Jackson Gottfreid

As the trade deadline approaches on July 31, the Milwaukee Brewers currently sit one game back of the Chicago Cubs for first place in the division with a 55-40 record. While Milwaukee ranks 7th in the league in runs per game with 4.73, the Brewers have hit 91 home runs, ranking 23rd in baseball. For a team that has the pitching to make a push towards the playoffs, the offense must continue to pull its weight. The Brewers have been an offensive anomaly this season, holding a league-average OPS+ of 100, ranking 18th in wOBA at .311 and 22nd in the MLB with a .383 SLG. Of the six teams ahead of Milwaukee in runs per game, the next-closest team for total home runs hit is the Boston Red Sox, and they have slugged 30 more home runs than the Crew. While the Brewers have seemingly perfected their brand of baseball, stealing bases, making contact, and moving runners over, the offense can take the next step by adding more power. In fact, powerful lineups become even more important once the postseason begins because it is more difficult to string hits together against better pitching staffs. This analysis details the importance of hitting home runs in the postseason. While Andrew Vaughn has been successful in his five games for the Brewers after coming over in a trade on June 13 with the White Sox, driving in 10 runs in 14 at-bats, the production is not sustainable. This season, Vaughn has a 63 wRC+ and a 66 OPS+ while possessing a mark around the league average in his previous two seasons with the White Sox. The player who can elevate this Brewers' offense for the most important stretch of the season is Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan O’Hearn. The Orioles are almost certainly going to be sellers at the deadline, posting a 43-51 record thus far after back-to-back playoff appearances in 2023 and 2024. O’Hearn stands at 6’2, 220lbs and earned his first all-star selection this year since making his MLB debut in 2018 with the Kansas City Royals. The left-handed hitter holds a .288/.385/.461 line with 11 home runs. If inserted into the Brewers' lineup, O’Hearn would currently rank fourth on the team in long balls. O’Hearn has never hit more than 15 homers in a season, but is currently on pace to hit over 20 this year. O’Hearn’s quality of contact has improved over the course of his MLB career. The former 2014 draft pick went from the bottom 10 percentiles in wOBA in 2019 and 2020 to inside the top 10% this season at .369, marking the second-highest point in his career. Importantly, over 170 plate appearances in 2018, O’Hearn compiled a wOBA of .398, but his xwOBA was 53 points lower, showing the quality of contact was not on par with the positive results. This season, however, O’Hearn’s xwOBA is 10 points higher than what he currently brings to the plate, demonstrating that he has become more of a complete hitter. Additionally, the Orioles' first baseman has found success in large part because of increased plate discipline, which is leading to better contact. During his first three seasons (2018-20), O’Hearn walked about 12 percent of the time, but the strikeout rate was around 27 percent. Last season, O’Hearn finished in the top 7 percent of players in strikeout rate, only going down on strikes 14 percent of his plate appearances. However, he settled for much softer contact, with a career-low 40.1 percent hard hit rate. This season, the 31-year-old ranks second for his career in HardHit% (48.4), K% (16.4), and BB% (12.3%), resulting in a career-high 139 wRC+. Further, O’Hearn adds an element defensively that neither Rhys Hoskins nor Andrew Vaughn brings to a sure-handed infield. While Hoskins has made improvements defensively in 2025, the Brewers’ first baseman is still an average defender at best. O’Hearn ranks in the 93rd percentile with five outs above average and demonstrates positional versatility, starting 17 games in the corner outfield spots for Baltimore this season. Another note on Hoskins to monitor is the strength of his left thumb, impacting the ability to grip the bat once he returns in early to mid-August. For someone who ranks in the 36th percentile in bat speed, the injury may hinder the movement of the bat through the zone. Making a deal for O’Hearn could help Hoskins ease his way back as well. O’Hearn struggles against left-handed pitching, posting a .608 OPS in only 50 at-bats. On the contrary, Hoskins holds a solid .772 OPS with a .432 SLG against southpaws this season in 97 plate appearances. Platooning the pair when Hoskins comes back from injury would provide a balanced approach in the power department for Milwaukee. O’Hearn could also be used as a defensive replacement late in games when Hoskins gets the start. The Brewers' ability to manufacture runs in the regular season has been a recipe for success, but Milwaukee has not won a playoff series since 2018. O’Hearn’s power bat could prove to be the addition that the offense needs to make a deep run into October.

In Quinn Priester’s previous 25 starts in the MLB, the 2019 first-round pick had never recorded an out in 7th inning. That changed on Saturday, when Priester tallied seven shutout innings against the Colorado Rockies, capping off both the best start of his career and the best month as a big league pitcher. Priester allowed only one hit while striking out 11 hitters in the outing. The Brewers own a league-leading 26-11 record since May 18, in large part due to the team’s pitching staff, especially the starting rotation. Starters hold a 2.92 ERA, ranking first in all of baseball. The staff is simply not allowing extra base hits, leading the league with a .346 slugging percentage allowed. Additionally, the Brewers rank fourth with a .292 wOBA allowed during the 37-game stretch. Diving into the numbers, Priester is a substantial reason why the Brewers have been winning consistently over the last month. In June, Priester had a 1.98 ERA over 27.1 innings. Further, Priester put together 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings, over three punch-outs higher than his next-best stretch in March and April when the ratio was 6.4. Priester’s strikeout-to-walk ratio was a blistering 5.80 in the month, which would put him in the top-5 of all pitchers if this performance were sustained through the entire season. On Saturday, Priester kept the Rockies off balance with almost an identical usage of sinkers and cutters. Of his 95 pitches, 30.5% were sinkers while 29.5% were cutters, the third-highest percentage of cutters used this season. While allowing a HardHit% of only 33%, along with 20 whiffs, Priester induced an average exit velocity of 78.9 mph through the 25 batters faced. Take away Jordan Beck’s bunt where Priester made the play, diving off the mound, and the exit velocity allowed is 81.5 mph, over eight miles per hour less than his season average of 87.2. Priester’s ability to fill up the upper quadrant of the zone with cutters while also working the pitch to the outer-half of the plate to righties and inside to lefties kept Colorado off balance. Another start that featured a high usage of cutters for Priester was on June 10 against the Atlanta Braves. Priester’s final line was 6IP 7H 1ER 0BB 7K. Of the 30 cutters Priester threw, only one was hard hit. Against a tougher Braves lineup, Priester worked up with the cutter, intentionally moving above the zone. While only getting five swings and misses on the pitch in the outing, Priester recorded two strikeouts, and eight of the 16 strikes were fouled off, demonstrating the Braves’ inability to square up the pitch. The cutter has been the difference maker for Priester this season, as the 24-year-old had not thrown the pitch in his first two big league seasons with the Pirates and Red Sox. It will be increasingly important to maintain success in the rotation for Priester as the playoff race heats up for Milwaukee, and the cutter will play a large part.

Brett Wichrowski has shown glimpses of what it takes to get to the next level, but he needs to hone in on the accuracy to do so. The 22-year-old is the Brewers’ No.13-ranked prospect and in his second season with Double-A Biloxi, posting a career-best 2.45 ERA in 40.1 innings since making his season debut on May 4. According to a scouting report on Wichrowski, the 2023 13th-round selection out of Bryant University features a mid-90s fastball, mid-upper 80s slider, a mid-80s sweeper, and changeup. The sweeper is Wichrowski’s best pitch, and he uses it most frequently against right-handed hitters. Ultimately, the issue is the walks. In 74.1 innings with Biloxi in 2024, Wichrowski gave up 36 walks for an 11.1% BB%. Although, Wichrowski lowered his ERA from 4.12 a season ago to 2.45, the 6-foot-2 right-hander is still allowing free passes at the same rate in both 2024 and 2025. However, Wichrowski’s start on June 27 was the best of the season with a final line of 6IP, 2H, 0R, 1BB, 6K. Wichrowski efficiently moved through the Columbus Clingstones order, facing only three, 3-ball counts, and did not allow a walk until the second-to-last batter of the outing. Plus, he showed some athleticism in the field with this play. Wichrowski looks more in a groove as the Shuckers approach the month of July in the coming days. In May, Wichrowski gave up only five runs in 18.1 innings of work while striking out 16. The major blemish on the line was the 12 walks during the month. Wichrowski held an identical 2.45 ERA in June, giving Biloxi 22 innings over five starts. The noticeable difference, only six walks and no more than two in any of those outings. Wichrowski’s next appearance on the mound will likely come against the Pensacola Blue Wahoos in Florida on July 3. In a May 10 start against Pensacola, Wichrowski allowed one run on four hits and did not surrender a free pass. If Wichrowski can build off his last start and show consistency in the month of July, there will be an opportunity for him in Nashville, with his sights on the big leagues in 2026.

Tuesday marks the Brewers' last chance to fortify their roster for a dogfight in the NL Central, where three teams will jockey for the crown. Could they turn back to a familiar star to fully prepare themselves? Image courtesy of © Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports One of the most shocking days in Milwaukee Brewers history came on August 1, 2022. The Brewers dealt All-star closer Josh Hader to the San Diego Padres, while holding a three-game lead on the St. Louis Cardinals for first place in the NL Central. Milwaukee held an 80.7% chance to win the division, and a 90.4% chance to make the playoffs, according to FanGraphs. As we know, neither of these probabilities were fulfilled, as the Brewers limped to the finish line without their frontline closer, falling short even of the newly created third Wild Card. Fast forward a year later, and the Brewers have an opportunity for a reunion. During the 2023 campaign for those same Padres, Hader has been elite. The 29-year-old is having a career year with the Friars. He’s posted a 0.90 ERA in 40 innings, while racking up 25 saves. He has tied his career low in hits per 9 innings (H/9) at 3.8. Although Petco Park, the home of the Padres, is known as a pitcher’s park, Hader has had fairly even home/road splits. At home, the flamethrowing lefty has a staggering .099 batting average against, while it’s only a .156 batting average against him on the road. In addition, hitters are only slugging .017 higher on the road than at home against Hader. No matter which park Hader is in, hitters are still not making quality contact. A deeper dive into his advanced metrics further illustrates how difficult it is for hitters to square him up. According to Baseball Savant, Hader ranks in the top 1% of all Major League pitchers in HardHit% against, at 22.7; strikeout rate, at 38.1 percent; expected batting average, at .132; and expected slugging, at .179. He isn’t getting lucky. His average exit velocity against is 85.7 miles per hour, which ranks in the top 5% of the league. Hader has truly been dominant all season. Although the Padres have had a disappointing season to date, their sweep over the weekend on the AL West-leading Texas Rangers put them back into the thick of things in the NL Wild Card race. Therefore, the price tag on Josh Hader is an expensive one. Padres General Manager A.J. Preller is no stranger to being a part of large deadline moves. A season ago, Preller traded for All-star slugger Juan Soto and first baseman Josh Bell from the Washington Nationals, in exchange for shortstop C.J. Abrams and left-handed pitcher Mackenzie Gore, both of whom were highly regarded in the Padres’ system before they made it to MLB. In addition, San Diego traded their No. 1, No. 3, and No. 14 prospects. If the Brewers want a reunion with Hader and to bolster the bullpen for a run deep into October, Milwaukee is going to have to shop some of their best prospects. Because he’s now an impending free agent, though, the price tag will be lower, and bringing Hader home would come with so much less uncertainty than most deadline acquisitions do. The Brewers know Hader. They know how to fix him when he breaks, and they know how he fits into their clubhouse. It’s worth considering. Whom The Brewers Would Need to Trade Garrett Mitchell Mitchell debuted with the Brewers late in the 2022 MLB season. He was a highly-touted outfielder when Milwaukee selected him in the first round of the 2020 MLB draft out of UCLA. Within two full seasons in the minor leagues, Mitchell was called up, and he made an immediate impact with the Crew. In 28 games last season, Mitchell had an OPS of .832, and he was slated to be the everyday center fielder in 2023. Unfortunately, earlier this season, he tore his labrum, which required surgery that effectively ended his season. Mitchell’s contract would be team-friendly for the Padres as well. He is still in the pre-arbitration phase, and isn’t eligible for the raises that system affords until 2026. If the Padres are willing to be patient with Mitchell’s rehab, the trio of Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Mitchell would be one of the best outfields in baseball. Jeferson Quero Quero was an international signing by the Brewers in 2019, out of Venezuela. The catcher ranks third in the Brewers farm system, and 71st in all of baseball, according to MLB.com. In 233 at-bats in Double-A Biloxi, the 20-year-old has 13 home runs and an OPS of .871. The Padres have a young catcher at the big-league level in Luis Campusano, but he hasn’t been able to find his footing as a hitter since his debut in 2020. For Quero, his chance to make an impact at the major-league level would potentially be higher with the Padres because of the opportunity presented in San Diego. William Contreras doesn’t hit the free agent market until 2028. Therefore, Quero may not see everyday opportunities with Milwaukee for quite some time. In all likelihood, the Brewers would quail at including Quero in a straight-up deal for Hader. He’d be an alternative to Mitchell, not an accompaniment, and if he were swapped in as the centerpiece of the deal, the deal might need to further expand, with the Padres adding a depth arm of some kind and the Brewers also kicking in a player like Eric Lauer to even out their 40-man roster equation. In years past, the Brewers' front office has been hesitant to send high-value prospects to other teams in exchange for rental pieces. However, Hader isn’t any old player. He has a history with this organization. He also belongs to the highest-value demographic of short-term additions at the deadline. Could the Brewers splurge to bring the fan favorite back to Milwaukee to tighten up the back end of the bullpen? Reinstating the combination of Devin Williams and Hader from a season ago feels like the perfect match. A reunion could be the missing piece in taking an excellent bullpen to new heights late in the season. View full article

The trade deadline looms for the Milwaukee Brewers as they sit ten days away from August 1st, but their most significant moves may come from within. Image courtesy of © Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports The Crew looks to have a chance to extend that lead during their series with the Reds at American Family Field, July 24-26. In the National League Central, the division winner will likely be the only team to make the playoffs out of the division. Therefore, it is crucial to bring reinforcements to the Crew, who are looking to make the playoffs once again under Craig Counsell. Most teams across Major League Baseball use the deadline to bolster their clubs. While the Brewers should be active in buying during this time of year, there is talent within the organization and returning to make an impact on both the pitching and offensive sides of the ball. Brandon Woodruff Brandon Woodruff is the best talent the Brewers have, returning to the organization after being sidelined since April 7th with a subscapular strain in his throwing shoulder. Woodruff made his first rehab start on Saturday with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and eyes a return to the big league club in early August to fortify his 1-2 punch with Corbin Burnes that was elite during the last two seasons. Before his injury, Woodruff was excellent, posting a 0.79 ERA and 12 Ks in two starts this season. He threw six innings and allowed only one run during a cold, windy day at Wrigley in early April that helped the Crew notch their first win of the 2023 campaign. One of the most impactful areas of Woodruff’s game is his ability to go deep into ball games. In 2022, Woodruff went six innings 15 different times, resulting in the third most innings pitched on the Brewers staff. While the starters have been successful in going deep into games, ranking sixth in innings pitched in baseball according to FanGraphs, fatigue will undoubtedly play a factor for guys down the stretch. Adding a healthy Woodruff will allow the rotation to take a breather, resulting in less of a workload for the bullpen, which has been at the top of its game all season. With Wade Miley on the 15-day IL, there is no better time for Woody to return to the club and push the Brewers into the postseason. Aaron Ashby The young, hard-throwing left hander can also substantially impact the Brewers' playoff chances once he returns from injury. As reported by CBS Sports, Ashby suffered a labrum tear and shoulder impingement during the offseason, which required arthroscopic shoulder surgery. Luckily, Ashby will begin throwing in the Arizona Complex League in the near future and looks to return in a bullpen role, according to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The lefty is signed a 5-year, $20.5 million extension that carries him through the 2027 season with club options in 2028 and 2029. He showed promise in his first season in the bigs striking out 126 batters in 107.1 innings and generating a 41.1% whiff rate on his slider last season. When Ashby was on top of his game, his slider was incredibly difficult to hit. The 25-year-old, who would be a great add as another lefty in the bullpen to contradict the crafty Hoby Milner, has to allow less traffic on the bases. According to Baseball Savant, Ashby ranked a solid 78 percentile in hard hit percentage against him, but he gave up too many free passes and ranked in the 23 percentile in walk percentage. The base on balls was devastating for Ashby; giving up 15 homers, the walks cost him from having a good outing to a poor one with the multi-run long balls. In 2022, Ashby’s four-seam fastball averaged 96 mph and gave up no home runs. He only threw the pitch 3% of the time, but it was beneficial up in the zone. Hopefully, he incorporates the pitch more in 2023 and helps solidify a bullpen that has already been terrific this season. Keston Hiura Keston Hiura has had buzz surrounding his name the entire season, even though he hasn’t played in one inning in the majors during the 2023 season. Hiura is out of options, limiting the Brewers' roster flexibility. Therefore if Milwaukee calls him up, he has to stay on the big league roster, or he’ll have to pass through waivers. However, Hiura has been raking in Nashville; through 53 games with the Sounds, he has a .972 OPS along with a .569 slugging percentage. While in the majors, Huira had reverse splits, meaning the right-handed hitter could hit right-handed pitching better than left-handed, while most of the league is better against opposite-handed pitching. The former first-rounder is learning to hit left-handed pitching well and posted a 1.062 ops against southpaws. Hiura would be a beneficial bat coming off the bench or getting spot starts this season against lefties because the team has a .680 OPS against left-handed pitching, which is second-to-last in MLB. An element of Hiura’s game that may come as a surprise is his defense. In Milwaukee, he was known as a liability on defense at second base, but in Nashville, he has transitioned to be a left fielder. He leads the Sounds in innings played at the position, and although he wouldn’t play the position with the Brewers, having the versatility is a plus. In over 100 innings played at first base, Hiura has yet to commit an error. If the Brewers call up Hiura and he starts hitting immediately, expect Huira to see significant time at the position. At this stage in the season, the Crew have a variety of different ways they can bolster the roster. Woodruff and Ashby returning from injury can boost the pitching staff, returning the staff to elite status. Hiura can make an impact with the bat toward the end of the season to fill holes in the lineup. Whether the Brewers look for trades or turn to players within the organization, make no mistake, the Crew is gearing up with their eyes on a deep playoff run. View full article

The Brewers slugger, Rowdy Tellez, finds his stay on the injured list longer than expected. A fracture to his left ring finger which required twelve stitches after colliding with the wall while shagging balls during batting practice before Saturday’s contest in Cincinnati. Tellez was conditioning to get back onto the field, reports Brewers beat writer Adam McCalvy. Prior to the unusual situation, Tellez was supposed to be activated off the IL on Tuesday before the Crew starts a three-game set in Philadelphia before returning to American Family Field to face the Atlanta Braves in the upcoming weekend. Tellez, who was placed on the 10-day IL on July 5th with right elbow inflammation looked to use the All-Star break as a reset button going into the second half of the season. Unfortunately, the fractured finger has derailed the comeback for at least four more weeks. After a career year in 2022, where he hit 35 homers and tallied 89 RBIs along with a .461 slugging percentage, the 1st baseman has found himself in a slump seemingly for the entire season up to this point. In 79 games, Tellez has a .388 slugging percentage with 12 homers and 36 RBIs. The last thirty games for Tellez haven’t been kind to him either posting just a .206 slugging percentage and 0 homers in that span. According to Baseball Reference, Tellez possesses a substandard 82 OPS+ this season in comparison to his 114 OPS + in 2022. The MLB average OPS + is 100. After analyzing the slugger’s numbers within MLB’s Baseball Savant, it is apparent that Tellez is not hitting the ball as hard as he was a year ago. In 2022, Tellez had a 46% hard-hit percentage which was the second-highest in his career. This season that number has dropped to 38.5% which marks a career low. Tellez is also being less aggressive early in the count. His first pitch swing % is down to 12.5% while his career average in that category is 24.5%. He is doing less damage early in the count compared to the rest of his career, especially on fastballs. Tellez is swinging at 12.3% less first-pitch fastballs in 2023 and when he does swing his whiff % is 14 points higher than a season ago. The Brewers would love Tellez to become the kind of player he was during the 2021/2022 campaigns. According to ESPN, Milwaukee ranks 25th in team OPS and 26th in team slugging percentage across Major League Baseball this season. Having a thump in the middle of the lineup could carry the Crew to their fifth playoff appearance in six seasons. As for now, Brewers fans will have to wait and see regarding Tellez’s health and the impact he has on the team for the upcoming playoff push as we move past the mid-summer classic toward the home stretch.