Lew Burdette was the star right-hander for the Milwaukee Braves in the 1950s, but his career was a tad on the complicated side to dissect.

Burdette made his first appearance in the Majors for the Braves in 1950, but he was not a permanent member of the roster until 1952.  Burdette became a top hurler in 1953, and from 1953 to 1961, he had at least 15 Wins every year but 1955. Burdette won the National League ERA Title in 1956 (2.70), and the year after, he was the World Series MVP in what would be the Braves' only World Series Championship in Milwaukee.  He had 20 Win years in 1959 and 1960 and was third in Cy Young voting in the latter season.

Burdette was good during this period, utilizing control to lead the NL in BB/9 three times, but he also gave up a lot of Hits, and his career bWAR is under 30.  Known for his fidgeting, Burdette was an annoyance to batters, and it was joked that he would make coffee nervous.

After declining in the early 60s, Burdette bounced to St. Louis, Chicago (NL), Philadelphia, and California before retiring in 1967 with a record of 203-144.

Lew Burdette was a consistent Pitcher for the Milwaukee Braves, where he would win 179 Games for the franchise.  Burdette first came to notice in the 1953 season, going 15-5 and finishing 7^th in ERA.  The hurler remained solid for a couple of years, and in the last half of the 50’s, he would go on his best run, where from 1956 to 1961, he never had less than 17 Wins, and in three of those seasons, he was the National League leader in BB/9.  Burdette would also win the ERA Title (1956) and the Wins leader in 1959.

An All-Star twice (1957 & 1959), Burdette would help Warren Spahn propel the Braves to the World Series, and Lew was at his absolute best, going 3-0 in the Fall Classic with a 0.67 ERA and a 0.926 WHIP.  He would win the World Series MVP that year.

Despite his on-field accomplishments, Burdette might be best known for being a prankster and fun-loving individual who was popular with teammates and fans alike.  If this list were based on overall likability, it would have been hard to supplant Lew Burdette.