How Will David Stearns' Time in Milwaukee Be Remembered?

8 hours ago, sveumrules said:

1978-83 | 518-400 | .564 | (Molitor Yount Glory Years)

 

Cecil Cooper had a higher WAR from 1978-83 than Molitor. I would at least include his name in your definition of that "era." Coop and Yount were the heart and soul of those teams. While Molitor was a cocaine playboy.*

*Molitor did, however, clean himself up later in his career and became the Hall of Famer we remember today.

8 hours ago, sveumrules said:

1978-83 | 518-400 | .564 | (Molitor Yount Glory Years)

 

Cecil Cooper had a higher WAR from 1978-83 than Molitor. I would at least include his name in your definition of that "era." Coop and Yount were the heart and soul of those teams. While Molitor was a cocaine playboy.*

*Molitor did, however, clean himself up later in his career and became the Hall of Famer we remember today.

9 hours ago, Axman59 said:

Cecil Cooper had a higher WAR from 1978-83 than Molitor. I would at least include his name in your definition of that "era." Coop and Yount were the heart and soul of those teams. While Molitor was a cocaine playboy.*

 

*Molitor did, however, clean himself up later in his career and became the Hall of Famer we remember today.

Seems like a tacky thing to bring up now...and I'm not sure I understand what a "cocaine playboy," means exactly.

Cocaine was widespread in the 1970s and 1980s and used by...MANY players...seems like a strange issue to bring up in 2022. 

Point is that's regarded by MOST fans are the era with the Brewers only two home grown HOFers who were the best and the 2nd best players on the Brewers lone World Series team and he started his career as a 21 year old in 1978 and through this period, he had a 23.9 WAR. Yeah. Cooper was great as well. I don't think anyone said otherwise...but I'd be willing to be the vast majority of Brewers fans remember that as the Yount/Molitor Brewers.

9 hours ago, Axman59 said:

Cecil Cooper had a higher WAR from 1978-83 than Molitor. I would at least include his name in your definition of that "era." Coop and Yount were the heart and soul of those teams. While Molitor was a cocaine playboy.*

 

*Molitor did, however, clean himself up later in his career and became the Hall of Famer we remember today.

Seems like a tacky thing to bring up now...and I'm not sure I understand what a "cocaine playboy," means exactly.

Cocaine was widespread in the 1970s and 1980s and used by...MANY players...seems like a strange issue to bring up in 2022. 

Point is that's regarded by MOST fans are the era with the Brewers only two home grown HOFers who were the best and the 2nd best players on the Brewers lone World Series team and he started his career as a 21 year old in 1978 and through this period, he had a 23.9 WAR. Yeah. Cooper was great as well. I don't think anyone said otherwise...but I'd be willing to be the vast majority of Brewers fans remember that as the Yount/Molitor Brewers.

48 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

It's kind of amazing how the script flipped with this team. For pretty much my entire life, barring a few isolated seasons/eras, Milwaukee baseball has been bat-first, pitching-second... and a lot of the time, it was bat-first, bat-second, bat-third, pitching... well, maybe.

I think one of the main points to remember is that...Stearns is leaving his position as POBO, but he leaves this team well stocked and we'll be reaping the benefits...hopefully of Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, Jeferson Quero...hopefully Gasser and Ruiz and so on and so on will be coming up over the next 3-4 years. So hopefully he'll have left us with the foundation of a young core of offensive players. 

But this is definitely the most important aspect. We've spent YEARS trying to develop just one stud. We had a guy here or there having various levels of success over the last 30-some years from Cal Eldred's incredible run in 1992 to Ben Sheets having a couple of great years, Yo was a really good, solid, reliable pitcher for a long time...but to develop Burnes, Woodruff, Hader, Williams, to get the most out Chacin, to kinda re-ignite Wade Miley's career, Corey Knebel...I'm still not sure what this pitching school consists of exactly. I know the analytics have played a significant role in it...helping pitchers figure out which pitchers to throw more and which to scrap, whatever it was, it's turned the Brewers into one of the best teams at developing pitching...and he again, he leaves us in pretty good shape with Burnes, Woodruff, Peralta, Lauer, Ashby, Houser in our rotation with Gasser and Small expected to contribute.

48 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

It's kind of amazing how the script flipped with this team. For pretty much my entire life, barring a few isolated seasons/eras, Milwaukee baseball has been bat-first, pitching-second... and a lot of the time, it was bat-first, bat-second, bat-third, pitching... well, maybe.

I think one of the main points to remember is that...Stearns is leaving his position as POBO, but he leaves this team well stocked and we'll be reaping the benefits...hopefully of Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, Jeferson Quero...hopefully Gasser and Ruiz and so on and so on will be coming up over the next 3-4 years. So hopefully he'll have left us with the foundation of a young core of offensive players. 

But this is definitely the most important aspect. We've spent YEARS trying to develop just one stud. We had a guy here or there having various levels of success over the last 30-some years from Cal Eldred's incredible run in 1992 to Ben Sheets having a couple of great years, Yo was a really good, solid, reliable pitcher for a long time...but to develop Burnes, Woodruff, Hader, Williams, to get the most out Chacin, to kinda re-ignite Wade Miley's career, Corey Knebel...I'm still not sure what this pitching school consists of exactly. I know the analytics have played a significant role in it...helping pitchers figure out which pitchers to throw more and which to scrap, whatever it was, it's turned the Brewers into one of the best teams at developing pitching...and he again, he leaves us in pretty good shape with Burnes, Woodruff, Peralta, Lauer, Ashby, Houser in our rotation with Gasser and Small expected to contribute.

5 hours ago, UpandIn said:

I think one of the main points to remember is that...Stearns is leaving his position as POBO, but he leaves this team well stocked and we'll be reaping the benefits...hopefully of Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, Jeferson Quero...hopefully Gasser and Ruiz and so on and so on will be coming up over the next 3-4 years. So hopefully he'll have left us with the foundation of a young core of offensive players. 

But this is definitely the most important aspect. We've spent YEARS trying to develop just one stud. We had a guy here or there having various levels of success over the last 30-some years from Cal Eldred's incredible run in 1992 to Ben Sheets having a couple of great years, Yo was a really good, solid, reliable pitcher for a long time...but to develop Burnes, Woodruff, Hader, Williams, to get the most out Chacin, to kinda re-ignite Wade Miley's career, Corey Knebel...I'm still not sure what this pitching school consists of exactly. I know the analytics have played a significant role in it...helping pitchers figure out which pitchers to throw more and which to scrap, whatever it was, it's turned the Brewers into one of the best teams at developing pitching...and he again, he leaves us in pretty good shape with Burnes, Woodruff, Peralta, Lauer, Ashby, Houser in our rotation with Gasser and Small expected to contribute.

 

 

It was Doug Melvin who originally acquired Corey Knebel in '15, Brandon Woodruff in '14 and Devin Williams in '13, Hader and Houser in '15. In fact, Knebel and Houser already had major league experience before Stearns got to Milwaukee... so depending on your definition of "development" sure. 

Stearns was a capable GM, made some good moves could with some really good luck, and made some boneheaded moves. For every pitcher "developed" there was a hitting prospect who flamed out. So it goes. 

5 hours ago, UpandIn said:

I think one of the main points to remember is that...Stearns is leaving his position as POBO, but he leaves this team well stocked and we'll be reaping the benefits...hopefully of Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, Jeferson Quero...hopefully Gasser and Ruiz and so on and so on will be coming up over the next 3-4 years. So hopefully he'll have left us with the foundation of a young core of offensive players. 

But this is definitely the most important aspect. We've spent YEARS trying to develop just one stud. We had a guy here or there having various levels of success over the last 30-some years from Cal Eldred's incredible run in 1992 to Ben Sheets having a couple of great years, Yo was a really good, solid, reliable pitcher for a long time...but to develop Burnes, Woodruff, Hader, Williams, to get the most out Chacin, to kinda re-ignite Wade Miley's career, Corey Knebel...I'm still not sure what this pitching school consists of exactly. I know the analytics have played a significant role in it...helping pitchers figure out which pitchers to throw more and which to scrap, whatever it was, it's turned the Brewers into one of the best teams at developing pitching...and he again, he leaves us in pretty good shape with Burnes, Woodruff, Peralta, Lauer, Ashby, Houser in our rotation with Gasser and Small expected to contribute.

 

 

It was Doug Melvin who originally acquired Corey Knebel in '15, Brandon Woodruff in '14 and Devin Williams in '13, Hader and Houser in '15. In fact, Knebel and Houser already had major league experience before Stearns got to Milwaukee... so depending on your definition of "development" sure. 

Stearns was a capable GM, made some good moves could with some really good luck, and made some boneheaded moves. For every pitcher "developed" there was a hitting prospect who flamed out. So it goes. 

Best GM in our history to this point. That's how he'll be remembered. Hopefully, Arnold can finish his work and take us to the promised land. 

Best GM in our history to this point. That's how he'll be remembered. Hopefully, Arnold can finish his work and take us to the promised land. 

1 hour ago, Jopal78 said:

It was Doug Melvin who originally acquired Corey Knebel in '15, Brandon Woodruff in '14 and Devin Williams in '13, Hader and Houser in '15. In fact, Knebel and Houser already had major league experience before Stearns got to Milwaukee... so depending on your definition of "development" sure. 

Stearns was a capable GM, made some good moves could with some really good luck, and made some boneheaded moves. For every pitcher "developed" there was a hitting prospect who flamed out. So it goes. 

Remember kids, no successful person was 100% popular and there was always that one pesky dentist that didn't agree with the other 9.

1 hour ago, Jopal78 said:

It was Doug Melvin who originally acquired Corey Knebel in '15, Brandon Woodruff in '14 and Devin Williams in '13, Hader and Houser in '15. In fact, Knebel and Houser already had major league experience before Stearns got to Milwaukee... so depending on your definition of "development" sure. 

Stearns was a capable GM, made some good moves could with some really good luck, and made some boneheaded moves. For every pitcher "developed" there was a hitting prospect who flamed out. So it goes. 

Remember kids, no successful person was 100% popular and there was always that one pesky dentist that didn't agree with the other 9.

27 minutes ago, owbc said:

In my 25+ years of being a Brewers fan, we had two teams that were capable of winning the pennant: 2018 and 2019. 
 

Someday there might be another one, but for now Stearns is the only Brewers GM in 40 years who has given us a real shot at reaching the promised land. 
 

You could maybe make an argument for the ‘08 or ‘11 teams if they had gotten luckier or avoided injuries, but I put them on a lower tier below the Stearns teams. 

Not sure if I’d say 2019 was a pennant-caliber team. They were scorching hot for sure, but I think the lack of starting pitching and MVP Yelich would have caught up to them eventually had they made it past WSH. Certainly wouldn’t put them above the 2011 team. That team might’ve won the World Series had Greinke and Marcum not crapped the bed. 

27 minutes ago, owbc said:

In my 25+ years of being a Brewers fan, we had two teams that were capable of winning the pennant: 2018 and 2019. 
 

Someday there might be another one, but for now Stearns is the only Brewers GM in 40 years who has given us a real shot at reaching the promised land. 
 

You could maybe make an argument for the ‘08 or ‘11 teams if they had gotten luckier or avoided injuries, but I put them on a lower tier below the Stearns teams. 

Not sure if I’d say 2019 was a pennant-caliber team. They were scorching hot for sure, but I think the lack of starting pitching and MVP Yelich would have caught up to them eventually had they made it past WSH. Certainly wouldn’t put them above the 2011 team. That team might’ve won the World Series had Greinke and Marcum not crapped the bed. 

11 hours ago, Jopal78 said:

It was Doug Melvin who originally acquired Corey Knebel in '15, Brandon Woodruff in '14 and Devin Williams in '13, Hader and Houser in '15. In fact, Knebel and Houser already had major league experience before Stearns got to Milwaukee... so depending on your definition of "development" sure. 

If it's confusing, let me give ya a hand;

11 hours ago, Jopal78 said:

It was Doug Melvin who originally acquired Corey Knebel in '15, Brandon Woodruff in '14 and Devin Williams in '13, Hader and Houser in '15. In fact, Knebel and Houser already had major league experience before Stearns got to Milwaukee... so depending on your definition of "development" sure. 

If it's confusing, let me give ya a hand;

On 10/28/2022 at 9:36 AM, UpandIn said:

Seems like a tacky thing to bring up now...and I'm not sure I understand what a "cocaine playboy," means exactly.

Cocaine was widespread in the 1970s and 1980s and used by...MANY players...seems like a strange issue to bring up in 2022. 

So what do you mean by many? 10-20, or maybe 30? I’m sure you could probably name 20-30 players that used coke at that time. Must have great insider information.