Article: Bill Wegman Was a Rotational Anchor For a Decade

[reillymcshane]

In Milwaukee Brewer history, only five players have played for at least ten seasons and spent their entire career with the franchise. This includes Robin Yount, Ryan Braun, Jim Gantner, and Jerry Augustine. The fifth is starting pitcher Bill Wegman.

Image courtesy of Brewer Fanatic

Bill Wegman was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1962. The Brewers nabbed the tall (6’5”) right-hander out of high school in the 5th round of the 1981 amateur draft. Initially an infielder, Wegman took well to pitching as he quickly established himself in his second year, going 12-6 with a 2.81 ERA at Beloit. And the good times kept rolling for Wegman as he posted a career minor league ERA south of 3.00. 

With his success, Wegman received a three-game stint with the Brewers in 1985 at age 22 and then landed a spot in the Brewers rotation the following year.

Wegman struggled the first few years of his career, often victimized by the long ball, but he delivered much-needed innings to the Brewers - averaging over 200 IP from 1986-88. He missed much of the 1989 and 1990 seasons due to injury, but he returned to have two stellar seasons in 1991-92. 

He won 15 games and had a 2.84 ERA in 1991, followed by his best year in 1992, when he threw 261.2 innings (seventh best in team history) and produced a 3.20 ERA in 35 starts. 

Injuries, however, returned in 1993 and 1994, leading to diminishing results. In 1995, the team moved Wegman to the bullpen - but the results weren’t good. A free agent that off-season, Wegman elected to retire rather than try and catch on with another club. He was 32 years old.

Bill Wegman was not a strikeout pitcher. He succeeded by limiting walks and pitching to contact and his slider was his best pitch. He spent parts of 11 years in Milwaukee - the second longest tenure in team history for a pitcher (Jim Slaton holds the record - 12 years - although not consecutive). Despite the injuries, his longevity allowed him to put an imprint on Brewer records. 

Wegman’s 17.8 bWAR ranks fourth all-time, while his 81 wins are seventh. His 2.137 balls per 9 innings rank fifth overall, and his 1482.2 IP rank fourth. He started 216 games (5th all-time) and tossed 33 complete games (8th).

On the negative side, Wegman served up 187 HRs - second most in team history (behind Jim Slaton) and surrendered 1567 hits - fourth most. His 90 losses are also second most in team history - again, behind Slaton. For his career, Wegman ended up going 81-90.

Wegman was, unfortunately, plagued by injuries on and off for much of his career. He mixed several excellent years with numerous mediocre (or just bad) years. At his best, he was an above-average workhorse who helped the Brewers nearly make the playoffs in the early 90s. He is a member of the Brewers Wall of Honor.

A very religious man, after retiring, Wegman became a pastor in Cincinnati.

Please share your memories of former Milwaukee Brewer Bill Wegman.

View full article