Moneyball? Brewers' Absurd 2026 Season Defies Modern MLB

Jul 27, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang (2) before the game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Moneyball? Brewers' Absurd 2026 Season Defies Modern MLB

Originally posted on Milwaukee Brewers on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Aug 25, 2026 7:00 PM ET

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The Milwaukee Brewers arguably are the most fascinating team in Major League Baseball.

We are witnessing the golden age of Brewers baseball. Milwaukee has won three straight National League Central titles and currently has a 5 1/2-game lead over the Chicago Cubs in the division right now. The last team, other than the Brewers, to win the NL Central title was the St. Louis Cardinals back in 2022. The year before, Milwaukee won it.

Despite all of the success, the Brewers aren't flashy. They don't hand out massive deals in free agency or typically trade off top prospects for ready-made big league superstars. Every now and then you'll see a big trade, but the majority of the time in recent memory, it has been Milwaukee trading stars away before free agency to bring prospects back to town, like with Freddy Peralta, Corbin Burnes, Devin Williams and Josh Hader.

Still, the Brewers find ways to win games. This isn't the case with the other top teams in the National League. If you look at the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves and even the Chicago Cubs, you'll find a handful of high-priced stars carrying the load. That is the case mostly with the Dodgers. Milwaukee, on the other hand, develops prospects well, gets them to the majors, and then plays winning baseball. Milwaukee plays the game the right way. The Brewers pitch well, play good defense, get guys on base and move them along, and run the bases well. Milwaukee plays an old-school game and it's working.

The Brewers have the most wins in baseball (81) but have hit the fewest home runs in baseball with 120. In comparison, the Toronto Blue Jays and Cleveland Guardians have hit the second-fewest homers in the league with 124. Toronto has 17 fewer wins with 64. The Guardians have 15 fewer wins with 66.

The Brewers Do The Little Things Well

Typically, you'd expect home runs to be a massive indicator of success in the standings. The Dodgers have 80 wins, but they have hit 47 more homers so far this season.

Before the Brewers lost against the Braves on Sunday, ESPN shared an intriguing look at Milwaukee on X.

The Brewers are an MLB-best 81-49 despite hitting the fewest home runs in baseball (120).

So how are they doing it?

They lead MLB in OBP (.337) and chase rate (27%), rank second in walk rate (11%) and third in stolen bases (129) and sac bunts (30).

They get on base. pic.twitter.com/e5xvamTRU8
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) August 23, 2026

This is yet another example of Milwaukee simply playing the game the right way. Again, Milwaukee gets on base — the numbers back that up — and then runs the bases well and moves guys along. It helps that the Brewers are a pitching factory. When you have guys like Jacob Misiorowski, Kyle Harrison and Logan Henderson taking the mound, you don't need to score 10 runs every day. Still, the Brewers have actually scored the fifth-most runs in baseball this season with 650.

The way Milwaukee wins may not make sense to the vast majority of clubs around the league, but it works for the Brewers and they're positioned well right now to make a deep run.

This article first appeared on Milwaukee Brewers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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