The Milwaukee Brewers have had a real rollercoaster ride in the early stages of their 2023 season. The good news is that the team is in first place in the National League Central with a 21-17 record, a half-game ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are one of five teams that have won 20 games in the NL this season.
The not-so-good news is that the team has struggled after a 13-5 start and are only 8-12 in their last 20 games. Their 4.37 runs per game is below the MLB average and ranks tied for 17th among the 30 teams.
Through it all, however, there are bright spots and encouraging news for the Brew Crew. One of the biggest surprises has been the play of their catching duo of William Contreras and Victor Caratini. In addition to stellar work behind the plate and superb handling of the pitching staff, the pair have provided offense that ranks Top 5 this season.
The Contreras-Caratini tandem have a .802 combined OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage). That ranks fifth among the catcher position in the majors this season. Caratini’s OPS is .867 in 48 plate appearances; Contreras’s OPS is .774 in 109 plate appearances. Last year, the Brewers catchers’ ranked 23rd in baseball with a .608 OPS.
(For the record, an .800 OPS is considered “upper echelon” of hitters.)
The .802 OPS for the Milwaukee catchers is the highest of the Brewers positions this season. The only other position with a .800 OPS for the Brewers is third base at .800. That ranks 10th among MLB teams for third basemen. Brian Anderson’s OPS as a third baseman is .979 to top the club. Mike Brosseau, Owen Miller and Luis Urias complete the Brewers third basemen group with plate appearances this season.
The Milwaukee Brewers as a team have a .707 OPS. That ranks 18th of the 30 MLB teams and is below the league average of .727.
Here’s a snapshot of each Brewers position and their OPS through games of May 12. Also noted is the rank among the 30 MLB teams at each position.
Position OPS for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2023
Catchers-.802 (5th)
Third Basemen-.800 (10th)
First Basemen-.754 (16th)
Center Fielders-.753 (18th)
Shortstops-.723 (13th)
Second Basemen-.697 (14th)
Pinch Hitters-.696 (13th)
Left Fielders-.659 (19th)
Designated Hitters-.637 (28th)
Right Fielders-.510 (28th)
Of the 10 positions listed above, the Brewers are above the MLB OPS average at that position in five positions: catcher, third base, shortstop, pinch hitter and second base.
One final note: Last season, the Brewers catchers ranked 23rd among OPS stats, the third basemen ranked 24th. They were the two lowest ranked positions in the OPS stat for the Brewers in 2022. So far this year the two positions are ranked the two highest for Milwaukee.