For Once, Brewers Bats Have Them Atop the Standings

As many are aware, the Milwaukee Brewers are no strangers to regular season success. However, what they’re doing right now is on an entirely new level.

They’re the first team in MLB to reach 70 wins, setting a franchise record for the fewest number games to reach that mark, and they are an astounding 45-16 in their last 61 games.

Their pitching, once again, has been incredible. Milwaukee’s pitching staff rankings fourth in MLB with a 3.62 ERA, but that level of production from their arms is nothing new. Elite pitching has been the backbone of this team’s success for years.

Instead, it’s what the offense is doing that has unlocked this historic level of success for the Brewers.

Since June 1, the Brewers are second in MLB and first in the National League in wRC+ (118), OPS (.774), wOBA (.337), and runs scored (301). Having recently set a franchise record last weekend against the Washington Nationals for the most hits in a three-game set (56), this offense is firing on all cylinders to say the least.

On the season as a whole, the Brewers have eight hitters with a wRC+ over 100 (min 300 PA), generating nearly a lineup’s worth of above-average hitters. The top-end talent was clear heading into the season, but getting length from the back half of the order has been a difference maker for this offense.

But who is leading the way on offense for the red-hot Brew Crew? Rookie Isaac Collins, who paces the team in wRC+, OPS, and wOBA, and White Sox castoff Andrew Vaughn, whose future in MLB looked quite uncertain when the Brewers acquired him.

Nobody, not even the biggest of Isaac Collins and Andrew Vaughn truthers, could have predicted what’s transpired over the past month-plus for Milwaukee. They’ve been revelations for this ball club, and those two players have played integral roles in the Brewers becoming the best team in Major League Baseball.

The Brewers Appear to Have Pulled Off the Heist of the Century

Vaughn’s big-league journey to this point has been a disappointment considering his pedigree as a prospect after being selected third overall by the Chicago White Sox in the 2019 MLB draft.

In his four MLB seasons from 2021-2024, Vaughn slashed .253/.310/.415 for a 102 wRC+ and -0.5 fWAR. His production took a steep decline to begin his 2025 campaign, though.

Vaughn played in 46 games with the White Sox this season, slashing .189/.218/.314 for a .532 OPS in the South Side to go with five homers and 19 RBI. His time in Chicago would be capped off by a demotion to Triple-A.

Back on June 12, Aaron Civale requested a trade from the Brewers after he was relegated to a bullpen role. One day later, Milwaukee traded Civale to Chicago in exchange for cash and Vaughn, who was immediately optioned to Triple-A Nashville.

Vaughn would eventually end up making his Brewers debut on July 7 after Rhys Hoskins hit the injured list with a thumb sprain, and he hasn’t looked back since.

Since being called up by Milwaukee, the Brewers are 20-4, and Vaughn has played a foundational role in that success.

In 22 games with the Brewers this season, he already has more homers (seven) and RBI (28) than he had with the White Sox this year, and he’s done so in more than half the sample size. Since making his Brewers debut, Vaughn is hitting a remarkable .377/.444/.701 for an OPS of 1.145 and a wRC+ of 215. Nobody could have seen that coming.

His OPS ranks third in MLB over that stretch, and his wRC+ is second only to rookie phenom Nick Kurtz since making his Brewers debut. Simply put, he’s been one of the best hitters in baseball since receiving the call up.

An Unprecedented Turnaround

The turnaround is truly staggering in a myriad of ways.

On thing you may notice with Vaughn’s numbers as a member of the White Sox this season is that he was actually striking the ball very well. His quality of contact was quite solid, leading to some impressive expected marks, it just wasn’t leading to any sort of results. Perhaps that’s where a change of scenery helped give him a fresh start and get back to the player he knew he could be.

The most noticable change that Vaughn has embraced since coming to Milwaukee has been cleaning up his approach. It’s something that skipper Pat Murphy has emphasized on several occasions, telling Vaughn when he arrived that limiting his chase will be the key to him earning his playing time.

Vaughn has done just that and more. He radiates confidence in the box, and tightening up his swing decisions has made him a brand-new hitter.

When looking at what has tangibly changed, his average bat speed this season increased from 70.0 mph with Chicago to 71.5 mph with Milwaukee. His swing has gotten a tad steeper (28° with the White Sox, 30° with the Brewers), and he’s made some adjustments to his positioning in the batter’s box.

His stance has gradually gotten wider, he’s standing closer to the plate, and he’s getting deeper in the batter’s box. They’re subtle changes, but perhaps these adjustments have allowed him to get into his pull-side power just a bit more since changing clubhouses.

With Chicago, Vaughn was only pulling the ball about 38% of the time this season. He upped that number to 43.5% in July and then 47.6% in August. In turn, his slugging percentage on pulled balls improved to a whopping 1.100 since joining the Brewers, and his hard-hit rate on pulled balls improved over by nearly four percent as well.

He’s not just contributing with power, either. He’s cut his whiff rate by two percent with the Brewers, and he’s done a great job at putting the ball in play, taking what the pitcher is giving him, and racking up hits any way that he can.

On top of those improvements, his slugging percentage and isolated power have doubled between what he was doing with the White Sox this year and what he’s done with the Brewers.

The swing decisions are better, the contact rates are improved, and he’s doing far more damage on those swings as well. That’s the perfect storm for a breakout.

Will he maintain this remarkable pace throughout the rest of the season? Likely not. But it’s clear the Brewers have found something with the 27-year-old first baseman and have helped Vaughn gain his confidence back in the batter’s box.

Isaac Collins: A Legit Rookie of the Year Candidate

What’s the easiest way to earn an everyday role for the Milwaukee Brewers? Demonstrate good plate discipline, and contribute value in multiple ways. Isaac Collins does both of those things at a high level, and he’s not only emerged as an NL Rookie of the Year candidate, but there’s an argument to be made that he should be the favorite to take home the hardware.

Collins’ reclamation story is truly fascinating. A former ninth-round selection back in 2019 by the Colorado Rockies, the Brewers selected Collins in first round of the the minor-league portion of the Rule 5 draft back in December of 2022. He spent most of the 2023 season in Double-A before spending nearly his entire 2024 campaign with Triple-A Nashville.

The Brewers selected his contract in September of last season, and he’s earned every bit of playing time ever since.

The July NL Rookie of the Month

Milwaukee’s outfield construction was a bit unclear earlier in the season following Christian Yelich’s move to the DH role along with injures to Blake Perkins and Garrett Mitchell. The Brewers needed a warm body in the outfield, and Isaac Collins answered the call.

It was admittedly a slow start for Collins. He followed up his .681 OPS in April with a .545 OPS in May. From there, though, he’s simply taken off.

Collins went on to post a .919 OPS in the month of June and followed that up with a .321/.411/.436 slash line in July, making him the NL Rookie of the Month for July.

His momentum didn’t stop there. Collins is 10-for-20 (.500) with a 1.433 OPS to kick off the month of August, and he’s been one of the hottest hitters in the Brewers’ lineup for quite some time now.

What Does He Bring to the Table? Everything.

Collins’ plate discipline is fundamental to his offensive success. He’s in the 94th percentile in chase rate at 19.3%, which, for reference, is the 10th-best mark in MLB (min. 300 PA).

In turn, he’s walking nearly 13% of the time, which puts him in the top 10 percent of MLB, and his on-base percentage of .392 is the fifth-best mark in all of Major League Baseball (min. 300 PA).

Simply put, his ability to command the strike zone from both sides of the batter’s box is truly impressive.

Outside of his elite eye in the box, Collins may not be outstanding in any one area, but he is well-rounded in so many different aspects of his game.

He doesn’t hit the ball exceptionally hard, but he has just enough pop to provide power when needed and can pick his spots to be aggressive. That’s where having such a disciplined approach helps him — he does such a good job at getting into hitter’s counts and getting off his “A-swing” when he gets the pitch he’s looking for.

When ahead in counts this year, Collins is batting .361/.565/.530 for an OPS of 1.095. Racking up 21 extra-base hits on the year (12 doubles, seven homers, and two triples), Collins leverages his approach as a way to compensate for his below-average exit velocities.

That’s been his formula for success, and the results speak for themselves.

On top of what he provides with the bat, Collins also has 13 stolen bases on the year and has played exceptional defense in left field. His +8 Outs Above Average (OAA) in left field is the most in the sport, and he pairs that with +5 Defensive Runs saved (DRS). He’s been one of the most valuable players for the Brewers thanks to his ability to leave his mark on the game in so many different ways.

Collins is third on the Brewers in fWAR at 2.8. That mark trails only Jackson Chourio and Sal Frelick, who both sit at 2.9, and is ahead of players like William Contreras, Christian Yelich, and other key members of the offense.

His 138 wRC+ is 24th in MLB (min. 300 PA), top 10 among MLB outfielders (and is even higher than Pete Crow-Armstrong, Corbin Carroll, and James Wood, just to name a few), and is second among all rookies only to Nick Kurtz.

His fWAR is also the most in the National League among rookies and second in MLB only to Kurtz. It’s time he gets more appreciation in the NL Rookie of the Year race, not just as a dark-horse candidate, but as a player who has a legitimate case to win the award.

It’s one thing to identify players like Collins and Vaughn, who the organization felt had some untapped potential. But it’s also a testament to the organization’s player development to get these guys in the best position for them to succeed and actually tap into that identified potential.

The Brewers continue to be one of the best in the business at maximizing player value, and these are two success stories that deserve to be spotlighted.

Stats were taken prior to play on August 7.