Top Hitters in Milwaukee Brewers Minor League History: #23 Doug Loman, 1984 Vancouver

Doug Loman was selected in the second round of the 1978 MLB January Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers out of Bakersfield (CA) College. The left-handed outfielder reported to Burlington in the Midwest League (low A ball). His .244 batting average was less than hoped for, but he drew enough walks (59) to raise his OBP to a respectable .343.

He moved up the ladder every year, reaching AAA Vancouver in 1981, where he would play for five seasons. It was his 1984 season that placed him #23 on the list of Top Hitters in Milwaukee Brewers Minor League History.

#23 Doug Loman, 1984 Vancouver (AAA)
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The Brewers were in their sixth season in Vancouver, playing home games at Nat Bailey Stadium. They would play there for eight years before moving to Denver in 1987. Coincidentally, some of the stadium seats and the scoreboard came from Sick’s Stadium in Seattle, home of the–you guessed it–Seattle Pilots, the precursor to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Loman was 26 years old in 1984, 0.8 years older than Pacific Coast League average that season. The Canadians were last in home runs and second-to-last in batting average, so that would lead one to believe the park was not really a ‘hitter’s park.’ On the other hand, the pitching staff placed second in ERA and WHIP. For that, Loman lost a few points for ‘age adjustment’ while gaining a few for ‘park adjustment.’

Being that it was just over 30 years ago, minor league stats were less than comprehensive so I am unable to provide monthly hitting breakdowns.

In addition to the stats shown above, Loman banged out 34 doubles and nine triples (each fifth best) to go along with his 18 dingers (9th in the PCL). His RBI total was good enough for fourth in the league,  while his total base count of 276 placed third in the PCL. Loman was shown some respect, as his 13 intentional walks led the circuit.

His 170 base hits also led the league and Loman was named as an All-Star in the PCL. His heroics were not enough for the Canadians to advance to the playoffs, as they scuffled to a third-place finish in each half of the season in the PCL North Division.

In five years at AAA, Loman slashed .282/.357/.462 in nearly 2,300 plate appearances.

He was rewarded for his 1984 season by getting called up to Milwaukee in September and he actually performed quite well, slashing .276/.402/.408 in 93 plate appearances. Loman began the 1985 season in the bigs but struggled below the Mendoza Line, going 0-for-25 at one point. He played well in his next few games (6-for-11) but was sent down in mid-May and never returned to the major leagues.

Loman played 104 games for Vancouver, slashing a respectable .294/.368/.462 in his final minor league season and was released by Milwaukee shortly after.

He played in Japan in 1986, slashing .291/.337/.453 in 506 trips to the plate, but retired from baseball after that season.

Loman is currently the associate pastor at Valley Bible Fellowship in Las Vegas.

TOP 25 (thus far)
#24 Mat Gamel
#25 Mat Gamel