Harold Hutchison

But which first basemen were the best the Brewers had manning the position? Let’s take a look at the top five. 5. Greg Brock .261/.348/.387 with 39 HR and 243 RBI in 5 seasons Greg Brock was acquired before the 1987 season for Tim Leary and Tim Crews. That deal wasn’t too shabby as Brock was the primary starter for four seasons, and he filled the shoes of Cecil Cooper quite well, walking more than he struck out. He didn’t quite provide the power he hoped for, but he didn’t do poorly. He was released in the middle of the 1991 season. 4. George Scott .283/.352/.486 with 115 HR, 463 RBI in 5 seasons “Boomer” delivered a lot of booms for the Brewers in the early 1970s as the franchise sought its footing, including the AL home run crown in 1975. Acquired in a deal that sent Tommy Harper to Boston, he made one All-Star Game appearance and earned five Gold Gloves with the Brewers. After 1976, he was dealt back to Boston for Cecil Cooper. 3. Cecil Cooper .302/.339/.470 with 201 HR, 944 RBI in 11 seasons Cecil Cooper is arguably one of the Brewers' all-time greats. Acquired in the deal that sent George Scott to Boston, all he did was set single-season records for batting average, runs batted in, and OPS at some point in his career. Coop had five All-Star Game appearances, three Silver Sluggers, a Gold Glove, and three top-five MVP finishes, including one in 1982 – and we know who won the award that year. 2. Richie Sexson .276/.366/.566 with 133 HR and 398 RBI in 3.5 seasons Richie Sexson was the primary first baseman for only three seasons. Still, what he lacked in longevity, he made up for by twice tying Gorman Thomas for the single-season record in home runs at 45 and coming close to matching Cooper’s single-season RBI record twice. After the 2003 season, the Brewers traded Sexson to Arizona, landing six players who later played roles with the team in one form or another. 1. Prince Fielder .282/.390/.540 with 230 HR and 646 RBI in 6 seasons The top two single-season home run totals in Brewers history, the top single-season RBI mark in Brewers history. The Brewers’ all-time leader in OBP, SLG, and OPS. Prince Fielder held down first base, made two All-Star Game appearances, and had three top-five MVP finishes, including in 2011, when the Brewers made the NLCS. After that year, Fielder left as a free agent and went on to play for five more seasons before a neck injury ended his career. Honorable Mentions John Jaha was the primary first baseman for four seasons and delivered some big power numbers, but they could only stay healthy for part of the season. Lyle Overbay was known more for hitting a ton of doubles than for home runs but was well-loved during his two seasons in Milwaukee before Prince Fielder’s emergence forced a trade. Eric Thames was the primary first baseman for two of his three seasons in Milwaukee (he divvied up time in the outfield and first in 2018).

Twenty-three players were primary starters at catcher for the Brewers. Some have been great; others held down the position for a long time and did a solid job. 5. Manny Pina .245/.315/.414 with 42 HR, 148 RBI in six seasons (2016-2021) Pina was the primary starter for only two seasons, but he was also a valuable complement to Omar Narvaez and Yasmani Grandal after the 2018 season. Pina took over for Jonathan Lucroy after Lucroy was traded in 2016. He was no black hole on offense and provided solid defense. He later left as a free agent for Atlanta, then was part of the three-team deal in which the Brewers acquired William Contreras. Not too bad for someone acquired as the player to be named later in the K-Rod trade. 4. Charlie Moore .262/.320/.355 with 36 HR, 408 RBI in 14 seasons (1973-1986) Moore was the primary starter behind the plate for six seasons but also saw action at multiple other positions (notably, he was the primary right fielder for the 1982 World Series team and the following year) over his 14 seasons with the Brewers. He would have been a valuable bench asset in the National League, pre-universal DH. His offensive production primarily hinged on batting average since he lacked power and didn’t take a lot of walks. For the most part, he was a solid player to have around. 3. B.J. Surhoff .274/.323/.380 with 57 HR, 524 RBI in 9 seasons (1987-1995) Like Moore, Surhoff was the primary starter at catcher for six seasons in Milwaukee and flashed a lot of versatility. Surhoff has time at third base (serving as the team’s primary third baseman in 1993) and in the outfield for the Brewers in addition to being a catcher and had 102 starts in 1995 at six positions (counting designated hitter). Unlike Moore, Surhoff batted left-handed and had more power and speed (102 stolen bases with the Brewers). Surhoff later exploded offensively after leaving Milwaukee for Baltimore as a free agent before 1996, but getting nine seasons from a number one overall pick is not too shabby. 2. Darrell Porter .229/.334/.375 with 54 HR, 226 RBI in 6 seasons (1971-1976) Porter served as the primary catcher for the Crew in four seasons, with two cups of coffee before earning a third-place finish in the 1973 Rookie of the Year vote. Porter added an All-Star Game appearance for the Brewers, showing outstanding OBP skills and some left-handed power for the team. He was traded to the Royals before 1977, which brought the Brewers Bob McClure, who served as a starter and reliever from 1977-1986, as a player to be named later. He also haunted the Crew with the Cardinals in the 1982 World Series. 1. Jonathan Lucroy .284/.342/.436 with 79 HR, 387 RBI in 7 seasons (2010-2016) Lucroy was the primary starter at catcher for seven seasons, more than any other Brewer in franchise history. He also provided a potent bat to the team, posting a franchise-record 53 doubles in 2014 and making two All-Star Game appearances. His trade to Texas in 2016 provided a key piece (Lewis Brinson) in the package that brought Christian Yelich to Milwaukee before the 2018 season. Lucroy was a third-round pick in the 2007 draft and outperformed Matt LaPorta (who was dealt for CC Sabathia in 2008) in terms of a major-league career. Honorable Mentions Two other players deserve at least an honorable mention. First, there is Dave Nilsson, who served as the primary catcher for three seasons but saw much more action at other positions. The second is Ted Simmons, who was the primary catcher for three seasons, but initially slumped in Milwaukee and then spent a lot of time as a first baseman/designated hitter after 1983. Brewer Fanatics, who are your top five all-time Brewers catchers?

The question is, of course, what sort of return? The Brewers will not get some star on a mega-deal in return. The best bet is to secure some excellent young players for the short term and some good prospects for the medium term. So which teams are likely to provide that return? We can look at Bleacher Report’s Top 100 prospect list to get an idea. This list also offers 50 honorable mentions. We’ve looked for teams who could provide at least one pitcher, who would have limited exposure to the Brewers in the regular season, and who could also help boost the team elsewhere. Baltimore Orioles The Orioles have six prospects in BR’s Top 100, and if the Brewers were to send them Burnes, a good return package would be RHP Grayson Rodriguez, LHP DL Hall, and IF Jordan Westburg. All three are nearly major-league-ready. Rodriguez and Hall could be pieces for rotation depth, while Westburg offers an option at third base, giving the Brewers more upside than the Owen Miller/Abraham Toro duo. In addition, Baltimore is in the American League, and the Brewers are less likely to face Burnes. This is the best-case scenario for the Brewers in a Burnes trade. Cleveland Guardians Like the Orioles, the Guardians have six players in BR’s Top 100. They could be another excellent partner, given their presence in the American League. A good return package from Cleveland would be RHPs Daniel Espino, Gavin Williams, and Tanner Bibee. Espino, though, only started four games in 2022 with shoulder soreness, so there is a risk. All three would be about a year away, but the Brewers could also end up having to deal Brandon Woodruff and Eric Lauer, so having plenty of replacements in the pipeline is a good thing. Should the Brewers work out an extension with Woodruff, it never hurts to have excellent pitching prospects to get help elsewhere (third base, perhaps?). The quantity could be very good for the Brewers, but Espino’s shoulder makes this trade a bit riskier than Baltimore's. The Brewers could also ask for C Bo Naylor in place of Espino, giving them a 1-2 punch behind the plate in a left-right platoon with William Contreras. Tampa Bay Rays The Brewers have had some mutually beneficial deals with the Rays – see the Willy Adames trade. The Crew got a top-10 shortstop in MLB; the Rays turned Drew Rasmussen into an ace. Here, the Brewers could send Burnes and get back RHP Taj Bradley, IF Curtis Mead, and LHP Mason Montgomery. Bradley and Mead could compete for 26-man roster spots, while Montgomery could be an eventual replacement for Lauer. This deal would be tricky because the Brewers would have to get an extension for Adames done, but the Rays would make an excellent match for another deal. Toronto Blue Jays Yes, a third AL East team could be in the mix for Burnes. The Blue Jays would be a little trickier, as they only have one player in the top 100: LHP Ricky Tiedemann, who the Brewers would have to insist be included. Here, the Brewers would have two options for additional players. One would be to ask for players from the honorable mentions: LHP Brandon Barriera, RHP Yosver Zulueta, and IF Orelvis Martinez. The problem is that Barriera is more of a long-term prospect (being a 2022 draftee), while Martinez hits for power but struggles with OBP and contact. The other option would be to ask for a young player or two: RHP Alek Manoah and IF Cavan Biggio could be part of the return. Still, a Tiedemann-Manoah return for Burnes alone would give the Brewers a rotation to contend for years. Houston Astros Making a deal with the defending World Series champs is the riskiest short-term option. The Brewers could be handing a Cy Young winner to potential opponents in the post-season (this risk also exists with Tampa, Cleveland, Toronto, and Baltimore). But in this case, the Brewers could get some good help. But their only two Top 100 prospects are RHP Hunter Brown, who split between the rotation and the bullpen, and catcher Yainer Diaz. The Brewers could also ask for OF Justin Dirden, a left-handed OF who has played all three positions, but that leaves the pitching return thin, a long-term risk for the team. But suppose the Crew could talk Houston into taking Burnes and Victor Caratini for a Brown-Diaz-Dirden package. In that case, they could package an outfielder with Lauer for pitching help, but extending Woodruff, Lauer, and Adames would become “must-do” items to keep the team competitive.

Ethan Small - LHP Ethan Small dominated most of his minor league career. Then came 2022, where his ERA ballooned to a career-high 4.46, plus a 7.71 ERA in two major league starts. Before 2022, his highest ERA was 2.06 in Nashville during the 2021 season. He rebounded when shifted to the bullpen after he gave up 14 runs in 8.1 innings over two starts, but the Brewers were hoping for a rotation mainstay with a first-round pick. Small has to prove that the rough 2022 season in the rotation was a fluke and not the real Ethan Small. If he can't put it together in a major league rotation, he could still be very valuable in the bullpen (he is cost-controlled for several more seasons), but it won’t be what many Brewer fans hoped for after Small dominated minor league hitters. Tyler Black - IF/OF Tyler Black was a huge offensive asset when he was on the field. He proved he could be more than just a second baseman by seeing time in center field, third base, and left field between the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and the Glendale Sky Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League. Black’s problem, though, was he was only in 64 of Wisconsin’s 149 games and 17 of Glendale’s 28. In other words, he played in less than half of the possible games for the two teams due to injuries. Black will need to stay healthy and play more often in 2023 to prove he can be a major league caliber player. Hendry Mendez - OF Mendez was signed for $800,000 – a significant sum of cash equivalent to a mid-second-round pick. He’s become a physical specimen with some unreal OBP skills. That’s all well and good, but he only posted a .244 batting average and a .318 slugging percentage, and he didn’t exactly set the basepaths on fire (7-for-15 in stolen base attempts). Mendez isn't prone to missing the ball - he walks nearly as often as he strikes out - but struggling to put good wood on the ball in the lower minors often translates to increased problems as the competition improves in A+ and AA ball. He needs to prove that he can bash the ball a lot more than a .244 average and hit more than five homers in 105 games, or he may be a bench asset at best. Jeferson Quero - C After his 2022 season, it seems odd to think Quero has something to prove in 2023, but he does. Quero needs to prove he will warrant a 40-man roster spot in December. He moved up the ladder and split time between Carolina and Wisconsin in 2022, posting better offensive numbers at A+ than in full-season A ball. He’s a promising prospect defensively behind the plate. But so was Mario Feliciano, who ultimately ended up on waivers and claimed by Detroit. Feliciano never seemed to get back on track after the 2020 minor-league season was wiped out by COVID-19. Quero may not deal with a season lost to a pandemic, but he is going to have to shake off the ghost of prospects past. Brice Turang - IF Turang rebounded in 2022 after struggling a bit at the plate in 2021. He also could end up the Brewers’ Opening Day second baseman due to the trade of Kolten Wong this offseason. Turang will need to prove he can handle major league pitching, which may require patience from the Brewers. During his time in the minors, he has needed time to adjust after being promoted mid-season in 2019 and 2021. Turang has defense, on-base skills, and speed. One can do far worse, but any first-round pick comes with lofty expectations. Hedbert Perez - OF Another one-time highly-hyped signing, Hedbert Perez, has shown he can hit for power. That said, even in a promising 2021, his on-base skills were low. In 2022, he was hardly above the Uecker line, although he improved slightly over his 2021 campaign. That said, Perez is at risk of becoming an organizational-type player, given the emergence of Chourio, Jace Avina, Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, and Joey Wiemer. Perez signed in 2019 and missed out on playing during the 2020 season due to the pandemic. That said, he’s still only 19 years old, and there’s plenty of time for him to develop. But he has to show he’s not just a two-for-three when it comes to being a three true outcome player. Robert Gasser - LHP Gasser has pitched well throughout his minor league career. That said, he is the only remaining player the Brewers received in the Josh Hader trade last August, and that means the weight falls on him to prove he was worth trading the best closer in baseball during a pennant race. He split time between Biloxi, where he dominated, and Nashville, where he struggled some. That said, 2022 was Gasser’s first full minor league season, and he’s still pretty young (23). But when a fan favorite is traded, the guys who come back have to prove it was worth the deal.