Milwaukee Brewers: The Top 5 First Basemen in Franchise History

Here at Reviewing the Brew, we’re going position by position discussing the top players in Milwaukee Brewers’ history. Previous editions have covered the top shortstops and third basemen. This edition focuses on the first basemen that have come and gone over the years.

Though they may not be Hall of Famers, the Brewers have had plenty of excellent first basemen come through Milwaukee. Whether it be via trade, free agency or homegrown talent, bringing the list to a top five was a difficult task. Without further ado, here is the group I identified as the top five first basemen in Brewers’ history.

5. John Jaha

Years as a Brewer: 1992-1998

Jaha made his only career All-Star appearance as a member of the Oakland Athletics, but he was a solid first baseman for the Brewers as well. He was originally drafted by Milwaukee in 1984, then spent seven and a half seasons in the minors. His numbers weren’t spectacular early on, but that can likely be attributed to his splitting time between the majors and minors for a few seasons.

For two consecutive years, Jaha was a .300 hitter and was able to hit 20+ homers a season. Jaha broke out in 1996 though, hitting 34 homers and driving in 118 RBI. He didn’t win any awards for his service to the Brewers, but he did manage to produce an .824 OPS and amass over 100 homers in Milwaukee.

He was only able to play in 100+ games in a season twice, however. Those seasons came in 1993 and 1996.

His defense was lackluster though, especially early on in his career. This, along with the fact that his biggest accomplishments came after leaving the team, is why Jaha only comes in at number five on our list.

4. Richie Sexson

Years as a Brewer: 2000-2003

Perhaps I’m biased since Sexson was my favorite player for the early part of my life (AKA the pre-Nyjer Morgan days). However, Sexson was arguably the best player on a number of Brewers teams.

He began his career with the Cleveland Indians and even logged a 30-homer season with them. The Indians traded him to Milwaukee at the trade deadline during the 2000 season though, setting up a dominant stretch of playing.

Sexson produced a .957 OPS during the second half of the 2000 season, which was just a preview of the years to come. In 2001, he tallied 45 home runs and 125 RBI, both of which would be the highest marks of his career. He also reached the 100-RBI plateau the next two seasons while cracking the National League All-Star team in both of those years (don’t ask me why his 2001 season wasn’t good enough to warrant an All-Star bid, but I digress).

The lanky first baseman finished his Brewers tenure following the 2003 season, when he was traded to the Diamondbacks for a massive return including current manager Craig Counsell and fellow first baseman Lyle Overbay (who just missed this list, for what it’s worth).

In three and a half seasons with Milwaukee, Sexson compiled a .276/.366/.536 slash line to go with 133 home runs and 398 RBI. The brief nature of his stay with the team is largely the reason he’s not higher on this list. That said, he certainly left a mark on the franchise and on the city.

Number 2: Prince Fielder

Years as a Brewer: 2005-2011

Who could forget Prince Fielder? Fielder was a blue-chip prospect for Milwaukee from the time he was drafted in the first round of the 2002 draft. The son of former big-leaguer Cecil Fielder, Prince was the closest thing to a sure-fire success.

And succeed he did. The younger Fielder pushed his way to the major leagues as a 21 year old in 2005 and blasted 28 homers in his first complete season. A monstrous .929 OPS with the team to go with two All-Star selections, two Silver Slugger awards and three top-five MVP finishes… what’s not to like?

In 2007, Fielder hit 50 home runs, leading the league as a 23 year old. In five full seasons as the starter, Fielder never had an OPS+ below 110 and was as consistent and healthy as they come. Prince had three top 5 MVP finishes as a Brewer.

Well, there are two reasons Fielder isn’t sitting atop this list. For one, as is the case with many other names, he wasn’t in Milwaukee all that long. Six seasons is a relatively long time compared to others on the list, but he bolted for more money as soon as he had the opportunity. Additionally, he was a liability on defense. Fielder ironically was a below-average fielder every season with Milwaukee, averaging 11 errors per season in Milwaukee. Who does that leave as number one, then?

Number 1: Cecil Cooper

Years as a Brewer: 1977-1987

Though he’s not as recent as the others on the list, Cooper is far and away the greatest first baseman in Brewers’ history. Although he spent the first six seasons of his career in Boston, “Coop” was in Milwaukee for 11 years. He was even a productive hitter even in his later years.

Cooper tallied over 30 doubles in seven of the 11 seasons. Plus, he nearly reached the 1000 RBI plateau with Milwaukee. Between that and a solid .302 batting average as a Brewer, his bat is certainly worthy of the top spot.

Cooper led the league in doubles in 1979 and 1981. He had three top-5 MVP finishes, had another top-10 finish, and played in five All-Star games with the Milwaukee Brewers.

His glove was also solid, as his hardware suggests. Cooper won a pair of Gold Gloves and remained an average fielder into the back end of his career. The four-time All-Star also had as many top-five MVP finishes as Fielder. All in all, Cooper was a well-rounded first baseman who was among the league’s elite for many years.

Next: Top 5 Third Basemen in Brewers history

Do you agree with this list? Is there anyone you think we missed? This list may start more arguments than it ends. However, one thing is for certain: the Brewers have a history of good first basemen.