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The Milwaukee Brewers are meandering around mediocrity this season, currently sitting 25-26. Ultimately, there has been a lot of inconsistency, and it has not helped them get an edge. Three players have struggled mightily, and Brewers fans are already fed up with it as the 2025 season continues.
The Brewers won the National League Central last season, surprising everyone despite having a new manager. Yet, they entered the day trailing the Cubs by 5 1/2 games in the division. Milwaukee's odds of winning the World Series are pretty low, and oddsmakers don't believe they will mount much of a challenge.
While their pitching rotation has endured injuries, they have not been the main culprit for this season's lack of success. Instead, it's been the Brewers' hitters who have struggled. The Milwaukee lineup is just 25th in batting average, 21st in on-base percentage, 12th in runs, 23rd in home runs, and 23rd in slugging percentage. Ultimately, these three players have not been good this season, and two of them have fallen way below expectations.
William Contreras sees less success
After destroying the Colorado Rockies in April, William Contreras won Player of the Week, showing how good he could be. While he has improved since his slow start in 2025, there is so much to unpack. There is not a single Brewers fan who wants him completely gone, but they also see that he has not been as good as he has demonstrated in past seasons.
Contreras hit .281 with 23 home runs, 92 RBIs, and 99 runs in 2024. Before that, he hit .289 with 17 home runs, 78 RBIs, and 86 runs in 2023. But his numbers are lower this season, as are his projections.
Contreras is batting .255 with four home runs, 23 RBIs, and 28 runs. If he continues at this pace, Contreras will finish with 13 home runs and 76 RBIs, which would be far below his numbers from last season. But he must find his hitting stroke and make good contact to help his team succeed.
Contreras is still one of the most popular players on the Brewers' roster. However, he has not hit at the same level as he did last season. Contreras must figure this out to help Brewers fans feel comfortable and trust in his abilities this season.
Christian Yelich is below the mendoza
Christian Yelich has slumped this season, unable to find the barrel of the bat. When the Brewers signed Yelich in 2019, they believed they were getting a player who would hit .282 with 18 home runs, 81 RBIs, and 100 runs. While his first two seasons were amazing, he has had only one season (2024) that has come close to that.
Yelich is batting just .192 with nine home runs, 30 RBIs, and 24 runs. His power numbers look good, and Yelich is on pace for 29 home runs, 96 RBIs, and 76 runs. The problem with Yelich is that he is usually all or nothing when it comes to his time at the plate.
When Yelich is not blasting home runs, he usually strikes out, as he already has 56 this season. His strikeout rate is at 24.6 percent, which is a great increase from last season. Furthermore, he is way below the Mendoza line, not even being at .200 for the season.
One possible reason for the struggles could be his recovery from back surgery, which he had in August 2024. Still, Yelich must figure it out if he wants to help the Brewers make a run at the playoffs.
Joey Ortiz has struggled
The Brewers have endured Yelich's struggles. However, they worsen when the lineup gets to the bottom of the order. When they get there, Milwaukee realizes there is almost no hope of sustaining a rally. After all, one hitter almost always gets himself out.
Joey Ortiz is not an all-star player and does not seem to be an average player. Alarmingly, Ortiz is batting just .173 with two home runs, seven RBIs, and 16 runs. While he has never been a great hitter, Ortiz still hit .239 with 11 home runs, 60 RBIs, and 58 runs.
The problem is that the Brewers don't have another shortstop who can take over for Ortiz. Therefore, they are stuck with him and his momentum-killing at-bats. Ortiz does not strike out much. Instead, he usually grounds out or pops out.
The Brewers have a lot of work to do to fix their hitting woes. While Brewers fans are more apt to notice Yelich and Contreras, they also see how bad Ortiz is doing and realize he is probably not the long-term solution at shortstop. There is still hope for Ortiz, but he must turn it around quickly to gain some favor within the fan base.
