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On this day in 1995 Major League Baseball held its annual Rule 4 draft, which opened with the Angels selecting Nebraska outfielder/punter Darin Erstad #1 overall. Eight picks later the Brewers selected USC outfielder Geoff Jenkins, launching a long career in Milwaukee.
Jenkins didn't take long to establish himself in the minors, hitting .279/.358/.435 in his professional debut season across three levels. Before the 1996 season Baseball America listed him as the game's #49 prospect. He went on to make his big league debut as a 23-year-old on April 24, 1998.
1998 was the first of ten seasons as a Brewer for Jenkins, who appeared in 1234 games and hit 212 home runs, the third most in franchise history. He's also fourth on the Brewer all-time list with 704 RBI and fifth with 1221 hits.
Jenkins played his final major league season as a Phillie in 2008, but came back to Milwaukee to sign a one-day contract and retire as a Brewer in 2010.
With help from the B-Ref Play Index, happy birthday today to:
- 1977 Brewer Ken McMullen, who turns 71.
- Dean Chance, 2000 inductee into the Appleton Baseball Hall of Fame. He turns 72.
Today is also the 58th anniversary of Duke Snider homering three times in a Brooklyn Dodgers win over the Milwaukee Braves in 1955, and we covered that event in this space last year. It's also the 13th anniversary of future Brewer Tomo Ohka pitching a perfect game for the AAA Pawtucket Red Sox in 2000, and we covered that event in this space two years ago.