Milwaukee, WI
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 … [+]
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 … [+]
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 … [+]
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 … [+]
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.
Milwaukee, WI
Squire Robinson leads a new generation of Milwaukee artists with his distinctly bold style
In a cavernous attic studio stands Squire Robinson.
Next to him on the ground is an unfinished painting of his. Hung above him are numerous paintings that he’s finished in the past year.
The walls are filled with works of art, crafted by the various artists who also call 100% MKE, a nonprofit arts studio and workspace at 217 N. Broadway, home.
Robinson’s art doesn’t just stand among them – it stands out.
Maybe it’s the saturated reds that prevail in each of his pieces.
Maybe it’s the bold strokes that create the even bolder figures that call his paintings home.
Either way, Robinson’s art has a tangible effect for those with the eyes to see.
“Sometimes the most important piece of art is that you feel. His art makes you feel,” Richard Badger Jr. said. Badger, who goes by the artist name Coyote Rich, is also an artist in residence at 100% MKE.
Robinson first fell in love with art through his grandfather, who painted signs for corner stores. Early memories of drawing contests with his grandfather enchanted Squire into the art world.
Later, Robinson drew comics and superhero characters, foreshadowing the powerful figures he paints today.
“My style has always been there, it’s just evolution, it grows and changes,” Robinson said.
Robinson, a 2024 graduate of the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, has always had a certain fascination with Renaissance-era paintings.
Yet despite his appreciation of the style, something was missing.
“I appreciated the technique and skill, but I just couldn’t really relate to it,” Robinson said.
For him, the lack of diversity made the style feel distant.
Black culture in art
Now, Robinson’s style flows through the powerful Black people he paints.
“I took some of that flavor and remixed it to something that is more me,” Robinson said. “My inspiration comes from Black culture, music and my dreams.”
Robinson’s own personality is vehemently present in each of his pieces.
“His art has a very strong personality behind it,” said Nelle Speerschneider, a co-founding board member of 100% MKE.
By the end of a lengthy creative process, Robinson’s pieces are saturated with color and shapes that make viewers stop and stare. For Robinson, that’s the goal.
“To me, good art is when you can just stare at it and sit with it and think,” Robinson said. “If you see my work and walk right past it, then I didn’t do something right.”
Music and the flow state
Robinson said when he is met with a blank canvas, he doesn’t begin with a person or a setting; he starts with the mood. Then, with the help of music, he lets his art flow.
“I don’t try to contain the style, it’s just all me,” Robinson said.
Music is a big deal for Robinson. So much so that he can’t paint without it. Robinson’s taste in music, from classical and jazz to his love for Kendrick Lamar, seeps into his art.
“Squire’s art makes me feel like music,” Badger said.
Robinson said music helps him loosen up and get out of a funk.
“It helps me escape and enter that flow state,” Robinson said.
He said music supports his ethereal creative process.
“Sometimes when I paint, I feel like I’m being guided by something higher than me,” Robinson said.
Milwaukee made
As a young figure in the Milwaukee art scene, Robinson wears the city on his sleeve.
“Growing up in Milwaukee made me hard in the sense of staying true to myself,” Robinson said.
At 100% MKE, Robinson offers a unique voice. “It’s nice to have his youthful and urban take in the studio,” Speerschneider said.
Badger said young artists like Robinson are vital for pushing the scene forward.
“They’re the driving force of what Milwaukee looks and feels like,” he said.
Future goals
Going forward, Robinson wants to become an art therapist, someone who uses the medium of art to process emotional challenges.
“Art has always been a way to self-express and get my own feelings out,” Robinson said. “That’s why the tone of my paintings matters the most, because those feelings are what I’m trying to evoke.”
As for his art career, Robinson says his finest work is yet to come.
“I haven’t created my best one yet.”
Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.
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Milwaukee, WI
Post From Community: Laughing Liberally Milwaukee | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
The Brewers drafted 20 players over the course of 20 rounds in the 2026 MLB Draft, including first-round shortstop Trey Ebel, second-round outfielder Sawyer Strosnider, Wilmot Union HS (Wisconsin) shortstop Chance Ruby, and CC Sabathia’s son, first baseman Carsten Sabathia III. The team now has until 4 p.m. CT on July 27 to sign each draft pick. We’ll keep track of the signees below.
Milwaukee’s total signing bonus pool is $8,042,900, which can be allocated as the team chooses (i.e., slot bonuses are not the guaranteed signing value). Rounds 11-20 automatically have $150,000 allocated to the slot — money given to these picks only counts toward the bonus pool if they exceed $150,000. Teams that exceed their bonus pool face financial penalties, with higher thresholds resulting in the loss of future picks.
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