Christian Yelich, Freddy Peralta find themselves all over our midseason honors
Paul Dietrich
MVP: Christian Yelich
I actually think the team MVP is Freddy Peralta but given that there’s a separate spot for me to recognize a pitcher, I’ll go with a hitter here. A quick glance at Yelich’s overall numbers don’t exactly show a superstar; going into play on Saturday, his batting line was .261/.337/.463, which is solid (it translates to a 124 OPS+) but significantly below the .315/.406/.504 line he posted in 73 games in 2024.
But anyone who has watched this team this year knows that the Brewers got hot when Yelich got hot, and he’s been a completely different player in the last two-ish months than the first two-ish months. Yelich’s OPS hit a low point on May 21; since then, he’s hitting .348/.408/.620. That gives Yelich a 1.028 OPS over his last 41 games. Shohei Ohtani leads the NL with a .988 OPS. The Brewers, by the way, are 31-14 since May 21, the best record in the majors in that span.
Cy Young: Freddy Peralta
I’m painfully aware that sometimes Peralta is a frustrating pitcher who makes it too easy for opposing hitters to get deep into counts, and I know that we are sometimes tortured by what we think Peralta could be in an ideal situation rather than what he actually is. But when it comes to the actual results on the field, there’s little denying that Peralta has been huge for the Brewers. Wins is a nearly pointless stat (ask Paul Skenes), but Peralta’s 11 wins leads the majors, an indication that he’s giving the team every chance to win the game when he pitches. His ERA+ of 151 is actually better than his best season in 2021, the other season in which he was an All-Star. He’ll soon pass Teddy Higuera for third in franchise history in strikeouts. He’s just having a very solid season, and in the absence of any obvious MVP, his steady presence is enough for me.
Newcomer: Isaac Collins
Caleb Durbin has turned into a nice addition, and there are a bunch of pitchers — Quinn Priester, Chad Patrick, Jacob Misiorowski, Jose Quintana, even Logan Henderson — who deserve mention here. But I’m going with Collins, who snagged one of the last roster spots in spring training because of the injury to Blake Perkins. But after Garrett Mitchell was hurt again, Collins was pressed into real duty — and he’s come through in a huge way. He’s playing great defense, he’s got a 114 OPS+, he’s stealing a few bases, and he’s playing almost every day, to the point that Perkins was officially optioned to Triple-A Nashville after his rehab assignment ended over the weekend.
Team Grade: A-
They just keep doing this, don’t they? It was sort of a rough start, and there was some time there where it looked like things were about to go sideways. But the Brewers have righted the ship, found some unexpected contributors, called up some big prospects, and found a way to be competitive again despite continuing to bleed high-end talent. The team’s odds to make the playoffs are at 92.4% according to Baseball Reference, which is a remarkable development given how they looked at times in April and May.
Harrison Freuck
MVP: Sal Frelick
Sal Frelick is the team MVP because, if you write out his name in all caps (FRELICK), it looks like my last name (FREUCK).
On a more serious note, Frelick has done it all. He’s played in 93 games thus far but has already set a new career high with 2.2 bWAR (he had 2.1 in 145 games last season), as he’s hitting .294/.354/.404 (115 OPS+) with seven homers, 39 RBIs, 46 runs, and 17 steals. All of those numbers put him on track to set new career-highs, and he’s also providing great defense once again. While he may not be flashy and hit a ton of homers like Yelich, he’s been the team’s most gritty and consistent player.
Cy Young: Freddy Peralta
Peralta was Milwaukee’s lone All-Star on the initial roster last week, and for good reason. After another win on Sunday, he’s won six consecutive starts dating back more than a month, and he’s now 11-4 on the season, the most wins in the league. He’s gone at least five innings in each of his last nine starts, and he hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any game since early May. Overall, it’s evident that Peralta is an All-Star and will likely garner at least some NL Cy Young votes come the end of the year.
Newcomer: Chad Patrick
After the Brewers were down to virtually no starters outside of Freddy Peralta in early April, the pitching scene looked meek. Jump ahead to today, and the Crew has more starters than they can fit on the roster — and Nestor Cortes will be back in a few weeks, too! But Chad Patrick filled in that void for a few months, and he did it admirably.
At age 26, he made the Opening Day roster and, after making one relief appearance, joined the rotation. He ultimately made 18 starts for Milwaukee, with a solid 3.52 ERA and 3.52 FIP (which is actually a lower FIP than Peralta’s 3.55 mark). While he’s now back in the minors, he did his job to keep the Brewers in contention until the rest of the team’s arms could get healthy.
Team Grade: A-
A- seems like the only reasonable grade here. B+ seems too low, and an A would mean the Brewers haven’t struggled, which they certainly have. If you had asked me to grade the team at the end of May, I would have given them a B- at best. But the squad, behind Christian Yelich’s massive turnaround, has been great for the last two-ish months, winning 30 of their last 42 games with only three series losses since May 19.
Matt Gerrity
MVP: Christian Yelich
Christian Yelich has been an integral part to the Brewers’ success. He leads the team’s qualified hitters with a .797 OPS, 19 home runs, and 65 RBIs. Yelich already has more home runs than last year’s 11 and continues to heat up, posting a 149 OPS+ since the start of June.
Cy Young: Freddy Peralta
Freddy Peralta has spearheaded a surprisingly good rotation with his 2.66 ERA, leading the team with 111 2⁄3 innings pitched. He’s on pace for the lowest ERA of his career (2.81 in 2021) and he’s been a steady presence for the team as they vie for another division title. He hasn’t allowed more than three runs in a start since early May, reliably giving the team a chance at winning every five days.
Newcomer: Quinn Priester
Before arriving in Milwaukee, Quinn Priester had found little success in the majors. Yet his profile has fit in perfectly, boasting an incredibly high 57.6% groundball rate and effectively limiting barreled balls. This combination has led to a 3.55 ERA over a career-high 88 2/3 innings. Priester is putting up career-best numbers in strikeout rate, home run rate, and hard-hit rate.
Team Grade: B+
The Brewers aren’t a perfect team, but they’ve been consistent in many areas this season, and surprisingly good in others. For example, the rotation, with pitchers like Chad Patrick and Priester, has been much better than I expected. In the lineup, Caleb Durbin and Isaac Collins have been key parts of a deep lineup. The team ranks in the top 10 in both runs scored and team ERA, so they should be poised for a second-half run at another division title.
Jason Paczkowski
MVP: Brice Turang
In year three for Brice Turang, he’s continued to develop as the Brewers’ second baseman. He’s developing into a threat on offense, with his batting line rising from .254/.316/.349 in 2024 to .274/.345/.366 in 2025. His issues hitting left-handed pitching are mostly gone and his splits this season are very similar — .275/.357/.383 vs. RHP, .271/.316/.327 vs. LHP. Not only has his bat improved, but he’s still as strong in the field and is the cornerstone of the Brewers’ infield defense. He’s become an all-around threat and continues to get stronger each day.
Cy Young: Freddy Peralta
Though the rotation has seen many changes this season, the one constant has been Freddy Peralta. Over his last few seasons, he’s been a good pitcher but not necessarily the star that the team needed. This season, he’s changed that. His ERA is one run lower than last season — 3.68 ERA in 2024, 2.66 in 2025. While FIP suggests he’s been lucky (3.55 FIP), that’s not an issue with the Brewers’ defense behind him. Though his strikeout rate has dropped a bit — 9.5 K/9 in 2025 — he’s also dropped his walk rate and home run rate — 3.0 BB/9 and 1.0 HR/9, respectively. He’s also earned his first All-Star selection since 2021, though he won’t play in the game due to his schedule. It’s talent that we’ve known Peralta has had his whole career, it’s just finally showing more this season.
Newcomer: Isaac Collins
When Garrett Mitchell went on the IL on April 26, there was uncertainty with the outfield situation. Blake Perkins was still on the IL as well, and Christian Yelich was basically becoming a full-time designated hitter. Isaac Collins was the next man up for the outfield, but at that point in the season, he was batting .214/.267/.321. In 21 plate appearances between April 3 and April 25, he went 2-for-19 with two walks. However, in the wake of the Mitchell injury, he stepped up in a major way.
From April 26 on, he’s batted .262/.374/.396 with five home runs, 11 extra-base hits, seven stolen bases, and 22 RBI. His 119 wRC+ is second on the team, and he’s seventh on the team in fWAR (1.8) and bWAR (1.7). He’s also been valuable on defense, with 5 DRS (Defensive Runs Saved) and 7 OAA (Outs Above Average). He’s really stepped up for an outfield that needed someone to step up and fill in the gap.
Team Grade: A-
On May 17, after being shut out for the sixth time in May (and the fourth time in their last five games), the Brewers hit their low point. It looked like they were in for a rebuilding season. Over the next two months, they have turned it around completely. They’re leading the Wild Card race and are just a game back in the NL Central. Though the first month and a half cannot be completely ignored, the team is coming together. We’re watching the development of several players as they start to shine in the major leagues. There’s still concern about whether they can keep this up the rest of the way, but it’s looking very positive as they enter the second half of the season.
Adam Zimmer
MVP: Christian Yelich
On May 21, Christian Yelich was hitting .190. The Brewers were one game above .500. As I write this, Yelich is hitting .261 with 19 home runs and an .800 OPS. The Brewers are 15 games above .500. During Yeli’s two-month-long hot streak, the Brewers are 31-15. Don’t get me wrong, this Brewers team is truly an example of strength in numbers. Sal Frelick has been great in the leadoff spot. Freddy Peralta has served as a steady presence at the top of the rotation. Jacob Misiorowski has been electric. Abner Uribe leads all of baseball with 26 holds. Yelich is still the number one reason why the Brewers are just a game and a half back of the division right now. He isn’t just the team MVP, he’s been playing like a league MVP.
Cy Young: Jacob Misiorowski
Like the All-Star selection committee, I don’t care that Miz has only pitched in five games this season. He’s been the talk of the league and absolutely unhittable in four of his five starts. Misiorowski has looked like one of the top starting pitchers in the entire league and a future ace. Peralta and the bullpen trio of Megill-Uribe-Mears could certainly make a case for themselves, but Les Miz is simply different.
Newcomer: Isaac Collins (with an honorable mention to Caleb Durbin)
Isaac Collins was supposed to be an outfielder in the mold of Blake Perkins, a great defender and replacement-level hitter. Instead, he’s slashing .263/.365/.395 (.300 average in his last 30 games) while grading out as literally the best defender in the league. Collins has been a huge part of the Brewers’ success this season and looks to be a potential long-term piece.
Team Grade: A-
Milwaukee loses a third of a grade for their slow start to the season. I know they’re only a game and a half back of the division, but I can’t give them an A if they’re not in first place. Other than that, this season has gone about as well as anyone could reasonably expect. Yelich is back in form, the bottom of the lineup is producing, and the pitching staff is lights-out. The Brewers could use a little more at the plate from Joey Ortiz and William Contreras, but that’s nitpicking. Milwaukee is 15 games above .500 and looks like a legitimate playoff contender.