4 forgotten Silver Slugger Award winners in Milwaukee Brewers history

After the Milwaukee Brewers' season came to an end on Friday night, Major League Baseball's end-of-the-season awards remain something that Brewers fans can look forward to. Last week, second baseman Brice Turang and right fielder Sal Frelick were named finalists for Rawlings' Gold Glove award; both took home the honor at their respective positions a season ago. Additionally, Pat Murphy is the current front-runner to win NL Manager of the Year for the second consecutive season.

However, there's another award that several Brewers hitters are expected to compete for this season: Louisville Sluggers' Silver Slugger Awards, which are handed out to a player at each position in each league. This year, FanSided, of which Reviewing the Brew is a subsidiary, made an exciting partnership with Louisville Slugger to exclusively announce the finalists and winners of the 2025 Silver Slugger Awards. On FanSided's "The Baseball Insiders" YouTube channel, the finalists for the NL will be released on October 22 at 11:00 a.m. EST, and the AL's finalists will be announced on October 23 at 11:00 a.m. EST. The winners of this year's Silver Slugger Awards will be announced, also on "The Baseball Insiders," on November 6 at 6:00 p.m. EST for the NL and on November 7 at 6:00 p.m. EST for the AL.

With this exciting announcement on the horizon, it's only right to take a look back at some of the most surprising Silver Sluggers in Brewers' history. It's not that these players were unworthy of the award and therefore their claiming of it came as a surprise, but rather it's the fact that most of these players aren't necessarily remembered as Brewers, or they are remembered for something other than their offensive acumen.

4 Brewers you may have forgotten earned Silver Slugger Awards during their time in Milwaukee

1. OF Ben Oglivie (1980)

Ben Oglivie was both a long-time Brewer and a known slugger during his time in the big leagues, so his placement on this list may initially come as a surprise. However, the reason that some may overlook Oglivie's impressive 1980 campaign is that two of his teammates, who are more widely remembered in Brewers history, also took home Silver Slugger Awards in 1980. First baseman Cecil Cooper and Brewers legend Robin Yount both earned AL Silver Slugger Awards for their performances in 1980, potentially overshadowing Oglivie, who doesn't (but should) hold the same status in Brewers lore.

However, true Brewers fans know that with 41 homers in the 1980 season, Oglivie led all American League hitters. He drove in 118 runs and held an OPS of .925, which was just one point lower than Cooper’s and higher than Yount's, Don Money's, and Paul Molitor's. Another reason that some might be soon to forget Oglivie's silver bat is that 1980 was the first year that the award was handed out, meaning fans in 1980 didn't give the same weight to the Silver Slugger Award that fans of today's game do. Nowadays, taking home a Silver Slugger Award is a huge honor, but back in the year of the award's inception, the silver bat held far less meaning because there was no history behind it.

2. DH Dave Parker (1990)

No one should be surprised that Dave Parker took home a Silver Slugger Award. The long-time slugging outfielder, who sadly passed away earlier this year, had a Hall of Fame career that included an MVP, seven All-Star Game appearances, and two World Series titles. However, most forget that for one year, in the penultimate season of his career, Parker was a Milwaukee Brewer, and a darn good one at that. Despite being 39 years old and relegated to a full-time designated hitter role, Parker slugged 21 homers, 30 doubles, and drove in 92 runs.

Not only was Parker a Silver Slugger and an All-Star in 1990, but he also finished 16th in MVP voting. It's a minor chapter in what was otherwise an incredible career for Parker, his time in Milwaukee, but it led to the long-time Pittsburgh Pirate's third Silver Slugger Award and provided a bright spot in what was otherwise a rough time in Brewers' history.

3. OF Carlos Lee (2005)

Similar to Parker, most don't remember the slugging Carlos Lee as a Milwaukee Brewer. Flanked by a long stint with the Chicago White Sox to begin his career and a six-year stint with the Houston Astros (including a half season in Miami) to end his career, Lee spent a season and a half with the Brew Crew in 2005 and 2006. During his lone full season in Milwaukee, Lee crushed 31 homers and 41 doubles while collecting an impressive 114 RBI.

He not only earned his first Silver Slugger Award of his career but also was named to his first All-Star Game, something that would happen twice more in Lee's career. Something else you may have forgotten about Carlos Lee's time in Milwaukee: the Brewers parted with fan-favorite Scott Podsednik to acquire him from the White Sox and acquired Nelson Cruz and Francisco Cordero when they sent Lee to the Texas Rangers halfway through the 2006 season. All in all, that's a pretty consequential stint with the Brewers despite Lee playing just 264 games in a Brewers uniform.

4. SP Yovani Gallardo (2010)

You would be quickly forgiven if you forgot that a Brewers pitcher won a Silver Slugger Award. After all, with the implementation of the universal designated hitter in 2022 came the eradication of the starting pitcher Silver Slugger Award. As such, the only Brewers' pitcher to have won or that will ever win a Silver Slugger (unless they acquire an Ohtani-esque player in the future) is long-time ace Yovani Gallardo.

Most Brewers fans remember Yovani’s impressive abilities at the plate, but his excellence on the bump could, and should, outshine what he did offensively in his limited opportunities. After all, you wouldn't receive much resistance if you claimed that Gallardo belongs on the Mount Rushmore of Brewers starting pitchers for his eight impressive seasons in Milwaukee. That said, back in 2010, Yovani had an offensive performance to remember. In just 72 plate appearances, Gallardo crushed four homers and four doubles, driving in 10 runs in the process. Though it is obviously a small sample size, Gallardo's performance was good enough for an OPS of .837, making him the clear choice for the Silver Slugger Award back in 2010, though Dan Haren might have something to say about that.