Milwaukee Brewers proved one thing about small-market teams that has ESPN scrambling to explain
America’s pastime just delivered a masterclass in how to build a winner the right way.
Small-market teams aren’t supposed to dominate like this – but nobody told the Milwaukee Brewers.
And ESPN’s latest power rankings reveal one stunning fact about this Brewers team that could rewrite the book on building championship clubs.¹
The Brewers are making history in Milwaukee
The Milwaukee Brewers aren’t just having a good season – they’re putting together what might be the greatest regular season in franchise history.
ESPN dropped their Week 23 power rankings this week, and the Brewers are sitting pretty at number one with an 86-54 record that has the rest of baseball taking notice.²
Here’s what’s really remarkable about what Milwaukee has accomplished.
The Brewers have "far and away the best record in the majors since the All-Star break," according to ESPN’s analysis.
That’s not just good – that’s historically dominant.
Milwaukee is currently sporting a .614 winning percentage, which puts them on pace to shatter their franchise record of .593 set by the 2011 team.
The Brewers have also built the kind of run differential that championship teams dream about.
"The outcome of a postseason that could very well feature the Brewers as the top overall team probably will settle the question of whether this is Milwaukee’s best team ever," ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle wrote.
Think about that for a second – we’re potentially watching the best Brewers team in franchise history unfold right before our eyes.
Other teams making serious moves
The power rankings shake-up shows just how competitive this season has become.
Philadelphia jumped two spots to number two at 80-59, but they’ve got some interesting decisions ahead with underperforming players like Nick Castellanos.
The Chicago Cubs climbed to fourth place at 80-60, riding the hot bat of Kyle Tucker, who’s heating up at exactly the right time for a potential playoff push.
Boston has been quietly building momentum with a 19-12 record since August 1, vaulting themselves right back into wild card contention.
The Detroit Tigers at number five (81-60) are getting monster production from 24-year-old Riley Greene, who’s already hit 30 homers and driven in over 100 runs.
Look at what this really shows about building winners
Here’s the thing that should make every baseball fan smile – the Brewers are proving that you don’t need a $400 million payroll like the Dodgers to build a championship contender.
Milwaukee has done this the old-fashioned way: smart drafting, player development, and building a culture of winning from the ground up.
While big-market teams like the Dodgers are dealing with rotation uncertainty despite their massive spending, the Brewers have created depth and consistency throughout their roster.
The timing couldn’t be better, either.
With division titles and wild card berths still up for grabs across both leagues, we’re looking at what ESPN calls "a season that seems so wide open once teams get to October."
That’s exactly the kind of unpredictability that makes baseball America’s greatest sport.
You’ve got small-market teams like Milwaukee and Detroit competing with traditional powers, young stars like Riley Greene putting up Hall of Fame numbers, and veteran teams like Boston finding ways to stay relevant.
This is why September baseball is the best month in sports – every game matters, every swing could change a season, and teams like the Brewers are proving that heart and smart management can still beat big checkbooks.
The Brewers have positioned themselves not just for a playoff berth, but potentially for that coveted number one seed and first-round bye.
If they can maintain this pace through September, Milwaukee fans might finally get to see their team bring home the championship that’s eluded them for decades.
And wouldn’t that be something – a small-market team showing the entire sport how it’s really done.
¹ ESPN, "MLB Power Rankings Week 23: A shake-up in the top 10," ESPN, September 4, 2025.
² Ibid.
