California Golden Bears Athletics
10/22/2026 11:18 AM | Baseball, Inside The Lair
Cal Alum Vaughn, Brewers Look For First World Series Title
He won the Golden Spikes Award as the top amateur player in the country. He has been in the major leagues for six seasons, and this is the third in which he has taken part in the postseason.
But even for someone with a resume as distinguished as Andrew Vaughn's, the Cal alum can't hide his excitement as he prepares to play in the World Series for the first time. Vaughn and the National League champion Milwaukee Brewers host the American League champion Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 on Friday night.
"I'm just honored to be able to be in this position just because every little kid, I feel like, dreams of this when you pick up a bat or you pick up a ball," Vaughn said in a phone interview Wednesday.
"You're playing in your backyard. You say it: 'Bottom of the ninth, two outs in the World Series …' "
Vaughn hasn't had quite that dramatic of a moment in this postseason, but the first baseman/designated hitter did produce one of the key plate appearances in the Brewers' sweep of the Dodgers in the NL Championship Series. With L.A. leading 2-1 in the top of the seventh inning of Game 3, Vaughn drew a leadoff walk on a 3-2 pitch from Blake Snell.
Jake Bauers and Garrett Mitchell followed with back-to-back homers as Milwaukee rolled to a 6-2 victory.
Less than 18 months ago, it would have been difficult to envision Vaughn enjoying the personal and team success he has had with Milwaukee.
The Chicago White Sox took Vaughn with the third overall pick in the 2019 draft after his decorated career with the Bears. Vaughn made it to the bigs in 2021 and put together a strong rookie season (.235, 15 home runs) while playing mainly in the outfield – something he hadn't done in college – as the White Sox won the AL Central.
Vaughn had solid numbers from 2022 through '24, but Chicago began a three-year stretch of 100-loss seasons in 2023. Vaughn struggled mightily in 2025, and was hitting .189 when the White Sox sent him to the minors in late May. The next month, they dealt him to Milwaukee for pitcher Aaron Civale and cash.
The trade rejuvenated Vaughn. He made his debut with the Brewers early that July and had hits (6 total) and RBIs (10 total) in each of his first five games. Vaughn batted .308 with an .869 OPS for Milwaukee in 2025 and then had a .306 average with an .834 OPS this season.
Some Cal fans suggested that Vaughn's resurgence was a result of him returning to a team that wears blue and gold. "I did hear that from a few buddies," Vaughn said with a laugh.
As for a less Bear-centric explanation for his career turnaround, Vaughn said, "I think the big thing was focusing on the things that I was missing." He then referenced a mantra preached by Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy.
Said Vaughn: " 'Swing at strikes. Take balls.' " Making it as simple as possible. Getting in the box with a plan. (Staying) so stubborn to that plan. Just trying to get yourself in a position to get a good pitch to hit."
Vaughn remains close with Cal head coach Mike Neu, who took over the program after Vaughn's freshman season of 2017. Vaughn said his relationship with Neu has helped him "immensely" as a professional, both on and off the field.
"You have to go about it the right way and I think he instilled that in me," Vaughn said. "I think it was great for my development."
Neu, not surprisingly, called Vaughn the best player he has coached. "There were times when you saw him come to the plate and you just knew something good was going to happen," Neu said.
Something good at the plate happened at a ridiculous pace in Vaughn's three seasons with the Bears:
** 2017: .349, 12 HRs, 50 RBIs – Pac-12 Freshman of the Year
** 2018: .402, 23 HRs (tying Xavier Nady's school record set in 1999), 63 RBIs, school-record .819 slugging percentage – Golden Spikes award winner
** 2019: .374, 15 HRs, 50 RBIs, school-record 60 walks – Golden Spikes award finalist
"Part of what made it so insane - his run that he had - is that most power hitters are swing-and-miss guys, but he was the whole hitter package," said Ty Greene, a Cal catcher who was a 16th-round pick by the White Sox in 2018.
Greene said Vaughn "didn't give out superstar vibes. … He was just one of the guys even though he was kind of a god compared to everyone else."
Vaughn has stayed in touch with several of his Cal teammates, calling those relationships "friendships that'll last a long time." Vaughn did note that because of his postseason obligations, he had to miss the recent wedding of former Cal infielder Conner Bock.
"I think he understood that," Vaughn said.
Neu said Vaughn's passion for the game makes him a better player and teammate. Vaughn "just has a lot of fun playing the game," Neu said. "He just enjoys baseball. He enjoys being a good teammate. You can even see it now with the team that he's on, which seems to have a lot of guys like him."
Vaughn said Murphy accurately described the Brewers in the celebration after Milwaukee's 6-4, pennant-clinching win over L.A. when he called his players "gamers."
"Everybody in this clubhouse loves the game, respects the game, knows what the game asks of you," Vaughn said, "and I think that's super important."
Vaughn has a chance to become the sixth Cal alum in the 21st century to play on a World Series-winning team. Those five who have Series rings are infielder Geoff Blum (2005 White Sox), infielder/outfielder Allen Craig (2011 Cardinals), infielder/outfielder Xavier Nady (2012 Giants), catcher Korey Lee (2022 Astros) and infielder Marcus Semien (2023 Rangers).
And though Vaughn might have that "Bottom of the ninth, two outs in the World Series" recollection from his youth, he knows the focus for him and his teammates must be the task at hand.
"As we're saying in the clubhouse, 'The job's not done,' " Vaughn said. "You can't even think about what's next. You've just got to think about Pitch 1, Game 1."
