More Brewers You've Forgotten: Ticking a Few Names Off my All-Time Brewers List

As of my last count, I have cards of 813 of the 841 men who appeared in a game for Pilots/Brewers up through the 2016 season. I started this project earlier in the year and I’m really glad I did. It’s gotten me more familiar with the all-time roster and has proved to be more of a challenge than I thought. While a 25^th Anniversary All-Time card set that was given away in four installments during the 1994 season provided a large number of “lesser” Brewers, tracking down cardboard of fringe players from the 23 years since has sent me searching deep into the bowels of off-brand product and minor league sets. I picked up another lot on Sportlots recently and will now share these long-forgotten Beermen with the blogosphere…

Bob Hamelin, 1998.

Most impressive Brewers stat: 4 Pinch-hit homers (led league)

On account of his 1994 AL ROY win, the Hammer got a few Brewers cards for his short time with the team. This Ultra card is easily the nicest. Hamelin played his last 109 games as a part-time first basemen with the Brewers. Fun fact about Bob Hamelin: he once cited Milwaukee as his least-favorite place to play on the road, saying, “The weather always seems bad, the stadium is run-down, and the downtown is dreary. All I can think of is Jeffery Dahmer.” Less than two years later, Hamelin became a Brewer.

Allan Simpson, 2006.

Most impressive Brewers stat: 152 ERA+ over 2.2 innings

A Brewer without a Brewer card, Simpson made two appearances in June before being sent back to minors. His photo on baseball-reference looks like a character from Tom Goes to the Mayor.

Chris Spurling, 2007.

Most impressive Brewers stat: 21 games finished, 0 saves

An average bullpen arm for the 2007 team – a surprising contender that finished just two games out of first place – Spurling, like Simpson and Ham, ended his career as a Brewer. I remember this guy being around a lot longer for some reason.

Joe Hudson, 1998.

Most impressive Brewers stat: 162.00 ERA (6 earned runs, .1 innings)

Despite three full seasons with the Red Sox 1995-1997, Joe Hudson never got a major league card. His only Brewers appearance came in Cincinnati on August 7, 1998. He came on for Brad Woodall in the sixth inning and, after getting Pat Watkins to line out, walked Willie Greene, allowed a double to Reggie Sanders, walked Barry Larkin, allowed a three-run double to Sean Casey, and walked Dmitri Young and Brett Boone. Mike Myers came on and allowed a base-clearing double, tagging Hudson with the highest career ERA in Brewers history.

Garry Roggenburk, 1969.

Most impressive Pilots stat: CG win v. California, July 8. Allowed 5 hits and 1 ER.

Although that give-away set covered the Brewers back til 1970, it did not include the Pilots, leaving a few holes in the first pages of my collection. Roggenburk was one of them, picked up mid-season from the Red Sox. He started a few games before going to the bullpen. On July 27, he was the last Pilots pitcher in a six-hour, 20 inning marathon against his old team. The Sox won, 5-3 and Roggenburk never pitched in the majors again.

Ron Rightnowar, 1995.

Most impressive Brewers stat: His birthday is Sept. 5, the same day I wrote this post.

Righnowar was a career minor leaguer when he took a chance and crossed the picket lines to play as a replacement player during Spring Training in 1995. After the strike ended, he became the first replacement player to make the big league team, getting the call in mid-May. Rightnowar got a frosty reception from his teammates at first. “It really stunk, to be honest with you,” Rightnowar said. “From the time I was 8 or 9 years old, I had dreamed of what the day would be like if, and when, I ever made it to the big leagues. I figured it would be a real special day in my life, just like the day I got married. But I felt awful. They were all giving me the cold shoulder.” Rightnowar was demoted in August and never made it back to the majors.

Michael Kirkman, 2016.

Most impressive Brewers stat: He struck out Giancarlo Stanton

Kirkman pitched an inning for last year’s Brewers club. I must have been in the bathroom or something, because it’s news to me that this ever happened.

Billy “Not that Billy Williams” Williams, 1969

Most impressive Pilots stat: Made MLB Debut at age 37

Billy Williams appeared in just four games for the Pilots in 1969, but spent 18 years overall playing pro baseball. He is the only Pilot to never appear on a card as a player, but appeared on two minor league cards during his lengthy coaching career. Billy passed away in 2013.

Danny Perez, 1996

Most impressive Brewers stat: Never stuck out or made an error

Perez appeared in four games, batted four times, and didn’t do much of anything else in the Majors. He started on July 4 against the Yankees in the Bronx… so that must have been a thrill.

Blake Lalli, 2013

Most impressive Brewers stat: Walk-off pinch hit against the Giants, April 17

Lalli was a utility player who made the club out of Spring Training, but had major troubles at the plate (a very tidy slash line of .125/.125/.125) and was send down in mid-May. He resurfaced for a handful of games with the Braves last year. In 51 career plate appearances, he drew just one walk.

Dick Simpson, 1969

Most impressive Pilots stat: 3 stolen bases in 4 attempts

Simpson was only 25 when he joined the Pilots, but already in his seventh (and last) big league season. He had been traded six times by the time he landed in Seattle, including as a key piece in the deal that sent Frank Robinson to the Orioles. He appeared in 26 games with the Pilots and was traded in the off-season to the Giants, although he never played in the majors again. According to Wikipedia, he is the father of Colton Simpson, an OG member of the Crips who is currently serving a 126-year sentence in California after being convicted of robbery, grand theft, and attempted murder and later wrote a book about this time in the gang.