Today In Brewer History: Happy Anniversary, Scott Podsednik

If we made a list of Doug Melvin's accomplishments as general manager of the Brewers, there would probably be some waiver claims near the top of the list. During his time in Milwaukee he's shown an uncanny knack for plucking players virtually out of thin air and getting solid performances from them.

One of the best examples of that was one of his first moves after taking over in September of 2002: On this day ten years ago he claimed outfielder Scott Podsednik off waivers from the Mariners.

At the time, Podsednik was a 26-year-old outfielder in his ninth professional season but had appeared in just 19 major league games. The Mariners and Brewers were his third and fourth organizations: The Marlins and Rangers had already given up on him.

So Podsednik came to Milwaukee, and all he did was play in 308 games over two seasons with a .276/.344/.401 batting line, steal 70 bases in 2004 and become valuable enough for the Brewers to eventually trade him to the White Sox for Carlos Lee. He also finished second in the voting for NL Rookie of the Year in 2003.

Since being claimed by the Brewers Podsednik has played in 1060 major league games between six franchises. He was a member of the Red Sox in 2012.

With help from Brewerfan.net and the B-Ref Play Index, happy birthday today to:

• 2012 Wisconsin Timber Rattler David Goforth, who turns 24.
• Wausau, Wisconsin native Bill Fischer, who turns 82. Fischer played nine major league seasons between 1956-64 as a member of the Twins and three other teams.