Handing out Milwaukee Brewers first-quarter awards

The 2025 Milwaukee Brewers season has been anything but predictable, as last night's lost to the Tampa Bay Rays once again proved. From offensive slumps to pitching injuries, this team has already weathered more adversity in the first 40 games than many clubs see in a full season. Yet, somehow, they remain in the thick of the National League Central, hovering around .500 and grinding their way through each challenge.

The roster isn’t packed with superstars at every position, nor are they a team steamrolling the competition. The club is held together by breakout performers, some unlikely heroes, and players rising to the occasion when it matters most. As we near the quarter mark of the season, it’s time to hand out some awards recognizing the players who have stepped up and kept the Brewers alive this season.

Milwaukee Brewers early season awards

Team MVP – OF Jackson Chourio

If the Brewers are going to make noise this season, it’s going to be on the back of 21-year-old Jackson Chourio — who has quickly become the engine driving Milwaukee’s offense. In just his second big-league season, Chourio has stepped right into the spotlight as the face of this Brewers lineup.

With one major offensive contributor, Willy Adames, no longer in the picture, the Brewers needed someone to emerge. Chourio has answered the call. He leads the club with 44 hits, is tied with Christian Yelich for the team lead in home runs (6), and has racked up 13 doubles — more than double the next closest Brewers hitters, Rhys Hoskins and Sal Frelick, who each have five. His current slash line of .267/.282/.467 with a 103 OPS+ shows there’s still more ceiling to unlock, but make no mistake — Chourio has already become the offensive tone-setter.

Additionally, Chourio has filled in as the everyday center fielder since Garrett Mitchell went on the IL with a left oblique strain in late April. Aside from last night's costly error, he's played a steady center field after not logging a single inning at the position in 2024, proving he's willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win.

His raw talent doesn’t come without flaws. Chourio’s plate discipline remains a glaring weakness. He’s drawn just three walks in 165 plate appearances, dragging down his on-base percentage and limiting his ability to fully weaponize his speed and contact ability. His chase rate of 41.5 percent ranks in the bottom two percent of all qualified hitters — an alarming number that pitchers will clearly try to exploit.

Still, what Chourio lacks in polish, he makes up for with pure impact. His ability to square up pitches and drive the ball to all fields keeps him dangerous every night. He isn’t just the Brewers’ most electric player — he’s their heartbeat, and the player this team is rallying around.

Cy Young – RHP Freddy Peralta

This race was tighter — and far more surprising — than anyone could have predicted back in March. Yes, Freddy Peralta holds the Brewers’ Cy Young title through the first 40 games, but if you had told anyone he’d be barely edging out Chad Patrick for the honor, you’d have been laughed out of the room. 

Patrick, thrust into a major role early in the season when the rotation was running on fumes, has delivered admirably. His 2-3 record and 3.08 ERA across seven starts don’t fully capture just how vital he was in stabilizing the staff when Milwaukee’s pitching depth was pushed far beyond its limit. Without him, the Brewers may have spiraled completely out of control. If there were a co-Cy Young Award, Patrick’s early-season contributions would make him a deserving candidate.

But in the end, Peralta earns the nod — and rightfully so. The Brewers’ ace has been everything this team needed and more. Sitting at 4-2 with a sparkling 2.18 ERA, he’s racked up 48 strikeouts over 45 ⅓ innings across eight starts. While the rotation bent and the bullpen buckled at times, Peralta stood tall as the constant the Brewers could count on every fifth day. His consistency has been invaluable, delivering ace-caliber performances night in and night out. 

Best Reliever – RHP Nick Mears

This one isn’t up for debate. It’s Nick Mears, and it’s not even close. In a bullpen that has lacked stability, Mears has emerged as the unexpected rock. Manager Pat Murphy has placed him in the high-leverage moments, and Mears continues to rise to the occasion. And now beginning to be used to bridge the gap to the ninth, he’s become Milwaukee’s most trusted arm out of the pen.

The numbers speak volumes. Through 14 appearances, Mears boasts a 0.64 ERA, striking out 13 across 14 nnings while limiting damage every time his name is called. His impact isn’t going unnoticed in the advanced metrics either — he leads the bullpen with a 0.7 WAR.

Not to discredit the contributions of Abner Uribe or Jared Koenig, both of whom have strung together solid stretches this season. But when your next best candidate for the award might actually be first baseman Jake Bauers, that says everything you need to know about just how much of a runaway Mears has been.

Most Improved – 2B Brice Turang

Brice Turang wasn’t exactly coming off a bad season, but what he’s doing in 2025 makes last year’s "quantum leap" look pedestrian by comparison.

After making noticeable strides in 2024 with a respectable .254/.316/.349 slash line and swiping 50 bases, Turang proved he could be more than just a glove-first player. It was a clear leap forward from his 2023 struggles, when he slashed just .218/.285/.300. But this year feels like a full-on breakout.

Turang has come out of the gates swinging in 2025, posting a career-best .309/.377/.397 line through his first 36 games. He’s not only getting on base at an elite clip, but he’s also adding a bit more pop to his game. With three home runs already on the board, he’s on pace to shatter his career high and flirt with double-digit homers for the first time in his career.

While his power surge has cooled off slightly in recent weeks, Turang’s bat has stayed hot. He’s remained one of the Brewers’ most consistent offensive contributors in a lineup filled with streaky performers.  At just 25 years old, Turang is showing the kind of all-around development the Brewers have been hoping for since he first arrived in the big leagues.

Rookie of the Year – RHP Chad Patrick

Whether it was expected or not, Chad Patrick has earned every bit of this recognition and more. Let’s rewind to Opening Week. Patrick wasn’t even on Milwaukee’s radar for the rotation. In fact, he had his bags packed for Nashville, set to begin the year in Triple-A. After the pitching staff was torched for 47 runs in their first four games, the team was desperate for a starter and a lifeline. That turned out to be Chad Patrick.

After spending the night sick in a hotel room on the eve of his first start, Patrick was thrust into a seemingly no-win situation — and delivered one of the most important performances of the Brewers’ young season. He tossed 4 ⅔ scoreless innings, helping secure Milwaukee’s first victory of the year and, in many ways, brought the Brewers out of the mud.

Since that night, Patrick hasn’t looked back. He closed out the month of April with a brilliant 1.82 ERA, cementing his place in the starting rotation and proving that he belongs on a big-league mound. While he’s cooled slightly since, his body of work — 3.08 ERA over seven starts — makes him not only the Brewers’ top rookie but one of their most valuable pitchers through the first 40 games.

For a player who started the year as organizational depth, Patrick has quickly become one of the Brewers’ most unlikely success stories. And if the Brewers continue to push toward contention, they’ll look back on Patrick’s emergence as a defining moment of their season.

Hoskins absolutely deserves a mention in this article as he was the runner-up for both Team MVP and Most Improved. Hoskins has raised his OPS by more than .070 points this season while providing a steady bat in the middle of the Brewers’ lineup. His veteran presence has also been apparent during the Brewers' roller-coaster start to the season.

The Brewers still have plenty of work to do if they want to secure a playoff spot this year. But thanks to these standout performers, they’ve kept their season afloat when it could have easily unraveled. If Milwaukee’s depth can catch up to the contributions of these early-season leaders, the Brewers might have a chance to stay in the conversation and make this a season worth remembering.