3 underrated Brewers who could emerge as X-factors of the 2026 World Series

The Milwaukee Brewers are back in the World Series for the first time since 1982. It's a statement that Brewers fans have dreamed of hearing for the last four decades, but one that only became true last week when Pat Murphy's squad officially knocked off the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers in a statement-making four-game sweep of the reigning back-to-back World Champions in the National League Championship Series.

Now, the Brewers have a date with the Tampa Bay Rays, who represent a much different challenge than the one Milwaukee faced in each of their first two postseason series this year. Whereas the San Diego Padres were the hottest team in baseball when they lost to the Brewers in the NLDS, and the Dodgers were the most decorated in the sport when they fell short in the NLCS, the Rays are the most similar team of the trio to the Brewers, which undoubtedly poses a unique challenge for the NL-best Brew Crew. The Brewers have proved their ability to beat an overpowering star-studded roster, but can their current style of play defeat the team that so closely mirrors it?

That question will start to be answered on Friday night, when Game 1 of the Fall Classic is scheduled. A matchup of All-Star starting pitchers in Jacob Misiorowski, the soon-to-be NL Cy Young Award winner, and Drew Rasmussen, who once donned a Brewers' uniform, will kick off what is bound to be one of the cleanest displays of baseball in recent memory. As two teams who prioritize fundamentals, and currently overlooked aspects of the game such as baserunning and defense, the Brewers and Rays are bound for a tightly-contested matchup that will accurately determine the best team in baseball.

Such a tightly contested series undoubtedly runs the risk of being determined by a handful of plays, some that may or may not get overlooked in the grand scheme of things. As such, there's a real possibility that the outcome of the series is determined by the performance of a select number of overlooked contributors who play key roles in these scenarios. As such, here are three overlooked players who could end up being X-factors for the Brewers in the 2026 World Series.

3 Brewers players who could ultimately determine the outcome of the 2026 World Series

1. RF Sal Frelick

Through the first eight games of their historic 2026 postseason run, Pat Murphy has stuck to a strict platoon in right field. Sal Frelick, who hits from the left side of the plate, has started every game against a right-handed pitcher, while switch-hitting rookie Luis Lara has started each game against a left-handed starting pitcher. Notably, the three starting pitchers that the Rays have relied on during the postseason -- Drew Rasmussen, Freddy Peralta, and Nick Martinez -- are all right-handed. Such a reality would suggest that Frelick will earn plenty of playing time during the World Series.

As a result, the pressure is on the Brewers' 2021 first-round pick to perform when the lights are brightest. Frelick is 3-for-15 with a pair of RBI-singles and three runs during this year's postseason. He remains something of a spark plug on the Brewers' roster due to his high-effort style of play, but if Frelick does start at least the first three World Series games, as expected, he will be asked to be more than just an energy source in Murphy's lineup. The high-intensity lefty, who will most likely bat eighth in the Brewers' World Series lineup, will be asked to put together at-bats that stall his opponent's momentum and subtly give his team the advantage. Such is the edge that Frelick gave the Brewers during the regular season, and will therefore be the expectation during the Fall Classic.

2. 3B David Hamilton

Similar to Frelick, third baseman David Hamilton, whom the Brewers acquired from the Boston Red Sox in the Caleb Durbin deal back in February, will take on a more involved role in the World Series due to the Rays' starting pitching corps. Like Frelick, Hamilton has been Murphy's choice at third base when the opposing pitcher is right-handed during this year's postseason, and given the Rays' starting pitching trio, it's likely "Hammy" will see his fair share of playing time during the World Series.

That's an encouraging development for the Brewers, who were the beneficiaries of a strong performance from Hamilton during the NLCS. The left-handed hitting third baseman went 4-for-7 with a HR, an RBI-single, and three stolen bases during the Brewers' NLCS defeat of the Dodgers. Especially impressive was the supposed gamesmanship that Murphy encouraged and Hamilton executed in Game 4 of the NLCS, which led the opposing pitcher to give the underestimated Brewers hitter pitches to hit during the late innings of the contest, resulting in Hamilton crushing a ninth-inning, insurance-building homer off All-Star closer Edwin Díaz. If "Hammy" can replicate that success in the Fall Classic, it will go a long way in the Brewers securing their first title in franchise history.

3. RHP Antonio Senzatela

The Brewers acquired right-handed starter-turned-reliever Antonio Senzatela from the Colorado Rockies, with whom he'd spent the last nine and a half years, at the midseason trade deadline. Senzatela's regular season performance with the Brewers produced a mixed bag of results, but it was obvious the potential that the right-handed flame-thrower possessed. Senzatela, who averaged 97.2 mph on his sinker after the trade deadline, showed flashes of excellence out of the Brewers' bullpen in August and September, and as a result, he was trusted to face some of the best right-handed hitters in the Padres' lineup during the NLDS.

Senzatela ultimately made two appearances in the NLDS and covered 1.2 innings while allowing just one unearned run. However, when it came time for the Dodgers in the NLCS, the presence of strong left-handed bats Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani, and Max Muncy in Los Angeles' lineup prevented Senzatela from making an appearance. With right-handers Junior Caminero and Yandy Díaz being two of the Rays' best hitters, the presumption is that Senzatela will see more work in the World Series, even if that duo does do fine against right-handed sinkers. Should Murphy call upon Senzatela to neutralize the top of Tampa Bay's lineup during the middle innings in the World Series, Senzatela's execution will take on an obvious importance.

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