25 Years of Miller Park/Am Fam Field: The All-21st Century Brewers Starting Pitching Staff

This year is the 25th anniversary of play at Miller Park (or, if you absolutely insist and can't be dissuaded, American Family Field). The Brewers will celebrate that milestone this summer, including a special day at the ballpark on Friday, July 25. Several players from each of the last 25 seasons will be at the ballyard in late July, signing autographs, working at concession stands, and working the cash registers at retail stores inside the stadium.

To help celebrate, Brewer Fanatic is presenting its All-Time Miller Park/Am Fam Field pitching staff and position-player roster. Without further ado, here is part one of a three-part series, starting with the All-Time Brewers five-man rotation, based on stats only from 2001-2025.

STARTING ROTATION
Ben Sheets (2001-08)
GS – 221, W – 86, ERA – 3.72, WAR – 25.6, ERA+ - 115, FIP – 3.56
A member of the gold medal-winning 2000 USA Olympic baseball team, Sheets made his debut the same year Miller Park opened. The right-hander pitched one of the finest games in Brewers history on May 16, 2004, when he beat Atlanta 4-1 while allowing only three hits, one walk, and one run—while striking out 18 batters, still a Milwaukee record. Sheets had nine games with 10 or more punchouts during the year, and his 264 strikeouts set a single-season Milwaukee record.

Sheets ranks in the top five in Brewers history in WAR, innings pitched, strikeouts, and games started.

CC Sabathia (2008)
GS – 17, W – 11, ERA – 1.65, WAR – 4.9, ERA+ - 255, FIP – 2.44
The big lefthander played in Milwaukee for part of only one year, but ah, what a magical season! He was acquired in an early July trade with Cleveland for Rob Bryson, Zach Jackson, Matt LaPorta, and Michael Brantley, but he was worth every penny for the three months he spent in Brew City.

Of his 17 starts with the Brewers, Sabathia completed seven, including three shutouts. On Aug. 31, he was *this* close to a no-hitter when official scorer Bob Webb ruled that a nubber in front of the plate--bobbled by Sabathia--was a base hit in Pittsburgh. Sabathia went on to earn his ninth straight win as a Brewer with a one-hit shutout, along with 11 strikeouts.

Sabathia struggled slightly in three of his six September starts, but beat the Chicago Cubs on the final day of the season. The postseason was a different story. Sabathia had pitched a career-high 253 innings during the season and it showed when he got battered by the Philadelphia Phillies 5-2 in Game 2 of the NLDS, which the Brewers ended up losing in four games.

Brandon Woodruff (2017-23)
GS – 115, W – 46, ERA – 3.10, WAR – 16.7, ERA+ - 137, FIP – 3.19
Woodruff has been on the shelf since September 2023, after undergoing major surgery to his right shoulder. Despite that fact, he still makes the rotation as an all-Miller Park Brewer. He is a two-time All-Star (2019, 2021) and also finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting in 2021. Woodruff also had a moment at the plate, when he took Clayton Kershaw deep in Game 1 of the 2018 NLCS, which they eventually lost to the Dodgers in seven games.

The burly, red-headed righthander known as ‘Woody’ currently ranks first all-time for Milwaukee in ERA, WHIP (1.05), and ERA+.

Corbin Burnes (2018-23)
GS – 145, W – 62, ERA – 3.18, WAR – 13.6, ERA+ - 129, FIP – 3.11
Burnes began his career as a reliever, and had one solid year and one that was pretty awful. He became a full-time starter during the COVID year of 2020, and became a Cy Young candidate in each of his final four seasons with Milwaukee—including winning the award in 2021. The right-hander was also an All-Star from 2021-2023.

Burnes ranks first for single-season marks with K/9 (12.6), ERA+ (170), and FIP (1.63). His career mark of a 3.11 FIP is first on the leaderboard, while he ranks in the top five in ERA, K/9, and ERA+.

Yovani Gallardo (2007-14)
GS – 211, W – 89, ERA – 3.69, WAR – 15.5, ERA+ - 109, FIP – 3.71
Gallardo posted impressive numbers during his eight seasons in Milwaukee, but had little to show for it in terms of awards. He was named to only one All-Star team (2010). He won a Silver Slugger Award that same year, batting .254/.329/.508 with four homers, four doubles, and an OPS+ of 122.

On the mound, the right-hander had four seasons of 200-plus strikeouts, a Brewers record. He also sits atop the career leaderboards with 1,226 strikeouts, and ranks fifth with 89 wins.

HONORABLE MENTION-STARTING ROTATION

Freddy Peralta (2018-25), Zack Greinke (2011-12), Doug Davis (2003-06, 2010), Mike Fiers (2011-15), Zach Davies (2015-19), Chase Anderson (2016-19).

Now, the really fun part: tell us how we did! Who got snubbed, here? Who doesn't quite belong? Join the conversation.

Are you interested in Brewers history? Then check out the Milwaukee Brewers Players Project, a community-driven project to discover and collect great information on every player to wear a Brewers uniform!