Milwaukee, WI

Brice Turang Finally Playing To Milwaukee Brewers’ Original Forecast

Published

2 years ago

May 20, 2024

Brice Turang Finally Playing To Milwaukee Brewers’ Original Forecast

Brice Turang is having the time of his life. So are the Milwaukee Brewers thus far thanks in large part to their 24-year-old second baseman.

Pat Murphy, in his first season as Brewers manager, saw it coming. Few others did.

“I think this kid’s gonna make a quantum leap,” Murphy said on March 12 in the Brewers’ spring-training camp. “I think he’ll establish himself as an everyday player. I’m really confident.”

For five years, Turang did not show much offense. He was a good defensive player and baserunner with potential, highly touted as a first-round pick out of high school in 2018. He got a $3,411,100 signing bonus at age 18. He climbed steadily if not spectacularly through the minors, hitting .270 with only 26 homers in 434 games.

MILWAUKEE: Brice Turang is dunked by teammates after a 10-0 win over the New York Mets at American … [+] Family Field on April 3, 2023. Turang went 2-for-3 with a grand slam homer in his fourth big-league game and first at home. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

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He became a Brewers starter a year ago. There wasn’t much fanfare – Turang didn’t warrant it. He hit a measly .218 in 137 games with a paltry .585 OPS (.285 on-base percentage + .300 slugging percentage). That ranked 495th in the majors.

Today, he ranks 11th in batting average (.314), 29th in on-base percentage (.369) and has a downright giddy .800 OPS, 41st overall. That’s better than such noted stars as Fernando Tatis Jr., Jose Ramirez, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Pete Alonso, Nolan Arenado and a few hundred other players.

That is a big reason why the Brewers lead the National League Central Division with a 27-19 record. The Brew Crew is barreling along despite trading away ace pitcher Corbin Burnes, star closer Devin Williams being sidelined since mid-March with a back injury and slugging outfielder Christian Yelich limited to 20 games by a bad back. First baseman Rhys Hoskins, outfielder Joey Wiemer and pitchers DL Hall, Wade Miley and Jakob Junis are now on the injured list, too.

Short Stroke, Big Results

Turang’s turnaround was pointed out statistically by Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. He found that tracking data lists Turang with the second-shortest swing in the game to two-time defending batting champion Luis Arraez.

“Short and direct, that’s what I’m trying to be every swing I take,” Turang told Hogg. “Short to it, long through it.”

That generally means making more contact at the expense of the long ball. Yet Turang already has 12 doubles, three more in 94 fewer games than he had as a rookie.

Other Young Brewers On The Rise

Turang is one of five Brewers in the regular lineup 26 or younger. The elder statesman of the group at 26, catcher William Contreras, is carrying the club. He’s third in the majors in batting (.341), tied for third in runs (40), tied for fifth in RBI (37) and seventh in OPS (.955).

PITTSBURGH: William Contreras celebrates his three-run home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates at … [+] PNC Park on July 2, 2023. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

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His output is not as surprising. He has a .285 average and 52 homers in 340 career games for the Atlanta Braves and Brewers.

Third baseman Joey Ortiz, acquired with Hall in the deal that sent Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles, is batting .292 with 5 homers.

Jackson Chourio, the 20-year-old uber-prospect outfielder, is starting to find his way. He is batting .275 in May after a rough first 27 games in the majors when he batted only .206 with 34 strikeouts. He has only seven strikeouts in 15 games this month. He has 5 homers and a .226 average overall.

Left fielder Sal Frelick is hitting .250 but has six stolen bases. The Brewers rank third overall with 61 steals (in 71 tries), led by Turang. He’s 18-for-18.

Milwaukee ranks third in batting average, runs, RBI and fourth in homers.

Another Leap Two Years Ago

Andres Gimenez had similar numbers to Turang in the New York Mets’ farm system. Also like Turang, the native of Venezuela wowed everybody with his defense and baserunning. The question was, would he hit?

CLEVELAND: Second baseman Andres Gimenez snares a ball hit by George Springer of the Toronto Blue … [+] Jays at Progressive Field on Aug. 9, 2023. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

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He batted .263 in 49 games after being called up in 2021, then was traded to Cleveland. Big expectations turned into big disappointment. He hit only .218 in 2021 with exceptional defense and 11 steals without being caught.

In 2022, Gimenez became an all-star at age 23. He won a gold glove, batted .297, had 17 homers, 69 RBI and went 20-for-23 in steal attempts.

Gumby Turned Out Well

For 17 years, Brewers fans enjoyed watching another contact-hitting second baseman. Jim Gantner batted .274 with only 74 homers in 1,801 games for Milwaukee from 1976 thru 1992. He didn’t claim a regular role until his fifth season when he hit .282 in 1980.

NEW YORK: Jim Gantner dislays Gumby-like qualities as he stretches before a game against the New … [+] York Yankees on May 23, 1992 at Yankee Stadium. (Photo by J Giamundo/Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images)

Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images

Turang has more natural athleticism than Ganter, nicknamed Gumby by teammate Gorman Thomas for the sometimes awkward but likeable cartoon character.

Gantner never won a gold glove or made an all-star team. He did hit .333 in the franchise’s only appearance in The World Series – a seven-game loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982. Yet he was highly respected as the “Brew Crew Glue” that helped solidify the team for years.

Turang’s sudden improvement has him on track to surpass Gantner, though it is doubtful he’ll ever reach the status Hall of Famers Robin Yount and Paul Molitor achieved in Milwaukee.

He already has big-league bragging rights in the family, however. His father Brian hit .222 with 9 steals in 78 games for the Seattle Mariners. Dad’s numbers over eight years in the Mariners’ minors, 1989-96: .274, 45 homers, 103 steals in 673 games.

The Brewers knew the name. They had picked dad in the 20th round out of high school, but he went off to college and then was picked and signed by Seattle. They took Brice with the 21st overall pick 31 years later. It’s paying off now.

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Milwaukee, WI

Game Preview: IceHogs Open Road Trip Against The Admirals

Published

7 hours ago

January 27, 2026

Press Room

Game Preview: IceHogs Open Road Trip Against The Admirals

Rockford, IL- The Rockford IceHogs (16-22-2-2) begin a three-game road trip tonight against the Milwaukee Admirals (18-17-2-1) at 7 p.m. The two teams will meet for the eighth time this season and the fourth at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.

The Matchup:

All Time Series: 85-81-15-12

Season Series: 3-2-2-0

Tale of the Tape: The IceHogs and Admirals continue their season series tonight as Rockford looks to get back into the win column after back-to-back losses at home last weekend. The Admirals sit three points ahead of the IceHogs in the standings after sweeping the Iowa Wild last week. The Milwaukee power play still leads the AHL with a 29.5% conversion rate through 38 games. Daniel Carr, Jake Lucchini and Ryan Ufko all lead Milwaukee with five points against Rockford so far this season. Defenseman Ethan Del Mastro leads Rockford in scoring against Milwaukee with a goal and five assists.

Team Leaders:

Milwaukee:

Points- Ryan Ufko – 38 points

Goals- Daniel Carr- 16G

Assists- Ryan Ufko- 28A

Rockford:

Points- Brett Seney- 33 points

Goals- Rem Pitlick- 13G

Assists- Brett Seney- 23A

Three Things to Know:

Hit the Road: The Hogs take to the road for three straight and open up the week against the Admirals before heading to Winnipeg to battle the Manitoba Moose for a two-game series. The IceHogs have faired well away from the BMO Center this season, posting a 10-10-1 record, collecting points in 52% of road contests. Rockford will take on a Milwaukee team that is 12-5-1 at home this season and who shutout the IceHogs 3-0 the last time the two teams met in Milwaukee. Rockford is 1-1-1 in the first three games in UW-M Panther arena this season. The IceHogs will then take on the Manitoba Moose where they split their first series up north with a 7-3 win on Dec. 20 and took a 4-1 loss Dec. 21 at the Canada Life Centre.

Sinking the Ads: Despite dropping their last contest with Milwaukee, the IceHogs have held the Admirals to three goals or less in each of the first seven meetings this season. The Central division foes have battled in multiple one-goal contests and have had three games head to overtime with the IceHogs going 1-2 in the overtime battles. Rockford has gone 19/22 on the penalty kill through their first seven games against Milwaukee this season.

Lardis Returns: The Chicago Blackhawks assigned forward Nick Lardis to the IceHogs yesterday afternoon. The rookie has skated in 21 games with the Blackhawks during the 2025-26 campaign, logging seven points (5G, 2A). Lardis was named to the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic roster along with defenseman Kevin Korchinski to represent the IceHogs. His six power play goals still lead the club despite his call-up to the NHL in December. Lardis has also tallied 26 points (13G, 13A) in 24 games with Rockford this season. The Ontario native has three goals and two assists in six games against Milwaukee this season.

2025-26 Matchups:

Oct. 11	vs	MIL	W 3-2 OT
Nov. 7	@	MIL	L 1-2 OT
Nov. 8	vs	MIL	L 0-2
Nov. 28	vs	MIL	L 2-3 OT
Nov. 30	@	MIL	W 3-2
Dec. 12	vs	MIL	W 5-3
Dec. 30	@	MIL	L 0-3
Jan. 27	@	MIL	7 P.M.
Feb. 7	@	MIL	6 P.M.
Feb. 14	vs	MIL	7 P.M.
Feb 15.	vs	MIL	4 P.M.
Mar. 11	@	MIL	7 P.M.

The IceHogs will take on the Milwaukee Admirals Tuesday, January 27 at 7 p.m. at UW-M Panther Arena. The IceHogs will return to the BMO Center Saturday, February 6 against the Iowa Wild as the IceHogs induct Michael Leighton into the Rockford Ring of Honor. Tickets are available at icehogs.com.

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Milwaukee, WI

Minneapolis ICE shootings; Milwaukee groups share protester rights

Published

19 hours ago

January 26, 2026

Press Room

Minneapolis ICE shootings; Milwaukee groups share protester rights

MILWAUKEE – Community advocates and legal experts in Milwaukee are urging people to understand their rights as protesters and observers following the killing of Alex Pretti during an ICE operation in Minneapolis.

What we know:

Bystander video shows Pretti filming immigration agents on the street before he was killed. The incident, along with the killing of Renée Good, has heightened tensions nationwide and prompted renewed outreach efforts in Milwaukee, even as officials say they are not seeing a surge of ICE activity locally similar to what occurred in Minneapolis.

ICE maintains an office in a Milwaukee School of Engineering-owned building downtown, but community members say fear and uncertainty remain high.

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Julie Velazquez, outreach chair for the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, said volunteers have been canvassing neighborhoods on the city’s south side to educate residents about their rights if approached by immigration enforcement.

Local perspective:

“We’ll be going around the barrio – the neighborhood. Talking to folks about their rights,” said Velazquez. “About how to identify ICE or immigration enforcement officials and what they can do to keep themselves and their neighbors safe.”

Velazquez said the goal is to help people identify immigration agents and understand how to protect themselves and their neighbors.

She added that accountability depends on awareness.

“Long term it’s important those people are held accountable, and the only way we can do that is if we know our rights and when they are being violated,” Velazquez said.

Attorney Julius Kim of Kim & LaVoy said the First Amendment generally protects the right to film law enforcement and federal agents in public spaces.

“Generally speaking, people are allowed under the first amendment to film or video what they’re seeing,” said Kim.

Kim said emotions are running high following the Minneapolis shooting and urged caution.

“Living in really strange and volatile times and people’s emotions are getting the better of them at this point in time,” Kim said.

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He emphasized that safety should come first.

“Safety is number one priority,” he said. “Again, you may have the right to film or record ICE officers just do it in a way that is not going to interfere with them, try to comply as best you can.”

What you can do:

Kim provided the following tips for those who protest:

People do have a First Amendment right to record law enforcement officers in the performance of their duties in public areas.
If you record law enforcement, do so from a safe distance.
You do not have the right to interfere with law enforcement activities.
If you are detained or arrested by law enforcement, keep your cool. Don’t escalate the situation and risk getting hurt.
Use common sense. If things are getting overly heated, pause or remove yourself from the situation.

Leaders also compiled a list of protest-related resources, including guidance from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

The Source: The information in this post was collected and produced by FOX6 News.

MilwaukeeImmigrationMinneapolisNewsCrime and Public Safety

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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee County highlights community violence intervention efforts

Published

1 day ago

January 26, 2026

Press Room

Milwaukee County highlights community violence intervention efforts

MILWAUKEE – County Executive David Crowley hosted a roundtable discussion on Monday, Jan. 26, to highlight Milwaukee County’s Credible Messenger Program, which aims to improve public safety and support local youth involved in the justice system through expanding mentorship, resources, and job opportunities.

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County Executive Crowley was joined by Credible Messenger partners, local leaders, and representatives from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to discuss how to continue addressing public safety challenges through community violence intervention initiatives, youth engagement efforts, and greater partnership with state and federal leaders.

The Source: The information in this post was provided by the Office of County Executive David Crowley.

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