The Milwaukee Brewers remain the best team in baseball by Bleacher Report's standards, but bigger tests remain.
As the 2026 Major League Baseball regular season nears its end, Bleacher Report has put out another iteration of its power rankings, and the Milwaukee Brewers remain atop the list.
For over a month, the Brewers have remained atop the outlet’s rankings. Milwaukee has not had the best stretch of games — going 2-3 over its last five — but Bleacher Report acknowledged that it was not enough to keep the club from the top.
It is not just power rankings that the Brewers lead, either. For some time now, they have been the best team in baseball. However, that lead is dwindling, and their most important games are still ahead.
Dodgers gaining ground
What was once a multi-game cushion for Milwaukee’s first-place standing has been trimmed to 1.5 games by the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are surging on a five-game winning streak.
Last season, the Brewers secured the best record in baseball, but ultimately fell short in the playoffs when they were swept by Los Angeles in the National League Championship Series. The goal for Milwaukee goes well beyond the results of the regular season, but the race between the two clubs, given their history with one another, is worth monitoring.
The Brewers have plenty of challenges left, and half of their remaining games will be played on the road, so maintaining the lead will be arduous.
Getting over the top
While Milwaukee's regular-season success is worthy of recognition, context is important. The Brewers are on track to win the National League Central Division for the fourth year in a row, but they have not claimed a pennant since 1982.
This season, in a way, is a “put up or shut up” year for Milwaukee. The organization has the makings of what can be a successful team in the future, but the parody of baseball makes things unpredictable. Plenty of teams have gotten to or claimed the mountaintop, only to become a shell of themselves after the fact.
Consistency is hard, and the Brewers cannot take it for granted. This season, with this version of the team, might be the best chance for them to capture the first World Series in franchise history.
However, the National League is a battlefield, and with the Dodgers trying to win a third-straight World Series title and other teams trying to stake their claim, Milwaukee is in for the ultimate test.
For now, the power ranking is nice, but it will mean nothing come October.
