Milwaukee Brewers Dream Team

 

Every sport evolves with each passing generation -- from the

size and athleticism of players to game strategy. 

Baseball’s evolution, however, is both historic and unique given

the pre-integration and dead ball eras. For the former, full

segregation took place from 1887-1947. Full integration, which

was a gradual process, came in 1959. The Deadball Era was a

period in the early 20th century when baseball was characterized

by low scoring and emphasis on pitching. 

There was the Steroid Era, which has no definite start time though

it is generally assumed that the era ran from the late 1980s until

the late 2000s. This era was defined by shattered home run records

leading to exorbitant salaries. 

The Milwaukee Brewers came into Major League Baseball in 1969

as an expansion team. They have history in both the American

(1969-1997) and National Leagues (1998-present). The Brewers

won the American League pennant in 1982, subsequently losing to

the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. The Brewers have won

three division titles and been to the playoffs three times as a wild

card team. 

Today, I formed a Brewers Dream Team in a 26-man roster format.

For openers, to make this roster, four years as a Brewers are

required. No exceptions. With the free agency era, I’m not going to

cheapen this roster with 1-3 year rentals. 

I’m forming a 12 man pitching staff, five starters and seven relievers.

For the latter, I want at least one lefthander in the bullpen. For

position players, I am taking what I believe is the best of the best

regardless of era. For the bench players, it’s the best of the rest

with versatility being heavily considered. Merit achievements such

as Hall of Fame, All Star appearances and Gold Gloves are

considered but not guaranteed. General impactfulness on the

franchise is also considered.

Generational reminders

If you played on a playoff team, there is no guarantee of landing on

this roster. If you played during a bad season, that does not deter

you from being on this roster. Off the field baggage is not a deterrent

to landing on this team, nor is any Steroid Era affiliation. This is

baseball, not the Boys Scouts. 

Starting pitchers

Ben Sheets, Yovani Gallardo, Chris Bosio, Teddy Higuera, Mike

Caldwell

For six seasons, Sheets was the franchise's all-time leader in career

strikeouts. In his eight seasons with the Brewers, Sheets was an All-

Star in four of those campaigns. Gallardo made just one All-Star

appearance in his eight seasons with the Brewers but was a steady

contributor at the top-of-the-rotation in that span. Bosio was a swing

man who pitched both as a starter and reliever in his early years that

ended up being a cornerstone for the Brewers rotation during his

eight seasons with the franchise. 

In a sense, Higuera's career is what could have been as injuries

wound up curtailing it. Despite being 5-10, Higuera was an intense

competitor and solid top-of-the-rotation starter for the Brewers. When

he was healthy, at times he was dominant. Higuera became the third

20-game winner in franchise history. Caldwell pitched eight seasons

with the Brewers and though he never earned an All-Star berth, in

1978 he was second in the American League Cy Young balloting

and was voted Comeback Player of the Year for the American League. 

Bullpen

Closer -- Dan Plesac.

Rollie Fingers, Josh Hader, Jeremy Jeffress, John Axford, Bob

McClure, Mike Fetters

Plesac is the franchise's all-time leader in appearances, saves and

ERA. Plesac was a Brewer for seven seasons and was an All-Star

in three consecutive years. It is believed by many that if the Brewers

had a healthy Fingers in the 1982 World Series they might have

beaten the Cardinals. That aside, Fingers was an All-Star in two of

his four seasons with the Brewers and was American League Cy

Young and MVP Award winner in 1981. Hader is entering his fifth

season with the Brewers and has been an All-Star twice and two-

time National League Reliever of the Year. Jeffress pitched for the

Chicago Cubs in 2020 but in his four seasons with the Brewers

compiled an ERA of 2.62. 

Axford pitched for eight different teams in his 10-year career but his

first four with the Brewers. He led the National League in saves in

2011. McClure pitched a variety of different roles for the Brewers

and compiled a 3.97 ERA in his 10 seasons. Fetters was a stout

set up man for six seasons with the Brewers, during which time he

compiled a 2.97 ERA. 

Infield

Catcher --  Ted Simmons, First Base -- Cecil Cooper , Second

Base -- Jim Gantner, Third Base -- Paul Molitor, Shortstop --

Robin Yount

At catcher, it's a close call between Simmons and Jonathan

Lucroy but Simmons gets the nod based on being a Hall of Famer

even though he was only a Brewer for four seasons. During his time

with the Brewers, he was a two-time All-Star and helped the

franchise to an American League pennant in 1982. Cooper is one

of the best players in franchise history regardless of position. During

his 11 seasons with the franchise, Cooper was a five-time All-Star,

three-time Silver Slugger Award winner, two-time Gold Glove Award

winner and two-time American League RBI leader. Even though

Gantner's jersey No. 17 has not been retired, no Brewer has worn

that number since 1992 when he retired. Gantner spent all 17 of

his Major League seasons with the Brewers. He never made the

All-Star team but he was a very steady hand at second base. 

Molitor became known as a designated hitter in the latter stages of

his career but during his time with the Brewers, which spanned 15

years he was a versatile fielder who can play multiple positions. He

was also one of the best contact hitters in the history of Major League

Baseball. Molitor is a member of the 3,000 hit club on the way to a

Hall of Fame career. Three of the seven All-Star appearances came

in a Brewers uniform. On the way to a Hall of Fame career, Yount

became the franchise leader in games played, runs scored, hits,

extra-base hits, RBIs, and walks. Yount was a career Brewer of 20

seasons. He was a three-time All-Star and instrumental and helped

the 1982 Brewers reach the World Series. Yount was a two-time

American League MVP. 

Outfield

Leftfield -- Ryan Braun, Centerfield -- Gorman Thomas, Rightfield

-- Sixto Lezcano

Braun's name is associated with performance-enhancing drugs but

we don't care about morality clauses. Braun is the franchise's all time

leader in home runs and is a six-time All-Star. He was the National

League Rookie of the Year in 2007, the National League MVP in 2011

and five-time Silver Slugger Award winner, National League home run

leader in 2012 and two-time 30/30 Club member. Many of Thomas’

at-bats were feast or famine. They either cleared the fence or wound

up in the catcher's glove. Nonetheless, Thomas was an All-Star in

1981 and two-time American League home run leader. He was a

vital component in the Brewers reaching the 1982 World Series.

Lezcano is keeping the seat warm for current Brewer Christian Yelich

on this list. Lezcano played seven seasons for the Brewers and

though he was erratic, he had some times of solid performances. 

Bench

Jonathan Lucroy, BJ Surhoff, Greg Vaughn, Ben Oglivie, Carlos

Gomez, Rickie Weeks

Lucroy was an All-Star in two of his seven seasons with the Brewers.

His 53 doubles in 2014 broke Ivan Rodriguez's single-season record.

Versatility alone earns Surhoff a spot on this team. He was the No. 1

overall pick in the 1985 draft and went on to play 20 Major League

seasons, his first nine as a member of the Brewers. Surhoff could play

a mixture of catcher, third base and left field. Two of Vaughn’s four

All-Star seasons came in a Brewers uniform. Vaughn spent time as

a designated hitter but the majority were as a position player. 

Ogilvie was a three-time All-Star in his nine seasons with the Brewers

and a significant portion of the 1982 team that reached the World

Series. He was the American League home run leader in 1980.

Gomez was a two-time All-Star in his seven seasons with the

Brewers. He also stole them 152 bases in a Brewers uniform. Weeks

was an All-Star just one season out of 11 with a franchise but he still

ranks in the top 10 in Brewers history in games played, runs scored,

extra-base hits, total bases and stolen bases.

Manager

Craig Counsell

You can argue recency bias for this choice but Counsell is the only

manager in franchise history to lead the team to multiple

postseason appearances. Council's .515 winning percentage may

not look impressive on the surface but given the fact that he did

not inherit veteran-laden rosters, he had to get more bang for his

buck.

Team

1982 

This version of the Brewers would have made Earl Weaver proud.

They produced a lot of offense by hammering 216 home runs as

a team. The strength of that team masked what was a decent

pitching staff but not great. They defeated the California Angels in

the ALCS in five games but lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven

games in the World Series. The Brewers edged the Baltimore

Orioles by one game for the American League East Division

Championship with a 95-67 record. The two teams met in a four-

game series to conclude the season. The Brewers needed to take

just one of the remaining four games to win the division. Milwaukee

lost the first three games but won the series finale to cement the

division title.