The Milwaukee Breweries is one of four National League teams that split from the fold this year. Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Atlanta are the only three remaining National League teams with records currently above .500. With MLB All-Star voting underway and fewer than a handful of teams standing out from the pack, there’s a good chance a few Brew Crew players will qualify for the 2024 All-Star Game. Below, we make the case for seven of them.
Milwaukee Brewers All-Star Case #1: William Contreras
Selecting William Contreras for his second career All-Star game (2022 with ATL) shouldn’t be too convincing. The catcher is third in the league in RBIs (46), sixth in batting average (.309), seventh in slugging percentage (.376) and eighth in on-base-plus-slugging percentage (.851). Among qualified catchers, the Dodgers’ Will Smith has a higher on-base percentage and slugging percentage and more home runs (nine) than Contreras (eight home runs), but otherwise Contreras is first in every other offensive category.
Milwaukee Brewers All-Star Case #2: Willy Adames
28-year-old Willy Adames has had a great first half of the season. He has the most RBIs among shortstops in the National League (43), is second in doubles (17), ranks sixth in home runs (9) and ranks third in walks (29). His .736 OPS isn’t eye-catching, but his ability to be an executive producer while playing excellent defense at a top position should earn him a chance to be selected for his first career All-Star Game.
Milwaukee Brewers All-Star Case #3: Christian Yelich
When looking at the stats for National League outfielders, Christian Yelich has stats that make it worth stopping and looking twice. His slash line for the season is .329/.409/.524 with six home runs, 29 RBI and 10 stolen bases. The only thing working against him is that his sample size is much smaller than the others because he missed time early on with a back injury. However, if he continues to perform well in June, he could easily return to his mid-summer classic for the first time since 2019.
Milwaukee Brewers All-Star Case #4: Brice Turang
There is no reason why Brice Turang can’t be an All-Star this season and should be in the running to be a National League starting second baseman. Milwaukee’s shortstop has the highest batting average among qualified second basemen (.307), the highest on-base percentage (.371), the most stolen bases (23) and the third-highest slugging percentage (.415). He may not have the RBI totals of Ketel Marte (35) or the home runs of Nolan Gorman (14), but he excels in many other offensive statistics while also being a defensive Gold Glove candidate.
Milwaukee Brewers All-Star Case #5: Joey Oritz
Yes, there is a legitimate case for the Brewers’ second baseman, shortstop and third baseman to become All-Stars this season. Rookie Joey Ortiz homered at third base and was Major League Baseball’s Rookie of the Month for May. Ortiz has a season OPS of .865 and almost never swings or misses. The Phillies’ Alec Bohm is the favorite to be the third baseman in the All-Star game, but Ortiz should be in the running as a reliever.
This is just absurd
→ https://t.co/ZGJNZU1cbn pic.twitter.com/udpLrLeAlM
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) June 8, 2024
Milwaukee Brewers All-Star Case #6: Blake Perkins
Yes, Blake Perkins plays like a star. The smooth-moving centerfielder, who hit a home run and hit a single in the same game, ranks fifth in National League outfielders’ WAR this season. Sure he’s had slumps, but on the year he has a 104 OPS+ and stole six bases. Considering the elite level of defense he provides, his offensive numbers aren’t bad for a guy who typically bats ninth in the batting order.
so, uh, at what point does the All-Star talk start for a Brewers center fielder? pic.twitter.com/mYFx4a1xOU
— Curt Hogg (@CyrtHogg) June 8, 2024
Milwaukee Brewers All-Star Case #7: Bryan Hudson
Rookie reliever Bryan Hudson has been one of the best in the game this year. He has a season ERA of 1.03, nine holds, and has pitched multiple innings in 14 of 23 appearances. This year he has thrown 147 sweepers and given up only two hits (0.051 batting average). Fans can’t vote for pitchers in the All-Star game, but it’s unthreatening to say that teams across the league have started taking notice of what he’s doing.
Among the remaining Brewers bullpen, Jared Koenig, Hoby Milner and Trevor Megill are also putting together nice seasons. However, Hudson stands out the most and Megill has a smaller sample size of just 17 innings pitched this year, which could hurt his case.
The first phase of MLB All-Star voting runs through June 27. You can vote until by clicking here.
Related: Former Milwaukee Brewers catcher with a .076 batting average, comically receiving All-Star votes.
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