Pat Murphy's Brewers 'Built To Win' Despite Lack Of Power

The Milwaukee Brewers surprisingly have one of the best offenses in baseball, despite hitting the fewest home runs.

Aug 16, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy (00) during a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jon Endow-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Milwaukee Brewers are on pace to break their franchise record of 97 wins, just one season after setting that record.

Milwaukee has been the best team in baseball, with the league's top record for the second straight season. The Brewers' pitching staff boasts a 3.50 ERA, ranking second-best in baseball, but the offense's performance has been far more surprising.

Entering Saturday, the Brewers' offense has scored 716 runs, the third-most in the league, yet they rank dead last with only 132 home runs. Though Milwaukee's offense lacks power, it ranks second in on-base percentage (.339) and walks (584) and is tied for second in batting average (.257).

Milwaukee continues to find ways to win

Aug 31, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy (00) in the dugout before the game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jake Bauers and Jackson Chourio are the only Brewers players with 20 or more home runs, and though some believe the team's lack of power is a cause for concern, manager Pat Murphy is confident his team is built to win.

“We’re choosing hard,” Murphy said on Saturday, per MLB.com's Jeff Wallner. “We’re certainly trying to hit home runs. We're not cutting our swing down to create ground balls. We're still putting our best foot forward when the pitch is thrown that we can homer on. We're trying to just do everything we can to keep our focus on the right things, and that's winning baseball.

“"It makes no sense to me that someone would say, ‘Well, they're built for the regular season.' Think about what you're really saying. They're built to win games. What's the difference? Maybe we win the most games in baseball, like we did last year. [If] that doesn't translate to the World Series championship, what can we do to change it? Just start saying, ‘Go ahead and just try to hit homers?' The teams that hit homers, they're not doing that.”

Murphy is right in saying the Brewers are built to win games, but that doesn't mean they aren't making it hard for themselves. It definitely takes a lot more effort to manufacture runs the way Milwaukee has this season without hitting home runs, which is slightly concerning for the postseason. The Brewers have been extremely efficient, but while facing the best pitchers throughout the playoffs, being able to change a game with a single swing is a valuable asset.

Even without hitting many home runs, Milwaukee has been dominant this season and should be considered one of the biggest contenders to win it all.