Inside The Milwaukee Brewers Players Project: That 70s Show

The latest additions to the Milwaukee Brewers Players Project are pitcher Lew Krausse, and outfielders Von Joshua and Larry Hisle. They all played for the Brewers in the 1970s, but they never played together while on the Brewers. Krausse pitched in 1970-1971, Joshua played in 1976-1977, and Hisle played from 1978-1982.

Lew Krausse
Krausse was a phenom high school pitcher for Chester (PA) High School. Wanna hear a crazy number? Krausse pitched 18 no-hitters in his four-year prep career. According to the MaxPreps.com website, only Rusty Rugg of Downsville, LA threw more no-nos, with a record of 19 no-hitters between 1986-1989.

Krausse signed with the Kansas City Athletics (and owner Charles O. Finley) for $125,000 in 1961 and big things were expected of him. Since he was a ‘bonus baby,’ the right-hander was required to pitch in the major leagues for one season. Krausse made his big-league debut on June 16 against the Los Angeles Angels and tossed a complete game shutout, allowing just three hits and five walks. He finished the year with a 2-5 record, an ERA+ of 86, and a FIP of 4.66.

He would pitch for five teams In his 12-year career, including two seasons with Milwaukee. Krausse was the pitcher for the first game in Brewers history but fared poorly in a 12-0 loss to California. He won 21 games for Milwaukee, and a total of 68 in his career. Arm injuries curtailed a once-promising career, which ended in 1974 at age 31.

Von Joshua
Joshua was a first round pick (17^th overall) in the 1967 January draft by the San Francisco Giants, but he chose not to sign and went to Laney College in Oakland instead. Joshua had not signed prior to the June draft, so he was eligible to talk with other teams. He signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in late June.

It was slow going for the lefty-hitting outfielder, as he played only 253 games in five seasons in Los Angeles. He was waived and picked up by the Giants in January 1975 and played by ‘The Bay’ for one season, even though he had career highs in several categories and batted .318/.359/.448 with an OPS+ of 120.

The Brewers purchased Joshua in June 1976 and he played 107 games for the Brew Crew and 144 games the following season. But just before the 1978 season, the Brewers cut Joshua. He played in the Mexican League and then played a part-time role for Los Angeles in 1979 and San Diego in 1980. After two more years in the Mexican League, Joshua retired.

Larry Hisle
At Portsmouth (OH) High School the 6-foot-2 Hisle was so good at basketball that he had 100 college teams drooling over him. The great Oscar Robertson called him one night at home to try to convince the two-sport star to follow the ‘Big O’ to the University of Cincinnati. Hisle chose baseball and was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the inaugural MLB Player Draft in 1965.

Hisle was fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 1969 but slumped over the next two years and was dealt to Los Angeles after the 1971 campaign. He played exclusively in Triple A in 1972 and was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals on October 26, 1972. A month later—without playing a game for the Cards—was shipped to the Minnesota Twins.

Hisle spent five years with the Twins, including an outstanding 1977 season when he made the AL All-Star team and led the league in RBI with 119. After that season, he opted for free agency and became a Brewer.

The right-handed outfielder had one good year with the Brewers, helping the team to its first 90-win (93) season when he led the team with 34 homers, 115 RBI, and an OPS+ of 153. Hisle suffered rotator cuff damage in 1979 and although he tried everything from rest to rehab to surgery, nothing helped. Hisle played a total of 79 games over the next four years before retiring in 1982.

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