Milwaukee’s Best, Part 5: The 50 Best To Play For Braves, Brewers: 10-1
By Phil Watson
Cecil Cooper, shown on a 1980s vintage poster.
7. Cecil Cooper, 1B
Brewers 1977-87
The Brewers acquired Cecil Cooper in December 1976, sending first baseman George Scott and outfielder Bernie Carbo to the Boston Red Sox.
It turned out to be a steal for the Crew.
Cooper was a five-time All-Star for Milwaukee, twice leading the American League in RBI and twice leading the circuit in doubles. He finished in the top 10 in the MVP voting four times and won a pair of Gold Gloves for his work at first base.
Cooper hit .352/.387/.539 in 1980, leading the AL with 122 RBI and clubbing 25 homers, and topped the .300 mark in his first seven seasons in Milwaukee.
Cooper also won the Roberto Clemente Award in 1983 and led the AL in total bases in 1980. His name was frequently on the league leaderboards during his stay with the Brewers, as he finished in the top 10 in doubles six times, in hits seven times, in batting and home runs three times, in slugging four times and in RBI five times.
Cooper was 8-for-28 with a homer and six RBI for the Brewers in the 1982 World Series.
A sixth-round pick by the Red Sox out of Prairie View A&M University in 1968, Cooper reached the majors for the first time in September 1971. He retired after the 1987 season.
Cooper worked as a player agent for several years before joining the Brewers organization in 1997, including spending three years as farm director.
He later managed the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis for two seasons, 2003-04, before leaving to join Phil Garner’s coaching staff with the Houston Astros.
Cooper would go on to manage the Astros from Aug. 28, 2007, through Sept. 21, 2009, with a record of 171-170.
Here are Cooper’s statistics from his 11 seasons with the Brewers:
| Year | Age | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 27 | 160 | 679 | 643 | 86 | 193 | 31 | 7 | 20 | 78 | 13 | 8 | 28 | 110 | .300 | .326 | .463 | .789 | 113 |
| 1978 | 28 | 107 | 448 | 407 | 60 | 127 | 23 | 2 | 13 | 54 | 3 | 4 | 32 | 72 | .312 | .359 | .474 | .833 | 133 |
| 1979 ★ | 29 | 150 | 660 | 590 | 83 | 182 | 44 | 1 | 24 | 106 | 15 | 3 | 56 | 77 | .308 | .364 | .508 | .872 | 133 |
| 1980 ★ | 30 | 153 | 678 | 622 | 96 | 219 | 33 | 4 | 25 | 122 | 17 | 6 | 39 | 42 | .352 | .387 | .539 | .926 | 155 |
| 1981 | 31 | 106 | 453 | 416 | 70 | 133 | 35 | 1 | 12 | 60 | 5 | 4 | 28 | 30 | .320 | .363 | .495 | .858 | 151 |
| 1982 ★ | 32 | 155 | 696 | 654 | 104 | 205 | 38 | 3 | 32 | 121 | 2 | 3 | 32 | 53 | .313 | .342 | .528 | .870 | 142 |
| 1983 ★ | 33 | 160 | 710 | 661 | 106 | 203 | 37 | 3 | 30 | 126 | 2 | 1 | 37 | 63 | .307 | .341 | .508 | .849 | 138 |
| 1984 | 34 | 148 | 635 | 603 | 63 | 166 | 28 | 3 | 11 | 67 | 8 | 2 | 27 | 59 | .275 | .307 | .386 | .693 | 95 |
| 1985 ★ | 35 | 154 | 674 | 631 | 82 | 185 | 39 | 8 | 16 | 99 | 10 | 3 | 30 | 77 | .293 | .322 | .456 | .779 | 112 |
| 1986 | 36 | 134 | 589 | 542 | 46 | 140 | 24 | 1 | 12 | 75 | 1 | 2 | 41 | 87 | .258 | .310 | .373 | .682 | 83 |
| 1987 | 37 | 63 | 270 | 250 | 25 | 62 | 13 | 0 | 6 | 36 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 51 | .248 | .293 | .372 | .665 | 73 |
| TOTALS | 1490 | 6492 | 6019 | 821 | 1815 | 345 | 33 | 201 | 944 | 77 | 37 | 367 | 721 | .302 | .339 | .470 | .809 | 123 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/22/2015.
Next: 6. Best Of The 21st Century Brewers