There are only two players in Milwaukee Brewers history one even needs to discuss in terms of all-time best players - Hall-of-Famers Robin Yount and Paul Molitor. Yount spent his entire 20-year career in Milwaukee and joined the 3,000 hit club in 1992, finishing his career with 3,142 hits. He was a two-time MVP, but only a three-time All-Star thanks to another shortstop named Cal Ripken Jr. With a career batting average of .285, Yount is the Brewers' all-time leader in games played, at bats, hits, runs, home runs, RBI, total bases, doubles, triples, and walks.

In 1982, the season the Brewers made it to the World Series and lost, Yount was the American League MVP with a .331 average, 29 home runs, and 114 RBI, all career highs. He later won his second MVP award in 1989 with hitting .318 21 HR, and 103 RBI. He was also a Gold Glove winner and a first ballot Hall-of-Famer.

Paul Molitor played 21 big league seasons, 15 of them with the Brewers. He was also a first ballot Hall-of-Famer, a seven-time All-Star, and 1993 World Series MVP with the Toronto Blue Jays. He joined the 3,000 hit club after leaving the Brewers. While with the Brewers in 1987, Molitor hit .353 and finished fifth in the American League MVP voting. The Ignitor, as he was nicknamed, Molitor is second, often behind Yount, in many of the Brewers' all-time offensive categories, including batting average (.303), games played, at bats, runs, hits, total bases, doubles, triples, and walks. He's also third in RBI. Molitor played throughout the infield during his career, but spent nearly half of it as a designated hitter, particularly while with the Blue Jays and the Twins.

The third greatest Brewers player ever would have to be Cecil Cooper. A teammate of Yount and Molitor in the early 80s, Cooper played 11 seasons in Milwaukee. He was a five-time All-Star, and was fifth in the American League MVP voting three times. He hit over .300 in his first seven seasons with the team, including hitting .352 in 1980. Cooper is third all-time in Brewers hitting with a .302 average; fourth in games played, at bats, slugging, and home runs; third in runs, hits, total bases, and doubles; and second all-time in RBI. Cooper was a two-time Gold Glove winner and three-time Silver Slugger winner, and was awarded the Roberto Clemente Award in 1983.

There is no definitely all-time best pitcher in Brewers history. Jim Slaton, Mike Caldwell, Teddy Higuera, Ben Sheets, and Moose Haas could all battle for this honor, or perhaps Rollie Fingers, but Yount, Molitor and Cooper, after all these years, remain the three best.

Learn more about this author, Michael Frissore.
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