Milwaukee Brewers: 15 Greatest Pitchers in Franchise History

A few years ago, the Milwaukee Brewers recently crossed the 50-year anniversary mark for their franchise. And when looking back at some of the best players who every donned a uniform for the team, the Crew’s history often leads fans to consider hitters over pitchers.

But the Brewers have had plenty of talented pitchers come through the pipeline. Some have been homegrown; others were acquired via free agency or trade. Some of them were starters while others were dominant closers.

But how do you rank those players? Balancing longevity versus dominance over a shorter period of time while also taking accolades and performances in some of the team’s most important games into account is no easy task. Regardless, we’re going to go ahead and give it our best shot.

Here is a ranking of the 15 greatest pitchers in Milwaukee Brewers franchise history.

15. RHP John Axford

6 seasons, 21-19, 263.2 IP, 2.2 bWAR, 3.41 ERA, 1.335 WHIP, 106 saves

Of all the pitchers on this list, former closer John Axford has the lowest combined bWAR number for his Brewers career to go with one of the lower innings counts. But he also was a major factor in one of the most important seasons in franchise history and finds himself holding a couple club records as well.

After making his Brewers debut in 2009, Axford really burst on to the scene the next year when he took over the closer’s role from Hall of Fame closer Trevor Hoffman, who was starting to fade in his final MLB season.

Axford went 24 for 27 in save opportunities that season with a tidy 2.48 ERA and 1.190 WHIP that secured his role as the team’s role going forward. And somehow, the “Ax Man” would look even better the following season.

It didn’t start off pretty, though. Axford would blow his very first save opportunity in 2011, giving up four earned runs while recording just two outs in the team’s Opening Day loss to the Reds. There was nowhere to go but up.

And up is exactly where Axford went. He would only blow one more regular season save again that year, eventually finishing 2011 with an MLB-leading 46 saves, a new franchise record. He also dropped his ERA (1.95) and WHIP (1.140) while picking up a 9th place finish in that year’s Cy Young voting.

Then came the infamous winner-take-all game 5 of the 2011 NLDS against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Axford would blow his first save since April but would hold strong and keep the game tied. He would come back out and pitch a 1-2-3 inning in the 10th, setting up the bottom half of the inning in which Milwaukee would win in dramatic fashion and advance to the NLCS.

In 2012, Axford would tack on a handful more saves to start the season before his regular season franchise record consecutive save streak would be ended at 49. Things would start to decline after that, and he would ultimately be traded to the Cardinals halfway through the 2013 season, but not before climbing all the way to second on the team’s all-time saves list (106).

Here is a ranking of the 15 greatest pitchers in Milwaukee Brewers franchise history.

12. LHP CC Sabathia

1 season, 11-2, 130.2 IP, 5.2 bWAR, 1.65 ERA, 1.003 WHIP

How do you end up on a list of the 15 best pitchers in Brewers franchise history when you only pitch in part of one season for that team? The answer is when that season is one of the most dominant ones the franchise has ever seen.

Attempting to end a playoff drought that was approaching three decades long in 2008, Milwaukee decided to go bold that July when they traded for three-time All-Star and 2007 AL Cy Young winner CC Sabathia in a deal that sent away future All-Star Michael Brantley, among others.

To say Sabathia’s impact was immediate would be an understatement. Game one was a six-inning, two-earned run win. Game two was a two-run complete game win in which the lefty even snuck a solo home run, the first of his Brewers career, just over the right field fence.

That first month with the Brewers saw him win four out of five starts and throw three complete games with one being a three-hit shutout. Sabathia continued to roll on from there.

His finest game of the regular season for last, though. On September 28th of that year, Sabathia again went nine innings, giving up just one unearned run on four hits and a walk with seven strikeouts, leading the Brewers to a 3-1 win over the rival Cubs and, more importantly, propelling the team to their first playoff appearance since 1982.

Sabathia would finish 5th in NL Cy Young voting and 6th in NL MVP voting that year despite making just 17 starts for the Brewers. His 4.9 bWAR (pitching only) is tied for the 15th highest single season mark in team history….on only 17 starts!

That’s how you end up on a list of the 15 best pitchers in franchise history after not even pitching an entire season.

11. RHP Moose Haas

10 seasons, 91-79, 1655 IP, 15.7 bWAR, 4.03 ERA, 1.304 WHIP, 2 saves

Like Jim Slaton before him, Moose Haas was another in a line of long-tenured starters for the Brewers who helped the team eventually reach their first postseason. Unlike Slaton, Haas was still a starter when they got there.

Haas spent the first ten major league seasons of his 12-season career with Milwaukee after being drafted in the 2nd round out of high school in the 1974 draft. He spent his first full season in the majors in 1977 and was a permanent fixture in the rotation by the early 80s.

Haas picked up a pair of wins in the Brewers’ 1982 playoff run, one each in the ALCS and World Series. 1983 saw arguably his finest season for Milwaukee, though, as he put up a 3.27 ERA and a 1.184 WHIP on his way to going 13-3 on the season. That .813 win percentage not only led the league, but it also still stands as the highest single season win percentage in team history.

Haas etched his name in another part of the Brewers record books when he punched out a franchise best 14 batters in a game against the Yankees in 1978. That record would stand until after the turn of the millennium when a player farther up this list would finally shatter it.

Milwaukee would eventually trade Haas to the A’s just before the start of the 1986 season. After two seasons in Oakland, he would hit free agency, effectively ending his major league career.

Here is a ranking of the 15 greatest pitchers in Milwaukee Brewers franchise history.

10. RHP Chris Bosio

7 seasons, 67-62, 1190 IP, 18.6 bWAR, 3.76 ERA, 1.238 WHIP, 8 saves

In the period of time between the Brewers’ playoff appearances in 1982 and 2008, there were plenty of lean years for the franchise. But that doesn’t mean that there weren’t at least a few bright spots both at the plate and on the mound.

Starting pitcher Chris Bosio was one of those bright spots in the late 80s and early 90s. Drafted in the 2nd round of 1982’s winter draft, Bosio wouldn’t make his MLB debut until 1986 when he made four starts in ten total appearances.

Bosio would go on to post winning records in four of his next six seasons for Milwaukee. His finest seasons came in 1989 when he posted a 2.95 ERA (the 11th lowest mark in club history) in 33 starts, as well as 1992 when he led the AL with a 1.712 BB/9.

Bosio finds himself in the top ten in a number of career franchise categories including ERA (3.76, 10th), WHIP (1.238, 7th), wins (67, 8th), strikeouts (749, 6th), and pitching bWAR (18.6, 3rd).

9. RHP Corbin Burnes

4 seasons, 23-11, 313.2 IP, 6.3 bWAR, 3.39 ERA, 1.103 WHIP, 2 saves

We’ve now hit the first in a run that includes the newest generation of Brewers pitchers. And to break the top ten with just over 300 innings under your belt, you have to be one heck of a pitcher. Well, that’s exactly what Milwaukee has in Corbin Burnes.

Burnes was a 4th round pick of the Brewers in the 2016 draft class. Just two seasons later, he was already pitching important innings out of the bullpen for the 2018 playoff team, finishing that year with a 2.61 ERA and 1.000 WHIP over 30 appearances.

Unfortunately, 2019 was a disaster for Burnes and after being demoted as far as Double-A at one point in the season, the team had him retool some things at their pitching lab in Arizona. He was ready to come back with a vengeance in 2020.

And that’s precisely what happened. Burnes transitioned to the rotation, posted another ERA below 3.00 and a WHIP around 1.000 while seeing his strikeouts per nine skyrocket up to 13.27. That was nothing compared to what 2021 had in store, though.

Burnes went from great to outstanding last season. He led all of MLB in ERA (2.43), HR/9 (0.37), and K/9 (12.61) while putting up a new career best 0.940 WHIP and 1.83 BB/9. The WHIP, K/9, and HR/9 marks now sit as the top single-season marks in Brewers history.

But Burnes was doing more than making Milwaukee history in 2021. He also set a new MLB record by recording 58 straight strikeouts without a walk and tied an MLB record by striking out 10 consecutive batters in a game.

Not only did all of that result in the first All-Star appearance of Burnes’ career, but it also ended in him winning last year’s NL Cy Young award, the third such win in franchise history. Even pitching as few career innings as he has, Burnes has put up one of the more impressive pitching resumes in team history.

Here is a ranking of the 15 greatest pitchers in Milwaukee Brewers franchise history.

8. RHP Brandon Woodruff

5 seasons, 28-21, 460 IP, 12.3 bWAR, 3.23 ERA, 1.070 WHIP, 1 save

After not having much success in the area for years, the Brewers find themselves in the middle of a nice stretch of developing some homegrown pitching. Right-handed starter Brandon Woodruff largely kicked off that recent trend.

Woodruff came to Milwaukee a couple years earlier than Burnes, having been drafted in the 11th round of the 2014 draft out of Mississippi State. He made a brief debut in 2017 before joining Burnes as a part of the 2018 playoff run. And though he pitched well that year, he’s almost even more famous for a certain playoff hit.

While Burnes struggled in his first attempt at being made a starter in 2019, Woodruff did not. In 22 starts that season, he put up a 3.62 ERA and a 1.142 WHIP while also earning the first All-Star nod of his career.

Going into 2020 as the team’s ace and Opening Day starter, Woodruff got even better as he lowered his ERA to 3.05, his WHIP to 0.991, and set a new career best mark in K/9 with 11.12 in 13 starts.

As if that wasn’t enough, Woodruff got even better in 2021, dropping his ERA and WHIP to 2.56 and 0.965, respectively, and earning his second All-Star bid. Those would’ve easily ranked as the top numbers on the team had it not been for Burnes’ Cy Young season (though Woodruff did place 5th in voting last year).

In just five seasons, Woodruff is already about to crack the top 10 in career pitcher’s bWAR for the Brewers and likely will very early in 2022. He also has the 6th highest single season bWAR in franchise history (5.7, 2021), the 4th lowest ERA (2.56, 2021), and both the 2nd and 4th lowest WHIPs (0.991, 2020 and 0.965, 2021).

7. LHP Josh Hader

5 seasons, 16-13, 282.1 IP, 10.4 bWAR, 2.26 ERA, 0.854 WHIP, 96 saves

Our No. 7 spot brings us to our final pitcher from the current era of young Brewers hurlers. As good as the previous two were, though, Josh Hader has arguably been the most sustainably dominant of three and could already become the best closer in team history by the end of 2022.

Although Hader made his MLB debut with Milwaukee, he was not quite homegrown like Woodruff and Burnes were. The tall lefty called two organizations home before being traded from the Astros in a mega-deal during the 2015 season.

Hader had been groomed as a starter in the minors up until that point and was following the same path in the Brewers system upon first arriving there as well. But when he was called up for the first time in 2017, Milwaukee deployed him as a reliever. And boy did he excel in that role.

Hader would make 30 appearances that season, compiling a 2.08 ERA, 0.986 WHIP, and a 12.84 K/9. In 2018, he would combine with Corey Knebel and Jeremy Jeffress to form a three-headed monster at the back of the bullpen, reaching his first All-Star game, earning his first NL Reliever of the Year award, and even finishing 7th in Cy Young voting.

In 2019, Hader would become the team’s new closer and rack up 37 saves in his first season in the role. That has been his been his home ever since where he has earned two more All-Star bids, two more NL Reliever of the Year awards, and is arguably the most dominant closer in all of MLB.

Hader has never had a WHIP above 1.000, never had a K/9 below 12.84, and has never allowed batters to hit over .156 against him for a season. He is already fourth on the team’s career saves list (96) and could possibly take the franchise lead by the end of next season. Now that’s what you call dominant.

Here is a ranking of the 15 greatest pitchers in Milwaukee Brewers franchise history.

6. LHP Mike Caldwell

8 seasons, 102-80, 1604.2 IP, 17.3 bWAR, 3.74 ERA, 1.284 WHIP, 2 saves

A final member of the late 70s to early 80s starting rotation makes his way on to our top 15 list in Mike Caldwell. Not only did he work his way up the team’s statistical leaderboards in his eight years on the mound for the Brewers, he brought home wins in a couple of the biggest games in franchise history.

Caldwell started off his career with the San Diego Padres, then made another couple stops before being traded to the Brewers in the middle of the 1977 season for a pair of minor leaguers. His impact was felt immediately.

In 1978, his first full season with Milwaukee, Caldwell easily had the best season of his career. In 37 games (34 starts), he went 22-9 and had a career best 2.36 ERA and 1.064 WHIP with a whopping 23 complete games, which led the league and is still a single-season Brewers record. Sadly, he would fall just short of the franchise’s first every Cy Young, finishing runner up to the Yankees’ Ron Guidry.

Caldwell would be a fixture in the rotation for the next six seasons and in 1982 would receive another sort of honor: being named the game one starter of the World Series.

The lefty would pitch a masterpiece, giving up just three hits and a walk with three strikeouts in a complete game shutout to give the Brewers an early series lead. Caldwell would pick up another win in game five, giving up four runs on 14 hits and a couple walks over 8 1/3 innings in the victory.

Caldwell still holds single-season franchise marks with his 22 wins, 2.36 ERA, 23 complete games, and six shutouts and his 8.2 pitcher bWAR is the second highest in a season for Milwaukee. Caldwell also owns the franchise’s career record for complete games (81), a mark that will likely never be broken, and is among the team’s top 10 pitchers in career pitcher’s bWAR (17.3, 6th), ERA (3.74, 8th), and wins (102, 2nd).

5. RHP Rollie Fingers

4 seasons, 13-17, 259 IP, 7.9 bWAR, 2.54 ERA, 1.081 WHIP, 97 saves

There’s a good chance that former Brewers closer Rollie Fingers was already on his way to Hall of Fame enshrinement before he even got to Milwaukee in the previously mentioned 1980 trade. He definitely sealed that legacy once he got here, though.

By the time the man with the famous mustache arrived here, he was already a five-time All-Star, a three-time World Series champion, and a World Series MVP from his appearance in 1974. Brewers fans were hoping he could carry them to the promised land as well.

Fingers was nothing short of stellar in his first season for the Crew. Sporting 28 saves on a 1.04 ERA and 0.872 WHIP and holding hitters to a .198 average, he won both the team’s very first AL Cy Young and AL MVP awards in franchise history.

Fingers was excellent again, tallying another 29 saves with a 2.60 ERA and 1.042 WHIP. Unfortunately, injuries would cause him to miss the team’s only ever World Series trip in 1982 and he would miss the following season due to injury as well.

Fingers would pitch two more seasons for Milwaukee before calling it quits, solidifying his Hall of Fame case. He currently sits third in franchise history with his 97 Brewers saves and held the MLB record with 341 before it was broken just under a decade later. His No. 34 is one of the few numbers ever retired by the Milwaukee Brewers.

Here is a ranking of the 15 greatest pitchers in Milwaukee Brewers franchise history.

4. LHP Dan Plesac

7 seasons, 29-37, 524.1 IP, 12.0 bWAR, 3.21 ERA, 1.232 WHIP, 133 saves

After Fingers moved on from the Brewers, the closer’s role ultimately ended up being handed over to a young lefty named Dan Plesac. Once all was said and done, he would leave Milwaukee having taken over the club’s career saves mark from his predecessor.

After opting not to sign with the Cardinals as their 2nd round pick out of high school in 1980, Plesac, then pitching for NC State University, would be picked 26th overall by the Brewers in the 1983 draft. His debut would come in 1986 a year after Fingers’ final MLB season.

Plesac would grab 14 saves in his first season and would put up a 2.97 ERA and 1.209 WHIP, setting the tone for the rest of his Brewers career. The next three seasons would see the southpaw reach three consecutive All-Star games.

Plesac would put up sub-3.00 ERAs in five of his seven seasons in Milwaukee and his 3.21 career ERA is currently the best mark in team history. He also leads all Brewers pitchers in career appearances with 365, just one more than the workhorse Jim Slaton.

On top of all that, Plesac still sits as the most accomplished Brewers closer in team history in terms of saves, having compiled 133 in his seven seasons. That record could fall in the next season or two, but it was still quite the long run for Plesac at the top of the list.

3. RHP Yovani Gallardo

8 seasons, 89-64, 1289.1 IP, 18.3 bWAR, 3.69 ERA, 1.303 WHIP, 3 saves

After so many down years in the 90s and early 2000s, the Brewers’ resurgence finally came in 2008 and 2011 when the team finally made their first playoff appearances since 1981 and 1982. Yovani Gallardo was there leading the pitching staff into that new era.

Gallardo was a 2nd round draft pick by the Brewers out of high school back in 2004. He made his debut in 2007, winning nine games in 20 appearances (17 starts). His 2008 season was off to an even better start as he gave up just four runs in his first three games, but an injury caused during a play at first wiped out most of that season.

Thus 2009 is when Gallardo really stepped forward as the team’s ace. He would start 30+ games for each of the next six years, making an All-Star appearance in 2010, finishing 7th in NL Cy Young voting in 2011, and earning five straight Opening Day starts from 2010 to 2014, second most of any Brewers pitcher ever and the most consecutive such starts in team history.

Gallardo’s run for Milwaukee in the 2011 ALDS was one for the ages. After earning the win in game one by giving up just a run on four hits and a walk while striking out nine in eight innings, he came back out in game five and gave up a single run yet again, this time in a six-inning outing that kicked off the dramatic winner-take-all win.

Besides being one of team’s top pitchers in team history, Gallardo was one of the best hitting pitchers ever as well. He has the most doubles, homers, RBIs, and runs scored of any hurler the team has ever had.

Gallardo finished his career as the with the 8th highest pitchers bWAR (15.5) in franchise history and the 5th highest ERA (3.69). But when it comes to pitchers, fans love the strikeouts and Gallardo is tops for Milwaukee all-time in both career strikeouts (1226) and K/9 (8.558).

Here is a ranking of the 15 greatest pitchers in Milwaukee Brewers franchise history.

2. RHP Ben Sheets

8 seasons, 86-83, 1428 IP, 22.8 bWAR, 3.72 ERA, 1.201 WHIP

It’s hard to imagine that there is more of a “What If” pitching candidate than Ben Sheets in Milwaukee Brewers history. Even with his injury history he goes down as one of the team’s top pitchers ever, but what if he had remained healthy his entire career?

Sheets was the 10th overall pick for the Brewers in the 1999 draft. Even before he reached the big leagues he had a pedigree of excellence, helping Team USA capture the gold medal in the 2000 Summer Olympics when he led the team to victory by pitching a shutout in the championship game.

Sheets would make his debut the following year. Though his Milwaukee tenure started a little rocky with a 4.76 ERA and 1.414 WHIP, he would make the first All-Star game of his career as a rookie.

He would make his next All-Star appearance in 2004, the best season of his career. That year he would set career marks with a 2.70 ERA, a 0.983 WHIP, and 264 strikeouts, still a single-season Brewers record. He would also finish 8th in NL Cy Young voting that season.

His finest moment of season would come in a May 16th game against the Atlanta Braves. That day, Sheets would strikeout 18 batters over nine innings, destroying the previous club record held by Moose Haas and tying for the 13th all time in MLB history.

Unfortunately, that’s when the injuries started taking their toll. Sheets wouldn’t make more than 24 starts in any of the next three seasons. Though he would start 31 games in the team’s 2008 playoff run, he would tear a ligament in his elbow at the end of the year, preventing him from pitching in the postseason and, after becoming a free agent ahead of 2009, wiping out all of that season as well.

Injuries aside, Sheets is second all-time in pitchers bWAR (25.6) and strikeouts (1206) and leads all Brewers hurlers in career strikeout to walk ratio (3.853). His BB/9 (1.215) and K/BB ratio (8.25) in 2004 also stand as single-season franchise records.

1. LHP Teddy Higuera

9 seasons, 94-64, 1380 IP, 30.3 bWAR, 3.61 ERA, 1.236 WHIP

We’ve finally reached the top of our list and the award for best pitcher in Brewers history goes to one from the late 80s/early 90s era. Left-hander Teddy Higuera burst on to the scene as a rookie in 1985 and went on to compile quite a resume.

In his rookie 1985 season, Higuera went 15-8 with a 3.90 ERA, 1.173 WHIP, and 127 strikeouts to 63 walks in 32 games (30 starts), adding two shutouts. That performance was enough to help him finish 2nd in AL Rookie of the Year voting, just behind the White Sox’s Ozzie Guillen.

Higuera would get even better in 1986, winning 20 games and putting up a 2.79 ERA and a 1.208 WHIP and earning an All-Star appearance. He would finish second to the legendary Roger Clemens in the AL Cy Young voting as well as 15th in AL MVP voting.

Higuera would put up 18 more wins and a career-high 240 strikeouts his following season on his way to a 6th place finish in CY Young voting as well as 16 more wins the year after that as he led the AL in WHIP (0.999) that year.

Injuries began to limit him after that, including a completely missed 1992 season, with Higuera making 81 more appearances over the next six years. Still, by the end, Higuera would finish with the best career bWAR in Brewers history as well as three of the top five single-season bWARs for a Milwaukee pitcher as well.

Higuera’s ERA and wins each place third all-time on the Milwaukee leaderboards while his WHIP places sixth. He was inducted into the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame and is the only pitcher on this list besides Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers who is on the Brewers Walk of Fame outside American Family Field in Milwaukee. That’s what helps name you the best pitcher in Milwaukee Brewers history.

Is your personal Greatest Brewers Pitchers in Franchise History list close to this one? Let us know and stay tuned for when we take a look at the greatest Brewers hitters next!