The underrated aspect of Jake Bauers’ game that makes him even more valuable

At long last, Jake Bauers has finally become who he was always meant to be: a slugging monster who combines elite bat speed with good swing decisions to become a fearsome middle-of-the-order hitter. Sure, his defense is still subpar and his strikeout rate is still a little too high, but this version of the 30-year-old is exactly what the Milwaukee Brewers have been waiting for.

In fact, he's been so good that he's being put in All-Star conversations, which is positively ludicrous given the names at first base in the National League. Yet, it's Bauers who leads Senior Circuit cold-corner stoppers in wRC+ (148). Not Bryce Harper nor Freddie Freeman nor Matt Olson -- Jake Bauers.

However, lost amid this career-altering offensive breakout is another aspect of Bauers' game that has seen significant improvement since joining the Brewers. Bauers, who possesses a sprint speed that ranks in the 42nd percentile in baseball, is among the most valuable baserunners on the 2026 Brewers.

Amid his incredible breakout at the plate, Jake Bauers has also quietly been one of the Brewers' best baserunners in 2026

Since a disastrous 2023 season with the New York Yankees -- who employ a bunch of old, basepath-muddling sluggers and don't put much emphasis on good baserunning -- Bauers has turned into an above-average navigator of the basepaths. That's not all too surprising; the Brewers make their living instilling that kind of magic into every player who graces their locker room.

However, he's taken things to a whole new level here in 2026. He's been worth 1.2 BsR, which is tied with David Hamilton for the team lead in that category. Yes, Jake Bauers has been a more valuable baserunner this year than Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang, and Sal Frelick. Just in case you thought the Brewers weren't already the new kings of baseball devil magic, here's your foolproof evidence.

By the way, BsR is an all-encompassing stat that weighs beneficial plays (stolen bases, taking extra bases successfully, etc.) against detrimental ones (grounding into double players, getting thrown out on a steal attempt, etc.). You can read about it in full here, but the key thing to note is that Bauers' total is the best in the entire league among all first basemen.

Again, the Brewers deserve a lot of credit here. They've taken a slow, subpar baserunner and turned him into a slow, elite one. That's thanks in part to an excellent coaching staff that knows exactly when to be aggressive, but it's also a feather in Bauers' cap that he's been so receptive to the team's system.

It won't earn him many (if any) brownie points during the All-Star voting process, but for a Brewers team that values these kinds of contributions to such an intense degree, Bauers' evolution as a baserunner has been just as impressive to see as his evolution in the batter's box.

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