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)

Harvey Kuenn (1982-1983)

Catchers:

Rene Lachemann (1984)

Ted Simmons (6.06) - 29

Tom Trebelhorn (1986-1989)

Charlie Moore (6.02) - 18

BJ Surhoff (3.77) - 15

Hall of Famers:

Jim Sundberg (3.14) - 9

Paul Molitor

Robin Yount

First Basemen:

Ted Simmons

Cecil Cooper (21.32) - 58

Rollie Fingers

Greg Brock (3.15) - 15

Don Sutton

Second Basemen:

Rookie of the Year:

Jim Gantner (17.94) - 42

None

ShortStop:

MVP

Robin Yount (55.3) - 116

Dale Sveum (0.02) - 12

Rollie Fingers (1981)

Robin Yount (1982)

Third Base:

Robin Yount (1989)

Paul Molitor (38.32) - 91

Don Money (3.73) - 5

No Hitters:

Juan Nieves (1987)

Outfield:

Ben Oglivie (14.38) - 53

Cy Young:

Gorman Thomas (10.25) - 31

Rollie Fingers (1981)

Rob Deer (5.8) - 25

Pete Vukovich (1982)

Glenn Braggs (1.66) - 14

Mike Felder (0.72) - 13

Notable Events:

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

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

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

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

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

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

top pitchers in baseball .Higuera had been purchased from

□ C - Charlie Moore, 27

the Mexican League

□ 1B - Cecil Cooper, 30

□ 2B - Paul Molitor, 23 - future HOF

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

□ SS - Robin Yount, 24, - future HOF

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

□ 3B - Jim Gantner, 27

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

□ LF - Ben Oglivie, 31

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

□ CF - Gorman Thomas, 29

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

□ RF - Sixto Lezcano, 28

□ DH - Don Money, 33

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

□ Righty - Moose Haas, 24

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

□ Righty - Lary Sorensen, 24

for the Brewers.

□ Lefty - Mike Caldwell, 31

□ Lefty - Bill Travers, 27

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

□ Lefty Reliever - Bob McClure, 28

pick in the 1982 draft

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

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

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

round pick in the 1983 draft

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

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

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

He comes up as a rookie in '89.

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

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

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

He comes up as a rookie in '88.

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

but lose to the Yanks in the Division series

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

Plesac and Wegman, the Brewers gain fourteen games in the

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

standings and contend while finishing third with 91 wins.

to the Cards in the World Series.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

He comes up as a rookie in '87

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

in the '87 draft.