Your Guide to the Newest Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers were busy retooling this winter, adding veteran talent in free agency and acquiring intriguing young prospects via trade.
With just over two weeks left till Opening Day, it’s unclear what Pat Murphy’s roster will look like; however, one thing is certain: the Brewers will be counting on new faces to make an impact on both sides of the ball.
Here are four of the newest Brewers to get familiar with before the season starts.
Rhys Hoskins
The Crew added a legitimate power threat to the middle of the order when they signed Rhys Hoskins to a two-year contract in January.
Hoskins has mashed 27 or more home runs in four out of his six MLB seasons. He’s topped the 30-homer mark on two occasions and logged a career .846 OPS.
After missing the entirety of 2023 to a torn ACL, Hoskins is a massive bounce-back candidate going into 2024, especially if he can keep up his success at American Family Field – where he slashed .342/.405/.789 and cranked five homers in just nine career games.
Last season, Milwaukee’s platoon of first basemen collected just a .681 OPS, the third lowest mark in MLB. If Hoskins can remain healthy, he’ll provide much-needed juice to a position that proved to be a thorn in the club’s side this past year.
Gary Sánchez
Even more muscle arrived in Milwaukee by way of two-time All-Star, Gary Sánchez, who spent seven seasons with the Yankees before bouncing between the Twins, Mets and Padres the past two years.
The 31-year-old catcher bolsters an already strong backstop unit, joining reigning Silver Slugger William Contreras behind the dish. Beyond complementing Contreras, expect Sánchez to get some at bats as a designated hitter, too.
Although his numbers dipped from 2020-2022 (89 OPS+), Sánchez enjoyed a sneaky good 2023 campaign, racking up 19 homers, a 113 OPS+ and 2.4 bWAR, starting caliber offensive numbers for a catcher.
With Sánchez’s arrival, Milwaukee boasts one of the most talented backstop tandems in the League. Not to mention, Jeferson Quero – the Brewers No. 3 prospect -- is waiting in the wings as well.
Jakob Junis
The Brewers bolstered their pitching staff with the addition of Jakob Junis, who signed a one-year, $7 million contract this winter.
After five seasons in Kansas City, Junis spent the last two years in San Francisco where he put up two of his best Big League seasons. The righty logged a respectable 3.69 FIP in nearly 200 innings as a Giant. Additionally, his 10K/9 set a new career best.
Entering his eighth season on the hill, the versatile hurler is a big boost to the Brewers pitching staff – whether he begins the season as a starter is still up in the air. Junis has 110 MLB starts to his name, but his best work (2023) came primarily as a reliever.
Junis made his case for a starting job in a hitless four inning start this past Sunday against the Rockies. Look for him to be a valuable addition to the staff this season.
DL Hall
25-year-old DL Hall is a prime breakout candidate for the Brewers in his first full season of MLB experience.
A former top-100 prospect via MLB Pipeline, Hall is looking to crack the club’s rotation with an impressive Spring Training.
There’s no questioning his stuff. The hard-throwing lefty sits in the upper-90s with his fastball and features a knockout slider. By all accounts, including Christian Yelich, Hall is as advertised. Even if he doesn’t start, there’s a good chance Hall becomes must-see TV in a relief role.
One thing is clear: the hype for DL Hall is real, and he could be a big part of the Brewers 2024 plans, bullpen or starting pitcher alike.