Former Brewer Spotlight: Richie Sexson

Former Brewers’ first baseman, Richie Sexson, graced the 2025 team with his presence last week, making it the perfect time to reminisce on the career of the 2x All-Star.

As documented on Baseball Reference, the Brewers acquired Sexson, a player to be named later (PTBNL), Kane Davis, and Paul Rigdon from Cleveland for pitchers Jason Bere, Bob Wickman, and Steve Woodard at the trade deadline of the 2000 season. Bere was a former All-Star and Rookie of the Year runner-up who never panned out for either Milwaukee nor Cleveland. Woodard posted ERAs of 5.67 and 5.20 in parts of two seasons with Cleveland. But Wickman, who was an All-Star in 2000 before being traded by the Brewers, was the real prize in Cleveland’s return. A Green Bay native and graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Wickman served as Cleveland’s closer from the time he arrived in 2000 until 2006 when he was traded to Atlanta. Wickman made another All-Star game with Cleveland in 2005, a season in which he saved 45 games and even earned multiple MVP votes.

As for the Brewers’ return, Davis and Rigdon were unproductive in their short stints with the Crew, while the PTBNL ended up being Marco Scutaro, who posted a solid 22.1 wins above replacement (WAR) in 13 career seasons. Unfortunately for the Brewers, they released Scutaro before he made his MLB debut. Therefore, the deal essentially ended up as a Wickman for Sexson swap, which is actually a pretty even trade.

Sexson injects life into a struggling Brewers ball club

Serving as a much-needed spark plug for an organization that hadn't made the playoffs in 17 seasons, Sexson hit 14 HR and collected 2.1 WAR in just 57 games during the second half of the 2000 season. Despite finishing the season with an overall record of 73-89, the Brewers posted a winning record in their 59 games following the acquisition of Sexson.

Sexson's biggest Brewers moment came on Opening Day of the 2001 season. The Brewers, who moved into their brand-new ballpark, Miller Park, during the offseason, found themselves in a 4-4 tie with the Cincinnati Reds in the bottom of the eighth inning. Facing left-handed reliever Denny Reyes, Sexson sent a towering fly ball into the bleachers in left field, giving the Crew a 5-4 lead, which is how the game would eventually end.

That was just the beginning for Sexson, who would go on to hit 119 HR for the Brewers during the next three seasons, posting an impressive .533 slugging percentage while manning the cold corner. He earned All-Star honors in both the 2002 and 2003 season, and to this day, Sexson is one of just 16 Brewers to make back-to-back All-Star games.

Sexson missed just nine games from 2001-03, playing every single game in the 2003 season and finishing 12th in MVP voting. Following his impressive '03 season, Sexson was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for six players: Chris Capuano, Craig Counsell, Chad Moeller, Lyle Overbay, Jorge De La Rosa, and Junior Spivey.

Current Brewer comparison: Rhys Hoskins

While no current Brewer quite has the power that Sexson displayed, current Brewer first-baseman, Rhys Hoskins, comes closest. Sexson played roughly 500 more games than Hoskins has up to this point, but the two have very similar career averages.

Similar to Hoskins, Sexson didn't add much value on the base paths or in the field, but his power alone was enough to keep him in the lineup every day. Sexson remains one of the best Brewers' first basemen of all time, even though he spent just three and a half seasons with the team.