List: Top 20 Brewers (Braves not included) of all time

[GenBuckTurgidson]

The Bucks have a promotion going right now for nominations to the "Top 20 Milwaukee Bucks" list.

 

Not sure if this has been done here recently...but that got me thinking about a similar list for the Brewers. Here my top 10...and a list of others. Have fun picking it apart!

 

1 Yount (HOFer & Brewer lifer)

2 Molitor (HOFer)

3 Slaton (Franchise wins leader)

4 Cooper (2nd best "hitter" from the glory years)

5 Gantner (3rd all time in games played)

6 Caldwell (2nd in wins)

7 Fingers (All though old by the time he got here... most dominating closer in franchise history)

8 Oglivie (Prolific hitter in the glory years and top 5 in AB's I believe)

9 Plesac (All time saves leader)

10 Higuera (Franchise SO Leader)

 

Others: Surhoff, Gorman, Cirillo, Moose Haas, Sheets, Jenkins, Bosio

 

What about the pups? Fielder, Hardy, etc.

[sheetswannabe]

I dont think Hardy makes it near the top 20...At least till he has about 3 seasons where he does great. I would imagine Fielder will be top 3 when said and done. Jenkins has gotta be on the list, probably around 15ish.

[MBHA]

Honorable mention:

Tommy Harper - 30/30 with a last place team.

George Scott - The first credible long ball threat who had several decent seasons with his bat and was a gold glover on defense.

George Bamberger - Brought a winning attitude from Baltimore, and had success (the first time around) on the field.

Ken Sanders - 30 saves when saves were multiple innings.

[adambr2]

I guess that depends on criteria -- best baseball players ever to play for the Brewers? Or are we only using what they did when they were with the Brewers to judge them?

 

Hank Aaron was probably the best player of all-time who was a Brewer, but he was only a Brewer the last two years of his career, and he didn't have much left at that point. Most of his accomplishments were with the Braves.

[zingsheim]

I'd have to put Gorman in the top 10 for sure.

[brwrsfan]

In my opinion, Jim Gantner shouldn't be on any "top ten" lists. Aside from being a Brewer for an extraordinary long time, I just don't see what other qualifications he has. He was a solid defender, sure, but at best an average hitter.

[Brewguru2]

In my opinion, Jim Gantner shouldn't be on any "top ten" lists. Aside from being a Brewer for an extraordinary long time, I just don't see what other qualifications he has. He was a solid defender, sure, but at best an average hitter.

 

Excellent post. I agree 100% but don't even think he was that good a defender. His most famous move was the diving play to his left with the flip to first for the out, but most other second basemen in franchise history (Vina, Weeks, Young, Spivey among them) would make that play standing up.

[Robideaux]

This is my top 20--though I'm sure I probably left somebody off. I generally went with career value with the Brewers (as opposed to 1 o 2 big seasons--Vuchovich, Sutton, etc.), though I didn't include the Wegman's and Haas' of the world who were simply ok for a long time. I thought about leaving Gantner off because of his mediocrity. but I couldn't because of his longevity. I didn't really rank them all per se, but I did try to seperate them into tiers (but to be honest I didn't spend much time on this and there are a few guys in tier 3 who could easily be in tier 2). I left off Fielder, but if he retired tommorow because of some crazy situation, I'd probably bump somebody like Nilsson for him.

 

Yount

Molitor

-------

Cooper

Higuera

Sheets

Jenkins

------

Sexson

Cirillo

Oglivie

Fingers

Thomas

Simmons

Scott

Money

Caldwell

Plesac

Burnitz

Bosio

Gantner

Nilsson

[logan82]

Hank Aaron did play for the Brewers at the end of his career so I don't see how he can be left off.

[berniebrewer4life]

Hank Aaron did play for the Brewers at the end of his career so I don't see how he can be left off.

Because in his time as a Brewer he was not a great player. His best season he hit .234 as a brewer.

[docduany]

Here are my criteria: I went with all bats and no arms, just easier to compare apples to apples None of the current bunch of studs. I imagine that Prince, Rickie, and Corey will be on this list someday with Braun and Billy have a good shot as well.

 

1.Paul Leo Molitor-- God's gift to Baseball & Milwaukee

2.Robin Yount

3.Cecil Cooper

4.Richie Sexson

5.Jeff Cirillo

6.George "Boomer" Scott

7.Ben Oglivie

8.Tommy Harper

9.Gorman Thomas

10.Geoff Jenkins

11.Ted Simmons

12.Greg Vaughn

13.Rob Deer

14.Jeromy Burnitz

15.Dave "Ross River fever" Nilsson

16.Don Money

17.Charlie Moore

18.B.J. Surhoff

19.Sixto Lezcano

20. Jim Gantner

[AdvantageSchneider]

Bill James in his historical abstract has Jim Gantner as the 63rd best secondbaseman of all time, better than Harold Reynolds,

 

Gantner was a dang fine secondbaseman especially with the glove, and worthy of being in the top 10 on his accomplishments, not just because he played a ton of games for the brewers.

[sbrylski]

1. Robin Yount

2. Paul Molitor

3. Teddy Higuera

4. Cecil Cooper

5. Ben Sheets

t6. Mike Caldwell

t6. Jim Slaton

t6. Ben Oglivie

t6. Sixto Lezcano

t6. Ted Simmons

t6. Gorman Thomas

t6. George Scott

t6. Dan Plesac

t14. Jim Gantner

t14. Geoff Jenkins

t14. Jeff Cirillo

t14. Rollie Fingers

t14. Don Money

t14. Moose Haas

t14. John Briggs

 

I've got my top five, then grouped them. Any order within those groups is very easily defended.