Photo: Joe Robbins (L), Larry Radloff (R)/Icon Sportswire

The Brewers have the best record in baseball and are 44-16 in their last 60 games. They’ve scored the second-most runs in baseball and allowed the fewest in that time. As you probably know, we’re more interested in the latter.

Milwaukee ranks 11th in MLB in Defensive Runs Saved, down seven spots from their 2024 ranking. But they’re still a pretty good defensive team. 

Since May 25 the Brewers have the 2nd-best rate of turning ground balls and bunts into outs (76%) and the 6th-best rate of turning balls hit in the air into outs (70%). For the season they’re 10th in the former (74%) and 4th in the latter (70%). 

The Brewers defense is not quite what it was last year. It has been without Garrett Mitchell (shoulder surgery) and Blake Perkins (fractured shin) for most of the season, which meant that now-injured Jackson Chourio had to play center field. As such, the team that made 10 home run-robbing catches last season has but 1 in 2025 and the team’s center field defense has dropped from 18 to -7 Runs Saved. On the infield, while Brice Turang has 6 Runs Saved and he’s already made more errors and defensive misplays (24) than he did in 2024 (21).

But we’re here to give credit and I want to give the team’s management credit for identifying a couple of players who were not on last year’s team who became helpful when the need arose. 

Isaac Collins was a college second baseman and minor league utility player who was claimed off waivers from the Rockies in December 2022. After two seasons in the Brewers organization, Collins got the call as an outfielder this year. He’s saved 5 runs in left field and shown good range, which meshes pretty well with a .385 on-base percentage, 7 home runs, and 12 stolen bases.

The Brewers obtained Caleb Durbin with Nestor Cortes in the trade that sent Devin Williams to the Yankees. The now 25-year-old Durbin was a 14th-round pick by the Braves out of Division III Washington University of St. Louis in 2021. 

He played second base twice as often as he played third base in the minor leagues. But after Willy Adames signed with the Giants the Brewers moved Joey Ortiz to shortstop, and early this season made Durbin their everyday third baseman.

Durbin has rewarded his team’s faith with 7 Runs Saved at third base, which ranks tied for 4th at the position. He’s shown good range, particularly to his left, and has kept his mistakes to a minimum. Durbin got hot when the Brewers got hot (or perhaps vice-versa). He’s hitting .306 with an .821 OPS since May 24.

Neither Collins nor Durbin looks like your prototypical player. Collins is listed as 5-foot-8. Only Jose Altuve is shorter among regular left fielders (at least 40 games played). Durbin lists as the shortest regular in the majors at that position, 5-foot-7. 

And while we’re here, we should note that the shortest regular right fielder, 5-foor-8 Sal Frelick, has 9 Runs Saved in right field and is having his second straight standout season for the team.

Collins, Durbin, and Frelick have maximized what they’ve gotten out of their bodies and the Brewers have maximized what they’ve gotten from them.