5 Brewers off to slow starts and how they can turn it around

The baseball season has only just begun, but already panic can start to creep in when undesirable statistics are seen on the jumbotrons at games. For Milwaukee, they are just 16 games into the 2025 campaign, but five Brewers in particular have gotten off to slow starts. Here we take a look at how they can turn things around.

Five Milwaukee Brewers players who have gotten off to slow starts and how they can turn things around

Elvin Rodriguez - use the slider with more frequency during his return to a long relief role

In 2024, Elvin Rodriguez had a 1.74 ERA as a long reliever overseas. This year, he was thrust into the Brewers starting rotation due to a plethora of injuries, and Milwaukee had him throwing primarily four-seam fastballs and cutters. Unfortunately, his best pitch, the slider (a sweeper per Baseball Savant), has been neglected to a usage rate of 6.5%. With the addition of Quinn Priester and the activation of Jose Quintana, Rodriguez has already returned to the bullpen, where he should focus on getting back to what made him successful a season ago.

Rhys Hoskins - take advantage of mistake fastballs

A year ago, Rhys Hoskins put up career-worst offensive numbers in several categories. While a portion of this could be attributed to being out of the game for a year following ACL surgery, he hasn't gotten off to a good start in 2025 as he is slashing .171/.300/.195 with just one extra base hit. Historically, Hoskins has done most of his damage against fastballs, according to Baseball Savant, so when a pitcher makes a mistake and leaves one over the heart of the plate, he needs to capitalize and start slugging the baseball.

Christian Yelich - get back on track against left-handed pitchers

To begin 2025, Christian Yelich is just 1-20 against southpaws with eight strikeouts. He has not looked comfortable against left-handed pitchers this year, so he will need to figure out a way to start seeing the ball better and getting back on track in these matchups. Against righties, Yelich is performing better, as he is 7-36 with four extra-base hits, but still not to his expected level. The Brewers have faced several elite left-handed pitchers already this season, including Carlos Rodón, Max Fried, Cole Ragans, and Kyle Freeland. As the balance of right versus left-handed opposing starting pitchers evens out, look for Yelich's numbers to start creeping north.

Oliver Dunn and Vinny Capra - draw a free pass

Like Jackson Chourio, both Oliver Dunn and Vinny Capra have not drawn a walk yet this season. Chourio is having success, but third base platoon mates Dunn and Capra are not. Drawing free passes typically is a strength of these players, as Dunn walked 82 times in 2023 and Capra 52 times in the minor leagues last year. Interestingly, neither is chasing pitches (Dunn 18.4% chase rate and Capra 24.4%), but both have been aggressive on the first pitch of at-bats (Dunn 41.9% first pitch swing percentage and Capra 31.0%). If these two can find ways to draw free passes against big league pitchers, then they might get back on track offensively.

While it’s still early in the 2025 season, the slow starts from key Brewers players are certainly worth monitoring. However, baseball is a long game, both within each contest and across the 162-game grind of a season. There’s plenty of time for these players to find their rhythm, make adjustments, and bounce back to form. With the right mix of patience, coaching, and opportunity, Milwaukee’s early struggles could quickly become a distant memory.