Milwaukee Brewers' Impactful Players in High School Baseball History

The Milwaukee Brewers have a long history of producing talented players who went on to make a name for themselves in the MLB. One of the most impactful players in high school baseball history is Harvey Kuenn, who played for Milwaukee Lutheran High School and went on to become the rookie of the year with the Detroit Tigers and later manager of the Milwaukee Brewers. Kuenn narrowly won the vote for the most impactful high school baseball player in Wisconsin history, receiving 37 votes. Tony Butler, a standout player from Oak Creek, came in second with 36 votes, while Jim Gantner, a Campbellsport native, received 35 votes. The history of Wisconsin baseball often deviates from a traditional high school path, particularly the further back in time we go. Legends such as Al Simmons, Addie Joss, and Bob Uecker didn't leave a traditional imprint in high school ball. The voting was close, thanks in part to a lower turnout than some of our other polls. In full disclosure, because of a technological glitch, our poll wasn't initially appearing for readers, which led to lower totals. The top 10 suggestions for the most impactful high school baseball player in Wisconsin history were: Harvey Kuenn, Tony Butler, Jim Gantner, Craig Counsell, Eric Hinske, Rick Reichardt, Dennis Overby, Scott Servais, Augie Schmidt, and Joe Randa. Mike Jirschele received three write-in votes. Other former Brewers who made the list of write-ins include Jerry Augustine, Bob Wickman, and Damian Miller. Augustine played baseball at UW-La Crosse, got drafted in 1974, and spent 10 years with the Brewers, was part of the 1982 team that went to the World Series, and later became UW-Milwaukee head coach for 12 seasons. Wickman became an all-star closer with Milwaukee and Cleveland during a 15-year MLB career after attending the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Miller played college baseball at Viterbo and played for the Brewers from 2005-07, with a World Series title and all-star appearance during his time with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Owen Miller remains active in the Chicago Cubs organization; he played for Milwaukee in 2023 and 2024 and was a third-round pick out of Illinois State by the San Diego Padres in 2018. Owen's brother, Noah, was a first-round pick in 2021 by the Minnesota Twins and currently plays in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. Those who received write-in votes include: Jerry Augustine, JT Bruett, Rob Coe, Luke Fox, Billy Hoeft, Tim Jorgensen, Mike Jirschele, Ralph Kalies, Howard Koplitz, Damien Miller, Owen and Noah Miller, Lance Painter, Connor Prielipp, Greg Reinhard, Pat Richter, Terry Ryan, Dene Storch, and Andy Thompson.