It’s been a big day for the Milwaukee Brewers. The same morning the organization announced it will start its 2021 regular season by allowing fans into American Family Field at 25 percent capacity on Opening Day, the team has also reportedly come to an agreement with All-Star outfielder and 2018 Gold Glove recipient Jackie Bradley Jr.
Not only does the soon-to-be-official signing (reportedly worth $24 million over two seasons, with an opt-out after the first year) boost Milwaukee’s already impressive outfield, it also adds to the team’s long, storied history of players and personnel with “Jr.” or “Junior” in their name. Over the 50-plus seasons of Brewers baseball, there have been a number of players with the surname suffix or the pint-sized first name to play with Milwaukee. We found 10 of them and—fresh off building a team entirely composed of Brewers with food-related names—felt compelled to rank them. Here they are:
10. Joe Schultz Jr.*
In 1969, the expansion Seattle Pilots were managed by a former catcher and first-time skipper Joe Schultz Jr. Though this doesn’t technically count as a Brewers employee, the Pilots moved to Milwaukee in 1970, largely thanks to Schultz’s 64-98 record in Seattle, which surely hurt the team’s value in Washington and helped make the relocation possible.
9. Eric Young Jr.
Though Eric Young Jr., the son of former Brewers second baseman Eric Young, didn’t make it out of Spring Training with a spot on Milwaukee’s roster in 2016, we’ll always remember him…as the similarly-named son of a guy who actually played for the team.
8. Raul Mondesi Jr.
While you probably know him as Adalberto (his middle name) these days, the son of ex-Dodgers All-Star Raul Mondesi actually shares a first name with his dad. Back when he was a 17-year-old who went by “Raul Mondesi Jr.” in 2010, the Brewers signed him to their Dominican Summer League team. Today, Adalberto is making a name for himself (get it?!) as a member of the Royals.
EDIT: A reader Jim alerted us to the existence of TWO players named Raul Mondesi. The one with Brewers ties is NOT a “Jr.,” so does not qualify for this list. Milwaukee Record apologizes for this Mondesi-related error.
Very cool list but the #Brewers Raul Mondesi Jr. played three seasons at rookie levels, was traded to Tampa for Burke Badenhop, and then never played in the Rays’ system or anywhere else. He is not Adalberto.
— Jim Goulart (@Mass_Haas) March 5, 2021
7. Tony Gwynn Jr.
Even more compelling than the Raul Mondesi family connection is the one Tony Gwynn Jr. shares with one of the greatest hitters of all time. The younger Gwynn was drafted by the Brewers in 2003 and spent minimal time with the Brewers as a light-hitting reserve outfielder and pinch runner from 2006 to 2008 before signing with his father’s former team out in San Diego.
6. Junior Spivey
Like we weren’t also going to do nickname Juniors! Ernest Lee “Junior” Spivey came to Milwaukee as part of the Richie Sexson haul the Brewers got before the 2004 season. The second baseman’s time in Milwaukee was brief and mostly unimpressive, but he was eventually traded straight up for Tomo Ohka, who were a serviceable starter. Spivey returned to the Brewers organization this winter as one of the team’s coordinators of baseball diversity initiatives.
5. Jerry Hairston Jr.
Probably best-known for being the son of Jerry Hairston Sr. and the main piece the Cubs got from Baltimore when they traded Sammy Sosa to the Orioles, the younger Jerry Hairston came to Milwaukee at the end of the 2011 campaign to give the playoff-bound team a late-season push. While he didn’t thrill in his 45 regular season games in a Brewers uniform, he came on strong in the 2011 postseason, hitting .385 and flashing an above-average glove at shortstop, second base, third base, and in the outfield.
4. Junior Guerra
Unlike Junior Spivey, Junior Guerra’s first name actually is Junior. Also unlike Spivey, the Brewers pitcher and one-time Opening Day starter was actually pretty good with Milwaukee.
3. Jackie Bradley Jr.
While the future is unknown, we have no issue giving All-Star, Gold Glover, ALCS MVP, World Series champ, and human highlight reel Jackie Bradley Jr. a lofty spot on this list.
2. Rickie Weeks Jr.
We think Rickie Weeks Jr. got a bad rap in Milwaukee. While he didn’t exactly make good on his 2nd overall draft selection, he (a hit by pitch magnet with patience at the plate and undeniable pop) was still underappreciated. He was good enough with Milwaukee to earn a very high spot on this list. And besides, what other Brewers Jr. was better? Oh yeah…there is one Jr. who was better.
1. C.C. Sabathia
Any Brewers fans who knows anything at all is aware of C.C. Sabathia and is appreciative of his otherworldly performance in a partial season in Milwaukee during the 2008 season that willed the team to its first postseason appearance in 26 years. Fewer fans are likely aware of that “C.C.” stands for Carsten Charles. And even fewer fans probably know the future Hall Of Fame hurler’s full name is Carsten Charles Sabathia Jr. Of course Sabathia gets the number one slot on this list!
If we happened to miss any other Jr. or Junior players, please let us know in the comments. And no, shit like Prince Fielder being Cecil Fielder’s son or any other Brewers family connections don’t count unless one of the players is a Jr., okay?