Brewers have had a galaxy of stars

By JERRY TAPP

When it comes to the MLB’s individual year-end awards, the Brewers have had their share of winners … and near-misses

During the 50-plus year history of Brewers baseball in Milwaukee, there has been team success and individual success. The 2019 season was certainly one of those years. The Brewers, as a team, made the playoffs for consecutive seasons for the first time since the 1980s… Christian Yelich almost repeated his National League MVP season of 2018, but finished as the league runner-up in that award… and Craig Counsell for the second consecutive season finished second in the voting for N.L. Manager of the Year Award.

In 2020, a Brewers player took home one of the major awards when first-year reliever Devin Williams won the National League Rookie of the Year honor. Williams also finished tied for 18th in the N.L. MVP balloting, and was a Top Ten finisher in the N.L. Cy Young Award. Corbin Burnes also got some love when he finished sixth in the Cy Young vote. And the team made the playoffs for the third straight year, the first time in team history.

When it comes to the league MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, and Manager of the Year, the Brewers have had familiar names hoist these trophies at the end of a season. Brewers players Rollie Fingers, Robin Yount, Ryan Braun, Pete Vukovich, Pat Listach and the aforementioned Yelich all have their names etched on one (or more) of these end-of-the-year trophies.

Let’s take a look at these four individual awards and see how the Brewers have fared not only in terms of individuals winning the awards, but those who fell just a bit short and those who were at least in the conversation for these honors at years’ end. (The Milwaukee Brewers were in the American League from 1970 to 1997; in the National League from 1998 to today.)

Brewers league MVPs
Winners: Rollie Fingers (1981), Robin Yount (1982), Robin Yount (1989), Ryan Braun (2011), Christian Yelich (2018)

Runner-Up: Ryan Braun (2012), Christian Yelich (2019)

Top Five (3rd through 5th place) finish: Larry Hisle (3rd in 1978), Cecil Cooper (5th in 1980), Cecil Cooper (5th in 1982), Cecil Cooper (5th in 1983), Paul Molitor (5th in 1987), Prince Fielder (3rd in 2007), Ryan Braun (3rd in 2008), Prince Fielder (4th in 2009), Prince Fielder (3rd in 2011), Jonathan Lucroy (4th in 2014)

The Brewers were the first team to have American League MVP and Cy Young Award winners in back-to-back seasons. There have, however, been a handful of times when a team had a different player win the league MVP in three consecutive seasons. In the N.L., the Cincinnati Reds had three different MVPs in consecutive years (Ernie Lombardi, 1938, Bucky Walters, 1939 and Frank McCormick, 1940); the St. Louis Cardinals did it with Mort Cooper, 1942, Stan Musial, 1943 and Marty Marion, 1944. In the A.L., the Yankees did it… 1941-Joe DiMaggio, 1942-Joe Gordon and 1943-Spud Chandler. The last time it happened was in the early 1960s when the Yankees had Roger Maris as league MVP in 1961, Mickey Mantle in 1962 and Elston Howard in 1963.

Robin Yount is one of 31 players who have won the league MVP in more than one season. Barry Bonds tops this list with seven league MVP awards.

The Brewers have had nine different players finish in the Top 5 for a league MVP award. Three Brewers have finished in the league MVP Top 5 three different years: Cecil Cooper (1980, 1982, 1983), Prince Fielder (2007, 2009, 2011) and Ryan Braun (2008, 2011 and 2012).

Brewers league Rookie of the Year recipients
Winners: Pat Listach (1992), Ryan Braun (2007), Devin Williams (2020)

Runner-Up: Bill Parson (1971), Pedro Garcia (1973), Paul Molitor (1978), Teddy Higuera (1985), Scott Podsednik (2003)

Top Five (3rd through 5th place)finish: Darrell Porter (tied for 3rd in 1973), Ernest Riles (3rd in 1985), Don August (4th in 1988), Cal Eldred (4th in 1992), Casey McGehee (5th in 2009), Nori Aoki (5th in 2012)

Of the 43 Brewers players who finished in the Top 5 of the league Rookie of the Year voting, only three of those players played their entire careers with the Brewers. Braun has played all 13 of his MLB seasons with the Brew Crew; Teddy Higuera played all nine of his MLB seasons in Milwaukee; and Don August played only four years in the majors, all with the Brewers. Two Brewers on this rookie list, Scott Podsednik and Nori Aoki, played only two seasons with the Brewers.

There were three seasons where the Brewers placed two players in the Top 5 for the league Rookie of the Year: 1973-Garcia and Porter… 1985-Higuera and Riles… 1992-Listach and Eldred.

Brewers Cy Young winners
Winners: Rollie Fingers (1981), Pete Vukovich (1982)

Runner-Up: Mike Caldwell (1978), Teddy Higuera (1986)

Top Five (3rd through 5th place) finish: Pete Vukovich (4th in 1981), CC Sabathia (5th in 2008)

The Brewers are one of seven teams in history to have two different pitchers win the Cy Young Award in consecutive seasons. The seven: 1962-63,-Koufax/Drysdale (Dodgers), 1977-78-Lyle/Guidry (Yankees), 1979-80-Flanagan/Stone (Orioles), 1981-82-Fingers/Vukovich (Brewers), 1995-96-Maddox/Smoltz (Braves), 1996-97-Hentgen/Clemens (Blue Jays), 2007-08-Sabathia/Lee (Indians).

Sabathia is the only Brewers pitcher to ever finish in the Top 5 in Cy Young voting in the National League. There have been five Brewers pitchers who had Top 10 finishes in the N.L. Cy Young Award: Ben Sheets (tied for 8th in 2004), Yovani Gallardo (7th in 2011), John Axford (tied for 9th in 2011), Jimmy Nelson (tied for 9th in 2017), Josh Hader (7th in 2018).

Brewers Manager of the Year honorees
Winners: None

Runner-Up: Tom Trebelhorn (1987), Phil Garner (1992), Ron Roenicke (2011), Craig Counsell (2018), Craig Counsell (2019)
Top Five (3rd through 5th place) finish: Tom Trebelhorn (4th in 1988), Phil Garner (3rd in 1997), Ned Yost (5th in 2005), Craig Counsell (4th in 2017)

Counsell finished in the Top 5 for Manager of the Year in three straight years, 2017, 2018 and 2019. he finsihed 7th in last year’s voting.

The Brewers and Mets are the only two teams since the Manager of the Year Award was started in 1983 to have never had one of their managers win the award.