A unique situation regarding the organization’s outfielders is setting up the Brewers’ front office for some interesting decisions in the near future.

During the many eras of Milwaukee baseball, most included an outfielder who became labeled as the “face of the franchise.” First were the days of Hank Aaron and the Milwaukee Braves, followed by the Robin Yount-led Brewers of the ‘80s. Ryan Braun helped revive the franchise in the late ‘00s and early ‘10s before passing the torch to Christian Yelich, who was arguably the best player in Major League Baseball between 2018-19.

While Yelich is still on the Brewers (and a full no-trade clause in his contract means he likely will be until a mutual option year in 2029), a 2019 knee injury has since turned him into a shell of his former self. This means the door is wide open for another outfielder to emerge as the face of the Brewers, which brings us to the problem the team faces:

There are literally too many candidates to pick from.

A quick glance at MLB Pipeline’s preseason prospect rankings shows that the top-four prospects within the Brewers’ organization are all outfielders: Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, Joey Wiemer, and Garrett Mitchell.

Normally, this would be every organization’s dream come true – put three of them in the field, one as the designated hitter, and leave it at that. However, the lingering presence of Christian Yelich throws a wrench into the entire situation. Though his production may have taken a significant hit (.745 OPS between 2020-22 versus 1.046 between 2018-19), relegating a player who makes $26 million per year to a depth role is simply not an option. This leaves four prospects competing for a maximum of three spots.

Realistically, there is a good chance that not all four of the Crew’s top prospects pan out in the majors the way some might project. Names like Orlando Arcia and Keston Hiura serve as painful reminders to Brewer fans that hype doesn’t always translate into results. But for the sake of argument, let’s assume the Brewers get their perfect scenario and receive four new All-Star caliber outfielders. Who becomes the odd man out? What are the team’s options?

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Let’s start by taking a look at our candidates, shall we?

Garrett Mitchell: Mitchell was the first of the four prospects to debut in the majors, earning the call-up to Milwaukee in August 2022. Perhaps his most notable trait is his incredible speed. With a sprint speed of 30.2 ft/sec according to Baseball Savant, Mitchell clocked in as the sixth-fastest player in baseball last season, obviously making him a major threat on the bases. His speed pairs well with his strong arm and makes it easy to imagine him winning a Gold Glove in center field at some point. His career .803 OPS is also good enough to warrant an everyday spot in the lineup. 

Unfortunately, after suffering significant damage to his labrum in April 2023, Mitchell won’t get any more chances to prove himself this season and will have to watch as his competition receives increased opportunities in the field.

Joey Wiemer: After hitting 21 home runs and stealing 32 bases in the minors last season, Wiemer enters his rookie year with the potential to develop into a 30/30 player. Most of his appearances so far have been in center field due to Mitchell’s injury, but Wiemer’s raw power combined with his incredible throwing arm gives him the look of a prototypical right fielder. He hasn’t enjoyed the same immediate major-league success at the plate Mitchell has, slashing just .215/.288/.364 through May 9, but it would be unwise to rule him out as an option after just 118 career plate appearances.

Sal Frelick: Since being selected 15th overall in the 2021 Draft by Milwaukee, Frelick has quickly ascended through the Brewers’ farm system through pure dominance at the plate. He doesn’t have the same amount of power in his swing as Wiemer or Mitchell, but his pure bat-to-ball skills are obvious with his .335 batting average with Triple-A Nashville. He is just as fast as the other two prospects mentioned above, however, his below-average arm will limit any potential full-time role to left field or designated hitter. This puts Frelick in direct competition with Christian Yelich for at-bats once he reaches the majors.

Frelick recently underwent surgery on his thumb, so he will be held out of action until late June, but he figures to start contributing for the Brewers shortly after he recovers from injury.

Jackson Chourio: Chourio looks to be everything the Brewers have been waiting for and more. At just 19 years old, he has already reached the Double-A level and was recently named the top prospect in baseball by Baseball America. He runs fast, hits the ball hard all over the diamond, and has great fielding instincts. Discipline at the plate remains an issue for Chourio, but his young age allows him plenty of time to develop. 

Because Chourio likely has another year or so before he reaches the majors, the Brewers should be able to avoid making any tough decisions in the immediate future. However, once he does reach Milwaukee, it will surely be hard to not start a prospect who has already drawn comparisons to MLB stars like Juan Soto and Ronald Acuña Jr. 

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So what are the Brewers’ options? The first and most obvious solution is to trade one of the young outfielders away. Who that is depends on what the Brewers’ biggest motivation in making a trade is. If they’re looking to simply maximize their return, then Chourio would almost certainly be the one to go. Prioritizing keeping the best defenders would likely result in Frelick leaving, and an effort to keep the biggest offensive contributors would put Mitchell and Wiemer most at risk of being traded. No matter who gets moved, the logjam is cleared up and the Brewers retain three great players while also improving other areas of need.

The other option would be to keep all four prospects and play the “matchup game.” Ever since he took over as Milwaukee’s manager in 2015, Craig Counsell has developed a strong tendency to start and sit different players based on whether the opposing starter is left-handed or right-handed. 

Yelich, Mitchell, and Frelick all bat left-handed while Wiemer and Chourio hit righty. This scenario would see the three lefties and the better hitter between Chourio and Wiemer play against right-handed pitchers, while the two righties and two best-hitting lefties would start against southpaws.

This solution allows Milwaukee to keep all of its homegrown talent and a strong lineup but would require all five players to accept the idea of not having a stable, everyday starting job. It also limits how much the team can address other potential needs in the infield and pitching staff.

At the end of the day, neither option is perfect. But Brewer fans should rejoice at the fact that no matter who ends up stepping in as the new faces of the franchise, they have an extremely bright future ahead of them.