By BK, Athletic Hitting Development
Complete Hitters Are Built… It’s Earned!
Key takeaways
- The 2026 Brewers won 103 games with only 154 home runs, then swept the Dodgers to reach their first World Series since 1982.
- Since Pat Murphy took over in 2024, Milwaukee leads MLB in wins, stolen bases, singles and opposite-field hits.
- Measurements should help build better hitters. They should never become the whole definition of a good hitter.
- Develop every weapon, then learn when to use it. That’s a complete hitter.
I LOVE THIS MILWAUKEE BREWERS TEAM. And the more I watch them, the more I appreciate what manager Pat Murphy is doing for the game of baseball.
The 2026 Brewers won 103 games and swept the Dodgers with only 154 home runs by pressuring defenses with speed, singles, opposite-field hits and smart at-bats. The lesson for young hitters: develop every weapon, power included, and learn when to use each one.
Train it: Complete Hitter Masterclass →I love line drives. I love putting pressure on defenses. I love stolen bases. I love a well-executed bunt when the situation calls for one. And I absolutely HATE watching hitters give away at-bats with noncompetitive strikeouts.
So when the 2026 Milwaukee Brewers swept the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers to reach their first World Series since 1982, I wasn’t just happy for Milwaukee. I was happy for baseball. Because the Brewers are showing something I’ve believed for decades: baseball is a game of skills, adjustments, intelligence, competitiveness and execution. Not just exit velocity and launch angle.
1. Pat Murphy Built a Baseball Team, Not a Collection of Metrics
In an excellent Sports Illustrated article, Tom Verducci explores how Pat Murphy has built a playing identity that goes against several modern offensive trends. The numbers are fascinating.
- 103 wins in the 2026 regular season.
- 154 home runs, the fewest of any pennant winner since the 2015 Royals.
- A four-game NLCS sweep of the Dodgers and the first World Series trip since 1982.
- Since Murphy took over in 2024: most wins, stolen bases, singles and opposite-field hits in MLB.
Think about that. While much of the sport has become fascinated with hitting the ball harder, higher and farther, Murphy has built a team that can beat you in a lot of ways.
And here’s what makes it especially interesting. The Brewers can still hit the ball out of the ballpark. They just don’t need to depend on it.
That’s a complete offense.
2026 BREWERS
MORE THANONE WAY.
- 103 wins, only 154 homers
- Swept the Dodgers in the NLCS
- Most steals and singles since 2024
- First World Series since 1982
A COMPLETE OFFENSE WINS.
2. The Lost Art of Being a Complete Hitter
We have an interesting problem in baseball development. We can measure more than ever before: bat speed, exit velocity, launch angle, attack angle, rotational acceleration, force production.
Those measurements can be incredibly valuable. At Athletic Hitting Development, we’re big believers in biomechanics, technology and objective feedback. But measurements should help us develop better hitters. They should never become the entire definition of a good hitter.
I want a hitter who can drive the baseball into the gaps, with the Mechanically Advantaged Angles (MAA) that let him do it on purpose. I also want that same hitter to adjust with two strikes, recognize spin, stay through an outside pitch, compete against a pitcher with better stuff, and understand when the situation demands something other than his biggest swing.
A hitter who can only succeed when everything is perfectly timed is not a complete hitter.
That’s what makes Milwaukee so refreshing.
3. Sometimes the Best Swing Is the One the Situation Demands
One of my favorite moments from Milwaukee’s run came in Game 4 against Los Angeles. Down 4–2 in the fifth, Sal Frelick walked, stole second and scored on a single by David Hamilton.
No spectacular exit velocity was required. No 450-foot home run. Just a hitter earning first base, a runner advancing and another hitter executing. That’s offensive baseball.
An inning later, Garrett Mitchell battled back from 0-and-2 and hit the pennant-winning home run. That’s offensive baseball, too.
The lesson is not that singles are better than home runs. The lesson is that the best teams have enough offensive weapons to win in different situations. I want hitters who can hit for power. I also want hitters who can recognize when a pitcher is exploiting their aggressiveness, make an adjustment and put the ball in play with authority. Give me a team full of hitters who can do both.
4. Bring Back the Baseball IQ
I don’t think we talk enough about baseball intelligence anymore. Too much instruction focuses on how the body moves without spending nearly enough time teaching the hitter what the game is asking him to do.
- What is the pitcher trying to accomplish?
- What pitch are you anticipating?
- Can you recognize the breaking ball early enough?
- Where is the defense playing?
- What does the count allow you to do?
- What does your team need right now?
Those are hitting skills. That’s why the AHD Hitting Processor is such an important part of our system: See It → Recognize It → Time It → Decide → Attack It. A beautiful swing doesn’t mean much if the hitter can’t recognize the pitch or make the right decision.
The Brewers aren’t abandoning modern hitting. They’re showing how much better it gets when you combine it with baseball intelligence.
5. Bunting and Baserunning Still Matter
Let me be clear. I’m not suggesting teams should bunt every runner over or give away outs. Outs are incredibly valuable. But the ability to bunt is still a useful offensive skill. So is reading a pitcher’s delivery, getting a good secondary lead, stealing a base and taking the extra 90 feet.
When those skills are missing, a coach has fewer options, and the defense has less to worry about. A player who can bunt, steal, run the bases intelligently, hit a line drive to either gap and drive a mistake out of the ballpark is a difficult player to defend.
Develop every weapon. Then learn when to use it.
6. The Four Pillars of a Complete Hitter
Milwaukee’s success is a great example of why Athletic Hitting Development is built around four pillars.
- The SwingMovement, sequence, bat path and adjustability. A swing that produces hard contact and adjusts to different speeds and locations.
- Strength & ExplosivenessForce, speed, power and athleticism. Power matters, and we develop it without giving up the other skills hitting requires.
- The Hitting ProcessorSee the ball, recognize the pitch, time it, decide and attack the right pitch. Trained daily.
- Mental ApproachConfidence, approach, focus and resilience. Compete through tough at-bats and keep believing when the game doesn’t go your way.
The four pillars work together. That’s what gives a hitter the biggest margin for error while still producing force and good bat-to-ball angles. And that’s what we should be developing in young athletes.
THELESSON.
- Hit the line drive
- Recognize the spin
- Bunt, run, compete
- Hit for power too
Complete Hitters Are Built…Earned.
7. The Biggest Lesson Might Be About Coaching
Pat Murphy has something that seems increasingly rare: a clear identity. His players understand how he wants them to compete. Running the bases, executing signs, putting pressure on the defense and competing every pitch are not optional details. They’re expectations.
Young athletes need that kind of clarity. They need coaches who teach them why things matter, instruction that goes beyond looking good in batting practice, and accountability that makes them better players, not just better performers in controlled training environments. That’s coaching.
8. My Message to Every Young Hitter
Don’t become a one-dimensional hitter. Don’t get so obsessed with your swing that you forget to learn the game.
- Learn to hit a line drive.
- Learn to recognize the breaking ball.
- Learn to adjust with two strikes.
- Learn to bunt and run the bases.
- Learn to hit for power.
- Learn to compete when you’re behind in the count, and to help your team win on days you don’t have your best swing.
None of these abilities have to come at the expense of the others. The goal isn’t a team of slap hitters. It isn’t a team of home-run-or-strikeout hitters, either. The goal is COMPLETE HITTERS: aggressive and athletic, with controlled violence and a plan. That’s the philosophy behind Athletic Hitting Development.
Congratulations to the Brewers. You’ve given baseball coaches, hitters and families something worth paying attention to. If you want to see where your hitter stands across all four pillars, start with the free SwingChecker™, then build it out with the Complete Hitter Masterclass. And if you missed it, here’s why I already loved this team: I Love This 2026 Milwaukee Brewers Team!
Want to go deeper? Read I Love This 2026 Milwaukee Brewers Team! and Drag Him Down With You.
Quick answers
How did the 2026 Brewers win with so few home runs?
They won 103 games with 154 home runs by pressuring defenses: stolen bases, singles, opposite-field hits and competitive at-bats. They can still hit the ball out. They just don’t depend on it.
What is a complete hitter?
A hitter who can drive the ball, recognize pitches, adjust with two strikes, bunt, run the bases and compete mentally. At AHD that means training all four pillars: the swing, strength and explosiveness, the Hitting Processor and the mental approach.
Should young hitters still learn to bunt?
Yes. Not to give away outs, but because bunting is a real offensive weapon. A hitter who can bunt, run and drive the ball gives the defense more to worry about and the coach more options.
Do exit velocity and launch angle still matter?
Yes. Measurements are valuable feedback. They should help build better hitters, not become the whole definition of a good hitter.
Sources: Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated: Pat Murphy and the 2026 Brewers
Don’t collect drills. Build a complete hitter.
Complete Hitters Are Built… It’s Earned!
