The Brewers may finally be seeing a real path forward at first base, and Blake Burke is the reason why.
Milwaukee has spent years trying to patch the cold corner since Prince Fielder’s seven-year run ended and he left for the Detroit Tigers ahead of the 2012 season. Since then, no Brewers first baseman has held the job for more than two full consecutive seasons. The front office has kept swinging at the problem, too - signing Rhys Hoskins to a two-year, $34 million deal, bringing in Eric Thames on a three-year, $16 million contract, trading for Rowdy Tellez, claiming Daniel Vogelbach off waivers, signing Chris Carter, dealing for Adam Lind and adding Mark Reynolds.
This year’s answer has been one of Milwaukee’s best in that stretch. Jake Bauers, in the middle of a career year, and Andrew Vaughn, who has been excellent since the Brewers acquired him from the Chicago White Sox in the middle of the 2025 season, have formed a productive platoon that has helped fuel Milwaukee’s franchise-record-breaking success in 2026.
But the future gets complicated fast. Bauers is set to hit free agency after the season, and his breakout year may have pushed him beyond Milwaukee’s price range.
Vaughn still has one more year of team control left, but his own free agency is coming after the 2027 campaign. That means the Brewers have to be looking ahead.
Burke is giving them plenty to like.
The 23-year-old first baseman, taken with the 34th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, was just named the Southern League’s Most Valuable Player in 2026. He also won the league’s First Base All-Star award.
In 96 games for Double-A Biloxi, Burke mashed 30 home runs and 25 doubles, tied for the league lead in homers, and added 28 stolen bases. His .603 slugging percentage, .317 isolated power and .970 OPS all ranked best among qualified hitters in the league.
He put up those numbers while keeping a 23.7% strikeout rate and a 10.2% walk rate, which only adds to the appeal.
Burke’s MVP case got even more impressive when you factor in that he was promoted to Triple-A on August 10. He didn’t spend the final month in Double-A, yet he still finished as the league’s top player.
His Triple-A stint wasn’t as smooth. In 31 games at the end of the year, Burke hit .193/.299/.336 with a 32.1% strikeout rate. Even so, the Brewers still have reason to be encouraged by what he showed in the Southern League.
If Bauers leaves this winter, Burke could step in as Vaughn’s platoon partner in 2027. If Vaughn moves on after 2027, Burke could be in line to take over the everyday job the season after that.
Nothing is settled yet, but Burke’s rise gives Milwaukee something it has lacked at first base for a long time: a believable succession plan.
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