These Wisconsinites have played for the Milwaukee Brewers

When Danny Jansen suits up for the Milwaukee Brewers, the Appleton West High School alumnus won't technically count among "Wisconsin natives" to play for the Brewers, depending on how you interpret the term. Jansen was born in Illinois but moved to the Fox Valley in his youth.

Still, Jansen will join forces with Brewers infield coach Matt Erickson as Appleton West alumni in the organization, and he'll follow in a lineage of Wisconsin high-school alumni to wear the Brewers jersey. Here's a look at others in that fraternity:

Caleb Boushley (Hortonville)

It was a magical day for Boushley on Sept. 29, 2023, when he picked up the win in relief in his Major League debut, all while the Brewers dealt the Cubs a crushing walk-off defeat.

Boushley was once playing club baseball at the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley before winding up at UW-La Crosse, and he spent the 2023 season with the Brewers' Class AAA affiliate in Nashville. In the final throes of the season with a playoff position secured, Boushley was given a chance to live out a dream.

He never appeared again for Milwaukee, but he pitched with Minnesota in 2024 and has been a regular member of the Texas Rangers bullpen in 2025.

Craig Counsell (Whitefish Bay) 

Like Jansen, Counsell was born outside the state (in South Bend, Indiana), but he's still considered Milwaukee's favorite son ... at least, he was.

He became the longest-tenured manager in the National League, overseeing the club that's part of his childhood; his father was a team employee during Counsell's younger years.

As a player, he spent two stints in Milwaukee, once in 2004 as part of a blockbuster trade with the Diamondbacks that sent Richie Sexson to Arizona, then again in 2007 when he returned at age 36.

He spent his final five seasons with the Brewers, making two playoff appearances and finishing with a .241 batting average and a .659 OPS in Milwaukee. He's now manager ... elsewhere.

Jim Gantner (Eden)

No other Brewer has worn No. 17 since Gantner's 17 seasons in Milwaukee, stretching the entirety of his career from 1976 to 1992. Gantner, who attended Campbellsport High School and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, is the franchise's all-time leader in defensive WAR as a standout second baseman, third in games played behind Paul Molitor and Robin Yount, fifth in hits and fifth in runs.

Bob Wickman (Abrams)

The Oconto Falls High School and University of Wisconsin-Whitewater standout was an all-star for the Brewers in 2000, his fifth season with Milwaukee, before he was traded to Cleveland in a deal that brought Sexson to Milwaukee. Wickman had 79 saves for the Brewers and a 3.20 ERA. 

Damian Miller (La Crosse)

A former player at Viterbo University in his hometown, Miller was an all-star in 2002 and in the final phase of his career when he signed with the Brewers in 2005 at age 35. The catcher spent his final three big-league seasons with the Brewers, posting a .257 batting average and a .716 OPS. 

Owen Miller (Fredonia)

The Ozaukee High School standout was acquired by the Brewers in a trade before the 2023 season, and he had a .674 OPS that season. It's not an eye-popping number by itself, but he was huge in the month of May for an offense that needed a spark. Miller and the Brewers parted ways during the 2024 season.

J.P. Feyereisen (River Falls)

In 27 games with the Brewers, he had a 4.08 ERA, working out of the bullpen in the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He was traded in May 2021 to the Tampa Bay Rays in a big deal that brought back shortstop Willy Adames. With Tampa Bay, he allowed zero earned runs (and just seven hits) in 24⅓ innings of work in 2022 before an arm injury cost him the rest of that season and 2023. He pitched briefly for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2025 and is currently a free agent.

Vinny Rottino (Racine)

The product of Racine St. Catherine and UW-La Crosse can be found on Brewers broadcasts these days with FanDuel Sports Wisconsin. He appeared in 18 games with Milwaukee from 2006 through 2008 and started his lengthy tenure with the Brewers organization in 2003 after signing as an undrafted free agent. His walk-off single in the 11th against the San Diego Padres in 2007 clinched a winning season in the penultimate game of the year.

Jerry Augustine (Kewaunee)

Augustine, who has also done some Brewers broadcast work after his playing career, spent all 10 of his big-league seasons with Milwaukee, with a 4.23 ERA and a 55-59 record. In 1978, he won 13 games for the first winning Brewers team, working 188 innings. 

Paul Wagner (Germantown)

He's probably best known for his time in Pittsburgh, but he did pitch in 15 games for the Brewers in 1997 and 1998. He struggled with a 7.18 ERA. With the Pirates in 1995, he lost a no-hitter with two outs in the ninth. 

Jordan Zimmermann (Auburndale)

The UW-Stevens Point alumnus made two all-star teams with the Washington Nationals and spent the bulk of his career there and in Detroit, but in 2021, he made his final big-league appearances with the Brewers, though he only appeared in two games and allowed five earned runs before announcing his retirement.

Matt Erickson (Appleton)

Erickson had only six plate appearances in his big-league career with the Brewers in 2004, but his relationship within the organization has sustained. He's been an instructor in the organization since 2008 and became the all-time winningest manager in Wisconsin Timber Rattlers history during his tenure from 2012 through 2022. Since 2023, he's been with the big-league club as a roving infield instructor.

Lance Painter (Glendale) 

The Nicolet High School standout, who pitched a perfect game in the 1985 summer baseball state tournament with 18 strikeouts in 21 batters, played for the University of Wisconsin in the program's twilight before it was discontinued in 1991. The reliever's career spanned 10 seasons, largely in Colorado and St. Louis, but he did appear in 13 games for the Brewers in 2001. He had a 4.22 ERA over 10⅔ innings.

Gene Brabender (Black Earth)

The UW-Whitewater product spent three years with Baltimore, then was part of the only Seattle Pilots season in 1969, where he posted a 4.36 ERA and went 13-14 overall. He followed the team to Milwaukee in 1970 and made 21 starts, going 6-15 with a 6.02 ERA in that inaugural campaign.

Willie Mueller (West Bend) 

Mueller pitched with Augustine on that 1978 team, making his debut at 21 years old, but played in only five games. He also appeared in one game in 1981 for the Brewers. He had a small role in the iconic baseball comedy "Major League," filmed in Milwaukee.

Harvey Kuenn (West Allis)

The eight-time all-star never played in Milwaukee, but he of course managed there, leading the 1982 Brewers to the World Series. He finished with a 160-118 record in his brief managerial career. The 1953 Rookie of the Year made the all-star team in eight seasons.

Bob Uecker (Milwaukee)

The alumnus of Milwaukee Tech began his big-league career with the Milwaukee Braves in 1962, but you likely knew him as the voice of the Brewers, a role he served from 1971 through 2024 until his death in January 2025. His six-decade baseball career made him Wisconsin sports royalty. He won the Ford C. Frick Award given by the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003.

Other Milwaukee Braves

• Andy Pafko (Boyceville). The outfielder made four all-star teams with the Chicago Cubs in the late 1940s but joined the Braves for the final seven years of his career from 1953 through 1959, then served as a coach for a couple of years. 
• Dave Koslo (Menasha). The 12-season pitcher finished his career with the Braves, throwing 17⅓ innings in 1954 and making one last appearance the following year.
• Mike Krsnich (West Allis). The West Allis High School alumnus made 21 plate appearances in 1960 and 1962, all with the Braves.
• Bob Hartman (Kenosha). The UW-La Crosse product first appeared in the big leagues at age 21, appearing in 1⅔ innings with the Braves in 1959.
• Billy Hoeft (Oshkosh). The former all-star pitcher with the Tigers spent one season with the Braves in 1964 at age 32, where he went 4-0 with a 3.80 ERA.
• John DeMerit (Port Washington). The outfielder saw 116 at-bats with the Braves over the course of three years from 1957 through 1959, including one appearance as a pinch-runner in the 1957 World Series won by the Braves.
• John Braun (Madison). He appeared in one game for the Braves in 1964, pitching two innings.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Brewers have had these Wisconsinites: Danny Jansen and more