Who is leading the way for the Brewers through the first quarter of the season?

The 2026 MLB regular season has just passed the quarter-mark, and the Milwaukee Brewers have to feel good about where they stand despite injuries to Andrew Vaughn, Jackson Chourio, Christian Yelich, and Brandon Woodruff causing the Brew Crew to navigate the campaign without ever having a roster at full strength. Though Vaughn and Chourio are back, Woodruff is still continuing his recovery process, and Yelich is currently being slowed down by a sore back.

Staying above .500 during this stretch has been a complete team effort. With a very young and inexperienced starting rotation, the bullpen has carried a heavy workload, hovering, as they usually do, around the top 10 in total innings pitched.

Offensively, Milwaukee has found creative ways to generate runs, from aggressive baserunning to embracing small ball with more bunts than ever before. That approach was perhaps best illustrated on April 16 against the Toronto Blue Jays, when the Brewers successfully laid down three consecutive bunts to take the lead.

However, among the team effort, there are always leaders who carry the group through difficult times. Here we take a look at the best hitter, starting pitcher, and reliever during the Brewers' first quarter of the 2026 campaign.

Who has been the best at their position for the Milwaukee Brewers through the first quarter of the season?

Best hitter: Brice Turang

Without question, the Brewers would not be where they are currently without Brice Turang's offense. While the big bats in the lineup were gone, he stepped up in a major way in. So far, he's hitting for a high batting average (.297), getting on base (.418), and slugging the ball (.503). He's almost walked more times (31) than he has struck out (36), all while swiping a team-best eight bases as well.

Perhaps most impressively, Turang has shown continued evolution in being viewed primarily as a defense-first infielder into one of Milwaukee’s most complete offensive players. His plate discipline, ability to consistently reach base, and growing power production have helped stabilize the lineup during a stretch when the Brewers badly needed someone to carry the offense.

Best starting pitcher: Jacob Misiorowski

When the Brewers named Jacob Misiorowski their Opening Day starter, there was plenty of excitement surrounding the decision, but also some understandable nervousness. During the 2025 season, Misiorowski flashed dominant potential at times, but he also went through stretches of inconsistency with his command, which led to questions about his long-term viability as a starting pitcher.

Through the first quarter of his sophomore campaign, however, he has looked every bit like an ace. Misiorowski owns a 2.12 ERA, leads the league with 80 strikeouts, and has already recorded four double-digit strikeout performances. Just as importantly, he has continued to maintain triple-digit velocity deep into games while doing a much better job of limiting walks. The only thing that has slowed him at times has been recurring cramps, which have cut two of his last three outings short.

Best relief pitcher: Aaron Ashby

At the quarter mark of the season, Aaron Ashby has not only been the Milwaukee Brewers’ best reliever, but he has also earned the nickname "The Vulture," due to all of the pitcher wins that he "steals." Despite being a relief pitcher, Ashby leads all of MLB in wins with eight through the halfway point of the month of May. Ashby also leads the Brewers with 21 appearances, meaning he has already pitched in HALF of Milwaukee’s games this season.

The heavy workload has not slowed him down either. Ashby owns a 2.17 ERA while striking out 44 batters across 29.0 innings pitched. Recently, manager Pat Murphy said the Brewers see no reason why Ashby could not reach 100 innings as a reliever this season. At his current pace, he could even surpass that mark, which would be especially impressive in today’s game considering the high velocity he features on a regular basis.

In case you were wondering, he still will not come close to the all-time workload record for a reliever. That belongs to Mike Marshall, who appeared in 106 games and threw an astonishing 208.1 innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers back in 1974.

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