Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our pre-2022 revision of our top 50 Milwaukee Brewers.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National/American League. 

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

The Brewers are coming off another year where they made the post-season, and they are loaded with young talent, two of which make their debuts on this list.

As always, we present the top five, which remain unchanged from last year.

1. Robin Yount

2. Paul Molitor

3. Ryan Braun

4. Cecil Cooper

5. Prince Fielder

You can find the entire list here.

Christian Yelich, who is a former MVP for the team, inched up one spot to #10.

Pitcher, Brandon Woodruff, debuts at #31, and his teammate, and current Cy Young winner, Corbin Burnes comes in at #43.

The alterations remove Kevin Seitzer and Bill Hall from the list.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

Corbin Burnes made the Milwaukee Brewers two years after he was drafted in the Fourth Round, and after he debuted in July of 2018, he rattled off seven wins out of the bullpen with a 2.61 ERA and earned a win in the clinching game of the NLDS. That promise unraveled in 2019, during a nightmare season in which he surrendered 11 home runs in his first three starts and finished with an 8.82 ERA and a WHIP of 1.837.  Instead of folding, he used the 2020 shortened campaign to rebuild his approach, finishing sixth in the Cy Young voting and proving that his power-sinker and cutter could dominate as a frontline starter.

Burnes achieved his paramount professional milestone in 2021, delivering a season characterized by technical precision that redefined record standards. He demonstrated complete mastery of the strike zone, setting an MLB record by striking out 58 batters before issuing his first walk of the season. He concluded the year with an 11-5 record, leading the Major League Baseball in ERA (2.43), strikeout rate, and FIP, while also contributing to a combined no-hitter in September. This outstanding performance earned him the National League Cy Young Award, making him only the third pitcher in Brewers history to receive this accolade and establishing him as a distinguished force within the sport.

He followed his trophy-winning year with a 2022 campaign marked by durability. Burnes led the National League with 243 strikeouts, made 33 starts, and pitched over 200 innings for the first time, finishing seventh in Cy Young voting and earning his second straight All-Star nod. In 2023, he evolved his slider into a 'sweeper,' maintaining his edge. He led the National League with a 1.069 WHIP, had his third straight 200-strikeout season, and earned an All-Star selection. Although his ERA rose slightly to 3.39, he posted a 2.72 ERA in his final 14 starts, helping the Brewers win the division.

It turned out to be a swnasong for Burnes in Milwaukee, as the club traded him to the Baltimore Orioles. As a Brewer, Burnes posted a record of 45 and 27 with 870 Strikouts.

The process continues.

We here are Notinhalloffame.com have plans to create our own set of post-season awards, which we will look back and retroactively present from 1901 on.  That will take a while, but it has never stopped us before!

Our awards are not be league specific.

Now it is time for our 2021 positional awards.

We will be awarding a positional player of the year, but not only that, offer up the runner-up and second runner-up, meaning that we will have First, Second and Third All-MLB players.

Let’s work our way around the diamond and award the best of the best in Baseball!

Please note that with Starting Pitchers, we will be naming a Starting Pitcher of the Year, and four other co-First Team All-MLB Selections.  This is due to each team generally having at least five regular starters, and to honor more than just three starters.

Pitcher of the Year (First Team All-MLB):  Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies.  7.9 bWAR, 7.3 fWAR, 14-10 Record, 2.78 ERA, 213.1 IP, 247 SO, 5.37 SO/BB, 1.008 WHIP, 2.59 FIP.

There were no clear-cut winners, and while we suspect that other organizations will go a different route, we will stand by Wheeler, who led the National League in IP, Strikeouts, and bWAR for Pitchers.  The workhorse was also in the top five in the NL in ERA, WHIP, SO/BB and ERA+, and we can confidently say that the Phillies would not have competed for the NL East without him.  Again, if this is disputed by you (and we expect many will), there are five First Team All-MLB Starting Pitchers!

First Team All-MLB: Starting Pitcher:  Corbin Burnes, Milwaukee Brewers.  5.7 bWAR, 7.5 fWAR, 11-5 Record, 2.43 ERA, 167 IP, 234 SO, 6.88 SO/BB, 0.940 WHIP, 1.63 FIP.

Burnes was the ace of the Brewers staff, and he led the NL in ERA, SO/BB and WHIP.  While he was hurt for our Pitcher of the Year Award (46.1 IP less than Wheeler), he easily could have won this two more starts.

First Team All-MLB: Starting Pitcher:  Walker Buehler, Los Angeles Dodgers.  6.7 bWAR, 5.5 fWAR, 16-4 Record, 2.47 ERA, 207.2 IP, 212 SO, 4.08 SO/BB, 0.968 WHIP, 3.16 FIP.

The Dodgers had the best pitching staff in 2021, with Buehler going to his second All-Star Game, and setting personal bests in Wins, IP and ERA+.  Buehler was second in the NL in bWAR for Pitchers.

First Team All-MLB: Starting Pitcher:  Robbie Ray, Toronto Blue Jays.  6.7 bWAR, 3.9 fWAR, 13-7 Record, 2.84 ERA, 193.1 IP, 248 SO, 4.77 SO/BB, 1.045 WHIP, 3.69 FIP.

This was the season that the Blue Jays were hoping to see out of Ray, who led the American League in ERA, IP, Strikeouts, ERA+ and WHIP.

First Team All-MLB: Starting Pitcher:  Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals & Los Angeles Dodgers.  5.3 bWAR, 5.4 fWAR, 15-4 Record, 2.46 ERA, 179.1 IP, 236 SO, 6.56 SO/BB, 0.864 WHIP, 2.97 FIP.

Scherzer was one of the many Nationals jettisoned from the team this year, and he became part of one of the best starting rotations in recent history.  He was an All-Star for the eighth time this year, and for the fifth time he was the league leader in WHIP.  

Second Team All-MLB: Starting Pitcher:  Jacob deGrom, New York Mets.  5.0 bWAR, 4.9 fWAR, 7-2 Record, 1.08 ERA, 92 IP, 146 SO, 13.27 SO/BB, 0.554 WHIP, 1.24 FIP.

deGrom only played 15 Games, making it hard for him to be First Team, but those 15 Games were better than other hurler’s 15 this year.  Even if he was just an average Pitcher over 15 more Games, he would likely have won our Pitcher of the Year Award, but we can’t place him as a First Team Starter with under 100 Innings.

Second Team All-MLB: Starting Pitcher:  Carlos Rodon, Chicago White Sox.  5.0 bWAR, 4.9 fWAR, 13-5 Record, 2.37 ERA, 132.2 IP, 185 SO, 5.14 SO/BB, 0.957 WHIP, 2.65 FIP.

Rodon was phenomenal over his 24 Starts, and like deGrom, was eliminated from Pitcher of the Year consideration due to missing time.  He was an All-Star for the first time this year, and this is either the start of something great or a blip on his radar.

Second Team All-MLB: Starting Pitcher:  Brandon Woodruff, Milwaukee Brewers.  5.7 bWAR, 4.7 fWAR, 9-10 Record, 2.56 ERA, 179.1 IP, 211 SO, 4.91 SO/BB, 0.956 WHIP, 2.96 FIP.

Woodruff was an All-Star for the second time in 2021, and he finished in the top five in the National League in ERA, WHIP, FIP, WPA, and was first in cWPA.

Second Team All-MLB: Starting Pitcher:  Kevin Gausman, San Francisco Giants.  5.3 bWAR, 4.8 fWAR, 14-6 Record, 2.81 ERA, 192 IP, 227 SO, 4.54 SO/BB, 1.042 WHIP, 3.00 FIP.

Gausman had his best season to date, going from long-time average starter to ace in a year that the Giants went from also-rans to World Series contenders.  He was an All-Star for the first time in his career.

Second Team All-MLB: Starting Pitcher:  Julio Urias, Los Angeles Dodgers.  4.7 bWAR, 5.0 fWAR, 20-3 Record, 2.96 ERA, 185.2 IP, 195 SO, 5.13 SO/BB, 1.018 WHIP, 3.13 FIP.

Urias in 2021’s only 20-Win Pitcher, and part of by far the best rotation in Baseball.  This was either his breakout year, or a stop in his career as a starter, and bluntly, we are mostly intrigued as to Urias’ 2022 season than any other Pitcher.

Third Team All-MLB: Starting Pitcher:  Nathan Eovaldi, Boston Red Sox.  4.6 bWAR, 5.6 fWAR, 11-9 Record, 3.75 ERA, 182.1 IP, 195 SO, 5.57 SO/BB, 1.190 WHIP, 2.79 FIP.

Eovaldi led the American League in FIP and went to his first All-Star Game in his tenth MLB season.

Third Team All-MLB: Starting Pitcher:  Max Fried, Atlanta Braves.  5.4 bWAR, 3.8 fWAR, 14-7 Record, 3.04 ERA, 165.2 IP, 158 SO, 3.85 SO/BB, 1.087 WHIP, 3.31 FIP.

Fried arrived last year, and propelled himself as an elite National League Pitcher this year.

Third Team All-MLB: Starting Pitcher:  Lance Lynn, Chicago White Sox.  5.4 bWAR, 4.2 fWAR, 11-6 Record, 2.69 ERA, 157 IP, 176 SO, 3.91 SO/BB, 1.070 WHIP, 3.91 FIP.

Lynn was an All-Star for the second time in his career, the first since 2012.

Third Team All-MLB: Starting Pitcher:  Charlie Morton, Atlanta Braves.  4.0 bWAR, 4.6 fWAR, 14-6 Record, 3.34 ERA, 185.2 IP, 216 SO, 3.72 SO/BB, 1.045 WHIP, 3.35 FIP.

At age 37, Morton was an All-Star in 2018 and 2019, and is in his first year with Atlanta. 

Third Team All-MLB: Starting Pitcher:  Tyler Mahle, Cincinnati Reds.  4.9 bWAR, 3.9 fWAR, 13-6 Record, 3.75 ERA, 180 IP, 210 SO, 3.23 SO/BB, 1.283 WHIP, 3.80 FIP.

Mahle broke out this year and could be a bona fide elite starter.