Robert Gasser and 19 electric Milwaukee Brewers debuts
Robert Gasser's electric debut for the Milwaukee Brewers on May 10 conjured some great memories of past Brewers debuts.
Gasser spun six shutout innings in his Major League debut, allowing just two hits to the St. Louis Cardinals in an 11-2 victory at American Family Field on Friday. He became the fifth pitcher in Brewers history (Brandon Woodruff, Chris Sáenz, Jim Slaton, Steve Woodard) to throw at least six scoreless innings in his MLB debut and just the second (along with Woodard) to allow three or fewer base runners in six-plus frames.
These are among the best Brewers debuts.
19. Kevin Barker (August 18, 1999)
Barker was a warmly regarded prospect who made a big impact in his first game, delivering a go-ahead single in the top of the ninth for his second hit of the day. Barker also scored a run and helped the Brewers beat the Astros, 6-5. Barker only played 78 games in Milwaukee over two seasons and finished with 126 career games overall.
18. Brandon Woodruff (August 4, 2017)
Woodruff didn't allow a run in 6⅓ innings in a 2-0 win over Tampa Bay. It may not register as all that momentous a debut, but it was intriguing considering that his ML debut was slated to come June 13 ... but he strained a hamstring in his bullpen before the game and had to be scratched. He went on to become a star in Milwaukee's rotation.
17. Yovani Gallardo (June 18, 2007)
The Brewers finally had a pitching prospect matching the promise of their last great home-grown ace, Ben Sheets in 2001. Gallardo picked up the win, allowing three earned runs against the Giants over 6⅓ innings in a 5-4 win. He also showed what he was capable of at the dish, doubling in a run in his first Major League at bat and later walking. For eight seasons, Gallardo was a staple in the Brewers rotation.
16. Jackson Chourio (March 29, 2024)
No Brewers minor leaguer has been ranked by baseball publications as highly as Chourio, who signed an eight-year extension before his first Major League at-bat (and before turning 20 years old). The Venezuelan star made the opening day roster and walked as the first batter of the 2024 season during Milwaukee's 3-1 win in New York against the Mets. Later in the game, he recorded his first Major League hit and also drove in his first run with an RBI groundout.
15. Gary Sheffield (Sept. 3, 1988)
He was still a teenager but had already been the franchise's most heralded prospect for multiple seasons when he arrived as part of September call-ups. He finished the game on defense in his first appearance and went 0 for 4 in his follow-up the next day, both against Detroit. But his most thrilling showing came against Seattle on Sept. 9, when he hit a home run for his first Major League hit and then won the game with a walk-off single in the 11th. Though Sheffield had a highly productive Major League career, he clashed with Brewers personnel and spent only four seasons in Milwaukee.
14. Jeff D'Amico (June 28, 1996)
The organization's No. 1 pitching prospect allowed two hits in 5 2/3 innings and earned a win in a 5-1 win over Toronto. D'Amico had some memorable stretches but was ultimately undone by injuries in his career. He threw his last big-league pitch in 2004.
13. Taylor Jungmann (June 9, 2015)
Jungmann, a first-round draft choice who ultimately wound up as a bit of a disappointment for Brewers fans, was sensational in his debut, allowing one run on three hits in seven innings against the Pirates. Jungmann was actually very good all season that year, finishing with a 9-8 record and 3.77 ERA. It didn’t turn out to be sustainable, and he only appeared in 30 career games, but it’s easy to forget how good Jungmann was at times, including 10 straight starts of allowing two runs or fewer and a five-start July when his ERA was 1.77.
12. Nick Neugebauer (August 19, 2001)
Probably the best example of a player with serious prospect buzz who didn't stick in the big leagues. Neugebauer was a much-discussed pitching prospect who figured to be a supplement to another 2001 rookie, Ben Sheets, and his win at Cincinnati included a solid start of one run on three hits in five innings with nine strikeouts. But Neugebauer lasted only one inning in his next outing, getting hit hard by the Rockies, and he didn't pitch again until 2002, when a rotator cuff injury sidelined him and eventually shortened the rest of his career.
11. Corey Hart (May 25, 2004)
There was some buzz around Hart's arrival, not because he was at the top of the prospect list but because he represented the forefront of a wave of talent from the minors, later to include Rickie Weeks, Prince Fielder, JJ Hardy and Ryan Braun. Hart struck out in his lone at-bat that day but hit one of the most memorable foul balls in Milwaukee history — a boomer that brought the crowd to its feet even as it curled foul past the left-field pole. Hart wouldn't get his second big-league at-bat until more than a year later in August of 2005 ... and he hit a three-run homer in that game. He wound up spending the next seven seasons in Milwaukee, with two all-star appearances.
10. Keston Hiura (May 14, 2019)
The former first-round draft choice hit his way through the minors, and he immediately churned out two hits and a walk in his big-league debut in Philadelphia. His arrival was a jolt the 2019 team could really use on offense, and the Brewers went on to have a successful season that ended in the wild-card game. Hiura, aged 22 at the time, had a superb debut season, with a .938 OPS and 19 homers in 84 games. But whether it was the pandemic complications of the following season or his strikeout issues, his numbers immediately plummeted from there, and he spent the entirety of 2023 in the Brewers minor-league system before getting released after the year.
9. Freddy Peralta (May 13, 2018)
Peralta was more of a curiosity than a super prospect when he made his Major League debut at 21 years old, but nobody will forget his Mother's Day performance in Colorado, when he allowed just one hit in 5 2/3 innings, struck out 13 and secured a win with his dazzling scoreless outing. Now, he's an all-star member of the starting rotation.
8. Sixto Lezcano (Sept. 10, 1974)
It doesn't get much better than hitting a walk-off single in your Major League debut, and that's exactly what happened to Sixto, capping a 3-for-5 day against Baltimore. Lezcano singled in John Briggs in the bottom of the 10th to plate the winning run. Lezcano became one of the team's more popular figures until his Milwaukee tenure ended in 1980.
7. Robin Yount (April 5, 1974)
We probably weren't as aware of top prospects in the 1970s, but when an 18-year-old begins the year as the starting shortstop, that's memorable. Yount went 0 for 1 with a walk in his debut against Boston, and a Hall of Fame career was born. He recorded his first hit April 12 against Baltimore.
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6. Chris Sáenz (April 24, 2004)
This debut makes Sáenz perhaps the greatest Brewers player ever to appear in only one game. He was a spot starter recalled from Class AA who worked six shutout innings, allowing two hits and five walks with seven strikeouts. He never pitched another game in the big leagues after that 3-1 win over the Cardinals at Miller Park. As of 2023, he's the only big-leaguer since 1900 to start and work at least six scoreless innings without a second big-league appearance.
5. Sal Frelick (July 22, 2023)
Frelick had been regarded as the top prospect in the system before Chourio came along, and he almost certainly would have debuted sooner in 2023 had he not endured a finger injury. Once he arrived, he delivered an unforgettable performance against the powerhouse Atlanta Braves, making two outstanding catches in the outfield, collecting three hits in as many at-bats and driving in two runs, including a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth. Frelick remained a key piece the rest of the way for a team that won the National League Central.
4. Geoff Jenkins (April 24, 1998)
The left-handed slugger saw his placement among the game's elite prospects slip ever so slightly by the time he arrived, but he made an immediate splash when he had two hits in a game at San Francisco — including his first big-league home run. Jenkins stayed in Milwaukee the rest of the year and became a Brewers staple for 10 years.
3. Prince Fielder (June 13, 2005)
Milwaukee saw an opportunity to get the heralded lefty slugger some at-bats in back-to-back interleague series at Tampa and Toronto, where he could serve as designated hitter. Fielder went 0 for 4 in his first game but collected two hits the next night. He stayed up the rest of the month, famously hitting his first career homer on June 25 against the Twins — the same day fellow top prospect Rickie Weeks hit his (off Johan Santana, no less). Fielder became the face of Milwaukee's resurrection to baseball prominence thereafter.
2. Steve Woodard (July 28, 1997)
Simply put, it's the best Major League debut in Brewers history (at least on the pitching side). He may not have been as heralded as other prospects in the organization, but who could forget his eight innings of one-hit ball as he out-dueled Toronto and Cy Young winner Roger Clemens in a 1-0 beauty? It wasn't sustainable, and he only pitched in 162 games over seven seasons in MLB, but nobody will forget that first outing.
1. Ryan Braun (May 25, 2007)
Regarded as one of the top prospects in baseball, Braun was called up with the team in San Diego and delivered. He doubled in his first game and drove in two runs, though Milwaukee lost the game. Braun had three hits in his follow up one night later, including his first big-league home run. He became one of the best players in franchise history.
A first version of this story appeared in 2019. JR Radcliffe can be reached at (262) 361-9141 or jradcliffe@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JRRadcliffe.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Robert Gasser and 19 electric Milwaukee Brewers debuts
