Retired Numbers - Milwaukee Brewers

When people think of retired numbers, they likely only think of legendary players. Perhaps a manager or two come to mind as well. And with the exception of Jackie Robinson, they assume a team only retires numbers in the honor of their own franchise's best players. There are a few additional considerations to keep in mind, and the Brewers have a couple of those considerations...

 #1 - Bud Selig

Bud Selig's tale begins as a minority owner of the Milwaukee Braves franchise. He fought tooth and nail to keep the team from relocating, but off to Atlanta they went anyway. Years later, he found a new way to have baseball in his hometown as he relocated the failed Seattle Pilots team to Wisconsin and renamed them the Brewers. Most people, however, will better know Selig in his role of Commissioner (whether or not you believe that he really stopped being the owner of the Brewers at this point is up to you). After two decades of service, the Brewers decided to surprise Bud with the retirement of the #1 in honor of their first owner.

#4 - Paul Molitor

Three time all star with Milwaukee, along with two of his four Silver Sluggers, Molitor is one of two Hall of Famers to represent the Brewers on his plaque. Debuting as a Shortstop, Paul would make the jump from position to position over his early career mainly to try to stay off the DL. While it proved to be problematic to find a good place for him defensively, he was right at home at the plate. Paul Molitor is the only player in baseball history to amass 3,000 hits, 500 stolen bases and 200 home runs while maintaining at least a .300 career average. He set a record in Game 1 of the 1982 World Series when he got 5 hits.

#19 - Robin Yount

A Brewer lifer, Yount debuted in 1974, teamed up with Hank Aaron briefly, led the Brewers to their only World Series appearance, and played into the 90's. He was one of the rare players to with multiple MVPs at different positions. A proud Shortstop early in his career (he refused to budge even for fellow Brewer great Paul Molitor when he came up to the team) injury eventually forced his transition to the outfield. The switch to a less premium position hurt his all star nominations, but Yount stayed consistent and stayed on track offensively to become one of the youngest people to reach the 3,000 Hit Club.

#34 - Rollie Fingers

Before Rollie Fingers, the only thing that mattered for pitchers was if they were a Starter. By time he arrived in Milwaukee, Fingers had already redefined the Closer role into the high value job it's seen as today. And just like with his previous teams, Fingers would set the franchise record for Saves. Despite being in the end years of his career, Rollie still had gas in the tank for the Brewers; two more all star nods, a reliever of the year award, and (rare for a relief pitcher) the 1981 MVP award. His efforts helped Milwaukee get on top and reach to World Series in 1982, but injury prevented him from helping the cause. After he left the Brewers in 1985, there was a chance he could join the Cincinnati Reds, but they had a "clean shaven face" policy, and Rollie would not sacrifice that dashing mustache.

#44 - Hank Aaron

Here is another interesting example of an uncommon number retirement. Hank Aaron did indeed play for the Brewers, but only for the final two seasons of his Hall of Fame career. Nothing too amazing occurred; 22 homers total and an all star nod in 1975, sure, but nothing earth-shattering. But when he retired, the Brewers saw fit to honor #44, not for his contributions to the Brew Crew, but for his career in the city of Milwaukee. Sure, the Braves retired his number too, but the Brewers wanted to honor the fact that the first dozen seasons of the great Hank Aaron took place in Milwaukee, which is where he played for many of his all star games, all his Gold Glove seasons and his 1957 MVP run.