Milwaukee’s Best, Part 1: The 50 Best To Play For Braves, Brewers: 50-41
By Phil Watson
Denis Menke, as shown on a 1963 Topps baseball card.
41. Denis Menke, SS
Braves 1962-65
Denis Menke signed with the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent in 1958 out of St. John’s High School in Bancroft, Iowa, and made his debut with the club in April 1962.
He was a rarity for his era—a power-hitting shortstop—and slugged 20 homers while hitting .283/.368/.479 for Milwaukee in 1964, his second season as a regular for the Braves.
Menke was sixth in the NL in walks, ninth in on-base percentage and 10th in WAR in 1964.
He was with the Braves when they moved to Atlanta in 1966 and in October 1967 was traded to the Houston Astros.
He moved on to the Cincinnati Reds in a November 1971 trade and was dealt back to the Astros in February 1974 for a final season before retiring.
Menke managed the Brewers’ Class-A farm club in Burlington in 1977 before managing in the Toronto Blue Jays organization for two seasons.
Menke joined the Blue Jays as first base coach in 1980-81 and was hitting coach and first-base coach for the Astros from 1983-88. In 1989, he joined the Philadelphia Phillies as hitting coach, a position he held through 1996 and was bench coach of the Reds from 1997-2000.
Here are his stats from his four seasons with the Milwaukee Braves:
| Year | Age | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 21 | 50 | 166 | 146 | 12 | 28 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 38 | .192 | .277 | .267 | .544 | 49 |
| 1963 | 22 | 146 | 572 | 518 | 58 | 121 | 16 | 4 | 11 | 50 | 6 | 7 | 37 | 106 | .234 | .289 | .344 | .632 | 83 |
| 1964 | 23 | 151 | 589 | 505 | 79 | 143 | 29 | 5 | 20 | 65 | 4 | 2 | 68 | 77 | .283 | .368 | .479 | .847 | 136 |
| 1965 | 24 | 71 | 202 | 181 | 16 | 44 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 18 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 28 | .243 | .313 | .392 | .706 | 98 |
| TOTALS | 418 | 1529 | 1350 | 165 | 336 | 61 | 11 | 37 | 149 | 11 | 13 | 139 | 249 | .249 | .321 | .393 | .714 | 101 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/16/2015.
Coming Wednesday: Milwaukee’s Best, Nos. 40-31.