No team gets more out of its players than the Milwaukee Brewers. That’s how one of the smallest MLB markets continues to remain relevant for the better course of a decade. And the kicker is, they take players from other teams and help them achieve a higher level of success than before.
On MLB Network, Brewers manager Pat Murphy spoke about how his organization succeeds where others fail.
“So many people don’t get that clean entry into the big leagues,” said Murphy. “They’re part-time players, and then all of a sudden they do get that chance and a great version of themselves comes out.”
Murphy himself deserves some of the credit for that. While front offices, especially ones as innovative as the Brewers are, continue to aid in decision-making, a manager’s job is to set the clubhouse culture. And not many teams have a better clubhouse culture than the Brewers right now.
Pat Murphy Talks About How Brewers Continue to Find Contributors
Some of the notable contributors to the 2026 Brewers’ success fit this mold. Murphy referenced Jake Bauers and Andrew Vaughn as examples. Both were once considered blue-chip prospects, but never found much consistency before coming to Milwaukee.
“That’s how we do business, some of it out of necessity,” said Murphy. “I don’t think it’s that surprising that these players, they’re good enough to get to the big leagues, they bob and weave and figure out how to navigate to stay alive. Then finally they get an opportunity, I think of Bauers, I think of Vaughn. We’re the recipient of that, we’re very very lucky.”
“So many people don’t get that clean entry into the Big Leagues…”
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Other notable players who’ve found success in Milwaukee include Quinn Priester, Kyle Harrison, and Trevor Megill.
Harrison is the latest success story, as someone the San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox couldn’t quite figure out. The Brewers made a couple of minor changes to his delivery, and it’s unlocked his four-seamer and slurve combination. The left-hander has a 1.57 ERA in 10 starts and a strikeout rate just under 30% on the season.
Pat Murphy Faces Tough Test in 2026
Due to their smaller payroll space compared to the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, or Philadelphia Phillies, who all have a luxury tax payroll exceeding $318 million this season, they have to take some risks. But those risks have greatly paid off over the years.
Murphy himself has earned accolades for the organization’s ability to unearth hidden value, winning back-to-back Manager of the Year Awards in his first two seasons leading the club. The Brewers have also doubled down on their commitment to their manager, inking a three-year extension in February.
The Brewers’ approach continues to work, as they lead the National League Central by four games entering play on May 29. Of course, the question surrounding Milwaukee will be, with all this regular-season success, can it translate into deep postseason runs?
Milwaukee has all the talent necessary to win a championship. Jacob Misiorowski has emerged as baseball’s most dominant starting pitcher, lighting up the radar gun and strike zone alike with triple-digit heat. Their pitching staff is second in ERA (3.14) and first in FIP (3.21).
However, if there is one area that could prevent a deep postseason run, they are 14th in wRC+ (100) and 20th in position player fWAR (5.5). The question is, do they have the offensive firepower for when their elite pitching falters? The answer was no in 2025, when they were merely a speed bump for the Dodgers in the NLCS, and they certainly can’t repeat that in 2026.
The Dodgers could once again be that juggernaut the Brewers have to get past to win their pennant since moving to the National League in 1998. If that is the case, this will serve as a litmus test for Pat Murphy’s tenure as Milwaukee’s skipper.
Brewers Manager Reveals How Milwaukee Keeps Unlocking Hidden Value Across MLB