The Brewers’ roster changed drastically between the 2023 NL Wild Card Round and Opening Day. New players debuted, a new manager arrived, amidst numerous departures and questions whether the Brewers could compete in the NL Central. Milwaukee did just fine in 2024, as the Brewers won another NL Central title. Here’s our recap of the 2024 Brewers.
The Offense
| Stat | Number | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Runs Scored | 777 | 6th |
| Home Runs | 177 | 16th |
| OPS | .729 | 10th |
| Whiff% | 24.8% | 12th |
| Hard Hit% | 38.6% | 18th |
The Pitching
| Stat | Number | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Starters’ ERA | 4.09 | 17th |
| Relievers’ ERA | 3.11 | 2nd |
| Strikeouts | 1,373 | 14th |
| Whiff% | 24.3% | 24th |
| Chase% | 27.4% | 26th |
The Good
The Brewers came into 2024 with plenty of outfield depth and questions as to where all of their men would play. That would be answered quickly, thanks to Garrett Mitchell almost 100 games last season and Christian Yelich‘s season-ending back injury in the summer. Nonetheless, Milwaukee was just fine offensively and defensively.
The Brewers saw two players win Gold Gloves, William Contreras win a Silver Slugger, and Pat Murphy win the 2024 NL Manager of the Year. Their depth in the lineup helped the Brewers cruise to their second-straight NL Central title.
Milwaukee’s offense was captained by Willy Adames, who hit 32 home runs and drove in 112 — both team-highs — in 2024. It was a season Brewers fans have come to expect from Adames, who entered the free agent pool in November. Adames is one of the best in the game in terms of driving the ball with authority.
The Brewers also saw a reniassance from Christian Yelich, who hit .315/.406/.504 (.909 OPS) over 76 games last season. Had Yelich stayed healthy, it would have been his most productive campaign since 2019.
Then, there’s Jackson Chourio. Chourio was signed to a 10-year extension last winter before he even played a MLB game. It was a worthwhile extension on a uber-talented outfielder with plus power and plus speed. If it worked, it would lead to the Brewers retaining a franchise cornerstone for the next decade. So far, so good.
Chourio became the youngest player in MLB history to record a 20-20 season. The 20-year-old belted 21 home runs and stole 22 bases, then hit two more home runs in the playoffs to put himself on the national map.
Chourio’s extravagant second half — one that saw him finish tied for 10th in total extra-base hits (33) and 13th in OPS (.914 – min. 175 PA) — saw him go from promsing rookie to an elite talent, at the age of 20.
Oh, and the Brewers continued to reap the benefits of involving themselves in the Sean Murphy three-way deal in 2022. William Contreras hit 23 home runs and notched 62 extra-base hits in 2024. He earned his second NL Silver Slugger.
As for the Brewers’ pitching, Milwaukee had yet another excellent bullpen setup in 2024. Yes, Devin Williams missed much of the year. However, his loss was offset by the emergence of Trevor Megill, a hard-throwing righty. Megill notched 21 saves for the Brewers and gave up just 33 hits over 46.1 IP. He could be in line for more save opportunities in 2025.
Bryan Hudson, Joel Payamps, Elvis Peguero, and Jared Koenig all had ERAs of 3.10 or lower. Hence, why the Brewers’ pen had the second-best ERA in the league last season.
The Brewers’ rotation was expected to take a hit in 2024. Milwaukee had no Brandon Woodruff thanks to offseason surgery in 2023 and Corbin Burnes was traded to Baltimore. Freddy Peralta, the captain of their rotation, struck out 200 batters last season. It was the second-straight season he hit the 200 strikeout marker.
Still, the Brewers needed to piece together injuries and that was no easy task. Wade Miley and Robert Gasser sustained season-ending injuries themselves. Seventeen players made at least one start for the Brewers. However, maybe the biggest success story out of their rotation was Tobias Myers.
Myers was a notable prospect in the Orioles and Rays’ systems many years ago. Tampa traded him during the 2021 lockout to Cleveland in a minor deal that netted the Rays Junior Caminero. Myers, however, struggled in the Minors in 2022 and 2023 but excelled with the Brewers.
The 26-year-old boasted a power, high carry fastball, coupled with good secondary stuff. That stuff helped Myers post a 3.00 ERA over 138 innings with 127 strikeouts. He ended his year with five shutout innings against the Mets in the NL Wild Card Round.
The Bad
It felt like a tale of two season for Brice Turang in 2024. Matter of fact, it was.
Turang had a strong argument to be a NL All-Star in 2024. The Brewers infielder hit 288/.348/.409 at the time of announcement and was among the league’s best in defensive metrics, and stolen bases. Then, the doldrums hit.
The NL Gold Glove winner had a .564 OPS in the second half, seventh-worst among hitters with 175 PA in that stretch. Not to mention, a .277 OBP in that span, a tough figure given that Turang was regularly used as a leadoff hitter.
Sal Frelick (.576 OPS in the second half) didn’t fare much better in the second half.
Early Projected Lineup for 2025
- C: William Contreras
- 1B: Rhys Hoskins
- 2B: Brice Turang
- 3B: Sal Frelick
- SS: Joey Ortiz
- OF: Christian Yelich (LF), Garrett Mitchell (CF), Jackson Chourio (RF)
- DH: Tyler Black
- SP: Freddy Peralta, Tobias Myers, Aaron Civale, Aaron Ashby, Brandon Woodruff
- RP: Devin Williams, Trevor Megill, Nick Mears, Jared Koenig, Joel Payamps, Bryan Hudson, DL Hall, Elvis Peguero
There’s a lot that can change between now and Opening Day 2025.
First, what will Milwaukee do with Aaron Civale and Devin Williams? Both enter their final arbitration-eligible season, and the Brewers had a $10.5MM team option on Williams that was voided by the team. However, he’s still under team control.
The two are expected raises and one has to wonder whether the Brewers ultimately part with both for financial reasons. It might be tough, though, to do so. There’s a lot of relievers in the free agent market and as far as Civale’s concerned, there’s pros and cons with him. Civale has good stuff but the results haven’t always been there.
To their lineup now, and the Brewers will have Rhys Hoskins back after he accepted his player option. One area of interest will be how the Brewers align their outfield.
There was talk in the spring of 2024 that Sal Frelick could move to the infield and he did take reps there. It would be odd to move Frelick from the outfield to infield after he won a Gold Glove. But, Frelick is very athletic and would fill a hole left behind by Adames, assuming Joey Ortiz moves from third to short.