Brewers' early-season walk leader is exactly who Pat Murphy hoped it would be

Back in Spring Training, Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy named infielder David Hamilton his player predicted to make a “quantum leap." However, many fans, looking at Hamilton's resume of 70 stolen bases in the minors and continued success on the basepaths in the majors, saw him primarily as a speed threat.

These concerns stemmed from questions about Hamilton’s ability to consistently reach base. His career .222 batting average and .283 on-base percentage with the Boston Red Sox led outsiders to view his ceiling as limited, though those who worked with him all spring, like Murphy, saw a different potential.

While just a few weeks into the 2026 season, it appears Murphy was onto something as Hamilton is currently leading the Brewers in walks. This shows an improved conscious effort to get on base, and is exactly what Milwaukee's skipper was hoping to see from Hamilton.

Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy has to be thrilled that David Hamilton is leading the team in walks early this season

Through the Brewers’ first 12 games of the season, Hamilton is tied with Brice Turang for the team lead in walks with nine. Coincidentally, they also share the team lead in stolen bases with four each. Hamilton has appeared in nine games across third base, shortstop, and second base, while Turang has played in 10.

However, Hamilton is not only the Brewers' walk leader as things stand on April 10; he also leads all of MLB hitters with 25 plate appearances or more in walk rate. His 25% walk rate through the first two weeks of the 2026 regular season would have been far and away the highest among all qualified hitters last season. For context, New York Yankees' slugger Aaron Judge led all qualified hitters with an 18.3% walk rate last season.

Hamilton’s early-season uptick in walks adds significant value both to his individual profile and to the Brewers as a team. By reaching base more consistently, he’s addressing a long-standing concern from earlier in his career, and if he keeps it up, he’ll generate additional scoring opportunities for Milwaukee.

Though it's unlikely he continues drawing walks in one-fourth of his at-bats, if Hamilton continues to collect free passes at a comparable rate, a natural byproduct could be him emerging as a team leader in both runs scored and stolen bases. The Brewers have already shown a knack to be a high-scoring offense this year, and a willingness to be more aggressive on the basepaths. As Murphy predicted, Hamilton looks poised to play a central role in that strategy moving forward.