The Milwaukee Brewers are just two days away from their home opener against the Chicago White Sox to kick off the 2026 season, and veteran outfielder Christian Yelich made a blunt point about doubters of the team.

“I think a lot of people have been really waiting for the day that we suck,” Yelich told the media. “They can finally say, ‘I told you so.’ But we'll hopefully be able to fend that off again in another year and go from there. It's a collective group effort mentality and buying in for each other, I think is really what helps.”

Critics of the Brewers have not been able to make that claim yet as Milwaukee has won its division four out of the last five years and is coming off a franchise-best 97-win season and a trip to the National League Championship Series.

However, Yelich is well-acquainted with doubts coming from the outside. Yelich theorized why it might happen, but he does not have a clear answer.

“I don't know if we have the household names or that we trade guys usually every offseason or say that we can't overcome this loss or that loss, or you lose a manager, you lose a starting pitcher, a closer,” he said.

“People think what we do every year is a fluke," Yelich said. "I don't know, you'd have to ask them, but we're not really too concerned with that. Whether they say you're gonna be great, or they say you're gonna be bad, doesn't really matter. You kind of just block out that noise.”

Traditionally, the Brewers have operated within the constraints of being a small-market franchise. They have never chased marquee free agents or given out large contracts. More often than not, they trade away players that are close to landing maximum deals as demonstrated by the choice to move off Freddy Peralta in January.

However, Milwaukee remains competitive and in the playoff picture despite its frugality.

“I think just having the right guys that are able to compete the right way,” Yelich said when asked what is key to outperforming expectations. “Attention to detail, executing, playing good winning baseball. 

“I think you can make up a lot of ground and win a lot on the margins and win a lot of games," Yelich said. "Just being able to execute playing clean baseball. Having guys that are able to compete the right way as in a team aspect. Just trying to do things that lead to winning games. And over the course of a season, it really adds up.”

Now that the Brewers have accrued several years of being among the teams that play in October, Yelich said that expectation within the organization is not changing.

“Yeah, of course,” he said. “I mean, we've become accustomed to winning and being a postseason team, being a team that's competed for the division. So it's definitely not changing this year. 

“That's always the first goal of the season is to win your division and get in the postseason and then you kind of go from there.”

For the Brewers to overcome the adversity of organizational losses, it takes everyone to contribute.

“I think it's just a collective effort,” Yelich said. “It takes a lot of people to do a lot of things to win. It's more than just one person. Obviously having great players helps, but it's a collective group effort.”

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