StaTuesday: Rookies make mark on Brewers record book
It's no secret the Milwaukee Brewers went into rebuilding mode in 2016 and rookies played a big part during the season.
Overall, 18 players who still had rookie eligibility appeared in at least one game for Milwaukee this past season.
Among those, three really stood out: Keon Broxton, Zach Davies and Junior Guerra.
Broxton had a big season half and finished with 23 stolen bases and a .430 slugging percentage. He is just the seventh player in franchise history to record 20+ stolen bases as a rookie, and he did it in far less games than anyone else.
| Player | Year | G | SB |
| Pat Listach | 1992 | 149 | 54 |
| Scott Podsednik | 2003 | 154 | 43 |
| Alex Sanchez | 2002 | 112 | 37 |
| Nori Aoki | 2012 | 151 | 30 |
| Paul Molitor | 1978 | 125 | 30 |
| Keon Broxton | 2016 | 75 | 23 |
Each of the five previous Milwaukee rookies who had 20 or more steals received Rookie of the Year votes. Listach won the award, Molitor and Podsednik finished second, Aoki was fifth and Sanchez 10th. Broxton won't win the award in 2016, but perhaps he might garner some votes.
Of course, Broxton just wasn't about stealing bases. He also had a .354 on-base percentage and .430 slugging percentage, the latter of which is one of the top marks among Brewers rookies who had at least 200 plate appearances in a season.
| Player | Year | G | PA | SLG |
| Ryan Braun | 2007 | 113 | 492 | .634 |
| Casey McGehee | 2009 | 116 | 394 | .499 |
| Bill Schroeder | 1984 | 61 | 226 | .486 |
| Prince Fielder | 2006 | 157 | 648 | .483 |
| Scooter Gennett | 2013 | 69 | 230 | .479 |
| Corey Hart | 2006 | 87 | 256 | .468 |
| Darrell Porter | 1973 | 117 | 416 | .457 |
| Scott Podsednik | 2003 | 154 | 628 | .443 |
| Jeff Cirillo | 1995 | 125 | 384 | .442 |
| Danny Walton | 1970 | 117 | 454 | .441 |
| Nori Aoki | 2012 | 151 | 588 | .433 |
| Matt Mieske | 1994 | 84 | 286 | .432 |
| Greg Vaughn | 1990 | 120 | 429 | .432 |
| Keon Broxton | 2016 | 75 | 244 | .430 |
| Ronnie Belliard | 1999 | 124 | 531 | .429 |
| Keith Ginter | 2003 | 127 | 415 | .427 |
| B.J. Surhoff | 1987 | 115 | 445 | .423 |
| Jose Valentin | 1994 | 97 | 331 | .421 |
On the mound, Davies and Guerra anchored the rotation. Guerra, picked up on waivers last October, was 9-3 with a 2.81 ERA in 20 starts while Davies, acquired from Baltimore last season for Gerardo Parra, went 11-7 with a 3.97 ERA in 28 starts.
As with Broxton, both pitchers had a taste of the big leagues previously but still qualified as rookies.
| Pitcher | Year | Wins |
| Teddy Higuera | 1985 | 15 |
| Don August | 1988 | 13 |
| Bill Parsons | 1971 | 13 |
| Zach Davies | 2016 | 11 |
| Wily Peralta | 2013 | 11 |
| Ben Sheets | 2001 | 11 |
| Cal Eldred | 1992 | 11 |
| Chris Bosio | 1987 | 11 |
| Juan Nieves | 1987 | 11 |
| Manny Parra | 2008 | 10 |
| Steve Woodard | 1998 | 10 |
| Dan Plesac | 1986 | 10 |
| Moose Haas | 1977 | 10 |
| Jim Slaton | 1971 | 10 |
Davies had the fourth-most wins for a Brewers rookies and is just one of 16 first-year pitchers to toss at least 150 innings.
| Pitcher | Year | IP | ERA |
| Junior Guerra | 2016 | 121.2 | 2.81 |
| Don August | 1988 | 148.1 | 3.09 |
| Bil Parsons | 1971 | 244.2 | 3.20 |
| Jerry Augustine | 1976 | 171.2 | 3.30 |
| Angel Miranda | 1993 | 120 | 3.30 |
| Chuck Crim | 1987 | 130 | 3.67 |
| Mike Fiers | 2012 | 127.2 | 3.74 |
| Jim Slaton | 1971 | 147.2 | 3.78 |
| Teddy Higuera | 1985 | 212.1 | 3.90 |
| Andy Replogle | 1978 | 149.1 | 3.92 |
| Zach Davies | 2016 | 163.1 | 3.97 |
| Kevin Kobel | 1974 | 169.1 | 3.99 |
Guerra's 2.81 ERA was the best for any Milwaukee rookie with at least 120 innings pitched. He is the only one to have an ERA under 3.
| Pitcher | Year | IP | ERA |
| Junior Guerra | 2016 | 121.2 | 2.81 |
| Don August | 1988 | 148.1 | 3.09 |
| Bil Parsons | 1971 | 244.2 | 3.20 |
| Jerry Augustine | 1976 | 171.2 | 3.30 |
| Angel Miranda | 1993 | 120 | 3.30 |
| Chuck Crim | 1987 | 130 | 3.67 |
| Mike Fiers | 2012 | 127.2 | 3.74 |
| Jim Slaton | 1971 | 147.2 | 3.78 |
| Teddy Higuera | 1985 | 212.1 | 3.90 |
| Andy Replogle | 1978 | 149.1 | 3.92 |
| Zach Davies | 2016 | 163.1 | 3.97 |
| Kevin Kobel | 1974 | 169.1 | 3.99 |
One thing Guerra and Davies had in common was striking out opposing hitters as both finished with 7.4 strikeouts per nine innings. Again, this ranks among the best for a Brewers rookie (min. 69 innings pitched).
| Pitcher | Year | IP | K/9 |
| Mike Fiers | 2012 | 127.2 | 9.52 |
| Valerio De Los Santos | 2000 | 73.2 | 8.55 |
| Yovani Gallardo | 2007 | 110.1 | 8.24 |
| Chris Capuano | 2004 | 88.1 | 8.15 |
| Taylor Jungmann | 2015 | 119.1 | 8.07 |
| Manny Parra | 2008 | 166 | 7.97 |
| Chris Bosio | 1987 | 170 | 7.94 |
| Zach Davies | 2016 | 163.1 | 7.44 |
| Dan Plesac | 1986 | 91 | 7.42 |
| Junior Guerra | 2016 | 121.2 | 7.40 |
| Jimmy Nelson | 2014 | 69.1 | 7.40 |
| Steve Woodard | 1998 | 165.2 | 7.33 |
| Jose Capellan | 2006 | 71.2 | 7.28 |
| Bob McClure | 1977 | 71.1 | 7.19 |
| Rafael Roque | 1999 | 84/1 | 7.04 |
Those listed above all had 12 or more starts except Roque (9), De Los Satntos (2) and Plesac, Capellan and McClure (0).
There's one more rookie to talk about as well. Orlando Arcia wasn't up long with the big club but he did manage to steal eight bases without being caught. Arcia is just one of 17 players in major-league history to have a steal rate of 100 percent with eight or more attempts in his rookie season.
| Player | Year | Team | SB |
| Quintin Berry | 2012 | Tigers | 21 |
| Craig Gentry | 2011 | Rangers | 18 |
| Lee Tinsley | 1994 | Red Sox | 13 |
| Matt Duffy | 2015 | Giants | 12 |
| Miguel Dilone | 1977 | Pirates | 12 |
| Christian Yelich | 2013 | Marlins | 10 |
| John Jaha | 1992 | Brewers | 10 |
| Jacob Ellsbury | 2007 | Red Sox | 9 |
| Darren Bragg | 1995 | Mariners | 9 |
| Orlando Arcia | 2016 | Brewers | 8 |
| Jackie Bradley | 2014 | Red Sox | 8 |
| Jose Morban | 2003 | Orioles | 8 |
| Willie Harris | 2002 | White Sox | 8 |
| Barry Larkin | 1986 | Reds | 8 |
| Stan Javier | 1986 | A's | 8 |
| Bob Meachem | 1983 | Yankees | 8 |
| Tommy Smith | 1976 | Indians | 8 |
These players certainly made an impact in 2016 and with the rebuilding mode still on, it will be interesting to see which prospects -- and unknowns, like Broxton and Guerra -- make their mark in 2017.
