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I generally try not to be very negative when writing about baseball players. They're people and even though the vast majority of them will never read a word I write, I try to keep in mind that sometimes it will cross their paths. But yesterday I wrote about the four best players in Brewers history as defined by fWAR. So today it seemed fitting to look at the three worst. It's actually going to be four because there was a tie. I only recognize two of these names, and one them I only recognized because I was a little shit as a teenager.
The first worst: Sean Berry: -2.7 fWAR
Do you guys remember Sean Berry? I do. He played for the Brewers in 1999 and part of 2000. Most of his playing time came at first base but he also played a handful of games over at third. He only logged 331 plate appearances for the Crew batting a staggering 216/272/295 (43 wRC+). That's why most of you probably don't remember him. So why do I remember him?
It's pretty simple. I was an annoying little shit as a teenager (insert 'you still are' joke here). I would have been 14 when Berry joined the Brewers. And like most teenagers I was a sarcastic asshole. Anyway, I didn't much care for baseball at the time, but I did like to give my brother and mother a hard time. So I would always root for whichever Brewers player they disliked, which was usually the worst player on the team. So I was a HUGE Sean Berry fan. The only one. I wasn't really a fan, but I did love cheering for him and seeing my mom and brother roll their eyes at me. It was all in good fun. I'm just glad I grew out of it before Yuniesky Betancourt became a Brewer...
The second worst: Von Joshua: -2.6 fWAR
I'd never heard or seen the name Von Joshua until I started research for this article. Thanks to "Lethal Weapon" I am picturing Gary Busey as Mr. (Von) Joshua. I mean the name does sound like a villain in a cheesy (awesome) 80's action flick. Or perhaps an alien bounty hunter. Right?
Anyway, Von Joshua was actually an outfielder for the Brewers from mod-1976 through 1977. He was excellent for the Giants in 1975 hitting 318/359/448 with 7 HR and 20 SB in 545 PA. As a Brewer (1015 PA) he hit 264/290/372 with 14 HR and 20 SB. Man the Brewers got hosed. But it was the 70's so they probably paid him next to nothing.
Third worst tie: Dick Davis and Chad Moeller: -2.1 fWAR
Dick Davis makes me think of Dick Dastardly so I'm picturing him with a thin greasy mustache and racing goggles. He actually played for the Brewers in four consecutive seasons as a corner outfielder. In 1023 PA he hit 264/291/390 with 21 HR and 10 SB. He certainly wasn't good for the Brewers. But this is a more normal bad. He had longevity though and accumulated negative WAR that way.
Chad Moeller played in three seasons with the Brewers as their back-up catcher from 2004 through 2007. He's the other guy on this list that I remember. I'm not sure why I remember a bad back-up catcher. But I do. I guess 2004 was when I started really paying attention to baseball again after just casually watching it for so many years. Anyway, he hit 204/257/319 in 669 PA.
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By the way, I'm sure you're all wonder where Yuniesky Betancourt would rank on this list. Well unsurprisingly, he just missed the list with a -2.0 fWAR. That's right. All four of these guys provided less value to the Brewers than Yuniesky Betancourt. Just think about that for a while.