Our contributors at Brew Crew Ball are excited to get the 2026 season underway after an offseason that saw quite a bit of turnover across the league. Here are our bold predictions and storylines to watch for the Brewers in 2026.<\/p>\n
Paul Dietrich: The Brewers have a pair of 30\/30 players<\/p>\n
If I wanted to get extremely bold, I would say three\u2026 but I don\u2019t think Christian Yelich has another 30\/30 season in him, which he has done only once, in 2019. But: Jackson Chourio has gone 20\/20 in each of his first two seasons, and if he makes the kind of jump we all think he can make, it\u2019s definitely in play. The other one would have to be Brice Turang, who so far this spring has given us no reason to believe that the late-season power surge that got him to 18 homers last year was a mirage. Thirty homers is probably a stretch, but that\u2019s what makes the prediction bold\u2026 and he\u2019s averaged 36 stolen bases per season as a big leaguer, so that seems doable even if he only had 24 in 2025.<\/p>\n
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Harrison Freuck: Jacob Misiorowski reaches the 200-strikeout threshold<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t overly bold, especially given how easily Jacob Misiorowski manages to rack up strikeouts, but this prediction would require him to make at least 20 starts (and that\u2019s if he averages 10 strikeouts\/game). Last season, he totaled 87 strikeouts in just 66 innings, so at that pace, he\u2019d need to pitch roughly 150 innings. The bold part of this prediction is that Miz\u2019s career-high in innings pitched came last year, when he totaled 129 1\/3 innings between Triple-A and MLB. Hitting the 200-strikeout mark would also make him the eighth Brewer since 2021 to reach that threshold (and give the Brewers a 200-strikeout pitcher for the sixth consecutive season).<\/p>\n
Dave Gasper: Brice Turang and Jackson Chourio both have 30\/30 seasons, finish top 10 in NL MVP voting<\/p>\n
The power surge that Turang saw in the second half last season was proof that he was finally able to get his raw power to click in game action. With that knowledge, over a full season, I believe he has a very good chance to reach 30 homers. Turang\u2019s speed is also elite, and with a change in first base coach to Spencer Allen, I imagine stealing bases will be a renewed priority for this team, and Turang should reach 30 steals easily.<\/p>\n
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Jackson Chourio has gone 20\/20 in each of his first two seasons in MLB, but there\u2019s plenty more in the tank. After all, he just turned 22 years old. If not for a hamstring injury last year that took him out for much of August, Chourio likely would have well surpassed his rookie year numbers. I expect with a fully healthy season this year, Chourio can reach 30\/30 as well and continue his superstar trajectory. If both he and Turang can do that, they\u2019ll help lift this team to another NL Central title and should receive enough MVP votes to finish in the top 10.<\/p>\n
Jason Paczkowski: Brice Turang finishes in the top five for NL MVP<\/p>\n
In the award predictions, I said that Turang could finish in the top 10 for NL MVP. Looking at his performance from last year, he should have been in the top 10 anyway. A big factor there is name recognition, and while stats can carry quite a bit, having a reputation can help gain votes. It\u2019s likely part of the reason that Christian Yelich \u2014 who finished 12th in the NL MVP vote \u2014 finished ahead of Turang last season. If he posts a similar season to last year, he will definitely be in the top 10 this time. If he improves on it, the top five will be within his reach.<\/p>\n
Adam Zimmer: Jacob Misiorowski is a top-five NL Cy Young finisher<\/p>\n
I\u2019m a big believer in Misiorowski, who has the stuff to eventually win a Cy Young someday. He\u2019s not there yet, particularly given the stiff competition he\u2019ll face in the National League. Still, Misiorowski showed flashes of greatness in an up-and-down season. With former ace Freddy Peralta now in New York, the Brewers will need their new Opening Day starter to serve as a steady option at the front of the rotation. If his command is even slightly improved after an offseason of work with the Brewers\u2019 pitching lab, the sky is the limit for the Miz.<\/p>\n
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Paul Dietrich: Who is the first blue-chip prospect to break through?<\/p>\n
Given that we expect the Brewers to contend this season, it\u2019s a bit strange to call it a transitional year\u2026 but it is, in some ways. Luis Rengifo was brought in for one year, as a cadre of exciting infield prospects make their way up the minor league ladder. Joey Ortiz is either going to prove he deserves to start on a good major league team, or he\u2019s going to quickly fall out of the Brewers\u2019 plans. The same goes for Garrett Mitchell, who needs to produce in addition to staying mostly healthy for a full season.<\/p>\n
It would not be a shock if the 2027 Brewers had an Opening Day lineup that included Jes\u00fas Made, Cooper Pratt, and Jett Williams in place of Rengifo, Ortiz, and Mitchell. My question is whether we see any of those guys this year. Made is probably not going to happen, and Pratt needs to show he can hit at Triple-A. But Williams could be a candidate for the roster if anyone struggles or gets hurt, even if it\u2019s early in the season. And I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if Pratt made it to Milwaukee for his debut sometime late this summer.<\/p>\n
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Harrison Freuck: Can Milwaukee\u2019s 2025 breakout stars repeat in 2026?<\/p>\n
The Brewers won 97 games in 2025 largely on the backs of some previously unsung players. Brice Turang took another big step forward to lead the team with 5.6 bWAR. Quinn Priester and Chad Patrick broke out in the rotation as two of the best pitchers on this team. Andrew Vaughn, who was a star prospect before struggling in the majors with the White Sox, seemed to find his groove in a new place as he was a key part of Milwaukee\u2019s late-season push for the NL Central crown. If those players (and others) can repeat in 2026, this team will have what it takes to claim a fourth consecutive NL Central title.<\/p>\n
Dave Gasper: Which starting pitchers ultimately earn job security?<\/p>\n
The Brewers have loaded up on starting pitching depth. With everyone healthy, the Brewers have 11 legitimate starting pitching options on the 40-man roster, and that doesn\u2019t even include Aaron Ashby or DL Hall. Jacob Misiorowski is pretty locked in to a spot, as are Brandon Woodruff and Quinn Priester when healthy. Chad Patrick is in a pretty good spot right now, but will that remain the case as his sophomore season goes along? Tobias Myers lost his job pretty quickly last year.<\/p>\n
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Kyle Harrison and Brandon Sproat appear to have won the early-season spots in the rotation, but will they be able to keep them as the season goes along? Logan Henderson, Robert Gasser, Shane Drohan, Carlos Rodriguez, and Coleman Crow can step in at the first sign of trouble. The Brewers will likely use all of these starting pitchers throughout the year. With so much depth, the cream will rise to the top. Who will that be? Who can stake a more permanent claim on a rotation spot? It will be fascinating to watch.<\/p>\n
Jason Paczkowski: Can Andrew Vaughn maintain his 2025 performance?<\/p>\n
When the Brewers acquired Andrew Vaughn for Aaron Civale in 2025, it felt like they were just trying to get anything for a disgruntled player. It was entirely possible that Vaughn would have just lingered down in Triple-A for the rest of 2025. However, when Rhys Hoskins went down injured, Vaughn became one of the Brewers\u2019 legends. He went from hitting .189 for the White Sox to hitting .308 for the Brewers. All of his numbers saw dramatic jumps. His biggest moment may have come in NLDS Game 5, where his solo home run put the Brewers ahead for good.<\/p>\n
The big question for Vaughn is if he can do it again. The track record with the White Sox wasn\u2019t great, but it was also the White Sox. It\u2019s hard to tell if his struggles were due to playing on a bad team or if he would be struggling regardless of where he played. The Brewers need the 2025 version of him to shine through if they want to hold the division title again in 2026.<\/p>\n
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Adam Zimmer: Who\u2019s going to play third base?<\/p>\n
The majority of the Brewers\u2019 infield is pretty much set. Andrew Vaughn will be the regular first baseman, spelled occasionally by Jake Bauers. Second base is locked down by Brice Turang, and shortstop is Joey Ortiz\u2019s job to lose. After trading last year\u2019s starting third baseman, Caleb Durbin, to the Red Sox, the Brewers didn\u2019t exactly find a clear replacement. Luis Rengifo appears to have the inside track for the job, but if he struggles, the Brewers could turn to fellow offseason acquisition David Hamilton. Given the Brewers\u2019 infield depth in the minor leagues (Jett Williams, Brock Wilken, Cooper Pratt, and even Andrew Fischer), there\u2019s a chance their third baseman down the stretch isn\u2019t currently on the 40-man roster.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Our contributors at Brew Crew Ball are excited to get the 2026 season underway after an offseason that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":634387,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3],"tags":[2131,2132,1749,5,6303,127,3800,3615,4838,1301,17761,1517,753,463,3875,11714,4364,1513,2168,10679,2180,59,4,2248,89,130,12052,44914,2006,396],"class_list":{"0":"post-642472","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mlb","8":"tag-aaron-ashby","9":"tag-aaron-civale","10":"tag-andrew-vaughn","11":"tag-baseball","12":"tag-brandon-sproat","13":"tag-brandon-woodruff","14":"tag-brice-turang","15":"tag-caleb-durbin","16":"tag-chad-patrick","17":"tag-christian-yelich","18":"tag-david-hamilton","19":"tag-dl-hall","20":"tag-freddy-peralta","21":"tag-garrett-mitchell","22":"tag-jackson-chourio","23":"tag-jacob-misiorowski","24":"tag-jake-bauers","25":"tag-joey-ortiz","26":"tag-kyle-harrison","27":"tag-logan-henderson","28":"tag-luis-rengifo","29":"tag-milwaukee-brewers","30":"tag-mlb","31":"tag-quinn-priester","32":"tag-red-sox","33":"tag-rhys-hoskins","34":"tag-robert-gasser","35":"tag-shane-drohan","36":"tag-tobias-myers","37":"tag-white-sox"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116289762974358381","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/642472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=642472"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/642472\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/634387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=642472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=642472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=642472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}