Despite having been in the majors since 2018, Jake Bauers' first career 20-home-run, 10-stolen-base season came here in 2026.

The Milwaukee Brewers first baseman was recently revealed to be dealing with shin splints, but that didn't stop him from stealing his 10th base of the season on Friday, Aug. 28.

Bauers was 2-for-2 with three walks in that game, one that saw him score twice.

The 30-year-old has stolen double-digit bases for only the second time in his career. To no surprise, the first time he did so was when he made his Brewers debut in 2024, a year that saw him steal a career-high 13 bases.

That said, he only hit 12 home runs that season. In fact, Bauers hit 19 homers in his first two years with the Brewers combined, and not even that number stacks up to the career high 23 he's hit this season.

Baseball is a funny sport as it truly takes a long time for these players to find their stride. Sometimes it's just a situation of them being in the wrong environment, and clearly, Bauers has fit right into what manager Pat Murphy is building with these Brewers.

He's far from the speediest player on the roster, but the 6-foot, 216-pounder can still show flashiness like some of the smaller guys in this clubhouse.

Bauers' 111 hits this season are by far the most he's had in any season. He's a 3.1 WAR player here in 2026, and it's worth noting his WAR hadn't ever been higher than 0.7 in an individual season prior to this point in his career.

Of all the Brewers players poised for breakout years, Bauers somehow stole the show. Andrew Vaughn has been sensational, no doubt about it, but Bauers is getting most of the attention, as he should with this breakout year being nine years in the making.

This isn't a team that relies on the home run ball, but there's some healthy competition between the likes of Bauers, Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang, and even William Contreras.

Contreras only has 12 homers this year, but his 69 RBIs are good for third on the team. As for Bauers, he's fallen to second with his 75 RBIs, and now trails Turang, someone who's hit six fewer homers, by three.

Competition is only going to make everyone better, and keep in mind there's also Andrew Vaughn, who has 38 RBIs in just 249 at-bats.