Continuing my 5 in 50 series, today’s team is the Milwaukee Brewers. This will be a list of the top 5 greatest players for the Brewers since in the 1972 season. The criteria are as follows: Player must have been part of team for at least 5 full seasons. Both regular season and post season success will be measured (statistical leaders, awards, et). Players on this list can be from any position. Multiple players at the same position can be included. I’ll list the major accomplishments for each player only for the team they are selected.
Here is my list of the top 5 greatest Brewers players in the
last 50 years (note the Brewers were an American League team up until the 1997
season, and then moved to the National League).
5. Gorman Thomas (1973-1983)-
2-time AL home run leader.
4. Cecil Cooper (1977-1987)-
2-time AL RBI leader. Finished in top 5 MVP voting 3 times.
3. Paul Molitor (1978-1992)-
.302 average for his 15 years as Brewer. Led league in runs scored 3 times.
2. Ryan Braun (2007-2020)-
2011 NL MVP. Finished in top 3 MVP voting twice.
1. Robin Yount
(1974-1993)- 2-time MVP. Brewers all time hits leader.
Honorable mention to Teddy Higuera, George Scott, Prince
Fielder, Ben Oglivie, Mike Caldwell
Notes. The top 3 were
easy selections. There were many options to choose from for #s 4 and 5. I added
the guys who were key components of the Brewers 1982 pennant winning team. Thomas
led the league in home runs with 39. Cooper was a model of consistency for the
Brewers, hitting over .300 for 7 straight seasons (including .352 in 1980). Molitor
had the 5th longest hitting streak in baseball history with 39 games
in a row in 1987). Braun was one of the best players in baseball for a 5-year
period between 2008 and 2012, winning an MVP and finishing 2nd and 3rd
in MVP voting. Yount is 1 of only 4
players to win an MVP at 2 different positions.
Next up is the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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