Michael Trzinski

Michael Joseph Buddie was born in 1970 in Berea, Ohio. He was drafted by the New York Yankees in the fourth round of the 1992 MLB Amateur Draft. During his first five seasons in the minors, Buddie won 43 games as a starter. He was converted to a reliever in 1997 and finally made his big-league debut in 1998 with New York. Buddie pitched parts of two seasons with the Yankees and was released in June 2000. He was signed as a free agent by the Brewers. The right-hander pitched in five games with Milwaukee in 2000. He began the 2001 season with Triple-A Indianapolis before getting called up to the big club in June. Other than missing three weeks with a sprained left ankle, Buddie finished the season in Milwaukee, appearing in 31 games, while saving two of them. Buddie began the 2002 season with the Brewers but after struggling in 25 relief appearances (4.85 FIP, 1.689 WHIP, and two blown saves), he was DFA’d in early June. The Montreal Expos signed him two weeks later and after a half-season at Triple-A Ottawa, he was released. The Brewers re-signed Buddie in early 2003 and after another season at Indy, he was released again. He retired after the season. Although he had a modest five-year big-league career, appearing in 87 games with five wins and two saves, Buddie went on to have an exemplary post-playing career. He spent nearly a decade in various positions within the Wake Forest athletic department. In 2015, he was named the athletic director at Furman University. After four successful years at Furman, he was named the athletic director for the United States Military Academy in 2019. View full player

Keon Darell Broxton was born in Lakeland, Florida in 1990 and was selected out of high school in the 2008 MLB Amateur Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 29th round. He decided not to sign and instead attended Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida, where he played in the JUCO World Series in 2009. The Arizona Diamondbacks then picked him in the third round of the 2009 MLB Draft. Broxton spent five years in the Arizona organization before getting traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He made his big-league debut in 2017, appearing in seven games, mostly as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement. In December, Broxton was traded to the Brewers. Showing some speed and pop, the righty hitting Broxton stole 49 bases and smacked 33 HRs across 699 ABs in three seasons at Miller Park. In January 2019, Broxton was traded to the New York Mets. Broxton played for three teams in 2019—Mets, Baltimore Orioles, and Seattle Mariners—and had a dismal slash line of .167/.242/.275 across 204 at-bats, although he did steal 10 bases. In 2021, Broxton played in the Minnesota Twins and Brewers organizations but did not play in the majors. The next two years, Broxton played in a Mexican League and an independent league. He retired after the 2023 season. Broxton played five seasons for five different teams in the big leagues and hit 39 HRs and stole 60 bases while batting .209/.297/.388 across 905 ABs. View full player

Jonathan Roy Broxton was born in Augusta, Georgia in 1984. He was selected in the second round of the 2002 MLB Amateur Draft out of Burke County High School by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Broxton made his major league debut in 2005 and was in the big leagues for good in 2006. He made the NL All-Star team in both 2009 and 2010 and his 36 saves in 2009 for the Dodgers were a career high. After seven years with the Dodgers, Broxton became a free agent after the 2011 season and signed with the Kansas City Royals. After saving 23 games in the first half of 2012 for the Royals, Broxton was traded to the Cincinnati Reds. He spent two-plus seasons with the Reds and was traded to the Brewers on the last day of August 2014. Milwaukee was tied for first place in the NL Central with St. Louis and hoped that Broxton would help bolster its bullpen. The Brewers promptly lost eight of nine games in early September and fell out of the race. Broxton spent part of 2015 with Milwaukee and was traded to the Cardinals in July 2015. Oddly enough, Broxton had no saves over 51 games with the Brewers. Broxton played for St. Louis until May 2017 when he was released. He played for five teams over his 13-year career and saved 118 games in his career. Broxton appeared in 694 games and posted a FIP of 3.15. View full player

Parsons was considered. I also did a Brewer Throwback piece on him. He was pretty good that year...

William Zachary Braddock was born in Mount Holly, New Jersey in 1987. After undergoing Tommy John surgery on his left elbow after his junior year at Gloucester Catholic High School, Braddock was tabbed by the Brewers in the 18th round of the 2005 MLB Amateur Draft. He did not sign until the summer of the following year. Braddock spent the first four years working his way up in the system before making his big-league debut on May 23, 2010. He spent the rest of the season with the Brewers, working mostly as a set-up man in the seventh or eighth innings. Braddock appeared in 46 contests and had one win in three decisions and also had 15 ‘holds,’ finishing second on the team. He held opponents to a .228 batting average, along with a 27.2% K rate and a 2.90 FIP. The following season, the southpaw was placed on the 15-day disabled list in early May with a ‘sleep disorder.’ After a few rehab appearances in the minors, Braddock returned to the Brewers in early June. However, he would only last about six weeks until he was optioned to Triple-A Nashville due to inconsistency. Braddock appeared in 25 games for Milwaukee and posted a FIP of 4.70 while losing his only decision. It was reported that he was being treated for ‘personal issues’ in the latter half of the season. In 2012, Braddock was optioned to the minors but didn’t play and was released by Milwaukee in May. Over the next three years, Braddock was signed as a free agent by Baltimore and San Diego but was released. He also attempted to play with three different teams in the independent Atlantic League but gave it up in 2015. View full player

Jeffrey Thomas Bianchi (pronounced ‘be-YANK-ee’) was born just outside Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1986 and attended Lampeter-Strasburg High School. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the second round of the 2005 MLB Amateur Draft. After five solid seasons in the Royals minor league system, Bianchi underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in early 2010 and missed the whole season. He played Double-A ball for the Royals in 2011 but was waived after the season. The Chicago Cubs signed him in December but waived him the following month. In January 2012, the Brewers claimed Bianchi off waivers. Bianchi started the 2012 season in the minors and was called up to Milwaukee in mid-July after hitting .325 across 326 at-bats at two stops (Nashville and Huntsville). Bianchi started off his big-league career by going 0-for-15 but then collected two hits in a late August game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He split his time at shortstop, third base, and second base and finished the year with a batting line of .188/.230/.348 in 33 games (69 ABs). The righty swinging Bianchi played a utility role for Milwaukee in 2013 and ended the year with a slash line of .237/.272/.292 across 236 at-bats. In 2014, Bianchi played only 29 games for Milwaukee and also a couple dozen games in the minors. He went on the DL with a right elbow strain in July and missed the rest of the season. The Boston Red Sox signed Bianchi in 2015, and he played three games for Boston. Bianchi retired after the 2016 season and became a scout for the Brewers, a position he held through 2020. Jeff currently runs the Bianchi Baseball Academy in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. View full player

Please check it out!! I will be adding a player every day (hopefully more than that) and I hope that our readers will enjoy the detailed look into the Brewers player community.

Matthew Lenz of our sister site, Twins Daily, recently wrote a piece featuring the top rookie pitchers for the Twins in their 63-year history. The Milwaukee Brewers have been in business since 1970. I decided to copy his idea with some slight changes. My criterion for inclusion is a little different than his. In my reality, any player who had yet to reach the MLB ‘rookie limit’ of 50 innings pitched was eligible for my ‘Best Rookie Campaign.’ So, check it out and let me know where I was right or where I veered off into the ditch. I named five starters, one spot starter/long reliever, four middle relievers, two ‘high leverage’ set-up guys, and one closer. Check it out! Ace- Cal Eldred (1992) Eldred went 11-2 in his ‘rookie’ season and finished fourth in the AL ROY voting. The big (6-foot-4, 215-pound) righty had an ERA of 1.79 and a FIP of 2.81. He had the best bWAR (4.2) and FIP among all rookie pitchers considered for this piece. Eldred held hitters to a .207 average and had a low BB% of 5.8. Three years later, Eldred underwent Tommy John surgery and would never be the same after that. In his 14-year big league career, he pitched for the White Sox and the Cardinals. #2 Starter- Mike Fiers (2012) Perhaps best known for drilling Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton in 2014, Fiers won only nine games in 2012 but boasted a K rate of 25.1% and BB rate of 6.7%, along with a FIP of 3.09 while notching an ERA of 3.74. His K-BB differential was a sparkling 18.4. In his 11-year major league career, he won 75 games for the Brewers, Athletics, Astros, and Tigers. #3 Starter- Freddy Peralta (2018) First, the good news. ‘Fastball Freddy’ had an excellent K rate of 29.9% and held opposing batters to a minuscule .178 batting average. He won six games in 14 starts. The bad news is that his ERA/FIP were a tad high (4.25/3.72), and he was pretty wild with a BB rate of 12.5%. It seems like he was a rookie just yesterday, but Peralta completed his seventh season in Milwaukee and is still considered a top pitcher in the big leagues. #4 Starter- Tobias Myers (2024) Signed as a free agent in the 2022 off-season, Myers was a nice find for Milwaukee, and he posted solid, if not very good, numbers in 2024. His K/BB rates were both above average at 22.3% and 6.3%. He won nine games and posted an ERA of 3.00 and FIP of 3.91. Opposing batters hit .242 off the right-hander. #5 Starter- Teddy Higuera (1985) The stocky southpaw won an impressive 15 games for Milwaukee and finished second in the AL ROY voting. He compiled a bWAR of 3.1 and allowed only a .235 batting mark against opposing batters. He didn’t strike out a lot of hitters (14.5%) but didn’t walk many either (7.2%). Higuera won 69 games in his first four years, but a back injury and rotator cuff problems ended his career in 1994. Spot Starter/Long Reliever- Yovani Gallardo (2007) ‘Yo’ put together a nice season, starting 17 games and relieving in three, which is why I put him in the SS/LR role. He won nine games and posted an ERA of 3.67 and a FIP of 3.41. Opponents batted .245 against him, and he struck out 21.7% of the hitters he faced while allowing only 7.2% walks. Gallardo won 121 games in his career for Milwaukee and four other teams. Middle Relievers- RH Pete Ladd (1983), LH Dan Plesac (1986), RH Jim Henderson (2013), LH Bryan Hudson (2024) ‘Bigfoot’ Pete Ladd saved 25 games for the Brewers in 1983, along with posted an ERA of 2.55, a FIP of 2.92, and held opponents to a meager .172 batting average. His K and BB rates were solid, 21.1% and 8.3% respectively. Plesac, better known these days as an analyst on the MLB Network, saved 14 games and posted an ERA of 2.97 in 1986. His bWAR of 3.2 was third-best on the team that year. Opposing hitters batted only .240 against him, and his K rate was 19.9% and BB rate was 7.7%. He was an All-Star the next three years and saves 86 games in that span. Henderson was a one-year wonder, saving 28 games for Milwaukee in 2013, and had only three other saves in his four-year career. He held hitters to a .200 batting average while striking out 30.4%. His K-BB rate was an impressive 20.7%. Hudson was one of the bright spots on the 2024 team. His opponent's BA was .135, his WHIP was 0.722, and his ERA was 1.73. The towering (6-foot-8) southpaw whiffed 26.8% of hitters he faced while walking 7.4%. LH High Leverage- Josh Hader (2018) Hader was used far differently in 2018, usually appearing earlier in the game than he does these days. He finished only 14 of 55 games that year but notched a dozen saves while earning All-Star status and placed seventh in the NL CY Young race. His WHIP number was 0.811, his opponent batting average was .132, and his K rate was an otherworldly 46.7%. RH High Leverage- John Axford (2010) ‘Ax’ was another power pitcher, striking out 31.9% of batters while allowing a .204 batting average against. His ERA and FIP numbers were an impressive 2.48 and 2.13, respectively. The imposing (6-foot-5, 234-pound) Axford saved 24 games in 2010 and had a league-leading 46 the following season. Closer- RH Devin Williams (2021) Williams began the ninth inning only three times in 58 games in 2021, usually pitching the seventh or eighth, setting up Josh Hader. He finished with eight wins and three saves. Williams was the NL ROY in 2020 but didn’t reach 50 innings pitched until 2021. His superior numbers in 2021 included holding opposing hitters to a .186 batting average, a K rate of 38.5%, an ERA of 2.50, and a FIP of 2.82. The downside? A BB rate of 12.4%, a number that was almost the same in the last three years. Other Pitchers Considered: Jerry Bell (1972), Bill Castro (1975), Chris Bosio (1987), Chuck Crim (1987), Darren Holmes (1991), Doug Henry (1992), Graeme Lloyd (1993), Marco Estrada (2011), Tyler Thornburg (2013), Corey Knebel (2015), Adrian Houser (2019), Elvis Peguero (2023). I’m sure other worthwhile pitchers didn’t make the cut, but this 13-man staff would win a few games. Let me know how I did in the comment section. I hope you enjoy the trip down Memory Lane as much as I did! Also, check out the recently posted Best Rookie Campaigns By Milwaukee Brewers Hitters. View full article

Yuniesky Betancourt Pérez was born in Santa Clara, Cuba in 1982. He spent three years in the Cuban National Series before he defected from Cuba in December 2003 and ended up in Mexico. The Seattle Mariners signed Betancourt in January 2005, and he made his major league debut six months later. Betancourt averaged 155 games played per season from 2006-08 for Seattle before he was traded to the Kansas City Royals in July 2009. He played 1 ½ seasons in Kansas City and then was traded to the Brewers after the 2010 season. The right-handed hitting shortstop slashed .252/.271/.381 across 556 at-bats for the Brew Crew, neither walking nor striking out at a high rate. His career averages were a K rate of 10.2% and a BB rate of 3.3%. On the downside, Betancourt committed 21 errors in the field, with many of his errors coming on bad throws. He was granted free agency after the season and was re-signed by the Royals. But after only 57 games in Kansas City, he was released. In early 2013, he was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies but was released during spring training. The Brewers re-signed him two days later. Betancourt signed a one-year contract with the Brewers and played in 137 games, slashing .212/.240/.355 across 391 at-bats, although he did show some power with 13 home runs. Betancourt was granted free agency on Halloween 2013. Over the next five seasons, Betancourt was quite the globetrotter, playing in Japan, Mexico, and the Caribbean Series. He repatriated to Cuba in 2019 and played in the Villa Clara Provincial League. During his MLB career, Betancourt slashed .261/.285/.388 and banged out 1,057 hits, including 80 home runs. In 2024, Betancourt was arrested with three others for defrauding Chicago-based Kemper Insurance. View full player

Jett Adam Bandy was born in 1990 in West Hills, California. The Thousand Oaks High School athlete was drafted in the 41st round by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2008 MLB draft but instead chose to attend the University of Arizona. He did sign with the Los Angeles Angels when selected in the 31st round of the 2011 MLB draft. The right-handed hitting catcher toiled in the Angels minor league organization for five years before getting called up to the big club, when he appeared in two games in September 2015. His first big league hit was a home run off the Twins’ Glen Perkins. Bandy split time with Carlos Pérez in 2016 and showed some pop, hitting eight home runs in 209 at-bats. After the season, he was traded to the Brewers for Drew Gagnon and Martin Maldonado. In 2017, Bandy got 169 at-bats while backing up Manny Piña. Bandy was red-hot in April, slashing .327/.377/.633 across 49 at-bats. He had a pair of three-hit games and hit homers in three consecutive games in mid-April. Bandy cooled off and after going just 2-for-38 in June, was sent down to Triple-A Colorado Springs. He was called back up in mid-July and finished the season with a slash line of .207/.287/.349. In 2018, Bandy hit .188/.268.266 in limited action and was DFA’d in late May. Although Bandy signed as a free agent with both Texas and Boston over a three-year span, he never again played in the major leagues. View full player

Robert George Deer was born in September 1960 in the Los Angeles suburb of Orange. He starred in both baseball and football at Canyon High School in Anaheim. Living up to his last name, Deer was a swift wide receiver as a teen but would make his living hitting baseballs instead of catching footballs. Rob Deer was drafted in the fourth round of the 1978 June Amateur Draft by the San Francisco Giants. Fellow Anaheim area pitcher Mike Witt was selected seven picks behind Deer, who was the 85th pick overall in that draft. Although Deer would be known for his majestic home runs, he failed to hit a single long ball in his first pro season at Rookie League Great Falls (Montana) in 137 at-bats. Deer started the 1979 season at Cedar Rapids (Iowa) in the Low-A Midwest League but was sent back to Great Falls after one month with a batting line of .209/.266/.267 across 86 at-bats, with only one home run. The lanky (6-foot-3, 210 pound) Deer showed promise in his second try in the rookie league, batting .317/.422/.560 with 18 doubles, seven triples, and seven homers in 218 at-bats. It would be the only time in Deer’s 19-year professional career that he had a batting average above .300 for the season. Over the next five seasons, Deer moved up from Single-A to Triple-A in the Giants’ organization, finally showing his power as he slugged 139 homers in just over 2,200 at-bats. He finished as league home run king three of those years and finished in the runner-up spot another year. He got called up to San Francisco at the end of the 1984 season and hit three jacks in 24 at-bats. In 1985, Deer played the whole season in the ‘City By The Bay,’ but only appeared in 78 games, slashing .185/.283/.377 across 162 at-bats. In December the Giants traded Deer to Milwaukee for pitching prospects Eric Pilkington and Dean Freeland. The swap favored the Brewers as Deer played five seasons for the Brew Crew while neither Pilkington nor Freeland ever played in the big leagues. Deer quickly became a Milwaukee fan favorite, reminiscent of slugging Brewer hero Gorman Thomas, who had returned to Milwaukee for the 1986 season after bouncing around in Cleveland and Seattle for a few years. Deer led Milwaukee in home runs during each of his five seasons, compiling 137 dingers in that time frame, which currently ranks 14th on the Brewers all-time career list, just behind Christian Yelich’s 145. In his first season in Milwaukee, Deer slashed .232/.336/.494 and hit 33 homers, which was a career-high for the righty slugger. He also led the team with 86 RBIs while whiffing 179 times, which was a crazy-high number in those days. Deer usually played right field with his strong arm, but also played in left field and spent a few dozen games at first base during his Brewer career. The following season, Deer batted .238/.360/.456 with 28 homers. His 186 strikeouts were a career high and led the American League. He also stole a career-high 12 bases. The Brewers started the season with 13 consecutive wins, including the thrilling comeback win on Easter Sunday. Deer hit the game-tying home run in the ninth, a three-run shot, before Dale Sveum smacked a two-out, two-run homer to give the Brewers a 6-4 win in front of a raucous County Stadium crowd of 29,357. Deer was featured on the April 27 edition of Sports Illustrated, his fist raised in jubilation as he circled the bases after his home run. In 1988, Deer hit a career-high .252 and hit 23 homers, and once again led the AL in whiffs with 153. His 85 RBIs were second on the team behind Robin Yount’s 91. Deer’s stats dropped off a bit in 1989, as he slashed only .210/.305/.425. But he did hit 26 homers and was third on the team with 65 RBIs. In his final season in Milwaukee, Deer produced a carbon copy of the previous year, slashing .209/.313/.432 with 27 homers and 67 RBIs. Deer was granted free agency after the season and signed with the Detroit Tigers. He played two-plus seasons with the Tigers and slugged 71 home runs in over 1,150 at-bats. Deer also led the AL in strikeouts two of those seasons. He was demoted to part-time status in 1993 and asked to be traded. In August, he was sent to the Boston Red Sox for the proverbial ‘played to be named later,’ which ended up being an ‘unspecified amount of cash.’ Deer was granted free agency after the season and signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Hanshin Tigers of the Japan Central League. He played only 70 games with a slash line of .151/.279/.297 with eight home runs. His season ended when he tore ligaments in his right thumb trying to make a catch of a foul pop-up while playing first base. In April 1995, the California Angels signed Deer to a minor-league contract. He played at Triple-A Vancouver (British Columbia) and despite batting .288/.398/.525 with four home runs in 80 ABs, the 34-year-old Deer was released to make room for a younger player. A couple weeks later he was signed to a minor-league deal by the San Diego Padres. He had a solid summer in Triple-A Las Vegas, slashing .292/.377/.587 with 14 round-trippers in just 223 ABs. However, he was released after the season. The Padres re-signed Deer before Christmas 1995, but the player asked for his release in late March 1996. Three weeks later after receiving no calls from major league teams, Deer re-signed with the Las Vegas club. He was called up to San Diego in early July when Tony Gwynn went on the disabled list and played in 25 games, slashing just .180/.359/.480 across 50 ABs with four HRs. When Gwynn returned to the team, Deer was designated for assignment. In April 1997, the Madison (Wisconsin) Black Wolf team of the Independent Northern League made a contract offer to both Deer and pitcher Jim Abbott, but nothing came of those offers. Deer finished his career with 230 home runs and a slash line of .220/.324/.442 in 11 big league seasons. After his playing career ended, Deer worked as a hitting instructor and hitting coach in the San Diego organization, as well as being an assistant hitting coach for the Chicago Cubs under manager and former teammate Sveum. When asked how a .220 career hitter could be a hitting instructor, Deer said with a smile, "I’ll be the first to admit I don’t want them to hit like I did." View full player

Donald Wayne Money was born in June 1947 in Washington, DC. His family moved to Cherry Hill, New Jersey when Money was an infant. He started playing baseball when he was seven years old and played every year for the next 31 years until he retired at age 37. Don Money graduated from La Plata High School (Maryland) in 1965 and was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates two weeks after his 18th birthday. The right-handed infielder began his pro career at Salem (Virginia) in the rookie Appalachian League, where he made the All-Star team despite batting only .241 with six home runs. Money enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserves after the season and was on active duty one weekend a month and two weeks in the summer for the next eight years. The following season, Money played for Clinton (Iowa) in the Class-A Midwest League, where he once again struggled with the bat, slashing only .236/.304/.341 in 125 games. In 1967, Money had arguably his finest minor league season with a slash line of .310/.382/.508 across 545 plate appearances for Raleigh (North Carolina) in the Class-A Carolina League. After lighting up the Florida Winter Instruction League in the offseason with a batting line of .336/.414/.544 and a league-leading six homers, Money was traded shortly before Christmas, along with pitchers Harold Clem, Woodie Fryman, and Bill Laxton to the Philadelphia Phillies for pitcher Jim Bunning. Money started the 1968 season with the Phillies, and in his first major league game, he doubled off Dodgers pitcher Claude Osteen in the eighth inning for his first big-league hit. In mid-April, after only four games with the Phillies, Money was optioned to Triple-A San Diego in the Pacific Coast League for the remainder of the season, where he batted .303/.353/.430. Other than two brief flings in the Florida winter leagues the next two seasons, Money would never again toil in the minors. Over the next four seasons, Money was a regular for Philadelphia, playing primarily at third base or shortstop, but he also played left field and second base. In his first full season (1969), he was named the Topps Major League Rookie All-Star shortstop. After hitting .295/.361/.463 in 1970, his batting average fell to .223 in 1971 and .222 in 1972. Money had said that playing numerous positions did not help matters at the plate. With future Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt waiting in the wings, Money was traded on Halloween 1972 with pitcher Bill Champion and infielder John Vukovich to the Milwaukee Brewers for pitchers Jim Lonborg, Ken Brett, Ken Sanders, and Earl Stephenson. In his first season with the Brewers, Money slashed .284/.347/.401 with 11 bombs and 22 steals, a career high. The following season was almost a carbon copy of 1973, as Money had a batting line of .283/.346/.415 with 15 home runs, earning All-Star Game honors. He also set a major league record with 86 consecutive errorless games at third base and committed only five errors during the season. Despite those numbers, Money was denied the Gold Glove in the American League; Brooks Robinson won it for the 15th straight year. Money’s new nickname became “Brooks.” After another solid year in 1975, Money again earned All-Star honors from 1976 to 1978. He hit a career-high 25 home runs and 83 RBIs in 1977 and followed up with a nice season in 1978, which would be his last as a full-time player. Money slashed .293/.361/.440 in 137 games. He also clubbed 14 homers and 30 doubles in a solid season. Injuries plagued the rest of his career, and he never played more than 96 games after 1978. In 1982, he played only 28 games in the field but platooned at designated hitter with southpaw Roy Howell as the Brewers made it to the World Series for the first (and only) time in franchise history. Money went 3-for-13 with a double and an RBI in the seven-game loss to St. Louis in the “Suds Series.” Money played his final big-league season in 1983 but saw sporadic action, hitting only .149/.221/.219 in 43 games. After the season, he turned down a small contract from Milwaukee and took an offer to play in Japan for the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes. After only 29 games, Money and his family returned home after his Japanese experience was less than memorable. His major league numbers included 1,720 games, 1,623 hits, 302 doubles, 176 home runs, 729 RBIs, and a career slash line of .261/.328/.406. After his retirement, he coached for five years at Sacred Heart High School in New Jersey and then managed the Brewers organization at Beloit (1998-2004), Huntsville (2005-2008), and Nashville (2009-2011). He served as a hitting coach and special instructor from 2012-2015. His grandson Buddy Kennedy has played with Arizona, Detroit, and Philadelphia and is currently in the Phillies organization. Money was elected to the Brewers ‘Walk of Fame’ in 2005 and the Brewers ‘Wall of Honor’ in 2014. View full player

Dan Thomas was born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1951 and moved to the East St. Louis, Illinois, area as a youngster. He described his mother as a ‘religious fanatic.’ For a time, Thomas attended a World Wide Church of God (WWCG) church with his mom but quit when the decree that no member could work from sundown Friday until sundown Saturday interfered with his baseball schedule. At Dupo (Illinois) High School, he starred in football and baseball before heading to college at Southern Illinois University. The Salukis lost in the championship game of the 1971 College World Series to USC, 7-2. On the team that finished 43-9 were future major leaguers Duane Kuiper, Mike Eden, Jim Dwyer, and Thomas. The following season, SIU finished the season with an outstanding record of 32-8-1 but did not make it to postseason play. Thomas and Joe Wallis were named to the NCAA District 4 all-star team. In June, Thomas was chosen by the Brewers as the sixth pick in the first round of the 1972 draft. He began at Low-A Newark (New York) and slashed .271/.352/.396 in 48 at-bats but failed to hit a home run. He moved up to Triple-A Evansville (Indiana) but struggled tremendously, batting only .130/.230/.167 in 54 at-bats. Thomas was then demoted and finished the season in Double-A San Antonio. For the whole season, he had a slash line of .202/.288/.292 with only one homer while striking out 31.8% of the time. Thomas also struggled defensively at third and second bases, making 19 errors in 221 chances for a fielding percentage of .914. Thomas spent both the 1973 and 1974 campaigns at Double-A Shreveport and performed well the first year, hitting nine home runs while slashing .266/.355/.376 in 458 at-bats. Midway through the year, he switched from third base to left field and became an adequate defender. Thomas spoke out before the 1974 season about hitting advice he received from Milwaukee coaches, saying, “They took a great prospect and destroyed him. They tried to change me again this year (1974), and I told them to jump back. And I think that’s one reason I’m here (in Double-A).” In 1974, Thomas suffered a hairline break in his leg sliding into home plate in early June. He missed about seven weeks but returned in late July and finished the season, hitting a pair of home runs while slashing .255/.350/.335 in 188 at-bats. He cut down on his strikeouts, whiffing at a 22% rate, about a 10% drop from 1972. Thomas began his third straight year at Double-A in 1975 at Thetford Mines, Quebec. He found his power stroke, knocking out eight homers in 191 at-bats before he got suspended in late June for punching an umpire. Thomas had been angered by a call at second base that didn’t even involve him. After the game, he caught up with umpire Greg Henley in the parking lot and hit the arbiter in the face. Thomas was given an early ‘vacation’ and ended the year with a slash line of .251/.316/.445. However, the Brewers stuck with him and assigned Thomas to Double-A Berkshire (Massachusetts) in 1976, the fourth different Brewers’ Double-A location in five years. Thomas paid them back by having the best season of his career. He slashed .325/.414/.614, hitting 29 home runs, knocking in 83, and stealing 15 bases. He won the Triple Crown and was named the Eastern League MVP despite missing two weeks after ear surgery to repair a perforated eardrum from a bad hop ball that struck him in the ear. That earned him a September call-up to Milwaukee. Thomas continued his hot-hitting ways, slashing .276/.372/.457 in 105 at-bats, including four long balls. After the season ended, the Brewers sent Thomas to Venezuela for winter ball. One night, Thomas swallowed a handful of muscle relaxers, but his wife was able to take him to a doctor in time to save his life. The Brewers brought him back to Milwaukee, where he stayed in a hospital for three weeks. His behavior started to get stranger; he was found wandering next to a freeway in Milwaukee and later walked away from a job the Brewers had arranged for him. He returned to East St. Louis and was in a psychologist’s care for four months. And at that time, he also went back to the teachings of the WWCG. Thomas played well in spring training in 1977 and made the big club as the left fielder. However, since the Brewers played many Friday night and Saturday afternoon games, Thomas would miss about one-fourth of the team’s games due to his religious beliefs, which entailed no work (baseball) between sundown Friday and sundown Saturday. “[The Brewers] were quite surprised,” Thomas said. “They asked me to reconsider, and I did. I thought about all the things I’ve been through and whether I should go back and become the old me or not. I decided there is something more important [than baseball] and said I couldn’t play on my Sabbath.” Thomas played for about a month, and although he performed well, he was sent to Triple-A Spokane. The Brewers said they needed another pitcher; Thomas thought it was something else. “I think my religion has something to do with it.” He slashed .237/.320/.344 in Spokane over 131 at-bats while hitting only one home run. He was demoted again to Double-A Holyoke (Massachusetts) but refused to report and sat out the rest of the season. The Brewers released Thomas before the 1978 season. He caught on with independent Boise in the Northwest League and did well, slashing .359/.448/.653 in 170 at-bats, but no major league team showed interest. In 1979, he played 39 games for Miami in the Inter-American League and then quit. That was his last season in organized ball. After the season, he moved back to Mobile, Alabama, with his wife and three daughters and lived with friends. Thomas was nearly broke, as he had spent most of his salary from baseball. He worked as a riveter and installed swimming pools. Thomas told his wife that he wished he’d had cancer so people would at least be able to understand what was wrong with him. On June 1, 1980, he was arrested for the sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl. He admitted to nothing but spoke to officers about the pressures on him from his past successes, his addictions, and his mental problems. A friend offered to pay for a lawyer, but Thomas refused. Eleven days later, he hung himself in his jail cell with strips of fabric ripped from his bed sheets. He had no money and was buried in a potter’s field next to a highway. Only a few people attended his funeral. His parents and three of his four siblings refused to show up. The ‘Sundown Kid’ showed bright potential, but darkness ultimately brought him down. Dan Thomas was 29 years old. View full player