Brewers Have Their Next Breakout Star Already Emerging in Milwaukee

The Brewers should have a lot of hope and belief in their roster and their lineup this season.

Apr 12, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers (9) celebrates with right fielder Sal Frelick (10) after hitting a home run during the fourth inning against the Washington Nationals at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers are one of the more intriguing teams in the league each season. Each year, they seem to trade from their big league roster in moves that could be described as "rebuilding moves" if taken out of context. Trading Devin Williams to the New York Yankees seemed like a rebuilding move, but the Brewers got better. They made a few other "rebuilding moves" during the offseason after leading the regular season in wins last year.

The Brewers traded Freddy Peralta, Caleb Durbin, and Isaac Collins during the offseason in exchange for a lot of prospects and a few big league contributors. But the team is still a contender. They still have the players, coaches, and assets to win right now. But they're going to need a few breakout players at the big league level.

Still, that's never an issue for the Brewers. They have breakout players every season. Last year, Durbin, Collins, and Quinn Priester were among the biggest breakout players.

Who will be the Brewers' biggest breakout player this year?

Jake Bauers should continue his hot stretch throughout the year

Apr 10, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers (9) drives in a run with a base hit in the first inning against the Washington Nationals at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

I might be a little late on the Jake Bauers train, given the fact that he's already hit four home runs this year, but he's my pick for the Brewers' big breakout player of the year.

Bauers has been given a chance to start after Andrew Vaughn went down with an injury, and he's taken full advantage of this opportunity.

Bauers is slashing .239/.300/.522 with an OPS of .822 in 14 games. He's hit four home runs and a double in 46 at-bats. Bauers' career high in home runs is 12, but he should clear that mark with ease if he continues in this direction.

Bauers is making excellent swing decisions, and he's pulling the ball in the air a lot early in the season. He ranks in the 92nd percentile in out-of-zone swing rate and the 91st percentile in zone swing rate. That means he's not chasing bad pitches very often, but he's very aggressive on good pitches to hit. Pair that with his 76.2 miles per hour average bat speed, which ranks near the top of the league, and you have the perfect recipe for a breakout player.

If Bauers can increase his launch angle sweep spot percentage, which is seemingly the only metric he isn't elite in early in the year, he could be heading for a 20 home run season, if not more.