William Contreras earns both team MVP and Top Newcomer
The Brewers announced their 2023 award winners as selected by the Milwaukee Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) Monday morning.
Catcher William Contreras was unanimously voted as Milwaukee’s Most Valuable Player and Top Newcomer. Contreras, who came over in a three-team deal involving Atlanta and Oakland, hit .291/.369/.459 with 17 homers, 78 RBIs, 86 runs, 157 hits, and six steals across 141 games for the Brewers, finishing with a 126 OPS+. He also took a step forward defensively, finishing with five defensive runs saved after -6 defensive runs saved with Atlanta last season.
For the third consecutive season, Corbin Burnes was named Brewers Most Valuable Pitcher. While it certainly wasn’t Burnes’ best season on the mound, he helped get the Brewers into the postseason down the stretch. He finished his season with a 3.39 ERA, 3.81 FIP, and 200 strikeouts across 193 2⁄3 innings, including a 2.71 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 86 1⁄3 innings after the All-Star break.
Right-handed reliever Bryse Wilson was voted Brewers Unsung Hero. Acquired from the Pirates in exchange for cash back in January, Wilson went 6-0 with a 2.58 ERA and 4.13 FIP with 61 strikeouts in 76 2⁄3 innings across 53 appearances.
Finally, outfielder Christian Yelich received the Good Guy Award, which “is presented to the player who has the most outgoing, friendly presence in the clubhouse and interacts well with the media on a daily basis in a cooperative and pleasant manner,” according to the press release. Yelich also had a resurgent season on the field, finishing with a .278/.370/.447 slash line with 19 homers, 76 RBIs, and 28 steals in 144 games.