The Milwaukee Brewers play in the smallest market in Major League Baseball.
Yet that does not stop owner Mark Attanasio and President of Baseball Operations Matt Arnold from assembling a strong team every year.
The Brewers are on a 12-game winning streak and, barring a monumental collapse, will reach the postseason. It would be the seventh time in the last eight seasons that the Brewers are in the playoffs.
The Pirates, meanwhile, haven’t been to the postseason since 2015 and haven’t won a playoff series since 1979, when they beat the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series. I know most Pirates’ fans have those facts committed to memory, but you can’t tell the ineptitude of the franchise without mentioning them.
The gulf between the National League Central-leading Brewers and last-place Pirates was never more evident than in the last three days when they met in Milwaukee. The Brewers swept the series and outscored the Pirates 33-6 at American Family Field.
So, how do the Brewers continue to win while the Pirates keep losing?
One big reason is ownership.
I have had the opportunity to talk with Attanasio multiple times. What strikes me the most about Attanasio is his desire to win and willingness to spend on player payroll.
I haven’t had the opportunity to ask Pirates owner Bob Nutting a question since 2019. What struck then was his lack of baseball knowledge. I realize six years have passed, but his public statements in the interim have not changed my thoughts.
I also had the opportunity to speak with Arnold during the early days of spring training this year.
Arnold and Ben Cherington were the finalists for the Pirates’ general manager position in 2019. Nutting chose Cherington, and the Pirates have since gone 345-485 while they stumble through the sixth year of a never-ending rebuild.
“There are different ways to slice the onion,” Arnold said of the Brewers’ success. “We have to continue to be relentless about pursuing competitive advantages when the league is chasing us. I think all the teams in our division are getting better. That puts more pressure on us to pursue those competitive advantages. We’ll continue to do everything we can to stay ahead of the competition.”
The Brewers have an analytics department and rely on those analysts to help with player evaluation and game strategy. However, Arnold is not beholden to the numbers, unlike Cherington.
The Brewers also rely on the human touch. Murphy was promoted from bench coach two years ago when Craig Counsell left for the division rival Cubs, securing the largest managerial contract in baseball history.
Arnold and Murphy talk like regular people. Nutting and Cherington spout public relations talking points.
Murphy’s record is 169-113, including 76-44 this season, the best record in MLB. Murphy’s background as a college coach helps him relate to and develop young players, despite being 66. While he can come across as everyone’s favorite uncle, he has the old-school sensibilities of benching players when they don’t respect the game.
“Murph and the coaches do a tremendous job unlocking the best out of all the young guys,” Arnold said.
The Pirates don’t unlock that potential. Few of their players ever improve appreciably once they reach the major leagues.
The Brewers believe in accountability, which is something missing from the Pirates. When the going gets bad in Pittsburgh, Nutting, team president Travis Williams, and Cherington can rarely be found.
“The big thing is we have a great group of people in the organization,” Arnold said. “We have a great culture that has shifted the expectations in a way that I’m certainly proud of. I love our group and it’s a great place to work.”
It’s a winning culture, something the Pirates have no idea how to build.