How the 2027 Champion Milwaukee Brewers were Built
Mar 26, 2022 17:16:35 GMT -5
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Post by Commissioner Erick on Mar 26, 2022 17:16:35 GMT -5
The Brewers have been one of the league’s best teams for the past three seasons, getting better and better every season until pushing through and winning the championship this year. They’re one of the most draft reliant teams to win a championship in the PBA, with an amazing string of home-grown success. Starting in 2020, a first round pick of Milwaukee from every draft through 2026 was on their title team (or hurt). They also had a great eye for available talent on the waiver wire, the Rule V Draft, and for free agents from independent leagues entering the league mid season.
Players
Draft Picks
Zach Prajzner (2018, 6th Round, 183rd Overall, $2.9 million arbitration contract in 2027)
Tim Kierstead (2019, 15th Round, 452nd Overall, Minimum contract in 2027)
Branden Andexler (2020, 1st Round, 3rd Overall. Minimum contract in 2027)
Greg Jacks (2020, 3rd Round, 80th Overall. $5.5 million arbitration contract in 2027)
Luis Rivera (2020, 3rd Round, 82nd Overall. $3.6 million arbitration contract in 2027
Eddie Sherk (2020, 12th Round, 362nd Overall. $730K contract in 2027)
Mike Perches (2021, 1st Round, 5th Overall, Minimum contract in 2027)
Mike Gaylord (2021, 1st Round, 16th Overall, Minimum contract in 2027)
Mike Arnold (2021, 4th Round, 155th Overall. Minimum contract in 2027)
Josh Blystone (2021, 6th Round, 191st Overall. Minimum contract in 2027)
Danny Tammaro (2022, 1st Round, 6th Overall. $1.3 million arbitration contract in 2027)
David Meeks (2023, 1st Round, 7th Overall. Minimum contract in 2027)
Rob Whalen (2023, 3rd Round, 8th Overall. Minimum contract in 2027)
Brock Straub (2023, 3rd Round, 82nd Overall. Minimum contract in 2027)
Nick Rollins (2024, 1st Round, 11th Overall. Minimum contract in 2027)
Hideki Yamada (2025, 1st Round, 23rd Overall. Minimum contract in 2027)
Kenny McMahon (2026, 1st Round, 36th Overall. Minimum contract in 2027)
The Brewers clearly built their team through a draft and development focus. Their scouts deserve a ton of credit as the Brewers have hit a first rounder every year since 2019, with eight first rounders on their title team. Milwaukee had an other-worldly 17 player drafted on their club, with only five of them taken after the first five rounds.
Milwaukee did a few things very well. One, identifying the right talent in the first round kept talent coming into the organization every year. Also, while most of their players were early draft picks, they were able to develop some mid and late picks into superstars, altering their franchise. Mike Arnold is on a Hall-of-Fame trajectory, but was only a fourth rounder. Zach Prajzner has been a long-term Shortstop. He was plucked in the sixth round. Time Kierstead is a Cy Young caliber arm. He was grabbed in Round 15!
The Brewers have also timed their talent to reach the majors peaking. None of their picks are particularly experienced with most of them on minimum contracts, and a few on bargain arbitration contracts. As a result, the Brewers don’t have a huge payroll despite having so many All-Stars.
There’s not much to say about anything specifically, just that the Brewers are the gold standard on drafting and developing talent. Identifying who to retain as arbitration and Free Agency come for their stars will be a challenge, but Milwaukee has built a juggernaut and built it on the cheap.
Free Agents
Will Dulihanty (4/26/2025—3 Year, $28 million contract. $6.7 million contract in 2027)
Mark Warf (6/21/2025—2 Year, $6.4 million contract—$3.2 automatic renewal contract in 2027)
Holden Christian (1/14/2027—1 Year, $5.4 million contract)
The Brewers have been active in Free Agency, but often at unusual times of the year, snapping up Cuban Free Agents after their seasons end in March, or signing Independent League Free Agents who pop up from time to time. Will Dulihanty and Mark Warf were two such examples.
Nicknamed Wombat due to being from Australia and relatively slow, Dulihanty had a great eye with big power and was snapped up for $28 million in 2025. He struggled in the regular season this year, but had 30 homers last year and had a big postseason with five dingers.
Warf was signed a couple of months later as a reliever appearing on the Free Agent boards. He was a great sinker/slider pitcher, who threw strikes and was in the prime of his career. He’s been strong in relief for Milwaukee since signing, never posting an ERA above 3.
Holden Christian was a more conventional signing. He started off as a plus reliever for Atlanta, then was a solid back-end starter for Boston who was non-tendered before last year. Milwaukee needed pitching depth and a left-handed pitcher, snapped Christian up and watched him earn 4.4 WAR.
With such a deep team from the draft, Milwaukee could save their money for the indy league free agents, and find value with depth arms instead of high-end starters, allowing the club to reallocate resources elsewhere.
Trades
Blayne Enlow (4/26/2021—Traded from the Astros along with Carson LaRue in exchange for Dylan Bundy. $1.2 million arbitration contract in 2027)
Mike Becker (5/13/2024—Traded from the Dodgers in exchange for $4 million. Minimum contract in 2027.
Elih Marrero (5/20/2024—Traded from the Astros in exchange for Luke Shilling. $3.2 million arbitration contract in 2027)
Matt Aceto (7/22/2024—Traded from the Blue Jays in exchange for German Marquez and Tristan Casas—Minimum contract in 2027)
Joe Dyck (12/2/2024—Traded from the Astros in exchange for Jean Carlos Carmona. Minimum contract in 2027)
Tim Elmore (12/9/2024—Traded by the Twins in exchange for Shervyen Newton—Minimum contract in 2027)
Unlike the Dodgers, who largely built their title teams with trades and supplemented the club through the draft, Milwaukee built their team through the draft and supplemented it through trades.
The only first-division player Milwaukee acquired through a trade was Matt Aceto, a prospect pried from Toronto in the German Marquez deal. Marquez helped supply the Blue Jays with a title before falling off and Tristan Casas is a pretty nifty two-way player, so Toronto can’t be too upset at the deal. Milwaukee, however, got a versatile All-Star slugger who had the biggest hit of the World Series.
Milwaukee was able to fill its bullpen and backup infield via trades as well.
Blayne Enlow has had some postseason struggles, but he’s been one of the best non-closer relievers the past three seasons. He’s been a very strong acquisition considering Dylan Bundy produced negative WAR the rest of his PBA career and spent 2027 without a team. Joe Dyck has also turned into a top-tier reliever with a 2.7 WAR season his rookie year. He was acquired for Jean Carlos Carmona, who had 24 home runs in 2025, but looks like a Triple-A arm.
Milwaukee also acquired Mike Becker, Elih Marrero, and Tim Elmore in 2024, grabbing a pair of bats to mash lefties, and a defense-oriented Catcher. Marrero’s been a solid Catcher in his career, earning an All-Star nod in 2025 and improving his defense every season. Luke Shilling has turned into a fine reliever, but Milwaukee has had better relievers and needed a Catcher.
Becker was purchased from the Dodgers for cash to help their aspirations. They made the World Series that year with $4 million being a key contributor—in actuality, the cash was mostly used to help sign first round pick Arthur Price for $3.4 million. Either way, the Dodgers made three straight World Series, winning two of them, so they clearly didn’t miss Becker. Becker, meanwhile, struggled in the 2026 World Series and had a rough 2027, but he’s had good seasons in the past and is only 25. Tim Elmore was picked up from Milwaukee that year, and while he too struggled this year and has had tough postseasons, he’s also made a past All-Star Game and has a career .818 OPS. He's crushed lefties in his career and plays a strong corner outfield, giving him a clear role on a good team. He was acquired for Shervyen Newton, who has been an underwhelming regular infielder over his career
Milwaukee did a great job giving up a player of note in Marquez and swapping him for future value in Aceto. They also identified players who wouldn’t fit for them and got the spare parts and bit pieces they’d need to plug in the holes of their team. It’s a great job of building at the margins.
Scouting Discoveries
Rodolfo Rivera (8/27/17. Minimum contract in 2027)
The Brewers title run wouldn’t have happened without some fortune from their scouting. The Brewers found Rodolfo Rivera as a 16-year-old in the Dominican Republic as a player with huge slugging potential. He really started to put things together in 2025 as a 23-year-old. He clobbered the minors up to that point, but then began to clobber the majors. He was a Silver Slugger last year, slugged 37-home runs this year, and was acquired for free.
Rule V Draft
Noah Campbell (2021, 1st Round, 5th Overall from Yankees—$3.6 million arbitration contract in 2027)
Steve Mulvey (2024, 1st Round, 19th Overall from Twins—Minimum contract in 2027)
Speaking of free talent, Milwaukee was able to continue to build on the margins with the Rule V Draft. They plucked Noah Campbell from the Yankees before the 2022 season, paid them for the right to demote Campbell, then saw Campbell develop into a premier defensive player as he aged. He’s never been huge with the bat—though his empty averages have sometimes been high enough to provide value—but his Second Base defense has always been stellar and helped Milwaukee be an elite run-prevention unit.
Steve Mulvey was also a Rule V guy who the Brewers paid to keep in the minors. He’s similar to Becker and Elmore in that he hits lefties well, had a down 2027, and has struggled in the playoffs, but he’s a good defensive Second Baseman that scouts like and Milwaukee can employ situationally at the back of the roster.
Like with their trades, Milwaukee has found ways at the margins to find useful talent.
Waiver Claims
Toby Dunlap (5/3/2022 from Giants—$910K Contract in 2027)
Quadir Murriel (8/12/2025 from Mets—Minimum contract in 2027)
Danny Weatherwax (1/1/2027 from Padres—Minimum contract in 2027)
Calvin Greenfield (6/1/2027 from Dodgers—Minimum Contract in 2027)
Speaking of the margins, Milwaukee has even found useful pieces among players deemed too marginal to make a difference by others.
Toby Dunlap mostly spent 2027 on the IL with a torn rotator cuff, but he was a strong reliever in 2025 and 2026. He was acquired for the low, low cost of nothing back in 2022 as he was waived as a minor leaguer. If he can come back from his injury, his four pitch mix and great changeup should continue to make him an asset in the pen.
Quadir Murriel was squeezed out of a crowded Mets infield in 2025, but the former Top 50 Prospect emerged this year as useful backup thanks to his patience and pop. Murriel is slick in the field, hit lefties this year, and his weakness of not being a reliable hitter for average is mitigated by the potency of the top of Milwaukee’s lineup.
Danny Weatherwax never had the bat to stick as a reliable starter, but his glove has provided him with positive WAR the last two seasons despite anemic offensive numbers. He was a useful defensive replacement late in games once Milwaukee’s stellar starters would give the team late leads.
Finally, Calvin Greenfield played well in the playoffs with a .308 average with a .938 OPS. Milwaukee needed a backup Catcher and claimed Greenfield from their Dodgers nemesis in June. Greenfield plays strong defense, and formed a platoon with Marrero that made the Brewers a strong Catching unit in the playoffs.
STAFF
Scouting Director: Theo Epstein
Epstein was the Scout for the Yankees for five seasons during their glory years, including two World Series trips. Epstein took on a huge salary to be the team’s scout for four seasons starting in 2022, but has worked at a discount the last two years. Epstein’s reputation is unimpeachable. While he’s excellent at scouting the majors, established players are easier to evaluate than foreign or international players. Epstein has a fantastic eye for scouting amateur players, a key reason why the Brewers have been able to build their dynasty. He’s excellent in international scouting, a reason why Milwaukee has plucked several Cuban free agents with success, and he’s tremendous at scouting the minors, a key reason why Milwaukee was able to identify how good their prospect talent coming through the system and a reason why Matt Aceto was targeted in the Marquez trade. Knowing what Milwaukee had internally allowed the Brewers to know where to focus or remove resources in other avenues like free agency. He’s probably the coach most attributed to the team’s success.
Bench Coach: Eichiro Umaba
Hitting Coach: Miguel Centena
Umaba and Centana were both brought aboard for the 2023 season and have grown with the club. Umaba was an underwhelming hitting coach in Japan, then was Bench Coach for a bad Pirates team before moving to Milwaukee. Balanced in most areas aside from favoring veterans, the club was a model of harmony under Umaba despite a lot of part time and platoon players. Umaba was an excellent teacher and his tutelage was able to allow the Brewers youngsters to grow and develop as major leaguers.
Centena is a hitting coach without a specific focus, allowing all types of Brewers hitters to grown under his tutelage. He’s a fantastic teacher, who leans towards patience over average, allowing Milwaukee to grow into a club good at walks and power. Some of their righties who are more geared for average than power struggled this year, but with Milwaukee’s offense at the top of the league despite a number of glove-first players, Centena should be graded very favorably.
Pitching Coach: John Farrell
Farrell took over for the 2024 season just as Milwaukee’s crop of super-prospects were hitting the upper minors. He’s a fantastic teacher, especially among power pitchers, which made him perfect to guide the Brewers crop of phenoms. Despite a poor job with Cincinnati, his ability to develop power arms has led to Milwaukee being the best pitching team in baseball.
Team Trainer: Adam Nevala
Nevala has been with the club since 2021 and has largely done a good job, but he wore out his welcome the past two years. Mike Perches’ fractured knee was a freak injury last year, but left a sore taste in Luke Grimmelbein’s mouth.
Early this year, Elih Marrero was hurt in spring training for five weeks, a precursor for more injuries. Eddie Sherk’s shoulder inflammation held him out most of the year, Toby Dunlap’s torn rotator cuff held him out most of the year, a strained rotator cuff held out Mark Warf, and a pulled hamstring sidelined Mike Arnold. Tim Kierstead was hit by a car in July, which wasn’t Nevala’s fault, but he suffered a setback trying to come back early from his concussion, which showed poor judgement. Leg injuries affected Nick Rollins and Luis Rivera over the summer, and abdominal injuries affected each of them in the playoffs, hinting at similar treatments that caused similar future injuries. Most players didn’t suffer injuries for too long, but the setbacks and reoccurrences of injuries to the same guys led many to lose faith in Nevala.
Assistant GM: Ray Durham
First Base Coach: Justin Bloxom
Third Base Coach: Daniel Garce
Durham signed in 2026 and proposed signing Bloxom and Garce soon after. Durham only has an average reputation, a product of only having two years of experience as a coach. He has a good reputation with his players though, which is one of the most important things in his position—getting his players and coaching staff pulling together.
Bloxom is a solid first base coach, and an excellent teacher. He’s part of the reason Milwaukee’s outfield is as good as it is, and why Marrero has grown into an elite defensive Catcher. Daniel Garce has done the same for the infield, helping the Brewers play strong infield defense. He’s good at teaching running, though Milwaukee did struggle as a baserunning team this year. With Milwaukee’s sluggers though, trading baserunning for defense has been a choice that has worked.
Summary: Milwaukee's draft record and scouting have been impeccable during the Luke Grimmelbein era, allowing the team to build a contender without major Free agent splashes. The team has been patient and relied on outstanding scouting from Theo Epstein. As a result, their team has been young and also cheap. The 2027 Brewers were the gold standard for this kind of approach, and it will be fun to see them navigate the challenge of having all their superstars entering a higher salaried era as they begin to navigate arbitration.
Players
Draft Picks
Zach Prajzner (2018, 6th Round, 183rd Overall, $2.9 million arbitration contract in 2027)
Tim Kierstead (2019, 15th Round, 452nd Overall, Minimum contract in 2027)
Branden Andexler (2020, 1st Round, 3rd Overall. Minimum contract in 2027)
Greg Jacks (2020, 3rd Round, 80th Overall. $5.5 million arbitration contract in 2027)
Luis Rivera (2020, 3rd Round, 82nd Overall. $3.6 million arbitration contract in 2027
Eddie Sherk (2020, 12th Round, 362nd Overall. $730K contract in 2027)
Mike Perches (2021, 1st Round, 5th Overall, Minimum contract in 2027)
Mike Gaylord (2021, 1st Round, 16th Overall, Minimum contract in 2027)
Mike Arnold (2021, 4th Round, 155th Overall. Minimum contract in 2027)
Josh Blystone (2021, 6th Round, 191st Overall. Minimum contract in 2027)
Danny Tammaro (2022, 1st Round, 6th Overall. $1.3 million arbitration contract in 2027)
David Meeks (2023, 1st Round, 7th Overall. Minimum contract in 2027)
Rob Whalen (2023, 3rd Round, 8th Overall. Minimum contract in 2027)
Brock Straub (2023, 3rd Round, 82nd Overall. Minimum contract in 2027)
Nick Rollins (2024, 1st Round, 11th Overall. Minimum contract in 2027)
Hideki Yamada (2025, 1st Round, 23rd Overall. Minimum contract in 2027)
Kenny McMahon (2026, 1st Round, 36th Overall. Minimum contract in 2027)
The Brewers clearly built their team through a draft and development focus. Their scouts deserve a ton of credit as the Brewers have hit a first rounder every year since 2019, with eight first rounders on their title team. Milwaukee had an other-worldly 17 player drafted on their club, with only five of them taken after the first five rounds.
Milwaukee did a few things very well. One, identifying the right talent in the first round kept talent coming into the organization every year. Also, while most of their players were early draft picks, they were able to develop some mid and late picks into superstars, altering their franchise. Mike Arnold is on a Hall-of-Fame trajectory, but was only a fourth rounder. Zach Prajzner has been a long-term Shortstop. He was plucked in the sixth round. Time Kierstead is a Cy Young caliber arm. He was grabbed in Round 15!
The Brewers have also timed their talent to reach the majors peaking. None of their picks are particularly experienced with most of them on minimum contracts, and a few on bargain arbitration contracts. As a result, the Brewers don’t have a huge payroll despite having so many All-Stars.
There’s not much to say about anything specifically, just that the Brewers are the gold standard on drafting and developing talent. Identifying who to retain as arbitration and Free Agency come for their stars will be a challenge, but Milwaukee has built a juggernaut and built it on the cheap.
Free Agents
Will Dulihanty (4/26/2025—3 Year, $28 million contract. $6.7 million contract in 2027)
Mark Warf (6/21/2025—2 Year, $6.4 million contract—$3.2 automatic renewal contract in 2027)
Holden Christian (1/14/2027—1 Year, $5.4 million contract)
The Brewers have been active in Free Agency, but often at unusual times of the year, snapping up Cuban Free Agents after their seasons end in March, or signing Independent League Free Agents who pop up from time to time. Will Dulihanty and Mark Warf were two such examples.
Nicknamed Wombat due to being from Australia and relatively slow, Dulihanty had a great eye with big power and was snapped up for $28 million in 2025. He struggled in the regular season this year, but had 30 homers last year and had a big postseason with five dingers.
Warf was signed a couple of months later as a reliever appearing on the Free Agent boards. He was a great sinker/slider pitcher, who threw strikes and was in the prime of his career. He’s been strong in relief for Milwaukee since signing, never posting an ERA above 3.
Holden Christian was a more conventional signing. He started off as a plus reliever for Atlanta, then was a solid back-end starter for Boston who was non-tendered before last year. Milwaukee needed pitching depth and a left-handed pitcher, snapped Christian up and watched him earn 4.4 WAR.
With such a deep team from the draft, Milwaukee could save their money for the indy league free agents, and find value with depth arms instead of high-end starters, allowing the club to reallocate resources elsewhere.
Trades
Blayne Enlow (4/26/2021—Traded from the Astros along with Carson LaRue in exchange for Dylan Bundy. $1.2 million arbitration contract in 2027)
Mike Becker (5/13/2024—Traded from the Dodgers in exchange for $4 million. Minimum contract in 2027.
Elih Marrero (5/20/2024—Traded from the Astros in exchange for Luke Shilling. $3.2 million arbitration contract in 2027)
Matt Aceto (7/22/2024—Traded from the Blue Jays in exchange for German Marquez and Tristan Casas—Minimum contract in 2027)
Joe Dyck (12/2/2024—Traded from the Astros in exchange for Jean Carlos Carmona. Minimum contract in 2027)
Tim Elmore (12/9/2024—Traded by the Twins in exchange for Shervyen Newton—Minimum contract in 2027)
Unlike the Dodgers, who largely built their title teams with trades and supplemented the club through the draft, Milwaukee built their team through the draft and supplemented it through trades.
The only first-division player Milwaukee acquired through a trade was Matt Aceto, a prospect pried from Toronto in the German Marquez deal. Marquez helped supply the Blue Jays with a title before falling off and Tristan Casas is a pretty nifty two-way player, so Toronto can’t be too upset at the deal. Milwaukee, however, got a versatile All-Star slugger who had the biggest hit of the World Series.
Milwaukee was able to fill its bullpen and backup infield via trades as well.
Blayne Enlow has had some postseason struggles, but he’s been one of the best non-closer relievers the past three seasons. He’s been a very strong acquisition considering Dylan Bundy produced negative WAR the rest of his PBA career and spent 2027 without a team. Joe Dyck has also turned into a top-tier reliever with a 2.7 WAR season his rookie year. He was acquired for Jean Carlos Carmona, who had 24 home runs in 2025, but looks like a Triple-A arm.
Milwaukee also acquired Mike Becker, Elih Marrero, and Tim Elmore in 2024, grabbing a pair of bats to mash lefties, and a defense-oriented Catcher. Marrero’s been a solid Catcher in his career, earning an All-Star nod in 2025 and improving his defense every season. Luke Shilling has turned into a fine reliever, but Milwaukee has had better relievers and needed a Catcher.
Becker was purchased from the Dodgers for cash to help their aspirations. They made the World Series that year with $4 million being a key contributor—in actuality, the cash was mostly used to help sign first round pick Arthur Price for $3.4 million. Either way, the Dodgers made three straight World Series, winning two of them, so they clearly didn’t miss Becker. Becker, meanwhile, struggled in the 2026 World Series and had a rough 2027, but he’s had good seasons in the past and is only 25. Tim Elmore was picked up from Milwaukee that year, and while he too struggled this year and has had tough postseasons, he’s also made a past All-Star Game and has a career .818 OPS. He's crushed lefties in his career and plays a strong corner outfield, giving him a clear role on a good team. He was acquired for Shervyen Newton, who has been an underwhelming regular infielder over his career
Milwaukee did a great job giving up a player of note in Marquez and swapping him for future value in Aceto. They also identified players who wouldn’t fit for them and got the spare parts and bit pieces they’d need to plug in the holes of their team. It’s a great job of building at the margins.
Scouting Discoveries
Rodolfo Rivera (8/27/17. Minimum contract in 2027)
The Brewers title run wouldn’t have happened without some fortune from their scouting. The Brewers found Rodolfo Rivera as a 16-year-old in the Dominican Republic as a player with huge slugging potential. He really started to put things together in 2025 as a 23-year-old. He clobbered the minors up to that point, but then began to clobber the majors. He was a Silver Slugger last year, slugged 37-home runs this year, and was acquired for free.
Rule V Draft
Noah Campbell (2021, 1st Round, 5th Overall from Yankees—$3.6 million arbitration contract in 2027)
Steve Mulvey (2024, 1st Round, 19th Overall from Twins—Minimum contract in 2027)
Speaking of free talent, Milwaukee was able to continue to build on the margins with the Rule V Draft. They plucked Noah Campbell from the Yankees before the 2022 season, paid them for the right to demote Campbell, then saw Campbell develop into a premier defensive player as he aged. He’s never been huge with the bat—though his empty averages have sometimes been high enough to provide value—but his Second Base defense has always been stellar and helped Milwaukee be an elite run-prevention unit.
Steve Mulvey was also a Rule V guy who the Brewers paid to keep in the minors. He’s similar to Becker and Elmore in that he hits lefties well, had a down 2027, and has struggled in the playoffs, but he’s a good defensive Second Baseman that scouts like and Milwaukee can employ situationally at the back of the roster.
Like with their trades, Milwaukee has found ways at the margins to find useful talent.
Waiver Claims
Toby Dunlap (5/3/2022 from Giants—$910K Contract in 2027)
Quadir Murriel (8/12/2025 from Mets—Minimum contract in 2027)
Danny Weatherwax (1/1/2027 from Padres—Minimum contract in 2027)
Calvin Greenfield (6/1/2027 from Dodgers—Minimum Contract in 2027)
Speaking of the margins, Milwaukee has even found useful pieces among players deemed too marginal to make a difference by others.
Toby Dunlap mostly spent 2027 on the IL with a torn rotator cuff, but he was a strong reliever in 2025 and 2026. He was acquired for the low, low cost of nothing back in 2022 as he was waived as a minor leaguer. If he can come back from his injury, his four pitch mix and great changeup should continue to make him an asset in the pen.
Quadir Murriel was squeezed out of a crowded Mets infield in 2025, but the former Top 50 Prospect emerged this year as useful backup thanks to his patience and pop. Murriel is slick in the field, hit lefties this year, and his weakness of not being a reliable hitter for average is mitigated by the potency of the top of Milwaukee’s lineup.
Danny Weatherwax never had the bat to stick as a reliable starter, but his glove has provided him with positive WAR the last two seasons despite anemic offensive numbers. He was a useful defensive replacement late in games once Milwaukee’s stellar starters would give the team late leads.
Finally, Calvin Greenfield played well in the playoffs with a .308 average with a .938 OPS. Milwaukee needed a backup Catcher and claimed Greenfield from their Dodgers nemesis in June. Greenfield plays strong defense, and formed a platoon with Marrero that made the Brewers a strong Catching unit in the playoffs.
STAFF
Scouting Director: Theo Epstein
Epstein was the Scout for the Yankees for five seasons during their glory years, including two World Series trips. Epstein took on a huge salary to be the team’s scout for four seasons starting in 2022, but has worked at a discount the last two years. Epstein’s reputation is unimpeachable. While he’s excellent at scouting the majors, established players are easier to evaluate than foreign or international players. Epstein has a fantastic eye for scouting amateur players, a key reason why the Brewers have been able to build their dynasty. He’s excellent in international scouting, a reason why Milwaukee has plucked several Cuban free agents with success, and he’s tremendous at scouting the minors, a key reason why Milwaukee was able to identify how good their prospect talent coming through the system and a reason why Matt Aceto was targeted in the Marquez trade. Knowing what Milwaukee had internally allowed the Brewers to know where to focus or remove resources in other avenues like free agency. He’s probably the coach most attributed to the team’s success.
Bench Coach: Eichiro Umaba
Hitting Coach: Miguel Centena
Umaba and Centana were both brought aboard for the 2023 season and have grown with the club. Umaba was an underwhelming hitting coach in Japan, then was Bench Coach for a bad Pirates team before moving to Milwaukee. Balanced in most areas aside from favoring veterans, the club was a model of harmony under Umaba despite a lot of part time and platoon players. Umaba was an excellent teacher and his tutelage was able to allow the Brewers youngsters to grow and develop as major leaguers.
Centena is a hitting coach without a specific focus, allowing all types of Brewers hitters to grown under his tutelage. He’s a fantastic teacher, who leans towards patience over average, allowing Milwaukee to grow into a club good at walks and power. Some of their righties who are more geared for average than power struggled this year, but with Milwaukee’s offense at the top of the league despite a number of glove-first players, Centena should be graded very favorably.
Pitching Coach: John Farrell
Farrell took over for the 2024 season just as Milwaukee’s crop of super-prospects were hitting the upper minors. He’s a fantastic teacher, especially among power pitchers, which made him perfect to guide the Brewers crop of phenoms. Despite a poor job with Cincinnati, his ability to develop power arms has led to Milwaukee being the best pitching team in baseball.
Team Trainer: Adam Nevala
Nevala has been with the club since 2021 and has largely done a good job, but he wore out his welcome the past two years. Mike Perches’ fractured knee was a freak injury last year, but left a sore taste in Luke Grimmelbein’s mouth.
Early this year, Elih Marrero was hurt in spring training for five weeks, a precursor for more injuries. Eddie Sherk’s shoulder inflammation held him out most of the year, Toby Dunlap’s torn rotator cuff held him out most of the year, a strained rotator cuff held out Mark Warf, and a pulled hamstring sidelined Mike Arnold. Tim Kierstead was hit by a car in July, which wasn’t Nevala’s fault, but he suffered a setback trying to come back early from his concussion, which showed poor judgement. Leg injuries affected Nick Rollins and Luis Rivera over the summer, and abdominal injuries affected each of them in the playoffs, hinting at similar treatments that caused similar future injuries. Most players didn’t suffer injuries for too long, but the setbacks and reoccurrences of injuries to the same guys led many to lose faith in Nevala.
Assistant GM: Ray Durham
First Base Coach: Justin Bloxom
Third Base Coach: Daniel Garce
Durham signed in 2026 and proposed signing Bloxom and Garce soon after. Durham only has an average reputation, a product of only having two years of experience as a coach. He has a good reputation with his players though, which is one of the most important things in his position—getting his players and coaching staff pulling together.
Bloxom is a solid first base coach, and an excellent teacher. He’s part of the reason Milwaukee’s outfield is as good as it is, and why Marrero has grown into an elite defensive Catcher. Daniel Garce has done the same for the infield, helping the Brewers play strong infield defense. He’s good at teaching running, though Milwaukee did struggle as a baserunning team this year. With Milwaukee’s sluggers though, trading baserunning for defense has been a choice that has worked.
Summary: Milwaukee's draft record and scouting have been impeccable during the Luke Grimmelbein era, allowing the team to build a contender without major Free agent splashes. The team has been patient and relied on outstanding scouting from Theo Epstein. As a result, their team has been young and also cheap. The 2027 Brewers were the gold standard for this kind of approach, and it will be fun to see them navigate the challenge of having all their superstars entering a higher salaried era as they begin to navigate arbitration.
