Brewers figuring out their team formula as lineup takes shape

PHOENIX -- Milwaukee seems certain to lead the NL Central in new this season. New manager. New No. 1 starter and three new rotation members. New starters on the infield corners. New closer, at least for the time being.

The list of Brewers who will make their first Opening Day roster reached 11 as they broke camp Tuesday, from $82 million rookie outfielder Jackson Chourio to power first baseman Rhys Hoskins to potential DH Gary Sánchez and potential closer Abner Uribe.

“We look a lot different than we did last year,” Christian Yelich said. “Yes, we are young, but you don’t want to be, ‘Oh, we are young, so …’ It’s the Major Leagues. We are going to fight. We are going to do it the right way.

“There might be some learning curves and stuff like that, but they are all really talented players and they should be just fine. Our formula to win might be a little different as opposed to years past, but we still expect to win.”

The newness will carry into the batting order, at least early, although manager Pat Murphy’s guiding principle remains:

“The best hitters will hit the most,” he said.

Yelich is to open the season as the primary No. 3 hitter, Murphy said, after spending most of the previous two seasons leading off.

Yelich has had success in all three top-of-the-order spots, including No. 3. He spent the majority of the 2017 and 2020 seasons hitting third. He hit second in his 2018 NL MVP season and hit both second and third when he was the MVP runnerup in 2019.

“I want to hit Yelich third,” Murphy said. “I think he’s valuable at three. Not just to drive in runs, it evens out our lineup a little bit. There was a reason we hit Yelich first. It’s what we thought we had to do at that point. I think we’re going to let somebody else emerge in that role.”

Sal Frelick and Garrett Mitchell were the top candidates to replace Yelich as the leadoff hitter, but Frelick could find himself there more often early in the season because Mitchell is expected to miss at least a month with a fractured left hand. Murphy has mentioned Chourio as a potential leadoff man if he continues to progress as he did in Spring Training.

William Contreras and Hoskins are likely to bracket Yelich in the order, with shortstop Willy Adames and Sanchez to follow. Murphy used that exact front six in the Brewers Cactus League finale Monday, a 10-1 victory over Colorado. Frelick led off and played third base.

Frelick and Mitchell would bring speed to the top of order, as Yelich did, for a team that had a Major League-high 45 stolen bases this spring and will count it among their weapons.

“I’m just trying to get on base any way I can,” Frelick said, "because we do have some heavy hitters.”

The No. 3 spot, considered more of a production spot, was manned mostly by Adames and departed free agent Carlos Santana last season. Adames made 59 starts there and Santana made 51.

“I’ve hit all over the lineup in my career,” Yelich said. "It doesn’t really matter to me where I’m at, as long as you are in there. Whatever Murph thinks gives us the best chance to win is obviously what I’m in favor of. The lineup is the lineup the first time through, and after that it is kind of random. For everybody, whatever spot that you are in, you want to do your best and contribute to a win that night.”

“I guess in theory you would think that you’ll be in some [production] spots, especially with the guys we will have at the top of the order. Anything you can do to help the team win.”

Chourio is expected to bat lower in the lineup, at least early in the season, with stolen base threat Brice Turang to follow.

Murphy said he is not opposed to putting a left-handed hitter at the top of the lineup against an opposing left-hander, and it could happen in the season opener against Mets left-hander Jose Quintana.

However it shakes out, Yelich believes the offense will take a step forward after finishing eighth in the league with 728 runs while winning the NL Central at 92-70.

“There was a lot of talk about our offense last year,” Yelich said. “For how it was talked about, you would think we were awful. We were a playoff team.

“We figured it out. It is going to be different every year. The kind of team you are, you have to adapt throughout the season to try to figure out your formula as a team of how you are going to win games.”