Ryan Braun or Tommy Harper? Prince Fielder or Cecil Cooper? Power or speed? The past or the present?
It all points to one question with hundreds of possibilities: Which Brewer had the greatest offensive season at his position?
Major League baseball has been asking fans this same question in an effort to choose each team's best-ever collection of stars.
They are calling it MLB 9s.
Here I have separated the contenders from the pretenders in an effort to pick my dream Brewers lineup, based on their one career year. Have your say by commenting below.
My other MLB 9s you might want to check out are:
Diamondbacks , Braves , Orioles , Red Sox , Cubs , White Sox , Reds , Indians , Rockies , Tigers , Marlins , Royals , Angels , and Dodgers .
Catcher: Dave Nilsson (1999)
Nilsson’s eighth and final year with the Brewers was his best. He was selected as a backup to Mike Piazza for the All-Star game, and he hit a career-high 21 home runs.
Nilsson batted .309 and slugged .554, and he drove in 62 runs in just 115 games. Had the leftie not shared as much time behind the plate with Bobby Hughes and Charlie Greene, it’s possible he would have set new highs in runs scored and walks too.
Highlight Game: June 19, 1999 @ Cincinnati. Entering the 1999 season, Nilsson knew he needed 16 home runs to reach the milestone 100. He had only ever done this once before.
But on June 19, Nilsson hit his eighth homer of the month to join the 100 club. The landmark shot came in the top of the second inning against Reds starter Rick Greene.
He took Greene’s 3-2 offering to deep right field to extend the Brewers’ lead to 9-1.
Competition: Ted Simmons hit 23 home runs in 1982, but he only batted .269. He did drive in more runs, but that was more a result of where he batted in the lineup and who he batted behind.
B.J. Surhoff had a little more speed than either Nilsson or Simmons, but he had very little pop.
First Base: Prince Fielder (2009)
MLB short-listed Fielder based on his 50-homer 2007 season. But I actually believe Fielder was better in 2009.
He played 162 games, hit 46 home runs, and led the NL with 141 runs batted in. He also walked on 110 occasions, batted .299, and scored 103 times.
Fielder went to his second All-Star game and finished fourth in the Most Valuable Player voting.
No Brewers first baseman has hit more home runs or batted in more runs in a single year. His .412 on-base percentage ranks fourth all-time among all Brewers ever.
Highlight Game: June 15, 2009 @ Cleveland. Fielder singlehandedly pulled the Brew Crew up by their bootstraps to sneak past the Indians in Ohio.
With the Brewers trailing 12-9 in the top of the eighth inning, Fielder hit a grand slam home run to give Milwaukee the lead.
Fielder finished 2-for-3 with six runs batted in, a double, a sac fly, and a walk.
Competition: Cecil Cooper led the National League with 122 RBI in 1980 when he hit 25 home runs and batted a career-best .352.
Nobody in the NL racked up more total bases than Cooper’s 335, and the longtime Brewer won his first Silver Slugger award with 33 doubles, 96 runs, and 17 stolen bases.
Richie Sexson comes in a close third with 45 homers in 2003.
Second Base: Don Money (1977)
Money beats out the relatively slim competition at second base with his 25-home run, 83-RBI season of 1977.
Money batted .279 and scored 86 runs, and he would have won this category in a much more convincing manner had he kept up the running game he had when he first joined the Brewers from the Phillies four years earlier.
His 25 jacks and 83 runs batted in are the most by any Brewer second baseman in history.
Highlight Game: Aug. 13, 1977 @ Cleveland. Money went 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs and a double, as the Brewers beat the Indians 6-1.
It was one of two multi-home runs games of the season for Money, although I was tempted to exclude this game because he actually played in left field.
His other two-homer game—his only one as a second baseman in the ’77 season—came in the first half of a double-header in Boston.
Competition: Keith Ginter hit 19 homers in 2004, although he split his time between second and third base. Rickie Weeks hit 14 home runs and stole 19 bases in 2008, but his .234 clip just doesn’t get it done.
Willie Randolph may have been a good slap hitter, but his zero home runs totally wipe out the fact that he hit .327. I’m not giving an award for the greatest offensive season to a man with no home runs and four steals.
Third Base: Tommy Harper (1970)
Sorry Ryan Braun, but Harper deserves this spot. He hit 31 home runs and stole 38 bases on his way to an All-Star selection and handful of MVP votes. On a poor team in his era, Harper was a standout.
He scored 104 runs, hit 35 doubles, and drove in 82 runs on a team that finished 32 games below .500. He stole 73 bases the year before. Had he done that in Milwaukee, he would have been an easy choice.
He did, however, lead the National League with 70 extra-base hits, rank second in stolen bases, and finish seventh in home runs.
Highlight Game: June 13, 1970 @ Cleveland. Harper hit the second inside-the-park home run of his career off Phil Hennigan in the fourth inning.
Harper’s 10th of the year—and 69th overall—came with two on and one out with the Brewers trailing 7-2. The highlight-reel dash around the plate was not enough to erase the Indians’ seven-run second inning though, and the Brewers dropped the game 10-6.
Competition: Ryan Braun had an exceptional 2007. He won the Rookie of the Year award, hit 34 home runs, and batted .324.
The only slight against him was that he was given restricted playing time, appearing in just 113 games and given only 451 at-bats. Some would argue that this makes his accomplishments even more remarkable, and I can’t argue with that
I do not have any problem with people who want to give Braun the nod here. His league-leading .634 slugging percentage as a fresh-faced 23-year-old is remarkable.
The fact that Harper only played two years in Milwaukee shouldn’t detract from what he achieved there. With his speed, he was one of the better options at the hot corner for several years.
Shortstop: Robin Yount (1982)
Yount was the ideal hitting shortstop for the Brewers. He hit with power, hit for a high average, and stole bases.
The Hall-of-Famer played all 20 seasons of his career in Milwaukee, but none were better than his 1982 MVP season.
Yount led the American League in doubles (46), hits (210), slugging percentage (.578), and total bases (367). He hit a career-high 29 home runs and also set new highs for RBI (114) and runs scored (129).
Only Bill Hall has ever hit more home runs in a single season as a Brewers shortstop, and no one can match Yount's prolific RBI or runs tally.
Highlight Game: Sept. 24, 1982 vs. Baltimore. Yount drove in a season-high six RBI on two home runs as the Brewers beat the O's 15-6.
Yount finished 3-for-5, with his multi-home run game representing the sixth time he had gone deep twice in one game.
Competition: Hall had the power bat in 2006 with 35 home runs and 101 runs scored, and Pat Listach had 54 steals and a .290 average in 1992.
But no Milwaukee second baseman showcased the skill set that Yount did.
Today’s hard-swinging middle infielders can post 30 home runs and a .275 average without too much difficulty, but few can provide that much power while maintaining a .330 average and providing a spark on the bases.
Outfield: Ben Oglivie (1980)
Oglivie led the American League with 41 home runs in 1980, his third year as a Brewer.
He set career highs in batting average (.303), runs scored (94), and runs batted in (118), and he won a Silver Slugger award and was selected to the All-Star game.
Only one other Brewer outfielder—Gorman Thomas—hit more home runs in a single year, and Oglivie’s 118 RBI ranks third all-time among Brew Crew’s outfielders.
Highlight Game: April 29, 1980 @ Cleveland. Oglivie went 4-for-5 with two home runs and a double as the Brewers beat the Indians 14-1. Oglivie drove in five runs and raised his early-season batting average 51 points from .245 to .296.
It started a run where he would have at least two hits in five of his next six games, temporarily increasing his average to .370 and helping the Brewers win four straight games.
Geoff Jenkins (2000)
Jenkins was never the most feared hitter in the league, but his quick bat and above-average eye made him a dangerous option in the heart of the Brewers’ lineup.
Jenkins hit 34 home runs in 2000 in 134 games, scoring 100 runs and driving in 94. He also stole 11 bases and batted .303.
Highlight Game: Sept. 29, 2000 @ Houston. Jenkins finished the season on a high with a pair of jacks against the Astros in the Lone Star State.
With just two games remaining and the Brewers 21 games back and with nothing to play for, Jenkins hit home runs in the sixth and ninth innings to see off Houston 13-3.
Jenkins finished the game 3-for-5 with four RBI and an intentional walk. It was one of only two multi-home run games of his impressive 2000 season.
Larry Hisle (1978)
It may not be the popular choice, but I’m taking Hisle over Thomas.
Hisle may not have had the raw power that his teammate in center field had, but I think you can make the case that he was more valuable.
He hit 34 home runs and batted .290, driving in 115 runs and scoring 96. He also stole 10 bases and walked 67 times.
My biggest knock against Thomas is that he struck out 175 times and posted a .244 average. If you compare the two players’ OPS+ statistic—a measure of on-base percentage and slugging percentage taking into account the league averages—Hisle comes out on top and even adds a little speed to the mix.
He was selected as a backup outfielder at the All-Star game, and he finished third in the MVP voting behind Jim Rice and Ron Guidry.
Highlight Game: June 30, 1978 @ Seattle. Hisle recorded one of three multi-home run games in a 13-3 win over the Mariners.
He went 4-for-6 with three runs, five RBI, and a steal, scoring three times and providing the Brewers with more than enough offense to see them past Seattle.
Competition: Does Gorman Thomas deserve a spot? While he has hit more home runs in a single season than any other Brewer outfielder, I can’t justify putting him in.
Forty-five home runs is impressive, but his low batting average, lack of plate discipline, and nonexistent speed make it hard to vote for him.
His 98 walks barely offset his .244 average, and his .539 slugging percentage is tarnished by the fact he fanned once in every four plate appearances.
Sixto Lezcano also misses out on a spot in the outfield, despite his .321 batting average, 28 home runs, and 101 RBI in 1979.
Playing in the same team as Thomas, Lezcano was a key element in right field. He wasn’t given as much recognition as his two partners in the outfield, but I wouldn’t have a problem placing him above Thomas in the pecking order and moving him right next to Hisle.
Designated Hitter: Paul Molitor (1987)
I have no issue with MLB wanting to choose a DH rather than a pitcher for their ninth spot. For those who want to argue that they are a National League team, I want to remind them that the first 29 years of their 41-year history were spent playing AL ball.
With that in mind, step up Paul Molitor. The Hall of Famer led the AL with 114 runs scored and 41 doubles in the ’78 season.
His .353 batting average was second only to Boston’s Wade Boggs, and he finished the season with 45 stolen bases, which was good enough for fourth in the AL speed charts.
Molitor hit 16 home runs in 465 at-bats, driving in 75 runs and walking 69 times.
Highlight Game: July 26, 1987 vs. Oakland. No grand slams, walk-off home runs, multi-homer, games or five-hit performances from Molitor in the '87 season, but this game against the A's summed up his skill set nicely.
He went 3-for-5 with an RBI double, a triple, and two runs scored. But what makes this game memorable was Molitor’s first inning.
Batting leadoff, Molitor singled off Dennis Lamp to get the inning started. He then stole second base, stole third base, and stole home to put the Brewers on the board.
Milwaukee never looked back and went on to win the game 7-4, leading from start to finish.
Competition: Dave Parker provides the only real competition. In 1990 he hit 21 home runs and drove in 92 runs—both records for a Brewer DH.
He may have only played the one season in Milwaukee at the twilight of his career, but his efforts did not go unnoticed. He went to the All-Star game at the age of 39 and won his third and final Silver Slugger award.
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