A former longtime MLB executive who remains involved in the game in a consultant-type role was talking about the Milwaukee Brewers recently. All he could do was shake his head and marvel at an organization in position to win a fourth straight National League Central title.
“Every year when the season starts, I think that this is the year when everything is going to catch up with them,” he said. “Logic says they shouldn’t be competitive year in and year out, but every year they’re right at the top again. I think I should know by now to never pick against the Brewers. They always find a way.”
Indeed, the Brewers do. They are in first place in the NL Central, four games ahead of the Chicago Cubs. The Brewers also are in line to reach the postseason for the eighth time in nine seasons, a run that began in 2018. The one season the Brewers missed the playoffs in that span was 2022, and they fell one game short.
How do small-market Brewers continue to thrive?
The franchise continues to consistently win despite playing in the sport’s smallest market. It leaves many people wondering how the Brewers do it.
“There are different ways to slice the onion,” Brewers President of Baseball Operations Matt Arnold told FanSided. “We have to continue to be relentless about pursuing competitive advantages when the league is chasing us. I think all the teams in our division are getting better. That puts more pressure on us to pursue those competitive advantages. We continue to do everything we can to stay ahead of the competition.”
The Brewers do the things necessary to win on a budget. They draft and develop players well, make shrewd trades for under-the-radar players and find contributors on the waiver wire.
However, the organization also has something intangible working in its favor, and it can’t be calculated or measured.
“It’s the culture that has been established here,” said designated hitter Christian Yelich, who has been with the Brewers since 2018. “The expectation is to win. No excuses. We expect to win.”
Part of that culture is taking pride in proving the doubters on the outside wrong.
“In the world of the Milwaukee Brewers, the way it's been, I think there's an expectation of overachieving,” manager Pat Murphy said. “There's an expectation of excellence.”
What breeds Brewers’ winning culture?
That leads to the chicken-or-the-egg question of whether winning breeds good culture or if good culture leads to winning. Murphy, who was the National League Manager of the Year each of the last two seasons, does not hesitate with an answer.
“Culture is first,” Murphy said. “Build a culture, and the culture lends itself to bringing out the best players, and usually bringing out the best players means you’re going to win. I’m not going to say it’s just the manager’s role to do that because I think it's the role of a lot of people. You need everyone to be pulled in the same direction. It’s a very undefinable skill, but I think just about every winning team has at least a decent culture.
Murphy was NL Manager of the Year in each of his first two seasons after being promoted from bench coach following the 2023 season when Craig Counsell left to become the Cubs’ manager. However, Murphy believes managers often receive too much credit for culture.
“I say this all the time when I speak to coaches -- you can have a losing record and still have a great year coaching,” Murphy said. “You can have an incredible impact, and managers are doing great things. That’s why I don’t buy this Manager of the Year bullshit, no offense. I would find it hard to believe I’m at the top when it comes to building culture because there are guys way, way smarter than me who are more impactful, have more energy, that kind of stuff.
“Ultimately you need to have the right kind of players who can build and then be part of winning culture. That’s why the players should get credit.”
That culture is ingrained in second baseman Brice Turang, who was the Brewers’ first-round draft pick in 2018. He understands the internal expectations of a franchise that has only reached the World Series once, losing in 1982 to the St. Louis Cardinals.
“We know what this team can do, and we’re just trying to continue to touch that top level and just be the best team we can be,” Turang said. “We’ve still got a lot of work to do. I know we can play better. The goal is to reach the World Series and win it ultimately. That’s the only thing we haven’t done. I know every guy on this team believes we can do it.”ultimately win it
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