The Milwaukee Breweries they have a long history of fielding players who are adept at hitting home runs. One of the team’s retired numbers, No. 44, was worn by Hank Aaron, who for decades was Major League Baseball’s all-time home run leader. Of the 28 players in history to be members of the 500 home run club, two of them played for the Brewers (Aaron and Gary Sheffield).
Of course, both of these players hit the majority of home runs on other teams, as did Nelson Cruz, who hit 400 home runs (464). However, the Brewers have had several players hit 200-300 home runs and have had productive seasons in Milwaukee.
In a recent article regarding Bleacher Report which includes a “Mount Rushmore” list of home run hitters for each team, Major League Baseball analyst Joel Reuter has identified four players he considers the best home run hitters in Brewers history.
Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder highlight the Milwaukee Brewers’ Mount Rushmore of Home Run Hitters
In his article, Reuter lists the following four players on the Brewers’ Mount Rushmore of home runs:
- Ryan Braun
- Prince Fielder
- Gorman Thomas
- Jeromy Burnitz
He explains his choice of Burnitz with the following: :
“Sluggers Jeromy Burnitz, Geoff Jenkins and Richie Sexson were the Brewers’ stars during some lean years and it came down to a debate between those three for the last spot. With four 30-goal performances in five full seasons in Milwaukee, Burnitz ultimately got the nod.
Braun is the Brewers’ all-time leader in home runs with 352. Fielder hit 230 in just seven seasons in Milwaukee, averaging 38 home runs and 108 RBI from 2006-2011. He also became the youngest player in Major League history to hit 50 home runs in the 2007 season.
Thomas also makes sense for this list. From 1978 to 1982, he averaged 35 home runs and 98 RBIs per season, twice leading the American League in that category. In 1979, he hit a then-franchise-record 45 bombs. The record was broken by Richie Sexson in 2003 and broken by Fielder in 2007.
It’s understandable that Reuter had an internal debate between Burnitz, Jenkins and Sexson, but the fact is that in five seasons in Milwaukee, Burnitz never hit fewer than 27 home runs in a season. Sexson only played two and a half seasons in Milwaukee, while Jenkins struggled with injuries most of his career and hit more than 30 home runs only once in a season.
What other Milwaukee Brewers slugs could have been on Mount Rushmore?
If Christian Yelich can stay relatively well and start hitting with power similar to what he had in 2018 and 2019, there’s an argument to be made that he could earn a spot on this list. With 36 home runs in 18 in 2018 and 44 in 1919, he seemed certain to top the franchise home run charts. However, a knee injury in behind schedule 2019 set him back several seasons. He has yet to hit 20 home runs since then.
Perhaps this year is the year?
Former right-back Ben Oglivie should also be considered. While he probably doesn’t deserve to be ranked higher than Burnitz or Thomas, he led the American League with 41 home runs in 1980 and hit 34 in 1982. But in his nine seasons with the Brewers, he only hit more than 20 home runs three times.
Robin Yount was the Brewers’ all-time home run leader for almost three decades, but that was even more so because he played for them for 20 years. Yount hit more than 20 home runs in a season only four times, with his career best being 29 in 1982, the year he won MVP.
Cecil Cooper could also employ some attention. He hit 20 or more home runs five times in 11 seasons in Milwaukee, including more than 30 consecutive home run seasons in 1982 and 1983. He hit 201 of 241 home runs in his career in a Brewers uniform.
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