Milwaukee Brewers: The Top 5 Catchers In Franchise History

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6 APR 1993: MILWAUKEE BREWERS BATTER B.J. SURHOFF SWINGS AT A PITCH DURING THE BREWERS VERSUS CALIFORNIA ANGELS GAME AT ANAHEIM STADIUM IN ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA. MANDATORY CREDIT: STEPHEN DUNN/ALLSPORT /

4. BJ Surhoff

Years as a Brewer: 1987-1995

Surhoff kicked off his career in Milwaukee at the age of 22 and was the Brewers number one pick in the 1985 MLB Draft. He ended up playing nine seasons with the Brewers. That included 704 games at the catcher position, but during his 19 year career, he ended up playing every position except for pitcher.

During his time with the Brewers, he posted a batting average of .275, with 524 RBIs, and a .703 OPS. The 1995 season he ended up with a career best average of .320 that finished fifth overall in the AL. He also put up 73 RBIs in the 1995 season. Surhoff wasn’t just known for his offense as a Brewer, he has a career fielding percentage at catcher of .988. Making minimal mistakes from the player calling the game is a quality every team wants in their catcher.

Once Surhoff left the Brewers, his home run numbers jumped up drastically compared to what they had been at in Milwaukee. It wasn’t until his last season in Milwaukee that he put up double digit home runs (13) and that number continued to climb with the Baltimore Orioles. As a Brewer he was known more for putting the ball in play, rather than knocking it out of the park.

Unfortunately, during his time in Milwaukee he was unable to have a postseason appearance even with 3 winning seasons (1987, 1988, and 1992). He wouldn’t see his first postseason action until he got to Baltimore. BJ Surhoff comes in at the #4 spot because he was a well rounded player as a Brewer. He was steady on the offensive end and provided a good bat. While defensively, he was very reliable and committed few mistakes behind the plate.

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