Jake Bauers' head-turning Spring Training forces Brewers into difficult Opening Day lineup decision

Spring Training results should always be taken with a grain of salt. Many a manager has fallen into the trap of overweighting the performance of a given player during the spring exhibition season, only to suffer the consequences when said player falls back into their usual ways when the regular season begins.

Milwaukee Brewers fans know this phenomenon well, seeing as they watched their team give countless opportunities to infielder Vinny Capra last year after an eye-popping Cactus League performance. That blind faith, stemming from Capra's Spring Training results, led to an 0-for-36 hitless streak at the plate that shortly preceded the Brewers designating the infielder for assignment prior to Memorial Day weekend. If that's not a reason to exercise caution when making roster or lineup decisions based off of Spring Training results, what is?

However, when it comes to the Brewers' 2026 Spring Training MVP, Jake Bauers, there's reason to believe that his head-turning Cactus League performance is no fluke. For one, Bauers' numbers at the plate during the 2026 spring exhibition season nerf the outlier slash line that Capra posted a season ago. While Capra slashed .292/.358/.729 for a Cactus League OPS of 1.087 in 2025, Bauers is slashing a ridiculous .471/.581/1.147 for an otherworldly 1.728 OPS in 13 games during this year's exhibition season.

Additionally, Bauers has shown that he's capable of eye-popping production at various points during his two-year tenure in Milwaukee. No, he's never maintained a slugging percentage north of 1.000 for any extended period of time, but he was one of the Brewers' best hitters during the final month of the 2025 season, with a 1.018 September OPS to prove it. That hot streak carried into the postseason when the lefty slugger posted a .972 OPS in 13 at-bats.

Bauers has always had prolific power, maybe not the 11 extra-base hits in 13 games power that he's displayed this spring, but that's never been a department he's lacking in. What he's shown this spring is what happens when he pairs that power with a higher walk rate and a lower strikeout rate, and the results are exciting to say the least.

That said, the first-baseman/corner outfielder's spring hot streak does raise some questions about what Pat Murphy's lineup will look like on Opening Day this coming Thursday. Is Bauers forcing his way into the Brewers' initial starting nine, or will Murphy stick with a defensive-minded outfield on Opening Day?

Jake Bauers is forcing his way into the Brewers' Opening Day lineup

Given the fact that Bauers put up historic numbers during Spring Training, it would be fair to assume that the lefty will be in the Brewers' Opening Day lineup, especially when paired with the fact that Milwaukee is set to face a right-hander, Shane Smith, in their matchup with the Chicago White Sox. However, there's an issue in that line of thinking: Andrew Vaughn, Bauers' platoon partner at first base, is coming off of an incredible second half of the 2025 season, and followed it up with a strong performance in the Cactus League this year (1.030 OPS in 14 games).

Therefore, taking Vaughn's bat out of the Opening Day lineup would seemingly be unwise, but luckily first base isn't the only place Bauers can play defensively; he's also capable of manning a corner outfield position.

Currently, the Brewers are expected to roll out a starting outfield of Jackson Chourio in left field, Garrett Mitchell in center, and Sal Frelick in right field. However, for as good of a spring season that Bauers put together, Mitchell has been the exact opposite, struggling to find his timing after missing much of the 2025 season. The now-27-year-old Mitchell is slashing just .063/.189/.188 with a brutal 52.9% strikeout rate that is difficult to justify with the former first-round pick's still sky-high ceiling.

In an effort to take advantage of Bauers' current hot streak and mitigate the cold stretch that Mitchell is going through, the Brewers should strongly consider starting Bauers in left field on Opening Day and sliding Chourio to center. Chourio proved that he's capable of playing center field defensively last year, and moving him back there to start the 2026 season would allow the Brewers to keep both Bauers and Vaughn's bats in the lineup on a consistent basis.

Though Milwaukee should be cautious not to put too much stock into Bauers' Cactus League performance, his showing this spring carries a bit more weight than some of the other outlier Spring Training performances Brewers fans have seen throughout the years. Milwaukee's priority at the onset of the 2026 season should be having both Bauers and Vaughn's bats in the lineup as often as possible, meaning Brewers fans could see the former playing a great deal of left field to start the year.