SBNation.com User Blog: TheJay

Robin Yount and the All-Star Game

TheJay — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 03:30:01 -0000

During his stellar 20-year career in Milwaukee, Robin Yount received many accolades. He won a Gold Glove at shortstop in 1982, the same year he won his first of two Most Valuable Player awards. He received MVP votes in seven different seasons and won the Silver Slugger award three times. He was the highest paid player in baseball in 1990. Finally, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999.

One more thing: he was named an All-Star three times. At first glance, there isn't much wrong with that All-Star total. After all, it's tough to be named to multiple All-Star teams, so three is a worthy accomplishment.

However, among Hall of Fame batters who debuted after the All-Star Game started in 1933, Yount's three appearances beat out only Monte Irvin, an ex-Negro Leaguer who debuted with the Giants at the age of 30. In "All Star Percentage" (all star selections divided by seasons played), Yount's 15% is the lowest among players with at least ten major league seasons. If you include players who debuted before 1933, only one player with the opportunity to make ten All-Star teams stands out as worse than Yount by AS%: Lloyd "Little Poison" Waner, who made one All-Star team in twelve years and was inducted into the Hall of Fame mostly for playing alongside his brother Paul.

Obviously, that's not a perfect measure, but the point stands: Robin Yount set the modern bar for minimal All-Star credentials by a Hall of Famer. In a way, that makes sense. It definitely feeds into his blue-collar reputation of just going to work and steadily producing day in and day out for years. That said, it's probably worth taking a deeper look at his career to see whether he deserved more.

Yount's three All-Star selections came in 1980, 1982, and 1983. In 1980, he was named as a reserve. In 1982 and 1983, he was the starter. Looking at his career from his debut in 1974 to 1983, it's understandable why it took six years for him to be named to the All-Star team and why he then made the team in three out of four years. Once you get past 1983, though, things get murkier.

In 1984, he was hitting just under .300 at the break but a shoulder injury limited him to DH duties for a few weeks prior to the game. Cal Ripken and Alan Trammell made the team that year, though an injured Trammel was replaced by Alfredo Griffin, who may have had the single worst season by an All-Star in history (his 1984 WAR: -2.3). In 1985, Yount transitioned to the outfield and struggled at the plate, scuttling his chances.

In 1986, his .330 average at the break was accompanied by just 3 HR and 20 RBI, hardly all-star numbers. In 1987, he was hitting .301 with 11 HR and 45 RBI at the break, but All-Star reserves Harold Baines (more of a DH), Dwight Evans, and Kirby Puckett hit .301/12/49, .316/18/69, and .337/14/55, respectively. In 1988, only two reserve outfielders were selected, and Yount's .300 average couldn't compare with Mike Greenwell and Puckett's .340s.

Yount's last, best chance for another All-Star nod came in 1989. He entered the break once again hitting .300 with 10 home runs. Greenwell got the nod again, despite almost identical numbers. Devon White hit .259 in the first half but his Gold Glove defense and 25 steals made up for that average. Jose Canseco was voted in as a starter despite not playing a game in the first half and was replaced by Ruben Sierra, who hit .330 and 14 HR by the break. Just before the game Yount became the fifth youngest player ever to reach 2500 hits, which coupled with his season numbers would have made him a worthy selection. He went on to become the second AL player (Hank Greenberg, 1935) to be named MVP without being named an All-Star.

After 1989, Yount's numbers began to slide and it was clear his All-Star days had passed. Ultimately, it was the move to center field that hurt Yount's All-Star chances. Instead of competing against Cal Ripken and Alan Trammell, he had to outhit Rickey Henderson, Kirby Puckett, Dwight Evans, Dave Winfield, and others for a spot on a series of infield-heavy teams. Even if he had been named an All-Star twice more, his All-Star Percentage would still have been lower than the next Hall of Famer on the list, Willie McCovey (27%, 6 of 22).

Robin Yount's career drives home an obvious point: the Hall of Fame and the All-Star game reward different attributes, longevity and single-season brilliance (and/or excellent get-out-the-vote campaigns). Generally, those dovetail, but as Robin Yount showed, it is possible to be both a great player for a long time and under the All-Star radar. Ultimately, players are judged for their careers, and there's no better monument to a career than being inducted in the Hall of Fame. Marty Marion, Walker Cooper, and Frank McCormick may have racked up All-Star appearances, but their names have faded over time. Robin Yount will be enshrined forever.

This first table shows the Hall of Famers who debuted after 1933 with the lowest All-Star Percentage. Monte Irvin's career was curtailed by segregation.

Name	Career	Seasons	All-Star Selections	AS%
Monte Irvin	1949-1956	8	1	12.5%
Robin Yount	1974-1993	20	3	15.0%
Willie McCovey	1959-1980	22	6	27.3%
Tony Perez	1964-1986	23	7	30.4%
Lou Brock	1961-1979	19	6	31.6%
Billy Williams	1959-1976	18	6	33.3%
Willie Stargell	1962-1982	21	7	33.3%
Paul Molitor	1978-1998	21	7	33.3%
Andre Dawson	1976-1996	21	8	38.1%
Eddie Murray	1977-1997	21	8	38.1%
Phil Rizzuto	1941-1956	13	5	38.5%
Richie Ashburn	1948-1962	15	6	40.0%
Rickey Henderson	1979-2003	25	10	40.0%

The next table shows Hall of Famers who debuted before 1933 and who played in at least ten seasons after 1933. Back when these guys played, it was fairly common for players to play briefly in seasons at the end of their career as player-coaches or due to injury. Player shortages due to World War II made this even more common. I have added two additional columns to show the effects of excluding seasons with just a handful of games played.

Name	Career	Seasons After 1933	Seasons with 50+ G	All-Star Selections	AS%	Modified AS%
Lloyd Waner	1927-1945	12	10	1	8.3%	10.0%
Chuck Klein	1928-1944	12	9	2	16.7%	22.2%
Al Simmons	1924-1944	11	7	3	27.3%	42.9%
Paul Waner	1926-1945	13	12	4	30.8%	33.3%

Finally, these players have had lengthy careers with few All-Star appearances. I don't want to speculate about their Hall of Fame chances, but they are pretty high on the active hits leaderboard:

Omar Vizquel, 3
Johnny Damon, 2
Bobby Abreu, 2

Remembering Ronnie Belliard

TheJay — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 02:09:31 -0000

Earlier this week, veteran second baseman Ronnie Belliard retired after 13 seasons in the major leagues. In 1484 major league games, he rapped out 1377 hits and drove in 601 runs while hitting .273. He made one All-Star appearance (he struck out) and led all American League second basemen in games played, both feats performed in 2004. At the end of his career he bounced around the league, playing for four teams in his final six major league seasons and retiring as a member of a fifth team's AAA club. Before he became an itinerant infielder, however, he was a member of the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Brewers selected Belliard out of Miami Central High School with their eighth-round pick in the 1994 draft. He was joined in the Brewers draft class by Antone Williamson, Steve Woodard, and Matt Erickson (57th round). At the time Ronnie was drafted, his cousin, Rafael, was thirteen seasons into a career as a light-hitting middle infielder for the Pirates and Braves.

After finishing 1994 as a member of the Rookie-level Arizona Brewers, Ronnie moved up to Class A Beloit in 1995 and made himself a prospect by hitting .297 with 13 home runs as a 20-year-old second baseman. In 1996, Belliard was bumped up to AA El Paso, where he hit just three home runs. He did, however, steal 26 bases and walked more than he struck out, while impressing in the field. Asked in a phone interview about his game, he said, "Some people say my best (attribute) is my offense. Some say it's my defense. I'd have to say it's both right now." The Brewers rewarded him by adding him to the 40-man roster after the season.

An ill-timed hamstring injury cost him a shot at filling in on an injury-ravaged major league club in April 1997. When he recovered, he struggled playing for AAA Tucson, hitting just .217 and committing 10 errors by late June. He rebounded to finish the year with a .282 batting average with good plate discipline. After the Brewers moved their AAA affiliate to Louisville in 1998, Belliard broke out by hitting .321/.408/.503 with 14 home runs and 33 stolen bases. He committed just 14 errors in 130 games. The performance was good enough to warrant a late-season callup and 8 games with the Brewers. Baseball America took notice, too, naming him the #49 prospect in the game before 1999.

Despite being blocked by Fernando Vina and Mark Loretta at the beginning of the 1999 season, another rash of injuries opened the door for Belliard in early May. Having hit just .241 for Louisville, expectations may have been low for the rookie, but he excelled, hitting .295 with 8 homers and 29 doubles. In 2000, his rate stats fell, but he appeared in 152 games and led the league in putouts as a second baseman. In 2001, his batting average stayed steady at an uninspiring .264 but his power improved, as he hit 11 home runs and knocked out 30 doubles in just 101 games before a right ankle sprain effectively ended his season in August. He remains the only Brewers second baseman to hit 30 doubles in back-to-back seasons. In fact, he's the only Brewers second baseman to do that twice in his career.

His erratic ways at bat and in the field led the team to sign veteran second sacker Eric Young as a free agent before the 2002 campaign. That resulted in a three-way competition at third base between Belliard, Mark Loretta, and Tyler Houston. Belliard responded by hitting an abysmal .211/.257/.287 for a team that lost 106 games, and the Brewers were ready to say goodbye.

Belliard signed a one-year contract with the Rockies for 2003 and bounced back with a solid season. That in turn earned him a deal with the Cleveland Indians, where he made the All-Star team after hitting over .300 for the first half of the season. Like the Indians as a whole, he faded down the stretch, but that season kicked off a six-year streak of batting averages over .272 with at least ten home runs as he transitioned from starting second baseman to utility player while bouncing around the majors. In 2009, his last big-league hurrah came in the form of a .351 average in 24 games down the stretch for the Dodgers, who went on to the NLCS. After hitting just .216 in 82 games for the 2010 Dodgers, he was released. He failed to make the Yankees roster this spring and ultimately signed with Phillies to play for AAA Lehigh Valley. He was hitting .251 with 3 home runs and had committed 13 errors in 49 games at third base before calling it quits.

One constant question mark for Belliard was conditioning. While originally listed at 5'8" and an adolescent 180 pounds, his stocky profile didn't fit the middle infielder stereotype. Near the end of his career, the Dodgers had a inserted a clause in his contract that guaranteed him money only if he weighed less than 210 pounds. With consistent play, conditioning issues and questionable personal style can be overlooked by fans, but Belliard's erratic play dismissed that possibility. Ultimately, he was never able to live up to his good rookie season in Milwaukee, and he wore out his welcome in multiple cities after departing the Brewers. In another universe, Belliard might have put it all together, kept in shape, and made more than one All-Star appearance, but in this one, he calls it quits with nearly 1500 games played, eight figures in the bank, and a destiny to have his playing career remembered only for its appearance in the all-time register of baseball players.

Stat of the Night: Don't Walk

TheJay — Sat, 21 May 2011 06:18:09 -0000

In fourteen innings tonight, six Brewers pitchers combined to issue a grand total of zero walks. While that fell eight innings short of the major league record for a walk-less game, set by the Montreal Expos in 1989, it is the longest such game since the Brewers moved to the National League. It was the thirteenth walk-less game in franchise history to last ten or more innings:

Date	Opponent	IP	Result
7/13/1979	vs. Cleveland	17.0	W 4-3
5/20/2011	vs. Colorado	14.0	W 7-6
8/19/1975	at California	14.0	L 4-5
4/10/2007	at Florida	13.0	W 3-2
7/5/1987	at California	11.1	L 3-4
5/26/2008	at Washington	11.0	W 4-3
8/10/1986	vs. Chicago	11.0	W 5-4
6/27/1986	at Detroit	10.1	L 2-4
7/15/2005	vs. Washington	10.0	W 4-3
5/27/1998	vs. Pittsburgh	10.0	W 3-2
8/22/1983	vs. Seattle	10.0	W 3-2
5/15/1977	vs. Detroit	10.0	W 3-2
7/30/1974	vs. New York	10.0	W 3-2

The 2005 game against Washington was won on a walk-off balk by Mike Stanton. The 2007 game in Florida was the first suspended game to be played to completion the next day rather than called tied.

That Florida game saw eight Brewers take the mound, the most of any games on the list. Tonight's six pitchers is the second-most of any game on the list. The 17 inning game atop the list involved just three pitchers: Mike Caldwell (11 IP), Bill Castro (5.2 IP), and Bob Galasso, who picked up the win by retiring the only batter he faced.

Larry Krystkowiak named University of Utah head coach

TheJay — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 16:39:20 -0000

Larry Krystkowiak named University of Utah head coach

Good luck with that, Utes.

NBA Admits Elaborate Practical Joke On Milwaukee Bucks

TheJay — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 12:44:47 -0000

In sports, the adage "defense wins championships" is often cited. However, in the National Basketball Association teams need offense to win. The Milwaukee Bucks have found that out the hard way, struggling their way to a 23-36 record while shooting a league-worst 42.3% from the field. Fortunately, their season-long search for answers may have just come to an end.

At a press conference prior to a welcoming party for new New York Knicks acquisitions Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups, NBA commissioner David Stern admitted the NBA has replaced the rims the Bucks have shot at with rims 16 inches in diameter all season long. A regulation NBA rim is 18 inches in diameter.

"It all started as a joke on my good friend [Bucks owner and U.S. Senator] Herb Kohl," said Stern. "I know he always enjoys a laugh and we thought it couldn't hurt the chances of keeping his friends in Congress out of our CBA negotiations." The NBA's collective bargaining agreement with its players expires June 30. Stern added that he was pleased by the cooperation and silence of Bucks' opponents and fans during the nightly halftime switch of rims.

Center Andrew Bogut used social media website Twitter to state he was glad to have an excuse other than a lingering elbow injury for his shooting slump. On the same website, point guard Brandon Jennings echoed that sentiment about his own offensive struggles.

Bucks forward Drew Gooden, sidelined much of the year with a foot injury, said he knew something was wrong early in the season. "When my inside shots wouldn't fall early on, I decided to try taking more jump shots. I figured the rim was too small and used that to imagine I was Luke Skywalker trying to blow up the Death Star," said Gooden. "I think that's what coach meant about playing with more intensity," he added.

Not all players were so sanguine about the joke. Luke Ridnour, former Bucks guard now with the Minnesota Timberwolves, said, "That [sucks]. I'm glad I'm not there anymore. I guess it all evens out, though. I remember looking up once or twice last year and the rim seemed huge." Ridnour shot a career high 47.8% for Milwaukee last season.

Bucks general manager John Hammond and head coach Scott Skiles could not be reached for comment.

When asked if the Bucks would shoot at regulation rims now that the practical joke had been revealed, Stern said, "My experience running the league has convinced me Senator Kohl does not follow league news on a daily basis." He added he planned to let the Senator in on the joke over dinner after the season. He closed the press conference enthusiastically answering questions about the developing New York Knicks-Miami Heat rivalry and his plan to offer teams with multiple All-Stars additional financial assistance in any new collective bargaining agreement.

Bucks general manager John Hammond and head coach Scott Skiles could not be reached for comment.

P.S. If you really can't figure out why this isn't confirmed elsewhere, this is satire.

Brewers Numerical History: #8

TheJay — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 01:46:06 -0000

Last Post: #2

It is easy to assume that single-digit numbers are handed out the most in a given team's history. In Brewers history, however, that proves not to be the case. Last week, I wrote about the eleven Brewers to wear #2. That isn't very many compared to double-digits numbers that have seen up to 25 occupants. Numbers 5 and 6 also have been assigned to fewer players (ten each). However, #8 bucks the trend and has been assigned to eighteen different players in team history.

In 1961, the Yankees signed first baseman Mike Hegan as an amateur free agent. He had cups of coffee in 1964 and 1966 before struggling in a longer look during the 1967 season. Before 1969, he was sold to the expansion Seattle Pilots. He played well in Seattle, being named to the All Star squad before missing the better part of six weeks with a hamstring injury. He started at first base on Opening Day 1970 and ultimately hit .244 with 11 home runs but 116 strikeouts that season. After hitting just .221 through mid-June, he was sold to Oakland. He would ultimately rejoin the Crew in 1974, wearing #6 and #4 over four more years in Milwaukee.

In the early days of the MLB amateur draft, players who had previously been drafted but not signed were eligible for a so-called "secondary" draft. In 1971, the Brewers selected Michigan State outfielder Rob Ellis, who hit .431 with 14 home runs that college season, with the third overall pick in the June secondary draft. The Brewers signed him to a major league deal, like other contemporary teams did with high draftees, and ten days later, he made his major league debut. Ultimately, he appeared in 36 major league games, hitting just .198 with 24 strikeouts and zero home runs before being sent to the minors. He made a couple brief appearances in 1974 and 1975 before his major league career ended. After Ellis was sent down in May 1975, he was replaced in #8 by light-hitting Jack Lind, who went 1 for 20 over the final two months of the season.

In 1970, 20-year-old Jack Heidemann started at short for the Cleveland Indians. Unfortunately, he never could get his bat going and he quickly fell to "quad-A" utility player status. He bounced from Cleveland to Oakland, back to Cleveland, and on to St. Louis and New York before winding up in Milwaukee. By the time he joined the Crew in 1976, he had started to put up solid offensive numbers in AAA. However, his bat didn't translate to the majors and his big league career was over after he posted a .218/.256/.265 line in 74 games for Milwaukee.

Only fourteen more to go after the jump!

Centerfielder Jim Wynn spent a decade in the Houston outfield, making hitting no fewer than 223 home runs for the Astros (nee Colt .45s). He then spent two years in Los Angeles and one in Atlanta before the 1977 season. He was an All-Star three times, hit 30 home runs three times, and led the league in walks twice (he walked 100 times in six seasons). He also stole 221 bases over that span. The Yankees purchased him to DH and play some right field in 1977, but he was released after hitting just .143 (11 for 77) in 30 games. The Brewers signed him for the rest of the season but he didn't fare much better in County Stadium: a .197/.294/.239 line finished his career.

On Opening Day 1978, longtime Baltimore catcher Andy Etchebarren donned the tools of ignorance for the Milwaukee Brewers. He went 1 for 3 with two RBI and a walk. Eight days later, he was 1 for 2 as the starting catcher in Baltimore. He caught five more innings over the next few days but did not appear in another major league game after April 20. He was ultimately placed on the disabled list with bone chips in his left elbow. In the 1980s, he was a coach in the organization and he currently manages the York Revolution of the independent Atlantic League.

After seven seasons with the Phillies culminated in a 2 for 19 September callup in 1979, John Poff was claimed off waivers by the Brewers in September 1980. He started 17 games during the final month of the year, hitting .250 with one home run and seven RBI. That earned him a trade to the White Sox after spring training 1981.

Rob Picciolo spent four seasons playing for the Charlie Finley A's, which ought to qualify him for a medal. The light-hitting, rarely-walking utility infielder actually spent five seasons in Oakland before being traded to the Brewers in May 1982. Maybe the only 1982 Brewer yet to be honored in Milwaukee, he went 6 for 21 at the plate while being used mostly as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement in 1982. He appeared in 14 more games during the 1983 season, going 6 for 27. He returned to California for two more seasons in the majors before moving on to a coaching career. In November 2010, he replaced new Brewers manager Ron Roenicke as Mike Scioscia's bench coach in Anaheim.

In December 1983, the Brewers traded backup catcher Ned Yost and minor leaguer Dan Scarpetta to the Texas Rangers in exchange for ten-year veteran and six-time Gold Glove catcher Jim Sundberg. Sundberg had a down year in 1983, hitting an awful .201/.272/.254 but he bounced back to be named to the 1984 All Star team as a Brewer, his third time in the Midsummer Classic. He hit .261 with 7 home runs in exactly 100 starts for Milwaukee. After the season however, he was shipped to the Kansas City Royals in a complicated four-team deal that brought Danny Darwin, Tim Leary, and Bill Hance to the Brewers. He won a ring with the 1985 Royals and finished his career back in Texas in 1989.

In Colorado, Dante Bichette took advantage of the thin Denver air to hit 201 home runs and drive in 826 runs over seven seasons while hitting a cool .316/.352/.540. He made four All-Star appearances and went an eye-popping 10 for 17 in the Rockies' first ever playoff series (which they lost in four games). He also swiped 105 bags for the expansion franchise. Before that, however, he was a Brewer. After hitting 15 home runs for the Angels in 1990, the Brewers acquired Bichette in exchange for veteran DH Dave Parker. In 1991, Bichette became just the fourth Brewer, to that point, to strike out 100 or more times and finish with more strikeouts than hits (the others: Danny Walton, Gorman Thomas, Rob Deer, and Dale Sveum). He did finish with 15 home runs, however. His batting average improved in 1992, though his home runs turned into doubles. As mentioned, his career really took off after he was traded to Colorado after the season and those doubles turned back into home runs.

In 1983, Astros shortstop Dickie Thon had a breakout season and looked destined for greatness. Unfortunately, fate intervened. In the fifth game of the 1984 campaign, a pitch from Mets righty Mike Torrez hit Thon in the eye, costing him the rest of that season and giving him depth perception problems that relegated him to a bench role for much of the next four years. He ultimately regained a starting role with the Phillies in 1989, and after three years he moved to Texas. In 1993, the Brewers signed the 35 year old as a backup infielder. He hit .269/.324/.331 while making 63 starts for Milwaukee at second, third, short, and DH. He became a free agent following the season but could find no takers for 1994.

Jody Reed broke into the majors as a shortstop and second baseman with the Boston Red Sox in the late 1980s. He finished third in the rookie of the year voting in 1988 and led the league in doubles in 1990 despite not having home run power. In fact, in 1989 he and Wade Boggs became only the second set of teammates since World War II to each hit 40 or more doubles with 5 or fewer home runs. (The other pair was Dave Cash and Warren Cromartie of the 1977 Expos.) After a down 1992 season, he was left unprotected in the expansion draft and was selected by the Colorado Rockies, who promptly shipped him to the Dodgers. After one season in Chavez Ravine, he signed with the Brewers as a free agent and put up a typical Reed batting line: .271/.362/.341. Unfortunately, the fact County Stadium (and Dodger Stadium, for that matter) lacked a Green Monster limited his doubles total and restricted his offensive value. He moved on to San Diego and Detroit after his time with the Brewers.

I have a personal story about Mark Loretta. Back when I was young, Loretta was just breaking into the major leagues. I recall waiting for my father (who works for STATS, LLC in the press box) under County Stadium, near the team clubhouse. An attendant came out and asked who my favorite player was. I shocked everyone by naming Loretta. As you might expect, I've always been partial to him. He was picked in the 7th round of the 1993 draft out of Northwestern. He debuted with the Brewers in 1995 and stayed with the team until 2002, when he was traded to Houston. He started at every infield position during his time with the Crew and ultimately finished with a .289/.355/.385 batting line in Milwaukee. After being traded, he made two All-Star teams in San Diego and Boston. He retired after 2009, finishing his career with 1713 hits and a career .295 batting average.

Matt Erickson spent a total of ten days with the Brewers in July 2004, but his Wisconsin connection goes much deeper than that. He grew up in Appleton, graduating from West High School, before playing college ball for the University of Arkansas. The Marlins drafted him in 1997 and he spent seven years in their system, hitting over .300 five times, but never earning a call to the show. He signed a minor league deal with the Brewers for 2004 and was called up after Junior Spivey was hurt. During his ten days in the majors, he started one game and finished his career 1 for 6. He spent three more years in the minors (finishing with over 1000 minor league hits) before transitioning to coaching. He was recently named 2011 manager of the Class A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

If you can catch, you can stick around baseball pretty much forever. Drafted in the first round in 1994, Mark Johnson spent part of five major league seasons with the White Sox before being traded to Oakland. After thirteen games with the A's in 2003, he signed a minor league deal with the Brewers for 2004. The Brewers rewarded his work at AAA Nashville with a September call up and he went 1 for 11 in seven games. He was traded in spring 2005 but rejoined the club on a minor league deal for the 2006 season. He last appeared in the majors in 2008 but caught in two games at AAA Iowa in 2010.

These days Nelson Cruz is an All-Star outfielder for the Texas Rangers. Back in spring 2008, however, he was offered to every major league team for the price of a waiver claim, a victim of great AAA numbers but limited major league success. Three years earlier, he was a prospect traded from Oakland to Milwaukee for infielder Keith Ginter. After tearing up AA Huntsville and flashing power at AAA Nashville, he was rewarded with a September call-up in which he spent most of his time as a defensive replacement, going 1 for 5 at the plate. In 2006 he again performed well in AAA, hitting 20 home runs by the end of July. He was traded to Texas as part of the 2006 Carlos Lee trade and struggled there before finding success in recent years.

Vinny Rottino combined the qualities of two former #8s: Matt Erickson and Mark Johnson. He could catch a bit, like Johnson, and he is a Wisconsin native like Erickson. After graduating from St. Catherine's in Racine, he went on to play baseball at UW-La Crosse before being signed by the Brewers in 2003 as an amateur free agent. He worked his way up the chain and earned a September callup in 2006, going 3 for 14 at the plate while appearing behind the plate, at third base, and in left field. In 2007, he was the last player cut during spring training when the team opted to keep Tony Gwynn, Jr. and he was 2 for 9 while wearing #10 in another September call-up. He batted just once in the majors in 2008, flying out as a pinch hitter in a blowout on September 19. In 2009, he was traded to Los Angeles for former Brewer Claudio Vargas. He spent 2010 with the Marlins, hitting .308, primarily at AA Jacksonville.

May 25, 2007, is remembered in Brew Crew Ball history as Braunsmas, the day top prospect Ryan Braun made his major league debut. He hit the ground running, hitting .324 with 34 home runs and 15 steals, setting a rookie record for slugging percentage, and winning Rookie of the Year honors in a close vote over Troy Tulowitzki. Unfortunately, his bungling defense at third base made him one of the rare modern players to finish with a fielding percentage under .900. In 2008, he moved to left field, signed a long-term extension mid-year, and made his first All-Star appearance en route to winning his first Silver Slugger award. He led the league in hits in 2009 while rapping 32 homers and stealing 20 bases. A down season in 2010 still saw him hit over .300 with 25 homers, but fans are hoping to see an excellent bounce back year this season. Braun is signed through 2015, so there's a possibility this list may not grow longer.

Brewers Numerical History: #2

TheJay — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 03:56:37 -0000

Last Post: #61

There have been fewer Brewers players to wear #2 than you might expect. When Joe Inglett made his first appearance in the 2010 season, he became just the twelfth Brewer ever to do so in a regular season game.

The first Brewer to wear #2 was Ted Savage, born Ephesian Savage on February 21, 1937, in Venice, Illinois. Over a nine-year career as a major league outfielder, he amassed 321 hits and 34 home runs in 642 games. He managed to play for eight teams in his career, moving from place to place while not living up to the promise of his rookie season. At least not until 1970. After being purchased by the Reds just two days before the season opener, Savage played wel in Milwaukee, socking twelve home runs and stealing ten bases while putting up a respectable .279/.402/.482 batting line as the team's fourth outfielder. The good times were not destined to last and he was shipped to Kansas City after an ice-cold start to the 1971 season.

The number did not stay empty for long, as three weeks later Bob Heise was acquired in a trade with San Francisco. Heise, who found regular playing time, if not success, with the Giants after three cups of coffee with the Mets, spent three years as a utility infielder for the Brew Crew. Demonstrating why he never quite earned a starting job, he hit just .251/.282/.289 in just under 600 PA during his three seasons in Milwaukee. In his 499-game career, he hit a grand total of one home run, off the Padres' Danny Coombs.

Follow the jump for the other nine players!

After Heise was traded following the 1973 season, Bob Sheldon took his number to begin the 1974 season. Drafted out of Loyola Marymount University in 1972, he started the season just 2 for 17 at the plate and was demoted for the rest of the year. He came back to hit .287/.338/.337 in exactly 200 PA in 1975. After another two months with the Brewers in 1977 (wearing #21), he was out of the majors for good.

In 1979, second baseman Lenn Sakata donned #2 for all of four games. He had appeared in parts of the 1977 and 1978 season but hit far too poorly to stick in the majors, even at the keystone. In his four games in 1979, however, spread out over the last two weeks of September, he was 7 for 14 with two doubles. That fine performance earned him a trade to Baltimore, where he was later involved in one of the quirkier innings of all time.

By 1983, it was clear that #2 deserved a player who would wear it proudly for more than one season. Into the void stepped Randy Ready, a second baseman drafted out of Mesa State College in Colorado. He started out at third with the Brewers, but eventually also appeared in the outfield and at second base. After a torrid start to his career, hitting .405 (15 for 37) over twelve late-season games in 1983, he cooled down significantly. He ultimately hit .240/.311/.374 through 1986 as a Brewer but found better success in San Diego and Philadelphia.

As Ready was finishing his career with the Brewers, Kiki Diaz was making his debut. The Puerto Rican shortstop appeared in five games at the end of the 1986 and then found himself marooned in AAA Denver. He made it back to the majors, wearing #2, as the team's backup shortstop in 1990. He ultimately started 66 games and actually hit better than the starter, Bill Spiers. Still, his .271/.338/.298 line was hardly inspiring, and he never appeared in another major league game.

The Brewers' #2 jumped to another islander in 1992, this time appeared on the back of Dominican second baseman William Suero. In 33 games split between the 1992 and 1993 seasons, he was 7 for 30 with one double. He started five games at second base for the Brewers and became a free agent after the 1993 season. After one season at AA and AAA for the Pirates, he was out of minor league baseball.

In 1994, another long-term occupant of #2 arrived on the scene. Jose Valentin actually made his debut in 1992 but didn't stick for good until 1994. Over his six full seasons and parts of two others with Milwaukee, the Puerto Rican shortstop socked 90 home runs and stole 78 bases along with a .240/.323/.421 batting line. He had the dubious honor of leading the league in errors committed in 1996, with 37, though he also led the league in Range Factor as a shortstop in his rookie season. After six years of wearing #2, he was traded to the White Sox along with Cal Eldred for ex-Brewer Jaime Navarro. Valentin hung around the majors with the White Sox, Dodgers, and Mets through 2007.

If you can catch, even just a little bit, you can carve out a pretty nice career for yourself. Tyler Houston certainly did. After bouncing from the Braves to the Cubs to the Indians, Houston signed with the Brewers as a free agent before the 2000 season. Splitting time between first base, third base, and catcher, he hit 18 home runs with 43 RBI in just 305 plate appearances. On July 9 of that season, he hit three home runs against the Detroit Tigers, making him the eighth and final player to hit three moon shots in one game at County Stadium. In 2001, his batting line jumped to .289/.343/.472 as his playing time dropped slightly; he still finished with a dozen home runs. No longer catching by 2002, he was hitting .302 when the Brewers traded him to the Dodgers, where he struggled to close out the season. After one more year in the majors with Philadelphia, his career was over.

In September 2002, 1998 6th round pick Bill Hall made his debut for the Brewers. After a couple seasons showing some power and speed but also inconsistency, he broke out in 2005, hitting .291/.342/.495 with 17 home runs and 18 stolen bases while splitting time between second, third, and short. He built on that campaign with an even better 2006, hitting .270/.345/.553 with an astounding 35 home runs after taking over at shortstop for the injured JJ Hardy. He was rewarded for his breakout seasons with a four-year, $24 million contract. Unfortunately, he did not live up to the deal. Whether or not he struggled with moving to a new position every year or trying to live up to his deal, the fact is his offense rolled steadily downhill following the 2006 season. By 2009, he was in a platoon at third base and was traded to Seattle in August after hitting just .201 in 76 games. Though his four-year deal made him a lightning rod for criticism as he struggled, he remains just one of 18 Brewers with 100 career home runs for the team.

In January 2010, the Brewers made an interesting waiver claim. Seeking a veteran bat off the bench, as well as infield depth, they picked up Joe Inglett from the Texas Rangers. (The Rangers would later return the favor by claiming infielder Hernan Iribarren, leading radio announcer Cory Provus to continually point out how that resembled a trade.) Inglett was a valuable bat off the bench to start the year, hitting .344 as late as July 8, albeit in just 64 at bats. He tailed off in the second half of the season, hitting just .187 in the second half of the season. He ultimately started 17 games for the Brewers, a surprising 15 of which were in the outfield corners, and even took the mound at the end of a blowout in Cincinnati on July 27. The 32-year-old remains unsigned going into spring training.

The number 2 remains unassigned as Spring Training 2011 starts. It's safe to assume at least a few players will join the team over the next eight months, however, so it could easily make another appearance at Miller Park.

Brewers Numerical History: #61

TheJay — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 03:31:19 -0000

Last Post: #7

In the forty-one seasons the team has spent in Milwaukee, only one Brewers player has taken the field wearing #61. There haven't been many #61s in baseball history, no matter the team, and the number is far more famous as Roger Maris' 1961 home run total than it is on any player's uniform.

That's not to say players haven't been assigned #61 in the past. In fact, just about any number between 60 and 80 can be found on the back of a long shot or non-roster invitee in March. Last spring, the Brewers gave minor league veteran Adam Heether the number in his first major league spring training. Heether, like every other Brewers hopeful who has worn #61 in the Arizona sun, didn't make it into a regular season game with #61 on his back. In Heether's case, he was claimed by Oakland off waivers about two months into the season.

Heether's departure opened the door for another Brewers farmhand to take on #61. On September 7, it happened when RHP Brandon Kintzler was called up from AAA Nashville. Three days later, Kintzler took the mound for the first time and another number made its debut in Brewers history. Over the final three weeks of the season, Kintzler appeared in seven games, striking out 9 batters in 7 1/3 innings while allowing 6 runs.

Kintzler's road to Milwaukee was circuitous. After graduating high school, he pitched for Pasadena City College in 2003, leading the team in wins (5) and strikeouts (72). He was drafted in the 40th round of the 2003 draft by the New York Yankees but did not sign. In 2004, he pitched for the NJCAA National Champion Dixie State (Utah) Red Storm. He started twelve games that season, going 9-1 with a 2.30 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 74 1/3 innings. His teammate, Joe Wice, actually outpitched him slightly and was drafted by the Blue Jays en route to spending four seasons on the bottom rungs of their farm system. Following the 2004 campaign, Kintzler was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 40th round. I think he may be the only player drafted in the 40th round in back-to-back seasons.

Unfortunately, elbow and shoulder problems marred his time with the Padres and he was released before undergoing labrum surgery. After recovering, he joined the Winnipeg Goldeyes (who may never have an endearing logo) for 2007 and 2008. Before the 2009 season, he requested a trade to the St. Paul Saints of the American Association. The Saints are known as a gateway back into "organized" baseball, having previously hosted players like Leon Durham, Kevin Millar, and Dwight Smith. In all, nearly 100 Saints players have signed contracts with major league organizations.

As an aside, one of my favorite indy ball signings involved a Saints player signing with the Brewers. In late August 2008, the Brewers signed Saints star Brent Krause, who played in all of three games for Huntsville before being released after the season. The whole process made me wonder if there wasn't an outfielder in northern Alabama that could have filled in for a couple games. Krause played for the Saints again in 2009 and 2010.

During the 2009 season, Kintzler pitched his way into the American Association All-Star game with a 8-3, 2.79 record to go with 46 strikeouts in 80 2/3 innings. The Brewers assigned him to AA Huntsville where he appeared in nine games over the final six weeks of the season. In 2010, he came on like Gang Busters to open the season and earned a promotion to AAA Nashville, where he continued to pitch well. His excellent season culminated in his (and his number's) Brewers debut.

Kintzler remains on the 40-man roster and is no doubt preparing to join his teammates at Maryvale Baseball Park shortly. With the Brewers having made a number of bullpen acquisitions as part of the team's "win now" mode, his chances to make the team out of the gate are pretty slim. Nevertheless, he should be one of a few pitchers in the Nashville bullpen with a few games of major league experience. It remains to be seen if he will hold on to #61 should he once again get the call to the majors.

One Buck Makes an All-Star Team

TheJay — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 17:37:26 -0000

One Buck Makes an All-Star Team

Garrett Temple has been named to the D-League's East Conference All-Star squad.

Joe Alexander would be one of his opponents, and if you believe this FanHouse post, Wisconsin alum Marcus Landry was snubbed. It also notes Tiny Gallon may be a replacement for the East team.

Brewers Numerical History: #7

TheJay — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 02:45:25 -0000

Last Post: #44

Russ Snyder, veteran outfielder, kicks off this week's list by donning #7 during the 1970 season. Snyder debuted with the Kansas City Athletics but was traded to the Orioles after two seasons. He stayed with Baltimore for seven seasons, winning one World Series, but was traded shortly before the team made its run of three straight pennants. After a short stint in Chicago and a year and a half in Cleveland, Snyder finished his career by hitting .232/.270/.315 in 124 at bats for the inaugural Brewers.

In 1971, #7 was assigned to first baseman Frank Tepedino. Selected in the third round of the first amateur draft by the Baltimore Orioles, Tepedino was selected seventeen months later in the 1966 Rule 5 draft by the New York Yankees. After four years in their farm system with brief callups to the majors, Tepedino was acquired by the Brewers in exchange for outfielder Danny Walton. Tepedino showed why he couldn't stick with the Bronx Bombers, hitting a paltry .198 with just two home runs in 106 at bats. Despite all that, the Yankees bought him back in 1972 and he later spent a couple seasons playing for Atlanta.

The next season, #7 was an involuntarily popular number shared between two players. The first to wear it in 1972 was infielder Ron Clark. Clark actually was a member of the 1969 Seattle Pilots, but was traded to Oakland in January 1970. At the time of that trade, he was a career .187/.245/.244 hitter over 505 plate appearances. Two years later, he was traded from Oakland to Milwaukee, where he went 10 for 54 with two home runs (40% of his career total) in just 22 games. That power surge didn't help him stick with the team, as he was traded in mid-July for his #7 replacement, fellow futility infielder Syd O'Brien. O'Brien spent just four seasons in the majors, splitting his career between four different teams. In 31 games down the stretch in 1972, he hit .207 with 1 home run. He finished his major league career with a .230/.273/.347 line and exactly 100 RBI.

Follow the jump for players you may actually know!

The 1973 season was the beginning of some stability for uniform #7. At the end of October 1972, the Brewers traded four pitchers, including Jim Lonborg and Ken Sanders, to the Phillies in exchange for John Vuckovich and Don Money. Money had spent four full seasons in the majors at the time of the season but was fresh off two lackluster years at the plate. His bat bounced back in Milwaukee, however, and he was an all-star in four of his first six Brewers seasons. After the 1978 season, he transitioned to a reserve role but stayed with the Brewers through 1983. Over his eleven seasons in Milwaukee, Money appeared in 1196 games, amassed 1168 hits and 134 home runs, and put up a .270/.338/.421 batting line. Since 1998, he has managed in the team's minor league system, currently skippering AAA Nashville. On a personal note, my baseball glove is a vintage Don Money model, passed down from my father.

After one year in mothballs, #7 came out of the storage closet to adorn the back of outfielder Paul Householder. In 1985, Householder rapped out 11 home runs in 299 at bats en route to a .258/.320/.418 line while splitting time between center and right field. His bat went dormant in 1986, however, and he was demoted by the middle of June. He resurfaced briefly with Houston in 1987 but was done in the majors thereafter.

After Householder was cut from the team, the Brewers promoted 1982 first round pick Dale Sveum to the majors. After playing third base for much of the 1986 season, he moved to his left and started at shortstop in 1987 and 1988. In 1987, his game-winning home run on Easter Sunday capped a dramatic comeback and pushed the team to 12-0. Unfortunately for Sveum and the team, his 1988 season was cut short by a gruesome collision with teammate Darryl Hamilton. A fractured leg cost him the rest of the season and all of 1989. He returned for two more seasons in a bench role before moving on to other teams. He won a championship ring with the 1998 Yankees before pursuing a coaching career. He joined the Brewers coaching staff in 2006, served as interim manager for the final 12 games and playoffs in 2008, and enters 2011 as the team's hitting coach.

In 1994, the Brewers traded outfielder Tom Brunansky to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for veteran catcher Dave Valle. Valle appeared in all of sixteen games over two months with the team but hit a remarkable .389/.522/.639 (14-36, 9 BB, 1 HR) over that time. He spent two more seasons in the majors with the Rangers.

On June 30, 1996, Danny Perez made his major league debut by taking over left field in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays. A 21st round pick in 1992, Perez worked his way through the Brewers farm system for his shot at the majors. He spent all of one week on the major league roster, starting one game and going 0 for 4 at the plate. He was sent back to the minors and finished 1996 with a poor .187/.302/.242 line at AAA New Orleans. That performance resulted in his release.

In 1993, the Brewers selected Brian Banks with their second round pick. He made his major league debut in September 1996 and spent the next two seasons bouncing between AAA and the majors while playing behind the plate and in both the infield and outfield corners. In 1999, he stuck with the team all season, backing up catcher and first base. He hit .242 with 5 home runs and 6 stolen bases. For all that, he was released at the end of spring training in 2000. He later resurfaced with the Marlins but was done in the majors after 2003.

In 1999, the Brewers planned on replacing departed first baseman John Jaha with free agent signing Sean Berry. Berry started off well, hitting a 9th inning home run that proved to be the difference in an Opening Day victory. Unfortunately, that was the high point of his season as his batting average tumbled to .228 and he finished the season with just two home runs. An extremely slow start to the 2000 season led to his release. From 2006-2010, he was the Astros hitting coach. On a personal note, I was going through some of my Brewers memorabilia and found a 1999 program signed by Berry, so that's cool.

In 2001, the Brewers brought in two aged veterans. One, Devon White, took over the starting center field job. The other, Tony Fernandez, fresh off a year in Japan, backed up third base. Fernandez spent six weeks with the Brewers, hitting .281 in 28 games, including thirteen starts at the hot corner before being designated for assignment. He finished the year with Toronto (his fourth stint with the Blue Jays) before retiring. He remains the Blue Jays all-time hits leader and was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008.

After going with an old player, the Brewers assigned #7 to a young one. On June 15, 2001, Alex Sanchez made his major league debut in center field. Known primarily for his speed, he wound up hitting .206 (14-68) with six steals in 30 games that season. In 2002, he hit .289 and stole 37 bases while getting caught 14 times. He was traded to Detroit at the end of May 2003 but still managed to lead the American League in times caught stealing and errors in CF that season. After two more seasons of flashy but "empty" .320+ batting averages and abysmal stolen base success rates and the dubious distinction of being the first major leaguer suspended for steroid use, he was out of the majors.

The Brewers once again issued #7 to a veteran player in 2002. Second baseman and 1996 All Star Eric Young joined the Brewers that season. On a team that ultimately lost 106 games, he was one of the not-totally-awful spots. He hit .280 in 138 games, stole 31 bases, and struck out only 38 times (against 39 walks). He underwent a renaissance of sorts the next season, setting a career high with 15 home runs while stealing 25 bases and hitting .260. Perhaps fittingly for a veteran displaying sudden power, he was traded to the Giants in August. He ultimately hung on in the majors through the 2006 season.

In 2005, the Brewers' 2nd round pick from 2001 made his major league debut on Opening Day. J.J. Hardy took the starting shortstop job and, despite struggling mightily to start the year, finished strong to end up with a respectable .247/.327/.384 batting line. Though not fleet of foot, his instincts and positioning made him an excellent defender in Milwaukee. A lingering ankle injury cost him most of 2006 but he returned to make his first All Star appearance in 2007 and played at the same level in 2008. In 2009, he struggled offensively, culminating in a controversial demotion to AAA that exactly coincided with the amount of service time necessary to delay his free agency a year. After that messy transaction, a trade was pretty much a foregone conclusion and he was shipped to Minnesota in exchange for outfielder Carlos Gomez. Hardy enters 2011 suiting up for his third team (Baltimore) in as many seasons.

On August 9, 2010, the Brewers traded veteran Jim Edmonds to Cincinnati so he could make one final championship run. In return they received outfielder Chris Dickerson. After a fast start to his career with six home runs in the final month of 2008, his bat developed into a question mark. Dickerson didn't impress in his late 2010 audition, hitting just .208 in 53 at bats, including 15 hitless at bats in September. He retains #7 going into 2011.

Brewers Numerical History: #44

TheJay — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 00:02:16 -0000

Last Post: #54

The Brewers have retired four uniform numbers. The first retired number profiled in this series was #34, belonging to Rollie Fingers. Today, we look at another retired number, that of home run king Hank Aaron. Aaron joined the Brewers for their sixth season in Milwaukee, meaning there wasn't much time for other players to put a claim in on #44. Still, two other Brewers, including one very well known one, also wore the digits.

The first Brewer to wear #44 was Hank Allen, a utility player who spent parts of seven seasons in the majors. Overshadowed by All-Star brother Richie, Hank appeared at least once at every position except shortstop and pitcher. After being signed by the Phillies along with his brother, Hank bounced around the minors for six years before surfacing in the majors with the new Washington Senators. In five seasons as a utility player with the team, he appeared in 324 games, hitting .251 with six home runs and 15 steals. During the 1970 season, he was traded to Milwaukee with second baseman Ron Theobald in exchange for outfielder Wayne Comer. Allen appeared in 28 games for the Brewers while playing five positions and hitting .230. He was traded to Atlanta after the season but did not play in a game for the Braves. He later resurfaced with the White Sox, joining his brother for the 1972 and 1973 seasons.

The Seattle Pilots franchise's first ever selection in the June amateur draft was a shortstop by the name of Gorman Thomas. During his time in the minors, Stormin' Gorman moved to the outfield and displayed his trademark power, belting 31 home runs in one Midwest League season. He made his major league debut in right field on Opening Day 1973, wearing #44, but struggled to start the season. Thomas was sent down in June after hitting .213 with just one home run in 127 at bats. He got a September call-up but went just 2 for 28 to close out the season. He spent most of 1974 in the minors, but hit well in another September call-up. Of course, when the reigning career home run leader comes to town, you give up your uniform number for him, and Thomas did just that, switching first to #3 and later to #20. After a couple more rocky seasons in 1975 and 1976, Thomas rejoined the Brewers in 1978, hitting with a vengeance. Over the next five seasons, he led the league in home runs twice, belting 175 round-trippers and making one all-star appearance. He was traded to Cleveland in mid-1983 but was brought back at the end of the 1986 campaign.

In 1975, Hank Aaron came back to Milwaukee. Fans in the Cream City watched Aaron play the County Stadium outfield for twelve seasons before the team departed for Atlanta. In those twelve seasons, he was named to eleven All-Star teams, was awarded three Gold Gloves, won one MVP award, led the league in a bevy of categories, including batting average and home runs twice and RBI three times. He hit 398 home runs as a Milwaukee Brave, stole 149 bases, and hit a sizzling .320. He also led the team to two World Series and hit three home runs in the city's only World Series victory. For nine more seasons, he starred for the Atlanta Braves and in 1974 broke Babe Ruth's career home run record. After the 1974 season, however, the Braves traded him back to Milwaukee in exchange for outfielder Dave May and minor league pitcher Roger Alexander. Hammerin' Hank still had some power, belting 22 home runs over his final two seasons in Milwaukee. He retired following the 1976 season with a .305 batting average, 3771 hits, 2297 RBI (still the record), 6856 total bases (also the record), 240 stolen bases, 19 more walks than strikeouts, and of course, 755 career home runs. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1982, with 97.8% of the vote (406 of 415 ballots). He currently works as a senior vice president of the Atlanta Braves and a director and vice president of TBS.

Rare Baseball Bat on Display in Fort Atkinson

TheJay — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 21:23:39 -0000

Rare Baseball Bat on Display in Fort Atkinson

The link goes to an article on seamheads.com about a rare curved bat owned by major league catcher Billy Sullivan. Sullivan, a Wisconsin native, was the starting catcher for the 1906 champion White Sox. The bat is currently on display with other Sullivan memorabilia at the Hoard Historical Museum in Fort Atkinson.

Brewers Numerical History: #54

TheJay — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 01:55:12 -0000

Last Post: #9

After the twenty-one occupants of #9 last week, it is time for a return to a less-used number. In the forty-one seasons of Milwaukee Brewers history, only four players have worn #54 in parts of just eight seasons. Additionally, a couple of the #54s are actually better known for wearing a different number. With so few players, there is no need for a jump.

The first Brewer to wear #54 was a destined-to-be-controversial rookie named Gary Sheffield in 1988. Nephew of Dwight Gooden and sixth overall pick in the 1986 draft, Sheffield made his debut on September 3, 1988 at the age of 19. He started the 24 remaining games of the season at shortstop and hit .238 with 4 home runs in 80 at bats. Sheffield switched to #1 for the 1989 season and to #11 for 1990-1991. He was traded to San Diego after many criticisms of Milwaukee and the Brewers and went on to a lengthy and successful major league career.

One of the players brought to Milwaukee in the Sheffield trade was shortstop prospect Jose Valentin. After progressing through the Padres' farm system, Valentin spent most of 1992 at the Brewers' AAA affiliate in Denver. He was called up in mid-September 1992 and appeared in four games during the rest of that season. In 1993, he again spent most of the season in AAA. He earned another September callup and hit .245 in 53 at bats in 19 games. He switched to #2 for 1994 and spent six seasons wearing that number before being traded to Chicago in 2000. He also spent time with the Dodgers and Mets before calling it quits in 2008.

In November 1998, the Brewers signed minor league journeyman Hector Ramirez to one-year deal. He spent nearly a decade in the Mets farm system before passing through the Yankees, Orioles and Marlins organizations. After all that time, he finally made his major league debut with the Brewers on August 28, 1999. He threw 21 innings in 15 appearances over the final month of the season, finishing 1-2 with five holds, three blown saves, 11 walks and 9 strikeouts. In 2000, he was recalled for two weeks in May and gave up ten runs over six relief appearances. That unsuccessful stint resulted in his release and was the end of his major league career.

Prior to the 2008 season, the Brewers focused on upgrading the team's bullpen. Roughly one-third of the team's payroll was spent on newly acquired relievers. The splashiest move was the free agent signing of veteran righthander David Riske. Riske was signed to a 3-year, $13 million deal after five solid seasons. Unfortunately, injuries marred each of his seasons in Milwaukee. In 2008, he made 45 appearances while struggling with his command and a balky elbow. That elbow cost him all but one game in the 2009 season and the first two months of 2010. Once he finally returned, Riske made 23 appearances without particularly successful results, leading to his release in August.

Going into the 2011 season, the number has been assigned to minor league catcher Martin Maldonado. Obviously, he has the inside track on becoming the fifth #54 in Brewers history. His big-league prospects are cloudy at present, however, so the next occupant of #54 is still a mystery.

EDIT: A day or two after this was posted, Brewers.com updated the team's 40-man roster to show #54 had been re-assigned to RHP Sean Green.

Brewers Numerical History: #9

TheJay — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 16:07:56 -0000

Last Post: #0/00

After last week's sojourn into the territory of little-used number zero, this week we return to the land of popular numbers. Number nine, to be exact. As you might expect from a single-digit number, it has been popular throughout team history. A whopping twenty-one Brewers players have worn #9 on their backs on the old ballfield. With that in mind, you may want to read this post in stages.

Follow the jump for the lengthy list!

After two seasons, Rich Rollins looked like a star. In 1962 and 1963, he hit .302 with 32 home runs at the hot corner for the new Minnesota Twins before the age of 26. Unfortunately, events would show he peaked early. A sudden decline led to four seasons of batting averages in the .240s with limited power. In 1969, he was selected in the expansion draft by the Seattle Pilots and stuck around for fourteen games with Milwaukee in 1970. He was released in May having hit .200 in 25 at bats with the Brewers.

Now known mostly as the father of manager (and former Brewers player) Terry Francona, Tito Francona had a better playing career than his son. After finishing second in the AL Rookie of the Year balloting in 1956 (which sounds more impressive before you learn his lone vote was 22 behind winner Luis Aparicio), he was an All Star for the Indians in 1961. All told he had nearly 1400 hits and 125 home runs in a fifteen-year career. He finished that career as a bench player in Milwaukee, hitting .231/.296/.277 in 65 mostly pinch-hit at bats.

After Billy Conigliaro's older brother Tony became the youngest home run champion in AL history, Red Sox faithful no doubt dreamed about a future Conigliaro outfield. Unfortunately, Tony was hit in the face by a pitch, sidetracking his career and causing significant vision problems. Billy remained healthy but fell out with Red Sox management after Tony was traded to California. The Brewers picked up Billy as part of a massive Tommy Harper/George Scott/Ken Brett trade, but he was unhappy in the Midwest and retired at age 24 in June. He came back to play for the 1973 Oakland Athletics, who went on to win the World Series, but soon fell out with Oakland management (though in his defense, nobody liked A's owner Charlie O. Finley) and was out of the majors after that season.

A list of Brewers futility usually features Pedro Garcia somewhere. The Brewers' Opening Day starter at second base in 1973, Garcia led the league in doubles that season as a rookie and finished second to Al Bumbry in the Rookie of the Year balloting. That was the high point of his career, as his .245/.296/.395 batting line dropped to .199/.248/.330 in 1974. After another anemic season in 1975 and a poor start to 1976, he was traded to Detroit. His final season was as a member of the expansion Blue Jays in 1977.

When the Brewers traded Garcia to Detroit, they received futility infielder Gary Sutherland in return. Milwaukee was Sutherland's fifth stop in the majors, but his bat was just as impotent in the Cream City as it was elsewhere. In 130 at bats, he hit one home run while putting up a .217/.268/.261. On the bright side, he avoided strikeouts, whiffing just seven times. Brief stops in San Diego and St. Louis ended his career.

Before Robin Yount became the team's starting shortstop, that job belonged to Tim Johnson. If Johnson had hit just a little better, Yount's arrival may have been delayed a bit longer. Perhaps it's for the best, then, that Johnson hit .213/.259/.243 as a rookie in 1973. After switching numbers a couple times, he settled on #9 for 1977. In 33 at bats that year, he hit safely just twice, though he did walk five times. His anemic offense earned him a trade to Toronto in 1978, and he finished his career having played in 500 games and batted 1400 times without a single home run. He later managed the Blue Jays for one season but was fired in disgrace when it turned out his personal Vietnam War stories used as motivational tools were fabrications.

After one good year and one forgettable year with the Phillies, Larry Hisle found himself in AAA before being traded to Minnesota, via Los Angeles and St. Louis. He broke out in Minnesota, hitting .286 with 87 home runs, 409 RBI, and 92 steals in his five seasons in the Twin Cities. The Brewers signed him to a rich, 6-year, $3.15 million contract following the 1977 season and he rewarded the team with a great year: .290/.374/.533 with 34 home runs and 115 RBI. Unfortunately, he was struck by injury in 1979 and never recovered. Following that 1978 season, he played in just 79 games between 1979 and 1982, retiring after the Brewers' lone World Series season. He currently works in the team's front office as Manager of Youth Outreach.

Corner infielder/outfielder Jim Adduci appeared in just three games in #9, all in 1986. Acquired after the 1984 season, he spent 1985 and 1986 in AAA, getting a cup of coffee in the majors in May of the latter year. In his three games, all starts at first base, he went 1 for 11 with one walk and a sacrifice. He later made another appearance for the team, wearing #14, in 1988, when he finished with a quirky .266/.258/.383 batting line. His brief major league career was over by 1990. His son James is currently a Cubs farmhand.

Like Larry Hisle, free agent signing Greg Brock rewarded the Brewers with a career year in his first season in Milwaukee. Unfortunately, the peak wasn't as high. The power-or-nothing former Dodger hit .299 in 1987, albeit with just thirteen home runs. Unlike Hisle, Brock remained healthy over the balance of his contract, though Brewers fans grew to wish he hadn't. He returned to his low-average ways without the power that made up for it. He was released in July 1991 having provided hit just 39 home runs and slugging under .400 in 4 1/2 seasons in Milwaukee.

In 1987, the Brewers selected Clemson shortstop Bill Spiers with the 13th overall pick in the amateur draft. When not sidelined by injury, he was the team's starting shortstop in 1989, 1990, and 1991. In 1992, he switched from #6 to #9, but missed all but 12 games due to back problems. When he returned to action in 1993 and 1994, he displayed none of the limited power he had earlier in his career. He was claimed by the Mets off waivers during the player's strike in 1994 and spent one season in the Big Apple before heading to Houston. As a member of the Astros, he was attacked by Berley Visgar while playing right field at County Stadium on September 24, 1999. He was unhurt. Spiers wrapped up his career in 2001.

If a catcher has a long major league career, it's usually safe to assume one of two things: he can hit a bit but doesn't defend well or he has a good glove but can't hit. Joe Oliver had the good fortune to debut with the Cincinnati Reds in 1989. In 1990, he was behind the plate for the team's World Series Championship. Oliver's redeeming characteristic at the plate was his power: he reached double digits in home runs seven times en route to a career .247/.299/.391. He spent one season in Milwaukee, 1995, and set the team record for passed balls with 16 in just 91 games. That wasn't a fluke for him; he led the NL in passed balls with 16 in 1990 and reached double digits in that category twice more.

A 28th round pick in 1992, Tim Unroe appeared in 48 games over three seasons with the Brewers, appearing everyone but shortstop, center field, and catcher. He struck out 14 times in 36 at bats, but did contribute two home runs before being released in September 1997. He is most notable in team history for being the only player with a surname beginning with the letter U.

Before the 1998 season, the Brewers acquired pitcher Jeff Juden and center fielder Marquis Grissom from the Indians in exchange for pitchers Mike Fetters, Ben McDonald, and Ron Villone. Grissom spent three years in Milwaukee, becoming a 20-20 player in 1999 before declining sharply in 2000. Perhaps reasoning he had hit a wall due to age, the Brewers promptly replaced him with an older center fielder, Devon White. Grissom had a brief resurgence with the Giants in 2003 and retired following the 2005 season.

If the Forgotten Brewers series lasts long enough, Robert Perez is a lock for Part MMMDCCCLXXXVIII. A stereotypical AAAA player, he spent part of six seasons in the majors while hitting over .300 in AAA. He finished his major league career by going 0 for 5 in two games with the Brewers in 2001.

A throw-in to a trade involving Mike DeJean and Juan Acevedo, second baseman Elvis Pena got eight September starts for the Brewers in 2001 after an anemic .240/.300/.295 batting line in AAA (is there a name for a line that is under .300 in all three categories?). He went 9 for 40 with two doubles and two steals in the majors. By 2003, he was in independent ball.

Paul Bako's given name is Gabor. That's not exactly relevant, but it's one of the more notable things about him. An itinerant backup catcher, he was acquired by the Brewers in exchange for Henry Blanco, himself an itinerant backup catcher. In twelve major league seasons, Bako played for eleven different franchises and never played in 100 games in a season.

Ask a Brewers fan about the Rule 5 draft, and he or she is likely to roll his or her eyes and bring up Enrique Cruz. In 2002, Cruz showed some offensive promise for St. Lucie in the Florida State League and the Brewers pounced on him. Since the Brewers were, ahem, not good in 2003, the 21-year-old was kept on the roster all year. Saying he struggled is putting it lightly: he hit .085 and slugged .099 in 71 at bats. Of course, it is hard to get in rhythm when you bat four times in the month of August. In 2007, he made a cameo appearance against the Brewers as a member of the Cincinnati Reds. In 2010, he finished with the fifth-highest batting average (.381) in the Golden Baseball League.

Jeff Liefer would not like to be remembered as the guy who got stuck in the bathroom, but that makes him more famous than many other marginal major leaguers. A broken door handle in a bathroom stall led to a 20-minute delay in a 2004 Indianapolis Indians game. With a story like that, it's easy to overlook Liefer's cups of coffee in seven different major league seasons. As a Brewer, he went 6 for 28 with one home run in 2004 before being released after the season.

Before he was half of a third base platoon affectionately known as "Counsellino," Tony Graffanino bounced around the majors as a utility infielder for five other teams. After Corey Koskie was hurt in 2006, the Brewers acquired Graffanino in exchange for enigmatic pitcher Jorge de la Rosa. Graffanino finished 2006 about as well as he could be expected to but struggled in 2007. Those struggles led to the callup of top prospect Ryan Braun, so it's hard to be upset, even if the Brewers did end up losing the division by two games that season.

For a couple years, the Brewers looked loaded at second base. Top draft pick Rickie Weeks led the charge, Callix Crabbe supported him with a great name and a promising bat, and Hernan Iribarren hit .400 in rookie ball. Fast forward a few years and two of those three players are out of the majors. After putting up nice batting averages but not much else throughout the minors, Iribarren made his debut wearing #26 in 2008. In 2009, he switched to #9 and went 3 for 13 in a couple brief callups. In March 2010, he was claimed by the Texas Rangers off waivers.

When you have a position to fill and prospects one year away, it makes sense to sign a veteran to mentor the kids in spring and hold down the fort. The Brewers followed that road behind the plate by signing 39-year-old backstop Gregg Zaun. Despite starting as many as 90 games just three times in his 15-year career, he was signed to be the starting catcher. Unfortunately, an injury in May ended his season and quite possibly his career.

The Brewers go into 2011 with Luis Cruz wearing #9, according to the roster posted on Brewers.com. A glove-first shortstop, it's unclear whether Cruz will make the major league club out of spring training or reprise his role as AAA shortstop next year. One thing is for certain: he won't be the last #9 in club history.

Brewers Numerical History: #0/00

TheJay — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 02:41:31 -0000

Last Post: #58

There have been three Brewers who have worn the lowest of uniform numbers. In a sport that originally assigned uniform numbers based on batting order, there wasn't much room for zero. It is a number that has rarely been worn on any team. That holds true today, as not a single player wears zero. This lack of zeros is not limited to baseball; zeros are also rare in football and basketball.

There are actually two separate zeros available on uniforms: 0 and 00. Given the rarity of players willing to wear zero, it is unlikely a team would ever have a #0 and #00, but I have to assume it would be allowed. In the team's four decades in Milwaukee, the Brewers have seen one player wear single zero and two wear double zero.

The first zero in Brewers history was found on the back of left fielder Jeffrey Leonard. By the time he reached Milwaukee, Leonard had spent over a decade in the majors with the Dodgers, Astros, and Giants. In 1987, he made his first All-Star team and followed that successful season with an excellent NLCS. He went 10 for 24 with four home runs while getting under the skin of the Cardinals and their fans before the Giants fell in the seventh game of the series. Despite the Giants' loss, Leonard was named NLCS MVP. Leonard brought his "one flap down" home run trot and #00 to Milwaukee following a June 1988 trade for nfielder Ernie Riles. Leonard didn't find much success in Milwaukee, hitting just .235 with eight home runs in 94 games down the stretch. He signed with the Mariners as a free agent following the season and bounced back to make the All-Star squad in 1989. He was released by the Mariners after the 1990 season, ending his career.

Before the 1990 season, the Dodgers traded backup first baseman/outfielder Franklin Stubbs to Houston in exchange for pitcher Terry Wells. Wells made five starts for the Dodgers before departing the majors for good. Stubbs, meanwhile, rewarded Houston with a career year, hitting .261 with 23 home runs. During his six years in Los Angeles, Stubbs had hit just .227/.294/.401. Stubbs was able to parlay his good season for the Astros into a then-princely three-year, $6 million deal from the Brewers. Unsurprisingly, he returned to his Dodgers form, hitting .213 with eleven home runs in 1991. Perhaps hoping to change his luck, Stubbs switched to #0 before the 1992 season. The remedy was ineffective and his contract was bought out after he put up a .229/.297/.368 line with nine home runs. He resurfaced with the Tigers in 1995, but did not return to the majors after that season.

In 1992, the Colorado Rockies selected prospect Curt Leskanic in the expansion draft. Leskanic started a few games for the Rockies in 1993 and 1994 with limited success before being moved to the bullpen in 1995. He led the league with 76 appearances in 1995, over half the 144-game schedule, with a fine 3.40 ERA and ten saves. He wasn't quite able to recapture that success in Colorado over the next four years. That didn't stop the Brewers from acquiring the righthander before the 2000 season in exchange for lefty Mike Myers. Despite a penchant for walks, Leskanic did well wearing #00 in 2000, putting up a 2.56 ERA in 73 appearances and recording 12 saves after closer Bob Wickman was traded in July. He recorded seventeen saves the following season before losing all of 2002 to injury. He returned in 2003 with a new number (#33) and had good results before being traded to Kansas City (where he had even better results). Leskanic struggled with the Royals in 2004 before being released and joining the Red Sox for their World Series run. That was his final season in the majors. He currently works as a scout and presumably still avoids his cousin's concerts.

Click here for enlarged version. I posted a slightly different version of this in the last Game...

TheJay — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 06:33:22 -0000

Click here for enlarged version. I posted a slightly different version of this in the last Game Thread. I'm re-posting because I feel like tooting my own horn to celebrate the new year. The original image is from the fine website of the people at Abbot Building Restoration Company, Inc. in Boston, Mass.

Brewers Numerical History: #58

TheJay — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 02:36:25 -0000

Last Post: #13

The traditional history of baseball uniform numbers links each player to his spot in the batting order. It follow then, that higher uniform numbers are, in general, a recent phenomenon. This trend was seen in an earlier post about the Brewers history of #57 and it holds true for today's number as well. For the first twenty-eight years of Brewers history, no player wore #58. However, it has become rather popular among itinerant pitchers over the past few years.

Follow the jump to read about the six Brewers who have worn #58.

In 1993, the Brewers signed a young lefthanded pitcher from the Dominican Republic named Valerio de los Santos. It took five years and a move to the bullpen, but de los Santos made his Brewers debut on July 31, 1998. In thirteen games through the rest of the season, he struck out 18 while walking just two in 21 2/3 innings. That promising start was derailed by an injury-riddled 1999, during which he underwent back surgery. Following that season, he switched to #28. He pitched a full campaign in 2000, but prodigious strikeout totals were overshadowed by his troubles with the long ball (15 home runs in 73 2/3 innings). He lost all but one game of 2001 to injuries. He was finally healthy in 2002 and 2003, but had lost his strikeout ability. He was claimed by the Phillies off waivers in early September 2003.

One year later, the Brewers expanded their annual search for competent pitching to journeyman Gary Glover. Glover had middling results for three teams before joining the Cubs on a minor league contract before the 2004 season. He was released in June, signed for three weeks by the Minnesota Twins, and finally joined the Brewers in July. A capable end to the AAA season earned him another chance in the majors. A 3.50 ERA over four appearances (18 innings) in the majors showed promise for the next season. In 2005, he suddenly started striking out hitters but other results just weren't there: he was demoted after putting up a 6.70 ERA in nine starts. He was released after the season.

The Brewers probably could have used Glover in 2006, when just about the team's entire pitching staff caught the injury bug. One of the pitchers thrown into the breach was ex-Royal Chris Demaria, who had very good minor league numbers. Unfortunately, he couldn't find the same success in the majors and was demoted after ten appearances in which he gave up eleven runs in 13 2/3 innings. He struggled with his control, walking nine hitters against eleven strikeouts. He finished the year with good numbers in AAA Nashville, but was cut the next season in spring training and has not appeared in the majors or minors since.

In 2008, the Brewers built up for a playoff run by putting together the most expensive bullpen in baseball. One cog in the machine was journeyman righthander Guillermo Mota. Mota was days away from being cut by the Mets, despite being owed over $3 million, when the Brewers acquired him in exchange for catcher Johnny Estrada, who had fallen out of favor. The timing of the move and Mota's unimpressive career caused some consternation among Brewers fans. Matters weren't helped any when Mota went through a disastrous six-week stretch starting in mid-May during which he lost four games and allowed twenty-one runs in twenty-two innings. After pitching his way to the back of the bullpen, he allowed just three runs in August and September. The Brewers let him go as a free agent following the season.

In July 2009, the Brewers signed journeyman righthander Jesus Colome to a minor league contract. Colome had been cut by the Washington Nationals earlier in the season but was called up after just four appearances in AAA Nashville. Colome made five appearances for the team before being placed on the disabled list with a forearm strain.

Shortly after Doug Melvin fiercely defended the team's scouting staff against critiques of the team's inability to develop pitching, 2006 10th round pick Mike McClendon was called up in an unanticipated move. Though he had not dominated at any level, McClendon had steadily worked his way up to AAA in the Brewers farm system by the time of his callup. He proceeded to pitch very well in the majors over the rest of the season. In seventeen appearances, he won two games and struck out 21 batters in exactly 21 innings. It is unlikely he will continue to strike out so many batters in the majors, but one can hope his rookie experience will help him carve out a solid career. He will face tough competition for the few openings in the Brewers bullpen to start 2011, but as of yet has no challengers for the #58 jersey.

Brewers Numerical History: #13

TheJay — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 03:19:53 -0000

Last Post: #40

Understandably, Brewers fans are still agog following the sudden acquisition of 2009 Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke last weekend. Since just about everyone else is talking about Greinke this week, I figure it's as good a time as any to look at the history of his new uniform number. If you follow sportswriter Jordan Schelling's Twitter feed, you may have seen that Greinke is just the eleventh Brewers player to wear lucky #13, along with a picture of his new jersey.

In a sport so steeped in superstition as baseball, it is not surprising #13 has not been worn much leaguewide. Only one player has had his #13 retired (Dave Concepcion), one currently wears it for the Yankees, and perhaps the most famous #13 in baseball history belongs to Ralph Branca. Branca, of course, is known for giving up The Shot Heard 'round The World, thereby perpetuating the superstition. With that pedigree, it is perhaps to be expected it took nearly a decade for a Brewers player to wear #13.

Read about the Brewers' #13s after the jump!

Ray Fosse was nicknamed the "Marion Mule" for his hometown and his stubbornness. He was picked seventh overall by Cleveland in baseball's first amateur draft and made the All-Star team in 1970, his first full season, by hitting over .300 at the All-Star break. Then Pete Rose struck. Fosse played the rest of the season with a fracture and separation of his left shoulder. He won the Gold Glove in 1970 and 1971, but his offense declined each season. He was traded to Oakland, where the decline continued. A brief resurgence back in Cleveland in 1976 and with the expansion Mariners in 1977 earned him a four year deal with the Brewers. Fosse was injured in spring training in 1978 and missed the entire season. He came back to play in nineteen games in 1979 while wearing #13, perhaps to change his luck, but hit just .231. He was cut at the end of spring training in 1980, ending his playing career.

After the 1980 season, Toronto third baseman Roy Howell elected free agency, hoping for richer pastures south of the border. The fourth overall pick in the 1972 draft and a former All-Star third baseman, Howell signed with the Brewers and soon transitioned into the team's designated hitter role. A part time player in his four seasons in Milwaukee, he topped out at 98 games and 300 at bats while hitting .253/.307/.377 as a Brewer.

In the 6th round of the 1982 draft, the Brewers selected a graduate of Ware (MA) High School with the mellifluous name of Billy Jo Robidoux. Robidoux hit well through the minors, including a season with 23 home runs at AA El Paso in 1985, but struggled once he reached the majors. After hitting .176 as a September callup at the age of 21 in 1985, Robidoux struggled to a .227 average with just one home run in 181 at bats in 1986. He bounced between AAA Denver and Milwaukee in 1987 and 1988, putting up fairly good minor league numbers but finding no success in the majors. The Brewers let him go following the 1988 season and he made brief appearances with the White Sox and Red Sox in 1989 and 1990. He now umpires American Legion games in Massachusetts and works in his hometown.

From New England to an old English penal colony, the Brewers signed Brisbane, Australia native Dave Nilsson to an amateur contract in 1987. He progressed steadily through the minors and made his major league debut on May 18, 1992, at the age of 22. He wore #13 during his rookie season and hit .232 with four home runs in 164 at bats. He switched to #11 and later #14 during an eight season career that saw him hit .300 twice, leave and return to catching, and make an All-Star team in his final season. After becoming a free agent, he headed to Japan so he could more easily represent Australia in the 2000 Summer Olympics. He attempted a major league comeback in 2004, but called it off after playing in sixteen games for the Braves' AAA affiliate.

Bill Doran was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 6th round of the 1979 draft. He was the Astros' starting second baseman for eight seasons before being traded to the Cincinnati Reds in 1990. In January 1993, the Brewers purchased Doran from the Reds. He spent two months on the bench but never got going, hitting just .217 in sixty at bats. Doran finished his career with 1366 hits, 209 steals, and 109 more walks than strikeouts. He remains active in baseball, working as the Reds' minor league infielding/baserunning coordinator.

With the possible exception of Robidoux, Brian Givens had the least major league success of anyone thusfar on the list. Still, getting to the majors at all was quite the accomplishment. A tenth round pick by the Mets in 1984, it took Givens ten years, five organizations, five arm surgeries, and a players' strike to make his debut. Crossing the picket line as a replacement player in order to pay debts, Givens started 1995 in the minors but was called up in June. After pitching well in a loss in his debut and being shelled in his second start, Givens went on to finish the season 5-7 with a 4.95 ERA in nineteen starts. After starting 1996 rehabbing a back injury, Givens was called up to make four starts in June but was sent down after giving up twenty runs in fourteen innings. He spent the next season in Japan and never returned to the majors.

I was always stunned by the fact there were two major leaguers named Jeff D'Amico playing at the same time. One of them appeared in just seven games for the Royals in 2000 (oddly, four of those appearances were against NL teams), but the other spent parts of five seasons in Milwaukee. The Brewers' D'Amico was the 23rd pick of the first round in 1993. He rose quickly through the minors and debuted as a 20-year-old in 1996. He struggled, going 6-6 with a 5.44 ERA in seventeen starts. In 1997, he improved to 9-7 with a 4.71 ERA in 23 starts but injuries cost him the entire 1998 and all but one inning of the 1999 season. In 2000, he returned with a vengeance, entering his final start with a sparkling 2.42 ERA in 156 1/3 innings. Needing six innings to qualify for the ERA title, he reached the 162 inning minimum but gave up six runs on the way, costing him the title and in fact dropping him to third behind Kevin Brown (2.58) and Randy Johnson (2.64). In 2001, injuries limited him to ten ineffective starts and he was traded to the Mets following the season. He bounced around the majors for three more years before calling it quits.

The 2002 Brewers lost 106 games. As 100-loss games are wont to do, they began throwing pitchers at the mound to see who would stick. One of the team's 25 pitchers and 13 starters, Dave Pember joined the organization as an eighth round pick in 1999. Following a 10-6 record and 3.17 ERA in 27 starts at AA Huntsville in 2002, he was called up to make a start in Wrigley Field on September 3. He gave up four hits and five walks en route to four runs in 3 2/3 innings. He made three more appearances out of the bullpen before the season ended. Oddly, he seems to have disappeared following the season, dropping out of both the majors and minors.

When fan favorite Lyle Overbay was traded to Toronto after the 2005 season, the Brewers received two first rounds picks and a second round pick in return. Dave Bush and Gabe Gross both spent a lot of time on the major league roster, but Zach Jackson, the 32nd pick in the 2004 draft, spent just ten games in a Brewers uniform. One of the Brewers' many injury-induced callups in 2006, he struggled in seven starts and was sent down after a month and a half. He continued to struggle in Nashville but received a second chance at the majors in 2008 thanks, once again, to injuries. He made two appearances in May but was quickly returned to AAA. Later that summer he was traded to Cleveland as part of the CC Sabathia deal.

In 2005, the Brewers selected Zach Braddock with their 18th round pick. Originally groomed as a starter, injury concerns forced him to move to the bullpen, where he thrived. After putting up great numbers in limited time at Brevard County and Huntsville in 2009, Braddock opened 2010 in Nashville. After being called up in May, Braddock showed his gaudy strikeout numbers in the minors were not a mirage: he finished the season with 41 strikeouts in 33 2/3 innings against nineteen walks and just one home run. A sparkling 2.94 ERA was icing on the cake for a successful rookie campaign.

After all his rookie success, Braddock was rewarded by having his uniform number assigned to Zack Greinke. These things happen when a team acquires a Cy Young winner. Still, to me the best part of this uniform number switch is the fact as soon as Greinke takes the mound next season, all three Brewers named Zach/Zack will have worn #13 for the team.

Brewers Numerical History: #40

TheJay — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 02:41:36 -0000

Last Post: #36

Intro

[EDIT: D'oh, obviously I remembered to go back and write everything but an introduction. How embarrassing. Sixteen Brewers players have worn #40 in team history and you can read about them by following the jump.]

The first Brewer to wear #40 was outfielder Floyd Wicker. Wicker debuted with the Cardinals in 1968, struck out 20 times in 41 plate appearances for the expansion Expos in 1969, and went 9 for 49 with one double and one home run in 1970 and 1971 with the Brewers. He was traded to the Giants for infielder Bob Heise, but did not appear in another major league game after 1971.

After Wicker was sent packing, righthanded pitcher Jerry Bell took on #40. The Seattle Pilots' second-round pick out of Belmont University, it took Bell just two years to make it to the majors. He was used as a reliever in September 1971 and in 1972, but moved to the starting rotation in 1973. He went 9-9 in 25 starts with a 3.97 ERA, which was actually below the league average, and walked 70 batters while striking out only 57 in 183 2/3 innings. After being bothered by a sore elbow, he started 1974 as a reliever and was sent to the minors in mid-May after requesting a trade or release. He never appeared in another major league game.

In 1968, the Oakland Athletics selected high school pitcher Pete Broberg second overall in the June draft. He did not sign and spent the next three years at Dartmouth College. He was drafted by the Washington Senators first overall in the 1971 June secondary draft (for players who were previously picked but did not sign) and spent four seasons with the Senators and Rangers. After finding no success in the majors in 1974, he was traded to Milwaukee in exchange for lefty Clyde Wright. Broberg went 14-16 for the Brewers in 1975 and became the first Brewers pitcher to walk 100 batters in a season. His 106 walks is still a franchise record. He went 1-7 with a 4.97 ERA in twenty appearances (11 starts) in 1976 and was left unprotected for the expansion draft following the season. He was drafted by the Mariners and spent two more seasons in the majors.

For a few seasons after Broberg, no Brewers player took hold of #40. Sam Hinds, an undrafted righthander, earned a call up in May 1977 and pitched in 29 games over the course of the season. He picked up two saves and finished with an ERA of 4.73 in 72 1/3 innings. He did not make the team out of spring training in 1978, struggled with his control in the minors, and was out of the Brewers system by 1980.

While Hinds was pitching his way out of major league consideration, West Bend native Willie Mueller earned a late-season call up in 1978 following a strong season at AA affiliate Holyoke in the Eastern League. Mueller pitched in five games that year, giving up at least two runs in four appearances. He did get a win in his only scoreless appearance. He appeared one more time in a Brewers uniform in 1981, but that was it for his major league career.

After the 1979 season, the Brewers traded former first round pick and utility infielder Lenn Sakata to Baltimore for righthander John Flinn. Flinn appeared in twenty games for the Brewers in 1980, going 2-1 with 2 saves in 37 innings. He was rewarded the next season with a trip to AAA Vancouver and a release in February 1982.

In 1979, the Brewers signed "the other Bob Gibson" out of Bloomsburg (PA) University. He was destined to spent parts of four seasons in Milwaukee, appearing in 97 games (18 starts) with varying success. In 268 2/3 career innings with the Brewers, he walked 165 hitters while striking out 164. He went 12-18 with 13 saves but was left unprotected for the 1986 Rule 5 draft after his control deserted him in the majors that season. He was selected by Chicago and made his way to New York for once appearance with the Mets in 1987.

In 1987, former fourth round pick Mike Birkbeck changed from #41 to #40 and started the year in the Brewers rotation. He lasted ten starts, struggling his way to a 6.20 ERA while dealing with shoulder problems that necessitated surgery. He recovered to start 23 games for the team in 1988, going 10-8 with a 4.72 ERA before shoulder problems returned. Recurring injuries limited him to just nine starts in 1989 and he was released after struggling in AAA in 1990.

Righthanded reliever Darren Holmes debuted for the Dodgers in 1990 and was traded to Milwaukee for minor league catcher Bert Heffernan. He spent two seasons in Milwaukee, picking up nine saves in 81 appearances. He was left unprotected in the 1993 expansion draft and was selected by Colorado Rockies. He saved 25 games for the Rockies in 1993 and 14 games for them in 1995. He bounced around the majors until 2003.

In 1973, Gary Ignasiak appeared in three games for the Detroit Tigers. Eighteen years later, his brother Mike Ignasiak made his major league debut for the Brewers. Mike wore #53 that first season but switched to #40 when he returned to the big leagues in 1993. From 1993-1995, he appeared in seventy-five games for the Brewers. He never picked up a save, but did record nine holds, the claim to fame of middle relievers.

After the 1995 season, the Brewers made a big free agent signing, inking 6'7" righty Ben McDonald to a two-year deal. McDonald, the first overall pick in 1989, struggled with shoulder problems in 1995. He stayed healthy through 1996, starting 35 games and going 12-10 with a 3.90 ERA. Shoulder problems returned in 1997, however, and ended his season in July after 21 starts. He was traded to Cleveland in December 1997. In what was termed an "unusually cooperative move between teams," the Brewers took McDonald back in exchange for prospect Mark Watson after it turned out McDonald required season-ending surgery in February 1998. If you are curious, Watson did not have a successful major league career.

The next Brewers #40 also had an injury-plagued career. Chad Fox racked up strikeouts whenever he took the mound for the Brewers to the tune of a 10.6 K/9 in Milwaukee, but elbow and shoulder injuries limited his time on the active roster. He appeared in thirty games in 1997 and 49 in 1998, but was limited to six appearances in 1999 and missed all of the 2000 season. He returned to make 65 appearances with a 1.89 ERA in 2001, but was able to make just three appearances in 2002 before being released. He bounced around the league while fighting injuries and made his last major league appearance in 2009. He departed his final game (incidentally, against the Brewers) with a sore right elbow, a sad yet fitting end.

The Brewers traded rotund Ray King to the Braves in December 2002, receiving destined-to-be-detested Wes Helms and "tattooed, pierced left-handed reliever" John Foster in return. Foster, a 25th round pick in 1999, appeared in twenty-three games for the Crew in 2003, going 2-0 with a 4.73 ERA and sixteen strikeouts in twenty-one innings. He was selected by the Cubs in the Rule 5 draft following the season and was returned to the Brewers in spring training. Curiously, the Brewers released him shortly thereafter.

In 1999, the Brewers selected high school pitcher Ben Hendrickson in the 10th round of the June draft. Before the 2003 season, he was named the #90 prospect in the game by Baseball America. An injury-curtailed season lowered his prospect rankings but a great 2004 season in AAA that saw him go 11-3 with a 2.02 ERA in 125 innings, resulted in a mid-season call-up. Unfortunately, he could not replicate his minor league success in the majors. He started nine games, going 1-7 and lost another game in relief that year, finishing with an unsightly 6.22 ERA in just 46 1/3 innings. He struggled in AAA in 2005 before receiving another chance in the big leagues in 2006. He quickly showed he was not the answer for an injury-decimated staff, lasting just 7 1/3 innings over 3 starts and finishing with sixteen earned runs allowed in twelve total innings before being sent back to the minors. He was traded to the Royals in exchange for Maxim St. Pierre (also known as "Marxist Empire" in spring training 2007.

As part of the team's playoff push in 2007, the Brewers shipped prospects Steve Garrison, Will Inman, and Joe Thatcher to San Diego in exchange for veteran reliever Scott Linebrink. Linebrink made two appearances in #40 before switching to #71 to honor former Padres catcher Mark Merila, who was battling a brain tumor at the time. Linebrink's pitched two scoreless innings while wearing #40. Ultimately, the trade backfired as the Brewers missed the playoffs and saw Joe Thatcher develop into a solid reliever for the Padres.

Like Ben Hendrickson, Brad Nelson was highly ranked by Baseball America before the 2003 season. The Brewers' 4th round pick in 2001 was named the #23 prospect in the game before 2003. He fell to #43 before the 2004 season and struggles at AA Huntsville pushed him out of the top 100 after the season. It looked as though his hopes for a major league career were dashed, but a good season at AAA Nashville in 2008 earned him a September callup. He went 2 for 7 that month, mostly as a pinch hitter, and struck out twice in that year's playoffs. He made the big league roster out of spring training in 2009 but was outrighted to the minors and opted for free agency following an 0 for 21 start to the season. He played for Seattle's AAA affiliate in 2009 and 2010.

In 2009 and 2010, #40 was worn by Brewers manager Ken Macha. It is as yet unassigned following the expiration of Macha's contract, but with a number of newcomers to the roster and coaching staff, there's a fairly good chance someone will be wearing it by the time pitchers and catchers report.

Brewers Numerical History: #36

TheJay — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 01:19:25 -0000

Last Post: #55

Until July 16, 2010, the number 36 had not been worn by a Brewers player in a regular season game in over a dozen years. Despite being worn in more than one season by just two players, the number has a relatively short list of alumni. Only eleven Brewers have played wearing #36 and four would probably be a very good score on a quiz to name them.

Follow the jump for the eleven #36s!

In Ball Four, Jim Bouton describes Steve Hovley's penchant for reading and having long hair. These two cardinal sins against baseball may have contributed to the briefness of his major league career, but hitting .258 and slugging in the low .300s probably did not help. Hovley, a Stanford alum, was a 35th round pick by the Angels in the 1966 draft and was selected by the Seattle Pilots with the 35th pick in the 1969 expansion draft. In 364 at bats with the Pilots, he hit .277 with three home runs while splitting time between center and right field. He was hitting .281 in 135 at bats in 1970 when the Brewers traded him to Oakland in exchange for veteran first baseman Tito Francona and a veteran righthanded pitcher. Hovley hit under .200 in Oakland and finished his career with two seasons on the bench in Kansas City.

In 1961, Al Downing had the good sense to sign with the Yankees as an amateur free agent. In 1964, he led the American League in strikeouts. In 1967, he made the All Star team. In 1971, he won twenty games for the Dodgers. In 1974, he gave up Hank Aaron's 715th home run. In 1977, he retired with 123 career wins and a career 3.22 ERA. In the midst of that generally successful career, he was stuck with the new Milwaukee Brewers. Traded with Tito Francona to Milwaukee in exchange for Steve Hovley, Downing started sixteen gamed down the stretch for the Brewers. He ran into some hard luck, however, going 2-10 despite a 3.34 ERA (113 ERA+). The Brewers traded him to Los Angeles in February 1971 for utilityman Andy Kosco.

In May 1972, the Brewers traded Curt Motton, who had batten all of seven times for the team, to California in exchange for Archie Reynolds. A 26-year-old righthander who pitched well in AAA but found success difficult to come by in the majors, Reynolds appeared in just five games for the Brewers. He gave up at least two runs in each appearance (including two starts), and left town having allowed twenty-six hits and fifteen earned runs in 18 2/3 innings. He spent part of two more seasons in AAA before calling it quits. He is one of just nine pitchers in major league history to lose eight or more games in his career without a single win.

In May 1977, the Brewers signed Mark Bomback, a minor league pitcher released by the Boston Red Sox one month previously. Bomback spent the rest of 1977 and most of 1978 in the minors, but was called up to make a start on September 12, 1978. Bomback struck out Julio Cruz to start the game but then gave up a single, home run, single, double, flyout, and a walk before being pulled. He was charged with three runs in his 2/3 of an inning. He stuck around to pitch a scoreless inning in relief on September 15, but did not make another major league appearance for the Brewers. In 1979, he was traded to the Mets and he spent the next three seasons in New York and then Toronto.

After a decade in Milwaukee, Gorman Thomas was traded with two other players to Cleveland in exchange for outfielder Rick Manning and lefthander Rick Waits. Waits' career had a stereotypical path up to that point: middling success as a young player, a short prime between 26 and 28, and a decline thereafter. In 1982, he turned 30 and went 2-13 with a 5.40 ERA in 21 starts and four relief appearances. In 1984, the Brewers made him a full-time reliever and slapped #36 on his back. He responded with a solid relief campaign but couldn't repeat that success the next year. Perhaps because of his struggles, the Brewers media guide does not give him credit for pitching for the team in 1985.

One player who did get credit for playing in 1985 was Carlos Ponce. Signed out of Puerto Rico in 1982, Ponce rose through the Brewers system as a first baseman. He was called up to the majors in August 1985 and split time between first base and both corner outfield spots. In sixty-two at bats over twenty-one games, he managed an ugly .161/.169/.242 batting line. He moved to Japan after the season and starred for the Yokohama Taiyo Whales.

Before the 1987 season the Brewers traded former first round pick Dion James to Atlanta in exchange for former first round pick Brad Komminsk. Neither player had lived up to their lofty draft positions and neither player ever would. James put up some decent seasons, but Komminsk couldn't top at .237 batting average. He went 1 for 15 with seven strikeouts for the Brewers in September 1987. After an awful 1988 at AAA Denver, he was released.

Quick trivia question: what pitcher has the highest K/9 in Brewers history? Actually, that's a trick question: three pitchers are tied. One of those pitchers is Ray Krawczyk, who appeared in just one game for the team. On April 28, 1989, the Royals led the Brewers 5-1 when Krawczyk came in to pitch the seventh inning. Krawczyk proceeded to strike out six hitters over the final two innings. Unfortunately, he also allowed four hits, a walk, and three runs. He was sent back to the minors four days later. He never appeared in another major league game. Prior to his Brewers career, his signature was analyzed in a newspaper feature that should really make another appearance. For the curious, Wayne Twitchell and Mike Capel are the other Brewers with 27.0 K/9. The media guide credits Capel with #36, but he appeared in the same game as another player who wore #36, so I find that claim exceedingly unlikely.

One month after Krawczyk was sent to the minors, the Brewers called up lefthander Tony Fossas. A career minor leaguer, Fossas finally got a major league shot with the Rangers in 1988. He was released after making five appearances for Texas. The Brewers signed him and he pitched well out of the bullpen in 1989, putting up a 3.54 ERA with one save in 51 games (61 innings). He struggled in 1990 and finished with an unsightly 6.44 ERA in thirty-two appearances. That performance earned a release. He went on to be a solid lefthanded reliever over the rest of the 1990s.

In December 1991, the Brewers traded reliever Chuck Crim to the California Angels in exchange for prospect Glenn Carter and righthander Mike Fetters. Carter never made it to the majors, but Fetters developed into a solid reliever for six seasons in Milwaukee. In 1992, he went 5-1 with two saves in fifty appearances with a 1.87 ERA and a WHIP under 1.00. After another solid campaign in 1993, he was moved into the closer role and recorded 71 saves over the next three seasons. He was replaced as closer by Doug Jones in 1997 and was traded after that season to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for Marquis Grissom and Jeff Juden. He pitched for seven different teams over the next six years and retired after the 2004 season with an even 100 career saves.

On July 16, 2010, the slumping Brewers called up outfield prospect Lorenzo Cain to take injured pitcher Doug Davis' roster spot. Cain lined out in a pinch hitting appearance that night but started a seven-game hitting streak in his second career game. After one month in the majors, he was hitting .364 (in a small sample of 43 at bats). He started to come back to earth but wound up hitting .306/.348/.415 in 147 at bats for a successful rookie season.

Missing 20 FT in a Game

TheJay — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 04:04:14 -0000

In case you missed it, last Saturday night the Bucks beat a very shorthanded Magic team by a score of 96 to 85. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Magic utilized a strategy known informally as Hack-a-Shaq after Shaquille O'Neal. In this game, the victim was Andrew Bogut, who ultimately led the Bucks with sixteen free throw attempts. Unfortunately, he missed eleven of his charity tosses. The rest of the Bucks were off as well, missing a further nine attempts combined. All told, the Bucks went 23 for 43 from the free throw line in the game.

Since I happen to have a bunch of data about free throws lying around, I thought it would be fun to look at other recent games in which a team missed twenty or more free throws. If you follow Brew Hoop on Twitter, you may have noticed a note after Saturday's game about the Bucks being only the fourteenth team since the NBA lockout to miss twenty free throws in a game. As the original author of said note, I will fess up to miscounting: teams are 11-3 when missing twenty free throws. Regardless, fourteen sounds like a nice number to review.

December 4, 2010 - Milwaukee (23/43 on free throws) defeats Orlando 96-85
Primary culprits: Andrew Bogut (5/16), Brandon Jennings (6/10), John Salmons (2/6)
January 29, 2010 - Cleveland (23/44) defeats Indiana 94-73
Primary culprits: LeBron James (10/17), Shaquille O'Neal (6/12)

The Pacers attempted just five free throws in this contest.
January 23, 2010 - Cleveland (20/40) defeats Oklahoma City 100-99
Primary culprits: Shaquille O'Neal (6/15), LeBron James (13/19)

This may have been the start of the worst week of team free throw shooting in NBA history.
November 2, 2007 - Charlotte (22/43) defeats Milwaukee 102-99
Primary culprits: Emeka Okafor (3/13), Jason Richardson (2/6)

The Bobcats may have been suffering Opening Night jitters. True fact: Jake Voskuhl managed to grab a rebound in his two seconds on the court.
March 23, 2007 - Utah (17/37) loses to LA Clippers 104-72
Primary culprit: Paul Millsap (5/14)
January 2, 2006 - New York (32/54) defeats Phoenix 140-133 in triple-overtime
Primary culprit: Eddy Curry (8/14)

The Knicks didn't struggle shooting so much as they had a bunch of shots to miss. The Suns played nine players, four of whom fouled out. Phoenix had a shot to win at the end of the second overtime, but Irishman Pat Burke, the sixth option on the floor, missed the potential game-winner.
December 11, 2005 - Detroit (25/45) defeats LA Clippers 109-101
Primary culprit: Ben Wallace (7/22)

At tip-off, the two teams had a combined 28-7 record. Wallace shot his career average from the line this year: 41.6%.
January 26, 2005 - Miami (29/49) defeats Toronto 111-96
Primary culprit: Shaquille O'Neal (7/20)
November 19, 2004 - Miami (22/44) defeats Utah 107-105 in overtime
Primary culprits: Shaquille O'Neal (2/10), Dwyane Wade (15/21)

Did you know? This is not the last time Shaq will grace this list.
March 15, 2004 - LA Lakers (28/48) defeats Orlando 113-110 in overtime
Primary culprits: Shaquille O'Neal (9/18), Karl Malone (3/8)
December 1, 2001 - Golden State (16/38) loses to Dallas 111-82
Primary culprits: Adonal Foyle (1/8), Chris Mills (3/7)

The Warriors shot under 40%, turned the ball over 20 times, and lost by nearly 30 at home. Other than that, it was a good night.
February 25, 2001 - LA Lakers (29/53) defeats Orlando 106-100
Primary culprits: Shaquille O'Neal (9/21), Robert Horry (2/8)

My reaction to this box score: who is Mike Penberthy?
November 13, 2000 - LA Clippers (13/33) loses to Dallas 90-76
Primary culprits: Everyone not named Brian Skinner (2/2)

The Clippers' 39.4% from the line is the worst shooting percentage by a team with 30 attempts since 1986-1987.
November 19, 1999 - LA Lakers (43/64) defeats Chicago 103-95
Primary culprits: Shaquille O'Neal (19/31)

That is a ton of free throws, but nowhere near a record (note: the real record was set in 1949). Still, looking at the box score, the Bulls were well-positioned to play Hack-a-Shaq. I'll admit to not following the NBA closely back then, but who are those guys?

December 4, 2010 - Milwaukee (23/43 on free throws) defeats Orlando 96-85
Primary culprits: Andrew Bogut (5/16), Brandon Jennings (6/10), John Salmons (2/6)
January 29, 2010 - Cleveland (23/44) defeats Indiana 94-73
Primary culprits: LeBron James (10/17), Shaquille O'Neal (6/12)

The Pacers attempted just five free throws in this contest.
January 23, 2010 - Cleveland (20/40) defeats Oklahoma City 100-99
Primary culprits: Shaquille O'Neal (6/15), LeBron James (13/19)

This may have been the start of the worst week of team free throw shooting in NBA history.
November 2, 2007 - Charlotte (22/43) defeats Milwaukee 102-99
Primary culprits: Emeka Okafor (3/13), Jason Richardson (2/6)

The Bobcats may have been suffering Opening Night jitters. True fact: Jake Voskuhl managed to grab a rebound in his two seconds on the court.
March 23, 2007 - Utah (17/37) loses to LA Clippers 104-72
Primary culprit: Paul Millsap (5/14)
January 2, 2006 - New York (32/54) defeats Phoenix 140-133 in triple-overtime
Primary culprit: Eddy Curry (8/14)

The Knicks didn't struggle shooting so much as they had a bunch of shots to miss. The Suns played nine players, four of whom fouled out. Phoenix had a shot to win at the end of the second overtime, but Irishman Pat Burke, the sixth option on the floor, missed the potential game-winner.
December 11, 2005 - Detroit (25/45) defeats LA Clippers 109-101
Primary culprit: Ben Wallace (7/22)

At tip-off, the two teams had a combined 28-7 record. Wallace shot his career average from the line this year: 41.6%.
January 26, 2005 - Miami (29/49) defeats Toronto 111-96
Primary culprit: Shaquille O'Neal (7/20)
November 19, 2004 - Miami (22/44) defeats Utah 107-105 in overtime
Primary culprits: Shaquille O'Neal (2/10), Dwyane Wade (15/21)

Did you know? This is not the last time Shaq will grace this list.
March 15, 2004 - LA Lakers (28/48) defeats Orlando 113-110 in overtime
Primary culprits: Shaquille O'Neal (9/18), Karl Malone (3/8)
December 1, 2001 - Golden State (16/38) loses to Dallas 111-82
Primary culprits: Adonal Foyle (1/8), Chris Mills (3/7)

The Warriors shot under 40%, turned the ball over 20 times, and lost by nearly 30 at home. Other than that, it was a good night.
February 25, 2001 - LA Lakers (29/53) defeats Orlando 106-100
Primary culprits: Shaquille O'Neal (9/21), Robert Horry (2/8)

My reaction to this box score: who is Mike Penberthy?
November 13, 2000 - LA Clippers (13/33) loses to Dallas 90-76
Primary culprits: Everyone not named Brian Skinner (2/2)

The Clippers' 39.4% from the line is the worst shooting percentage by a team with 30 attempts since 1986-1987.
November 19, 1999 - LA Lakers (43/64) defeats Chicago 103-95
Primary culprits: Shaquille O'Neal (19/31)

That is a ton of free throws, but nowhere near a record (note: the real record was set in 1949). Still, looking at the box score, the Bulls were well-positioned to play Hack-a-Shaq. I'll admit to not following the NBA closely back then, but who are those guys?

Brewers Numerical History: #55

TheJay — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 01:30:27 -0000

Last Post: #47

For thirty seasons, no member of the Milwaukee Brewers wore today's number in the regular season. Once the number was finally assigned, no fewer than four Brewers wore it in a seven-year span. It is not the highest number ever worn by a Brewers player and it was not the highest number ever worn at the time it finally made its debut. Undoubtedly the fact #55 is a relatively high number for baseball is why it took so long for someone to wear it in a game. Regardless of the story behind why it was assigned, the Brewers' #55 first arrived in 2000.

Read about the four #55s after the jump!

The Community College of Rhode Island boasts two major league alumni. One of them, Rheal Cormier, was drafted in the 6th round of the 1988 draft and went on to spend over a decade in the majors as a lefthanded starter and then a reliever. While Cormier was finishing his last full season with the Montreal Expos in 1996, the Brewers drafted another CCRI pitcher in the 13th round. Allen Levrault spent four inconsistent seasons in the minors but made it to the majors in June 2000 when Jeff D'Amico went on the disabled list with a sore shoulder. After two scoreless two-inning appearances, he gave up four runs in six innings in his first start on June 25. He allowed three runs in the final inning of an extra-inning loss to the Cubs on June 30 and was demoted soon after. He returned to pitch a final scoreless inning in September. Levrault spent almost all of 2001 in the majors. He made twenty starts, going 5-10 with a 6.04 ERA. He made twelve relief appearances and did not fare any better: he allowed 18 runs in 26 1/3 innings. He was claimed off waivers by the Oakland Athletics in February 2002 and ended his major league career with the Florida Marlins in 2003.

In 1990, the Montreal Expos signed Izzy Alcantara out of the Dominican Republic. After a slow start to his minor league career, he started slugging. Between 1997 and 2002, he hit .292/.365/.590 with 176 home runs across three levels of the minor leagues in four major league organizations. His success was rewarded with a call-up to the Boston Red Sox in June 2000 and he hit .289 with four home runs in 21 major league games that season. A perceived lack of hustle doomed his major league career in Boston, and he was released following a 2001 season that saw him enjoy little success in the majors after karate-kicking a catcher in the minors. Alcantara was signed by the Brewers before the 2002 season and hit .250 with two home runs during four weeks in the majors during July and August. He was released following the season and spent the next few seasons playing in Mexico.

In 2003, the Brewers took a chance on an outfielder turned pitcher. A position player being converted into a pitcher in the minors is not terribly uncommon, but it is rare for a player to make the switch after reaching the majors. In the 1993 draft, the Chicago Cubs selected Texas outfielder Brooks Kieschnick with the tenth overall pick. Kieschnick hit for power in college and in the minors, but could not translate that success to the majors. At the age of 30, with his major league prospects cloudy, he decided to try his hand at pitching. After some success in 2002 in the White Sox organization, the Brewers signed Kieschnick and give him a spot in AAA. Kieschnick struggled in April, giving up 15 runs in 8 games and going 0 for 10 at the plate. Despite his struggles, he was called up in May and stuck around for the next two seasons. He put up a 5.26 ERA in the majors in 2003 but did better at the plate: seven home runs and a .300 average in 70 at bats. He hit just one home run the next year but did better on the mound, putting up a 3.77 ERA. However, he was released at the end of spring training in 2005. During his time in Milwaukee, his unique status and prodigious power gave him a cult following that still survives to this day.

By June 2005, the Brewers were in need of a starting pitcher (more than one, but I digress). Gary Glover was showing his September 2004 success was a fluke and Wes Obermueller was "pitching" as usual. With top prospect Rickie Weeks hitting well in Nashville, the Brewers had a second baseman to spare. On June 10, Junior Spivey was shipped to the new Washington Nationals in exchange for righthander Tomokazu Ohka. Ohka made his major league debut with the Boston Red Sox, but was traded to the Expos after just one season's worth of starts in the majors. At the time he was traded to the Brewers, Ohka had put up a 4.50 ERA in 124 career starts. He spent two seasons in Milwaukee, going 7-6 with a 4.35 ERA in 20 starts in 2005 and 4-5 with a 4.82 ERA in 18 starts in 2006. He left the team as a free agent following the 2006 season.

The number 55 has remained in mothballs since Ohka left in 2006. Given the fact pitchers and rookies are routinely given higher and higher numbers, it is only a matter of time before another Brewer puts on the old double nickel and writes his own paragraph in team history.

Brewers Numerical History: #47

TheJay — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 23:59:52 -0000

Last post: #26

If you look at each post so far in this series, you shouldn't have a problem finding the best player to wear each number for the Brewers. For example, Rollie Fingers, Jim Gantner, and Ben Oglivie have seen their numbers profiled. Even the rarely-used #57 has a clear favorite (Mitch Stetter), if only because of a lack of competition.

Seventeen players have worn #47 for the Brewers but none have starred. If pressed to name one as the best, I would have to select the lefthanded reliever who was on the team for three seasons. Then again, there were other players who wore the number longer, including the pitcher who, until recently, held the team record for fewest innings per wild pitch. Either way, I think you get the idea: this isn't a number with a particularly successful past.

Follow the jump for the former #47s!

The 1970 Brewers did not pitch well. The American League ERA that season was 3.71. The Brewers raised that number 0.04 all by themselves, putting up a team ERA of 4.21, second only to the hapless White Sox. Couple that with the worst offense in the league and you understand why they lost nearly 100 games. One of the Brewers' mid-season attempts to improve the pitching staff was the acquisition of righthander Bob Humphreys. Let go by the second coming of the Washington Senators following four seasons in the nation's capital, Humphreys went 2-4 with three saves down the stretch to go with a 3.15 ERA. He even started a game at the end of the season. All that work wasn't enough to keep him from being released in March 1971.

After eight years in mothballs, #47 was dusted off and given to righthander Ed Farmer in 1978. Farmer spent three seasons in Cleveland and Detroit before having an awful 1974 for the Philadelphia Phillies. Following that season, he was traded to the Brewers but was released after putting up an ERA on the wrong side of 7 in AAA. He surfaced with Baltimore in 1977, allowing one run without recording an out in his only major league appearance. Released by Baltimore, Farmer was signed by the Brewers in April 1978. He spent most the year in the minors, putting up a 6.00 ERA in ninety innings. That was enough to earn him a September call-up, however, and he did well in three appearances, picking up a win, a save, and a hold while allowing just one run in eleven innings. After that brief success, he was traded to Texas in exchange for Reggie Cleveland.

In October 1979, the Brewers traded Mark Bomback to the New York Mets in exchange for 1974 second-round pick Dwight Bernard. Bernard had spent two seasons in the majors as a reliever for New York, going 1-7 with a 4.50 ERA in sixty appearances. He spent all of 1980 and most of 1981 in the minors before being called up in September. In 1982, Bernard appeared in forty-seven games, going 3-1 with six saves and a 3.76 ERA in 79 innings. He pitched one inning in that year's World Series, striking out one batter in the eighth inning of a loss. Despite his success, he was cut in spring training 1983 and never appeared in the majors again. He went on to become a minor league pitching coach and the Brewers' minor league pitching coordinator in 2003. Bernard is currently the pitching coach of the Clinton LumberKings, a Mariners affiliate.

On September 7, 1983, Jaime Cocanower made his major league debut. Signed by the Brewers as an amateur free agent in 1978, Cocanower spent the better part of five seasons working his way through the Brewers system. He went 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA in five appearances (three starts) in 1983. In 1984, he went 8-16 with a 4.02 ERA and followed that with 6-8 and 4.33 the next season. After being demoted to the minors in July 1986, he was released following the season and did not appear in another major league game. Cocanower's downfall was a lack of control: he walked more batters than he struck out in each of his four seasons and he led the Brewers in wild pitches in 1984 and 1985. In 1985, he threw a wild pitch in eight consecutive appearances, setting a new major league record (since broken). He finished his career with thirty-two wild pitches in 365 2/3 innings, or one every 11 1/3 innings.

Lefthander Bill Krueger was the next to take on #47 after he joined the Brewers in April 1989. He spent two seasons as a long reliever/spot starter in Milwaukee, going 9-10 with a 3.92 ERA and three saves in 222 2/3 innings. He left for Seattle as a free agent following the 1990 season. After his playing career, he covered the Seattle Mariners as a television analyst.

A 27-year-old righthander named Jim Austin made his major league debut on July 4, 1991. Acquired by the Brewers in February 1989, Austin spent two years in the minors before getting the call. He gave up one hit and two walks in 2 2/3 innings in his debut, but struggled in four more appearances in July, giving up eight runs over six innings. He returned to the majors in 1992 following a number change and spent two seasons in the Brewers bullpen.

When he joined the Brewers before the 1992 season, thirty-four-year-old Jesse Orosco had appeared in 598 games in his career. He was just getting warmed up. A former closer with the Mets, Orosco recorded the final out of the 1986 World Series and had 121 saves to his name. In three seasons in Milwaukee, Orosco added 156 games and nine saves to those totals. He went 9-7 with a 3.74 ERA in 134 2/3 innings before becoming a free agent during the 1994 strike. Orosco kept pitching through the 2003 campaign, finally retiring after a major league record 1252 games at the age of 46. It somehow feels fitting his career ended on a walkoff third-strike wild pitch.

In 1995, #47 went from an aged lefthander to a young righthander. Selected in the Rule 5 draft during the 1994 strike, Al Reyes spent five seasons in the Milwaukee bullpen. He put up a shiny 2.43 ERA with nearly eight strikeouts per nine innings as a rookie in 1995. Injuries limited him over the next two seasons, but he returned to make fifty appearances in the Brewers' inaugural NL season. In July 1999, he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Rocky Coppinger who, improbably, outpitched him over the rest of the season. Reyes had the last laugh, however, appearing in the majors in eight of the next nine seasons and pitching well when not injured.

One month after Reyes was traded to Baltimore, the Brewers signed a Cincinnati castoff named Jason Bere. After two successful years to start his career, Bere had four and a half remarkably awful seasons before the Brewers signed him. Unsurprisingly, he was not great in Milwaukee, either. He did, however, put up a 4.88 ERA over 24 starts, which was enough to make the Indians take him in the trade that brought Richie Sexson to Milwaukee. Bere retired after the 2003 season with the highest ERA (5.14) of any pitcher with to win more than half of his decisions (minimum 100 decisions).

After trading Bere, the Brewers again tried to find a gem in the free-agent pool. Mike Buddie appeared in twenty-four games for the 1998 Yankees but couldn't crack their roster in 1999 and 2000. He was released in June 2000 and was quickly signed by the Brewers. He made his Milwaukee debut in September 2000 and appeared in sixty-one games before being demoted in May 2002. His career ended following the 2003 season and he now works as an assistant athletic director at Wake Forest University, his alma mater.

Buddie was replaced on the Brewers by one of the shortest players in team history, lefthander Shane Nance. In July 2002, Nance was traded from the Dodgers to the Brewers with Ben Diggins in exchange for Tyler Houston. Generously listed at 5'8", Nance appeared in just four games for the Brewers in 2002 but managed to bat three times, singling and driving in a run. He returned to make twenty-six appearances in 2003. He, along with Noochie Varner, was a throw-in in the trade that sent Richie Sexson to Arizona.

One of the players brought to Milwaukee in the Sexson trade took Nance's number. In 2004, Jorge de la Rosa was a 23-year-old lefty long on potential but short on results. He spent most of the season in AAA, pitching well and earning a late-season call-up. He struggled in five starts, going 0-3 with a 6.35 ERA and 14 walks in 22 2/3 innings. With his minor league option years exhausted, the Brewers kept him on their major league roster throughout 2005. He rewarded them by becoming just the tenth pitcher to throw forty or more innings with over eight strikeouts and eight walks per nine innings. He remained on the roster in 2006 but was awful before and after rehabbing in the minors. With nowhere to put him, the Brewers traded him to Kansas City in exchange for Tony Graffanino. De la Rosa eventually carved out a respectable career for himself in Colorado, fulfilling the stereotype of lefthanders needing extra time to develop in the majors.

After the 2005 season, the Brewers traded a minor league named Brian Wolfe to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for third baseman Corey Koskie. Koskie had spent six solid seasons with the Twins before signing with Toronto as a free agent. He hit .261 with twelve home runs in seventy-six games for the Brewers before suffering a concussion on July 5. The resulting post-concussion syndrome effectively ended his career, though he made an attempt at a comeback in 2009. He will be inducted into the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame in June 2011.

The Brewers have had many disappointing lefties, including Zach Jackson. A first round pick by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2004, he was traded to the Brewers along with Gabe Gross and Dave Bush in exchange for Lyle Overbay and Ty Taubenheim. Wearing lucky #13, he started seven games for the 2006 Brewers and went 2-2 with a 5.40 ERA. He spent all of 2007 in AAA and was an absolute disaster in AAA in 2008. Caught shorthanded, the Brewers called him up to make two appearances in May 2008. Wearing #47, he made a scoreless 1 2/3 inning appearance on May 18, but followed that by allowing two runs in two innings on May 22. Less than two months later, he was traded with Matt LaPorta and two other players to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for CC Sabathia.

On September 5, 2008, the Minnesota Twins released veteran third baseman Mike Lamb. Later that day, the Milwaukee Brewers signed Lamb. Lamb started his career late in Doug Melvin's tenure as Rangers GM. He later moved to the Astros before signing a two-year deal with the Twins in 2008. He was awful with the Twins, hitting .233/.276/.322 in eighty-one games and earning his release. He went 3 for 11 as a pinch hitter with the Brewers in 2008 and was cut in spring training 2009.

In 2009, the Brewers turned to another former Astro named Mike. In 2005 and 2006, Mike Burns put up a 5.88 ERA in 45 relief appearances for three teams. He bounced around AAA and signed with the Brewers as a minor league free agent in January 2009. Out of nowhere, he put up a sparkling 2.62 ERA in fourteen starts for AAA Nashville, earning a call up. He appeared in fifteen games, including eight starts, for the Brewers, going 3-5 with a 5.75 ERA. He was released at the end of spring training in 2010 and remains unsigned.

Brewers Numerical History: #26

TheJay — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 02:22:03 -0000

Last post: #34

This series started with an often-worn number and has since seen rarely-worn, retired, and seemingly "average" digits. Today's entry in numerical history sets a series record for most total players and, not coincidentally, most unremarkable or forgotten players. That's not to say #26 has not graced the backs of some memorable Brewers, but rather to say there's a good reason this number has been worn multiple times in the same season at least five times.

Now that over a dozen major league careers have been belittled in one small paragraph, it's time to follow the jump and follow #26 through Brewers history.

In the 1969 June draft, the expansion Seattle Pilots selected 47 players. Their first selection, with the 21st overall pick, was a soon-to-be-ex-shortstop named Gorman Thomas. In the fifteenth round, the Pilots found a gem in Jim Slaton. Of the twenty-four seventeenth round picks, only one made the majors. That one was Centralia, Washington outfielder Bob Coluccio. Coluccio made his debut one week into the 1973 season. He showed promise as a rookie, overcoming a .224 average with eight triples, fifteen home runs, and thirteen stolen bases. He regressed in his sophomore season, falling to six home runs to go with a .223 average. With a batting average under .200 in May 1975, he was shipped to the White Sox in exchange for Bill Sharp. Sharp not only took Coluccio's spot, he took his uniform, too. A .258 hitter with 8 home runs in a season's worth of at bats spread over two years when he was traded, Sharp spent most of 1975 and all of 1976 in Milwaukee. Where Coluccio's batting average was constantly poor, Sharp's on-base percentage was equally bad; he reached base at a .289 clip in 1975 and .288 in 1976. He played briefly in the minors in 1977 before calling it quits.

In 1977, an outfielder named Dick Davis made his debut with the Brewers. A cousin of Houston third baseman Enos Cabell, Davis signed with the Brewers as an undrafted free agent in 1972. While Davis put up a creditable batting average (.264) in his four seasons with the Brewers, his on-base percentage was lacking. In fact, he is one of only three Brewers to put up two seasons with a batting average over .250 with an on-base percentage under .300. The others? Fellow 70s outfielder Von Joshua and a young shortstop named Robin Yount. After the 1980 season, Davis was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for tall lefthander Randy Lerch.

In 1982, the Brewers broke camp with a rookie named Kevin Bass on their roster. Bass spent six weeks on the major league roster, mostly pinch-running and being used as a defensive replacement. He went 0 for 9 with one walk and one sac bunt. His claim to Brewers fame, however, was being traded at the end of August 1982 with two other prospects to the Houston Astros in exchange for Don Sutton. Sutton, of course, helped the Brewers into the playoffs and to the World Series. For his part, Bass spent ten seasons with the Astros, making one all-star squad.

With Bass' return to the minors and eventual departure, #26 was vacant once again. Into the void stepped Bob Skube, the team's 13th-round pick in 1979. Skube appeared in four games in 1982, going 2 for 3. He made the Opening Day roster in 1983, but lasted just two months amid scarce playing time. He went 5 for 25 in 1983 with one double and one triple. He was then sent to the minors where he hit just .209. Despite spending a couple more seasons in AAA, he never returned to the majors.

For the second season in a row, #26 was vacated mid-season. Brewers' 1979 fifth round draft pick Andy Beene earned a September call-up in 1983 and appeared in one game, allowing three runs (one earned) in two innings. In 1984, he started three games and reliever in two others, but his 11.09 ERA in 18 2/3 innings quickly doomed him to the minors. With Beene pitching his way out of the majors, infielder Willie Lozado played his way onto the big-league roster. After hitting .276 in AAA, Lozado made his debut in July and hit .271/.339/.411 over the rest of the season. Despite that promising beginning, he was left unprotected for the Rule 5 draft and was selected by St. Louis. He never appeared in a major league game for the Cardinals, or any other team.

In December 1984, the Brewers selected Brian Giles in the Rule 5 draft. Overshadowed by another Brian Giles, this version appeared in the majors in part of six seasons over ten years. He wasn't long for Milwaukee, though, and he departed in mid-July having hit .172 in 34 games.

Fresh off the franchise's first World Series appearance, the Brewers selected Dan Plesac in the first round of the 1983 draft. In the second round, they took Hawai'i Rainbow Warrior Glenn Braggs. Known for his prodigious strength (which he used to break bats while swinging and missing), Braggs tore through the team's minor league system, hitting .390 after being drafted. He followed that by hitting .296 in A ball, .310 in AA, and .360 with 15 home runs in half a season at AAA as a 23 year old. Unfortunately, he never lived up to his promise in the majors. In 1990, having hit .255 with just 45 home runs in four-plus seasons, he was traded to Cincinnati, where he hit .299 down the stretch, helping the Reds to the World Series.

Braggs' place on the team's numerical roster was taken by catcher Tim McIntosh. McIntosh appeared in five games in 1990, seven in 1991, 35 in 1992, and one in 1993. He batted exactly 100 times as a Brewer, hitting .204 with two home runs. After his one appearance as a defensive replacement in 1993, he was waived and claimed by Montreal. McIntosh was replaced by another waiver claim, Phillies shortstop Juan Bell. Bell hit .234 with five home runs as a Brewer but was released at the end of spring training in 1994.

Bell's departure opened up #26 for 1991 11th round pick, third baseman Jeff Cirillo. Cirillo had an inauspicious debut, hitting just .238 as a rookie in 1994. He followed that up with a lukewarm sophomore campaign following the 1994 strike, but broke out in 1996, hitting .325 with 15 home runs. He was the Brewers' last American League All Star in 1997 despite hitting "just" .288 but returned to form as a National Leaguer, hitting .321 and .326 in 1998 and 1999. Despite his status as one of the team's few stars in the 1990s, Cirillo was traded in December 1999 in exchange for pitchers Jimmy Haynes and Jamey Wright and catcher Henry Blanco. He later returned for two seasons as a bench player.

From a bonafide star to a bonafide bust: 1997 first round pick Kyle Peterson spent seventeen games in #41 as a rookie in 1999 before missing all of the 2000 season due to surgery. He returned to wear #26 in three games in 2001, but injuries kept him out of the majors thereafter and forced him to retire in 2003. While Peterson rehabbed in 2002, catcher Marcus Jensen came back for his second stint as a Brewer. After striking out twice as a Brewer in 1998, Jensen bounced around the league before signing with the Brewers as a free agent. He appeared in sixteen games in May and June, hitting a paltry .114 before being returned to the minors.

At the end of August 2002, the Brewers traded another star of the late 1990s, Mark Loretta, to the Houston Astros for second baseman Keith Ginter and lefthanded pitcher Wayne Franklin. Franklin made four starts for the Brewers in September 2002, putting up a 2.63 ERA in 24 innings. His 2003 was disappointing, however, as he led the league in home runs and earned runs allowed en route to a 10-13 record and a 5.50 ERA. He was traded just before the 2004 season, bringing back Carlos Villanueva.

Early in Doug Melvin's tenure, the Brewers built bullpens with castoff relievers. One early buy-low success was righthander Matt Wise, who didn't stick in Anaheim as a starter. Signed as a free agent before the 2004 season, Wise started out as a long reliever/spot starter but transitioned easily into middle relief. Over four seasons, he appeared in 175 games with a 3.93 ERA and two saves. He left the team as a free agent after 2007.

Matt Wise wore #26 during the 2004 season but switched to #38 thereafter. Taking #26 from him was free agent catcher and Wisconsin native Damian Miller. Despite not making the majors until he was 27, Miller lasted eleven seasons in the majors. By the time he joined the Brewers he had played for four teams, made one All Star squad, and was a World Series champion. He declined each year in Milwaukee, as to be expected for a 35 year old backstop, but flaws are easy to overlook when your other options are Chad Moeller and Johnny Estrada.

In 2008, #26 was vacant for ten games. When Anthony Gwynn's hamstrings exhibited their typical poor sense of timing, Hernan Iribarren was called up to take his place on the roster. Despite being a career .300 hitter in the minors, Iribarren didn't get much of an opportunity to play in Milwaukee. He picked up his first career hit in his debut as a pinch hitter, but went 1 for 13 during the rest of his time in the majors in 2008. He switched to #9 in 2009, but couldn't find any more playing time. He was placed on waivers and claimed by Texas before the 2010 season.

After the 2008 season, lefthander Manny Parra decided it was time to make a uniform switch. After wearing #43 during his first two seasons, he decided to take up the mantle of #26. The early results of the switch are discouraging: ERAs of 6.36 and 5.02 and removal from the team's starting rotation. Parra's struggles have made him one of the most controversial players/topics of discussion in Brewers fandom, but his major league career is still young and there is time for him to make his switch to #26 look like a good move in hindsight.

Brewers Numerical History: #34

TheJay — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 01:30:58 -0000

The number #34 took a strange path through Brewers history. It was assigned to pitchers and position players. It was bounced from player to player, year to year, as a litany of forgettable names passed through town. It was claimed by a Hall of Fame closer in the denouement of his career and it was passed on to players who, at one point, may have visited the Hall of Fame. In time, the Brewers retired #34, one of only four numbers to be so honored.

But before we get to the retirement, we should take a look at the other players to don the #34 jersey. You will find them after the jump.

The first Brewers player to wear #34 was a holdover from the 1969 Seattle Pilots. An ex-catcher who made his major league debut at 19 and was out of the league by 25, this player was brought back in one of the first player-for-player trades in franchise history. Hailing from Sherman Oaks, CA, catcher Greg Goossen was signed by the new hometown Dodgers in June 1964. Less than one year later, the New York Mets drafted him off waivers. By September 1965, he was an extra catcher called up in September. He would continue to be called up occasionally each year through 1968, transitioning to first base along the way. On February 5, 1969, he was traded to the new Seattle Pilots. He spent much of the year in the minors, but was called up and hit over .300 in August and September. He stuck with the team during the move to Milwaukee, but was sent to the minors after just six weeks. He was later traded to the Washington Senators for cash. Even though Goossen never appeared in the majors again after 1970, his story wasn't finished. He was one of the players traded to Philadelphia for Curt Flood, who famously challenged baseball's reserve clause in court (and lost). Goossen later went on to meet actor Gene Hackman and so impressed the thespian he became Hackman's stand-in and bodyguard for fifteen years. He appeared in at least fifteen movies with Hackman. Goossen may not even be the most famous member of his family: his brother Dan is in the World Boxing Hall of Fame.

The next player to be assigned #34 was veteran righthander Jim Hannan. A nine-year veteran of the Washington Senators, Hannan was traded twice in one year, appearing for both Detroit and Milwaukee in 1971. He was acquired by the Brewers in May 1971 and appeared in 21 games, finishing his career with a 5.01 ERA in 32 1/3 innings in the Cream City.

In 1972, another ex-Met took #34, the third wearer in three years. Chuck Taylor appeared in just five games with the Brewers after being claimed from New York. Despite allowing just two runs and eight hits in 11 2/3 innings, Taylor was released by the Brewers at the end of spring training in 1973. He wound up signing with the Montreal Expos and spent three full seasons north of the border.

There was finally a semblance of stability to the number when Kevin Kobel made his major league debut on September 8, 1973. The Brewers' 10th round pick in 1971, Kobel appeared in two games as a 19-year-old in 1973, following a solid campaign in AA Shreveport. In 1974, Kobel started twenty-four games for the Brewers, going 6-14 with a 4.99 ERA. Unfortunately, like many young hurlers he developed a sore shoulder, causing the Brewers to send him to the minors in 1975. He returned to make three relief appearances for the Brewers late in 1976, but returned to the minors in 1977. He was sold to the Mets shortly after that season.

While Kobel was trying to work his way back to the majors, the Brewers took his number right out from under him. In 1976, veteran Ray Sadecki took on #34 when he came to Milwaukee, his fourth home in a calendar year. As a 23-year-old, Sadecki won twenty games for the Cardinals. In 1968, he led the league with 18 losses despite an ERA of 2.91 (a little bit under the league ERA of 2.99). By 1976, his days as a starter were over and he was in fact released by the Royals in May. The Brewers, willing to give a veteran lefty a chance, signed him and he appeared in 36 games over the rest of the season. He was rewarded with a December release.

In December 1977, the Brewers traded a former 9th round draft pick named George Frazier to St. Louis in exchange for an erstwhile Royals catcher named Buck Martinez. Martinez ultimately spent three years in Milwaukee, including a career year in 1979, when he hit .270 and also pitched in a game, allowing one run in one inning. He wore #34 for just one season, 1978. He was later traded to Toronto. He ultimately wound up managing the Blue Jays in 2001 and 2002, managed the US team in the inaugural World Baseball Classic, and now works as a Blue Jays broadcaster.

A young infielder named Ed Romero was called up to the Brewers in June 1980. He appeared in ten games as a teenager in 1977, but didn't stick. This time around, he stayed for the rest of the season, hitting .266. He ultimately spent parts of the next six seasons in Milwaukee and briefly returned once more in 1989. He only wore #34 during the 1980 season, however.

There was a good reason for Romero's number switch following the 1980 season. Things like uniform numbers tend to get shuffled with a top player joins a new team. On December 12, 1980, the Brewers made a trade that brought back three important pieces to help contend for a pennant. Mustachioed reliever Rollie Fingers, acquired by the Cardinals just days before, was traded from St. Louis to Milwaukee with a catcher named Ted Simmons and a pitcher named Pete Vuckovich. Fingers gave the Brewers the closer they lacked and perhaps not coincidentally, the Brewer made the players his first two seasons with the club. In 1981, he recorded 28 saves, good for second place in Brewers history, despite a strike-abbreviated 109-game schedule. He appeared in 47 of those 109 games, pitching 78 innings with a sparkling ERA of 1.04. His reward was the Cy Young Award and the Most Valuable Player award, the first relief pitcher to win both in the same year. In 1982, Fingers locked down 29 saves and helped lead the Crew to the playoffs. Ultimately, however, he injured his right forearm and missed the postseason. Had he been healthy, chances are the 1982 Brewers would not be the most feted runner-up in baseball history. Fingers missed the entire 1983 season but came back to record 40 more saves in 1984 and 1985. He was released after the 1985 season. He was offered a contract with the 1986 Reds but was told he had to lose his signature moustache; he replied, "Well, you tell Marge Schott to shave her Saint Bernard, and I'll shave my moustache." He did not sign with Cincinnati. Fingers finished his career the all-time leader in saves with 341 and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1992. The Brewers retired his number shortly after.

Before the first thoughts about retiring Fingers' number entered anyone's mind, it had already been assigned to another reliever. John Henry Johnson was a lefthanded reliever who had spent parts of six seasons in the majors with Oakland, Texas, and Boston before the Brewers signed him as a free agent late in 1985. He appeared in 21 games in 1986, striking out 42 batters in 44 innings en route to a 2.66 ERA. He left #34 in favor of #38 going into 1987, and perhaps that is why his career took a nosedive. Johnson was hit around the park in his ten appearances, finishing the season and his career with a 9.57 ERA in 26 1/3 innings.

To be fair, if #34 was Johnson's good luck charm, it certainly did not do rookie Mark Ciardi any favors in 1987. The Brewers' 15th round pick in 1983 and a former Maryland Terrapin, Ciardi made the Brewers' rotation to start the 1987 season. He was battered in relief in his debut and was unimpressive in three subsequent starts. His second start of the season was the team's 14th game. He gave up five runs in 2 1/3 innings and the Brewers lost their first game of the season, missing out on a chance for sole possession of a record. Ciardi was demoted to the minors at the end of April and ultimately left baseball for modeling and acting. He appeared in a 1987 Chippendales calendar (which prompted some questions about his devotion to baseball) and has been a producer of a few movies.

Diminuative second baseman Billy Bates took on #34 late in the 1989 season. The Brewers drafted Bates in the fourth round of the 1985 draft out of the University of Texas. Listed at just 5'7" and 155 lbs, Bates worked his way up through the Brewers' minor league chain before debuting on August 17, 1989. He appeared in just 21 games with Milwaukee, with six hits in 43 at bats. He was traded with Glenn Braggs to the Cincinnati Reds in June 1990. He appeared in eight regular season games with the Reds and went 0 for 5 at the plate. In the field, however, he was 1 for 1 in races against cheetahs (the animal was distracted when Bates' hat fell off). Despite limited regular-season action, he was on the team's World Series roster due to injury. In the bottom of the 10th inning in Game 2, Bates was called upon to face A's closer Dennis Eckersley. Despite falling behind 0-2, Bates hit an infield single and came around to score the winning run. The Reds ultimately swept the Series.

The last Brewer to wear #34 before it was retired was lefthanded pitcher Mark Lee. He was actually the second Mark Lee to make the major leagues when he debuted with the Royals in 1988. He signed with the Brewers in May 1990 after the Royals released him and he quickly found a spot in the Milwaukee bullpen. After allowing five runs in 21 1/3 innings in August and September 1990, he made the opening day roster in 1991. He became the third Brewers lefty to appear in at least sixty games in one year, going 2-5 with one save and a 3.86 ERA. Despite spending the entire season in the majors, he was sent to AAA Denver in 1992 and was released following that season. He resurfaced in the majors with the Orioles in 1995 but that was the end of the road for his major league career.

As previously mentioned, the Brewers retired #34 after Rollie Fingers was elected to the Hall of Fame. He was honored on August 9, 1992 before a game against the Minnesota Twins. Perhaps it is a good thing #34 is out of circulation--with all the characters who wore it in two decades, the law of averages suggests the last two decades would have been filled with horrendously boring stories.

Opening Day Collective Records

TheJay — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 03:36:56 -0000

In the recap thread after the opening game of the season, MadTown Hoops wondered what the collective career won/loss total is for the fifteen Bucks making up this year's squad. I was curious, so I looked it up and posted a response. Naturally, that just made me more curious, so I went ahead and looked up the opening day collective won/loss record for each team in the league.

Some caveats:

I only looked at opening day rosters, so the Rockets don't get credit for Erick Dampier, the Spurs get Bobby Simmons instead of Chris Quinn, and so on. I used Basketball-Reference.com for transactions, though I appealed to other sources to resolve some questionable dates/transactions.
I estimated players who were traded mid-season. I assumed the player was not active for any team on the day of the trade. I assumed each player joined his new team the day after the trade. I treated waiver claims the same way.
For 10-day contracts and other in-season free agent signings, I considered the player active immediately.
Being only partly crazy, I did not delve into the dates of D-League assignments. This has the unfortunate effect of skewing some players' records, especially on good teams. Likewise, time spent in Europe was not considered, even if a team had rights to a player.

Each of these erodes accuracy. Therefore I'm not going to argue my list is 100% correct. However, since it's just for fun, that's okay. I don't think a few wins or losses either way is going to make a big difference.

With that out of the way, here is the list:

Rank	Team	Players	Games	Wins	Losses	Pct
1	San Antonio	14	5718	3364	2354	.588
2	Boston	15	8464	4787	3677	.566
3	LA Lakers	14	8810	4928	3882	.559
4	Toronto	15	4422	2361	2061	.534
5	Utah	13	5746	3062	2684	.533
6	Phoenix	14	5671	3014	2657	.531
7	Denver	14	7446	3957	3489	.531
8	New Orleans	15	5554	2938	2616	.529
9	Dallas	15	8902	4703	4199	.528
10	Orlando	14	7537	3962	3575	.526
11	Portland	15	4718	2450	2268	.519
12	Cleveland	15	4617	2396	2221	.519
13	Chicago	13	5343	2744	2599	.514
14	Miami	15	9714	4973	4741	.512
15	Charlotte	15	7021	3533	3488	.503
16	Detroit	15	6347	3168	3179	.499
17	Houston	15	5098	2544	2554	.499
18	Atlanta	14	6691	3264	3427	.488
19	Indiana	15	5036	2410	2626	.479
20	Sacramento	14	3280	1565	1715	.477
21	New York	15	4126	1896	2230	.460
22	Washington	14	3420	1563	1857	.457
23	Milwaukee	15	6082	2779	3303	.457
24	New Jersey	14	5435	2479	2956	.456
25	Golden State	15	4549	2072	2477	.455
26	Oklahoma City	15	4102	1866	2236	.455
27	LA Clippers	14	4887	2161	2726	.442
28	Memphis	14	2949	1280	1669	.434
29	Philadelphia	14	5213	2238	2975	.429
30	Minnesota	15	3284	1398	1886	.426
--	NBA	435	170182	85855	84327	.504

You really get a sense of how veteran-laden the Miami Heat are, with nearly 1000 more games of experience than the runner-up Mavericks. Conversely, Memphis, Minnesota, Sacramento, and Washington have the least collective experience. I thought it was interesting the whole league is slightly above .500, but it makes sense. Many of the teams on the bottom are there by virtue of being bad for a while with the same players. The reverse effect can be seen at the top of the table.

Among individual players, the top percentage belongs to Darnell Jackson, who, by virtue of his time in Cleveland, checks in with a remarkable .783 (130-36). This is an excellent example of the impact of not filtering out D-League time. Among players with 500 or more games (just over six full seasons), the Spurs' trio of Tony Parker (515-223, .698), Manu Ginobili (457-199, .697), and Tim Duncan (719-315, .695) top the list. The bottom belongs to Jamal Crawford (284-535, .347), Eddy Curry (261-477, .354), and Chris Wilcox (238-416, .364).

In terms of raw totals, Shaquille O'Neal has the most wins with 798, followed by Kobe Bryant (735) and Derek Fisher (733). Juwan Howard, one of two still-active Washington Bullets, has the most losses with 684. Theo Ratliff (649), Joe Smith (622), and Marcus Camby (605) round out the 600+ club. Jason Kidd (1278) has the most total games and is joined in the 1200+ club by Howard (1262), Ratliff (1202), and Kurt Thomas (1202).

The 435 players on opening day rosters have a simple average of 391 team games each, or 4.77 seasons. As noted, Miami is the most experienced team, with an average of 648 games per player. The Lakers are second with 629. Memphis at 211 and Minnesota at 219 are on the low end.

I don't think any of this really means anything, especially with the caveats I laid out above. Still, it's always fun to have a little bit of trivia to bring up during a boring game.

Some caveats:

I only looked at opening day rosters, so the Rockets don't get credit for Erick Dampier, the Spurs get Bobby Simmons instead of Chris Quinn, and so on. I used Basketball-Reference.com for transactions, though I appealed to other sources to resolve some questionable dates/transactions.
I estimated players who were traded mid-season. I assumed the player was not active for any team on the day of the trade. I assumed each player joined his new team the day after the trade. I treated waiver claims the same way.
For 10-day contracts and other in-season free agent signings, I considered the player active immediately.
Being only partly crazy, I did not delve into the dates of D-League assignments. This has the unfortunate effect of skewing some players' records, especially on good teams. Likewise, time spent in Europe was not considered, even if a team had rights to a player.

With that out of the way, here is the list:

Rank	Team	Players	Games	Wins	Losses	Pct
1	San Antonio	14	5718	3364	2354	.588
2	Boston	15	8464	4787	3677	.566
3	LA Lakers	14	8810	4928	3882	.559
4	Toronto	15	4422	2361	2061	.534
5	Utah	13	5746	3062	2684	.533
6	Phoenix	14	5671	3014	2657	.531
7	Denver	14	7446	3957	3489	.531
8	New Orleans	15	5554	2938	2616	.529
9	Dallas	15	8902	4703	4199	.528
10	Orlando	14	7537	3962	3575	.526
11	Portland	15	4718	2450	2268	.519
12	Cleveland	15	4617	2396	2221	.519
13	Chicago	13	5343	2744	2599	.514
14	Miami	15	9714	4973	4741	.512
15	Charlotte	15	7021	3533	3488	.503
16	Detroit	15	6347	3168	3179	.499
17	Houston	15	5098	2544	2554	.499
18	Atlanta	14	6691	3264	3427	.488
19	Indiana	15	5036	2410	2626	.479
20	Sacramento	14	3280	1565	1715	.477
21	New York	15	4126	1896	2230	.460
22	Washington	14	3420	1563	1857	.457
23	Milwaukee	15	6082	2779	3303	.457
24	New Jersey	14	5435	2479	2956	.456
25	Golden State	15	4549	2072	2477	.455
26	Oklahoma City	15	4102	1866	2236	.455
27	LA Clippers	14	4887	2161	2726	.442
28	Memphis	14	2949	1280	1669	.434
29	Philadelphia	14	5213	2238	2975	.429
30	Minnesota	15	3284	1398	1886	.426
--	NBA	435	170182	85855	84327	.504

I don't think any of this really means anything, especially with the caveats I laid out above. Still, it's always fun to have a little bit of trivia to bring up during a boring game.

Brewers Numerical History: #24

TheJay — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 04:27:44 -0000

Last Post: #57

Brewers uniform numbers can be divided into two classes: those worn by the 1982 club and those not worn that season. Come to think of it, much of Brewers history can be divided that way. The 1982 Brewers are by far the most remembered and most adulated squad fielded in the team's history. I suspect many numbers worn by the 1982 club are still identified by a segment of Brewers fans with players on that team, regardless of subsequent history.

As luck would have it, this week's number, #24, was worn by an integral member of the only Brewers pennant-winner. However, he is one of twelve players to wear that uniform and nine Brewers have worn #24 since he left the club.

Follow the jump for the #24 dozen!

Lew Krausse was the first pitcher in Brewers history. He also was the first second-generation big leaguer in Brewers history. He was acquired in exchange for the Seattle Pilots' first expansion-draft pick, Don Mincher. A righthander with a 42-55 record in seven big-league seasons, he was tabbed the opening day starter in 1970 but was pulled after allowing four runs in three innings. The Brewers went on to lose 12-0. Krausse spent two seasons in Milwaukee, going 13-18 with a 4.75 ERA in 1970 and 8-12 with a shiny 2.94 ERA in 1971. Following the 1971 season, he was traded to Boston with Tommy Harper and Marty Pattin in exchange for a raft of players highlighted by Jim Lonborg and George Scott.

Another pitcher that came back in the trade was Ken Brett, brother of future Royals great George. Ken, used mostly as a reliever in Boston, spent only one season in the Milwaukee rotation. He put up disappointing numbers, 7-12 with a 4.53 ERA, and missed some time in late July. After the season, he was one of the players traded to Philadelphia for Don Money and a couple other players. Both Money and Brett later became All-Stars, so it all evens out. Late in his career, Brett defined the word "journeyman," playing for 7 teams in six seasons.

Following the 1972 season, #24 was kept in storage for a while. That meant it was available when the Brewers acquired an outfielder with 59 home runs and a .265 average after six years with the Tigers. Jim Slaton and Rich Folkers were traded for Ben Oglivie in December 1977. Folkers was released in spring training and Slaton rejoined the Brewers as a free agent following 1978, so it was a curiously "cheap" acquisition. Oglivie blossomed in Milwaukee, hitting over .300 with 18 home runs in 1978. He followed with 29 home runs in 1979 and a career season in 1980, hitting .304, leading the league with 41 home runs, and making his first all-star squad. In 1982 he chipped in with 34 homers and 102 RBI. He was named to the all-star team in 1982 and 1983. His power started to fade after that but he hit. 280 until the end. He became a free agent after the 1986 season but did not play in the majors again. Ogilvie is now the hitting coach for the West Michigan Whitecaps, so you may see him at some Timber Rattlers games next year.

When Ogilvie left after 1986, #24 went back into storage for a few years. It came back out when Darryl Hamilton arrived to stay. Hamilton debuted in 1988 and struggled at the plate. His rookie season was most memorable, however, for a brutal collision that resulted in Dale Sveum breaking his leg. Hamilton made it back to the majors for 1990 and wore #24 for the first time. Hamilton played all three outfield position for the Brewers and hit a cool .290, albeit without much power. He was also memorably involved in an incident prompted by seagulls. When seagulls descended on County Stadium in 1993, the Brewers brought in a dog named Gus to keep the birds off the field between innings. One inning, Hamilton noticed Gus left him a gift in the outfield, looked to make sure, and theatrically held his nose while calling for the grounds crew. Perhaps with incidents like that in his mind, he left the team as a free agent following 1995 and signed a one-year deal with the Rangers. He bounced around the league for a few years after that and ended his career with the Mets in 2001.

Before the 1996 season, the Brewers traded a minor league named Juan Gonzalez to Florida in exchange for mercurial outfielder Chuckie Carr. Carr lasted two months in 1996 before injuring his right knee making a highlight-reel catch of a deep fly ball against Cleveland. He returned the next season but was released shortly after a difference of opinion with Brewers management. I will say one thing for Carr, it's not every ballplayer who names a blog. Remarkably, Carr was the hitting coach for the A-ball Carolina League Salem Avalanche, an Astros affiliate, from 2005 to 2007.

After Carr's dismissal, the Brewers acquired Twins outfielder Darrin Jackson, who presumably was willing to take a pitch or two. Jackson, never much of a hitter, spent the rest of 1997 and 1998 on the Brewers bench before leaving as a free agent.

After Jackson left, the Brewers went back to the Twins and picked up another outfielder. All Alex Ochoa did in 1999 was hit .300 in part-time duty with eight home runs. That season earned him a ticket to Cincinnati in exchange for Mark Sweeney. Ochoa hit .316 with 13 home runs in limited duty the next year but couldn't find a consistent home after that. He was re-acquired by the Brewers before the 2002 season in a three-team trade with the Rockies and Mets that involved luminaries like Lenny Harris and Glendon Rusch. He was traded in July of that year for veteran catcher Jorge Fabregas.

The #24 Forgettable Fourth/Fifth Outfielder parade marched on in 2000 with the arrival of one James Mouton. A six year veteran of the Astros, Padres, and Expos, Mouton hit .239 in 355 plate appearances over two seasons with the club. Perhaps his most notable appearance came on May 25, 2000, when the Brewers started every single major league Mouton ever in the outfield. James and Lyle (no relation) played center and left, respectively.

John Vander Wal spent most of his career being kept away from left handed pitchers at all costs in Montreal and Colorado. When he was finally allowed to play something approaching a full season in 2000, he hit 24 home runs for the Pittsburgh Pirates. That earned him one more full season's worth of playing time before he was sent back to platoon limbo. The Brewers picked him up as a free agent for 2003 and he rewarded them with 14 home runs in just over 300 at bats. However, his 104 strikeouts did him no favors and he was not brought back for 2004. After an awful time as a pinch hitter in Cincinnati, his career was over.

A list of recent Brewers players is not complete without at least one former Texas Ranger. The San Francisco Giants' 2nd round pick in 1995, Chris Magruder was traded to Texas as part of the deal that brought Andres Galarraga to San Francisco. Magruder played only seventeen games for the Doug Melvin-run Rangers in 2001, but that familiarity undoubtedly helped him earn a spot on the Brewers bench in 2004 and 2005. Unfortunately, you can only stay in the majors so long when you hit .216 with just four home runs. He was released by the Brewers following the 2005 season, ending his career. He later returned to school to finish a degree in forestry.

Once Magruder was released, another former Ranger took his place. Kevin Mench was directly acquired from Texas in the Carlos Lee trade. The 1999 4th round pick hit 25 home runs in 2004 and 2005 and it was hoped he would replace at least some of Lee's power. Unfortunately, that didn't quite happen. He hit an awful .230 with just one home run in the final months of 2006 and spent 2007 as the lesser half of a platoon with Geoff Jenkins. In 2007, he batted a remarkable 161 times before his first non-intentional walk. He was let go after the 2007 season, having hit just nine home runs for the Brewers.

It wasn't until September 2008 that #24 found another home. Top prospect Mat Gamel earned a trip to the majors by hitting .329 in AA and he went one for two in his brief major league appearances. Unfortunately, his career since then has made him one of the Brewers more controversial players, at least among fans. In 2009, he was called up in May and spent two months on the roster without a consistent starting role. He struggled and was sent down, not returning until September while unheralded Casey McGehee solidified his hold on the hot corner. Gamel then missed the first couple months of 2010 to injury and spent most of the year in the minors. Brewers fans, accustomed to the relatively quick success top prospects have found in Milwaukee, are split when it comes to just about everything to do with him. Regardless of the position Gamel ends up playing, it is imperative he stay healthy and impress a new manager. Otherwise, #24 may be looking for a new home.

Brewers Numerical History: #57

TheJay — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 01:09:57 -0000

Last Post: #17

From a common number, to an effectively retired number, to an uncommon number. This week's number has been worn by six players in Brewers history.

Between 1970 and 1984, no Brewers player wore a number higher than #52. After 1984, a couple rookies debuted with numbers in the fifties, but it was not until the 1990s that numbers in the fifties were regularly issued. It took until 1997 for #57 to make a first appearance in a regular season game and it took another decade for a player to wear it for more than one season.

Follow the jump for the exclusive #57 club!

Since 1990, only four pitchers born in Rhode Island have appeared in a major league game. One of those four was drafted out of Georgetown University in the 19th round of the 1993 draft. In fact, that player was the first Georgetown pitcher to appear in the majors in sixty years. With a pedigree like that, it's somehow fitting Sean Maloney was the first Brewer to wear #57. Maloney, a 6'7" righthander, was picked by the Brewers in 1993 and spent four seasons working his way through the minors as a reliever. He was called up early in the 1997 season and made his major league debut on April 28 with a scoreless inning against the Texas Rangers. He then allowed one run in three innings on April 30 and three runs in three innings on May 2. Unfortunately, that was it for Maloney in Milwaukee. He was sent back to the minors and was released early in spring training the next season after a slow recovery from shoulder surgery.

It didn't take long for #57 to find a new bearer. Where Maloney was a tall righthander, Greg Mullins was a diminutive lefthander who was not even drafted before signing with the Brewers in 1995. After striking out batters and racking up saves in the minors, Mullins made his major league debut on September 18, 1998. He struck out Delino DeShields, the only batter he faced that day. He would make just one more appearance in the majors, retiring two batters four days later. He required surgery after the season and never recovered sufficiently to pitch in the majors or minors.

With such bad luck among pitchers, it is perhaps a good thing the next player to wear #57 was outfielder Pete Zoccolillo. Zoccolillo is a synonym for "penultimate" in Brewers history: he wore the second highest number among Brewers position players, and is second to last on the alphabetical list of Brewers players. He also was the second best player shipped to the Brewers in the Ruben Quevedo trade. Zoccolillo appeared in twenty games for the Brewers in 2003, going 4 for 37 with thirteen strikeouts. Oddly enough, he reversed the Doug Melvin model of team-building, being drafted from the Brewers by the Rangers following the 2003 campaign.

Zoccolillo left the Brewers during the 2003 Rule 5 draft, but the Brewers immediately found a replacement in Jeff Bennett, formerly of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Bennett spent just one season in Milwaukee, appearing in 60 games with a 4.79 ERA. He spent 2005 in AAA and left in free agency following that season. He later surfaced with the Atlanta Braves, but perhaps his greatest major league legacy is not bending the bill of his cap, a fashion statement popular among Brewers pitchers called up from the minors.

After one year off, #57 returned to the majors on the back of one of the most inexplicably popular Brewers: Joe Winkelsas. After a disastrous debut in 1999, it took Winkelsas seven years to return to the majors. One of the many stopgaps called up due to injury in 2006, Winkelsas gave up seven runs and nine hits in seven innings of relief, and was sent back to the minors to make room for fellow Brewers immortal Chris Barnwell.

As of this posting, the Brewers' 40-man roster lists one more #57. It's unclear how long the final #57 will remain on the team's roster, as he was quickly dispatched to AAA Nashville this season. However, before being exiled to Tennessee after just three appearances in April, Mitch Stetter spent three seasons as a lefthander out of the Brewers bullpen. The Brewers' 16th round pick in 2003, Stetter steadily worked his way up the minor league chain before debuting in late 2007. He fought enemy lefties and his control over the next two seasons and finally wore out his welcome in 2010 after a poor spring training. Stetter's time in the Brewers organization may be limited, but if he is cut, the trend of higher and higher uniform numbers means #57 will probably not be vacant for long.

Dale Sveum given two-year extension as hitting coach

TheJay — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 02:09:53 -0000

Dale Sveum given two-year extension as hitting coach

From Adam McCalvy's blog:

"I was informed last night by the Pirates that I won't be considered for their job, so that was a little disappointing," Sveum told the radio station. "But on the good side, I am coming back as the hitting instructor for the Brewers for the next two years. So that's good. I love Milwaukee, and hopefully we can get a manager in here pretty quick and can get that sealed and done and we can get back to playing some real aggressive-type baseball, the way our players really want to play -- get back to running the bases and doing some things."

Brewers Numerical History: #17

TheJay — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 02:27:23 -0000

Last Post: #41

Brewers players have worn sixty-nine distinct uniform numbers in the team's forty-one seasons in Milwaukee. Here is a quick trivia question for you: which uniform number has gone the longest without being worn by a Brewers player? Take a minute to think about it.

If you looked at the title of this post and figured #17, you are incorrect. Among the retired numbers, Hank Aaron's #44 was last worn in 1976 and Rollie Fingers' #34 was last worn in 1991. Among available numbers, #17 is in second place, behind #35. Of course, there is a reason no player has worn #35 since 1990: longtime coach (and former pitcher) Bill Castro.

Number seventeen hasn't been off-limits because of a long-time coach, though the last player to wear it did spend some time as a coach. No, #17 is the team's sole number retired in deed, if not in name. Many, if not most, Brewers fans will name only one player if asked who wore #17, but he was not the only one.

Follow the jump for the full list!

Long before anyone could think about retiring Brewers uniform numbers, Pete Koegel simply tried to make a career out of baseball. One of only a few Kansas City Athletics draft picks to make the majors, he was acquired by the Seattle Pilots late in the 1969 season. In 1970, he split time between AA Jacksonville and AAA Portland, seeing both coasts, while earning a September call up. He batted nine times in seven games (one start) in 1970 and appeared in two games before being traded in April 1971. A player who made only nine appearances in a Brewers uniform may not seem important but consider this: his trade to Philadelphia (with inaugural #41 Ray Peters) started a transaction chain that culminated in the acquisition of Cecil Cooper. The little ~~things~~ trades are important.

After Koegel was dealt, #17 was assigned to another guy trying to start a career. In 1963, the Minnesota Twins let 19-year-old Paul Ratliff start a few games behind the plate. He hit .190 in very limited duty and then disappeared for seven years. He resurfaced in Minnesota in 1970 and was acquired by the Brewers on July 8, 1971 in exchange for Milwaukee Braves/Brewers trivia answer Phil Roof. Ratliff went 7 for 41 as a backup catcher in 1971 and bounced back to go 3 for 42 the next season. Incredibly, four of his ten hits were home runs and another was a double. However, his 44 strikeouts (in 92 PA) more than canceled out those positive outcomes. Ratliff's anemic offense led to an interesting trade: he was shipped to California for his replacement in #17: the immortal Joe Azcue. A veteran catcher and a former All-Star, Azcue appeared in only eleven games for Milwaukee.

In 1973, #17 finally found some playing time. Outfielder (and newfangled designated hitter) Bobby Mitchell wore it for the next three seasons while hitting .241 with 19 home runs. In fact, his 19 HR and 81 RBI in just under 600 plate appearances might have made an encouraging season if it didn't take him three years to reach those totals.

As soon as #17 reached a semblance of stability, it bounced around again. In 1976, former Pilots draft pick Bob Hansen hit just .164 in his second stint with the Brewers, earning a permanent trip to the minor leagues. Brewers 1974 8th round pick Steve Bowling was the next to don the uniform, but was drafted by the expansion Blue Jays following an uninspiring September. In 1977, 35-year-old third baseman Ken McMullen finished his career in #17.

Finally, 1978 came around. As the season began, Jim "Gumby" Gantner was a former 12th round pick out of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh who owned a .267 average in 40 career games. After bouncing between #11 and #31 in his first two seasons with the team, he settled into #17 in 1978 and never looked back. In 1981, he took over the second base job and held onto it for a decade. He retired following the 1992 season having rapped out 1696 career hits in 1801 career games (including nearly 1500 at second base). He led the league in an offensive category just one time (HBP in 1989), but combined with long-time teammates Robin Yount and Paul Molitor to crack the record books with the most career hits by a trio of teammates. He remains third on the team's all-time games played list and fourth on the team's career hits leaderboard. He would return to the team as a coach in 1996 and 1997.

Though #17 has not been officially retired, the fact it has not been given out in nearly two decades speaks volumes. It also prompts questions about why the de facto retirement has not been made official. Perhaps he doesn't want the ceremony. Regardless, the number 17 shows it only takes one special player to personify a number.