Article: Brewer Drafts From the Past: Round 1

[Caswell]

The best Brewer of all time was drafted in the first round. There have been quite a few other greats, including one which they couldn't sign who would be a workhorse until injuries took over. 

It has been a long journey, and after looking through thousands of players’ stats, we have come to the conclusion of Brewers Drafts from the Past. This Sunday, July 17th is the first day of the MLB amateur draft this year, and there are so many young stars in the making, but we had to look at the history a bit first. The Brewers drafted two Hall of Famers so far in the first round, so it is always exciting to see what they can come up with for the future!

Before checking out this finale, be sure to catch up in all the other editions. We started last week, going over round 31 or later and have since gone through every round in between. Rounds 21-30 was when a couple divisional rivals slipped through the cracks, and rounds 16-20 had a true runaway candidate before round 11-15 had one that was too close to call. Rounds 6-10 returned to a blowout, but things got real interesting once again in rounds 2-5.

Best Player Who Signed
It isn’t possible for me to choose between the only two Hall of Famers whose primary team was the Milwaukee Brewers (yes Henry Aaron went in as a player in a Milwaukee franchise, but it was the Braves organization). Robin Yount or Paul Molitor both are deserving of being the best player drafted in the first round, and ever to play for the Brewers thus far. Each were drafted third overall in their respective draft year, Yount in 1973 and Molitor in 1977. Helping to lead the Brewers to a 1982 World Series berth, losing to the Saint Louis Cardinals in seven games, Yount’s number 19 and Molitor’s number 4 will never be worn by another Brewer.

Robin Yount made his debut with Milwaukee just a year after he was drafted, on April 5th, 1974 in County Stadium against the Red Sox. He went 0 for 1 with a walk on opening day that year. The 20-year MLB Veteran made just three All-Star games (1980, 1982, 1983) yet would be named the MVP in 1982 and 1989. Primarily playing as shortstop early before switching to the outfield due to a shoulder injury, Yount was a Silver Slugger three times (1980, 1982, 1989) as well as getting a Gold Glove in 1982.

He earned 77.4 WAR and hit 0.285 over his entire career, retiring after the 1993 season. Yount hit 251 home runs, had 1406 RBI and drew a walk 966 times. His career OPS is 0.772 and has over 3,000 hits, one of 33 players all time to achieve this.

Paul Molitor was able to make his debut early in the 1978 season due to contract issues with the aforementioned Yount. His first game was in Milwaukee on April 7th against the Baltimore Orioles, where he batted leadoff, going 1 for 5 with an RBI. Molitor moved to second base upon Yount’s return, where he played for a while before a couple seasons in the outfield. He was named the rookie of the year in that 1978 season.

Molitor is most known for his time at third base, though he would only make two appearances at the hot corner after 1989, thereafter being deployed at first base or designated hitter. Molitor spent his first 15 seasons with Milwaukee, moving north to the Toronto Blue Jays in 1993, winning the World Series that year over the Philadelphia Phillies and being named the series’ MVP. This was his first postseason since his appearance with Milwaukee in 1982. After three seasons with Toronto, the Saint Paul, Minnesota born player went back to his hometown Minnesota Twins, spending three more seasons there before retiring after the 1998 season.

He was an All-Star seven times, five of those in Milwaukee, and was a silver slugger four times, half with the Brewers, and had a career batting average of 0.306. He belted 234 home runs, had 1307 RBIs and stole an incredible 504 bags, earning 75.6 WAR.

Best Unsigned Player
Unlike the longevity of the careers of Yount or Molitor, the best player drafted by the Brewers in the first round who did not sign retired by the time he was 30 years old . Alex Fernandez, a right-handed pitcher, was originally drafted by the Brewers with the 24th overall pick in the 1988 draft. He opted not to sign, and was later drafted once again in the first round, this time with the fourth overall pick in the 1990 draft by the Chicago White Sox.

He made his debut with Chicago in Milwaukee that year on August 2nd. He pitched seven strong, only allowing two runs off five hits with two walks and four strikeouts and was in line for the win before a blown save by a reliever, though the the White Sox won the game. 

Fernandez spent his first seven years on the South Side of Chicago, spending his last three with the Florida Marlins and was part of their 1997 World Series triumph. He missed the entire 1998 season after missing the World Series in 1997 due to injury, though was able to play in the other postseason games. His ten-year career was cut short due to these injuries, primarily in the shoulder, after the 2000 season.

He started in 261 of the 263 games he pitched in and owned a 3.74 ERA with a 107-87 record. Playing in a different era of the sport, Fernandez had 33 complete games while maintaining a 115 ERA+. He earned 28.5 WAR, which would surely be higher had he been able to play longer.

Honorable Mentions
The Milwaukee Brewers have selected some really good players in the first round over the years, with picks such as Geoff Jenkins 9th overall in 1995, Ben Sheets 10th overall in 1999, Prince Fielder 7th in 2002, or Ryan Braun with the 5th overall pick in 2005. Going further back, there was Gorman Thomas in 1969, Darrell Porter in 1970, Dan Plesac in 1983, or B.J. Surhoff in 1985 all drafted in the first round. Even more recently, Sal Frelick in 2021, Garrett Mitchell in 2020, and Brice Turang in 2018 all look to have the capability to become stars. There is one, though, who is a step above all others, but not quite the level of Yount or Molitor. 

Gary Sheffield was drafted by the Brewers sixth overall in 1986, and appeared in 1988 at the age of 19 on September 3rd against the Detroit Tigers. With some major personality differences, Sheffield effectively forced a move away from Milwaukee in 1992 after four seasons with the team. His next two years resulted in back to back All-Star appearances, two of the nine times he was named to the game in his 22-year career, as the move out of Wisconsin was likely best for his career. He played with eight total teams and batted 0.292 with an OBP of 0.393 while hitting 509 home runs and having 1676 RBIs. He earned 60.5 WAR and retired before the 2011 season. His legacy is quite sullied due to some off-the-field issues and inclusion in the Mitchell Report (source).

 

And that is a wrap this time! Do you agree with all my rankings or what would you change? I think it is safe to say this time out is pretty set, but would definitely understand arguments to get ahead of Sheffield. Thank you so much for reading and following along! If you missed any of the other rounds, be sure to check them out. I can’t wait to see who the Brewers choose this time!

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