MLB Top 5: Milwaukee Brewers Outfielders

This is the fourth article in a series that looks at the five best players at each position for the Milwaukee Brewers. In this installment are the outfielders.

Each of the outfield positions for the Milwaukee Brewers features a talented starter and a capable backup. However, the talent drops off at two of the three spots, with only left field sporting an All-Star throughout the top five.

The Best Outfielders in Milwaukee Brewers History

Left Fielders

Honorable Mentions – John Briggs spent his first eight seasons with the Phillies before being traded to the Brewers. He played five seasons in Milwaukee (1971-75), with his best coming in 1974, when he batted .254 with 72 runs, 17 home runs and career-best totals of 140 hits, 30 doubles and 73 RBIs while also leading American League left fielders in putouts.

Briggs was traded to the Twins in 1975 and requested his release after one season so he could play in Japan. When he returned to the U. S., he played semipro ball, worked as a corrections officer in New Jersey for 25 years and was the recreation supervisor in his hometown of Patterson.

During Geoff Jenkins’ two years in right field, his spot on the left side was manned by Carlos Lee, a slugger who was coming off five straight 20-homer seasons with the White Sox. He earned his first All-Star selection and silver slugger in 2005 after batting .265 with 42 home runs and 114 runs batted in. Lee was an All-Star again the following year, posting a .286-28-81 stat line in 102 games before he was sent to the Rangers at the trade deadline. His power continued after signing with the Astros but slowly declined until he retired after finishing the 2012 season with the Marlins.

5. Greg Vaughn – He is another in a long line of prodigious power hitters to play for the Brewers. Although he played well after the “Bambi’s Bombers” and “Harvey’s Wallbangers” teams of the 1970s and 80s, Vaughn would have fit right in with those lineups. He hit 20 or more home runs four times in eight seasons in Milwaukee (1989-96) and earned two All-Star selections.

Vaughn was drafted five times in three years before landing with the Brewers with the fourth overall pick in 1986. He batted .267 with 97 runs, 30 homers and 97 runs batted in during the 1993 season. Vaughn was an All-Star for the second time three years later, when he blasted 31 home runs and drove in 95 runs in 102 games before he was traded to the Padres. He ranked eighth in franchise history with 169 home runs, was tenth with 566 RBIs, and he also had 799 hits and 1,490 total bases in 903 games with the Brewers.

Vaughn finished in the top five of the MVP voting in 1998 after posting career bests with a .272 average, 50 home runs and 119 RBIs, and he helped San Diego reach the World Series. He repeated his fourth-place MVP ranking the following year when blasted 45 homers and drove in 118 runs for the Reds. Vaughn played three seasons with the Devil Rays and one with the Rockies before wrapping up his career in 2003.

4. Geoff Jenkins – He was drafted ninth overall by the Brewers in 1995 and had a 10-year major league career in Milwaukee (1998-2007). Jenkins hit 20 or more home runs seven times in that span, including 2000, when he batted .303, hit a career-best 34 homers and drove in 94 runs. Three years later, he hit 28 home runs and had a career-high 95 RBIs in his only All-Star season.

Jenkins spent two years in right field before returning to the left side for his final season with the Brewers. He batted .277 and ranks third in franchise history in strikeouts (1,118), fourth in home runs (212), fifth in doubles (287), RBIs (704) and total bases (2,188), sixth in hits (1,221) and seventh in games (1,234) and runs (661). Jenkins also won two fielding titles, led the league in assists and double plays twice and putouts once as a left fielder and topped the N. L. in putouts and double plays as a right fielder in 2005.

Jenkins signed with the Phillies as a free agent in 2008 and was a reserve on a team that beat Tampa Bay to win its first World Series since 1980. He was released by Philadelphia after the season and signed a one-day contract to retire as a Brewer in July 2010.

3. Ben Oglivie – He spent the early part of his career mostly as a platoon player with the Red Sox and Tigers before being traded to the Brewers. The move did wonders for Oglivie, as hie batted .303 his first year and hit 29 home runs in his second. In 1980, he earned his first All-Star selection and only silver slugger after setting career highs with a .304 average, 94 runs, 180 hits, 118 runs batted in, 333 total bases and 41 home runs, which also led the American League.

Oglivie hit 34 homers and drove in 102 runs in 1982, then hit a clutch home run in Game 5 of the ALCS against the Angels (which the Brewers won to become the first team to win a five-game series after losing the first two) and Game 7 of the World Series against the Cardinals. He had five runs, 11 hits and three RBIs in 16 career postseason games.

The Panama-born Oglivie made one more All-Star team in 1983 and played with the Brewers until 1986. He batted .277 with 194 doubles, and he ranks sixth in franchise history in RBIs (685), seventh in home runs (176) and total bases (1,908), eighth in hits (1,144), ninth in games (1,149) and tenth in runs (567). “Gentle Ben” played two years in Japan, the spent his post-playing career coaching in the Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Tampa Bay and Detroit organizations.

2. Christian Yelich – The Brewers sent four players to the Marlins for him before the 2018 season and he has been well worth the investment. Yelich was the National League MVP in his first season in Milwaukee, leading the league with a .326 average, a .598 slugging percent and 343 total bases, hitting 36 home runs and setting career highs with 118 runs, 187 hits and 110 runs batted in.

The following year, Yelich earned his second straight All-Star and silver slugger honors and was the MVP runner-up after driving in 97 runs, and setting career highs with 44 home runs, a .329 average (for his second straight batting title), a .429 on-base percentage and .671 slugging percentage (which also set a team record).

Yelich has dealt with back issues in recent years and his numbers have dipped a bit. However, he is still an asset to the Brewers. In six seasons with Milwaukee (2018-present), Yelich has a .282 average, 532 runs, 786 hits, 148 doubles, 134 home runs, 413 RBIs and 1,372 total bases in 750 games. He also ranks third in franchise history with a .382 on-base percentage and is tied for ninth with 112 stolen bases.

In the postseason, Yelich had 10 runs, 16 hits, three doubles, two home runs and three RBIs in 18 games. He started all seven games in the 2018 NLCS against the Dodgers, hitting a homer and amassing five hits.

1. Ryan Braun – Like Jenkins before him, Braun spent all of his Brewers tenure in left field except for a two-year stint in right. Drafted fifth overall in 2005 as a shortstop, Braun moved to third base for his first season in Milwaukee and won the Rookie of the Year Award in 2007 after posting a .324-34-97 stat line. He also spent the first few years of his career forming the “1-2 Punch” with first baseman Prince Fielder.

In 14 seasons with the Brewers (2007-20), Braun bashed 20 or more home runs 10 times, including a league-leading 41 in 2012 (when he also had N. L. best totals of 108 runs and 356 total bases, which tied for second in team history). From 2008-12, he earned five straight All-Star selections and silver sluggers, posted at least 25 homers and 100 RBIs each year, and hit better than .300 and scored at least 100 runs four times each in that span.

Although he led the league with 203 hits in 2009, Braun had his best campaign two years later, when he won the MVP Award after batting .332 with 109 runs, 187 hits, 33 home runs, 111 RBIs and 33 stolen bases. He was the MVP runner-up and joined the 30-30 club for a second straight year in 2012 after swiping 30 bases. Braun was an All-Star again in 2015 and hit 30 home runs the following year.

Braun is the all-time franchise leader in home runs (352) and strikeouts (1,363). He ranks second in doubles (408), RBIs (1,154) and total bases (3,525), third in runs (1,080), hits (1,963), triples (49), stolen bases (216) and walks (586), fourth in games (1,766) and fifth in average (.296). Braun was talented in the field as well, winning three fielding titles and leading National League left fielders in putouts four times and double plays three times.

In the playoffs, Braun appeared in 27 games, amassing nine runs, 35 hits, 11 doubles two home runs and 16 runs batted in. He totaled 15 hits and 10 RBIs in Milwaukee’s two trips to the NLCS. Braun was a six-time All-Star and a five-time silver slugger during his Brewers tenure.

However, things were not always good for the 2006 MLB Futures Game participant. His MVP award and all his other accomplishments in 2011 were tainted by a drug test with high levels of testosterone. Braun became the first player to successfully win an appeal of a positive test (albeit by the flimsy “improper storage” defense), but his image was tarnished.

Braun wouldn’t be able to stay out of trouble forever. In 2013, baseball began investigating the Biogenesis clinic in South Florida, and records implicated he had dealings with facility, which gave PEDs to several players. Even though the maximum suspension for a failed test was 50 games at the time, Braun was benched for the final 65 games of the regular season plus the playoffs because of his actions during and after the situation two years prior (alleging the test collector tainted the sample because he was either a Cubs fan or anti-Semitic).

Braun retired after not being signed during the 2021 season. Later in his career, he had played three seasons in right field and made occasional starts at first base to make room for Khris Davis and later, Yelich. Braun had several sponsorship deals and business ventures while he was a player, most of which were stopped after the PED scandal. Known as the “Hebrew Hammer,” the all-time home run leader among Jewish players (352) is set to be inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2025.

Center Fielders

Honorable Mentions – Rick Manning came to the Brewers in a trade for another player on this list after spending his first nine seasons with the Indians. The 1976 gold glove winner spent his final five seasons in Milwaukee (1983-87), mostly as a reserve and platoon outfielder. While Manning’s offense was not at the same level it was in Cleveland (296 hits and 122 RBIs in 492 games), he was still solid defensively, leading all American League outfielders in putouts in 1983.

During his final season, Manning had a dubious role in baseball history. Brewers legend Paul Molitor had a 39-game hitting streak but had gone 0-for-4 in the first nine innings of a scoreless game in late August against the Indians. With two runners on, Manning hit a game-winning single, leaving Molitor in the on-deck circle to end the streak. After retiring, Manning became a color commentator for Indians broadcasts in 1990, a role he still holds.

Scott Podsednik was known for his speed during an 11-year career spent with seven teams. He played with the Brewers for just two of those seasons but made an impact. Podsednik finished second in 2003 when he had 43 stolen bases and set career highs with a .314 average, 100 runs, 175 hits and 58 runs batted in. His stats dipped the following year, but he led the league with a career-best 70 steals, a mark that ranks second in team history, and he also topped all A. L. outfielders in putouts. Podsednik earned his only All-Star selection and won a title with the White Sox in 2005. He also spent time with the Rockies, Royals, Dodgers and Red Sox before retiring in 2012.

5. Dave May – He joined the team early in their first season in Milwaukee following a trade from Baltimore after playing in the World Series with the Orioles the year before. May spent a total of six seasons with the Brewers (1970-74 and ’76) and earned his only All-Star selection in 1973, when he set career highs with a .303 average, 96 runs, 189 hits, 25 home runs and 93 runs batted in to go with a league-leading 295 total bases.

Overall, May had 652 hits and 287 RBIs in 717 games. He was traded to the Braves as part of the deal to bring Hank Aaron back to Milwaukee after the 1974 season. After two years with Atlanta and one with Texas, May returned to play 39 games with Milwaukee. He played the last month of the 1978 season with the Pirates and retired after a failed tryout with the Phillies the following year.

May spent his post-playing career as a hitting instructor in the Braves’ system, playing semipro ball in Delaware (and selling furniture on off-days, since the store also ran the team), working as a factory cook and a county recreational sports director before diabetes caused him to have his right leg amputated. May passed away in 2012 at age 68.

4. Lorenzo Cain – He spent his first season with the Brewers and was traded to the Royals as part of a deal that involved Zack Greinke in late 2010. With Kansas City, he was the MVP of the ALCS victory over the Royals in 2014. The following year he was an All-Star and finished third in the MVP voting, then amassed 11 runs, 16 hits, 11 RBIs and six stolen bases in 16 games to help his time win their first title in 30 years. His stolen base in Game 1 of the World Series allowed fans to capitalize on the yearly Taco Bell promotion and earned him the nickname “Crunchwrap.”

Cain returned to Milwaukee as a free agent in 2018 and earned his second All-Star selection that season after setting career highs with a .308 average, 90 runs and 30 steals to go with 166 hits, 10 home runs and 38 RBIs. The following year, he won his only gold glove and his fourth Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award.

Cain batted .273 with 243 runs, 455 hits, 31 home runs and 146 RBIs in 458 games in six seasons with the Brewers (2010 and 18-22) with the Brewers. He signed a one-day contract to retire with the Royals in April 2023.

3. Carlos Gomez – He spent 13 seasons in the majors, but his best years came in Milwaukee, where he played from 2011-15. During that time, Gomez earned two All-Star selections and won a gold glove in 2013, when he tied his career high with a .284 average and 73 runs batted in and set personal bests with 24 home runs and 40 stolen bases. He matched the average and RBI totals the following year while also amassing 23 homers and 34 steals and setting career highs with 95 runs and 163 hits in his second straight All-Star season.

In five seasons with the Brewers, Gomez batted .267 with 364 runs, 622 hits, 122 doubles, 87 home runs, 288 RBIs and 1,055 total bases in 697 games. He ranks fourth in franchise history with 152 stolen bases and tenth with 25 triples. Gomez added three runs, five hits, a home run, two RBIs and two steals in eight games during the 2011 playoffs.

The two-time Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award winner had his most memorable moment without really being aware of it happening. Rumors swirled around the traded deadline in 2015 that Gomez was going to the Mets for infielder Wilmer Flores. News broke of a potential deal during games and Flores had tears in his eyes on the field after he found out. While the trade never happened, everybody involved ended up a winner. Flores hit a game-winning home run a few nights later, the Mets got Yoenis Cespedes at the deadline and went to the World Series (which they lost to Cain and the Royals) and Gomez went to the Astros in a trade the brought lights-out closer Josh Hader to the Brewers.

2. Gorman Thomas – If the Brewers all-time line took the field, he would be the starter at the position, since the player ahead of him has more accolades at another position. Thomas was the first player selected by the expansion Seattle Pilots (21st overall in 1969), and he joined the franchise in Milwaukee in 1973.

Thomas would fit in well in today’s game, since he was a power hitter who did not hit for average and struck out a lot (he led the league twice in that category). He was known for his hustle and Brewers coach Frank Howard gave him the nickname “Stormin’ Gorman.” Thomas had a poor first four seasons, batting just .193 in 297 games, leading to Milwaukee sending him to Triple-A for the entire 1977 season.

After the demotion, Thomas found the power stroke in the majors he always had in the minors (51 home runs in 1974 and 36 three years later). He hit at least 20 homers in each of the next six seasons and led the league twice. In 1979, Thomas led the A. L. with 45 home runs (tied for third-most in team history) and 175 strikeouts, and he hit 38 bombs and topped the circuit by fanning 170 times the following year.

Thomas secured his only career All-Star selection during the strike-shortened 1981 season, hitting 21 home runs in 103 games. He followed that by leading the league with 39 home runs and driving in 112 runs in 1982. In the postseason, Thomas scored three runs, had six hits, homered twice and drove in seven runs in 17 games over those two seasons.

“Stormin’ Gorman” finished his 11-year career in Milwaukee (1973-76, 78-83 and ’86) ranked fifth in franchise history with 208 home runs and eighth with 605 runs batted in. Despite batting just .230, he had 524 runs, 815 hits, 172 doubles and 1,635 total bases in 1,103 games.

Thomas was traded to the Rangers after the 1977 season, then sold back to the Brewers in February, igniting speculation that the “friendship deal” was done with collusion in mind to help the Rangers clear a roster spot for the playoffs while keeping Thomas in Milwaukee. He was traded to Cleveland in the deal also involving Manning, then spent 2½ seasons in Seattle before returning to play 44 games in Milwaukee in 1986.

A fam favorite, Thomas overcame a messy divorce and a few other mistakes after his playing career ended. He was hired by the Brewers as a scout and got involved in team community outreach endeavors and fantasy camps.

1. Robin Yount – His full career was analyzed in his shortstop bio and this article will look only at his eight years in center field (1986-93). After spending 1985 in left field, Yount moved to center. While shoulder issues continued to plague him in his first season at the position, he returned to pre-surgery form. Yount hit .300 or better in four straight years, led the league with 11 triples in 1988 and drove in 100 runs twice.

Although he was never an All-Star as a left fielder, Yount earned his second MVP Award in 1989 and took home his third silver slugger that year after batting .318 with 101 runs, 195 hits, 21 home runs, 103 runs batted in and 314 total bases. He joined Hank Greenberg (first base in 1935 and left field in 1940 with the Tigers) and Stan Musial (right field in 1943 and ’48 and first base in 1946 with the Cardinals) as just the -third player to win an MVP Award at multiple positions (Alex Rodriguez joined them when he won the award in 2003 as a shortstop with the Rangers and in 2005 and ’07 as a third baseman with the Yankees).

Yount batted .286 with 671 runs, 1,286 hits, 234 doubles, 51 triples, 107 home runs, 625 RBIs, 119 stolen bases and 1,943 total bases in 1,185 games at the position, with all but the homers ranking in the top 10 in franchise history even without his shortstop numbers added on. While he didn’t win a gold glove, he won three fielding titles and led American League center fielders in putouts, assists and double plays once each.

Right Fielders

Honorable Mentions – When Carlos Lee signed with the Brewers in 2005, Geoff Jenkins moved from his customary spot in left field for two seasons. His first year, he batted .292 with 25 home runs and 86 runs batted in, and his numbers dropped slightly to a .271-17-70 stat line in 2006. Jenkins returned to the left side for his tenth and final season with the Brewers before ending his career by winning a title with the Phillies in 2008.

Norichika Aoki began his American baseball career with two seasons in Milwaukee. He finished fifth in the Rookie of the Year voting in 2012 after amassing 150 hits and setting career highs with 81 runs, 37 doubles, 10 home runs, 50 runs batted in and 30 stolen bases. The following year, Aoki had a career-best 171 hits and posted a .286-8-37 stat line. After spending time with six other teams in four years, he returned to the Tokyo Yakult Swallows (where he spent his first eight seasons) in 2018. Aoki’s honors in his home country include eight All-Star selections, seven gold gloves, three batting titles and a championship in 2021.

Although he spent most of his career in left field, Ryan Braun had three seasons on the right side (2014-15 and 2020). He earned his sixth and final All-Star selection in 2015 after batting .285 with 25 home runs, 84 RBIs and 24 stolen bases. Braun played 20 games in right field during the COVID-shortened season, then struck out in his only two at-bats in the playoffs and retired in 2021.

Domingo Santana was part of the Josh Hader trade in 2015, coming from Houston to Milwaukee along with the future All-Star closer. He spent four years with the Brewers (2015-18) but had only one season as a full-time starter. Santana batted .278 with 30 home runs, 85 RBIs and 15 steals in 2017, but he also struck out 178 times. He missed most of the 2016 season with shoulder and elbow injuries and was pushed to the bench in 2018 after the Brewers acquired Cain and Yelich. The 2014 MLB Futures Game participant batted .266 with 293 hits, 52 homers and 155 RBIs in 351 games with Milwaukee. Santana spent time with the Mariners and Indians before going to Japan in 2021, winning a Nippon Professional Baseball title as a teammate of Aoki’s in Tokyo in his first season.

Like Braun, Christian Yelich played in left field most of the time but had two solid seasons in right. He played 75 games in right and 90 in left during his 2018 MVP season. Yelich was a full-time right fielder the following year, when he led the league with a .329 average, a .429 on-base percentage and a .671 slugging percentage, set career bests with 44 home runs and 30 stolen bases and added 97 RBIs and 328 total bases. The 2019 season culminated in Yelich’s second All-Star selection, his third silver slugger and an MVP runner-up finish. He returned to the left side in 2020, and he has been there ever since.

5. Charlie Moore – He spent 11 of his 14 seasons with the Brewers as a catcher before moving to right field to make room for Ted Simmons after the franchise-altering trade with the Cardinals. In Moore’s three years in the outfield (1982-84), he batted .264 with 310 hits, 10 home runs and 11 RBIs in 354 games. He was serviceable defensively, leading the A. L. right fielders in fielding percentage and double plays in 1982 and putouts the following year. In the 1982 playoffs, Moore batted .384 (15-for-39) with six runs and two RBIs in 12 games.

Moore’s lack of run production led to a platoon situation in 1984 and he moved back to catcher, when he spent his final seasons. He spent his final season with the Blue Jays in 1987 and worked as a sales representative for a fastener company in Alabama after his playing career.

4. Rob Deer – Like Thomas, he is another player who would fit in today’s game. Deer batted just .229 in five seasons with the Brewers (1986-90) and led the league in strikeouts twice, but he blasted at least 20 home runs each year. He struck out 179 times in 1986 but also set career highs with 33 homers and 86 runs batted in. His 186 whiffs the following year were an American League record at the time (before being passed by Oakland’s Jack Cust in 2008) and rank third in team history.

Deer ranks seventh on the franchise list with 823 strikeouts and he had 346 runs, 535 hits, 137 home runs and 385 RBIs in 667 games. He spent time with the Tigers, Red Sox and Padres, as well as one season in Japan before retiring in 1996. The four-time strikeout leader was a hitting coach in the Padres’ minor league system and was an assistant hitting coach with the Cubs in 2012-13.

3. Sixto Lezcano – Right field for the Brewers was a revolving door of players before Lezcano took over the spot on a full-time basis. Although he never was an All-Star, he was a solid hitter and run producer until his final season. His best year was 1979, when he won his only gold glove and set career highs with a .321 average, 84 runs, 152 hits, 28 home runs and 101 runs batted in.

Lezcano batted .275 with 360 runs, 749 hits, 130 doubles, 102 homers, 374 RBIs and 1,229 total bases in 785 games over seven seasons with Milwaukee (1974-80). Although he was talented on the field, his greatest value was as a trade piece. Lezcano was sent to the Cardinals in the late 1980 deal that brought the Brewers three players who would lead the team to the 1982 World Series, catcher Ted Simmons, starting pitcher Pete Vuckovich and closer Rollie Fingers.

After one year with St. Louis, Lezcano was moved again, this time to San Diego with shortstop Garry Templeton in exchange for future Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith. In 1983, Lezcano was sent to the Phillies in a six-player deal. He retired after spending 1985 with the Pirates and the following year in Japan. Lezcano coached in the Royals and Braves organizations from 1993 to 2010.

2. Jeromy Burnitz – He was originally drafted by the Brewers in the 24th round in 1987 but did not sign. Burnitz instead went to the Mets, who selected him 17th overall three years later. After stints in New York and Cleveland, he was dealt to Milwaukee at the 1996 trade deadline for third baseman Kevin Seitzer.

Burnitz produced at least 25 home runs and 85 RBIs in five straight season, topping 30 homers four times and driving in at least 100 runs on three occasions. He earned MVP consideration twice, including 1998, when he set career highs with 160 hits, 38 home runs and 125 runs batted in and earned his only All-Star selection the following year after posting a .270-33-103 stat line.

A two-time leader in games played at the position, Burnitz ranks ninth in team history with 165 home runs. He also had 467 runs, 714 hits, 163 doubles, 525 RBIs and 1,406 total bases in 782 games over six seasons (1996-2001). Burnitz was sent back to Mets as part of a three-team, 11-player trade in January 2002, and he also played with the Dodgers, Rockies, Cubs and Pirates before retiring in 2006.

1. Corey Hart – He started off as a first baseman before moving to the outfield. The 2002 MLB Futures Game participant was the first in a talented group of Brewers prospects to reach the major leagues and was quickly followed by others such as Braun, Prince Fielder, J.J. Hardy and Richie Weeks. After brief callups in his first two seasons, Hart came to Milwaukee for good in 2006.

Over the next seven years, Hart hit at least 20 home runs five times and drove in more than 80 runs in four seasons. He earned his first All-Star selection in 2018 and another two years later after batting .283 and setting career highs with 31 home runs and 102 runs batted in.

Hart is tied for sixth in franchise history with 33 triples and ranks ninth with 211 doubles. He batted .276 with 529 runs, 950 hits, 154 home runs, 508 RBIs, 83 stolen bases and 1,689 total bases in 945 games. He appeared in 14 playoff games with Milwaukee, totaling six runs, 13 hits, two homers and five RBIs and helping the Brewers reach the NLCS in 2011.

Hart missed the entire 2013 season after undergoing surgery on his left knee, and he spent one year each with the Mariners and Pirates. Issues with both knees forced him to retire in 2017. Now that his playing career is over, he is spending time with his family, managing his son’s Little League team and looking to latch on with a major league coaching staff.