3 under-the-radar Brewers players off to a good start in 2023

The Milwaukee Brewers are off to a good start to begin the 2023 season. Milwaukee wasn't the overwhelming pick to win the National League Central Division, but more of an under-the-radar type of team.

Well, the early-season success is in large part due to the under-the-radar performance of some of Milwaukee's overlooked players.

While Corbin Burnes, Freddy Peralta, and Devin Williams have certainly had a hand in the Brewers' hot start, those undervalued players have helped set this year's team up for what the Milwaukee faithful hope is a playoff-bound campaign. Who are three under-the-radar players that have helped the Brewers get off the blocks quickly in 2023?

1. Mike Brosseau has been an under-the-radar performer for the Brewers.

When a player like Mike Brosseau has a career-OPS below .775, he's going to be looked at as a bench bat, and at best, a spot starter. But Brosseau has embraced his under-the-radar role with this year's Milwaukee Brewers team and is currently leading the squad in OPS.

Brosseau's 1.014 OPS is tops among all Brewers hitters. The 29-year-old is 6-for-20 with two round trippers and five runs batted in thus far in 2023. Brosseau has started six games this season and has a base hit in all but one.

Brosseau has the defensive versatility to play all over the infield dirt, and in the outfield in a pinch, but all six starts have come at the hot corner this season. Defensively, Brosseau has had a couple miscues at third base, but his bat has more than made up for his mistakes in the field.

With Luis Urias currently on the IL, Mike Brosseau has done a fine job of holding down the fort. Once Urias returns, it's likely that Brosseau will still wiggle his way into increased playing time after such a hot start to the 2023 season.

2. Brian Anderson has been an under-the-radar performer for the Brewers.

Brian Anderson had been a solid major leaguer for some time before joining the Milwaukee Brewers this past offseason. Anderson was a steady presence in the Miami Marlins organization and was viewed as your prototypical utility player. During his time in South Beach, Anderson posted a slash line of .256/.341/.410.

Outside of a two-year stretch from 2018-2019, Anderson was little more than a replacement level player. But to begin the 2023 season, Anderson has been a terrific addition to the Brewers lineup.

In 13 games, Anderson is hitting .282/.396/.538 and has four extra-base hits, including three homers. Anderson is also seeing the ball very well, as evidenced by his nearly .400 on-base percentage and eight free passes in 48 plate appearances.

Anderson has seen time at third base and left field, and has also acted as Milwaukee's designated hitter. Even when Urias returns from the IL, Brewers manager Craig Counsell will find ways to keep Anderson's bat in the lineup on a regular basis.

Anderson has been plagued by injuries in the past, but if he's fully healthy, the Oklahoma native may very well be a key piece of this Milwaukee Brewers team throughout the entirety of the 2023 season.