Milwaukee Brewers: The all-time bracket

PHOENIX, AZ - MARCH 08: A fan with a haircut showing the Milwaukee Brewers logo follows the spring training baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds at Maryvale Baseball Park on March 8, 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - MARCH 08: A fan with a haircut showing the Milwaukee Brewers logo follows the spring training baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds at Maryvale Baseball Park on March 8, 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
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Teddy Higuera, star pitcher of the 1987 Brewers. (Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images)
Teddy Higuera, star pitcher of the 1987 Brewers. (Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images)

The Milwaukee Brewers present a lot of offensive-oriented teams, but only one World Series entrant.

The Milwaukee Brewers are an expansion franchise, having been created as the Seattle Pilots in 1969. The franchise was moved to Milwaukee one year later and shifted from the American to the National League in 1998.

That shift makes Milwaukee unique in one element; its existence has basically been split between both leagues. In fact, by 2028 the Brewers will be able to lay claim to having equal tenure in both leagues.

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The one thing the Brewers have not done a lot of is win. The franchise lays claim to no World Series titles and only one pennant, that coming in 1982.

Milwaukee’s franchise record is about 300 games below .500, a .481 lifetime winning percentage.

The Brewers have produced six post-season teams in their history, four of which are represented in our franchise bracket. The other four slots go to teams that did not qualify for post-season play largely due to more limited opportunities during their eras.

In fact under playoff rules in force since 2012, all four of those non-qualifiers would easily have qualified for post-season during their respective years. All four had better-winning percentages than the Brewer playoff teams that did not make this bracket.

The eight, in order of seeding, are the Brewers teams of 1982, 2011, 1979, 2018, 1978, 1981, 1992 and 1987.

Each matchup in the tournament is decided based on seven criteria. You can think of each as a ‘game,’ the winner of four games advancing. The seven criteria are:

  1. Game 1: Regular season winning percentage.
  2. Game 2: Post-season winning percentage
  3. Game 3: Team OPS+
  4. Game 4: Team ERA+
  5. Game 5 (if necessary): Team WAR
  6. Game 6 (if necessary): Defensive runs saved or, if unavailable, fielding percentage.
  7. Game 7 (if necessary): Hall of Famers or likely future Hall of Famers