Brewers history: Fixing MLB Network's All-Time Brewers lineup

For baseball's smallest market, the Milwaukee Brewers have been quite successful since their inaugural season just over 50 years ago. The team has seen multiple MVPs and had numerous Hall of Fame players come through town.

Just last year, two former Brewers were named to the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame: Dave Parker and CC Sabathia. While many may not remember them as Brewers in the long run, they are part of the organization's history and will be honored by the franchise this summer.

As the offseason wears on and spring training approaches, the proverbial hot stove is cooling down, and we have hit the point where analysts start making lists. Things like all-time bests, the best 100 players, where the players stand at each position, and so many more. Earlier this week, MLB Network's Matt Vasgersian and Harold Reynolds were joined by former Brewer Geoff Jenkins, and they compiled their "Franchise Favorites" lineups, which all left a lot to be desired.  You can see their lists below.

Jenkins adds his take on the matter here:

Adding a new submission to the "Franchise Favorites" lineup trend

These aren't the worst lists. It should be noted that these aren't necessarily "All-Time Lineups“; rather, they are just the favorite players of Vasgersian, Reynolds, and Jenkins, but the lineups nevertheless got me thinking about what the best "All-Time Brewers lineup" would be. There are certainly some hits on this list, but yet it just feels off. To Vasgersian's credit, he did cover the team in the late 90s, and his list certainly reflects his time with the organization. Even still, there are some Brewers legends that just have to be included, so let's fix these lineups.

Catcher: Ted Simmons

There certainly was a case to be made here for Jonathan Lucroy or William Contreras. Lucroy was one of the best pitch framers in baseball and a consistent bat for the Brewers in the early 2010s. A 2x All-Star, Lucroy hit for a career .274 average, 108 home runs, and 548 RBI. Unfortunately, a few injuries and some inconsistency during the second half of his career hurt his overall legacy, and he comes up short of my Franchise Favorites list. Contreras is certainly on his way to moving into this top spot, but he is simply too early into his career to warrant the spot.

Ted Simmons was the right choice. "Simba" hit for a career .285 average, hit 248 home runs, and drove in 1,389 RBI. He was selected to eight All-Star teams, two with the Brewers, and selected to the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020. Simmons was an integral part of the 1982 "Harvey's Wallbangers" squad and hit a pair of home runs in the Brewers' World Series loss to his former team.

1st Base: Cecil Cooper

It was a bit of a cop-out by Harold and Matt to list two players in this spot, like a platoon. That felt like a cheap way to get extra names on this list, and I am simply not doing that. Richie Sexson, George Scott, and Prince Fielder certainly all deserve their flowers, but when it comes to an All-Time Brewers lineup, Cecil Cooper gets the nod.

Cooper was a 5x All-Star, won 2 Gold Gloves, 3 Silver Sluggers, and was a 2x RBI leader. This was good for a career .298 batting average, 241 home runs, and 1,125 RBI. This is all pretty incredible and definitely helps his case, but Cooper's defining moment that sets him apart is the hit he had in the 1982 ALCS to give the Brewers the lead in the 7th and ultimately send them to their only World Series appearance.

2nd Base: Jim Gantner

Advantage Vasgersian on this one. Brice Turang is well on his way to earning this spot, and two more years like his 2025 campaign may be enough to give him the nod here. In the meantime, though, Gantner stays in this spot.

Much like Turang, Gantner's defense is what separates him from all others. Gantner has a career 9.9 defensive WAR, which is the best in team history. He led the majors in double plays twice, and once in defensive assists. He has numerous spots where he is in the top five or top ten in team history, including third most games, fifth most hits, runs, and even triples, and the 16th best career batting average.

Shortstop: Robin Yount

Yeah, they both got this one right. I have nothing to add, aside from just paying homage to the greatest Milwaukee Brewer of all time.

3rd Base: Paul Molitor

We can keep this one short. Vasgersian went with Cirillo, likely due to their overlap with the team. Make no mistake about it, Paul Molitor gets the nod here, another all-time great baseball player, not just a Milwaukee Brewer.

Left Field: Ryan Braun

Ryan Braun was the face of the Brewers for nearly a decade, despite the PED suspension. Nobody, outside of maybe Yount and Molitor, has done more for the Brewers in their tenure than Ryan Braun. He was a 6x All-Star, 5x Silver Slugger, and of course, the 2011 NL MVP.

Braun lived for the clutch moment. It seemed like when the game was on the line, in a big spot, it was number 8 at the plate, and the ball tended to leave the yard. "Brauny" is still loved in Milwaukee, the guy who stayed when nearly every teammate he had during the Brewers revival left. Despite missing out on the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame, Braun will end up on these types of lists forever.

Center Field: Lorenzo Cain

Gorman Thomas was a solid runner-up here, known more for the offensive side of the game, and Nyjer Morgan almost made earned this spot based on vibes alone, but Lorenzo Cain earns the nod. Cain had two stints with Milwaukee, bookending an incredible career that saw him selected as an All-Star twice, a World Series champion, an ALCS MVP, and the Gold Glove award in 2019.

Cain was no slouch at the plate. While he may not have had the power numbers of others on this list, he hit for a .283 average and had a career .343 on-base percentage. "LoCain" would be the perfect lead-off hitter or bottom-of-the-order guy to turn over this lineup and the glue of the team.

Right Field: Christian Yelich

Holy 2018 Batman. That's right, the Brewers’ best outfielders all shared the field in 2018 and 2019. One day, Jackson Chourio very well may squeeze into this ranking and force us to get creative with Braun or Yelich and put them into the DH spot, but until then, Yelich gets the spot.

Yelich is a 3x All-Star, 3x Silver Slugger, 2x batting champion, and the 2018 NL MVP. To date, he has a career .285 average, 233 home runs, and 851 RBI. Yelich took over as the "face of the franchise" from Braun and has been a catalyst for the current golden age of Brewers baseball. Where he goes, the team goes. Will Yelich win another MVP? Odds would say no. Does he have a lot in the tank to hopefully get Milwaukee back to a World Series? I certainly think so.

DH: Prince Fielder

Both Vasgersian and Reynolds went with Greg Vaughn in this spot, but they cheated by having two first basemen, and I am not doing that. Fielder was ahead of his time, and had the universal DH rule existed in his early days, the combination of Fielder and Overbay could have been a lot of fun.

Even still, Fielder smashed 319 career home runs and hit for a .283 average, with 1,028 career RBI. Fielder was actually pretty solid defensively, with a career .992 fielding percentage, which is the same as Cooper, but having him as a long-term DH may have helped extend his career even further.