Milwaukee Brewers All-Time Team

Hollywood Sucks, I'm moving to Wisconsin....

Let's visit Old Milwaukee for a look at the Brewers All-Time team.

 

County Stadium was the site of three World Series - the first(and only) pennant-winning Brewers squad lost to the Cardinals in 1982, while the Milwaukee Braves and New York Yankees played back-to-back fall classics here, in 1957 and 1958.

Phil Garner was one of only two All-Time team managers who didn't lead his team to the playoffs. Felipe Alou is now alone on that list, as Craig Counsell takes over as skipper of this squad.

Here's the lineup Garner left for him:

Looks good at first glance, but an imbalance on the bench could lead to some shuffling.

Dave Nilsson is an adequate backup, but Jim Gantner was below average over his 1,801 games with Milwaukee.

	Brewers stats	WAR	HR	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
	*Dave Nilsson	10.6	105	0.282	0.351	0.449	0.801	106
	Charlie Moore	10.5	42	0.262	0.320	0.355	0.675	89
	Brewers stats	WAR	HR	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
	*Rickie Weeks	12.4	148	0.249	0.347	0.424	0.771	105
	Jim Gantner	22.4	47	0.274	0.319	0.351	0.671	88

Unfortunately for Counsell, all of the Brewers' best available bats are outfielders or third basemen.

If only there was some way to get Don Money and Jeff Cirillo on the roster...

	Brewers stats	WAR	HR	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
	*Don Money	28.4	134	0.270	0.338	0.421	0.760	114
	Jeff Cirillo	26.2	73	0.307	0.383	0.449	0.831	113

Sixto Lezcano is safe as the reserve right fielder, but Ben Oglivie and Geoff Jenkins are neck-and-neck.

	Brewers stats	WAR	HR	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
	*Ben Oglivie	21.5	176	0.277	0.345	0.461	0.806	124
	Geoff Jenkins	22.1	212	0.277	0.347	0.496	0.843	116
	*Sixto Lezcano	19.0	102	0.275	0.354	0.452	0.805	125
	Corey Hart	15.5	154	0.276	0.334	0.491	0.824	116

If Craig Counsell wanted to get crazy, he could move Paul Molitor to second base and play Cirillo - the Brewers' all-time leader in career batting average - at third base. Or he could DH Molitor, but that would push Prince Fielder to first and Cecil Cooper would have to sit on the bench.

Either way, Jim Gantner has to go. Jeff Cirillo makes the team... somewhere.

 

The Brewers didn't develop many star pitchers over the franchise's first fifty years. Thankfully, help is finally here.

Brandon Woodruff and Corbin Burnes are now eligible, and their ceilings are higher than any Milwaukee starter save for Ben Sheets. But have they pitched enough to reach this All-Time roster?

	Brewers stats	WAR	ERA	ERA+	K/BB	WHIP	starts
	*Chris Bosio	18.6	3.76	107	2.59	1.238	163
	*Mike Caldwell	17.3	3.74	103	1.53	1.284	217
	Brandon Woodruff	14.8	3.14	135	4.43	1.066	106
	Corbin Burnes	9.9	3.26	128	4.62	1.054	80

It's a thin line between Woodruff and Burnes - who has already indicated he isn't long for this franchise. Like with Gantner, longevity isn't enough to save Caldwell from getting cut. Woodruff will slot in as the #3 starter, ahead of Bosio and Gallardo.


Craig Counsell is licking his chops at the big boost to the Brewers' relief corps.

I knew almost immediately that the wrong Bob was on the roster, and that Wickman belonged here - not with the Barnstormers. He's not the only new closer Counsell can count on:

Hader in the house! He's no longer a Brewer but Josh lasted long enough to earn a spot at the back end of this bullpen.

	Brewers stats	SV	ERA	ERA+	K/BB	WHIP
	*Bob McClure	34	3.97	99	1.37	1.423
	*Chuck Crim	42	3.47	118	1.66	1.314
	Bob Wickman	79	3.20	143	1.80	1.397
	Josh Hader	125	2.48	172	4.58	0.882

Chuck Crim was much more serviceable than McClure, but this Brew Crew bullpen is going beast mode. They might have even more help on the horizon; the team's current closer Devin Williams is picking up right where Hader left off.

Corbin Burnes could crack this roster if he decides to stay in Wisconsin. And Christian Yelich could blow past Oglivie and Jenkins if he can come anywhere close to repeating his MVP campaign.

TL; DR: Five(!) changes from the original roster: Gantner, Caldwell, Crim, McClure, and Garner out. Cirillo, Woodruff, Wickman, Hader, and Counsell in.

We'll wrap up the National League Central this weekend with the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals.



Thanks for reading!



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Cincinnati Reds All-Time Team

Cincinnati might be Bengal country now, but the Reds franchise has called the Queen City home for over 140 years. Where are you gonna go?

How about Riverfront Stadium, where the Reds won five pennants and three World Series from 1970 to 1990.

Hall of Fame manager Bill McKechnie might not be a household name to most baseball fans, but the names in Cincy's All-Time starting lineup surely are.

No changes necessary here. How about the reserves?

Four more Hall of Famers on the bench. There's room for improvement, however. Cincy doesn't have a natural third baseman- which they might need more than a backup for Joe Morgan.

	Reds stats	WAR	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
	*Bid McPhee	52.5	0.272	0.355	0.373	0.728	107
	Heinie Groh	40.7	0.298	0.378	0.394	0.772	130

It's tempting to go with Groh here, and McPhee's best asset is his speed (which, again, Morgan has covered.)  Let's come back to this.

	Reds stats	WAR	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
	*Eric Davis	30.6	0.271	0.367	0.510	0.877	137
	*Vada Pinson	47.7	0.297	0.341	0.469	0.810	119
	Ken Griffey Sr.	25.4	0.303	0.370	0.434	0.804	123

Ken Griffey was in camp to compete for a fifth outfielder spot, but the incumbents stay in place.

Huge shout-out to Gregory at Nine Pockets for the Noddles Hahn custom

The Reds' rotation is one of the weakest in this series, and upgrading options are limited. If Luis Castillo had stayed longer, he'd have a real shot at the fifth starter role.

	Reds stats	WAR	ERA	ERA+	K/BB	WHIP
	*Dolf Luque	38.2	3.09	121	1.28	1.265
	Mario Soto	26.8	3.47	108	2.21	1.186
	Bucky Walters	37.8	2.93	124	1.09	1.251
	Eppa Rixey	40.9	3.33	118	1.09	1.286
	Luis Castillo	18.0	3.62	126	3.00	1.204

Instead it's a two-man battle between Dolf Luque and Bucky Walters, the 1939 National League MVP.


McKechnie has a little more to work with in his relief crew, around Aroldis Chapman and the "Nasty Boys".

I really tried to use as many relievers from the pre-specialization days as possible, but their numbers rarely compare favorably to more recent relief pitchers.

		SV	ERA	ERA+	K/BB	WHIP	Games
	*Pedro Borbon	76	3.32	107	1.65	1.289	531
	*Scott Williamson	54	2.93	155	2.10	1.266	217
	Raisel Iglesias	106	3.15	138	3.63	1.122	274

Borbon wasn't nearly as dominant as Williamson, but look at that number on the right. 217 games is likely the lowest number of anyone on any All-Time team.

Backup infielder and fifth starter aren't significant enough upgrades to make a change. But Raisel Iglesias has to get in this bullpen somehow. Scott Williamson's brief-but-dominant stay in Cincinnati isn't long enough to stay here. 

Looking ahead, the Reds signed starter Hunter Greene to a six-year extension after just one year with the big club. He'll certainly stick around long enough to compete for a spot in a very thin All-Time rotation. Fellow first-rounders Nick Lodolo (starting pitcher) and Jonathan India (middle infield) are possibilities as well.

TL; DR: One change from the original roster.Williamson out, Iglesias in.

 

No, not Fluffy :p

Come back Thursday for our next All-Time Team, the Milwaukee Brewers.

 

 

Thanks for reading!

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Chicago Cubs All-Time Team

We're back with the second half of The Collector's All-Time Teams series. Let's visit historic Wrigley Field in scenic Chicago, Illinois for a look the Cubs' All-Time roster:

Wrigley has hosted six World Series in its storied history, including 2016 when the Cubs broke their century-long curse with a victory over Cleveland.

Charlie Grimm skippered the Cubs to three National League pennants from 1932-1945. Only one man has managed more games for the Northsiders than Grimm has, and it's the first baseman in this All-Time lineup.

No it's not Mark Grace, who has some competition at DH with another first baseman.

	Cubs stats	WAR	HR	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
	*Mark Grace	44.2	148	0.308	0.386	0.445	0.832	122
	Anthony Rizzo	36.7	242	0.272	0.372	0.489	0.861	130

The Cubs are going to need some pop off the bench, so Grimm sticks with Grace and gives Anthony Rizzo a chance to compete with some small-ball stars.

Rizzo's 242 homers as a Cub are more than King Kelly, Billy Herman, Stan Hack, and Kiki Cuyler combined. And there are more high-average, low-power hitters in the mix for Chicago's infield.

	Cubs stats	WAR	HR	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
	Frank Chance	45.9	20	0.297	0.394	0.395	0.789	136
	*Billy Herman	42.0	37	0.309	0.366	0.417	0.782	112
	Bill Dahlen	34.0	57	0.299	0.384	0.449	0.834	123
	*Stan Hack	55.5	57	0.301	0.394	0.397	0.791	119

That would be a pretty good infield on its own, but only two can make the team. If Rizzo isn't one of them, perhaps Charlie Grimm can add some power in the outfield.

	Cubs stats	WAR	HR	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
	*Jimmy Ryan	35.9	99	0.308	0.377	0.447	0.824	125
	Bill Nicholson	38.4	205	0.272	0.368	0.471	0.840	136
	George Gore	28.6	24	0.315	0.386	0.434	0.820	151

Herman and Hack are both bumped off the roster; Bill Dahlen earns a spot while Bill Nicholson just misses. The Cubs will carry three first basemen.


On the mound, Chicago has a tough call: keep a Hall of Fame hurler who probably belongs with the Braves, or let him go in favor of a longer-tenured ace with the second-highest pitcher WAR in team history?

Nope, not Greg Maddux; we've established why he's here. John Clarkson pitched the minimum four seasons with this franchise versus five for the Boston Beaneaters(who became the Braves). Is that enough to hold off a charge from "Big Daddy" Rick Reuschel?

	Cubs stats	WAR	ERA	ERA+	K/BB	WHIP	starts
	*John Clarkson	36.8	2.39	151	3.20	1.053	199
	*Hippo Vaughn	40.0	2.33	125	1.83	1.169	270
	Rick Reuschel	48.3	3.50	113	2.14	1.312	343
	Jake Arrieta	17.9	3.14	129	3.06	1.104	148

Reuschel might be more 'Cub' than Clarkson but the 19th-century star was undoubtedly more effective.

Grimm gets a chance to improve his bullpen with an overlooked(by me) middle reliever.

		SV	ERA	ERA+	K/BB	WHIP	Games
	*Don Elston	64	3.70	106	1.58	1.362	449
	*Carlos Marmol	117	3.50	124	1.92	1.329	483
	*Hector Rondon	77	3.22	124	3.65	1.127	296
	Pedro Strop	29	2.88	142	2.87	1.053	413

Don Elston was an All-Star (twice) in 1959, but he can't stop Strop in this competition.

Looking ahead...and not seeing much. There aren't any current Cubs who are on an All-Time trajectory. Maybe Pete Crow-Armstrong will pan out as their next franchise player, but he's just getting his feet wet in double-A. Maybe Cody Bellinger returns to MVP form and sticks around long enough to qualify. Which is more likely? Let me know what you think in comments.

TL; DR: Three changes from the original roster. Herman, Hack, and Elston out. Rizzo, Dahlen, and Strop in. 

 

Come back tomorrow for our next All-Time Team, the Cincinnati Reds.

 

Thanks for reading!

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