Bernie Brewer coming down a slide after home runs and the late, great Bob Uecker narrating games. That duo alone deserves a toast.
But the Milwaukee Brewers have seen plenty of top players rise to the top over the years, even without a World Series title yet. And it’s still worth raising your stein for the best usage of team initials in a logo, period.
Manager: Craig Counsell
Counsell, who was an infielder for the Brewers for six seasons, became Milwaukee’s manager during the 2015 season, and the franchise became one of the most consistent teams in the sport in the coming years. Across Counsell’s eight-plus seasons in the dugout (2015-23), the Brewers went a combined 707-625, highlighted by an appearance in the 2018 National League Championship Series, three 90-plus-win seasons and three NL Central division titles. Counsell’s 707 managerial wins are first in Brewers history, and his 53.1% winning percentage ranks fourth.
(Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Starting pitcher: Ben Sheets
Sheets spent the bulk of his career with the Brewers (2001-08) and was one of the most electric starting pitchers in the sport. An All-Star in four of his eight seasons in Milwaukee, Sheets went deep into games, kept runners off the basepaths and was Milwaukee’s ace. Sheets averaged a 3.24 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 157 strikeouts over 26 starts per season from 2004-08, including an NL-high three complete-game shutouts in 2008. Sheets is second in Brewers history among pitchers with both 1,206 strikeouts and a 25.6 WAR, fifth with 1,428.0 innings pitched, sixth with 86 wins and ninth with a 3.72 ERA.
(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
When Hader enters the game, get ready to face a fierce fastball. The southpaw spent the first five-plus seasons of his career with the Brewers (2017-22), with whom he was a four-time All-Star and one of the elite relievers in baseball. Hader’s physically menacing pitching delivery and four-seamer allow him to record strikeouts at an elite rate and make him one of the most difficult relievers to make contact off. The southpaw is second in Brewers history with 125 saves, posted a 2.48 ERA with the franchise and recorded 541 strikeouts over 316.1 innings pitched.
(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Milwaukee had one of the elite catchers in baseball from 2010-16. Already a steady presence behind the plate, Lucroy was one of the sport’s most prolific hitting catchers, as he hit for both contact and slug and drove in a plausible number of baserunners. In 2014, Lucroy hit an MLB- and franchise-high 53 doubles, a season highlighted by the catcher finishing fourth in NL MVP voting. Lucroy, a two-time All-Star in Milwaukee who posted a combined 77 DRS at catcher, is tied for 10th in Brewers history with a .284 batting average.
(Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
1B: Cecil Cooper
Cooper arrived in Milwaukee for the 1977 season and proceeded to become one of the most feared hitters in baseball. The skinny, (165 pounds) yet powerful, left-handed hitter posted a combined .316/.354/.504 slash line from 1977-83 and led the NL in both RBIs and doubles twice apiece. Over his 11-year stint with the Brewers, Cooper earned five All-Star nods, three Silver Slugger awards and two Gold Gloves. Cooper is third with both a .302 batting average and 944 RBIs, fourth with 1,815 hits, 821 runs scored, 2,829 total bases and a 30.7 WAR, sixth with 201 home runs and ninth with a .470 slugging percentage.
(Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
2B: Rickie Weeks
Weeks was Milwaukee’s primary second baseman for the better part of his stint with the franchise (2003 and 2005-14). While holding down the middle-infield position, Weeks gradually became a power presence in the batter’s box, averaging 23 home runs per season from 2010-12 and earning an All-Star nod in 2011. Weeks is sixth in Brewers history with 684 runs scored, tied for seventh with a 24.6 offensive WAR, is eighth with 126 stolen bases and 10th with 1,720 total bases.
(Photo by Rob Tringali/SportsChrome/Getty Images)
3B: Paul Molitor
The bulk of Molitor’s Hall of Fame career took place in Milwaukee (1978-92), where he earned five of his seven All-Star nods and two of his four Silver Slugger awards. Molitor got on base via contact hitting and raw speed, wreaked havoc when he got on the basepaths and had power which commanded a deal of respect. He led the NL in hits, triples and doubles once apiece, while posting a pair of 200-plus-hit seasons in a Brewers uniform. Molitor is first in Brewers history with 412 stolen bases, second with 2,281 hits, a .303 batting average, 1,275 runs scored and a 59.9 WAR, third with 3,338 total bases, fourth with 790 RBIs and tied for fifth with a .367 on-base percentage.
(Photo by Ron Vesely/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
SS: Robin Yount
Yount spent his entire MLB career with the Brewers (1974-93) and was one of the game’s best players in his respective era. A two-time NL MVP, three-time Silver Slugger and All-Star and one-time Gold Glover, Yount began his career as a steady, contact hitter, and then the power came into form in the 1980s. He was a balanced hitter who put the ball in play, hit for slug later on in his career and was later moved to the outfield. Yount is first in Brewers history with 3,142 hits, 1,406 RBIs, 4,730 total bases, 1,632 runs scored and a 77.4 WAR, second with both 251 home runs and 271 stolen bases and ninth with a .285 batting average. Furthermore, he was a career .344 postseason hitter.
(Photo by Ron Vesely/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
OF: Greg Vaughn
Vaughn spent the first seven-plus seasons of his career in Milwaukee (1989-96) which is where he first developed into a star. A two-time All-Star with the Brewers, Vaughn was a consistent source of power for the franchise and a staple as their primary left fielder. During his stay in Milwaukee, Vaughn posted a combined .459 slugging percentage and 111 OPS+. Vaughn is eighth in Brewers history with 169 home runs and 10th with 566 RBIs.
(Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images)
At his peak, Braun was one of the elite players of his generation. He had overwhelming power, was an extra-base hitting machine, led MLB with a .634 slugging percentage in his 2007 rookie campaign and was the 2011 NL MVP Award winner. Over the first six years of his big-league career (2007-12), Braun averaged 34 home runs and 107 RBIs per season, while posting a .313/.374/.568 slash line. Braun, who came up as a third baseman but was moved to left field in his second season, spent his entire career with the Brewers (2007-20), earning five Silver Slugger awards and six All-Star nods. He was also a career .330 postseason hitter. Braun is first in Brewers history with 352 home runs, second with 1,154 RBIs and 3,525 total bases, third with 1,963 hits, 216 stolen bases, a .532 slugging percentage, 1,080 runs scored and a 47.2 WAR and fifth with a .296 batting average.
(Photo by Darren Hauck/Getty Images)
The Brewers acquired Yelich from the Miami Marlins during the 2017-18 MLB offseason, and an already great player had a case for being the best in the sport over his first two seasons in Milwaukee. In those first two seasons (2018-19), Yelich averaged 40 home runs and 104 RBIs in 139 games per season, while posting a .327/.415/.631 slash line, winning back-to-back NL batting titles and the 2018 NL MVP Award, while finishing as the runner-up for the award in 2019. When healthy (Yelich suffered a fractured kneecap in 2019 and had a season-ending back injury in 2024), the towering, left-handed hitter has slugged at a high rate, drove the ball to all fields with his long, loping swing and played both corner outfielder positions on an extended basis. Yelich, who has earned three All-Star nods, two Silver Slugger awards and is still active for the Brewers, is third in franchise history with a .380 on-base percentage, fifth with 145 stolen bases, seventh with both a .490 slugging percentage and a 26.1 WAR, eighth with 620 runs scored and 10th with 162 home runs.
(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
DH: Prince Fielder
Pitchers paid dearly for throwing a pitch to Fielder that was in his wheelhouse. Fielder, who spent the first seven seasons of his career in Milwaukee (2005-11), was as dangerous as any player in the game in his time with the Brewers. The left-handed hitter unleashed pain on pitches of all kinds, possessing dynamite power. An All-Star in three seasons with the Brewers, Fielder led the NL with 50 home runs in 2007, 141 RBIs in 2009 and averaged 38 home runs per season from 2006-11. Fielder is first in Brewers history with a .390 on-base percentage and a .540 slugging percentage, third with 230 home runs, seventh with 656 RBIs, tied for seventh with a 24.6 offensive WAR, is eighth with 1,904 total bases and 10th with 571 runs scored.
(Photo by John Biever /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (Set Number: X86508 TK1 R9 F23 )
Honorable Mentions:
- George Bamberger (manager)
- Harvey Kuenn (manager)
- Yovani Gallardo (starting pitcher)
- Chris Bosio (starting pitcher)
- Teddy Higuera (starting pitcher)
- Mike Caldwell (starting pitcher)
- Dan Plesac (reliever/closer)
- Rollie Fingers (reliever/closer)
- Ted Simmons (catcher)
- Jim Gantner (1B/2B)
- Jeff Cirillo (3B)
- J.J. Hardy (SS)
- Jose Valentin (SS)
- Gorman Thomas (OF)
- Carlos Gomez (OF)
- Ben Oglivie (OF)
- Sixto Lezcano (OF)
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