Best draft picks in Milwaukee Brewers history

The Major League Baseball draft is unique among professional sports drafts. The 30 organizations pick teenagers and college students who will not join their big league clubs for years—if ever.

These athletes will spend that time honing their craft in the minor leagues, where long bus rides and minuscule paychecks are the norm. A few will move quickly up the ranks, seizing playing time opportunities to advance their careers and making their names known to scouts, fans, and other observers around the country.

Some of the best will become MLB stars, but there's minimal correlation to draft position. Four of the best draft picks nationally were picked after hundreds of other diamond darlings, and only two were #1 overall selections.

There's also more than a handful who didn't do much for the teams that drafted them, including superstars such as Nolan Ryan, Ozzie Smith, and Randy Johnson. Each of these players was traded before they evolved into Hall of Famers.

Still, calling the draft a "crapshoot" might be going too far. College players are "slightly more likely" than high schoolers to reach the revered stadiums of the majors, and third-rounders have a better chance than fifth-rounders, for example, though the margins are slim, as Vice reported. Teams not only make picks based on years-in-advance projections but also whether they can sign players, a step that must be completed before those youngsters begin playing professionally.

To see how clubs have fared since the inaugural draft in 1965, ATS.io compiled a list of the best draft picks in Milwaukee Brewers history using data from Baseball Reference. The players were ranked using career wins above replacement, so not one recent choice was named. Unsigned picks were not considered, and players who were traded as picks were credited to their acquiring teams. Data is as of June 5, 2024.

#25. Darryl Hamilton
- Draft: 269th overall pick in 1986
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,328
- Career stats: 51 home runs, .291 batting average, .746 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 16.7

#24. Dan Plesac
- Draft: 26th overall pick in 1983
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 1,064
- Career stats: 65 wins, 3.64 earned run average, 1.29 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 16.9

#22. Jim Slaton (tie)
- Draft: 357th overall pick in 1969
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 496
- Career stats: 151 wins, 4.03 earned run average, 1.41 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 17.3

#22. Moose Haas (tie)
- Draft: 30th overall pick in 1974
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 266
- Career stats: 100 wins, 4.01 earned run average, 1.30 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 17.3

#21. Brandon Woodruff
- Draft: 326th overall pick in 2014
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 130
- Career stats: 46 wins, 3.1 earned run average, 1.05 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 17.4

#20. Jonathan Lucroy
- Draft: 101st overall pick in 2007
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 1,210
- Career stats: 108 home runs, .274 batting average, .752 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 17.7

#19. Bill Wegman
- Draft: 124th overall pick in 1981
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 262
- Career stats: 81 wins, 4.16 earned run average, 1.29 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 17.8

#18. Mark Loretta
- Draft: 207th overall pick in 1993
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,726
- Career stats: 76 home runs, .295 batting average, .754 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 19.4

#17. Gorman Thomas
- Draft: 21st overall pick in 1969
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,436
- Career stats: 268 home runs, .225 batting average, .772 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 19.8

#16. Ronnie Belliard
- Draft: 207th overall pick in 1994
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,484
- Career stats: 114 home runs, .273 batting average, .753 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 20.7

#15. Geoff Jenkins
- Draft: 9th overall pick in 1995
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,349
- Career stats: 221 home runs, .275 batting average, .834 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 21.9

#14. Yovani Gallardo
- Draft: 46th overall pick in 2004
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 319
- Career stats: 121 wins, 4.06 earned run average, 1.37 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 22.3

#13. Jim Gantner
- Draft: 270th overall pick in 1974
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,801
- Career stats: 47 home runs, .274 batting average, .671 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 22.4

#12. Ben Sheets
- Draft: 10th overall pick in 1999
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 250
- Career stats: 94 wins, 3.78 earned run average, 1.22 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 23.2

#11. Prince Fielder
- Draft: 7th overall pick in 2002
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 1,611
- Career stats: 319 home runs, .283 batting average, .887 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 23.8

#10. J.J. Hardy
- Draft: 56th overall pick in 2001
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,561
- Career stats: 188 home runs, .256 batting average, .714 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 28.1

#9. Michael Brantley
- Draft: 205th overall pick in 2005
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,445
- Career stats: 129 home runs, .298 batting average, .794 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 34.3

#8. B.J. Surhoff
- Draft: 1st overall pick in 1985
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 2,313
- Career stats: 188 home runs, .282 batting average, .745 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 34.4

#7. Jeff Cirillo
- Draft: 286th overall pick in 1991
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 1,617
- Career stats: 112 home runs, .296 batting average, .796 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 34.5

#6. Lorenzo Cain
- Draft: 496th overall pick in 2004
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,171
- Career stats: 87 home runs, .283 batting average, .750 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 38.5

#5. Darrell Porter
- Draft: 4th overall pick in 1970
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 1,782
- Career stats: 188 home runs, .247 batting average, .763 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 40.9

#4. Ryan Braun
- Draft: 5th overall pick in 2005
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 1,766
- Career stats: 352 home runs, .296 batting average, .891 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 47.1

#3. Gary Sheffield
- Draft: 6th overall pick in 1986
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 2,576
- Career stats: 509 home runs, .292 batting average, .907 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 60.5

#2. Paul Molitor
- Draft: 3rd overall pick in 1977
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 2,683
- Career stats: 234 home runs, .306 batting average, .817 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 75.6

#1. Robin Yount
- Draft: 3rd overall pick in 1973
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 2,856
- Career stats: 251 home runs, .285 batting average, .772 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 77.4

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Mike Taylor, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 30 MLB teams.