Milwaukee Brewers - The Reagan Years (1980-1989)

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1980

Decade

1980

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Titles:

Top Brewers Players of the Eighties

1981 - AL East Half (Lost to Yankees in Division playoffs)

1982 - AL Champs (Beat Angels in ALCS, Lost to Cards in World Series)

Pitchers:

Teddy Higuera (29.04) - 53

Ballpark:

Moose Haas (13.74) - 41

Milwaukee County Stadium

Mike Caldwell (4.32) - 36

Dan Plesac (9.98) - 28

Team Name:

Chris Bosio (8.86) - 23

Brewers

Rollie Fingers (7.9) - 22

Pete Vukovich (5.08) - 20

Owner:

Don Sutton (5.38) - 17

Bud Selig

Bill Wegman (6.53) - 17

Juan Nieves (3.45) - 15

General Managers:

Bob McClure (4.63) - 14

Harry Dalton

Jim Slaton (1.43) - 13

Chuck Crim (7.04) - 12

Managers:

Tom Tellman (4.05) - 7

George Bamberger (1980, 1985-1986)

Danny Darwin (5.56) - 7

Buck Rogers (1980-1982)

Catchers:

Harvey Kuenn (1982-1983)

Ted Simmons (6.06) - 29

Rene Lachemann (1984)

Charlie Moore (6.02) - 18

Tom Trebelhorn (1986-1989)

BJ Surhoff (3.77) - 15

Jim Sundberg (3.14) - 9

Hall of Famers:

Paul Molitor

First Basemen:

Robin Yount

Cecil Cooper (21.32) - 58

Ted Simmons

Greg Brock (3.15) - 15

Rollie Fingers

Don Sutton

Second Basemen:

Jim Gantner (17.94) - 42

Rookie of the Year:

None

ShortStop:

Robin Yount (55.3) - 116

MVP

Dale Sveum (0.02) - 12

Rollie Fingers (1981)

Third Base:

Robin Yount (1982)

Paul Molitor (38.32) - 91

Robin Yount (1989)

Don Money (3.73) - 5

No Hitters:

Outfield:

Juan Nieves (1987)

Ben Oglivie (14.38) - 53

Gorman Thomas (10.25) - 31

Cy Young:

Rob Deer (5.8) - 25

Rollie Fingers (1981)

Glenn Braggs (1.66) - 14

Pete Vukovich (1982)

Mike Felder (0.72) - 13

Notable Events:

1980 - Milwaukee moves into the Eighties as one of the top teams in baseball,

1985 - Rookie lefthander Teddy Higuera, 27, bursts onto the scene.

coming off ninety win seasons in '78 and 79. The team can flat out hit and is

He becomes the ace of the staff thru the end of the decade and is one of the

poised to do some damage moving forward. The pitching, on the other hand,

top pitchers in baseball .Higuera had been purchased from

is OK, but is not nearly at the level of the hitting. The top players:

the Mexican League

□ C - Charlie Moore, 27

□ 1B - Cecil Cooper, 30

1986 - The Brewers add two more excellent rookie pitchers in lefty

□ 2B - Paul Molitor, 23 - future HOF

Juan Nieves, 21, and righty Bill Wegman, 23. Milwaukee, who spent

□ SS - Robin Yount, 24, - future HOF

money in those days, outbid a number of teams for Puerto Rican

□ 3B - Jim Gantner, 27

phenom Nieves, Wegman, a fifth round pick in the '81 draft, altho' not

□ LF - Ben Oglivie, 31

in Nieves' class, is nonetheless, an excellent prospect in his own right.

□ CF - Gorman Thomas, 29

□ RF - Sixto Lezcano, 28

1986 - Outfielder Rob Deer, 25, is obtained from the Giants for two minor

□ DH - Don Money, 33

leaguers. He takes over Gorman Thomas's home run or nothing mantle

□ Righty - Moose Haas, 24

for the Brewers.

□ Righty - Lary Sorensen, 24

□ Lefty - Mike Caldwell, 31

1986 - Righthander Chris Bosio, 23, is a rookie. He was a second round

□ Lefty - Bill Travers, 27

pick in the 1982 draft

□ Lefty Reliever - Bob McClure, 28

1986 - Fireballing lefty reliever Dan Plesac, 24, is a rookie. He was a first

1980 - Milwaukee is the top slugging team in baseball, leading the majors with

round pick in the 1983 draft

774 runs and 203 homers. However, spotty pitching holds them back to third place.

1986 - OF Greg Vaughn, 20, is the fourth overall pick in the draft

1981 - The Brewers execute a blockbuster deal with the Cards adding Rollie

He comes up as a rookie in '89.

Fingers, 34, Pete Vukovich, 28, and Ted Simmons, 31. Fingers and Vukovich

would be the next two Cy Young award winners. This deal gave Milwaukee

1986 - SS Gary Sheffield, 17, is the sixth overall pick in the draft

the shot in the arm (so to speak) that they needed to get to the next level.

He comes up as a rookie in '88.

1981 - Milwaukee wins the second half East title in the strike invoked split season,

1987 - Behind their young, talented ptichers Higuera, Nieves, Bosio,

but lose to the Yanks in the Division series

Plesac and Wegman, the Brewers gain fourteen games in the

standings and contend while finishing third with 91 wins.

1982 - The Brewers win their Division, beat the Angels in the ALCS and then lose

GM Harry Dalton has done a good job of retooling the club

to the Cards in the World Series.

in a short period of time. His drafting has been sublime.

1983 - 2.4 million fans come to watch the Brewers play and finish fifth with 87 wins.

1987 - Juan Nieves tosses a no-hitter.

1984 - The run of winning is over. The team gets old. Seven starters are in their

1988 - OF Darryl Hamilton, 23, is a rookie. He was an 11th round pick in '86.

mid thirties or older: C- Jim Sundberg; DH - Ted Simmons; 1B - Cecil Cooper;

OF - Ben Oglivie; Pitchers - Don Sutton, Mike Caldwell, Rollie Fingers. Plus

1988 - Juan Nieves inures his arm and his career is over at age twenty three.

there's several other guys in their early thirties, as well.

The Brewers slip back a bit in the standings as a result.

1985 - Catcher BJ Surhoff, 20, is the first overall pick of the draft.

1989 - Righty Jaime Navarro, 22, is a rookie. He was a third round pick

He comes up as a rookie in '87

in the '87 draft.