Tony Muser

[Michael Trzinski]

Tony Muser only played 15 games for the Brewers as a player, but spent 13 seasons as a minor league manager, major league coach and hitting instructor, and minor league instructor and scout in the Brewers organization. After he left the Brewers, Muser spent five years as a coach for the Chicago Cubs before signing on as a major league manager for six years with the Kansas City Royals. He also worked as a coach for San Diego for four years and finished in the Padres organization as a minor league instructor. After 43 years in baseball, Muser retired in 2010. "I just got tired of it," Muser said in 2010. "I didn't get tired of baseball but I just got tired of the politics. That's just baseball today."

Anthony Joseph Muser grew up in San Diego and was picked in the third round by the San Francisco Giants in the 1966 MLB January draft but did not sign, instead waiting until mid-1967 and signing as a free agent with the Boston Red Sox. The left-handed first sacker played in the minors for parts of three campaigns and missed most of the 1968 season due to his obligation to a Marine Corps Reserve unit. He made his big league debut on September 14, 1969, getting a hit in the ninth inning off Yankees pitcher Jack Aker. He played one more game for Boston that year and wouldn't play again in the bigs until 1971 after he had been traded to the Chicago White Sox.

After July 1972, Muser played almost exclusively in the majors for the White Sox until a trade in 1975 that sent him to Baltimore. He set career highs in 1973 with 38 runs, 88 hits, 14 doubles, four homers, 30 RBI, and eight stolen bases. Muser played for the Orioles for three years and set a career high with 136 games in 1976. 

Muser was released by Baltimore in the spring of 1978 and was signed by the Brewers in April and played at Triple-A Spokane until July when he was called up by Milwaukee. Over the last three months of the season, Muser played in only 15 games and had 30 at-bats, hitting a meager .133/.212/.233. He was released after the season and played for the Seibu Lions in the Japanese Pacific League, batting just .196/.273/.268 in 168 at-bats. 

In November 1979, Muser was named to manage Single-A Stockton in the California League, beginning his 31-year post-playing career in baseball.

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