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In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Milwaukee Brewers had some of their best seasons to-date in the young franchise’s history, led by players such as sluggers Gorman Thomas and Cecil Cooper, catcher Ted Simmons, and pitchers Pete Vuckovich and Rollie Fingers. However, the cornerstones of the team were homegrown stars and future Hall of Famers Paul Molitor and Robin Yount – members of the 3,000 career hit club, neither was a flashy star and each was probably a bit underrated, but both were nevertheless consistently great players. As the best players of the 1980s Brew Crew and arguably the two best players in franchise history, it is a natural comparison to make:
Who was better – Paul Molitor or Robin Yount?
The Beginning
Both Molitor and Yount were high draft picks by the Brewers and made good on those lofty expectations by quickly ascending to the major leagues.
A native of St. Paul, Minnesota, Molitor excelled as a high school baseball player and was drafted in the 28th round of the 1974 MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals as a pitcher. However, he instead went on to play shortstop at the University of Minnesota, where he earned All-American honors. Following his junior season, Molitor was selected third overall in the 1977 MLB Draft by the Brewers and would make his major league debut the next year, hitting .273 with 6 home runs, 45 runs batted in, 73 runs scored, 30 stolen bases, a .301 on-base percentage, and a .372 slugging percentage in 1978, good for an 89 OPS+ (which measures on-base percentage plus slugging vs. a league-wide average set at 100) and second for AL Rookie of the Year.
Meanwhile, Yount was born in the Midwest, but grew up in southern California, parlaying a terrific high school baseball career into being the third overall pick of the 1973 MLB June Amateur Draft by Milwaukee (a pick ahead of fellow future Hall of Famer Dave Winfield). At just 18 years old, he made his MLB debut with the Brewers and had a ho-hum rookie season in 1974, hitting .250 with 3 home runs, 26 runs batted in, 48 runs scored, a .276 on-base percentage, and a .346 slugging percentage (79 OPS+).
Career Comparison
Teammates for a decade-and-a-half in Milwaukee, Molitor and Yount were not necessarily flashy players, but were consistently two of the best all-around hitters in baseball en route to 3,000+ career hits apiece and the Hall of Fame.
Originally a shortstop, Molitor played every infield position in Milwaukee (though primarily at third base followed by second base) before eventually moving to designated hitter. Offensively, he quickly became a star at the top of the lineup, earning his first All-Star selection in 1980 with a .304 batting average, 9 home runs, 37 runs batted in, 81 runs scored, 34 stolen bases, a .372 on-base percentage, and a .438 slugging percentage (125 OPS+). A couple of years later, he had his first 200-hit season on a .302 batting average with 19 home runs, 71 runs batted in, a league-leading and career-best 136 runs scored, 41 stolen bases, a .366 on-base percentage, and a .450 slugging percentage (129 OPS+). Though plagued by various injuries in the early part of his career, including an elbow issue that limited him to just 13 games played in 1984, Molitor remained productive when in the lineup, including another All-Star season in 1985. While he was not an All-Star in 1987, he had his highest MVP finish in a Brewers uniform (fifth), hitting a career-best .353 with a league-high 41 doubles, 16 home runs, 75 runs batted in, a league-leading 114 runs scored, a career-high 45 stolen bases, and career-highs of a .438 on-base percentage, and a .566 slugging percentage (161 OPS+) to also win his first Silver Slugger.
Entering his 30s, Molitor in many ways aged like fine wine and continued to be one of the most consistent hitters in baseball. He followed up his 1987 campaign with another top-10 MVP showing in 1988, plus an All-Star selection and a Silver Slugger, with a similar season of .300+ with 100+ runs scored and 40+ stolen bases. As the 1990s rolled around, Molitor continued to hit .300+ and earned two more All-Star selections with Milwaukee, including one of his best season to-date:
- 1991: .325 batting average with a league-high 216 hits and 13 triples, 17 home runs, 75 runs batted in, a league-leading 133 runs scored, 19 stolen bases, a .399 on-base percentage, and a .489 slugging percentage (147 OPS+)
- 1992: .320 batting average with 12 home runs, 89 runs batted in (a highwater mark with the Brewers), 89 runs scored, 31 stolen bases, a .389 on-base percentage, and a .461 slugging percentage (140 OPS+)
Following 15 years with the Brewers, Molitor joined the Toronto Blue Jays as a free agent in 1993 and would have some of his most productive offensive seasons while serving primarily as a designated hitter. In his first year in Canada, he hit .332 with a league-leading 211 hits, a career-best 22 home runs, 111 runs batted (his first time driving in 100+ runs), 121 runs scored, 22 stolen bases, a .402 on-base percentage, and a .509 slugging percentage (143 OPS+) to earn All-Star honors, another Silver Slugger, and a career-best runner-up finish for AL MVP behind Frank Thomas. The next year, he earned a final All-Star selection on the strength of a .341 batting average with 14 home runs, 75 runs batted in, 86 runs scored, 20 stolen bases, a .410 on-base percentage, and a .518 slugging percentage, good for a 138 OPS+. Following three seasons with the Blue Jays, Molitor joined his hometown Minnesota Twins for the final three years of his career and had one last great season in 1996: .341 batting average with a league-leading and career-best 225 hits (his fourth 200-hit season, three of which happened in his mid to late-30s), 9 home runs, a career-high 113 runs batted in, 99 runs scored, a .390 on-base percentage, and a .468 slugging percentage (116 OPS+) to win a final Silver Slugger. During this time, he also reached 3,000 career hits, becoming the first player in MLB history to do so on a triple. At the end of the 1998 season, a 41-year-old Molitor retired, ranking top-10 all-time in career hits.
Throughout most of the 1970s, Yount was a solid, but unspectacular player, never hitting .300 (his best season was .293 in 1978) or double-digit home runs and never scoring or driving in more than 75 runs. However, as a pioneer of weight training for baseball players, he gradually improved and broke out in 1980 with his first All-Star season, hitting .293 with a league-leading 49 doubles, 23 home runs, 87 runs batted in, 121 runs scored, a .321 on-base percentage, and a .519 slugging percentage, good for a 130 OPS+ and his first Silver Slugger. After regressing during the shortened 1981 season, he had a career year in 1982: by hitting .331 with a league-best 210 hits and 46 doubles, 29 home runs, 114 runs batted in, 129 runs scored, a .379 on-base percentage, and a league-best .578 slugging percentage (166 OPS+), Yount not only set career-highs in nearly every offensive category, but also earned a second All-Star selection, another Silver Slugger, his only Gold Glove at shortstop, and last, but not least, the AL MVP award.
As an encore to his MVP campaign, Yount earned a third (and surprisingly last) All-Star appearance in 1983 with a .308 batting average, 17 home runs, 80 runs batted in, 102 runs scored, a .383 on-base percentage, and a .503 slugging percentage, god for a 150 OPS+. Though he was never again an All-Star, he remained one of the league’s elite players, including another 100-run campaign in 1984 and four consecutive seasons hitting .300+ from 1986 to 1989. Notably during this time:
- 1987: .312 batting average with 21 home runs, 103 runs batted in, 99 runs scored, a .384 on-base percentage, and a .479 slugging percentage (125 OPS+)
- 1989: .318 batting average with 21 home runs, 103 runs batted in, 101 runs scored, a .384 on-base percentage, and a .511 slugging percentage (152 OPS+); while not an All-Star, Yount not only earned a final Silver Slugger, but also won his second AL MVP award by edging out Ruben Sierra, Cal Ripken Jr., and George Bell in a close four-man race – by winning MVP as an outfielder (Yount had moved there in 1985 due to a shoulder issue), he is one of only four players to win MVPs at multiple positions, joining Hank Greenberg, Stan Musial, and Alex Rodriguez
As the 1980s drew to a close, Yount’s production fell off quickly, as he never hit above .265 in his last four MLB seasons. Nevertheless, in 1992, he reached the career milestone of 3,000 career hits, the 17th player to join the esteemed club. By the time a 37-year-old Yount retired following the 1993 season, he held a slew of Brewers career records, among them games played, at-bats, hits, doubles, triples, runs batted in, runs scored, total bases, and walks.
With two decades of MLB service apiece, Molitor and Yount each played over 2,600 regular season games and accumulated roughly 11,000 career at-bats. On one hand, Molitor racked up more hits, walked more, scored more runs, stole more bases, and had better career averages (batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage). On the other hand, Yount was a slightly better slugger with more home runs and runs batted in. This is also reflected in their individual “great” seasons: Molitor hit .300+ more often (12x vs. 6x) and had more seasons with double-digit stolen bases (19 to 16, including an 8 to 0 edge of 30+ stolen base campaigns), while Yount had more 20-home run seasons (4 vs. 1) and seasons with 100+ runs batted in (3x vs. 2x), with both scoring 100+ runs 5x. Interestingly, while the former earned more All-Star selections (7 to 3) and won more Silver Sluggers (4x vs. 3x), the latter has the pair of MVP awards as well as a Gold Glove. Given how closely matched their careers are, it should perhaps come as no surprise that the duo have nearly identical career Wins Above Replacement (WAR): 77.3 vs. 75.7 in Yount’s favor. Moreover, the two Milwaukee legends were each first ballot Hall of Fame selections, Yount in 1999 followed by Molitor in 2004.
Regular Season Statistics
| Paul Molitor | Player | Robin Yount |
| 21 (1978-1998) | Seasons | 20 (1974-1993) |
| 2,683 | Games Played | 2,856 |
| 10,835 | At-Bats | 11,008 |
| 3,319 | Hits | 3,142 |
| 1,782 | Runs | 1,632 |
| 234 | Home Runs | 251 |
| 1,307 | Runs Batted In | 1,406 |
| 1,094 | Walks | 966 |
| 504 | Stolen Bases | 271 |
| .306 | Batting Average | .285 |
| .369 | On-Base Percentage | .342 |
| .448 | Slugging Percentage | .430 |
| 122 | OPS+ | 115 |
| 75.7 | Wins Above Replacement | 77.3 |
| 7x | All-Star Games | 3x |
| – | MVP | 2x |
| 1x | World Series Titles | – |
| 1x World Series MVP, 4x Silver Slugger | Other Awards | 1x Gold Glove, 3x Silver Slugger, 1x ML POY |
| 2004 | Hall of Fame Induction | 1999 |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
Across their lengthy tenures with the Brewers, Molitor and Yount were only able to guide the team to a pair of postseason trips in back-to-back seasons, though each played well in limited appearances. After losing in the ALDS in 1981, Milwaukee beat the California Angels in the 1982 ALCS in five games, with Molitor hitting .316 (6 hits in 19 at-bats) with a pair of home runs and 5 runs batted in and Yount chipping in 4 hits in 16 at-bats (.250 average). However, the team then lost in a heartbreaking seven games to the Cardinals in the World Series despite great individual performances from its two biggest stars – Molitor hit .355 (11 hits in 31 at-bats), while Yount was even better with a sizzling .414 batting average (12 hits in 29 at-bats), including a home run and 6 runs batted in.
More than a decade later, Molitor finally got his World Series title as a member of the Blue Jays in 1993. Toronto first beat the aforementioned Frank Thomas and the Chicago White Sox in six games in the ALCS (.391 batting average for Molitor) to face off against the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series. Though the title is best-remembered for Joe Carter’s walk-off home run in Game 6, Molitor was named World Series MVP on the strength of hitting .500 (12 hits in 24 at-bats) with 2 home runs, 8 runs batted in, and 10 runs scored.
Playoff Statistics
| Paul Molitor | Player | Robin Yount |
| 29 | Games Played | 17 |
| 117 | At-Bats | 64 |
| 43 | Hits | 22 |
| 28 | Runs | 11 |
| 6 | Home Runs | 1 |
| 22 | Runs Batted In | 7 |
| 12 | Walks | 9 |
| 3 | Stolen Bases | 1 |
| .368 | Batting Average | .344 |
| .435 | On-Base Percentage | .419 |
| .615 | Slugging Percentage | .469 |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
Every athlete goes through a natural career lifecycle, from starting off as a rookie to reaching peak years of performance and finally, declining into the inevitable retirement due to a combination of age and/or injury; whereas Molitor was consistently excellent for nearly twenty years and well into his late 30s, Yount took some time to develop into a star and also slowed down considerably after his second MVP award. For Hall of Fame caliber players across sports, I like to look at a concept I call a “decade of dominance.” The thinking behind this is that for most Hall of Fame type careers, there are roughly 10 great seasons that define an athlete (this idea is embodied in a sense by the NFL’s All-Decade teams), though due to injury or other factors, they might not be 10 consecutive years.
Decade of Dominance
| Paul Molitor | Player | Robin Yount |
| 1979, 1982, 1987-1989, 1991-1994, 1996 | Decade of Dominance | 1977-1978, 1980-1984, 1987-1989 |
| 1,479 | Games Played | 1,465 |
| 5,963 | At-Bats | 5,802 |
| 1,939 | Hits | 1,760 |
| 1,065 | Runs | 931 |
| 142 | Home Runs | 163 |
| 787 | Runs Batted In | 827 |
| 659 | Walks | 508 |
| 297 | Stolen Bases | 156 |
| .325 | Batting Average | .303 |
| .391 | On-Base Percentage | .358 |
| .479 | Slugging Percentage | .475 |
| 51.7 | Wins Above Replacement | 58.9 |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
With nearly identical games played and at-bats across their respective best decades, the trends are similar vs. their overall careers – Molitor was the better hitter and table-setter, while Yount was the superior slugger and accumulated more WAR, especially as the former settled into being a designated hitter.
My Thoughts
Perhaps because neither was a slugger who hit a lot of home runs, both Paul Molitor and Robin Yount fly under the radar as all-time great baseball players. Yet look at their numbers over two decades apiece and they are both impressive and surprisingly close. On one hand, Yount has the two MVP awards to his name, which highlights his peak dominance, yet he only made three total All-Star Games. On the other hand, Molitor was as consistent as they come and ultimately edges out his longtime teammate in nearly every major offensive category besides home runs and runs batted in; moreover, whereas Yount’s last great season came at age 33, Molitor remained a stud well into his last 30s and arguably had some of his best seasons post the age of 35. In summary, I would say that as he spent his entire career with the Brewers, Yount is the greatest player in franchise history, but Molitor had the better overall career.
Thus, after weighing their careers against each other in terms of statistics, achievements, and impact, the winner of this faceoff is:
Paul Molitor
As always, vote for your choice and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Further Reading
More Good Stuff
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