The Brewers are doing it again
Three keys to the Brewers' surprising 11-game win streak
They have smallest market size according to Major League Baseball’s revenue sharing “market score.” They have seventh-smallest payroll. They have no contracts over $10 million a year except for Christian Yellich.
Somehow, someway, the Milwaukee Brewers are once again one of the best teams in baseball.
While teams like the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cleveland Guardians are consistently praised for successfully operating on a budget, the Brewers have shown that they are arguably the prime example of how to consistently win on a smaller budget.
After rattling off 11 straight wins, the Brewers’ longest win streak since winning the first 13 games of the 1987 season, they have the best record in baseball for the first time this late in the season since 1982 and are looking like legitimate World Series contenders.
Here are the three biggest keys to the Brewers success this season:
1. Pat Murphy’s managerial brilliance
It would have been natural to assume that the Brewers would take a step back after Craig Counsell, who managed Milwaukee to five postseason berths in his eight full seasons at the helm, left after the 2023 season for a bigger payday with the rival Chicago Cubs. Pat Murphy ensured that would not be the case.
Murphy, the former longtime Arizona State head coach, San Diego Padres interim manager and Brewers bench coach under Counsell, was quickly promoted after Counsell accepted the Cubs job. In his first season as manager of the Brewers, he skippered them to another division title and postseason berth, losing to the New York Mets 2-1 in the NL Wild Card Round in heartbreaking fashion. Because of the Brewers exceeding expectations by such a wide margin, Murphy was awarded the NL Manager of the Year, something Counsell never achieved.
This young, upstart Brewers team is a perfect fit for Murphy, who just called them “Average Joe’s” after their recent sweep of the superstar-laden Los Angeles Dodgers to win their 10th straight game. It has become clear that Murphy’s blend of humor, honesty and experience working with players at all levels of baseball is as effective a managerial strategy as there is in baseball.
In a recent interview on MLB Network’s MLB Now with Brian Kenny, Murphy said, “You’ve got to base run. You’ve got to defend. If you’re going to be a small market team and compete, those two things are a given. Most of it is attitude.” Understanding the importance of those types of fundamentals, and that mastery of those can help level the playing field, is clearly crucial in the Brewers ability to punch up and compete with teams like the Dodgers who have three times their payroll.
The Brewers have the lowest barrel rate and lowest average exit velocity in all of baseball. They have the fourth-lowest hard-hit percentage. The Brew Crew’s only true power threats are Yelich (19 home runs) and second-year phenom Jackson Chourio (16 home runs). Murphy’s understanding of his players’ strengths and his ability to manage to that instead of forcing them to do things on the field they may not be as comfortable with is clearly working.
2. Adding Jacob Misiorowski and Brandon Woodruff to the rotation
Heading into this season, the Brewers’ pitching was a larger question mark then it has been in years past without players like Corbin Burnes or Devin Williams to anchor the staff. However, two internal midseason additions, rookie sensation Jacob Misiorowski and veteran ace Brandon Woodruff, who just returned after missing the last year and a half with a right shoulder injury,
While Misiorowski was a very highly ranked prospect (Brewers No. 4 prospect and MLB No. 68 per MLB Pipeline) before being called up to the Major Leagues, had high expectations, but no one expected him to be as dominant as he has been to begin his career.
In Woodruff’s case, he really did not have many expectations for when he returned, especially with all of the setbacks he suffered near the end of his rehab. In May, Woodruff dealt with right ankle tendinitis following a rehab start. In June, he was hit on the right elbow by a 108.2 mph comebacker in what was supposed to be his final rehab appearance before turning to the Brewers.
Finally, on July 6, Woodruff returned and threw six innings of two-hit ball, helping the Brewers beat the Marlins 3-1 and kick off what has turned into an 11-game win streak. In his first three starts back, Woodruff has a 2-0 record and has given up just three runs in 16 ⅓ innings with a 12.7 SO/9 rate and has yet to issue a walk. While the Brewers are still being cautious with his pitch count, it looks like he has not lost a step and is close to regaining his pre-injury All-Star form.
A potential postseason rotation led by Misiorowski, Woodruff and Freddy Peralta, who is quietly having one of the best seasons of his career, is right up there with the Philadelphia Phillies and the Dodgers. If Misiorowski can continue improving and Woodruff can continue working his way back from injury, this Brewers pitching staff has the ability to dominate in October.
3. Andrew Vaughn???
Yes, you read that right. Andrew Vaughn, who was sent to the minors by the lowly Chicago White Sox and who the Brewers picked up off the scrap heap in a trade that initially appeared to just be a response to Aaron Civale’s public trade request. But, shockingly, in his nine games since being recalled to the Major League team following Rhys Hoskins’ thumb injury, Vaughn has quickly become one of Milwaukee’s most important pieces.
Vaughn has played in nine games for the Brewers. The Brewers have won all nine of those games. In those nine games, Vaughn is slashing .333/.441/.630 with 12 RBI. In Vaughn’s first at-bat in a Brewers jersey, he hit a three-run home run off Dodgers All-Star Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
While it is fair to assume that Vaughn will not keep hitting like this for the rest of the season, he has been much more productive than Hoskins so far. And even if Vaughn ends up regressing more to the player he was with Chicago at the start of the season, it is impossible to ignore the correlation between his call-up and the Brewers’ winning streak.