Happy Birthday to Robin Yount, who I’d like to call “Mr. Brewer”. In a twenty-year career that saw him only suit up for the Milwaukee Brewers, Yount established himself as not only the greatest Brewer in franchise history but also as a Hall of Fame player while taking on two demanding defensive positions: Shortstop and Center Field.

Career Statistics/Accolades (1974-1993):

.285 BA 3,142 HITS 251 HR 1,406 RBI 1,632 RUNS .342 OBP

  • 3x All-Star
  • 3x Silver Slugger
  • 2x AL MVP (1982 & 1989)
  • Gold Glove 1982

Primarily a Shortstop where he spent 12,945 Innings, he moved to Centerfield in the middle of his career due to a shoulder injury in 1985. He led the league in Fielding Percentage once at both positions. In 1982, he won an MVP at Shortstop, and in 1989, he won an MVP in Centerfield, meaning he won an MVP at two different positions. Only three other Stan Musial, Alex Rodriguez, and Hank Greenberg, have accomplished such a feat. Yount batted over .300 six times, scoring 100 or more Runs five times and driving in 100 or more RBIs three times. While he was never known as a Home Run hitter, he was a hustling ballplayer, leading the AL twice in Doubles and Triples.

There’s nothing like talking about a player who played 15-20 years and did it all in one uniform. The only thing missing from his career is a World Series ring, but not every all-time great wins a championship. Overall, a guy with over 3,000 Hits with not one but two MVPs, and playing at two key defensive positions, if that’s not Hall of Fame worthy to you, then get your eyes examined. Ask any Brewer fan who is the greatest player in franchise history, and they’ll all say Robin Yount. In 1999, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot, and years prior, the Brewers retired his #19 jersey. Somehow, he wasn’t named on The Sporting News 100 Greatest Ballplayers List in 1999, and he should be on that list.

References:

  1. Robin Yount Career Statistics via Baseball-Reference: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/y/yountro01.shtml
  2. Robin Yount via Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Yount#