The Milwaukee Brewers are off to a scorching start in 2026. On Opening Day against the Chicago White Sox, their pitching staff matched an MLB record with 20 strikeouts, powered by Jacob Misiorowski’s franchise-record 11. Their 12-run win tied the 1988 club for the largest Opening Day margin in team history.

Two days later, in their second game of the 2026 season, the Crew wreaked havoc on the bases with seven steals, which is the third highest single-game total in franchise history. Paired with the lone stolen base that Milwaukee collected on Opening Day, the Brewers’ eight stolen bases through two games are the most ever to start a season.

In opposite fashion to last year’s slow start to the season, the Brewers have cruised to victories of 14–2 and 6–1 in their first two games of the season. It’s been a true team effort in dismantling the South Siders, with much of the roster already looking to be in midseason form. However, among the group, three players in particular are impressing with their Opening Series performances.

3 Milwaukee Brewers starting the 2026 regular season in midseason form1. 2B Brice Turang

After collecting eight hits in six games for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, four of which were doubles, Turang has carried that success into the start of the 2026 regular season. Through two games, he is 5-for-9 with three doubles. While he hasn’t driven in a run or stolen a base yet, those will surely come.

Part of that missing RBI can be attributed to the fact that Turang has been thrown into a leadoff role that likely would have been given to Jackson Chourio, had he not landed on the IL just hours before Opening Day. As for the stolen base, it’s only a matter of time. On multiple occasions in Saturday night’s game against the White Sox, Turang had a base stolen, only for the hitter to put the ball in play, thus negating the speedy second baseman’s swiped bag. The Brewers have come out of the gates aggressively on the basepaths, and Turang will certainly factor into that strategy in due time.

2. LHP Aaron Ashby

A year ago, Aaron Ashby was a key piece of Milwaukee’s bullpen, logging 66.2 innings across 43 appearances with a career-best 2.16 ERA. He’s picked up right where he left off in 2026, tossing 2.2 innings over his first two outings without allowing a baserunner while striking out six. He’s already generated nine whiffs, with every pitch in his arsenal looking sharp and in midseason form.

While Ashby’s performance looks to already be in midsummer shape, his usage also mirrors the frequent appearances that he made during the second half of last season. Ashby is the only pitcher that Murphy has called upon in each of the team’s first two games. After frequently calling the southpaw’s number during the latter parts of the 2025 season, Ashby looks like he will once again be the oft-used Swiss Army knife that he was last year.

3. UTL David Hamilton

In each of the Brewers’ first two games, Murphy has turned to David Hamilton at third base over the switch-hitting Luis Rengifo. The decision has paid off for the Brewers as Hamilton has drawn four walks, reached once on catcher’s interference, collected a base knock, and is leading the Brewers with three stolen bases. His speed comes as no surprise, but his ability to consistently get on base has been the real eye-opener, and it’ll be worth watching if he can sustain it.

Additionally, Hamilton has flashed the leather at third base — a position he had basically no big-league experience at when the Brewers traded for him this offseason. The 28-year-old utility infielder made an excellent bare-handed play on a slow roller on Opening Day, and made a few nice plays on some hardly-hit ground balls in yesterday’s game. It’s clear from just two games that Hamilton fits the Brewers’ mold to a tee.

Taken together, the early performances from Turang, Ashby, and Hamilton have set the tone for Milwaukee’s red-hot start. Christian Yelich, who already has five hits, and Joey Ortiz, who has chipped in four of his own, were strong candidates as well, underscoring just how many Brewers are clicking right now. It’s a collective surge that looks far more like midseason rhythm than opening-week timing, and a big reason why Milwaukee has come out of the gate with a series win.