Article: Lyle Overbay Impacted the Brewers Directly and Indirectly

[Cole McCormack]

Before Prince Fielder, there was Lyle Overbay: a first baseman that would help shape the Brewers organization for years to come.

Lyle Overbay was never an All-Star. He was never a silver slugger nor a gold glove player and he is far from being a Hall of Fame level player. Overbay was a journeyman first baseman, having played for a total of six teams over the course of 14 seasons. However, in his two stints with the Milwaukee Brewers, he was a menace both in the batter’s box and defensively at first. And the transactions in which he was involved impacted the team for years. 

Overbay was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 18th round of the 1999 MLB June Amateur Draft. He made his MLB debut in 2001 at the age of 24, where he played only two games with only one hit in two at-bats. He was part of the Diamondbacks postseason roster that eventually won the 2001 World Series over the New York Yankees. 

2003 would be an important year for Overbay, as he was slotted as Arizona’s everyday first baseman. That season he slashed .276/.365/.402 with an OPS of .767. His defensive numbers were very impressive, maintaining a strong fielding percentage of 97.7% and committing only two errors over the course of the entire season. 

During the offseason, Arizona made a blockbuster trade receiving two-time all-star Richie Sexson and pitching prospect Shane Nance, while Milwaukee received a total of six players from the Diamondbacks; Junior Spivey, Chris Capuano, Chad Moeller, Jorge De La Rosa, Craig Counsell, and Lyle Overbay.

In Milwaukee, Overbay had some big shoes to fill functioning as the de facto replacement for Sexson at first base. It is safe to say that he delivered.

2004 was a phenomenal year for Milwaukee’s new first baseman. He led the league in doubles with a total of 53, a career record for Overbay. He slashed .301/.385/.478, bashing 16 home runs and 87 RBIs. He also improved significantly from the previous season, lowering his strikeout percentage from 22.9% to 19.2%. 

However, defensively, Overbay performed quite poorly. He committed 11 errors, the third most for a first baseman that season. 

The following season was still strong for Overbay. Miller Park even hosted a bobblehead night that commemorated his 2004 Single Season Doubles Record. Regardless, 2005 was still a slight decline in production for the Brewers’ first baseman. He hit 19 less doubles than he did the previous season, slashing .276/.367/.449 with a .816 OPS. 

The 2005 season was a turning point for Milwaukee and Overbay. Prince Fielder made his MLB debut. He only played a total of 39 games, maintaining a batting average of .288 in that time frame. Fielder ultimately proved himself as the Brewers’ next everyday first baseman. 

In order to make way for Fielder, Overbay needed to go.

On December 7, 2005, Milwaukee dealt pitching prospect Ty Taubenheim and their everyday first baseman Lyle Overbay to Toronto. They received pitchers Dave Bush and Zach Jackson, as well as outfielder Gabe Gross.

Overbay continued to have a great career with the Blue Jays, with 2006 being a highlight season. He slashed .312/.372/.508 and hit a career high 22 home runs and 92 RBIs. Meanwhile, Fielder was absolutely dominating the league, hitting 28 home runs and placing seventh in rookie of the year voting. Both Fielder and Overbay would have entertaining careers with their respective teams.

Overbay eventually spent time as a Pirate, a Brave, a Red Sox, and a Yankee before rejoining the Brewers in 2014 for his final season in Major League Baseball. Manager Ron Roenicke cited Overbay’s fielding skills and his seniority and ability to mentor younger players as a reason for his spot on the roster as the everyday first baseman.

He played 121 games and slashed .233/.328/.333 with a .661 OPS. While not as impressive as his first stint in Milwaukee, it still proved that at the age of 37 he still had it in him to deliver. He also made his pitching debut that season on May 19th in a game against Atlanta during the 8th inning. He managed to get the final out of the inning and finished his pitching career with a 0.00 ERA. He retired by the end of the 2014 season.

Looking back on Overbay’s impact on the Brewers as an organization, it becomes clear that he was crucial to the team’s success after his first stint. Milwaukee absolutely won the 2003 offseason trade that brought the team Overbay. Richie Sexson ultimately proved to be a dud for the Diamondbacks after dislocating his shoulder twice during the 2004 season. He only played 23 games for Arizona before signing a 4-year / $50M contract with the Seattle Mariners during the next offseason. 

The total package of players the Brewers received generated a combined 15.5 WAR as opposed to Sexson’s 0.3 WAR for the 2004 season. 

It is safe to say that without Overbay, Milwaukee could have never gotten C.C. Sabathia from Cleveland in 2008. Pitcher Zach Jackson was a piece of the trade that got the pitcher at the deadline. Had the Brewers not traded Overbay, they would have been unable to add Jackson to the deal.

Granted, this is all speculation to a degree. What is not speculation is the clear impact Overbay had on younger players throughout his career. During his second stint with Arizona, he spent time mentoring Paul Goldschmidt. 

Lyle Overbay was definitely one of the most impactful Brewer players, you just may not have been aware of it.

 

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[Seth Stohs]

I enjoyed this article... and WOW, that's a pretty impressive return for Sexson! 

[Seth Stohs]

I enjoyed this article... and WOW, that's a pretty impressive return for Sexson!