In addition, the Brewers have routinely been amongst the bottom third of the MLB in payroll. Simply put, the Brewers have found a way to defy the odds and create a sustainable contender on an uneven playing field. But how did they do it?
This answer is a conglomerate of things with one common denominator, David Stearns. Stearns was named the 9th GM in club history back in 2015 at just 30 years old. The Harvard graduate had spent the previous three seasons with the Houston Astros as assistant GM where he focused on analytics, player development, and scouting.