Milwaukee Brewers: The top 5 shortstops in franchise history

The Milwaukee Brewers have had many good shortstops don their uniform since they were awarded the franchise in 1970. However, many of them only had a short stay, making a list much harder than one would imagine.

It is pretty obvious that the majority of Brewers fans already know who the best shortstop is. He is the same guy that is the best center fielder in their history. That is a pretty unique place in history to be the best at two positions. Robin Yount actually won MVP’s at both positions, on his way to a Hall of Fame career.

Missing the cut

We will get back to Robin’s credentials later. When researching for this post, it became apparent pretty quickly the Brewers have had talent manning short. Gary Sheffield is a Hall of Fame talent, but he wore out his welcome very quickly. He did have over 1,000 at bats in Milwaukee, but he actually played third base for the majority of those. His glove work also left a lot to be desired.

Current Brewers skipper Craig Counsell also played a lot of shortstop on some very good teams in Milwaukee. He was also at the end of a great career and did not put up numbers good enough for this list. In his six seasons in Milwaukee, he hit .250 or under in five of those campaigns.

The shortstop of the future is supposed to be Orlando Arcia. His fielding has been just short of sublime. Arcia makes extremely difficult plays look routine. He also has not found himself at the plate yet. The young shortstop seemed to turn the corner in 2017 with a slash line of .277/.324/.407, but he has struggled to stay over the Mendoza Line in 2018. He has not done enough yet to be included.

Alcides Escobar was very similar to Arcia in his career with the Brewers. He flashed in the field, but never put it together early in his career. Escobar was later included in the Zack Greinke trade and he flourished in Kansas City. He just did not play well enough when he was here.

Let’s start the list.

5. Pat Listach

Years as a Brewer: 1992-1996

I am contradicting myself a bit with this selection. Listach’s star did not burn for very long. But it was extremely bright when it did, just getting on the list with his transcendent 1992 season. He won the first Rookie of the Year award for the Milwaukee Brewers in a spirited competition over Cleveland Indians center fielder Kenny Lofton. Ryan Braun later would win the same award in 2007 in the National League.

Listach did not do his damage for an also-ran, either. He was the catalyst for a 92-win Brewers squad that finished in 2nd place in a loaded AL East. This was before the Wild Card, so the Toronto Blue Jays won the division and ultimately went on to win the World Series. This also marked the final year that Robin Yount and Paul Molitor would play together, just missing a chance at another postseason run.

The current Triple-A Manager in Tacoma for the Mariners organization came out of nowhere for the Brewers in ’92. He hit .290, stole 54 bases, and scored 93 runs. He never came close to replicating those numbers, mainly due to injuries. His troublesome knee sapped his speed and effectiveness, but Brewers fans will always remember his special season in 1992.

3. Jose Valentin

Years as a Brewer: 1992-1999

Jose Valentin put up numbers for more years than most candidates, but he also was never really part of a winning culture. A lot of the players on this list have interesting paths to Milwaukee, and Valentin is no different. He actually was acquired from the Padres in the Gary Sheffield blockbuster.

He played the majority of his innings over 6 seasons from 1994-1999. The Brewers won an average of only 70 games during those seasons. Valentin was certainly solid, but never spectacular. His best season came in 1996. He powered up for 26 home runs, knocking in 95 runs, leading to a healthy .811 OPS.

Valentin also had an average under .240 in four of those six seasons. While his batting averages were usually low, he did have a good eye at the plate leading to some solid OBP seasons. He also had a little bit of speed, averaging nearly 13 stolen bases per season with Milwaukee.

The ultimate reason he is on this list was his very good power numbers for the shortstop position. He hit double figure home runs in all 6 seasons as a starter. Valentin’s power numbers were needed since he was not known for his defense. Overall, he was a decent shortstop for the Brewers in the 90’s. He would be eclipsed by many listed here if they played in Milwaukee as long as Valentin.

2. J.J. Hardy

Years as a Brewer: 2005-2009

James Jerry Hardy was the Brewers 2nd round pick in 2001 and quickly was added to the homegrown base of Rickie Weeks, Corey Hart, and Prince Fielder that would become the core of some very good Milwaukee teams.

J.J. was not fast, but he was a big shortstop that had great hands and had a very strong arm. If he touched the baseball, the hitter was usually going to be out. He was good enough defensively that he would later win 3 Gold Gloves after leaving the Milwaukee Brewers.

Hardy had his breakthrough season at the age of 24 in his 3rd season in Milwaukee. He slugged 26 home runs and knocked in 80, on his way to his first All-Star berth. The next season, the Brewers made the playoffs for the first time since 1982, and Hardy arguably had his best year. He increased his average to .283, slugged 24 more home runs, and attained a career best .821 OPS. Just like Listach in 1992, having great seasons on very good teams allows for a higher grade.

Hardy hit a performance wall in 2009. It got so bad that he was optioned to AAA and ended up hitting only .229 for the season. In a classic trade of struggling, yet talented players, Hardy was swapped to the Twins for Carlos Gomez that offseason. Hardy would later find his footing in Baltimore and would have many very good years there, including another All-Star berth and a Silver Slugger award.

1. Robin Yount

Years as a Brewer: 1974-1984

Obviously the gap between #1 and the rest of this list is massive. That says a lot about the 11 seasons Robin Yount roamed shortstop before a shoulder injury moved him to the outfield. It also says something about the star-crossed position for the Brewers.

Yount did have a rocky start to his career defensively. He had an ugly 44 errors at the age of 19 in his 2nd pro season. He eventually settled down. In arguably his best season in the 1982 World Series year, Yount won the American League Gold Glove to go along with his MVP.

Yount was off the charts offensively in ’82. He hit 29 home runs, had 114 RBI’s, scored 129 runs, hit 46 doubles, and had an OPS of .957. That season alone would have secured the top spot on this list.

“The Kid” was also an All-Star a total of 3 times playing shortstop for the Brewers. His 80 strikeouts in 1977 was the most he had in that 11-year stretch. It was a different game, but the lack of strikeouts showed his competitiveness. Yount reached base, scored runs, and was a master at hustling for more than just a single. He averaged nearly 48 extra base hits during the first half of his career playing shortstop. And he was a surefire Hall of Famer that spent his entire career in Milwaukee.

The future of shortstop in Milwaukee

The Brewers have had a lot of young talent that has not always realized their full potential in Milwaukee. Will Arcia be the next Brewers SS to follow that path? Their hope is that he can figure it out and get his swing back to what it was last year. The defense is clearly there.

However, if history shows us anything, Arcia may not live up to those standards in Milwaukee. It just is how the position has gone. The Brewers do have Mauricio Dubon, who they obtained with Travis Shaw from Boston for Tyler Thornburg. He was having a breakthrough season in Colorado Springs this season before an ACL tear has clouded his future a bit.

The Brewers also drafted a SS in the 1st round of the 2018 Draft in Brice Turang. He has not signed as of this writing and could take a scholarship to LSU. The decision could be a big one for the Brewers.

Next: The Top 5 Centerfielders in Franchise History

The shortstop position could become a position of need sooner than most thought as recently as last season. Historically, that seems to be par for the course for the Milwaukee Brewers after Yount moved to CF in 1985.