The Milwaukee Brewers are one of the fastest teams in all of MLB.

In each of the last two seasons, the Brewers have finished second in baseball in stolen bases, while setting the league-wide pace in several advanced baserunning metrics. In 2024, the Brewers as a team had the most stolen bases and caught stealing runs above average (wSB) at 14.4 and by far the most baserunning runs above average (BsR) at 19.8. Last year, the Crew once again topped the league in BsR and dominated the league in Statcast’s “Baserunning Runs” metric which combines runs above average via stolen bases and extra bases taken.

In other words, the Brewers have assembled an impressive group of baserunners, which is one of the many overlooked aspects of the game in which Milwaukee’s front office has invested time and resources. While the metrics above only showcase the speed and baserunning ability of the big-league club, Milwaukee’s emphasis on speed in recent years is an organization-wide development. Not only are the Brewers’ two top prospects, Jesús Made and Luis Peña, excellent baserunners, and two of Milwaukee’s most recent notable trade acquisitions, Caleb Durbin and Jett Williams, speedsters as well, but the Brewers even prioritize speed when it comes to the minor league free agents that they sign during the offseason.

Already this offseason, the Brewers have agreed to minor league deals with Greg Jones, Dasan Brown, and Jordyn Adams — all three of whom have elite speed and were once given grades of 80 for their run tool from MLB Pipeline. However, Matt Arnold and company aren’t done adding more speed to their organization; last week, Jacob Hurtubise, a speedy outfielder who has appeared in 41 games for the Cincinnati Reds over the last two seasons, agreed to a minor league deal with the Brewers.

Brewers sign speedster Jacob Hurtubise to minor league contract, adding to an already elite group of baserunners

Hurtubise made his MLB debut in May of 2024 after emerging as one of the top prospects in the Reds’ farm system; at the time of his promotion, he was Cincinnati’s No. 24-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline. A former 39th-round pick back in 2029, Hurtubise proved his talent with an excellent minor league career, and an incredibly strong 2023 campaign was a large reason for his ascension on the prospect rankings lists.

In 2023, splitting time between Double-A and Triple-A, Hurtubise slashed .330/.479/.482 with 45 stolen bases in 113 games. He compiled a ridiculous 10 triples during the 2023 season and collected far more walks (77) than strikeouts (63). Throughout his minor league career, Hurtubise has swiped 130 bases in 399 games, which is a pace of more than 52 stolen bases per 162 games.

The now-28-year-old Hurtubise is capable of playing all three outfield positions where his speed certainly helps him, but average arm strength limits his defensive value slightly. At the plate, Hurtubise certainly lacks power, but a decent hit tool paired with his elite speed has played well in the minor leagues.

Hurtubise’s brief time spent in MLB hasn’t gone according to plan, hence the minor league contract; he’s collected just 11 hits in 66 at-bats, with one double, one triple, and four RBI to his name. His strikeout rate increased in the big leagues, but he is two-for-two in stolen base attempts.

Given the Brewers’ growing depth at the outfield position, with many players who have a similar profile to Hurtubise, it may be difficult for the speedy, soft-hitting outfielder to break through in Milwaukee. However, if there’s one organization that values Hurtubise’s profile more than the next team, it’s the Brewers, who have found success finding undervalued tools like speed on the free agent market.