Matt Breen

Power. Everyone loves power. So when a player can average more than 32 HRs per season over a five year span - well, that's special. And that's precisely what Jeremy Burnitz did for the Brewers from 1997-2001. Image courtesy of Brewer Fanatic Jeromy Burnitz was born in 1969 in Westminster, California. He was a 1st round selection (17th overall) by the NY Mets in 1990 out of Oklahoma State University. He quickly displayed his calling card - power - hitting 31 HR (and drawing over 100 walks) the following season at AA. After bouncing back and forth between the minors and majors, the Mets - tired of his streaky play, plus his clashes with manager Dallas Green - dealt Burnitz to Cleveland in 1994. He spent some more time in the minors before finally staying put in the big leagues in 1996. Despite playing well for Cleveland, they dealt the then 27-year old to Milwaukee for veteran Kevin Seitzer. The trade would be a boon for Burnitz, who emerged as a legitimate slugger in 1997, crushing 27 home runs in his first full season in Milwaukee. He followed with home run totals of 38, 33, 31 and 34 - before being dealt back to the Mets after the 2001 season. (He hit 30+ HR for two more seasons - giving him an impressive run of 30+ HR for six years). The trade to New York cleared Burnitz's large salary, and brought in a young starting pitcher, Glendon Rusch (who floundered in his time in Milwaukee). While in Milwaukee, Burnitz averaged 32+ HR and 100+ RBI a season. He never had less than 70 walks, and he hit a respectable .258 - which led to a .362 OBP. His big power made him a fan favorite in Milwaukee. Sadly, the Brewers never had a winning team during Burnitz's time with the club. Jeromy bounced around the rest of his career, playing four more seasons for the Mets, Dodgers, Rockies, Cubs and Pirates. He retired after the 2006 season at age 37. All told, Burnitz hit a 315 HRs (totals made more impressive because he didn't became a regular until age 28) and had a SLG% of .481. For Milwaukee, he hit 165 HRs and had an .870 OPS during his 5+ seasons. He averaged 3.0+ bWAR a year during his Brewer tenure. Burnitz had the honor of starting the 1999 all-star - in place of an injured Tony Gwynn - the first Brewer to start an all-star game since Paul Molitor. Despite his reputation as a bit of a hot head, Burnitz was also known to be laid back and well-liked in the clubhouse. He loved to pull pranks, and Peter Abraham of the "Boston Globe" reported this: "Burnitz would have fit in with the cast of 'Jackass.' As a practical joke, he would empty out bottles of shampoo in the showers on road trips after the last game of the series and pee in them." After retiring, Burnitz settled down with his wife and three children in California. He has elected to remain out of the public eye ever since. Jeromy Burnitz will hold a special place in the hearts and minds of Brewer fans (like many other sluggers). A powerful looking man, Burnitz looked more like a linebacker than a baseball player. During the dark days of the franchise in the late 90s and early 2000s, he provided excitement and thrills when they were few and far between. He is a member of the Brewer Wall of Honor. Please share your memories of Jeromy Burnitz. View full article

If you ask, who wore a Milwaukee Brewer uniform the longest? The answer is likely Bill Castro, who spent seven seasons with the club as a player, and 18 more as a coach. William Radhames Castro Checo, born in 1952 in the Dominican Republic, was signed by the Brewers in as an amateur free agent in 1970. Castro was immediately moved into the bullpen, reaching the big leagues in 1974. Working almost exclusively out of the pen, Castro spent more than six years in Milwaukee, appearing in 253 games. Castro left Milwaukee after the 1980 season as a free agent, spending one year with the Yankees and two with the Royals, before retiring after the 1983 season. During his time in Milwaukee, he was an effective reliever. His best run came from 1978-80, when he produced ERAs of 1.81, 2.03 and 2.77, respectively. Not a strikeout pitcher, Castro succeeded by limiting home runs and walks. In addition to appearing in 253 games, Castro saved 44 games, and posted a 3.56 ERA. After retiring, Castro worked as a scout and minor league coach for the Brewers from 1985 through 1991, before becoming Milwaukee's bullpen coach in 1992. He served in that capacity until 2008, when he was promoted to pitching coach. The Brewers fired him in August 2009, but he returned to the organization in 2010 and 2011 as their Latin American pitching advisor. In 2012, Castro served as the Baltimore bullpen coach, and then as their pitching coach in 2013, before retiring from baseball. Bill Castro is a great example of an organizational role player providing solid, but unspectacular, results from the bullpen for seven seasons. He didn't do anything exceptionally well, but the team was able to count on him for solid production during his tenure. Share your memories of relief pitcher long time Brewer coach Bill Castro below. View full article

When you think of the best Brewer pitchers, the names such as Sheets, Higuera, Caldwell, Gallardo, Plesac, Hader, and Fingers come to mind. Yet if you want to know who leads the organization in career wins, games started, shutouts, innings pitched and a host of other categories - the name that rises to the top is Jim Slaton. Jim Slaton was born in Long Beach, California, in 1970. After a short stint at Antelope Valley College in Lancaster, California, Slaton was drafted by the Seattle Pilots in the 15th round in 1969. He moved quickly through the minor leagues, reaching Milwaukee in 1971. By 1973, Slaton established himself as a workhorse starting pitcher, throwing more than 210 innings in each of the next seven seasons, including 292 innings in 1976. After the 1977 season, the Brewers sent Slaton to Detroit for slugging outfielder Ben Oglivie. After a solid year, he returned to the Brewers as a free agent, picking up right where he left off. Slaton's career was forever changed in 1980 when he suffered a rotator cuff injury. He missed most of the year and then returned and played for six more seasons. However, his days as an innings-eating starter were over. Instead, Slaton returned as a long reliever and spot starter. The Brewers dealt Slaton to the Angels after the 1983 season for OF Bobby Clark. He played three more years before retiring at age 36. Slaton's time in Milwaukee was not insignificant. While he was never a great pitcher, his ability to soak up innings was a tremendous asset. He owned a 3.86 ERA over 12 years, and his 117 wins, 69 complete games, and 2,025 innings pitched are still Brewer records. His longevity also means he has the most losses in team history and has given up the most hits, home runs, and walks. Some other highlights include an all-star appearance in 1977 and the winning pitcher for the Crew in the fourth game of the 1982 World Series. Despite the many accomplishments of Slaton, he is often forgotten. He was consistent and solid, never striking out many batters or flashing fantastic stuff. His walk-to-strike out rate is relatively poor - for his career, he walked 1,004 batters and struck out 1,202. Still, his longevity and workhorse performance solidifies Slaton a place in Brewer history. After retiring, Slaton got into coaching. For more than two decades, he has worked in several capacities in the minor and major leagues, including stints as the bullpen coach for the Mariners and the Dodgers. Slaton was added to the Milwaukee Brewers Wall of Honor in 2014. Please share your memories of former Brewer pitcher Jim Slaton. View full article

Regarding grades, an exec responded to some praise his team got in the draft. He just shrugged it off - saying something like, "You still have to make them play" or something like that. And then he noted how back in 2012 - when he was with Seattle - they got a 'D' grade by one prominent publication. That was the draft that netted them Bruce Irvin, Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner. Don't get me wrong - I want to feel like we've done well. I want to feel like our execs know what they are doing. But in the end, we gotta get these guys to play - and no draft grade is going to change that. I also don't think it's a ridiculous thing to do. A team should always be assessing their situation. But you just have to understand where you are in the process.

Draft was fun. Thanks everyone for playing along again this year.

It's amazing that TE Jalen Wydermyer may not get drafted. A month or so ago he was talked about as a day 2 pick.

Hicks drafted! Badgers making a good showing. Sanborn is next.

Yeah, seems like a very Packer like guy

Love seeing my Badgers picked.

Yeah, they probably need to add at least one guy to the mix. I had Kingsley Enagbare. Partially because that's an awesome name. Might add someone as a FA as well - just a depth guy.

I don't know if this was posted - but it's pretty cool:

I think they both go pretty quick tomorrow. But you never know.

I don't know if the Packers want another TE. Just a lot of question marks on the roster. Plus, Tonyan is on a one-year deal.

Some ideas for round #4: WR - Khalil Shakir, Bo Melton, Calvin Austin TE - Isaiah Likely, Daniel Bellinger, TE Charlie Kolar OG - Darian Kinnard, Jamaree Salyer OT - Daniel Faalele, Rasheed Walker DE - Kingsley Enagbare DT - Perrion Winfrey CB - Zyon McCallum, Tariq Woolen Lots of options. I'm sure there are a ton of other ideas as well.

Yeah, very true.

Badgers going like crazy! Logan Bruss in round 3! I think he can have a nice career as a guard.

Chenal to the Chiefs! Congrats to the guy.

Coming into today I had hoped to get some combo of two receivers (TE and/or WR), offensive line depth, and a safety depth. Edge guy was probably next on the list. For receivers, I didn't expect to get Watson in the 2nd. Or even Pickens or Moore. I was thinking maybe Pierce or Tolbert would fall to us. Maybe get McBride. In the end, we filled two of the spots. So that's cool. And the team seems to love Watson - so power to them. All in all, pretty nice draft thus far.

I read he is expected to move inside as a pro.

Solid pick. Right around where you'd expect him to go. Line depth. Awesome.

Sean Rhyan it is.

Big slide for Malik. Wow.