Power ranking the top Brewers seasons in franchise history

The Brewers have had plenty of success over the course of the last 15ish years. While the franchise is more than 200 games under .500 in its 50-plus year history, the Crew have finished above .500 in 11 of the last 17 seasons and made the playoffs five times in the last six years, with additional playoff appearances in 2008 and 2011.

Without further ado, let’s power rank the top 10 seasons in franchise history.

Honorable Mentions: 1978 (93-69 record; missed playoffs); 2019 (89-73 record; lost NLWCG 1-0 to Washington Nationals)

10. 1992 (92-70 record; missed playoffs)
1992 makes it on this list simply because I wanted to include at least one team from the dead period between 1987 and 2007, and this is that team. With Phil Garner at the helm and Sal Bando as the general manager, this team finished second in the AL East, four games behind the eventual World Champion Toronto Blue Jays.

In his final season with the Brewers at age 35, Paul Molitor hit .320/.389/.461 with 12 homers, 89 RBIs, and 31 stolen bases en route to an All-Star selection and a 10th place MVP finish. This team also featured a 36-year-old Robin Yount—who got his 3,000th hit—, Greg Vaughn, B.J. Surhoff, a 39-year-old Jim Gantner, Pat Listach, and Dante Bichette.

Bill Wegman led a rotation that featured Jaime Navarro, Chris Bosio, and Ricky Bones with 35 starts and a 3.20 ERA, while Cal Eldred anchored the back of the rotation with an 11-2 record and a 1.79 ERA in 14 starts. Dan Plesac, Mike Fetters, and Jim Austin were the anchors in the bullpen, with Doug Henry leading the team with 29 saves despite a 4.02 ERA.

9. 1981 (62-47 record; lost ALDS 3-2 to New York Yankees)
In a season split into two halves thanks to a strike, the Brewers finished with the top overall record in the AL East, going 31-25 in the first half (third place) and 31-22 in the second half (first place) to claim a spot against the Yankees in the ALDS.

Robin Yount led the team with a 4.9 WAR, while the offense also featured Cecil Cooper, Gorman Thomas, Paul Molitor, Ted Simmons, Jim Gantner, Don Money, Ben Oglivie, and Larry Hisle. Sal Bando was also a role player in his age-37 season, making 32 appearances for the Brewers.

Pete Vuckovich and Mike Caldwell led the rotation while Rollie Fingers locked things down with a pristine 1.04 ERA over 78 innings as he won the Cy Young and MVP awards.

8. 2023 (92-70 record; lost NLWCS 2-0 to Arizona Diamondbacks)
With hindsight being 20/20, this was a disappointing season like so many others in Craig Counsell’s tenure. The Brewers got hot late in the season to secure another NL Central title, but everything fell off the rails in the playoffs as the offense sputtered and Brandon Woodruff was shelved with another injury.

Still, William Contreras had his breakout season and Christian Yelich showed some semblance of his MVP self, as that duo combined for 36 homers, 154 RBIs, 34 steals, and 192 runs scored. On a team filled with rookies, the rest of the offense was all below average, but deadline pickups like Carlos Santana and Mark Canha helped the Crew down the stretch, even if it amounted to nothing in the postseason.

Corbin Burnes and Freddy Peralta were solid at the front of the rotation, while Brandon Woodruff was fantastic himself when he could stay on the field (11 starts). Devin Williams had another strong season as the closer, collecting 36 saves with a 1.53 ERA over 58 ²⁄₃ innings. Bryse Wilson, Wade Miley, Joel Payamps, and Hoby Milner also performed above expectations to keep the Brewers on the winning path throughout the season.

7. 1987 (91-71 record; missed playoffs)
The “Easter Sunday” season, in which the Brewers started the year 13-0 thanks to some late-game heroics from Rob Deer and Dale Sveum in the 12th game of the season, had a disappointing end, as the Brewers played just about .500 baseball the rest of the way. Still, the season had several bright spots.

Paul Molitor and Robin Yount once again led the offense, while Rob Deer, Greg Brock, and B.J. Surhoff were also key cogs on the team. Teddy Higuera pitched an incredible 261 ²⁄₃ innings, including 14 complete games, striking out 240 with a 3.85 ERA and an 18-10 record in 35 starts. Juan Nieves hurled the first no-hitter in Brewers history, while Bill Wegman (4.24 ERA, 225 innings) and Dan Plesac (2.61 ERA, 23 saves, 89 strikeouts in 79 ¹⁄₃ innings) were also key arms to keep the Brewers within shouting distance in the AL East.

6. 1979 (95-66 record; missed playoffs)
The earliest team on this list, this was the first time the Brewers came remotely close to 2 million fans, attracting 1,918,343 before finally breaking the 2 million mark in 1983.

The leader in WAR for this squad? Sixto Lezcano, with 5.6 WAR. This was one of the best offenses in Brewers history, with a team 113 OPS+, led by Cecil Cooper (24 homers, 106 RBIs), Paul Molitor (nine homers, 62 RBIs, 33 steals), Ben Oglivie (29 homers, 81 RBIs), and a huge season for Gorman Thomas (45 homers, 123 RBIs).

The pitching staff was also above average, with Mike Caldwell leading the way at age 30 with a 3.29 ERA and a 16-6 record in 30 starts. Jim Slaton, Lary Sorensen, Bill Travers, and Moose Haas also had double-digit wins, while Bill Castro and Jerry Augustine anchored the bullpen.

5. 2008 (90-72 record; lost NLDS 3-1 to Philadelphia Phillies)
This was the first time the Brewers broke the 3 million fan mark, and the first time the Brewers made the postseason since 1982.

The early days of Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, J.J. Hardy, Ryan Braun, and Corey Hart, the offense put up 198 homers, good for third in the NL. Braun and Fielder alone combined for 71 homers and 208 RBIs, while Hardy also had a quietly strong season with 24 homers and 74 RBIs. Veteran Mike Cameron added 25 homers and 70 RBIs himself.

CC Sabathia was obviously the story of this season, having made 17 starts in the final two-plus months of the season with an incredible 1.65 ERA, 128 strikeouts, and a 255 ERA+, including seven complete games. Ben Sheets (3.09 ERA), Dave Bush, Jeff Suppan, and Manny Parra rounded out the leaders on the rotation, while Salomon Torres led the bullpen with 71 appearances, collecting 28 saves with a 3.49 ERA in 80 innings.

4. 2021 (95-67 record; lost NLDS 3-1 to Atlanta Braves)
Like 2023, this was a season that seemed like it could be “the year” before it wasn’t. Coming off a COVID-shortened 2020 season, the Brewers retook the NL Central with the help of mid-season trade acquisition Willy Adames, who hit 20 homers, drove in 58, and scored 61 runs in 99 games with the Brewers. Avisaíl García and Luis Urias, of all people, led the team in homers with 29 and 23, respectively.

On the hill, the three-headed monster of Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes, and Freddy Peralta led the way. Burnes won the Cy Young with a 2.43 ERA and 234 strikeouts in 167 innings, while Woodruff led the team in innings (179 ¹⁄₃), striking out 211 and turning in a solid 2.56 ERA. Peralta went 10-5 with a 2.81 ERA and 195 strikeouts in 144 ¹⁄₃ innings. Josh Hader was nails in the back of the bullpen, while Hunter Strickland, Devin Williams, Brent Suter, and Brad Boxberger helped make this arguably the most well-rounded pitching staff in the league.

3. 2011 (96-66 record; lost NLCS 4-2 to St. Louis Cardinals)
These top three teams can arguably be put in any order. In 1982, 2011, and 2018, the Brewers were serious contenders throughout the season and postseason, coming within a few games of becoming World Champions for the first time ever in each case. Perhaps the most unexpected of these, however, is 2011.

With first-year manager Ron Roenicke at the helm, Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun both enjoyed career years, with Braun winning NL MVP in a steroid-tainted season. Fielder hit .299/.415/.566 with 38 homers, 120 RBIs, and more walks (107) than strikeouts (106), while Braun hit .332/.397/.597 with 33 homers, 111 RBIs, 109 runs, and 33 steals. Corey Hart added 26 homers, while Rickie Weeks (20 homers) and Nyjer Morgan (.304/.357/.421) also enjoyed solid offensive seasons.

All five regular starters also had double-digit wins, as the Brewers only used six starters (Randy Wolf, Yovani Gallardo, Shaun Marcum, Zack Greinke, Chris Narveson, and Marco Estrada) across the entire season. Randy Wolf had a quietly good year at age 34, with a 3.59 ERA over 212 ¹⁄₃ innings, while Gallardo (3.52 ERA over 207 ¹⁄₃ innings) and Marcum (3.54 ERA over 200 ²⁄₃ innings) rounded out the front end of the rotation. John Axford was incredible, with 46 saves and a 1.95 ERA, while Francisco Rodriguez and LaTroy Hawkins helped sure-up the back end of the ‘pen.

2. 2018 (96-67 record; lost NLCS 4-3 to Los Angeles Dodgers)
These were the glory days.

Under the leadership of Craig Counsell and David Stearns, offseason acquisitions Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain both came in to supplement an already-solid offense that featured Jesús Aguilar, Travis Shaw, and Ryan Braun, along with Eric Thames and Mike Moustakas, who came over at the trade deadline. Yelich won MVP with 36 homers, 110 RBIs, and 22 steals, while Aguilar hit 35 homers and Shaw had 32 long balls, all leading to the second-most homers in the NL with 218 as a team.

On the mound, Jhoulys Chacin functioned as the ace, with a 3.50 ERA and 156 strikeouts in 192 ²⁄₃ innings. Chase Anderson had a 3.93 ERA and Wade Miley had a 2.57 ERA over 16 starts. Josh Hader, Corey Knebel, and Jeremy Jeffress combined for 43 saves, while a young Brandon Woodruff (19 games, four starts) and Corbin Burnes (30 games) were crucial down the stretch, including Woodruff’s legendary homer off Clayton Kershaw in the NLCS.

1. 1982 (95-67 record; lost World Series 4-3 to St. Louis Cardinals)
Harvey’s Wallbangers. After a 23-24 start, Buck Rodgers was fired and Harvey Kuenn took over. This was one of the best offensive teams in Brewers history, with a team OPS+ of 121, leading the league in runs, home runs, slugging percentage, and OPS. Five players had at least 20 homers, with Paul Molitor nearly becoming the sixth with 19 of his own. Robin Yount led the offense with a .331/.379/.578 line, including 29 homers and 114 RBIs, winning the MVP, a Gold Glove, and a Silver Slugger. Gorman Thomas collected 39 homers and 112 RBIs, while Ben Oglivie (34 homers), Cecil Cooper (32 homers), and Ted Simmons (23 homers) all joined the 20-homer club. Don Money also had 16 homers and 55 RBIs in 96 games.

Pete Vuckovich led the rotation with an 18-6 record and a 3.34 ERA over 223 ²⁄₃ innings to win the Cy Young Award, while Mike Caldwell went 17-13 with a 3.91 ERA over 258 innings. Rollie Fingers collected 29 saves in 50 appearances with a 2.60 ERA.

This team also came the closest to winning a World Series, just one win short against the mighty Cardinals despite taking a 3-2 lead in the series heading into game 6.