Author Archive
Down On The Farm: Talking Baseball With Brewers Prospects Clint Coulter and Mitch Haniger
by Kevin Kimmes
In the 2012 MLB June Amateur Draft, Milwaukee had the luxury of drafting 3 players in the 1st round: Clint Coulter (27th), Victor Roache (28th) and Mitch Haniger (38th). While Roache will start the season for the AZL Brewers of the Arizona League, both Coulter and Haniger will look to make a name for themselves right here in Wisconsin as members of the defending Midwest League Champion Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.
Last week during the team’s media day, I had the opportunity to talk briefly with both Clint and Mitch about where they come from and what they look to do in 2013.
Source: milb.com
Clint Coulter
Milwaukee’s 1st pick in the 2012 draft, Coulter is a catcher considered by many to be the best high school player in the Pacific Northwest. A versatile ball player, Coulter started as a shortstop before being moved to third and eventually landing at catcher due to his strong arm.
“I played every game in the Arizona League at catcher and all through the winter they sent me catching drills to do. All through spring training I caught, so if it’s not catcher I’m really going to be surprised.”
One advantage that Coulter has had right out the gate was having former Major League catcher Tom Lampkin as his high school coach. Lampkin, who played parts of 13 seasons for six different teams, including the Brewers in 1993, helped define the psychological aspects of the position for him.
“I didn’t get to work with him a ton as far as technical aspects of catching, but psychologically we still talk. I just talked to him before I came. He knows that it’s a grind and that he’s been there and done that so he’s been able to talk me through stuff like that.”
Drawing comparisons to catcher Mike Napoli, Coulter says that he based his game around that of Atlanta Braves catcher, Brian McCann.
“He’s definitely a really good catcher as well as a good hitter. In High School I switch hit a little bit, hit a little bit left handed. Now I’ve stuck solely to right handed. But also, it’s the leadership aspect. He’s really respected by his peers. As well as guys like Jason Varitek, he’s got the Captain on his shirt, so if you can be the leader, you’re the catcher, you run the ship. I just want to be that type of guy.”
Mitch Haniger
Milwaukee’s 3rd pick in the 1st round of the 2012 draft, Haniger made a brief appearance with the Timber Rattlers in 2012 before being sidelined with an injury.
“I tore my PCL in my right knee on a bad slide into home plate and then tried to stay in the game. I don’t know if I hurt it worse trying to run to 1st on my next at bat, but that’s when I really felt it and had to come out of the game. I had to go to Arizona for the remaining 3 months of the year and just rehab and get healthy.”
When asked about how the knee is feeling this year, Haniger assured me that it’s feeling good and that he’s faster and stronger than ever before.
As an outfielder, Haniger states that his goals for 2013 are to focus on his defense, throwing, and hitting.
“I want to continue to play good defense and throw guys out from the outfield, continue to have good at bats, hit the ball hard and do what I can to help my team win.”
Additionally, for card collectors out there, it should be noted that Haniger made his initial cardboard appearances with Brewers cards appearing in both 2012 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects and 2012 Bowman Sterling.
“It’s pretty cool. I signed a few in the offseason, so I think I saw them before anyone else did, but that was pretty cool to finally see my name on a card.”
The Timber Rattlers play their first home game of the 2013 season this evening at 6:35 PM at Fox Cities Stadium. All fans in attendance will receive a Matt Erickson bobblehead.
Kevin Kimmes is a regular contributor to creamcitycables.com and a 2013 MLB Fan Cave Top 52 Finalist. You can follow him on Twitter at @kevinkimmes.
Just 3 More Days!
by Kevin Kimmes
Just a reminder fans that Opening Day is this Monday. See you all at the ballpark!
Kevin Kimmes is a regular contributor to creamcitycables.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @kevinkimmes.
2013 Position Review & Preview: Shortstop
by Kevin Kimmes
Editor’s Note: This is the third installment of our 2013 review & preview series. You can read the rest here.
Review of 2012:
When Milwaukee found themselves as sellers at the trade deadline in 2012, the Brewers faithful knew they had seen the last of Zack Greinke. Greinke, who had never lost a game at Miller Park, was about to become a free agent at the end of the year, and one way or another was about to get a huge payday for his services, most likely from a major market team. So, to get something out of his departure, the Brewers traded him to the Angels in late July for some top quality farmhands in Double-A pitchers Johnny Hellweg and Ariel Pena, as well as shortstop Jean Segura.
While Helwig and Pena would see minimal playtime in 2012 with Milwaukee , Segura would get the opportunity to fill in as the teams starting shortstop thanks to a hole at the position left by an early season injury to Alex Gonzalez. The gamble would pay off for Milwaukee as Segura took to the big league level of play right away.
As mentioned on the back of his 2013 Topps Spring Fever card: “Soon after the Brewers acquired Segura in a trade with the Angels last July, he was tossed into the Major League fire for the first time. By September, the 22-year-old was thriving, batting .375 in one 20-game stretch and finishing with seven stolen bases in eight attempts. Those were credentials enough to make the shortstop job his to lose this spring.”
Segura finished his 2012 season with Milwaukee with a slash line of .264/.321/.331 over 163 plate appearances in 44 games. He recorded 39 hits, 14 RBI, 7 stolen bases and walked 13 times.
Projected 2013 Stat Line (according to Baseball Info Solutions):
139/477 over 147 games, 6 HR, 50 RBI, 35 BB, 69 K, .291/.340/.388
The above numbers should come as no surprise to anyone that followed Segura’s offseason. He won the Dominican Winter League batting title, hitting .325 over 35 games and ranked 2nd in stolen bases with 11. Similar numbers were shown in his 18 Spring Training appearances in which he hit 19/52 with 3 stolen bases and a slash line of .365/.377/.577.
Depth of Position:
Behind Segura at short is the man that he replaced at the position last year, Alex Gonzalez. Initially released by Milwaukee in the offseason, Gonzalez eventually re-signed with Milwaukee where he figures to start the season at 1st base filling in for the injured Corey Hart.
Behind him, there is one more shortstop, a name that sends shivers down the spines of the collective fan base. A name so polarizing, that it made those opposed to the Kyle Lohse acquisition question if Doug Melvin had finally lost his mind. That man: Yuniesky Betancourt. Luckily for all of us it sounds like the plans for Yuni is as a utility bat, not a utility infielder.
With Yuni fresh on everyone’s minds, I’ll leave you with the following:
Kevin Kimmes is a regular contributor to creamcitycables.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @kevinkimmes.
2013 Position Review & Preview: Second Base
by Kevin Kimmes
Editor’s Note: This is the second installment of our 2013 review & preview series. You can read the rest here.
Since 2006, Milwaukee’s Opening Day lineup has had one constant: Rickie Weeks at second base.
Review of 2012:
Projected by Baseball Info Solutions to carry a slash line of .262/.355/.453 in 2012, Weeks slow start to the season led to a career worst .230/.328/.400 over 157 games, but his season was really a tale of two halves. Coming into the All Star break, the 2011 NL All Star was batting just .199/.314/.343. With few options available for replacement, due to an already decimated infield, Ron Roenicke stuck with Weeks and was rewarded for his patience. Weeks batted .261/.343/.457 during the second half of the season (almost identical to his projected line).
If there is a silver lining to his dismal 2012 campaign, it has to be in regards to his plate discipline. Never know for being particularly patient at the plate, Weeks showed signs of improvement in this area walking 74 times in 677 plate appearances or roughly 1 in every 10 appearances.
Weeks two biggest shortcomings are his defense and his free swinging nature. This is where the unfortunate joke of “You can’t spell Weeks without 2 Es and a K” springs from.
Defensively, Weeks is detrimental to Milwaukee’s middle infield. Errors have plagued Weeks career in the majors, a downfall evident in the fact that Weeks has led the majors in errors by a second baseman 5 times in the past 8 seasons (’05, ’06, ’08, ’11, ’12), and taken 3rd twice (’07 and ’10). In 2009, an injury saw Weeks only appear in 37 games, thus not giving him enough “opportunities” for this dubious distinction.
Additionally, despite his newfound patience shown in the statistics above, Weeks still struck out 169 times in 2012. Based on 677 plate appearances, that’s 1 strikeout in every 4 appearances. Ouch!
Projected 2013 Stat Line (according to Baseball Info Solutions):
147/592 over 152 games, 23 HR, 66 RBI, 74 BB, 164 K, .248/.345/.429
Depth of Position:
So, what happens if Weeks struggles again this year, or goes down with an injury? Now that back up Eric Farris was acquired by the Seattle Mariners in this years Rule Five Draft, it appears that the next in line for the spot would be Scooter Gennett. Ranked 7th in the list of Milwaukee’s top 20 prospects, the undersized Gennett isn’t known for his power, but makes up for it in consistency. A career .300+ hitter in the minors, Gennett makes up for his lack of power with speed on the base paths and should be an adequate replacement should his services be required.
Come on back tomorrow for a review of the shortstop position and the return of a former Brewer to the fold.
Kevin Kimmes is a regular contributor to creamcitycables.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @kevinkimmes.
Fox Cities Stadium Renovations On Track For Opening Day
On Tuesday, Cream City Cables was invited to tour the newly renovated Fox Cities Stadium.
by Kevin Kimmes
With less than 4 weeks until their home opener on April 8th, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers invited the media out to Fox Cities Stadium on Tuesday to preview the parks newly renovated amenities. The 6.2 million dollar renovation began last fall following the teams last Midwest League Championship Series home-game and currently stands at about 95% complete, which according to Timber Rattlers President, Rob Zerjav, puts the progress ahead of schedule.
Zerjav stated Tuesday that the renovation will not be coming at the expense of the fans. The project was fully funded by the team, the facility’s owners (The Fox Cities Amateur Sports Authority) and a $400,000 grant from the Fox Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau. That means that prices at both the ticket window and the concession stands will be in line with what fans paid last season.
So, what can fans expect when they head out to the ballpark this season?
A look at the inside of the expanded team store.
1) An expanded team store: Twice the size of the old team store, the new store will be open during the day and will allow the team to have an expanded selection of merchandise on hand at all times.
2) Parking lot accessible restrooms: Piggybacking off of the existing concourse restrooms, the new restrooms will provide amenities for tailgaters prior to gates opening on game day.
3) 2nd Floor Banquet Facility/Club Level: One of the big focal points of the renovation was to turn the park into a year round venue which has been accomplished with the addition of an enclosed banquet facility on the parks new upper level. Already scheduled to host 12 weddings this year, the team is looking into how the space can be utilized for other non-baseball events potentially including concerts or festivals.
Tickets for the Club Level will be $15.00. This section of the facility will also be open for 2 hours after every home game giving fans who don’t want to go home yet a place to hang out.
The view from inside one of the six new luxury boxes.
4) Luxury boxes: Also located on the parks upper level, 6 luxury boxes have been added which replace the teams 3 suites which they previously had . Each box is designed to accommodate 14 fans with outside seating for 10 and an additional 4 seats located at a party bar inside the boxes themselves. Additional features of the boxes include closed circuit TV and waitstaff. The boxes will be rented out on a 1/4, 1/2 and full season basis.
5) Increased stadium capacity: Stadium capacity has increased from 5,500 to 5,900 with the addition of the upper deck. While not a huge jump in capacity, the expanded facilities should make for an even better fan experience on game day.
The Timber Rattlers play their first home game of the 2013 season against the Cedar Rapids Kernels on Monday April 8th with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 pm.
Kevin Kimmes is a regular contributor to creamcitycables.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @kevinkimmes.
You Gotta Have Heart: What Being a Small Market Fan Means to Me
You gotta have heart, but a great mustache doesn’t hurt either.
by Kevin Kimmes
Yes, today’s title (well part of it) is taken from the musical “Damn Yankees”.
Already I can hear some of you saying, “A musical? That’s girl stuff!”, but in this case, oh how wrong you would be. See “Damn Yankees” is the story of a devoted Washington Senators fan named Joe Boyd who sells his soul to the devil so that the Senators can acquire a “long ball hitter” and finally beat the “damn Yankees”. It’s a story about unflinching devotion to your team even when you know that the outcomes will probably just break your heart.
Now replace Senators with Brewers, and Yankee’s with Cardinals, and you have a story that most Milwaukee fans can identify with because we, much like Joe, have seen our fair share of suffering over the years. It’s part of what being a small market fan means to me.
It means having the odds stacked against you:
From 1998 to 2012, Milwaukee played in the NL Central, the only division in all of baseball that was composed of 6 teams. So what, you say? Well, due to the fact that the division contained 1 more team than most (2 more than the AL West), Milwaukee’s chances of winning the division in any given year were a meager 16.67%. That’s 3.33% lower than most MLB teams.
It means being thankful for what you have:
When the Braves pulled up stakes and headed south to Atlanta, Milwaukee was left with a gaping hole where baseball had once resided. To their credit, the White Sox did try and remedy this to some extent by playing some games each year at County Stadium, but it just wasn’t the same as having a team to call our own. For this reason alone, I will always respect Bud Selig, not for being commission, but for returning baseball to a city that truly loves the game.
If you need further proof of this point, consider that Milwaukee ranked 11th in overall attendance last year despite being the team with the smallest market.
It means taking the highs with the lows:
My experiences at Miller Park have included being on hand the night that Milwaukee clinched the NL Central title for the first time and the day that they were officially eliminated from the 2012 playoff hunt. You learn to love the highs and accept the lows. It’s all part of loving the game.
It means staying true to your team, even when all hope is lost:
I ended the 2012 season by catching 3 out of the last 4 Brewers home games at Miller Park. Milwaukee was mathematically eliminated from the Wild Card hunt after losing the 1st of the 4 games, but I went to the remaining games anyway. Why? Because, you never know what you might see. In fact, for my troubles I got to see Martin Maldonado hit his first career grand slam, and Kameron Loe and Manny Parra pitch for the last time as Brewers.
Kevin Kimmes is a regular contributor to creamcitycables.com and an applicant for the 2013 MLB Fan Cave. You can follow him on Twitter at @kevinkimmes.
Beckett to the Future: My Fan Cave Campaign Gains a Huge Supporter
by Kevin Kimmes
Last Thursday I received a few tweets from Chris Olds, editor of Beckett Baseball, as I was headed out to lunch. Anyone who follows me on Twitter knows that this is not the most uncommon thing as Chris and I exchange messages on nearly a daily basis usually riffing on sports, film and our sports card/memorabilia collections. What the messages contained however, was something completely unexpected.
I had sent a message to Chris a few days earlier with a link to my Fan Cave application (you can watch it here if you haven’t see it) mentioning that we had included my copy of the latest issue of Beckett Baseball in the video. He re-tweeted the link and I figured that was the end of it. Well, that was until Thursday came around.
The messages from Chris stated that he wanted to write an article around my video to help promote Beckett’s upcoming Super Collector issue and to promote the Fan Cave program. He had one question that he needed answered: “What do you think you will bring to the Cave if picked?”
On the surface, it’s a loaded question. I planned on writing a long eloquent response via email, but instead quickly tweeted back my answer: “I think that I’ll bring creativity and a love of the game that isn’t always found in the larger markets.”
The article went live on my way to lunch and can be viewed here: http://www.beckett.com/news/2013/01/will-beckett-baseball-make-it-to-the-mlb-fan-cave-oh-and-show-us-your-fan-caves/
To clarify my answer, I’m going to pull back the curtain a bit and share with you some of my accomplishments from before I became a baseball blogger, things that I’m really proud of and that many people don’t realize that I’ve done.
1) I’ve played bass and guitar since I was 19: As a member of both The Right Ons and Holly and the Non-Italians (now known as Holly and the Nice Lions) I played bass/guitar in the Green Bay area on a regular basis for about 5 years. Here are a few clips of “Baseball” by The Right Ons and “Down to the River” and “Chapter 1” by Holly and the Nice Lions.
2) I have my own IMDB listing: Yes, believe it or not, I am actually listed in the Internet Movie Data Base for a few special effects projects that I assisted with. Additionally, I am an active member of Table 8 Productions (we did the “Avengers on a Budget” video that went viral last summer) and I co-produced the award winning “An Outbreak at Meadowbrook Park” (not safe for work: language).
3) I’m a former pro-wrestling manager: I’ll let the video speak for itself on this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft1TaiILIbg
So you see, being in front or behind a camera is nothing new for me. Now to add the ultimate feather to my (baseball) cap and become the latest Cave Dweller.
Thanks again to Chris Olds and Beckett for their support. I’ll be back tomorrow to discuss what it means to me to be a small market baseball fan.
Kevin Kimmes is a regular contributor to creamcitycables.com and an applicant for the 2013 MLB Fan Cave. You can follow him on Twitter at @kevinkimmes.
Operation Fan Cave Application: Complete
by Kevin Kimmes
Some of you may have noticed that I haven’t posted any new content to the site in the last several day. While this wasn’t my intention, sometimes things get in the way, important things. Over the last several days, my creative output has been channeled into a different pursuit: filming and editing my MLB Fan Cave application.
Well, I am proud to say that it is now completed and you should be seeing me return to my regular output in the next several days. In the meantime, I’ve decided to treat you all to the fruits of my labor. Enjoy
Kevin Kimmes is a regular contributor to creamcitycables.com and an applicant for the 2013 MLB Fan Cave. You can follow him on Twitter at @kevinkimmes.
John Axford: Time Traveler?
by Kevin Kimmes
Closers are a strange breed, and frankly, I can’t say I blame them. It takes a certain kind of personality to be able to enter a game at it’s most pivitol moment, knowing that the outcome is squarely on your shoulders. You have only one goal, to shut the door on the opposition, and in most cases there is no margin for error. It’s a tight-rope act being played out in front of a captive audience.
As Brewers fans, we can count ourselves lucky as we have had the opportunity to see some of the best at the position come through our club. From Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers in the 80′s to one-time career saves leader Trevor Hoffman in the late ’00s, and most recently Brewers’ Rookie Saves Leader John Axford, Brewers fans have been treated to some truly memorable innings. Today though, it is Axford that I would like to talk about.
You see, a few days ago, I was made aware of an article regarding a baseball card from 1865 which was recently discovered in Maine. Unless you are a collector like myself, this article would most likely be classified in the “That’s neat, I wonder what’s for lunch? ” category of news, as quickly forgotten as it was read. But for someone with an acute eye for detail, the card contains something interesting.
Here is a picture of the card itself:
I can hear most people saying, “Yeah, so what?” Well, take a look at the man seated on the far left.
Look Familiar? Possibly like a certain current Brewers closer? Possibly like John Axford?
Is it possible that Milwaukee’s current closer is also a time traveler? Has Axford, an admitted film buff, discovered the secret to time travel that Dr. Emmett Brown used to get Back to the Future? Did Axford go back to the game’s source in order to hone his skills as a pitcher, and if so, can he finally answer once and for all who actually created the game, Alexander Cartwright or Abner Doubleday? My curiosity was piqued.
I asked myself, “What do we really know about John Axford?” As a fair and reasonable journalist, I put together a list of facts:
1) Axford is Canadian: According to episodes I’ve seen of “How I Met Your Mother”, Canadians are a polite and jovial people who will apologize to you and give you a doughnut if you bump into them. They may also be afraid of the dark, though this has yet to be scientifically proven.
2) Axford was born on April 1, 1983: April 1st is also known as April Fools Day. Is it possible that the above photo is part of some elaborate joke carried out by a major league reliever with the ability to move through time on a whim, and if so are there other historical “photo bombs” out there which have yet to be discovered?
3) Axford has been known to sport a handlebar mustache: The handlebar mustache was a popular facial accessory in the late 1800′s. The photo was from 1865. I was surely on to something.
4) Axford worked as a bartender in the offseason: A bartender is a mixologist, a barroom alchemist if you will. Is it possible that this is where the secret to time travel was discovered? Could the secret lie in some accidental combination of seemingly benign ingredients such as seltzer, aromatic bitters, and linseed oil? I felt like I was on the verge of something big here, so without hesitation, I mixed up the above ingredients, slammed them back, and headed straight to the bathroom where I spent the remainder of my afternoon making nice with the major porcelain deities. Once the room stopped spinning and I could focus my vision again, I pressed on.
5) Closers normally pitch 1 inning per game: What do they do the rest of the time? While waiting for his call to action, could Axford have discovered a wormhole of some sort which allows him to travel through time unencumbered? Could there be a tear in the time/space continuum inside Miller Park, and if so, why hasn’t it been exploited to win a championship yet? No, seriously, I want to know. I turn 34 on Sunday and would really like to see Milwaukee win a championship in my lifetime. I don’t think this is a lot to ask for.
Cream City Cables made no attempts to reach John Axford for comment, since we assume that time travel is the kind of thing that one keeps close to the vest and doesn’t admit to just anyone.
Kevin Kimmes is a regular contributor to creamcitycables.com, a huge fan of John Axford and an applicant for the 2013 MLB Fan Cave. You can follow him on Twitter at @kevinkimmes.
The Numbers Game: Lucky Number 7?
by Kevin Kimmes
Welcome back loyal readers to another volume of The Numbers Game, the series in which I look at past Pilots/Brewers players based on their jersey numbers and hopefully impart a little baseball knowledge or trivia in the process. Today, we look at one of the most transient numbers thus far, the number 7. With the exception of 3 players (Don Money, Dale Sveum and J.J. Hardy), no Brewer has worn the number for more than 2 seasons, and in the case of Danny Perez, he took his “cup of coffee” and promptly spilled it in his lap. So, let’s get started shall we?
Seattle Pilots:
No player was assigned the number 7 in the Pilots organization in 1969.
Milwaukee Brewers:
Russ Snyder – 1970: Snyder played the final year of his 12 year major league career with the fledgeling Brewers in 1970 as an outfielder. He batted .232/.270/.315 across 124 games with 64 hits and 16 walks.
Danny Walton – 1971: Walton, who had worn number 12 for the Pilots in 1969 and the Brewers in 1970, would change his number to 7 for the 1971 campaign. With his season just underway for Milwaukee, Walton would be traded to the Yankees on June 7th, 1971 for Bobby Mitchell and…
Frank Tepedino – 1971: Received in the trade for Walton from the Yankees, Tepedino would take Waltons former number for the 1971 season. He would play in 53 games for the Brewers recording a sub-Mendoza batting average of .198 with 21 hits and 4 walks in 106 at bats. On March 31, 1972 his services were purchased back from Milwaukee by the Yankees.
Ron Clark – 1972: Ron Clark is one of the shorter tenured player to put on a Brewers uniform. Acquired on June 20th, 1972 from Oakland for Bill Voss, he would bat a paltry .185 across 22 appearances before being traded on July 28th, 1972 to the Angels for Joe Azcue and…
Syd O’Brien – 1972: O’Brien’s 4 year major league career made it’s final stop in Milwaukee where he would bat .207/.230/.293 recording 12 hits and 2 walks across 31 appearances.
Don Money – 1973-83: The transient nature of the number 7 would finally halt as it would stay on the back of Don Money for 11 seasons. A 4 time All-Star selection (1974, 1976-78), Money arrived in Milwaukee due to the Phillies needing to make room for future Hall of Famer, Mike Schmidt.
In his first All-Star campaign in 1974, Money would set career marks in hits (178), doubles (32), and at bats (629). His third All-Star campaign highlighted his ability to hit for power as he set career marks in homeruns (25), RBI (83), slugging (.470), and total bases (268). Finally, his fourth All-Star campaign was about consistency as he set career marks in batting average (.293), OBP (.361), and sacrifice hits (14).
After retiring from active play, Money went on to manage for the Brewers in the minor leagues, first for the Single-A Beloit Snappers from 1998-2004, then for Double-A Huntsville from 2005-08, and finally with Triple-A Nashville from 2009-11. After the 2011 season, Money became Milwaukee’s special instructor of player development.
No player was assigned the number 7 in the Brewers organization in 1984.
Paul Householder – 1985-86: In 2 seasons with Milwaukee, Householder batted .249/.313/.398 with 94 hits and 34 walks in 121 games.
Dale Sveum – 1987-91: Best known to younger Brewers fans as the current coach of the Cubs, and for being accidentally shot in the ear last year by Robin Yount, Sveum wore number 27 in 1986 before switching to number 7 for his five remaining seasons in Milwaukee. He would bat .243/.299/.382 with 413 hits and 137 walks for the Brewers in his 5 seasons on the team.
It should also be noted that he took over as interim skipper after Ned Yost was fired by the Brewers en-route to their 2008 NLDS appearance against the Phillies. As a manager he has a post season record of 1-3, a record which may not change anytime soon as the manager of the Cubs.
No player was assigned the number 7 in the Brewers organization from 1992 to 1995.
Danny Perez – 1996: Perez appeared in 4 games in 1996. In 4 plate appearances he did nothing. Absolutely nothing. Not even a strikeout. Just a statline with a lot of zeroes. Moving on.
Brian Banks – 1996-97: The last player to wear number 7 in the AL for Milwaukee (he would wear 25 in 1998 and 23 in 1999), Banks played in 161 games for the Brewers over the course of his 4 seasons. He would bat .248 with 78 hits and 36 walks before being granted free agency on March 28th 2000.
Dave Nilsson – 1998: One of 4 different number that Nilsson would wear in his 8 years with Milwaukee (he would also wear 11, 13 and 14), Nilsson would don the number 7 en route to batting .269/.339/.437 with 83 hits and 33 walks in 1998.
Sean Berry – 1999-2000: Signed by Milwaukee prior to the 1999 season, Berry would play in 106 games and bat .228/.281/.301 with 59 hits and 17 walks. He would struggle mightily in 2000, batting only .152, leading to his release on June 21st, 2000.
Tony Fernandez – 2001: If Fernandez’s Brewers’ tenure was a headstone, it would read: “Signed 02-08-2001, Released 05-29-2001″. Tony, we hardly knew ya!
Alex Sanchez – 2001: Claimed off of waivers by Milwaukee in 2001, Sanchez played in his first game on June 15th, 2001. Despite a disappointing year offensively in 2001 (he batted .206), Sanchez found himself in the role of starting center fielder, wearing number 22 for the Brewers, in 2002 and 2003. His erratic defensive play and bad attitude would get him traded to Detroit during the 2003 season.
On April 3rd, 2005 Sanchez would acquire the dubious distinction of being the first person suspended under the MLB’s newly adopted drug policy.
Eric Young – 2002-03: In 247 games as a Brewer, Young batted .271/.340/.392 with 244 hits and 87 walks. His 15 homeruns in 2003 were a career best which nearly doubled his previous high of 8.
No player was assigned the number 7 in the Brewers organization in 2004.
J.J. Hardy – 2005-09: A 2007 National League All-Star, Hardy’s career with Milwaukee was marred by injury. In 2004, while still in the minors, Hardy suffered a dislocated shoulder and a torn labrum which cost him his season. Then on May 16th, 2006, Hardy would severely sprain his ankle sliding into Phillies’ catcher Sal Fasano at home, resulting in his placement on the 15 day DL. Upon returning to play, Hardy realized that the tendon kept popping in and out of place resulting in the team shutting him down for the season on July 18th, 2006.
In 2007, Hardy would begin to develop some power in his bat hitting 26 homers in 2007 and 24 in 2008. After signing a 1 year extension prior to the 2009 season, Hardy would suffer a power outage that would see him be sent down to the minors on August 12th, 2009. He would be recalled on September 1st and would finish his 2009 campaign batting .229 with 11 homers.
Chris Dickerson – 2010: Acquired on August 9th, 2010 in a trade with the Reds for Jim Edmonds, Dickerson would bat an unimpressive .208 with 5 RBIs in 25 games. To nobody’s surprise, Dickerson was traded to the Yankees prior to the 2011 season for pitcher Sergio Mitre.
Felipe Lopez – 2011: Lopez’s second stint with Milwaukee, he wore number 3 in 2009, was to be short lived. Acquired on July 28, 2011, for cash considerations from the Tampa Bay Rays, he would be designated for assignment on August 21st, 2011 after hitting .182 in 51 plate appearances for Milwaukee.
Jeremy Reed – 2011: Reed appeared in 7 games for Milwaukee in 2011 recording no hits in 7 at bats while striking out twice.
Norichika Aoki – 2012: In his first of hopefully many MLB seasons, Aoki proved why he was a batting champion in his native Japan. Being able to seemingly deliver clutch hits at will, Aoki batted .288/.355/.433 with 10 home runs, 50 RBIs, 81 runs scored and 30 stolen bases. Not too shabby for a 30 year old rookie!
So there you have it, all of the players who had the fortune (or misfortune) to wear the number 7 for Milwaukee. Come on back tomorrow for part 8.
Kevin Kimmes is a regular contributor to creamcitycables.com and an applicant for the 2013 MLB Fan Cave. You can follow him on Twitter at @kevinkimmes.
