Milwaukee Brewers: lineup and rotation patterns
What 2023–2025 Retrosheet data tells us about how the Milwaukee Brewers set their lineups and used their pitchers.
A record of past seasons, not a forecast: 2027 projections will be added once rosters take shape. About these team pages.
Our read on the Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee had the best record in baseball in 2025 at 97–65 while rotating its leadoff spot more than most: Brice Turang led off most often, but only 67 times, and the same hitter led off consecutive games 63% of the time (league average 75%). Two spots were nearly fixed. William Contreras started 128 games at catcher, 79% of all games and second highest among primary catchers, and Christian Yelich made 128 starts at DH (79%).
Contreras' rest followed a clear pattern: he started 90% of other games but 51% of day games after night games. Seventeen pitchers made a start, tied for third most in the league, with Freddy Peralta leading at 33. Jake Bauers started 45% of games against right-handed starters and none against left-handers.
Where the Milwaukee Brewers ranked in 2025
| Milwaukee Brewers | Avg | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | 97 | 81.0 | 1 |
| Different batting orders | 129 | 135.9 | T-22 |
| Same order as previous game | 8.1% | 4.8% | T-6 |
| Most uses of one order | 5 | 4.8 | T-8 |
| Same leadoff as previous game | 63% | 75% | 23 |
| Players in the lineup | 24 | 24.4 | T-14 |
| Games vs LHP | 47 | 42.6 | T-4 |
| Lefty hitters vs RHP | 3.6 | 3.6 | 17 |
| Lefty hitters vs LHP | 2.5 | 2.0 | 9 |
| Starting pitchers | 17 | 13.2 | T-3 |
| Top-five starters' share | 73% | 76% | 19 |
| Starts on 4 days' rest or less* | 31% | 31% | 19 |
| Starts after 10+ days* | 9% | 5% | 4 |
| Primary catcher's starts | 79% | 58% | 2 |
| Players at DH | 8 | 10.7 | T-23 |
| Top DH's share | 79% | 51% | 5 |
Three seasons at a glance
| Season | W–L | Games vs RHP / LHP starters | Different batting orders | Different players in the starting lineup | Starting pitchers used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 92–70 | 114 / 48 | 135 | 26 | 10 |
| 2024 | 93–69 | 114 / 48 | 140 | 21 | 17 |
| 2025 | 97–65 | 115 / 47 | 129 | 24 | 17 |
Who played where, 2023–2025
| Position | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | William Contreras (108) | William Contreras (119) | William Contreras (128) |
| 1B | Rowdy Tellez (62) | Rhys Hoskins (88) | Rhys Hoskins (78) |
| 2B | Brice Turang (103) | Brice Turang (142) | Brice Turang (150) |
| 3B | Andruw Monasterio (51) | Joey Ortiz (124) | Caleb Durbin (119) |
| SS | Willy Adames (147) | Willy Adames (161) | Joey Ortiz (140) |
| LF | Christian Yelich (121) | Jackson Chourio (79) | Isaac Collins (91) |
| CF | Joey Wiemer (102) | Blake Perkins (104) | Jackson Chourio (87) |
| RF | Tyrone Taylor (47) | Sal Frelick (87) | Sal Frelick (128) |
| DH | Jesse Winker (46) | Gary Sanchez (40) | Christian Yelich (128) |
Month by month in 2025
| Month | Games | W–L | Games vs LHP | Different batting orders | Starting pitchers used | First start of the season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March/April | 31 | 16–15 | 12 | 24 | 10 | – |
| May | 28 | 15–13 | 7 | 24 | 10 | Andruw Monasterio, Daz Cameron |
| June | 25 | 16–9 | 6 | 15 | 7 | Drew Avans |
| July | 24 | 17–7 | 7 | 22 | 7 | Andrew Vaughn, Anthony Seigler, Blake Perkins, Tyler Black |
| August | 30 | 21–9 | 10 | 26 | 9 | Brandon Lockridge, Danny Jansen, Steward Berroa |
| September | 24 | 12–12 | 5 | 23 | 8 | none |
Batting order and positions in 2025
Most starts by batting slot: 1. Brice Turang (67); 2. Jackson Chourio (83); 3. Christian Yelich (75); 4. Christian Yelich (57); 5. Sal Frelick (49); 6. Rhys Hoskins (34); 7. Jake Bauers (27); 8. Caleb Durbin (46); 9. Joey Ortiz (95).
| Position | Next most starts (leader: see above) | Players who started there | Starter changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Eric Haase (18) | 3 | 39% |
| 1B | Andrew Vaughn (58) | 4 | 27% |
| 2B | Andruw Monasterio (8) | 4 | 15% |
| 3B | Anthony Seigler (16) | 5 | 34% |
| SS | Andruw Monasterio (21) | 3 | 14% |
| LF | Jackson Chourio (27) | 7 | 51% |
| CF | Blake Perkins (39) | 6 | 27% |
| RF | Jackson Chourio (15) | 6 | 30% |
| DH | William Contreras (22) | 8 | 35% |
Against left- and right-handed starters
| Opposing starter | Left-handed | Right-handed | Switch-hitters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Right-handed | 3.6 | 4.5 | 0.8 |
| Left-handed | 2.5 | 5.5 | 1.0 |
| Player | Bats | Start rate vs RHP (starts) | Start rate vs LHP (starts) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jake Bauers | left-handed | 45% (52) | 0% (0) |
Gaps may reflect timing, not a platoon (guide).
Rotation and rest in 2025
| Pitcher | Throws | Starts | First start | Last start | Median days of rest | Starts on 4 days or fewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freddy Peralta | RHP | 33 | March 27, 2025 | Sept. 28, 2025 | 5 | 12 |
| Quinn Priester | RHP | 24 | April 10, 2025 | Sept. 26, 2025 | 5 | 5 |
| Jose Quintana | LHP | 24 | April 11, 2025 | Sept. 14, 2025 | 5 | 6 |
| Chad Patrick | RHP | 23 | April 1, 2025 | Sept. 24, 2025 | 4.5 | 10 |
| Jacob Misiorowski | RHP | 14 | June 12, 2025 | Sept. 19, 2025 | 5 | 2 |
| Brandon Woodruff | RHP | 12 | July 6, 2025 | Sept. 17, 2025 | 5 | 1 |
| Tobias Myers | RHP | 6 | April 24, 2025 | Aug. 9, 2025 | 4.5 | 2 |
| Aaron Civale | RHP | 5 | March 30, 2025 | June 9, 2025 | 5 | 1 |
| Rest before start | Milwaukee Brewers | League average |
|---|---|---|
| 4 days or fewer | 31% | 31% |
| 5 days | 46% | 49% |
| 6 to 10 days | 14% | 15% |
| More than 10 days | 9% | 5% |
Catcher and DH in 2025
| Games | Team-games | Primary catcher started | League average |
|---|---|---|---|
| All games | 162 | 79% | 58% |
| Day game after a night game | 47 | 51% | 44% |
| All other games | 115 | 90% | – |
| Player | DH starts | Share of DH starts |
|---|---|---|
| Christian Yelich | 128 | 79% |
| William Contreras | 22 | 14% |
| Jake Bauers | 4 | 2% |
Most common lineups in 2025
The most common exact batting order was used 5 times, more than the club average of 4.8.
Lineup 1 (5 times, last on June 29, 2025): 1. Sal Frelick RF, 2. Jackson Chourio CF, 3. Christian Yelich DH, 4. William Contreras C, 5. Brice Turang 2B, 6. Rhys Hoskins 1B, 7. Isaac Collins LF, 8. Caleb Durbin 3B, 9. Joey Ortiz SS.
Lineup 2 (4 times, last on May 27, 2025): 1. Brice Turang 2B, 2. Jackson Chourio CF, 3. William Contreras C, 4. Christian Yelich DH, 5. Rhys Hoskins 1B, 6. Isaac Collins LF, 7. Sal Frelick RF, 8. Caleb Durbin 3B, 9. Joey Ortiz SS.
Lineup 3 (4 times, last on June 17, 2025): 1. Sal Frelick RF, 2. Jackson Chourio CF, 3. William Contreras C, 4. Christian Yelich DH, 5. Rhys Hoskins 1B, 6. Isaac Collins LF, 7. Brice Turang 2B, 8. Caleb Durbin 3B, 9. Joey Ortiz SS.
Top nine vs RHP (19/115): Brice Turang, Caleb Durbin, Christian Yelich, Isaac Collins, Jackson Chourio, Joey Ortiz, Rhys Hoskins, Sal Frelick, William Contreras.
Top nine vs LHP (8/47): Brice Turang, Caleb Durbin, Christian Yelich, Isaac Collins, Jackson Chourio, Joey Ortiz, Rhys Hoskins, Sal Frelick, William Contreras.
Our own calculations from Retrosheet game logs, regular seasons only: notes, methodology.