Award season in Major League Baseball has rolled around, and the All-MLB team is the first stop on the board. Fans get a vote alongside media, broadcasters, former players, and other officials, with the goal of recognizing the best players at each position.
The Brewers are well represented among this year’s finalists, with candidates at first base, second base, catcher, in the outfield, in the rotation, and in the bullpen.
Jake Bauers is in the mix at first base after a breakthrough season that put him second in the National League in wRC+. He finished with 26 homers, 86 RBI, and the league’s second-best on-base percentage, helped by a 16.3 walk percentage. The competition is steep, though, with Pete Alonso, Alec Burleson, Willson Contreras, and Ty France all among the names to watch at the position.
At second base, Brice Turang looks like the clear favorite. He put together a monster season with a 124 OPS+, 37 doubles, 21 homers, 100 RBI, 19 stolen bases, and Gold Glove-caliber defense.
Baseball Reference credited him with 7.3 WAR, which puts him in rare air. Brandon Lowe and JJ Wetherholt are the other major threats.
William Contreras is a finalist at catcher despite a rough summer stretch that dragged down his numbers for a while. He still finished at .270/.341/.417 with a 108 OPS+, plus 27 doubles, 18 homers, and 94 RBI. Even so, this does not look like his award to lose; Arizona’s Gabriel Moreno appears to be the front-runner, with Hunter Goodman, Dillon Dingler, and Drake Baldwin also in the field.
Jackson Chourio is Milwaukee’s lone outfield nominee. He would likely have a stronger case if he had not missed six weeks to start the season, because the final couple of months showed just how dangerous he can be. At 127 games played, though, he may get squeezed out in a crowded race that includes Pete Crow-Armstrong, Randy Arozarena, Andy Pages, Michael Harris II, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, and Fernando Tatis Jr.
On the pitching side, Jacob Misiorowski is expected to be one of the five starters on the All-MLB first team. He is the Brewers’ only pitching nominee in that group, with Cam Schlittler, Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo, Zack Wheeler, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal, Dylan Cease, Chris Sale, Eduardo Rodríguez, and Parker Messick also in the conversation.
The bullpen gives Milwaukee two more finalists in Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe. Megill shook off an uneven start and was dominant for most of the year, going 30-for-33 in save chances with a 2.63 ERA and 1.85 FIP.
Uribe matched that level in his own way, posting a 1.97 ERA and 2.68 FIP over 61 outings while picking up six saves. The top reliever race also includes Bryan Baker, Mason Miller, Louis Varland, Jhoan Duran, and Aroldis Chapman.
Fans can vote through Friday, October 9, and the All-MLB teams will be announced on November 11 at the MLB Awards Show.
In Other News...
Brewers Just Got A Joey Ortiz Update They Had To Hear
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Ortiz has become an important piece for the Brewers since his game took a real step forward in mid-June, and the team is counting on that version of him in the postseason. For now, the expectation is that hell be ready when the National League Division Series begins on October 3, which is the kind of update Milwaukee needed after a tense few days. [Read more 🡒]
Christian Yelich Had One Condition Before Accepting Brewers Captaincy
Christian Yelich has long been one of the steady voices inside the Brewers clubhouse, so it did not come as a shock when the club officially elevated him to captain. The move, Milwaukees first formal captaincy, came with Robin Younts blessing and was later confirmed by manager Pat Murphy, a reminder that this was as much about respect and presence as it was about production on the field.
Yelich will now wear a C on his jersey, placing him in a small group of active major leaguers with that distinction. The timing also suggests the Brewers were deliberate about making sure the role fit the person, not just the rsum, and there was one requirement Yelich wanted met before he said yes to the honor. [Read more 🡒]
Brandon Woodruff Just Reached A Rehab Stage Brewers Fans Needed
Brandon Woodruff has reached a meaningful checkpoint in his rehab, getting medical approval to begin throwing off a mound as he works his way back. For a Brewers team that has been waiting on any encouraging signs from one of its most important arms, it is the kind of development that at least keeps the door cracked on a late-season return.
Pat Murphy still made it clear the odds remain long, and the club has not framed this as a sure thing. Woodruff was originally expected to need surgery, so the fact that he has continued recovering without it has already changed the conversation, even if the next steps now matter more than ever. [Read more 🡒]