Milwaukee Brewers News Clips Friday, August 21, 2015

MLB.com  Denson: ‘When you live life, you have to be happy’

Journal Sentinel  Brewers’ David Goforth wearing out path between Class AAA and majors  Preview: Brewers vs. Nationals  Brewers call up OF Domingo Santana

Associated Press  Preview: Brewers at Nationals

FOX Sports Wisconsin  ’s HRs: By the numbers  Braun now all-time leader, but who is Brewers’ greatest home- hitter?

Jewish Telegraphic Agency  Meet the Baptist lifer who will Israel’s team

http://m.brewers.mlb.com/news/article/144291094/david-denson-reflects-on-coming-out Denson: ‘When you live life, you have to be happy’ Brewers prospect humbled by support, focuses on baseball after revealing he’s gay

By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com | August 20, 2015

MILWAUKEE -- chose to become the first openly gay player in affiliated baseball for no other reason, he said, than it felt right to finish tearing down the walls he'd built around him. He did not do it to make history or contribute to social change.

It quickly became clear to the Minor Leaguer that he might have done all of the above.

On Saturday night, after Denson's story was published on the website of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, he was walking off the field in Idaho Falls, Idaho, at the end of a trying night. The Helena Brewers, Milwaukee's advanced Rookie-level affiliate for whom Denson plays first base and left field, were swept in a doubleheader. Denson was 1- for-8 in those games. So it came as a surprise when a man approached wearing the opposing team's colors, extended his right hand and said, "I'm proud of you."

"It was a shock to me, because I didn't even know at that time that the story had come out yet," said Denson, 20. "I was still so focused and caught up in the game, thinking about what went wrong, what I could fix.

"When the fan came up to me and said what he said, it drew me back a little bit. I was just like, 'Whoa.' It was literally a 'whoa' moment for me."

There have been several moments like that in recent days for Denson, who has granted just two interviews, one for his team's radio broadcaster and another for MLB.com. He said he has been flooded by messages of support, and that he was eager to return his focus to baseball.

"I didn't do this for fame," Denson said. "I didn't do this for media purposes. I didn't do it for any of that at all. I did it for myself and anybody else who is in my situation.

"When you live life, you have to be happy. And in anything in life, if you're not true to yourself, how can you be truly happy? Waking up every day trying to be somebody you're not, for me, it didn't work. I couldn't do it. I had that mental block of, 'OK, I have to get up and act this way, I have to change this, I have to make sure I don't say that.'

"I was afraid that my teammates would look at me different. But once my teammates knew and they told me they had my back, it felt like a thousand tons were lifted from my shoulders."

That disclosure to teammates happened spontaneously in the visitors' clubhouse in Missoula, Mont., in late June. Months earlier, during , worried that hiding his sexuality any longer would contribute to what he says was a deteriorating mental state, Denson spoke with Brewers farm director Reid Nichols.

In both instances, Denson was met with support. The next step, he determined, was choosing the right moment to tell his story publicly.

"When I told my teammates, I knew that it was going to spread," Denson said. "And I just felt like it was time. My sexuality has nothing to do with my ability on the field, and I felt like me coming out shouldn't change me as a person. It doesn't change my character.

"It was just a point of realization. My family told me, 'Be true to who you are.' And even my coach told me when I came out to him, 'Whatever you do in life, you can truly achieve it if you're being 100-percent true to yourself.' He was right. If you can't be true to yourself, how do you expect to be true to something you're doing? You can't give 100 percent to it because you're not being 100-percent true to yourself. You have that wall blocking you.

"I finally decided to just knock that wall down."

"We made a promise, David and I, that whenever he did it, he was going to focus on playing and not the media, because he's got a long road ahead of him," said , a former Major League who came out after his playing career ended and is now 's ambassador for inclusion. "That's my main concern, that this is the beginning of a positive experience, and not the pinnacle of something."

Bean, hired by MLB last year, was put in contact with Denson early this year. The two instantly bonded -- "He's like my brother, like family," Denson said -- and Bean quietly went to see some of Denson's games earlier this season to talk in person.

They were texting or talking on the telephone three or four times a week by the time Denson came out to his teammates in June. Bean urged Denson to carefully consider the next step, and when Denson decided he wanted to tell his story to a wider audience, Bean engaged the Journal Sentinel in a back-and-forth that culminated with a front-page story in the Sunday newspaper.

"I'm proud of him," Bean said. "I think it's gone well, and now we'll see. It's not easy walking up to the plate when people know about your personal life, whatever it is. I needed David to understand that it was going to be a different feeling, and if you strike out twice and some guy drops a [slur] on you because he's had five beers, you're the one who has to go play first base.

"He really thought about it a lot, and he has great optimism, and it's awesome. His generation is different from mine. He feels he can be the best player he can be if he can get this off his back and move away from it. He inspires me. He really does."

After the story was published, Denson had more of those "whoa" moments when he read comments from inside the Brewers clubhouse from players like six-time All-Star Ryan Braun, who referred to Denson as "courageous" and said, "I've never met him, but I hope baseball as a whole is at a point where we judge people by their ability and not their race, religion, ethnicity or sexuality. I can't speak for everybody on our team, but he would be accepted and supported by me. And I would hope all of my teammates feel the same way."

Said Denson: "That, to me, was amazing. Truly, truly amazing to know that the guys on the big league side have my back and are considerate and understanding. I take everybody's feelings into play, and I would never want to make anybody feel uncomfortable or anything like that. To know they respect my decision and understand, that's really, really great. Truly amazing."

Denson said his family is supportive; happy, he said, "that I can finally be comfortable living in my own skin." Some of his own teammates took to Twitter to express their support, and Denson said he even heard privately from acquaintances on other teams.

Sexuality does not dictate ones ability to play the game of baseball or be a good teammate. Nothing but support for our brother David Denson — Mitchell (@MitchGhelfi) August 16, 2015

Proud of my teammate David Denson. Extremely brave guy. Much respect for him! — PlayBoy__Troy (@Troy_Stokes15) August 16, 2015

"Naturally, I was thinking worst-case scenario," Denson said. "I was expecting a lot of backlash, I guess. But then I told myself to just focus on the positivity and go from there. But really, I didn't have expectations. Me doing this wasn't for expectations, or for any kind of attention. It was because this is who I am. I finally got to the point where I felt free.

"So as far as expectations go, I didn't really have any. But it was pretty crazy how it took off so fast. There was no 'expecting' or preparing for that."

Bean has been closely following the box scores since Saturday, and he admits he's more anxious than Denson about what comes next. Denson went 1-for-13 from Saturday's doubleheader through Monday's game, but he enjoyed something of a breakthrough in a win on Tuesday night, hitting a pair of RBI doubles and a sacrifice fly.

The 2-for-4 night raised Denson's average for Helena to .245, with four home runs and 21 RBIs in 46 games. Like many young hitters -- particularly young power hitters -- his future depends on his ability to improve his consistency.

"There is obviously no blueprint, this being the first time it's happened in baseball," said Nichols, who has overseen the Brewers' player development since late 2002. "You know he's going to have the focus of the media on him, and that always makes it hard to go out and try to perform on the field, but he understands we're here for him. We made that clear to him."

The likes of Katie Couric and Ellen DeGeneres have logged interview requests since the story broke, but Denson has instead immersed himself in work. He said he has read only a handful of news stories, and has stayed away from Internet comment sections.

"I'm focused on my game," Denson said. "Wherever it goes from here, it goes. I'm excited to see what the future holds. My focus is 1,000 percent now on the game."

Denson is already scheduled to participate in the Brewers' fall instructional league, Nichols said, meaning he will have to wait until the winter for a long reflection of recent events.

One thing Denson will ponder: Was his coming out a brave act? Many observers used that word after hearing Denson's story, and it came as a surprise, he said.

"It never crossed my mind that I was being brave or courageous. It just felt like I was being truthful to myself," Denson said. "But coming out has opened my eyes to the impact it has had. It really hits home and hits my heart to know that people are trying to take the time to understand, and to see me as a person and not just for my sexuality. I want people to see me as a ballplayer."

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/brewers/brewers-david-goforth-wearing-out-path-between-class-aaa-and-majors- b99560710z1-322470371.html Brewers’ David Goforth wearing out path between Class AAA and majors

By Todd Rosiak of the Journal Sentinel August 20, 2015

Every season on every team there's a player who shuttles between Class AAA and the major leagues seemingly every other week.

This year reliever David Goforth has been that guy for the Milwaukee Brewers.

The 26-year-old right-hander began his fourth stint in the Brewers' bullpen Aug. 14, when he was recalled from Colorado Springs to take the place of the injured Michael Blazek.

He has pitched only once since returning and has just 6 1/3 innings under his belt in seven total appearances. But to even be in the position to be considered for all those trips back and forth is appreciated, says the 2011 seventh- round draft pick out of the University of Mississippi.

"For me, I've looked at it as an opportunity to help the club out whenever they need help and I'm glad that I'm throwing the ball well enough this year to be in that situation, to be that guy they call up if and when they need help," said Goforth. "It is a lot of bouncing back and forth, but I see it as an opportunity and I'm glad to be able to help out when I can."

All players begin their major-league career with three options. A team can use one a season, allowing it to shift that player from the minor leagues to the major leagues as many times as necessary that season as it manages its roster. The only catch is a player who is optioned back to the minor leagues must remain there for 10 days before being recalled to the majors, unless another player goes on the disabled list.

Goforth earned his first callup May 26 only to be optioned back June 10 to make room for Scooter Gennett's return from the DL. He returned July 3, replacing Corey Knebel in a thin bullpen, and was sent out again July 7 when Khris Davis came off the DL.

His third stint spanned July 23-28, when he took Aramis Ramirez's spot on the roster after he was traded and then was sent back when was brought off the DL.

His late July callup might have been the most interesting, as he arrived at Chase Field in the seventh inning against the and took the mound in the eighth for what turned out to be the final inning of an 8-3 loss.

Goforth pitched the final inning of the series finale three days later, and that stood as his last appearance for the Brewers until he threw a couple innings Tuesday. He has posted a 5.68 with six against two walks in all.

It's a small body of work, to be sure, but hasn't drawn any conclusions yet.

"I don't think it's fair for us to really judge because he hasn't been here on a regular basis," Counsell said. "We'll get him in there and use him more as we go. There's going to be more opportunity for him to pitch this time around, so I expect to see him more."

Goforth, who was 0-4 with a 2.68 ERA and four saves in 38 appearances at Colorado Springs (47 innings), has a bullpen mate in Milwaukee who knows full well what he's experiencing. Left-hander Will Smith bounced between his previous team, the , and their Class AAA affiliate in Omaha an incredible seven times in 2013.

"It's not that fun, for sure," he recalled. "You're always looking over your shoulder, always wondering where is the manager at if it's the end of the day. As a young guy you're always wondering what you're doing wrong because obviously you want to stay up here.

"When I was up and down seven times that one year, I would come up and do my job, and I was so young I didn't understand the business side of it. When you need a fresh arm, you just need a fresh arm, and if I'm the guy with options, I'm the guy that's got to go. Once you realize that, it's a little bit easier for your drive back.

"But he's doing a good job of it. He comes up, he's got a good attitude."

Indeed, Goforth appears to have a good grasp of the situation.

"Obviously once you get up here you want to do your best to stay up here. But at the same time you've got to know that's part of it, being a first-year guy and everything," he said. "There's guys every year that do that. They're the guy that bounces up and down.

"I'm just happy that I have that opportunity to be that guy and help out when I can."

Counsell termed Goforth — and other players with options like him — "pretty valuable." In Goforth's case, his ability to absorb innings in a losing cause helps reduce some of the wear and tear on the team's more established relievers.

"I don't pretend for it to be easy on the player, and I don't think we think it's easy on the player," Counsell said. "But David's had a great attitude about it and he understands that he's that guy.

"To me, the positive way to look at it is that guy's earned something. He's the guy that the major-league team has put faith in him to be that guy we can challenge a little bit in these circumstances and he can still have success." Goforth has become a master at packing, a trait Smith said he also acquired. The goal for Goforth moving forward is to establish himself as an indispensible piece of the bullpen just as Smith has in order to finally gain some sense of security.

"Besides one outing there, I feel like I've thrown the ball pretty good and done the job that they've asked me to do while I've been here," he said. "I think it's a good first step and hopefully I can continue to throw the ball well and help out."

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/brewers/preview-brewers-vs-nationals-b99560714z1-322475841.html Preview: Brewers vs. Nationals

By Todd Rosiak of the Journal Sentinel August 20, 2015

WHO: Milwaukee Brewers (52-70) vs. (60-60).

WHEN: 6:05 p.m. Friday.

WHERE: Nationals Park.

BROADCASTS: TV — FS Wisconsin. Radio — AM-620.

STARTING : Milwaukee RHP Jimmy Nelson (9-9, 3.61) vs. Washington LHP Gio Gonzalez (9-5, 3.86).

SCOUTING REPORT: Washington hadn't announced its Saturday or Sunday starters as of Thursday, but Milwaukee catches a break as it will miss both Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer. It was Scherzer who came tantalizingly close to throwing a perfect game against the Brewers at Miller Park on June 14. Predicted as the favorite in the National League East, instead the Nationals have scuffled their way through most of the season and enter the weekend looking up at the Mets in the division. They face an even bigger challenge trying to get back into the wild-card chase. The Brewers, meanwhile, will welcome a new player Friday as they placed Tyler Cravy (right elbow impingement) on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday.

COMING UP

SATURDAY: 6:05 p.m. at Nationals Park. Milwaukee RHP Taylor Jungmann (7-4, 2.23) vs. Washington TBA. TV — FS Wisconsin. Radio — AM-620.

SUNDAY: 12:35 p.m. at Nationals Park. Milwaukee RHP (6-13, 4.98) vs. Washington TBA. TV — FS Wisconsin. Radio — FM-94.5.

IN THE MINORS

COLORADO SPRINGS (AAA): Matt Clark had a solo homer in the Sky Sox's 10-5 loss to the Tacoma Rainiers. BILOXI (AA): Brett Phillips was 2 for 4 with two doubles as the Shuckers beat the Jackson Generals, 5-1. In a makeup of Wednesday's postponed game, Biloxi managed only two hits in a 5-0 loss.

BREVARD COUNTY (A): Clint Coulter had two of the Manatees' six hits in an 11-1 loss to the Clearwater Threshers.

WISCONSIN (A): Alan Sharkey had a two-run in the 10th inning to help the Timber Rattlers beat the Quad Cities River Bandits, 7-4.

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/322510911.html Brewers call up OF Domingo Santana

By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel August 21, 2015

Washington – The Milwaukee Brewers get a first look at one of the building blocks of their rebuilding process when outfielder Domingo Santana joins the team on Friday.

Santana, 23, was one of four prospects acquired from Houston before the July 31 deadline in the trade that sent centerfielder Carlos Gomez and right-hander Mike Fiers to the Astros.

The 6-foot-5, 225-pound, right-handed slugger batted an impressive .380 with a .968 OPS, two homers and 18 RBI at Class AAA Colorado Springs after the trade. Including 75 games he played at Class AAA Fresno before that deal, he is batting .333 this season with a .999 OPS, 18 home runs, 77 RBI and 23 doubles.

The question is: Where will he play for the Brewers? Santana is a corner outfielder and the Brewers have Ryan Braun in right field and Khris Davis in left. They do have two games coming in Cleveland next week in which they can use the DH but other than that it's difficult to project any regular playing time for Santana.

Santana did see some action recently in center field for Colorado Springs, likely to see how he looks out there in expectation of this call-up. So, we will see if manager Craig Counsell is comfortable putting him there.

Santana fills the roster spot vacated when right-hander Tyler Cravy went on the DL on Wednesday with a shoulder impingement.

http://www.foxsports.com/wisconsin/story/preview-milwaukee-brewers-at-washington-nationals-082115 Preview: Brewers at Nationals

By Associated Press August 21, 2015

The Washington Nationals' miserable road trip finally is over, although home hasn't exactly provided them with much relief, either.

Gio Gonzalez certainly seems to prefer the mound at Nationals Park, and he'll look to bounce back from one of the worst starts of his career when he faces the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night.

Washington (60-60) dropped four games behind the for the NL East lead after falling 3-2 to Colorado on Thursday, completing a 3-7 road trip. The slump has prevented them from gaining ground on the Mets, who have dropped four of five.

Michael A. Taylor a two-run homer for Washington, which likely would need to win the East to make the playoffs. It sits 8 1/2 behind the for the second wild card.

Getting back on track at home would be a step in the right direction, but the Nationals have gone just 6-9 there following a nine-game winning streak from June 19-July 5.

Gonzalez (9-5, 3.86 ERA) should be happy to see Nationals Park, where he is 5-1 with a 2.60 ERA in nine home starts. He'll also be facing a Milwaukee team that has averaged 2.0 runs while dropping nine of 11 on the road. The left-hander went 5-0 with a 1.48 ERA over his previous eight starts overall before giving up six runs in 2 2-3 innings of Saturday's 12-6 loss at San Francisco that increased his road ERA to 4.84.

It also marked Gonzalez's shortest start since going two innings in a loss to Kansas City in 2010 while with Oakland.

"It (stinks) because I didn't do anything to help out. I basically put our team in the hole," Gonzalez said. "I was falling behind on hitters. It's a tough pill to swallow."

He didn't last very long in his last start against the Brewers, either, allowing three runs and walking three in 3 1-3 innings before the Nationals rallied for a 5-4 win July 20, 2014.

Milwaukee (52-70) will play its next five on the road after being home for 17 of its last 20. It avoided a three-game sweep with Wednesday's 8-7 win over Miami as Ryan Braun passed Robin Yount as the franchise's all-time leader with his 252nd career homer.

Khris Davis hit a two-run shot in the second and a three-run homer the next inning for his third multihomer game of the month. His four two-homer games have accounted for more than half of his 14 home runs on the season. "You wish you could figure it out a little bit, but it's fun to watch," manager Craig Counsell said. "That's Khris Davis. You don't know when it's going to come, but he has such a chance to impact games."

Jimmy Nelson (9-9, 3.61) has been effective lately, going 2-0 with a 1.57 ERA in his last five starts while pitching into the seventh in each. He wasn't as sharp in his fourth straight home outing Saturday, though he did pick up a 4-2 win over Philadelphia.

"(Nelson) kind of battled himself all night a little bit, but it's still a good sign that he throws 6 2-3 innings and gives up two runs," Counsell said.

The right-hander had one of his worst outings against the Nationals on June 13, when he allowed each run and 10 hits over five-plus innings in a 7-2 loss. Yunel Escobar and Wilson Ramos each hit two-run homers off Nelson, and went 2 for 2.

http://www.foxsports.com/wisconsin/story/milwaukee-brewers-slugger-ryan-braun-s-mlb-hrs-by-the-numbers- 082015 Ryan Braun’s HRs: By the numbers

By Dave Heller, FOX Sports Wisconsin August 20, 2015

Ryan Braun became the Milwaukee Brewers' all-time leader Wednesday afternoon at Miller Park, passing Robin Yount.

Yount held the record for nearly 22 years. At one point it seemed as though could have overtaken him (Fielder finished with 230 as a Brewer) and really Braun could hold the record for just as long as Yount, if not longer, especially since he could top 400 home runs in Milwaukee.

Now that Braun is at the top of the list, here's some facts and figures on his record 252 home runs.

Milestone home runs: 1st -- May 26, 2007 at San Diego off Justin Germano. In Braun's second major-league game he hit a solo shot with two out in the third inning. 100th -- Sept. 11, 2009 at Arizona off former Brewer Doug Davis. 200th -- Sept. 16, 2012 at Miller Park off the New York Mets' Chris Young.

Home/road: Braun is nearly even in his home run splits. He has hit 128 HRs at Miller Park and 124 on the road.

Most vs. an opponent: Braun has homered off 23 teams. He has hit the most against the (28). Not surprisingly, Braun's top five teams he's homered against are all current or former National League Central teams -- Cincinnati, Pittsburgh (27), Houston (26), Chicago (23) and St. Louis (18). The most home runs he's hit against a non-NL Central team is 18 versus Philadelphia. Braun's most home runs against an American League team (Houston excluded) is nine versus Minnesota, which again shouldn't come as a shock since Milwaukee plays the Twins every season. Taking out the Twins, Braun's most against an AL team is three versus Detroit, Boston and Toronto.

Homerless opponents: The teams Braun has not homered off are: Milwaukee (of course), , Baltimore, , Oakland, Seattle and Tampa Bay.

Most vs. a pitcher: Braun has hit four home runs against six pitchers, the majority of whom are still active, so perhaps someone will break away from the pack. The six are: Bronson Arroyo, , Aaron Harang, Tommy Hanson, Tim Lincecum and Wandy Rodriguez.

Longest home run: According to Greg Rybarczyk's Hit Tracker, Braun's longest true distance home run was 476 feet off the immortal Andy Cavazos of St. Louis at Miller Park on Sept. 24, 2007.

Multiple-HR games: Braun has 20 two-homer games and twice has hit three in a game.

Grand slams: Five, including two this season (off Cincinnati's Jumbo Diaz on April 29 and Philadelphia's Aaron Harang on Aug. 16).

First-pitch swinging: Braun has hit 56 home runs on the first pitch of an at-bat. His next highest is 30 on an 0-1 count. On hitter' counts (2-0 and 3-1) Braun has hit just 14 home runs. In fact, those two are at the bottom of the list on his home runs by count, although Braun has never hit a home run on a 3-0 pitch (he has hit 16 on an 0-2 pitch). Off the bench: Braun has one pinch-hit home run and it came on June 3, 2011 in Miami off the Marlins' Juan Carlos Oviedo. Milwaukee was trailing 5-4 in the ninth inning when Braun hit for Mike McClendon with a runner on first and his homer helped the Brewers win 6-5. It would be the last win of McClendon's career.

Walking it off: Braun has ended three games by hitting a home run -- and on two of those, current Brewers manager Craig Counsell was on base. The list: Sept. 24, 2008, a in the bottom of the 10th inning against Pittsburgh's Jesse Chavez at Miller Park; Sept. 26, 2009, a two-run shot off Philadelphia's Tyler Walker at Miller Park in the bottom of the ninth; Sept. 13, 2011, a solo homer off Colorado's Matt Lindstrom in the bottom of the 11th at Miller Park. Braun had one other extra-inning homer, Sept. 7, 2012 at St. Louis, a solo HR off Lance Lynn which broke a 4-all tie in a game the Brewers would win 5-4.

http://www.foxsports.com/wisconsin/story/ryan-braun-now-all-time-leader-but-who-is-milwaukee-brewers- greatest-home-run-hitter-082115 Braun now all-time leader, but who is Brewers’ greatest home-run hitter?

By James Carlton, FOX Sports Wisconsin August 21, 2015

So Ryan Braun is the Brewers' all-time leader in home runs. He's hit more moonshots in a Milwaukee uniform than anyone else in the history of the franchise. That much you already knew.

But he's been here nine years, played in over a thousand games and accumulated more than 4,600 at bats. And the guy he passed to claim the top spot on the list, Robin Yount, was here for 20 years, played in 2,856 games and had 11,008 at bats.

That's two ends of the spectrum in terms of home-run regularity. Braun hit more homers in less than half the time, less than half the games and less than half the at bats as the club's previous king of clout.

That got us to thinking: Who is really the Brewers' greatest home-run hitter? Not just the guy that racked up the most over time and moved up the record books; the guy that cranked them over the fence most often and was always a threat for the round-tripper.

Is it Prince Fielder, third on the team's all-time list, who socked dingers for seven seasons before leaving as a free agent? Was it someone like , the franchise's fourth-ranked masher, or Jeremy Burnitz, No. 9, both of whom played in Milwaukee during the years that baseball's most prodigious power numbers were produced? Perhaps it was a guy from the glory years, like ? Or one who wasn't in Milwaukee long but still bashed plenty of long balls -- with plenty of whiffs, too -- like ?

We dove into the numbers and found some fun answers. Again, this isn't about totals; it's about frequency. It's a home-run rate. There's a chart below, but don't cheat and look at it just yet.

Braun hit 252 home runs in 1,194 games and 4,649 at bats. That means he hit a homer once every 4.7 games and every 18.5 at bats. That's pretty good, especially compared to Yount's rate -- one every 11.4 games and every 43.9 at bats.

Fielder hit 230 home runs in 998 games and 3,527 at bats. That's one every 4.3 games and 15.3 at bats. Empirically, he appeared to be one of the best power hitters the Brewers ever had, and the numbers back that up.

Jenkins, who spent a decade on moribund Milwaukee teams, always seemed to either hit a solo home run or ground into a play. We didn't research the latter, but for the former, the figures are 212 homers in 1,234 games and 4,407 at bats; that's a rate of one every 5.8 games and 20.8 at bats. His teammate for a few years, Burnitz, hit 165 in 782 games and 2,768 at bats; that's one every 4.7 games and 16.8 at bats. Pity all those homers didn't help the Brewers win more games during that dreary period.

Stormin' Gorman smashed 208 home runs in 1,102 games and 3,544 at bats -- a rate of one every 5.3 games and 17.0 at bats. Other players from Thomas' time -- guys like Cecil Cooper, Ben Oglivie and Paul Molitor -- hit lots of homers, too, but much less frequently.

Branyan actually has the best rate in franchise history in terms of at bats per home run -- he hit one out every 14.0 at bats -- but Russell the Muscle was only in Milwaukee for two years. He had 35 homers in 186 games and just 492 at bats. His per-game rate of 5.3 isn't among the team's top five.

So who among qualified players -- for our purposes, at least 100 home runs -- is the Brewers' greatest home-run hitter? It's , who played a little more than three years in Milwaukee starting midway through the 2000 season. Sexson helped celebrate the opening of Miller Park in 2001 by constantly crushing over its walls.

He hit 133 home runs in 534 games and 1,987 at bats; that's one every 4.0 games, every 14.9 at bats, both slightly better than Fielder's rates.

Twice for the Brewers, Sexson slammed 45 homers. But the bombs weren't enough to keep him in Brew City. Sexson was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks after the 2003 season for a package of six players -- including now-manager Craig Counsell -- that combined to hit 78 home runs among them.

BREWERS' ALL-TIME LEADERS, HOME-RUN RATE

PLAYER GAMES/HR AB/HR HRS

Richie Sexson 4.0 14.9 133

Prince Fielder 4.3 15.3 230

Jeremy Burnitz 4.7 16.8 165

Ryan Braun 4.7 18.5 252

Rob Deer 4.9 17.1 137

Gorman Thomas 5.3 17.0 208

Greg Vaughn 5.3 19.2 169

Geoff Jenkins 5.8 20.8 212

John Jaha 6.1 20.7 105

Corey Hart 6.1 22.4 154

Ben Oglivie 6.5 23.5 176

George Scott 6.8 26.2 115 Cecil Cooper 7.4 30.0 201

Sixto Lezcano 7.7 26.7 102

Rickie Weeks 7.7 27.4 148

David Nilsson 8.0 26.5 105

Bill Hall 8.1 26.2 102

Don Money 8.9 32.3 134

Robin Yount 11.4 43.9 251

Paul Molitor 11.6 47.0 160

http://www.jta.org/2015/08/18/arts-entertainment/meet-the-baptist-baseball-lifer-who-will-coach-israels-team Meet the Baptist baseball lifer who will coach Israel’s team

By Hillel Kuttler, Jewish Telegraphic Agency August 18, 2015

PHILADELPHIA (JTA) – Visiting Israel the past few winters to see his daughter and her family led to an unexpected job for , a devout Christian and a baseball lifer: a coaching position for Israel’s team in the next World Baseball Classic.

In 2013, Callie Mitchell had just enrolled her son Aviel, now 5, in the Israel Association of Baseball’s T-Ball league and mentioned to the IAB’s president, Peter Kurz, that her dad is Narron, the bench coach for the Milwaukee Brewers and twice a big league manager.

On Narron’s visit that winter, he met with Kurz in Tel Aviv and offered to help promote baseball in Israel. After Narron addressed some youth players on the field in Petach Tikvah last December, a light bulb went off for Kurz: Add Narron to the WBC staff.

“I love the game, I love the Jewish people and I love Israel, especially through my daughter,” Narron said recently at the Brewers’ hotel here while the club was in town to face the Phillies.

Narron, 59, has worn a Major League Baseball uniform nearly continuously since being called up to the New York Yankees in 1978 as a backup . (The following year, he was behind the plate in the Yankees’ first game following the death of their captain, Thurman Munson, in the crash of his private plane.)

The trip to Israel was his fourth in recent years to see his daughter, son-in-law and their two children in the capital’s Arnona neighborhood.

“I’m honored they’d consider me,” Narron said of the IBA while savoring a bowl of oatmeal and sliced banana. When her dad was offered the WBC position, Mitchell said “he had a joy on his countenance I hadn’t seen in a long time.” As to Narron not being Jewish, Kurz figures it doesn’t matter.

“He knows what Israel’s about and … obviously has great MLB pedigree,” Kurz said. “He’s a guy who loves Israel. It’s really from the heart.”

Saying “there are no coincidences in life,” Narron believes his WBC role follows a path blazed by his late father, John, having worked as a floor layer and salesman for the Isaacs-Kahn Furniture Company, owned by one of the few Jewish families in their native Goldsboro, North Carolina.

That relationship fostered in the Baptist-raised Narron clan an appreciation for Judaism – so much so that whenever he visits Jerusalem’s Western Wall, Narron places his hands on its boulders and utters words “in thanksgiving” for the late Sol Isaacs and Isaacs’ son-in-law Berl Kahn, his dad’s bosses. Narron also recites the names of the Weil and Leader families – other Jewish residents “who really built up Goldsboro after the Civil War,” he said.

“I’m a sentimental old fool,” Narron said of feeling moved to honor “people my dad cared about and loved. I thank the Lord for them.”

In Israel, where Jerusalem’s Old City and the Galilee’s mountains hold particular appeal, “I see God’s hand,” Narron said. “The gifts to this world that have come through the Jewish nation – it’s unbelievable. When God told Abraham the world would be blessed through his seed, it has been blessed.”

Narron doesn’t know how he’ll be serving the Israeli club, which will be managed by Jerry Weinstein, a coach in the Colorado Rockies’ farm system. Retired All-Star outfielder Shawn Green will be part of the coaching staff, as he was in 2012.

The roster of players and other coaches hinges on the WBC qualifying tournament’s schedule. Kurz said he hopes the games will be played during the 2015-16 offseason, making major leaguers available. The last qualifiers occurring in-season in September 2012 excluded major leaguers.

The championship rounds will be held during MLB’s 2017 spring training, enabling the pros to play.

Narron has already approached several major leaguers to join him in Israel next winter to run baseball clinics, and he’s recruiting Jewish players – starting with Milwaukee’s All-Star outfielder Ryan Braun – to join the WBC club. Braun, whose father is Israeli, told JTA he was noncommittal.

“I can’t even think that far ahead, man,” he said, noting the challenging season for the Brewers, who are last in the National League’s Central Division.

Baseball has blessed the Narrons, and vice versa.

Narron’s son Connor is an in the Brewers’ system and Narron’s brother Johnny served with him on the Brewers coaching staff. They had a great-uncle Sam, who played as a catcher and coached in the majors, appearing in the in both capacities. The great-uncle had a son who caught in the minors, and the latter’s son, another Sam Narron, made it to the majors as a pitcher and now coaches in the minor leagues. And three other Narron relatives played for independent teams.

It’s “a family business,” Narron said.

Braun called Narron “one of the smartest baseball people I’ve ever been around,” providing some keen insights on baserunning and opposing defenses.

The Brewers’ manager, Craig Counsell, said: “You’re not going to find people with more experience than Jerry Narron – and he comes from a great baseball family.”

To Gabe Kapler, an outfielder for the when Narron managed there and a coach on Israel’s 2012 team, Narron is “an exceptional human being” who is “great at leading men.”

Narron also managed the Cincinnati Reds, coached for five teams and played for three. Unlike his uncle, he has never reached the World Series, coming tantalizingly close as a player with the California Angels in 1986 and as a coach with the in 2003 before losing on last-inning, playoff series-deciding home runs.

For Israel’s WBC club, the stakes are more modest. Narron wants to help the sport grow in a country with a paucity of ballfields and no cultural pull to baseball.

“I hope I can impart some of that wisdom and experience,” he said. “I’ll just try to help the team in any way I can. I’ll do whatever I can to help the ballclub – isn’t that the line in ‘Bull Durham’?”