We Three Short Kings: A Retrospective on the Brewers' Best Tiny Talent

As someone who was once wrongfully accused of lying about being 5’6" when I should've said I was 5’5 ½", I know the pains of being on the shorter end of things. It’s hard to reach all of the really good candy on the top shelf at Piggly Wiggly, you can’t ride all of the rides at Tom Foolery's Adventure Park, and most importantly, it’s difficult to throw an effective 12-6 curveball given your low release point. However, unlike many sports like basketball and equestrian show jumping, where height is a key factor, baseball players can still be successful despite a more diminutive stature. This holiday season, I wanted to look back at three of the shortest players ever to don a Milwaukee Brewers uniform and talk about their big-league careers with small frames.

LHP Danny Herrera (5’6", 165 pounds)
Danny Herrera was a crafty lefty reliever whose entire baseball career screams an unlikely story. He was picked in the 45th round of the 2006 draft by the Texas Rangers and was the 1,345th selection overall. Being chosen that late is usually so irrelevant that MLB has cut the number of rounds to just 20 in recent years, so he started his professional career with a major uphill battle. If he had been born twenty years later, we would not have gotten the chance to see what Herrera brought to the table.

After two years of great pitching in the Texas system, he made it to Double-A Frisco before being traded to the Reds as part of the deal that brought Josh Hamilton to Texas in 2008. He kept up the great work in Cincinnati’s farm system, posting a 2.78 ERA over 55 innings in Triple-A Louisville and was even called up, pitching in seven major league games to mixed results. 

Riding the momentum of his rapid ascension through the ranks, Herrera made the Reds Opening Day roster in 2009 and was a solid piece of their bullpen, posting a 3.06 ERA over 61 ⅔ innings. He was helped considerably by his defense, given his 3.99 FIP and WHIP of 1.41, but he made it work. 

In 2010 he had some issues, splitting time between the majors and Triple-A Louisville. However, he lowered his FIP to 3.77 despite his WHIP swelling to 1.61 and striking out just 5.5 hitters per nine innings. Before the 2011 season, Cincinnati placed him on waivers, and his storied Brewers career began.

It lasted just two games and 1 ⅔ innings, but you know what they say, quality over quantity. Honestly, there wasn’t much quality either since he conceded four earned runs and was quickly optioned to Triple-A Nashville. However, he had an outstanding minor league season, pitching to a 1.48 ERA over 42 ⅔ innings. In September 2011, he was the player to be named later in the trade for Francisco Rodríguez and was packaged off to the Mets. Despite an admirable finish to the season, Herrera would never return to the big leagues after 2011, spending most of 2012 injured in Triple-A Buffalo and then released by the Mets in 2013. He would stick around for a few years to play in Mexico and independent baseball but ultimately hung up the cleats after 2016. 

Most relievers typically rely on a two-pitch arsenal that consists of a blazing fastball and a wicked secondary pitch. Because Herrera’s heater sat in the mid-80s, he needed a six-pitch arsenal just to get by. In addition to his four-seam fastball, he was also known to throw a sinker, cutter, curveball, changeup, and, most notably, a screwball with a velocity in the high 60s. 

Where Is He Now?
After dicing up the league, he decided to turn to art and now spends his time producing incredible baseball-themed illustrations. MLB writer Michael Clair wrote a great piece on his current work in 2022. If you’re interested in taking a closer look at Herrera’s original work, check out his site.

LHP Clayton Andrews (5’6", 160 pounds)
After Babe Ruth and before Shohei Ohtani, there was Clayton Andrews. He became a two-way player after transferring from Cabrillo College to California State University, Long Beach. In 2018, he posted a 1.99 ERA over 99 ⅔ innings and a .759 OPS over 257 plate appearances. While he didn’t hit any home runs, he did accumulate six doubles and five triples, a clear sign of the hustle gene.

He was initially drafted by the Dodgers in the 40th round of the 2017 draft but decided to wait another year, eventually being selected by the Brewers in the 17th round of the 2018 draft as the 515th overall pick. Like Herrera, he also found great success in the minor leagues, advancing to Triple-A Nashville in 2021, just his third year of professional baseball. He spent a few years recovering from Tommy John surgery, but by 2023, he was back at full strength, posting a 2.53 ERA over 57 innings in Triple-A Nashville.

Unlike Herrera, Andrews throws absolute gas, at least for a pitcher of his size. Andrews sat in the mid-90s with his fastball and could occasionally touch 96 mph on a good day.

Tread Athletics, a facility specializing in analytics-based pitching and hitting development, made a video in 2023 about exactly how Andrews reached this velocity. If you're interested, give it a watch. While Herrera struggled to strike out, Andrews averaged 12.2 K/9 over his six seasons in the minors.

Unfortunately, his success never translated to the big leagues. In 2023, he appeared in four games with the Brewers and had disastrous results, conceding 11 hits and 10 earned runs in just 3 ⅓ innings. He still managed four strikeouts but gave up three home runs, which was not exactly a recipe for success.

Before the 2024 season, he was traded to the Yankees, where he started to see some real regression. With the lower quality of pitching development in his new city, he had similar results in his lone major league appearance with the major league team but also had a 5.84 ERA over 24 ⅔ innings in Triple-A Scranton. After being designated for assignment, clearing waivers, and electing free agency, he signed a minor-league deal with the Giants. He was shelled in two appearances in rookie ball, spelling a likely end to his career in MLB.

Where Is He Now?
He spent the last few weeks of this past season pitching in Mexico and is now a free agent. Whether he’ll return to professional baseball or call it quits is unclear, but it will be an uphill battle for him. Given the increased importance placed on wicked velocity and movement, it’s grown increasingly difficult for pitchers who don’t have both qualities to make it in today’s game. Personally, I hope to see him again and dream of the day he records his first save, but that seems like more of a distant possibility with each passing day.

2B Kolten Wong (5'7", 185 pounds)
Born and raised in Hawaii, he attended Kamehameha Schools, known for its strong athletics program and commitment to preserving the indigenous culture of Hawaii. He was a star in high school, batting .600 and getting chosen by the Twins in the 16th round of the 2008 draft, but he decided to attend the University of Hawaii instead. It ended up being the right choice since he was ultimately drafted in the first round by the Cardinals in 2011, being taken 22nd overall and becoming the organization’s #4-ranked prospect.

After breezing through the minor leagues, he was a late call-up in 2013 and even made the postseason roster, appearing in the NLDS, NLCS, and even the World Series. His most famous moment in Cardinals history is probably coming in as a pinch runner in the ninth inning of Game 4 and being picked off by Koji Uehara to make the last out. 

Despite this early setback, he had a great career in St. Louis, placing third in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2014, earning two Gold Gloves, and getting a few MVP votes in 2019, the best year of his career. Despite his success, his $12.5 million team option was declined in 2021, making him a free agent and allowing him to sign a two-year, $18 million deal with Milwaukee that included a club option in 2023. 

He kept up the strong momentum as a Brewer, averaging a 113 OPS+ and accumulating 6.4 rWAR from 2021-2022. He also hit 56 doubles, six triples, and 29 home runs. Three of those home runs came in a single game against the Reds in September 2022.

Given his success with the team, his $10 million club option was exercised in 2023, but instead of retaining him, Milwaukee used their team control to trade him to Seattle in exchange for Abraham Toro and Jesse Winker. This was a terrible trade for all parties involved, as all three players performed way below expectations. Wong’s .468 OPS quickly led to him being benched, and he was designated for assignment in August before being released. He finished the year as a pinch-hitter for the Dodgers.

At his best, Wong was a great hitter who compensated for a lack of pop with great bat-to-ball skills and a disciplined approach. His strikeout rate over his entire major-league career was just 16.0%, an excellent mark, especially in the modern game. He lacked the ability to hit home runs consistently but was good for 20+ doubles per season and would’ve likely benefited from the rule changes that made base stealing more accessible. 

Where Is He Now?
In 2024, he signed minor-league deals with the Orioles and Diamondbacks, spending some time in Triple-A Reno before being released in late May. After the severity of his regression in 2023, it seems that he has struggled to return to the level of ball he played with the Brewers. At 34 years old and with just over 10 years of service time, Kolten Wong could retire today and still have a proud career. In addition to 22.0 rWAR, he ranks third all-time in hits, doubles, and runs scored among Hawaii natives behind Kurt Suzuki and Shane Victorino. We may have seen the last of Wong on the big league diamond, but his legacy as a short king and proud representative of his Hawaiian heritage will live on forever.

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!