The Brewers infielder whose glove has surprisingly taken a step back in 2026

Defense has long been one of the defining strengths of the Milwaukee Brewers' roster. In recent years, the organization has produced Gold Glove winners in Sal Frelick in right field and Brice Turang -- who also took home the National League's Platinum Glove -- at second base.

Beyond that, Garrett Mitchell has established himself as one of the best defensive center fielders in the game, while Joey Ortiz remains one of the smoothest defensive shortstops in the game. Jackson Chourio showcased impressive range after transitioning to center field last season, and even newcomer Luis Rengifo, who came with defensive concerns this offseason, has held his own as a league-average defender at third base.

But through the first month of the 2026 season, one Brewers infielder has taken an unexpected step backwards. Despite building a reputation as a dependable defender in recent years, first baseman Jake Bauers has seen a surprising early-season dip in his defensive metrics, creating a surprising development for a club that prides itself on run prevention.

According to defensive metrics Milwaukee Brewers infielder Jake Bauers is under performing defensively

Despite largely passing the proverbial eye test, Bauers has fallen short of expectations defensively so far this season, with several advanced metrics grading his performance below league average. According to Statcast's Outs Above Average (OAA) metric, which uses range to measure how many runs a defender saves compared to the league average defender, with zero considered average, Bauers currently sits at negative five. Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) paints a similar picture, as the metric has Bauers at negative two through the first six weeks of the season.

Both of these are cumulative metrics, meaning players can improve or worsen their standing as the season progresses. Further contributing to Bauers’ negative defensive profile is the fact that he has already committed four errors early in the season. Only four players across Major League Baseball have made more.

This helps explain why Bauers does not necessarily look like a below-average defender to the naked eye. Instead, a handful of missed plays he typically converts have inflated his negative advanced metrics early in the season, making his defensive performance appear worse than it has consistently been.

The good news is that there is still plenty of time for Bauers to turn those numbers around, especially given the relatively small sample size of the season’s opening month. Even with Andrew Vaughn's return to the lineup, the Brewers have stuck with Bauers at first base against right-handed starting pitchers, while Vaughn serves as the DH. However, with Christian Yelich set to occupy the DH spot once again in the near future, playing time decisions will soon be more difficult to make, and defensive abilities could certainly play a role.

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