Underrated: Milwaukee Brewers Will SURGE Past 83 Wins—Why Jackson Chourio Will BREAKOUT in 2026
Milwaukee Brewers face skepticism as national outlets peg them at just 83 wins, but could this roster surprise the NL Central yet again?
Chuck Freimund questions the projections and highlights how rising stars like Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang, Sal Frelick, and Joey Ortiz—bolstered by high baseball IQ—might transform the season’s outlook.
With William Contreras heading into a contract year, and Christian Yelich’s veteran leadership, the Brewers’ blend of youth and experience could defy expectations.
Key storylines include the impact of recent roster changes, the challenge of TV revenue shifting under MLB control, and why Rick Schlesinger’s payroll assurance raises eyebrows. Chuck Freimund outlines why Milwaukee’s “smart baseball” culture keeps them in divisional contention, unpacks make-or-break narratives for the postseason, and delivers essential spring training updates as the countdown to Arizona begins. Are fans underestimating a team still hungry for its first World Series appearance?
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18 comments
Chourio breakout in 2024? Fire your proofreader. Lol
So, you're counting on every player getting better? Young guys never regress? Come on, Chuck.
hard to complain about people associating The Brewers with beer when the team is literally named after beer. haha.
Choorio has made some bad bad mistakes in the outfield judging balls, but he will get better, he is only 21 😳💪
Frelich gives 110% out there and puts the ball in play with plus defense. You need guys like him i just wish he had more pop.
Wild card is healthy Garrett Mitchell
How long can we keep losing all stars and keep it up?
I am sad Freddie is gone. But he’s not irreplaceable. If memory serves me correctly, he’s outta the game by the 6th. He allowed lots of early homeruns. I think we can replace his production.
I don’t have faith in woody going all year strong. I have faith he will ball out till late august, every 5th and sometimes 6th game.
CHUCK TALKS BASEBALL IQ. HANG THAT "BASEBALL IQ" BANNER NEXT TO THE "2026 BEST ORGANIZATION IN MLB BASEBALL" BANNER.
NEXT UP: "MOST WINS PER DOLLAR SPENT ON PAYROLL" BANNER. LET'S MAKE TEE SHIRTS WITH THESE CLAIMS.
I WOULD PREFER A WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP BANNER.
TV Money: I think the brewers knew and planned on not having good tv money for the last 3 seasons.
If you budget for nothing and get nothing, it’s not gonna affect much.
I honestly think the brewers and bucks should team up to make a channel.
You could fill it with “low level” sports, Green Bay Blizzard football, Milwaukee admirals hockey, Northwoods league baseball, maybe some college sports.
Fanduel is trash as far as programming goes. Plus they hid it behind tier levels of cable packages.
Badgerland entertainment channel. Maybe highlight/ broadcast some “local to us” non political events?
Weekday mornings have local sports radio but on tv.
Fridays have hype shows featuring upcoming local sporting events/festivals/ tourist attractions. Educate the state on fun things going on throughout the state.
Go bonkers on Saturday mornings and have cartoons on.
Think outside the box instead of hunting and fishing shows that don’t draw a rating and are just glorified advertising for gear the hosts use.
And most importantly, keep it accessible and price friendly so you don’t turn off the households you are trying to reach.
I think it could be done and it could be successful.
The thing I always disliked about regional sport channels, going all the way back to fox sports, was all the programming was the same across the board on every regional channel. It rarely had a taste of local flavor cause of budgeting. This idea could change that.
Fangraphs has no bias in its predictions, but some podcasters do.
24th in spending, yet usually tops in weakest division. Owners laughing all the way to the bank.
The media just making up that the Brewers trade all the players closing in on free agency …when in actuality that is what they do!
⚾ GO ⚾ BREWER'S ⚾ the brew crew will be in the hunt for the division as usual a lot depends on injuries. They don't get respect because the other teams add and the Brewers always lose a star. Why will they go from 97 wins to only 83 wins just because of the Peralta trade I don't think that will make a 14 win difference. ⚾
I agree, Vaughn is a wildcard, and it will be interesting to see how performs this year.
The Brewers farm system is also ranked either at the top of the league or near it. This team is just getting started with the exciting players coming up in the Minors.
Pitching, pitching…PITCHING!