The Brewers LA Connection: See the lives of three Milwaukee Brewers before the Cream City

NOW: The Brewers LA Connection: See the lives of three Milwaukee Brewers before the Cream City
NEXT:

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- For some of the Brewers, the game in Los Angeles is a type of homecoming.

When Christian Yelich, Ryan Braun, and Mike Moustakas were kids, they dreamed of one day playing on the field at Dodger Stadium as pro-ball players.

Those dreams began on their high school fields throughout the LA area.

"It was very apparent early on that Christian was destined for success," said Zach Miller, Yelich's Westlake High School Baseball Coach.

Yelich's Westlake High Warriors coaches saw it right away and it made their jobs easy.

"The night before was the best day because, when you're writing out the lineup, you put C. Yelich #25 in the leadoff spot and believe me, most of the time we won that battle," Miller said.

"He's such a great kid, such a great man now, that makes you feel really, really special that you were in a position to be able to be part of his life," said John Burtzloff, Yelich's Westlake High School Baseball Assistant Coach.


The LA Brewers are beloved in their old communities, many of them dropping the LA and supporting the Crew.

"You've got lifelong Dodger fans that are torn at the heart of wins and losses," said Dave Kaczor, former Moustakas teammate, Chatsworth High School head coach.

Mike Moustakas' old teamates and coaches described him as the Babe Ruth of a high school player, a sultan of So Cal, the colossus of Chatsworth. 

"I mean, he stood out, man. He was different. The way he carried himself was different. The way he swung the bat was different. The way the ball came out of his hand was different. The way he spoke was different. Everything about him was different, the way he played the game."

Way back in the class of 2002, Ryan Braun was more than just Braun and that frosted tips hairstyle.

"I just remember, Ryan always rose up to the challenge. If it was a bigger game, he always played his best," said Mike Ford, Braun's Granada Hills teammate. 

"There aren't that many players here that went pro, and so when you have somebody like Ryan Braun, that's a lot to live up to but it still tells people that yeah, if you go here you can do it. And if you work hard enough you can do it," said Peter Beal who was on JV when Braun was on varsity. 

All that hard work did pay off. All three of them are major stars for the National League Central Champion Milwaukee Brewers, and hopefully soon to be National League Champion. 

Share this article: