Milwaukee Brewers: The Top 5 Third Basemen In Franchise History

5. Aramis Ramirez

Years as a Brewer: 2012-2015

As a longtime member of the Chicago Cubs, Aramis was a Brewers killer back in his prime. Towards the end of his career, Ramirez signed a three year, $36 million contract with the Crew with an option for a fourth year that ended up being picked up.

With Milwaukee, Ramirez hit .284 with an .815 OPS and 65 homers over his three and a half seasons in a Brewers uniform.

In 2012, Aramis pounded 50 doubles, which led the league that year. He paired those doubles with a .300 average, 27 homers and 105 RBIs. Ramirez ended up finishing ninth in the NL MVP voting that season because of that performance, which was his best as a Brewer.

He missed some time in 2013, but bounced back strong in 2014 when he went to his only All Star Game with Milwaukee. Then everything collapsed around the team in 2014, and Aramis was traded in 2015 as one of the first dominos to fall in the rebuild.

Even though Ramirez never made it to the postseason with the Crew, he put up some good numbers. He was past his prime but he got the job done for a few years.

The Milwaukee Brewers signed Ramirez after the 2011 season which saw the Crew head to the NLCS. Prince Fielder left that winter and Ramirez was charged with filling the power void that Prince left behind. That’s no easy task but he did it well that first year. While the rest of the team couldn’t recover, Ramirez was at the very least a strong veteran presence who could still produce with the bat.

4. Bill Hall

Years as a Brewer: 2002-2009

Bill Hall was a presence on some pretty inconsistent teams in the early 2000s. He’s one of my favorite players from those days. He could play all around the field but he was the primary third baseman on that Milwaukee Brewers team that won the Wild Card in 2008.

Hall’s best years were 2005-2006. He hit .291 in 2005 with 17 homers and 18 stolen bases. In 2006, Hall experienced a power surge, knocking 35 long balls.

Also, who could ever forget Hall’s LEGENDARY walk-off home run on Mother’s Day in 2006. It’s still an amazing moment even to this day.

That moment has gone down in Brewers lore. Hall’s pink bat home run also inspired clutch homers by Martin Maldonado and Manny Pina on more recent Mother’s Days, but Hall had the original.

Bill Hall was never an All-Star. He was never an MVP, Gold Glove, or Silver Slugger candidate. But he played strong defense, and was the primary third baseman on the 2008 Wild Card team, even though he didn’t have the greatest season that year. He was a longtime Brewer and he finally got a chance in the postseason.

He also hit 35+ doubles in three straight seasons from 2005-2007. Hall was more of a utility player than an everyday third baseman, but he played there a bunch and could hold his own.

3. Jeff Cirillo

Years as a Brewer: 1994-1999, 2005-2006

Jeff Cirillo was also stuck on some mediocre Brewers teams, but he was the lone bright spot on those ’90s teams.

During eight seasons in a Milwaukee uniform, Cirillo had a .307/.383/.449 slash line. He was never much for power, hitting only 73 homers, but he had a special talent for getting on base. Cirillo had an OPS+ over 120 in three seasons in Milwaukee, with those coming in 1996, 1998, and 1999.

An All-Star in 1997, Cirillo was a player who didn’t strike out much and drew a lot of walks. He was always on base.

He was also a strong defender, and could play anywhere on the field, but he mostly stuck at third base for his career.

Cirillo returned to the Milwaukee Brewers in 2005 as a free agent and put up pretty good numbers as a 35 year old. He slashed .281/.373/.427 that year and signed with the Crew one more time for 2006. That year, Cirillo hit .319 and played his final game as a Brewer before retiring in 2007 with Arizona.

In eight seasons with the Crew, Cirillo finished with an above-average OPS+ in every year except his rookie year in 1994. His offensive numbers are good enough for third on this list of best third basemen in Brewers history.

2. Don Money

Years as a Brewer: 1973-1983

For about six years in the 1970s, Don Money was one of the most consistent hitters in the Brewers lineup. He could put up around 15 homers a season and hit between .275 and .295 every single year.

Money was also a great defender at the hot corner, but he never won a Gold Glove at the position. That can be attributed to Brooks Robinson, who won that award 15 seasons in a row.

Don Money went to four All-Star Games, and he earned MVP votes twice, in 1974 and 1978.

In 11 seasons in a Milwaukee Brewers uniform, Money had a .270/.338/.421 slash line with a 114 OPS+. Money totaled 215 doubles, 134 homers, and 529 RBIs as a Brewer. He also stole 66 bases as a member of the Crew, 22 of them were in 1973, his first season in Milwaukee. Money then stole 19 bags in 1974, but those were the only two times he swiped double digit bases.

Money finished his career as a Brewer, playing his last game in 1983 at the age of 36. He spent 11 years in Milwaukee. The last real year of his prime was in 1978. After that year, he never played in more than 100 games in a season the rest of his career. Part of that can be attributed to the future Hall of Famer that joined the team after that

That future Hall of Famer’s name was Paul Molitor.

1. Paul Molitor

Years as a Brewer: 1978-1992

The man who’s name hangs high above Miller Park is the best third baseman in Milwaukee Brewers franchise history. And this really isn’t any surprise.

In 15 seasons as a Brewer, Molitor totaled 2,281 hits, 405 doubles, 160 home runs, 790 RBIs, and 412 stolen bases. He had an aggregate .303 average with Milwaukee with a 125 OPS+. He was an incredible complement to Robin Yount in that lineup that saw two postseason berths, and one World Series appearance.

Molitor hit over .300 in eight of his 15 seasons in Milwaukee. He made the All-Star team five times as a member of the Brewers. He won the Silver Slugger award twice, and finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting in 1978.

Also, Molitor had three top-10 MVP finishes with the Crew, although he never won the award. The best finish he had was fifth in 1987 when he hit .353 with a 1.003 OPS with 41 doubles and 114 runs scored. Those numbers led the league despite the fact he played in only 118 games that year.

He could do it all. Molitor was one of the best players in Milwaukee Brewers history, generally speaking. But at his position, there was no one better. Paul Molitor was the best third baseman the Brewers have ever had.

Next: Top 5 Shortstops in Franchise History

Stay tuned for the next edition of our series covering the top players at every position in Brewers franchise history.