Brewers experiment with batting order amid offensive inconsistency

The Milwaukee Brewers' offense has been anything but consistent this season. Three weeks into the season, they have scored seven or more runs in six games, but have also scored two runs or less in six contests. Slow starts at the plate from the left side of their infield, and several proven veterans have left Brewers fans guessing about what offense will show up each night.

In an effort to find the right combination, manager Pat Murphy decided to switch things up following the team's 1-9 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Monday night. Come Tuesday evening, when the lineup was announced, Brewers fans were delivered a surprise after a batting order they hadn't seen before was revealed.

With Brice Turang in the two-hole and Christian Yelich in the cleanup spot, Brewers fans were left wondering if Tuesday's order was here to stay or if it was simply an effort by Murphy to shake things up amidst the team's three-game losing streak. While things went well for the Brewers offense as they put up five runs and broke their losing streak, the lineup was back to its normal order yesterday for the series finale.

However, the brief switch-up begs the question: what is the Brewers' most effective batting order? Murphy has been known to switch things up from time to time in search of the perfect combination. Last year, the decision to drop Jackson Chourio down in the lineup during his midseason struggles might have just saved the young superstar's career. With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the reasons why the Brewers might benefit from continuing to experiment with their batting order.

Brewers should continue to experiment with batting order as young players continue to find their offensive identity

There remains disagreement as to the impact that the batting order has on the effectiveness of an offense and ultimately the success of the team, but several universal truths exist when it comes to constructing a lineup. Among those truths is that high on-base-percentage (OBP) players should hit towards the top of the lineup directly before high-slugging batters who can drive them in (bonus points if those high-OBP players have speed and can advance to scoring position on their own). Additionally, in an ideal world, a team's best hitters are "protected" by batters with a lot of power, forcing pitchers to throw them more pitches in the strike zone in an effort to keep the bases clear for the power hitter. This is why the combination of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge worked so well for the New York Yankees last year. Pitchers were forced to throw strikes to Soto because walking him would mean there was another player on base who would score when Judge inevitably hit a home run. Soto happens to have one of the best eyes in baseball, so him getting on base happened regardless of how aggressive pitchers were with him.

But enough about the Yankees, how does this apply to the Brewers? On teams like the Brewers, where young players are still searching for their identity as big-leaguers, and veterans like Yelich and William Contreras are constantly evolving their hitting profile, it doesn't make sense to lock in one single batting order and stick with it for the entire season. If Chourio continues to post a high slugging percentage and a low OBP, dropping him down to the clean-up spot could make some sense. If Yelich and Turang continue to display the power that they have in the early goings, then perhaps their spot in the order warrants a closer look. If Sal Frelick continues to lead the team in OBP, perhaps his services are better suited for the top of the order than the five-spot.

There is no perfect solution to a batting order when a team is constantly growing and evolving like the Brewers. And maybe someone will emerge in the middle or top of the lineup that is completely unexpected. Need I remind you that Mark Canha hit clean-up for the Brewers in the 2023 playoffs? No one saw that one coming at the beginning of the season.

Overall, batting orders require experimentation, just like the Brewers did on Tuesday night. They can be changed to ignite a spark in a single player or the team as a whole, and until there is more data from this year’s squad to work with, expect to continue to see Murphy get creative with his lineup.