2011 Milwaukee Brewers: Where are they now?

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Major League Baseball is a sport well known for its turnover. When the Brewers last made the postseason, in 2011, they fielded a team that is now mostly elsewhere, be it retired, in the minor leagues, or with other Big League teams.

Six of the eight primary starters on offense are gone. Each of the starting pitchers are gone. In fact, of the 22 pitchers who threw at least once on the Big League club in 2011, a whopping four remain in the Brewers Organization.

C – Jonathan Lucroy

1B – Prince Fielder– Coming back from season ending injury as full-time starter for the Rangers. Slugged just .360 in 178 PA in 2014.

2B – Rickie Weeks– Utility guy for the Mariners, expected to platoon in left field against left-handed pitching (.865 OPS against LHP in 2014).

3B – Casey McGehee– Went to Japan for 2013, returned a high average (.287), low power (.357 SLG) guy. Replacing Pablo Sandoval in San Francisco.

SS – Yuniesky Betancourt– Played in 18 games with the Orix Buffaloes in 2014, hitting .141. Whereabouts unknown.

LF – Ryan Braun

CF – Nyjer Morgan– With the Hanwha Eagles of the Korean Baseball Organization.

RF – Corey Hart– Expected to platoon against lefties with Pirates first baseman Pedro Alvarez. Posted a .590 OPS in 255 PA in 2014.

Primary back ups:

CF – Carlos Gomez

OF – Mark Kotsay– Retired, Padres new hitting coach.

UT – Craig Counsell– Retired, Member of Brewers front office.

UT – Jerry Hairston Jr.- Retired, Pre- and post-game analyst with Dodgers broadcast crew.

C – George Kottaras– White Sox organization.

Taylor Green also had 37 PA’s, Logan Schafer had five, and Martin Maldonado had one. That’s a pretty interesting list of guys, with even more interesting current locations. The 2011 Brewers most oft used pitchers are even less present in the current organization.

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SP – Randy Wolf– Blue Jays organization. Posted 5.26 ERA in 25 2/3 innings with Marlins in 2014.

SP – Yovani Gallardo– Rangers, expected Opening Day starter.

SP – Zack Greinke– Dodgers, coming off of All-Star, Gold Glove year.

SP – Shaun Marcum– Indians organization. Pitched 15 1/3 innings with Indians AAA affiliate in 2014.

SP – Chris Narveson– Marlins organization. Posted 4.53 ERA in 137 innings with Japan’s Yakult Swallows in 2014.

Swingman – Marco Estrada– Potential back-end starter for Blue Jays. Led league in HR allowed in 2014 despite under 160 IP.

CL – John Axford– Rockies, 3.95 ERA with two teams over 54 2/3 innings

RP – Kameron Loe– Free Agent, 7.51 ERA with three AAA teams in 2014.

RP – LaTroy Hawkins– Rockies closer, 3.31 ERA in 54 1/3 innings as closer in 2014.

RP – Sergio Mitre– Last heard from attempting a tryout with Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, Feb. 2014. Last pitched in the States in 2011.

RP – Francisco Rodriguez

RP – Tim Dillard (Brewers Organization)

Brandon Kintzler also pitched 14 2/3 innings with the 2011 club, and Mike Fiers pitched two. It’s interesting to note that like the batters, there are few departed players listed here that would be useful to the 2014 Brewers.

The obvious exception is Greinke, though Hawkins has staved off aging remarkably well. Of course Gallardo and Estrada have value, but they were traded recently for new pieces, while most others left in free agency.

It’s interesting to see how many of these players have lost almost if not all of their Big League value. It makes one wonder which members of this season’s team will be on the 2019 roster.

Many of the Brewers young players will still be under contract, like Scooter Gennett, Khris Davis, Will Smith, and Jimmy Nelson, but there is no guarantee they will still be starters in Milwaukee by then. It’s exercises like these that remind me that we as fans root more for a city and a team than the players therein.

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