Brewers' Biggest Change From 2025 to 2026, Straight From Jake Bauers

The Milwaukee Brewers will begin their quest in the 2026 MLB postseason on Saturday night.

Sep 16, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers (9) takes a throw for an out against Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Ronny Simon (not pictured) to end the eighth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For the second straight year, the Milwaukee Brewers are entering the postseason after leading the league in wins throughout the regular season.

Last year, the Brewers won 97 games and made it all the way to the National League Championship Series before being knocked out of the playoffs by the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2026, the Brewers blew out their franchise record for wins in a season and racked up 103 while earning a first-round bye in the playoffs. On Saturday night, the Brewers will take the field in the National League Division Series in Game 1 action against the San Diego Padres. While the Brewers led the league in wins for the second straight season, slugger Jake Bauers made it clear that the club feels like this year is different, as transcribed by Jack Stern of Brewer Fanatic.

"When I think back to last year, I think there was an element of maybe a little bit of lack of belief that we could do it, maybe a little bit too much doubt," Bauer said. "I think going into this postseason, there's a different feeling around the team. I think there's been a concerted effort to make sure everybody in the room knows what we're capable of, and that it doesn't require anybody to do something that they're not able to do."

The 2026 Brewers Are Different

Sep 1, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers (9) flips his bat after striking out swinging during the fourth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Arguably, Bauers is right. The fact that this team has now been together, for the most part, for a few years and has postseason experience under its belt is no small feat. If you look at the 2026 roster, most of the guys on the club were in town last year.

They not only have found success in the regular season, but have seen what it takes to win in the playoffs. That experience in itself is enough to change things for an organization.

The regular season and playoffs are two completely different animals. The Brewers have had regular season success for years at this point, but haven't been able to get over the hump and make it to the World Series. Arguably this season is Milwaukee's best opportunity. There are offensive pieces that are great, plus the Brewers' rotation is good enough to carry things. The rotation took a step forward in 2026, in large part because of the breakout of Jacob Misiorowski. The same can be said about Logan Henderson as well.

This team is different from last year. The experience is there and some of the young guys have taken big steps. The playoff run begins on Saturday and it should be a good one for Milwaukee.