Ray Stuedemann

Image courtesy of © Michael McLoone-Imagn Images Since William Contreras came over in a three-team trade back in December 2022, catcher has been a stable position for the oft-churning Milwaukee Brewers. His health and production are critical to the Brewers’ success in 2026, and reuniting him with an old friend as a backup should provide a very capable duo behind the plate. BREWERS CATCHERS AT A GLANCE: Starter: William Contreras Backup: Gary Sánchez Depth: Reese McGuire* Prospects: Jeferson Quero, Marco Dinges *On a minor-league deal; may opt out if not added to active roster by a certain date Brewers fWAR Ranking Last Year: 6th out of 30 Brewers fWAR Projection This Year: 5th out of 30 THE GOOD A two-time All-Star with two Silver Sluggers in his cabinet, Contreras appeared in 150 games for the Brewers last year, hitting .260/.355/.399 with 17 home runs. Those numbers were down from the past three seasons, as his OPS was the lowest he's had with the Brewers. However, his production still wasn’t bad. Contreras was an above-average hitter, with an OPS+ of 111 (100 is average; higher is better). Much of the decreased production traces to a fractured left middle finger that he played through for much of the 2025 season. Defensively, Contreras was good in 2025. His throwing accuracy improved, and his framing and blocking were also above-average. Now, with the injury issues (hopefully) behind him, Contreras will look to get back to his previous level of offensive output. A fellow two-time All-Star (although those honors came in 2017 and 2019), Gary Sánchez returns to the Brewers after a year away in Baltimore. Like Contreras, Sánchez dealt with injuries last year. He was sidelined with wrist inflammation early in the season, and had a severe knee sprain that forced him onto the 60-day IL in early July. Sánchez is well past his peak offensively. He was just below average when last he played for the Crew, with a 94 OPS+ via a slash line of .220/.307/.392 and 11 home runs in 280 plate appearances. Defensively, Sánchez grades out considerably worse than Contreras, but he's playable there. He will provide most of his value with his bat in 2026 and will look to contribute on Contreras’s days off behind the plate—as well as in occasional spots in the designated hitter role. Reese McGuire is the third veteran catcher in the organization, and could see a role in 2026. I wrote about him potentially contributing in the home run column before the Brewers signed Sánchez, and that still could be an option if one of the two names above goes down with an injury—and if McGuire remains in the organization. McGuire had a career year in 2025 with the rival Cubs, hitting nine home runs in 44 games. However, McGuire has never played more than 89 games in a season, so don’t expect him to hit that number this year unless disaster strikes. The 31-year-old is adequate catching depth, and that's the role he could play in 2026 for the Brew Crew. THE BAD There aren’t a lot of downsides for this position group outside of injuries, but one thing to keep an eye on is opponents stealing bases. The Brewers have done a good job containing the running game (.49 stolen bases allowed per game in 2025, 2nd-fewest in MLB), and they will look to continue that in 2026. However, Contreras gave up a bit of sheer arm strength to be more accurate this season. If he continues to lose steam and an inexperienced pitching staff struggles to hold runners, they might lose that elite standing in steals prevention. THE BOTTOM LINE This position group has the highest-ranking fWAR projection of any department of the Brewers roster, for good reason. Contreras is a key cog in the Brewers’ winning machine. Keeping him on the field and healthy should be a priority. Looking ahead, he won’t be a free agent until after 2027, but developing a successor should be a priority. Jeferson Quero and Marco Dinges are both top-10 prospects in the Brewers’ farm system, according to MLB.com. However, short-term success relies purely on Contreras, and the most likely outcome is that he is one of the best catchers in MLB this season. All other considerations are mere emergency fallback plans. View full article

Image courtesy of © Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images The Brewers had many surprise offensive contributors this past season, from Brice Turang's breakout to the trade and resurgence of Andrew Vaughn. Still, one of the more meaningful offensive performances came from the bat of Sal Frelick. The former first-round pick out of Boston College back in 2021 slashed .288/.351/.405 and hit 12 home runs in 528 at-bats for the Brewers this past year. While Frelick’s bat was above average this past season (111 OPS+), his offensive numbers took a big leap from his previous two years in MLB, and it is fair to question whether that production can sustain itself over time. Frelick primarily hit from the leadoff and fifth spots in the lineup in 2025, and those splits are a good starting point for analysis. In 57 games hitting leadoff Frelick hit .309/.369/.476, whereas hitting fifth, he hit .276/.340/.351 in 51 total games. The only other lineup spot he spent more than 10 games in was 19 total games in the six-hole, hitting .215/.271/.262. It's all small-sample variance, but Frelick performed well in the leadoff spot last season. This take is backed up by looking further into his splits, specifically against right-handed and left-handed pitchers. Frelick hit .282/.349/.433 against righties and .301/.357/.340 against lefties. These splits show that the 25-year-old can lead off consistently; he had an above-average on-base percentage against both righties and lefties in 2025, and that will be key to allowing the Brewers to score runs this season. However, Frelick’s power numbers can be cause for some concern. Yes, he hit 12 home runs this past season. Diving deeper into those statistics allows us a clearer look at just how much he has improved since his debut in 2023. Starting with the positives, Frelick improved on several key power statistics. He began pulling the ball in the air more, to 17.8% in 2025, up from 10.8% in 2023 and 14.0% in 2024. Still, Frelick was below average in Pull Air%, and a similar story can be told about other power statistics. His bat speed increased, but only from the 3rd to the 7th percentile. His Hard-Hit percentage increased as well, but only from the 1st percentile to the 4th percentile. Frelick’s exit velocity rose from 83.4 in 2024 to 85.5 in 2025, still in the bottom 5% of MLB. Finally, his xSLG increased .030 points in 2025, which is a significant increase, but his actual slugging increased .070. This difference is critical to projecting Frelick’s offensive output this year. In addition to the power-based statistics above, Frelick saw improvements in other offensive categories. His batting average has increased each year he has been in the league, from .246 in 2023 to .288 in 2025. However, Frelick’s expected batting average was significantly lower than his actual average at .255, so it is fair to expect regression. He struck out less in 2025, ranking in the top 8th percentile in MLB at 13.5%, and walked more, ranking in the 46th percentile at 7.9%. These statistics back what fans can expect from Frelick at the plate going into 2026; he will walk a league-average percent of the time, won’t strikeout often, and will hit at an above-average rate. This isn’t new news, and these three things should be true for the remainder of Frelick’s time with the Brewers, however long that may be. Along with this offensive output, Frelick can be relied upon in right field with Gold-Glove caliber defense and 87th percentile sprint speed. Still, the question remains whether he can provide the same level of power as in 2025, or even whether an increase in those numbers is possible. As of this moment, it doesn’t appear likely. Frelick will certainly provide value for the Brewers in 2026 (3.6 FanGraphs WAR in 2025, 4th on the team), and he should hit in the leadoff spot, as that is probably where he is best suited with the current lineup construction. Just don’t keep your expectations high for Frelick to hit the ball over the fence, and instead look for Christian Yelich, Jackson Chourio, and the first base platoon of Jake Bauers and Andrew Vaughn to provide most of the home runs for Milwaukee this year, with Brice Turang as a sneaky contender to overcome his home run total from 2025. What are your thoughts on Sal Frelick in 2026? Do you think he goes over or under his home run total from last season? View full article

Image courtesy of © Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The Brewers have one of the deepest prospect pools in baseball and were ranked the number one farm system by ESPN at the end of January. These future members of the Brew Crew will once again get chances to showcase their skills in the third annual Spring Breakout Games, where each MLB club sends its top minor league prospects to compete against other future stars. The Brewers’ Spring Breakout Stars will get the chance to play two games this year: March 20th against the Mariners in Phoenix, Ariz., at 5:10 and March 22nd against the Athletics in Mesa, Ariz., at 4:05. Both games will be available to watch on MLB Network, with the March 22nd game also available on Amazon. Rosters were announced on Thursday, with an initial pool of 40 players. Game-day rosters are due March 18th, with anywhere from 23 to 27 players. This is a new change this year to address prospects playing in the World Baseball Classic, which runs until March 17th. The Brewers’ 40-player pool contains 23 of their top 30 prospects from the just-released MLB Pipeline rankings. These players range from being on the verge of making the big-league roster to just beginning their professional careers. Four shortstop prospects headline the group for Milwaukee. Jesús Made, Luis Peña, Jett Williams, and Cooper Pratt are the top four prospects in the Brewers’ system and are all skyrocketing towards the big leagues. Andrew Fischer is the next highest prospect on the list, coming in at number 6 for the Brewers. The Brewers’ first-round pick from last year will look to continue succeeding after a strong start with the Timber Rattlers in only 19 games last year. Jeferson Quero, the Brewers' No. 8 prospect, is one of three catchers selected to the roster as he looks to prove he can be a part of the team’s future behind the plate. Bishop Letson, the lone pitcher on this list in the Brewers’ top ten prospects, was very good for the Timber Rattlers last year but struggled in a lone game at Double-A Biloxi. The Brewers’ second-round pick in 2025 and No. 16 prospect in their farm system, JD Thompson, will look to turn heads as well. Here is the full 40-player Pool, with MLB Pipeline Ranking and Top 100 ranking if applicable: PITCHERS (20) Ryan Birchard, RHP, NR Jesús Broca, LHP, NR Will Childers, RHP, NR Coleman Crow, RHP, No. 27 Jaron DeBerry, RHP, NR Ethan Dorchies, RHP, No. 20 Brian Fitzpatrick, LHP, NR Michael Fowler, RHP, NR Tyson Hardin, RHP, No. 19 Blake Holub, RHP, NR Tate Kuehner, LHP, NR Bishop Letson, RHP, No. 9 Mark Manfredi, LHP, NR Bryce Meccage, RHP, No. 21 Jacob Morrison, RHP, NR Braylon Owens, RHP, NR J.D. Thompson, LHP, No. 16 Wande Torres, LHP, NR Brett Wichrowski, RHP, NR Craig Yoho, RHP, No. 29 CATCHERS (3) Marco Dinges, C, No. 10 Jeferson Quero, C, No. 8 Matt Wood, C, NR INFIELDERS (11) Luke Adams, 1B/3B, No. 13 Eric Bitonti, 1B, No. 26 Blake Burke, 1B, No. 18 Daniel Dickinson, 2B, No. 30 Brady Ebel, SS, No. 15 Andrew Fischer, 3B, No. 6 Jesús Made, SS/2B, No. 1/MLB No. 3 Luis Peña, INF, No. 2/MLB No. 26 Cooper Pratt, SS, No. 4/MLB No. 64 Brock Wilken, 3B, No. 22 Jett Williams, SS/2B, No. 3/MLB No. 51 OUTFIELDERS (6) Josh Adamczewski, OF, No. 11 José Anderson, OF, NR Handelfry Encarnacion, OF, NR Luis Lara, OF, No. 12 Braylon Payne, OF, No. 14 Josiah Ragsdale, OF, NR View full article

Image courtesy of © Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images / © Jim Rassol-Imagn Images / © David Butler II-Imagn Images It was a bit of a surprise on Monday when it was announced that the Brewers traded Caleb Durbin to the Red Sox in a deal sending Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler to the Bay Area as well. Coming back to Milwaukee in the deal are left-handed pitcher Kyle Harrison, infielder David Hamilton, and pitching prospect Shane Drohan. While some of these pieces could contribute to the Brewers this year, Matt Arnold sent three players to Boston with third base experience, leaving a seemingly gaping hole at the hot corner. An external option could present itself, such as a trade for Isaac Paredes coupled with the recent signing of Luis Rengifo, but internally, many names could man third base come Opening Day against the White Sox. Joey Ortiz Ortiz might be the most likely name in the Brewers organization to start at third base on Opening Day. While his offensive numbers dipped to a well below league-average slash line of .230/.276/.317, Ortiz still possesses the most third base experience on the big-league roster. He started 124 games at third base in 2024, helping turn 24 double plays while recording 10 errors in 1098.1 innings played. Additionally, Ortiz recorded +11 OAA in 2024, ranking 29th in the league in fielding run value. His numbers increased in 2025 after a move to shortstop, recording +13 OAA and ranking 23rd overall in fielding run value. Ortiz will be good defensively, but don’t expect much power production from Ortiz. His exit velocity and expected slugging were both in the bottom 3rd percentile in MLB, and there aren’t many signs of improvement offensively. Expect him to contribute with his defense and speed, as will many other Brewers this year. Jett Williams The 22-year-old shortstop was acquired in the Freddy Peralta trade with the New York Mets in January, and the no. 51 prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, will get spring training reps at the hot corner, according to Matt Arnold, the Brewers’ president of baseball operations. Williams started 70 total games at shortstop last year in the Mets’ system between Double-A and Triple-A, committing eleven errors in those games. He also spent time at second base and in center field. With the bat, it was a tale of two teams for Williams. In Double-A with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies,s Williams earned a slashline of .281/.390/.477 with 10 home runs. After a promotion to Triple-A Syracuse in August last year, Williams’ slashline was .209/.285/.433, which showed some decreases in batting average and on-base percentage. However, Williams hit 7 home runs, almost as many as he hit in Binghamton in close to three times as many games. Williams starting at a position he hasn’t played in the minor leagues on Opening Day is extremely unlikely, and it is more likely that Williams is on the roster as the starting shortstop, with Ortiz sliding over to third. David Hamilton The recently acquired Hamilton played 91 games this past season for the Red Sox, and in 177 at bats he posted a .222/.283/.359 slash line while primarily playing second base. Hamilton has little experience at third base in the majors (one inning last year), so expect him to fit into a utility role for the Brewers this year. Eddys Leonard Leonard may be a bit of an unknown name, as the 25-year-old was signed to a minor league contract back in November, but he recently received a non-roster invite to spring training in Phoenix. While never having big league experience, Leonard compiled a .239/.304/.739 slashline in Triple-A Gwinnett last year. He hit 20 home runs and, in addition to his offensive numbers, started 35 games at third base, committing five errors. It's unlikely Leonard is the third base starter over any of the three listed above, but don’t be surprised if he swings the bat well and helps the Brewers at some point this year. Brock Wilken The 23-year-old former first-round pick received a non-roster invite, similarly to Leonard, but it would be a long shot for Wilken to start Opening Day at third base. Wilken hasn’t played above Double-A, playing 79 games with the Biloxi Shuckers last year. He found his swing this past season, raising his OPS from .679 in 2024 to .876 in 2025 due to the help of 18 home runs. Barring unforeseen circumstances, Wilken won’t make the team out of spring training, but getting another strong year under his belt, along with staying healthy, could lead to him being in the roster conversation next year. Whether it is an internal or external move, the Brewers will need to figure out the hot corner sooner rather than later, allowing them more consistency and chemistry within the infield heading into the regular season. View full article

Image courtesy of © Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The Milwaukee Brewers won 97 games in 2025, winning the National League Central for the third straight time and earning the top overall seed in the postseason. They achieved this success while hitting only 166 home runs, which was good for 22nd in the majors. With the Cubs and Pirates spending money this winter and Freddy Peralta in New York, the Brewers might need to increase their home run total significantly to continue their dominant run in 2026. Assessing the projected 13 position players on the roster will allow us to see who will provide the power for the Brewers this year. William Contreras Contreras ended the 2025 season tied for the team lead in plate appearances, and heading into his age-28 season, he will look to increase his power production. He hit 17 home runs in 2025, but his slugging average dropped from .466 in 2024 to .399 in 2025. His expected slugging (xSLG) was .001 less than his actual figure, meaning he wasn’t missing chances for power; he just wasn’t generating them. Contreras’s exit velocity and hard-hit percentage were both higher in 2024, so he will look to get back to form with regard to power in 2026. Reese McGuire McGuire played for the rival Cubs in 2025, and the veteran catcher will be 31 by Opening Day. He hit a career high in home runs last year, with 9, and his slugging was up to .444. However, McGuire’s expected batting average and expected slugging were both well below his actual numbers, so don’t expect him to contribute much from the backup catcher role. Andrew Vaughn Vaughn was acquired from the White Sox on June 13, 2025, and he turned out to be one of the more important hitters the Brewers had during the stretch run. Before he was traded, Vaughn was a terrible major-league hitter. He hit below .200 in his time with the White Sox, and slugged only .314. However, after joining the Brew Crew, Vaughn began to walk more and strike out less. His slugging average rose to .493 for the Brewers, in 64 games. Vaughn ended the season with a .411 SLG overall, and his expected slugging, which sits at .479, suggests that there could be more power to tap into. I expect Vaughn to contribute heavily from the middle of the order, especially against lefties, against whom he was significantly better in 2025 than he was against righties. Jake Bauers The 30-year-old Bauers played in 85 games for the Brew Crew in 2025, and he posted an above-average OPS+ for the first time in his career. Bauers hit seven homers and had the second-highest SLG of his career, at .399. Bauers’s expected slugging was even higher, at .460. I’d like to see a platoon of Bauers and Vaughn at first base, which would create a good, reliable position of power for the Brewers in 2026. Brice Turang Turang finished 2025 tied with Contreras for the team lead in plate appearances, and the 26-year-old took full advantage of his playing time. He hit 18 dingers, and his slugging was a career high .435, which was close to his expected slugging of .429. Turang’s SLG has increased each year of his career, but I would expect it to level off in the lower ranges of the .400s. Turang’s value to the Brewers comes from all facets of the game, and he will be one of the Brewers’ most valuable players regardless of whether he hits 20 or more home runs. It's noteworthy, but not necessarily predictive, that he hit 12 of his 18 homers in the final two months of the season. Joey Ortiz Ortiz regressed in 2025, hitting 7 homers in 149 games and slugging a lousy .317. His expected slugging was not good, either, at .327, one of the worst figures in baseball. His average exit velocity was equally dreadful, at 84.9 miles per hour. In his career so far, the 27-year-old has only 18 homers in 306 major-league games, so it may be wise to look elsewhere for power production. Caleb Durbin Durbin will be 26 years old by Opening Day, and while he provided value for the Brewers during the 2025 season, his power was limited. He hit only 11 bombs, his slugging percentage was only .387, and his expected slugging was even lower, at .362. His hard-hit percentage and exit velocity were also low, just above Ortiz. Unlike Ortiz, Durbin makes contact in ways that tend to maximize the value thereof, and makes better swing decisions. Durbin will contribute to the Brewers in 2026. Just don’t expect it to be in the power category. Andruw Monasterio The 28-year-old Monasterio had a productive 135 plate appearances for the Brewers in 2025, hitting four home runs with a .437 slugging percentage. However, his expected slugging was way below that number, at .363. Monasterio will look to contribute again for the Brewers in 2026, but expect a little regression if the plate appearances stay the same or increase. He's not an upside option. Blake Perkins Perkins is similar to Ortiz. His homer total last season was low, and his expected slugging (.326) managed to be even more discouraging than the actual number (.348). The 29-year-old had only 171 plate appearances in 2025, due to injury and the loss of his mother, so we should assume he can be a bit better next year. Expect a potential increase in plate appearances (but not an increase in production) due to the trade of Isaac Collins to the Royals. Jackson Chourio Chourio hit the second-most homers for the Brewers in 2025, with 21, and the soon-to-be 22-year-old will look to build on an eerily similar offensive season to the one he had as a rookie. Chourio finished with a .463 slugging percentage, but his expected slugging was much lower, at .426. For reference, 2024 saw Chourio end with a .464 slugging percentage, but an expected slugging much lower again, at .431. The good thing is that Chourio is still young (he'll turn 22 next month), and his exit velo and hard-hit percentages stayed close to the same from 2024 to 2025 as well. I’d project him to hit around the same number of homers, but there's certainly a chance for a breakout here. Christian Yelich Yelich led the 2025 Brewers in home runs with 29, but he will enter 2026 coming off his lowest OPS since 2022. He’s also a year older, and the 34-year-old outperformed his expected statistics in 2025. The former MVP earned a slugging percentage of .452, and his expected slugging percentage was slightly lower, at .439. While Yelich’s OPS may remain the same or continue to decrease, he is still, in my opinion, the Brewers’ most dangerous bat, when it comes to hitting the ball out of the park. Sal Frelick Frelick improved his power numbers in 2025, hitting 12 homers. However, in 2024, he ranked in the bottom-most percentile in the majors in terms of barrel percentage, hard-hit percentage, and exit velocity. He made slight improvements in his second full season, but he still ranked in the bottom decile for barrel percentage, and even lower in hard-hit rate and average exit velocity. Although the 25-year-old showed improvement, I wouldn’t suspect much more power from Frelick this year. He's also capable of power only against opposite-handed pitchers. Garrett Mitchell The 27-year-old Mitchell has totaled only 141 games played over the past four seasons, and the most home runs he has hit were 8 in 2024. Mitchell only played 25 games last season, with no homers at all, and his slugging average was an anemic .294. While his expected slugging was higher, at .341, staying on the field will be crucial for Mitchell in 2026 for him to contribute in the home run column. Overall, I expect the Brewers to hit roughly the same number of home runs this coming season as they did in 2025, and their success will come down to pitching, defense, and scoring runs without hitting homers. There will be regression in all those departments, though, so they need a big step forward or two from one of their prime-aged could-be sluggers. View full article