See what happens when Brandon Woodruff faces Christian Yelich
See what happens when Brandon Woodruff faces Christian Yelich, the two highest-paid players in Brewers history, in a simulated game March 13, 2026.
PHOENIX – We’ve seen the Quantum Leap and then the Leap 2.0 over the past two years from Brice Turang. Yet heading into the 2026 season, it seems fair to ask if the Milwaukee Brewers second baseman still has another jump in him.
His showing in the World Baseball Classic has only fueled this query.
Before a tough 0-for-4 showing in the United States’ riveting 2-1 win over the Dominican Republic in the semifinals March 15, Turang was a smoking 7 for 15 at the plate with four doubles and five runs driven in during the tournament.
His underlying numbers were even more impressive, with seven of his 14 batted balls over 100 mph to along with the second-lowest whiff rate of any hitters with at least 50 pitches seen in the 20-team WBC.
In a lineup with Aaron Judge, Bobby Witt Jr., Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Cal Raleigh, it was Turang – three years removed from being the worst qualified hitter in the National League – who was the top offensive player in the tournament for the U.S. entering the semis.
“He’s becoming understood,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “People are starting to see what we know. And all from the quantum leap.”
Oh yes. About that quantum leap.
As a rookie in 2023, he was a liability on offense, batting .218 with a .585 OPS. On the heels of Murphy’s now-famous “quantum leap “ prediction the following March, Turang took strides on both sides of the ball.
On offense, he hit for more average and power while reaching base more often, but his biggest jump was on defense, where he became the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award winner for his work at second base.
Last year, though, may have been Turang’s real leap. In his age-25 season, he grew into real impact power during the second half of the year and finished as one of the best-hitting second basemen in baseball with a .288 average and .794 OPS.
That earned Turang the call to play for his nation this spring and he hasn’t disappointed. After manager Mark DeRosa kept him out of the lineup twice during their four group stage games, he made sure to start him in both the quarterfinal against Canada and the semifinal against Dominican Republic.
Turang has the skillset to take his game even further, but of equal importance might the confidence he gains from his performance in the WBC.
“He’s a confident guy, but I think for him going out there and doing what he’s doing is just kind of icing on the cake,” said Jace Peterson, who’s in his second year with the Brewers as a mental performance consultant.
Peterson’s job is to help players get into the optimal spot mentally to perform their best. So when he sees what Turang is doing on the big stage and pairs it with what he knows of his acumen and mental makeup, he can’t help but get excited about how any newfound confidence from this tournament will help the second baseman.
“I think that there is another level,” Peterson said. “He’s a guy who’s going to continue to get better. He’s not satisfied with going through the motions. He continues to work hard, he continues to gain confidence, he continues to get stronger, bigger, faster.
“So for me, I think absolutely there’s more in there and I think he’s tapping into it.”
What might that next level look like? Being more patient at the plate, says Murphy, who believes Turang’s reputation has changed around the game and pitchers will attack him differently than in the past.
“Taking his walks, that’s the next level,” Murphy said. “Not feeling like he has to swing. Waiting until he gets his pitch.”
By all plate discipline measurements, Turang improved in those areas a year ago while also tapping into newfound power. One of Turang’s strengths, he showed, was understanding his game.
And now, he has another, new strength: The confidence boost that comes with playing in a WBC final.
“I think for him, he’s extremely mentally tough, and that’s one of my favorite things about Brice,” Peterson said. “He’s athletic and just so smooth. So for him, just going out and playing with confidence is huge. And now, he’s going to have even more.”
