Milwaukee Brewers: Most Successful Players To Be In The Futures Game

Honorable Mentions: Josh Hader (2016) & Orlando Arcia (2015)

These two get only honorable mentions because they have not had significant time playing for the Milwaukee Brewers.  However, it would be wrong not to mention two successful parts of the team that sits in first place in the NL Central at the end of the first half.

Hader did not start as a Brewer.  But by the time the Futures Game came calling for him, he was.  He is one of the most exciting young pitchers the team has.  He has provided excellent work out of the bullpen in 2017, although his ceiling projects him to be a front of the rotation starter.  His live fastball and wipeout slider can carry him to great heights in the majors.

Out of the bullpen, he went over nine innings without giving up a run.  He finally surrendered his first in the last appearance before the All-Star break.  His reliability throwing from the left side has given Craig Counsell options once the staters are out of the game.  It can be said that Hader as solidified himself for an MLB spot.

Arcia has proven himself valuable to the Milwaukee infield.  Even with all the moving parts, he is a player who needs to be a mainstay.  He just has fun with the game too.  What other player would be running after a foul ball, then take a bite of a fans ice cream?  It is always good to have that kind of personality in the clubhouse.

But he is more than just a jokester.  Arcia can play.  At the age of 22, he is hitting .283 on the year with 30 RBIs.  The more impressive number is his .326 BABIP.  That means when he gets the bat on the ball, he is as good as any hitter.  His contact converts nicely into getting on base safely.

Ryan Braun (2006)

Braun was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers fifth overall in 2005.  A year later he represented the team in the All-Star Futures game.  Then the next year, 2007, he made his debut in the MLB.

As far as accolades in his career so far, there are very few who can be considered a better player.  Not only has Braun accumulated six All-Star appearances and five Silver Sluggers so far, but he adds a Rookie of the Year and MVP trophy.

The numbers enhance the story told by the trophies.  Braun carries a .303 batting average and a 44.7 WAR on his career.  To this, he adds 295 home runs.  Should he be able to stay healthy in the second half he will easily surpass the 300 home run mark.  His is also 40 RBIs away from having 1,000 on his career.  It has been a very nice career for Ryan Braun.

He is on the brink of being a likely Hall of Famer according to the marks set by Baseball Reference.  Out of five possible statistics, he surpasses only one.  That is the HOF Monitor, where a likely Cooperstown candidate would be at 100.  Braun is currently sitting at 112.  However, in the other four he is below the average.  But not by much.

Keep in mind Braun is only 33.  He is battling injuries now, but he is still young enough to make the final push necessary to become a Hall of Fame player.  This years second half may be critical.  And to think his first major stage as a professional player was the Futures game.

The great thing about the Milwaukee Brewers left fielder is that he has been in the majors for 11 years.  All of them with the same team.  His loyalty makes him probably the best player to participate in the Futures game for the Brew Crew.

Ben Sheets (2000)

Sheets represented the Milwaukee Brewers in the second year the Futures game existed.  He turned out to be a solid arm in the rotation for eight straight seasons.  A pitcher who could be counted on to throw strikes, and keep his team in the game.  He did that despite a losing record on his career.

The professional career of Sheets started when he was drafted in the tenth overall in the 1999 draft.  It was the following year that the highly touted prospect participated in the new event.  Similar to the path of Ryan Braun, Sheets made his debut the year after playing in the in the Futures game.

He was a four time All-Star.  All of them during the eight years he was in Milwaukee.  His career ERA for the Brewers is 3.72.  Keep in mind that his was never able to get that number under 4.00 until his fourth season.  But that season was a breakout year where he finished eighth in Cy Young voting.  Sheets finished 12-14 that year with a 2.70 ERA and 264 strikeouts.  Made more impressive by his 32 walks that year.

It can be argued that his most successful year was final season as a part of the Milwaukee Brewers.  The 29 year old righty tossed three shutouts on the way to a 13-9 record and a 3.09 ERA.  This was the final year he got selected to the All-Star game.

While Sheets had a very solid career toeing the rubber in Milwaukee, he does not have the numbers to push him into the Hall of Fame.  But fans will remember him as a consistent pitcher.  He walked very few, and at the peak of his career averaged 10 K/9.  He was certainly a fun pitcher to watch for nearly a decade in a Milwaukee Brewers uniform.

Yovani Gallardo (2006)

Gallardo may have been from the same organization as Ryan Braun in the 2006 Futures game, but they were opponents for this game.  Braun playing for USA, Gallardo for the World team.  That is all part of the fun.

The path for Gallardo is different than any of the players to this point.  Unlike the previous two player, he was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers.  It took him two years to make it to the Futures game after he started his professional career.

Once he made his debut in 2007, he was there to stay.  His rookie year ended with a 9-5 record  with a 3.67 ERA.  He somewhat flew under the radar in the following year because he was limited to four games.  Upon return though he became a consistent arm in the rotation.  In his career as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers he posted a record of 89-64 with over 1226 strikeouts.

In 2010 Gallardo performed something pretty rare.  Not only was he an All-Star, but he took home a Silver Slugger award as well.  This was the only year he took home any accolades, however the following year he finished seventh in the Cy Young award race.

That Silver Slugger year was a very impressive year at the plate for a pitcher.  He hit .254 with four homers on the year.  That translated to 10 RBIs.  He also worked five walks.  Not a bad year at the office.  He has always been good with the bat. though his 11 year career he has 12 home runs.  This includes his three seasons playing in the American League.

Overall, Gallardo was a great arm to have in the rotation.  It can be said that he has come full circle in 2017.  When the Milwaukee Brewers traded him to the Texas Rangers they got Corey Knebel, who was selected to this years All-Star game.

Prince Fielder (2004)

Big Prince Fielder was once a key part in the Milwaukee Brewers lineup.  Unfortunately injuries ended his career last season at 32 years old.  As much as I wanted him to continue his career, the abrupt end left him tied in career homers with his father, Cecil Fielder.  While injuries derailing a career is the worst thing that could happen, that is a nice stat for a father/son game.

There are always the stories of Fielder at a young age impressing during his fathers batting practice.  Well, it all paid off as he got selected seventh overall in the 2002 Amateur Draft.  Two years later he participated in the Futures game, then debuted the year after.

Half of Fielders All-Star appearances came as a representative of the Milwaukee Brewers.  He also accumulated two of his three Silver Sluggers during that time.

For a guy who weighs 275 pounds, Fielder was an excellent athlete.  He was more than just a power hitter as he hit .282 in his career as a Brewer.  Add a season with seven steals and he will surprise some people.  Four times in his career he did not miss a game in the season.  He was full of surprises during his career.

Next: Corbin Burnes Opening Eyes

He is a member of the 300 HR club, he was just over halfway to the 3,000 hit club, and he was still pretty young at the end of his career.  The forced retirement, though, will keep more than likely keep him out of the Hall of Fame.  The numbers were getting there, but he was not able to cap off his career to prove he was deserving based purely on statistics.  Personally, I think he is worthy of consideration.  It will be interesting to see what happens.