If you have been counting down and crossing players off your own list of key Milwaukee Brewers players, you know who is left to account for in Brewer Fanatic’s inaugural list of top 25 player assets heading into the 2026 season.

But how does that final five shake out? You are about to find out.

This list includes current Brewers players and prospects, and ranks them with this in mind: Who are the most important pieces in the organization’s pursuit of building a champion? To answer that, we considered age, upside, and contract.

This list is a group effort. Jason Wang, Michael Trzinski, and I each came up with our own lists and merged them to create this ranking. Our individual rankings are included with each player, so you know who to blame if your favorite player isn’t higher. Just kidding (but really).

As a reminder, each player’s age and controlled-through year are based on his Baseball Reference age for the 2026 season and when B-R says he can become a free agent.

To see the previous 20, check them out here: 6-10, 11-15, 16-20 and 21-25.

Without further ado, then, the top five:

5. Jacob Misiorowski, RHP
Jason’s rank: 4 | Michael’s rank: 13 | Steve’s rank 7
2026 season age: 24
Controlled through: 2031
Even in the top five, you can see the volatility of how each of us ranked players. That’s especially clear with Misiorowski, but that also encapsulates his 2025 season. An explosive start to his career with 11 no-hit innings led to being named to the All-Star Game after just five MLB games, but his late-season struggles sent him to the bullpen—only for that to prove the perfect place for him to shine in the postseason. When he is on, Misiorowski is one of the most electric pitchers in baseball, routinely throwing 102-mph four-seamers and mixing in a nasty mid-90s cutter/slider thing and a bigger, still firm curveball that buckles knees. His fist-pumps and emotion can ignite the entire team. But when he isn’t fully on his game, there can be some concerns.

There were rumblings of Misiorowski not being completely involved in the game-planning process, something that hopefully he learned the value of during his August and September appearances. During his final eight regular-season games (he only appeared in 15), he had four games in which he walked three. The long limbs on his 6-foot-7 frame, which allow him to get ridiculous extension on his release point, often get a little out of sync. Some of that will always exist, but some of it can be cleaned up with small adjustments in his mechanics.

With Freddy Peralta and Brandon Woodruff returning (at least as of this moment), Misiorowski will be slotted in as the Brewers’ No. 3 starter in the Opening Day rotation. As things stand, though, he’s looking like the Opening Day starter for 2027, so 2026 will be big in how he accepts coaching from Chris Hook and Jim Henderson and the knowledge he gains from the veterans. There is no questioning the talent, just how much work Misiorowski is willing to put in to refine his skills.

4. Freddy Peralta, RHP
Jason’s rank: 6 | Michael’s rank: 4 | Steve’s rank 3
2026 season age: 30
Controlled through: 2026
Peralta has come a long way since being one of three teenage lottery tickets acquired from the Seattle Mariners before the 2016 season, in exchange for first baseman Adam Lind. Not only was Peralta the only one to reach the majors, but he developed into one of the better pitchers in Brewers history. His 2025 campaign was the crowning jewel of that development.

Peralta established career bests in a number of categories, including wins (17), innings pitched (176â…”) and ERA+ (154), en route to finishing third in NL Cy Young Award voting. As we all know, Peralta is entering his final year of a team-friendly extension that included an $8 million club option for 2026. That performance, combined with his price tag and the Brewers’ philosophy of keeping their player salaries in check, has made Peralta a hot commodity for other teams to pursue.

Once known as “Fastball Freddy” due to his reliance on his lively four-seamer, Peralta has added a nice changeup, curveball and slider to his repertoire. While Brewers fans hope that Peralta sticks around, the current market makes it more likely that he will be on the move before spring training.

3. Brice Turang, 2B
Jason’s rank: 3 | Michael’s rank: 3 | Steve’s rank 5
2026 season age: 26
Controlled through: 2029
It took a little longer than expected for Turang to get to the majors. A first-round pick out of a Southern California high school in 2018, Turang was always known as a defense-first shortstop who could be a contributor offensively, especially with some speed. He finally made his big-league debut in 2023 and showed that defense was his best tool. Shifting to second base, he not only won the 2024 NL Gold Glove but was the Platinum Glove winner as the league’s best defender, regardless of position.

The offense, however, took a huge step across the board in 2025. Turang entered the season with a two-year slash line of .239/.303/.328 and a combined 13 homers and 91 RBIs. (He also had a 50-steal season in 2024.) This year, he went to another level. Turang saw a lot of time in the leadoff spot or near the top of the order, particularly against right-handers. Despite two months where he hit just over .200 (May and July), Turang turned in a .288/.359/.435 slash line for the season, with his batting average finishing eighth in the NL. But that wasn’t the only surprise. Turang found the power button. With six homers on the season and 19 in his career, Turang belted 10 in August alone and finished with 18.

Maybe that ends up being the best homer total of his career, but at least that threat will be there for Turang in the future. His OPS+ finished at 121, which was a huge jump from 86 in 2024 and 61 in 2023. Turang took a step back in the steals category, finishing with 24 after the 50 of 2024 and just below his rookie total of 26. He was considered for the starting shortstop role late in spring training, as the Brewers looked to fill the void left by Willy Adames, but a bout of arm fatigue scuttled that possibility. It wouldn’t be out of the question for Turang to slide back over to his natural shortstop position if the Brewers decide not to stick with Joey Ortiz, or if they acquire either another second or third baseman. Turang became a Super 2 arbitration-eligible player, so his salary will start to escalate in 2026. 

2. William Contreras, C
Jason’s rank: 8 | Michael’s rank: 1 | Steve’s rank 1
2026 season age: 26
Controlled through: 2027
We have reached the cream of the crop, but even here, there is a little dissension in the ranks. Catcher is often a position that gets undervalued, but it’s among the most talked-about when it comes to skills. Contreras is the complete package. Defensively, he does a very good job controlling the running game, while also being slightly above average in blocking and framing. That is a far cry from where his defense was before the Brewers acquired him from Atlanta in the three-way Sean Murphy trade that also included the Oakland A’s, only costing the Brewers outfielder Esteury Ruiz.

Offense is where Contreras sets himself apart from his counterparts. He was an All-Star in his final season in Atlanta in 2022, seeing a good deal of time as a designated hitter. In his three years with the Brewers, he has been the clear-cut No. 1 catcher and someone who never wants to come out of the lineup. Never was that more true than in 2025, when he played through a broken middle finger on his catching hand. It was a painful injury that really flared up in early May, an ailment that is believed to have occurred in the 2024 season.

Conteras’s offense was subpar through June as he played through the injury, and the team’s medical personnel did what they could to minimize the pain. He had a first-half slash line of .245/.351/.347 with six homers and 37 RBIs in 90 games, but then turned it up in the second half with a .281/.361/.472 mark with 11 homers and 39 RBIs in 60 games, all while maintaining his spot in the middle of the lineup. Contreras had what Matt Arnold, the Brewers’ president of baseball operations, termed a minor procedure on the finger and should be at full strength for 2026. It will be a big season for Contreras, who is arbitration-eligible this offseason and next before heading to free agency after the 2027 season. Like other key performers before him, he will be a popular trade candidate due to his all-around abilities.

1. Jackson Chourio, OF
Jason’s rank: 1 | Michael’s rank: 2 | Steve’s rank 2
2026 season age: 22
Controlled through: 2031
After a nice rookie season, there was no (or at least little) sophomore slump for Chourio. His 2025 was nearly identical to his 2024, which could be interpreted in different ways for a player with his potential. One, he was more consistent. (We all remember his terrible first few months of 2024.) Two, the league didn’t make many adjustments to him. And three, he didn’t improve remarkably. All can be true in some fashion. But we’re talking about a player who was in his age-21 season. He finally surpassed the legal drinking age during spring training, meaning he should be in college instead of just finishing his second full season as a starting big-league outfielder.

Such is the burden of excellent talent.

That isn’t to say everything is in good shape. Despite the similarity in the two seasons, Chourio’s bWAR dropped from 3.8 to 2.2, some of which is likely due to playing most of the time in center field after only playing the corners in 2024. However, he also stopped drawing walks. Chourio walked in a paltry 5.1% of his plate appearances in 2025, which was down from an already-poor 6.8% as a rookie. Chasing pitches is his primary problem. Chourio swung at 38.4% of pitches thrown outside of the strike zone, a worse mark than his 32.8% in 2024. That is where the hitting staff will need to work with Chourio the most. Laying off those pitches to draw more walks (as well as getting into better counts) will make him more productive.

Defensively, it was remarkable how much progress Chourio made. As a rookie, he was often criticized for not being aggressive enough and just didn’t seem comfortable in the corners. That he started 87 games in center this year and didn’t look lost shows how much work he put into his defense in the offseason. Sure, there is more work to be done, but he is a capable center fielder.

Chourio is a big part of the future of the Brewers, who showed their belief in him two offseasons ago with an eight-year, $82-million contract before he had played a game in the majors. So far, Chourio is showing that investment will pay dividends. But there seems to be another level to Chourio that has yet to be unlocked. If and when he that is achieved, Chourio will put himself in the NL MVP conversation on an annual basis.