse with a 61 wRC+ (29th), while the Dodgers 89 wRC+ (17th) and Cubs 96 wRC+ (14th) are more middle of the pack. The Brewers 83 wRC+ at 3B is 24th on the year, but that is mostly dragged down by 193 PA of 58 wRC+ from Rengifo. Ortiz has been fire at the hot corner with a 131 wRC+ over 92 PA there, while Hamilton's 90 wRC+ over his 170 PA at 3B is fine for a speedy #8/9 hitter. Dodgers 133 wRC+ (2nd) is best of the top NL contenders with the Cubs in 13th at a 102 wRC+, while the Braves and Austin Riley (86 wRC+) have hit worse than Bunty. Put it all together and here are how those four infields stack up in a few different counting stats (manually computed the total infield Off | WAR | DRS | FRV so no thirty team rankings there) plus their combined wRC+ for all four spots... BREWERS 1B: 79 R (4th) | 28.8 Off (1st) | 2.8 WAR (9th) 2B: 79 R (3rd) | 20.3 Off (1st) | 4.5 WAR (1st) SS: 54 R (22nd) | -13.5 Off (27th) | 0.8 WAR (23rd) 3B: 47 R (24th) | -7.0 Off (20th) | 1.6 WAR (18th) IF: 259 R (8th) | 28.6 Off | 9.7 WAR | 109 wRC+ (5th) DEF: +30 DRS | +5 FRV [first base defense (-7 DRS | -11 FRV) kills their WAR. Rengifo (-13.0 Off | -0.7 WAR) eats into the totals some too. DRS loves their work at 2B (+16), 3B (+13) and SS (+8) this year. FRV typically lagging behind at +9, +4, +3 for those same three positions (which also cuts into their WAR here since that is what FG uses as their defensive input). Quick look at BRef (5.2 Wins Above Average) has them as the best infield] DODGERS 1B: 63 R (17th) | 18.1 Off (7th) | 2.9 WAR (6th) 2B: 57 R (17th) | -7.5 Off (22nd) | 1.5 WAR (18th) SS: 62 R (15th) | -7.4 Off (19th) | 2.2 WAR (16th) 3B: 73 R (3rd) | 19.5 Off (3rd) | 4.1 WAR (2nd) IF: 255 R (11th) | 22.7 Off | 10.7 WAR | 110 wRC+ (4th) DEF: +23 DRS | +18 FRV [worst second base production of the four teams, career worst year for Mookie (90 wRC+), and they are still the most Postseason Bona Fide Offense anyway, though BRef has them slightly behind the Brewers at 4.5 Wins Above Average on the year] CUBS 1B: 54 R (25th) | 1.5 Off (22nd) | 1.5 WAR (19th) 2B: 58 R (14th) | 0.7 Off (12th) | 2.6 WAR (8th) SS: 79 R (5th) | 2.7 Off (9th) | 3.6 WAR (5th) 3B: 64 R (12th) | 1.6 Off (14th) | 2.7 WAR (10th) IF: 255 R (10th) | 6.5 Off | 10.4 WAR | 100 wRC+ (16th) DEF: +18 DRS | +25 FRV [solid across the board, but nothing spectacular with Bregman (112 wRC+), Busch (109 wRC+), Hoerner (94 wRC+), and Swanson (95 wRC+ before hitting the IL) getting the lions share of the reps starting all but 31 games for the Cubs infield. BRef says they have been 4.3 Wins Above Average] BRAVES 1B: 89 R (1st) | 26.6 Off (4th) | 4.2 WAR (1st) 2B: 74 R (5th) | 0.7 Off (13th) | 1.7 WAR (15th) SS: 55 R (21st) | -21.0 Off (29th) | 0.0 WAR (29th) 3B: 54 R (21st) | -8.4 Off (23rd) | 1.1 WAR (24th) IF: 272 R (3rd) | -2.1 Off | 7.0 WAR | 99 wRC+ (18th) DEF: +16 DRS | +4 FRV [easily the worst infield of the four primary NL contenders, buoyed only by another monster season from Matt Olson (140 wRC+) plus a tread water one from Ozzie Albies (98 wRC+). BRef sees them as being 1.8 Wins Above Average so far]

When they run out an outfield of Bauers (143 wRC+), Chourio (120 wRC+), and Mitchell (109 wRC+) they have three outfielders that can all hit to varying degrees. Since Chourio and Vaughn returned on May 4th Brewers outfielders have a 105 wRC+ that is 10th in MLB and 146 runs scored that are 6th in MLB. The Brewers 59 W - 33 L record since that date is the best in MLB by 4.5 games over each of TBR and BOS. Over the same stretch the Dodgers OF are at a 97 wRC+ and 141 runs scored (& they've lost six games to the Brewers in the standings), while the Braves OF are at a 107 wRC+ and 135 runs scored (& they've lost nine game to the Brewers in the standings). The Cubs have an MLB best 124 wRC+ and 171 runs scored from their OF since May 4th and they've still gone ahead and lost nine games to the Brewers in the standings too over that stretch anyway. The outfield has hurt the Brewers chances of winning of a daily basis so much that they've got the best record in MLB (again) and are only on a 100 Win pace in a season when even the most optimistic fans expected them to take a step back from their Franchise Record 97 Wins last year. Going all the way back to 2024 the Brewers have won the most games in MLB with their outfielders coming in at 105 wRC+ (10th) | +32.5 BsR (2nd) | +46 DRS (5th) | +32 FRV (4th) | 25.3 WAR (5th) | 725 Runs Scored (5th). Those outfield fielding numbers are a big part of the equation for the Brewers running an MLB best 3.58 ERA since 2024 with a -0.34 run gap between that and their 3.92 FIP (7th). Get a lot of fly balls (105 FB+ | t-4th), which result in a lower BABIP (95 BABIP+ | t-1st) and fewer hits (93 AVG+ | t-1st) with that Top Five OF defense behind them, en route to an MLB best strand rate (105 LOB+ | 1st), which has helped them shave a third of a run per game off their peripheral indicators for 449 games now.

There are currently 379 individual Brewers player seasons with at least 400 PA in Franchise History. As of now Bauers 143 wRC+ is tied with 1978 and 1981 Gorman Thomas for spots #21 to 23 on the leaderboard. The Top Twenty features Braun (x4), Prince (x3), Yount (x3), Molitor (x2), Cooper (x2), Yelich (x2), 1970 Harper, 1978 Hisle, 1979 Sixto, and 1980 Oglivie.

Pirates went 123 W - 201 L for a .380 W% (2nd worst in MLB) from 2021 to 2022. From 2023 to 2025 they improved to 223 W - 263 L for a .459 W% that was 25th in MLB. After finishing last year with a 3.83 FIP (3rd) | 3.76 ERA (7th) | 3.98 RA/G (5th) but an 82 wRC+ (29th) and 3.60 RS/G (30th) they went about as ALL IN as it gets in Pittsburgh to fix the offense, hopefully have their first winning season since 2018, and maybe even get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2015. And the first part worked, this year they have a 105 wRC+ (6th) and 5.02 RS/G (3rd). But just like all those bones in our bodies are connected together, the offense is inextricably linked to the defense. So far this year Pirates pitchers have been a little worse with a 3.92 FIP (7th), but their 4.31 ERA is 20th and their 4.79 RA/G is 24th. The only teams with a bigger wrong way gap between their FIP and ERA are the Rockies (+0.65) who play half their games on a mountain and the A's (+0.51) who play half their games in a rinky dink AAA park.

After last night's start Logan Henderson is one of 197 starting pitchers with at least 80 IP over the last two seasons. Some of his ranks on that leaderboard... 126 LOB+ (1st) | 18.8 IFFB% (1st) | 22.9 LA (2nd) | 69 WHIP+ (3rd) | 216 K/BB+ (3rd) | 59 ERA- (4th) | 146 K+ (5th) | 78 AVG+ (5th) | 2.98 SIERA (7th) | 2.96 xERA (9th) | 49.3 FB% (9th) | 75 xFIP- (10th) | 78 FIP- (24th) Pretty much his only blemish performance-wise is an elevated home run rate (113 HR+ | 132nd), but when you are thee best at stranding runners, and thee best at getting infield fly balls, and Top Three in limiting base runners to begin with, and Top Five in both getting strikeouts and limiting hits, and twelve of the thirteen HR you have surrendered were solo shots, it's a pretty live-with-able blemish.

With Brady getting promoted here is how his A ball performance compares to some other recent(ish) Brewers teenagers in A ball... 2019 Brice Turang (Age 19) 287/384/376 (125 wRC+) 13.7 BB% | 15.1 K% 21 SB / 4 CS 2022 Jackson Chourio (Age 18) 324/373/600 (155 wRC+) 7.0 BB% | 28.0 K% 10 SB / 2 CS 2022 Jeferson Quero (Age 19) 278/345/412 (106 wRC+) 8.8 BB% | 19.1 K% 10 SB / 2 CS 2023 Luis Lara (Age 18) 285/379/354 (112 wRC+) 12.3 BB% | 14.5 K% 22 SB / 9 CS 2023 Luke Adams (Age 19) 233/400/401 (131 wRC+) 17.3 BB% | 22.5 K% 30 SB / 10 CS 2023 Jadher Areinamo (Age 19) 306/333/407 (104 wRC+) 4.0 BB% | 12.4 K% 16 SB / 5 CS 2024 Yophery Rodriguez (Age 18) 250/343/383 (112 wRC+) 12.2 BB% | 23.8 K% 7 SB / 5 CS 2024 Cooper Pratt (Age 19) 295/394/395 (132 wRC+) 12.2 BB% | 18.3 K% 25 SB / 2 CS 2024-25 Eric Bitonti (Age 18-19) 235/336/434 (119 wRC+) 12.9 BB% | 32.7 K% 20 SB / 10 CS 2025 Jesus Made (Age 18) 267/373/388 (122 wRC+) 14.0 BB% | 20.6 K% 40 SB / 9 CS 2025 Luis Pena (Age 18) 308/375/469 (139 wRC+) 9.1 BB% | 13.3 K% 41 SB / 7 CS 2025 Braylon Payne (Age 18) 240/354/382 (114 wRC+) 15.2 BB% | 30.1 K% 31 SB / 10 CS 2026 Handelfry Encarnacion (Age 19) 240/373/393 (107 wRC+) 16.5 BB% | 18.3 K% 24 SB / 13 CS 2026 Juan Ortuno (Age 19) 241/394/337 (106 wRC+) 17.5 BB% | 15.4 K% 32 SB / 11 CS 2026 Brady Ebel (Age 18) 261/416/420 (127 wRC+) 19.5 BB% | 20.5 K% 38 SB / 3 CS

Harrison for sure, but I think Misio set a pace in the first half that was bound for some regression no matter what. With 19 GS for 111 IP of 39 ERA- | 49 FIP- in the first half he was essentially like a really good Aroldis Chapman season (41 ERA- | 49 FIP- in 2015) or peak Trevor Hoffman (37 ERA- | 48 FIP- in 1998) but for a lil over six innings at a time. So far in the second half he is at 4 GS for 22 IP of 59 ERA- | 62 FIP-. Not quite as sterling as the 1st Half, more in line with career Chapman (61 ERA- | 57 FIP-) or prime Hoffman (61 ERA- | 62 FIP- from 1996 to 2004). Couple of more Brewers centric comps for his 2nd half performance would be peak Ben Sheets (62 ERA- | 59 FIP- in 2004) or the first three years of Josh Hader (57 ERA- | 63 FIP- from 2017 to 2019).

Been in first place since May 19th. Before cutting the gap to three games a couple days ago, the last time the Cubs were that close was 2.5 games back on May 24th. Still playing at what would be another Franchise Record 99/100 Win pace even after a GASP three game losing streak EXHALE and only one game over .500 for the month. "the offense...the offense" - General Kurtz, probably. With the pitching match up, they will likely lose tonight. And that is fine. They are going to lose at least 16 more games this year and if they don't I'll gladly be wrong. No one (especially regular IGT posters) thought this was a 99/100 Win team coming into the season so they are still playing with house money. No one thought they would have the best record in MLB since Murphy took over so they've really been playing with house money for three years now. Team That Continually Exceeds Expectations Is Actually Disappointing - rejected Onions Sports headline, perhaps. Let's say Murphy has already cost them FIVE games this year and they should instead be 80 W - 42 L. That would be a 106 Win pace for the season and I know no one thinks the Brewers are a 106 True Talent kind of team. (okay, maybe @torts does) They cruised to relatively easy Division Wins in 2021 (five games), 2023 (nine games), 2024 (ten games), and 2025 (five games). Maybe having to fight and claw their way to the Division Title this year if that's what it comes down to will give them some momentum heading into the playoffs (though if they hold their current #1 seed or even GASP drop to #2 EXHALE they'll be getting some time off anyway).

Turang had a 124 wRC+ last year, and has a matching 124 wRC+ so far this year. Chourio is at a 120 wRC+ so far this year compared to a 111 wRC+ last year. Brice & Jackson might not be firing on all cylinders at peak form, but also don't think it's really fair to lump them in with Contreras (132 to 113 to 95 wRC+ last three years) or Yelich (154 to 121 to 89 wRC+ last three years) who are both on multi season benders.

For a big dollar, hyped up signing his DSL performance (83 wRC+) was underwhelming. His ACL line was better (112 wRC+) though still nothing really eye catching, except for maybe the 31.3 K% under the hood. Hasn't really gone nuclear until these last couple two tree weeks at Wilson. Not sure when it was last updated but if the MLB list was compiled before then or when his heater was just getting underway, combined with the ridiculous depth of the system (the main factor at play here I reckon) and you end up with a really intriguing teenager as your #30. Another thing to keep in mind is that the Overall grade (40FV for Antunez) is more important than the ordinal ranking. The dividing line on the MLB list is at #21 Julian Garcia (45FV) and #22 Jose Rodriguez (40FV) so his grade is closer to the Top 20 than his #30 numerical ranking.

As the RH platoon partner at 1B/DH with the LH hitting Fischer and Burke.

Which one of those five is playing SS over Cooper or Joey? Which one of those five is playing RF instead of Bauers or Lara? I see four guys that are pretty much 2B/3B only and a LF. Harrison (2.9 rWAR) + Drohan (1.1 rWAR) + Hamilton (0.4 WAR) >>> Durbin (2.3 WAR) + Seigler (0.3 WAR) + Monasterio (0.2 WAR). I guess I don't see what is concerning about it. The Brewers are a top five run scoring unit in MLB without any of those guys, have the best record in MLB (with a big assist from Harrison and Drohan in the run prevention department), and have a plethora of position prospects that should be filtering in over the next couple seasons that are better than any of the five guys listed.

Rengifo is a sample of 87 PA. For the season the Padres are at 4.24 R/G (21st) and 95 OPS+ (24th). If the Brewers are underperforming at 4.96 R/G (5th) and 103 OPS+ (10th), I'm not sure what adjective best describes a Padres offense paying Xander Bogaerts $25M for a 79 OPS+. or Manny Machado $25M for a 98 OPS+, or Jake Cronenworth $12M for a 68 OPS+ with like half a billion left to go on those contracts. Monasterio has been a lefty killer for sure with 97 PA of 162 wRC+ vs LHP, but a less impressive (more Brewers-esque?) 82 wRC+ over 151 PA vs RHP. Seigler has been good against RHP (116 wRC+) and with the monster (134 wRC+), but abysmal on the road (55 wRC+) and vs LHP (40 wRC+). Two useful bench pieces forming one solid platoon I guess. Durbin (105 vs 102 wRC+ and 101 vs 106 OPS+) has been essentially the same hitter he was here and Collins (122 vs 100 wRC+ and 118 vs 102 OPS+) has been worse. Not sure how either are any kind of indictment against the Brewers (especially considering they were the ones that identified Collins as an MLB player in the first place). Who gets the credit for Turang (127 wRC+), Chourio (123 wRC+), Bauers (142 wRC+), Mithcell (114 wRC+), and Vaughn (139 wRC+)?

Jesus Made ya hay que esperar, pero Jesus vieneLuis Pena glad he made it through the deadline a BrewerLuis Lara imminent graduate who has looked good in his early sampleJosh Adamczewski best all around hitting prospectBraylon Payne best all around tools package in the OFTyson Hardin closest thing we have to an MLB ready starterAndrew Fischer lefty power batsBlake Burke lefty power batsBrady Ebel really impressive first full seasonJeferson Quero catchers of the future?Marco Dinges catchers of the future?Luke Adams just keeps raking. BB% down (this is a good thing for Luke), shaved almost 7% off his K rate from AA, career best ISOBishop Letson trio of future SP (hopefully)Josh Knoth trio of future SP (hopefully)JD Thompson trio of future SP (hopefully)Jett Williams kinda blah before injury Trey Ebel here for the Super Ebel BrothersDiego Frontado trio of DSLersRicki Moneys trio of DSLersLeanders Matos trio of DSLers next half dozen for me are Brailyn Antunez, Sawyer Strosnider, and Dylan O'Rae for the hitters plus Cameron Wagoner, Wande Torres, and Julian Garcia for the pitchers. side note, I probably would have slotted Ragsdale and Frias in at #10 and #11 after Ebel the elder.

Here is the list of 87 primary catchers in the Thirty Team Era (since 1998) to get at least 1,500 PA sorted by wRC+... Willson Contreras (135 wRC+) [moved off catcher as noted already] Jorge Posada (127 wRC+) Mike Piazza (126 wRC+) [Steroid Era holdovers] Buster Posey (116 wRC+) [probably the very best one could squint and hope for] Javy Lopez (111 wRC+) [another Steroid Era holdover] Grandal, Carlos Ruiz, Russell Martin (107 wRC+) JT Realmuto, Salvador Perez (105 wRC+) [more likely best realistic case scenarios] So far Contreras the Younger has a 119 wRC+ for his Brewers career and has a three year downward trend from 132 to 113 to a 100 wRC+ before today. Barring a crazy turnaround down the stretch and through the postseason carrying the team to a World Series, I'd be hesitant to extend for what is likely to be a record approaching catcher contract for William.

Reminder that today is the last day to cast your Brewers Prospect ballot.

LAST DAY TO VOTE BUMP

I'd guess they go with Eduardo Garcia (better defense / positional versatility) if a move is needed.