The State of the Brewers: Outfield – More Choices Galore

When it comes to the outfield, the biggest problem is what to do with a surplus of quality players, not just on the 40-man roster, but who will likely be in the minors and those coming up soon.

Just how crowded is the Brewers' outfield? Let’s look it over.

The 40-Man Roster
Christian Yelich, even coming off two subpar seasons and a third that would have translated to over 30 homers (even with a low batting average), is the only fixture in the Brewers outfield. He’ll man left field. The other two positions get a little more complicated.

Garrett Mitchell and Tyrone Taylor will be seeing time in center field. But how much will each of them play? Both players have power and speed and are assets defensively. Mitchell is a promising first-round pick from the truncated 2020 amateur draft, while Taylor had a long odyssey as a second-round pick from the 2012 amateur draft, the same one that saw the Crew score big with Brent Suter in the 31st round.

Taylor could also be in right field a lot, with Brian Anderson (who also could spend time at third) in the mix. Taylor’s power bat makes him a poor man’s Hunter Renfroe, albeit with a touch more speed and the ability to play center field.

Blake Perkins is on the 40-man – a bit of a surprise on one level – but looks to be a call-up from AAA Nashville relatively early on in the season. Jesse Winker will likely be spending a lot of time as the designated hitter.

Keston Hiura also saw some time in the outfield, but Brewers fans may have cause to worry if he's there. 

Non-Roster Invitees
Sal Frelick and Joey Wiemer will likely be in Milwaukee sooner than you think. Frelick is a pure hitter, while Wiemer flashed monster power and speed. The former is a 2021 first-round pick, and the latter was selected in the 2020 draft. Tyler Naquin, a left-handed hitting corner outfielder who's hit as many as 19 homers in seven seasons with Cleveland, Cincinnati and the Mets, could also see time if Wiemer and Frelick slump in conjunction with injuries at the major-league level.

Monte Harrison was a highly-touted prospect who helped bring Yelich to Milwaukee in that 2017-2018 offseason trade. He’s back, having become a version of Keon Broxton (power, speed, defense). Skye Bolt and Eddy Alvarez round out the outfield NRIs and will likely be options to fill in at Nashville as Frelick and Wiemer force their way onto the 40-man.

X-Factors/Potential Breakouts
The situation gets even more crowded – with two names standing out: Jackson Chourio and Jace Avina. Both are center fielders who flashed a lot of power and superstar potential. Some other familiar names with flashes of potential are there, too, like Hedbert Perez, Hendry Mendez, Joe Gray Jr., and Tristen Lutz.

Overview
In a sense, the outfield is like the infield for the Brewers – there are questions, but these are the questions where the answers are fun to debate. Do the Brewers push forward with very exciting young talent? What do they do when keeping the likes of Frelick and Wiemer at AAA can’t be justified? What of Chourio and Avina?