Heavy is the head that wears the crown, so just because the Milwaukee Brewers are the reigning World Series champions right now doesn't mean it'll be a walk in the park for them moving forward. That's what stood out immediately when the 2026 MLB Awards were announced, and we learned that four of the National League's top award winners were in the division this season.
Two of them, obviously, belonged to the Brewers: Jacob Misiorowski, unanimously winning the Cy Young Award at only 23 years old, and Pat Murphy, taking home his third straight NL Manager of the Year honor. Two others, however, were the unanimous NL MVP, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and NL Rookie of the Year, Sal Stewart of the Cincinnati Reds.
According to OptaStats, this is the first time in MLB history that a division has swept the MVP, Cy Young, and Rookie of the Year awards with all three winners being under the age of 25. It's a remarkable accomplishment for one of the most competitive groupings in the MLB, but it also speaks to an underlying concern for Milwaukee as they aim to extend their streak of four straight NL Central titles, which had never been done before in the division's history.
Milwaukee is the top dog to beat and will remain so for the foreseeable future, but that doesn't mean they'll be able to keep that up without a fight.
The Milwaukee Brewers have a target on their backs, and the NL Central will be hungry to take them down coming off a World Series run.
It's only right that everyone else in the NL Central, let alone the National League at large, will be hunting after the Brewers next season. After a decade of sleeping on Milwaukee and allowing them to slip through the cracks, this team has emerged as not just one of the best teams in the majors right now, but the 2026 team is tied with the 2022 Astros for the highest winning percentage of any World Series Champion in the 2020s so far.
For those in the NL Central, it's more personal than just chasing after the reigning champs. The Brewers went 35–17 in division matchups in 2026, including an 11-2 record against St. Louis, 9-4 against both the Cubs and Reds, and a surprising 6-7 against Pittsburgh. Furthermore, Milwaukee bounced Chicago from the playoffs last year, and we all know how deep that rivalry runs.
Furthermore, the NL Central had the highest winning percentage (52.6%) and win total (426) in the National League, and the second-highest in the MLB behind only the AL East. Ultimately, the Brewers were always going to be the team to beat next season, but the battle for the NL Central will have some extra heat behind it, so the Brew Crew better come prepared to defend their title. Otherwise, they could get caught lacking by some sprouting competition for supremacy over the Midwest.
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