The best stat to determine a player’s worth is WAR–wins above replacement–an analytical metric that was not available until relatively recently. The formula for WAR differs for position players and pitchers, and I’ll lay it out in layman’s terms. WAR uses every aspect of the game– batting, baserunning, and fielding, factors in position and ballpark and determines how many wins better than a league average player an individual player might be. Using WAR to help us rank them, let’s look at the top 24 players in the history of the Milwaukee Brewers franchise.The most accomplished player in the history of the Milwaukee Brewers is certainly Robin Yount, who spent his entire 20-year career with the organization. The Danville, IL native was an accomplished shortstop for the first half of his career before the Brew Crew moved him to center field, but wherever he lined up defensively, Yount was easily the team’s most dangerous offensive player. In 2,856 games with Milwaukee, he slashed .285/.342/.430 with 251 homers, 1,406 RBI, 583 doubles, 126 triples, and 271 stolen bases. Yount was the MVP of the American League in both 1982 and 1989, earned three Silver Slugger awards, won a Gold Glove, and played in three all-star games. He’s the franchise’s all-time leader in nearly every discernible offensive category other than home runs, and the Brewers retired his number 19 for good in 1999. Yount was inducted into the Hall of Fame the same year.
