Milwaukee Brewers: 5 former prospects from the 90s lost to history

The 1990s weren’t a great time to be a Milwaukee Brewers fan. They have two winning seasons and zero playoff appearances for the decade. However, it was just as bad for their farm system. We’ve got five prospects from the 90s that should have hit it big, but just didn’t.

Baseball is hard. Baseball scouting is harder. Being able to look at an 18-year old or a 21-year old, and try to project how they will develop is a challenge even under the best of circumstances. There was a reason that Billy Beane was able to develop new strategies in the 2000’s, and it’s not because the system was perfect. Scouting before 2000 involved a lot of guesswork and focused more on the tanigbles that players had.

Could you thrown 95 MPH and have a great curve? If yes, you’re a top draft pick, even if control is an issue and you’re only 18. Could you run a 4.5 40-yard dash and hit a ball a mile? Great, top prospect even if you can’t get on base or really play baseball.

The fact that we only have four players on this list is really a testament to the lack of top prospects that the Milwaukee Brewers were able to develop. Outside of Geoff Jenkins and Ronnie Belliard, the Brewers weren’t well represented in the Top 100 lists at the time.

Tyrone Hill

Tyrone Hill had everything that a scout would want in a top prospect. He had the size, the stuff, and the athleticism to get selected as one of the top prospects in the 1991 draft. He never made it past Double-A in his career.

Hill was ranked as the 10th best prospect in all of baseball by Baseball America in 1993, and rightfully so. In his first year in professional baseball, Hill recorded 76 strikeouts in 60 innings, and managed a 3.15 ERA. In 1992, he dominated Single-A with 133 strikeouts in 113.2 innings with a 3.25 ERA.

Then the injuries hit. After struggling through his 1994 season, Hill missed all of 1995 recovering from an injury. He missed the 1997 season after another injury in 1996, and his career in the Milwaukee Brewers organization was over. He spent one year in the Texas Rangers organization in 1998, and called it a career at the ripe old age of 27.

Antone Williamson

The Milwaukee Brewers thought they were getting a power-hitting corner infielder when they selected Antone Williamson fourth overall out of Arizona State in 1994. Williamson posted an OPS over 1.000 in his Sophomore and Junior years, and was expected to develop into a franchise cornerstone.

He was rated as the 64th best prospect in baseball in 1995, and the 81st best prospect in 1996.

In six Minor League seasons, Williamson posted a .276/.360/.420 slash line. The problem is that he only hit 28 homers…total. Williamson blasted more homers in three years of college than he did in six years as a professional.

Despite his power outage, Williamson actually earned a cup of coffee with the Milwaukee Brewers. After putting together a .286/.389/.434 slash line for the Tucson Toros in Triple-A in 1997, Williamson made 24 appearances for the Brewers. In his only taste of Major League action, Williamson slashed .204/.254/.259 with zero homers.

He spent the next two years at the higher levels of the Minor Leagues before trying his luck in the independent Texas-Louisiana League. Williamson was out of baseball before the millennium.

Chad Green

No, not that Chad Green. The other Chad Green.

The Milwaukee Brewers drafted this Chad Green with the eighth overall pick in the 1996 amateur draft. He was selected before the infamous Matt White, but the next four picks after him made the Majors.

Green was rated as the 99th best prospect in baseball in 1997. This would be his only appearance on Baseball America’s Top 100.

Green posted back-to-back seasons of 50+ steals in his Sophomore and Junior years. He was expected to develop into a rangy, speedy outfielder with enough pop and ability with the bat to make an impact in the Majors. He never got his chance.

Green’s best year in the Milwaukee Brewers organization came in 1999 in Double-A. In 1999, Green posted a .246/.321/.384 slash line with 10 homers and 28 steals. He tried Triple-A in 2000, but only slashed .203/.267/.374. He was granted free agency after 2000, and bounced around the league for a few years. His final season came in 2003 at the age of 28. He called it a career before he turned 30.