Brewers: 4 Players Who Should Be End Of Season Award Finalists

There are only three games left in the 2023 regular season, and that means award season is nearly upon us. It's time to start looking at which players have been the best at their respective positions, and who could be in line to bring home some hardware this November.

When assessing the landscape of the league, there were four Brewers who have played well enough to merit consideration for some individual awards.

Player #1: Christian Yelich - Gold Glove

Christian Yelich is no stranger to the Gold Glove conversation. He has one Gold Glove Award under his belt, which came back in 2014 with the Miami Marlins. Since then, Yelich has been a finalists for the award in 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2022, but he has failed to come away with the hardware in any of those four seasons.

This year, Christian Yelich has continued to flash his leather in left field and could be a Gold Glove finalist for the second season in a row.

In 2023, Yelich's four Outs Above Average (OAA) leads all National League left fielders, according to Baseball Savant. Despite having one of the worst arm values in baseball (per Baseball Savant), Yelich makes up for it with his quick outfielder jump, impressive routes, and reliability with his glove.

Yelich still flashes his great speed in the outfield, and it has translated to valuable defense for the Brewers.

One important metric used to evaluate a player's defensive value is Ultimate Zone Rating, or UZR. UZR puts a value to a player's defense by aggregating several defensive performance metrics in an attempt to quantify how many runs a player has saved or allowed through their defensive performance.

Christian Yelich ranks third in the National League in this category. Fangraphs' Defensive Runs Above Average category (DEF) takes that UZR rating and gives it a positional adjustment in an attempt to quantify their defensive value compared to other positions. Yelich ranks second among NL left fielders in this category.

The left field position in the National League is one of the weaker positions when it comes to Gold Glove candidates. With there being a lack of any one standout defender at the position, Yelich's strong numbers across the board coupled with the several flashy plays that he has made should be enough to warrant consideration for another Gold Glove award this season.

Player #3: William Contreras - Gold Glove & Silver Slugger

What a breakout season it has been for catcher William Contreras. He has made enormous strides in his player development both offensively and behind the dish, and he has easily been the Brewers' most valuable player this season.

Contreras' Gold Glove Argument

Last season, Contreras graded out as, statistically speaking, one of the worst defensive catchers in all of baseball. Now, after spending a good chunk of the offseason with Milwaukee's phenomenal catching staff, Contreras has made such strides behind home plate where he should be in consideration for a Gold Glove Award.

When it comes to pitch framing, Contreras has been one of the best in the entire sport. According to Baseball Savant, Contreras' seven Catcher Framing Runs are the third most in the National League. The only two players ahead of Contreras are Giants' rookie catcher Patrick Bailey, and Mets' rookie catcher Francisco Alvarez, who will both likely be in the running for this award as well.

In addition to his impressive pitch framing, Contreras has also been one of the best at blocking behind the plate this season. He is posting seven Blocks Above Average, and that total is good for fifth-best in the National League, per Baseball Savant, and is significantly better than Alvarez's number of -1 as well as Bailey's total of -10.

Contreras' greatest drawback this season has been his ablity to gun down runners on the base paths. His pop time of 1.95 seconds sits around league average, and it has led to him sitting below league average in Caught Stealing Above Average, according to Baseball Savant.

Still, even to think about Contreras being involved in Gold Glove conversations is something not many people would have predicted heading into the 2023 season. He has been excellent behind home plate for the Milwaukee Brewers, and it's just another way Contreras has found to impact the game.

Contreras' Silver Slugger Argument

On top of being one of the best defensive catchers in the National League this season, Contreras should also be in the conversation for a Silver Slugger Award. For him to be in both the Gold Glove conversation as well as in the mix for a Silver Slugger Award, it's a testament to just how valuable he has been for the Brewers this season.

The stats in the table above are courtesy of FanGraphs, and this award is looking to be a tight race. Contreras has the strong advantage in the batting average and on base department, but Atlanta Braves' catcher Sean Murphy has the edge in terms of power hitting.

Murphy, who was involved in the three-team trade that sent William Contreras from the Braves to the Brewers, has put together a sensational season in his first year in Atlanta, and he has done it in 30 fewer games.

However, Wild Bill has put together a fantastic season at the plate and has been one of the overall best offensive catchers in the National League. He leads all NL catchers with 77 RBIs, and his production has been more than enough to merit consideration to be the first Brewers catcher to ever win a Silver Slugger Award.

Player #4: Devin Williams - NL Reliever of the Year

Plain and simple, the Milwaukee Brewers have dominated this award for the past half decade. Since 2018, a Brewers reliever has won the award all but one time (Edwin Diaz of the New York Mets won the award last season).

Josh Hader is a three-time winner of the award, taking home the hardware in 2018, 2019, and 2021, and Devin Williams won the award back in the shortened 2020 season.

This year, Devin Williams has made a strong case to win the award for a second time. Albeit, it'll likely be a tight race, but Williams has been tremendous this season for Milwaukee.

For starters, Williams has been, yet again, one of the best relievers in the National League at striking batters out. His 37.3% strikeout rate is second in the National League, as is his impressive strikeouts per nine of 13.27 (Josh Hader leads both categories with a K% of 37.7% and a K/9 of 13.91).

On top of being one of the best strikeout artists in the NL, Williams has effectively limited hits this year as well, as he is allowing an opponent batting average of just .131, which is by far the best in the National League. He is top-four in the NL in WHIP (0.94), and his ability to keep runners off the bases has played a large role in him racking up 36 saves, which is the fourth-most in the NL.

The Airbender has the third-lowest ERA among NL relievers at 1.56 to go along with the fifth-lowest FIP at 2.72. In turn, it's no surprise to see grade out as one of the more valuable relievers in baseball. He is near the top of the leaderboard with a 1.7 WAR, which is the sixth-best in the NL according to FanGraphs. Williams is also third in the National League in terms of Win Probability Added at 3.83, further illustrating how much value he has brought to Milwaukee's bullpen.

Williams has been as good as you could have hoped for the Brewers this season, and his performance this year has played an enormous role in the Brewers becoming division champs yet again this season. He continues to be one of the most lockdown relievers in baseball, and he is more than deserving of the Trevor Hoffman Award for his performance in 2023.