Brewers Forced to Balance Strategy, Development

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Pat Murphy

Brewers manager Pat Murphy

The 2024 Brewers are not the first team in franchise history to debut a lot of top prospects at the same time, and they’re also not the first team to contend for a postseason berth. They are, however, in a relatively unusual spot this season doing both at the same time.

With Jackson Chourio, Joey Ortiz, Robert Gasser, Tyler Black, Carlos Rodriguez, Bradley Blalock, Oliver Dunn, Garrett Mitchell and DL Hall, the Brewers have nine players that at least one major publication ranked among their top 20 prospects entering the season that have all seen major league time already this year. It might be the Brewers’ biggest youth movement since Prince Fielder, J.J. Hardy, Rickie Weeks, Corey Hart and Bill Hall (plus a then-unknown rookie who turned out to be Nelson Cruz) were all 25 or younger and on the same team in 2005.

That 2005 team, however, was a better example of what teams in this situation usually look like. Over the four seasons prior to that the Brewers had averaged a 65-97 record, one of the lowest dips in franchise history. Their full-on tear down and rebuild had netted them much of the talent they would build around to bring winning baseball back to Milwaukee, but it had also lowered expectations. When the Brewers won 81 games that year it was the first time they had reached that mark in 13 years.

Reduced Expectations

Those reduced expectations for a developing team meant that the Brewers’ front office and coaching staff were free to let players learn and develop at the MLB level. If a young player looked overmatched in a key spot, they could learn from it and use that experience to do better under heavier scrutiny in future years. 

The current situation, however, could not be more different. Over the last five full seasons the Brewers have averaged 92 wins, making the postseason in four of those five years (plus the abbreviated 2020 season). By regular season success it’s the best run in franchise history, and it appears poised to continue. With all due respect to the players from the early 2000s, these games, innings and at bats all feel more significant than the environment that previous generation debuted in.

Balancing the development of the next generation of Brewers stars with the opportunity to win now creates some difficult decisions, especially in the late innings of games. Take Thursday’s series opener in San Diego, for example: 

• In the seventh inning, down two runs and with two men on base, Sal Frelick was due up.
• In the eighth inning, down three and with the bases empty, Tyler Black was due to bat.
• In the ninth, down two and with the tying run on base, Jackson Chourio was due up.

In all three situations the Brewers opted to use pinch hitters: Gary Sanchez hit for Frelick, Andruw Monasterio hit for Black (and eventually batted in his spot again in a tie game in the ninth) and Jake Bauers batted for Chourio. In all cases, the Brewers opted to use a more experienced hitter in place of one of their potential future stars.

These decisions were not unusual ones for Pat Murphy and the Brewers: It was the 14th time they’ve pinch hit for Frelick, meaning he had been lifted early from almost one in four of his games in the majors this season. It was also the 12th time Chourio has been pinch hit for, meaning about one in five of his MLB games have ended with someone else batting in his place. More than a third of the Brewers’ pinch hit plate appearances this season have come in Frelick or Chourio’s place. The Brewers have also pinch hit for Brice Turang six times and Joey Ortiz five times.

As long as the Brewers remain in postseason contention (and it appears likely they will), they’re going to have to continue to balance in-game strategy and player development. Simultaneously serving both of those goals could be a real challenge for Pat Murphy and his staff, as the paths to short and long-term success don’t always line up.