Jake Bauers DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers is making the start at first base and is batting fifth for Thursday's series finale against the San Francisco Giants and right-hander Landen Roupp at Oracle Park. With Jackson Chourio getting the day off, Christian Yelich is in left field and Rhys Hoskins is serving as the designated hitter, opening up first base for Bauers. The 29-year-old Bauers will be making only his sixth start of the season for the Brew Crew in the matinee affair. Although he hasn't seen much playing time so far in 2025, Bauers has swing the bat well, going 7-for-25 (.280) with two home runs, five RBI, five runs scored and a stolen base. The former seventh-rounder of the San Diego Padres in 2013 has one hit in just two career at-bats against Roupp.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder/first baseman Jake Bauers and outfielder Isaac Collins have made the team's Opening Day roster, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Bauers, 29, hit .263 (10-for-38) with four doubles, three home runs, nine RBI and two stolen bases in 15 Cactus League games to earn a spot as a bench bat for the Brew Crew to open the 2025 season. The left-handed hitter does provide a little pop -- he has 51 long balls and 183 RBI in five major-league seasons -- but he swings and misses too much to provide a useful average, and he will need some injuries to occur to see regular playing time. Bauers will provide depth at first, in the outfield and at designated hitter. Collins, 27, will be another utility player for Milwaukee with the ability to play outfield, second and third base. He had an .861 OPS with 14 homers and 24 steals in 2024 for Triple-A Nashville.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Curt Hogg doesn't think that enough people are giving Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers a realistic shot at making the Opening Day roster in 2025. Rhys Hoskins shouldn't be seen as a lock for everyday playing time at first base, and Tyler Black's shaky defense will be under a microscope in spring training. The 29-year-old Bauers will be on a non-roster invite at spring training after re-signing to a minor-league deal this offseason. The left-handed hitter appeared in 116 games for the Brew Crew last year but hit only .199/.301/.361 with a below-average .662 OPS, 12 home runs, 43 RBI, a career-high 13 stolen bases and 45 runs scored in 346 trips to the plate. Bauers has a career strikeout rate over 30%, so he's not going to hit for average, but he his decent power/speed profile could be interesting if he makes a decent amount of starts at first base against right-handed pitching in 2025.