By Jimmy Carlton Sportswriter Published Jul 05, 2018 at 4:02 PM Photography: David Bernacchi

I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with Keon Broxton. And like any relationship with conflicted feelings, the hate is born purely of the love; like a father, two years Keon’s senior, my occasional disappointment is the product only of his enormous potential and the undying belief I have in his ultimate success.

Before the 2016 season, after the Brewers acquired Broxton in a trade from the Pirates, I named him my new favorite player on a team entering what was expected to be a multi-season organizational rebuild, predicted he’d be the Opening Day center fielder and anticipated the talented No. 23 would achieve big-league success.

He was in fact the Opening Day starter, and he remained my favorite player despite a start that did not exactly augur any upcoming big-league success: Broxton went hitless in 16 at-bats with 11 strikeouts, was sent down to Triple-A, got called back up to Milwaukee in May, went 4 for 22 with 11 more strikeouts (but a perfect fielding percentage) and then was demoted again.

In June 2016, I wrote this: "You don’t love Broxton for his statistics or actual performance. You love him because, at 6-foot-3 and almost 200 pounds, he’s lanky and swift and just looks like a great athlete. You love him for his raw gifts, his potential, his upside, his what-if. That’s why I love Keon Broxton (not loved; I haven’t lost hope). Because I believe that, if he just improves significantly in every aspect of the game, he’ll be a decent player! We’ll miss you, Keon. But I know we’ll see you again."

Indeed we have. Since the beginning of the 2016 season, Broxton has been optioned to and recalled from Colorado Springs five times, a sort of promise-filled AAAA player whose home run power and highlight-reel defense provide the justification to keep giving him chances in the majors.

Plus, who can resist that bright Keon smile, that big Keon swing, those bold Keon socks, that boogie Keon swag? 

Anyway, most recently, the Brewers called up Broxton on June 26 after placing Lorenzo Cain on the 10-day disabled list with a groin injury. Broxton hit 20 home runs and stole 21 bases over 143 games with Milwaukee last year, but after not making the team out of spring training, this was his first return to the big leagues since 2017. 

Safe to say he’s made much out of it, and in the most Keon Broxton way possible.

Broxton is batting just .200 (5-for-25) with nine strikeouts, four walks, four RBI, two steals and two home runs. Granted, it’s a small sample size (OK, granted, it’s a minuscule and irrelevant sample size), but Broxton’s 12.5 at-bats per homer would rank tied for fourth – if he qualified, and he absolutely does not qualify – in homer rate this year. 

But more important than the home runs Broxton’s hit are the home runs he’s stolen. And last night’s latest clutch web gem might have been his best yet. 

With one out in the ninth inning and the Brewers leading the Twins, 3-1, Broxton ran full speed to the center-field wall, jumped with outstretched glove and robbed Brian Dozier of a home run to help preserve Milwaukee’s win. It was the third time in Broxton’s career that he’s stolen a homer in the ninth inning or later; since he came into the league in 2016, no other player has more than one.

Think about that. The guy is making an annual habit – and as a part-time player – of something most outfielders never do once in their entire careers.

But it’s not just the tater-thieving; in the eight days he’s been up with the Brewers, Broxton has made several incredible defensive plays, including four of the best catches of the season. In Cincinnati, he laid out for a beautiful diving snag in right-center, and also made a leaping catch at the warning track while crashing into the wall at Great American Ball Park. Then, back in Milwaukee against the Twins, he jumped up to take away a homer from Joe Mauer at the top of the wall (it was in the seventh inning so not counted in the above stat), and had the full-extension Dozier catch.

Watch all of them here.

The best thing about Broxton is he’s fun and he makes games exciting (especially while running the bases). The same way in-his-prime Ryan Braun, when he would come to the plate late in games, made you think something amazing was going to happen, that’s the feeling you get in the ninth inning when an opposing player smashes the ball into center field. Broxton's about to do something amazing, and then celebrate it in the most awesome way possible.

Of course, it’s easy to defend my Keon corner when he’s doing stuff like this. And even if he stops doing it, and keeps striking out, I will still die on Broxton Hill. But, if and when he gets inducted into the Hall of Fame 20 years from now, and the bandwagon unloads all of its late-arriving Keon Broxton fans at the induction event, I will simply smile and say welcome. And maybe also I told you so.

Jimmy Carlton Sportswriter

Born in Milwaukee but a product of Shorewood High School (go ‘Hounds!) and Northwestern University (go ‘Cats!), Jimmy never knew the schoolboy bliss of cheering for a winning football, basketball or baseball team. So he ditched being a fan in order to cover sports professionally - occasionally objectively, always passionately. He's lived in Chicago, New York and Dallas, but now resides again in his beloved Brew City and is an ardent attacker of the notorious Milwaukee Inferiority Complex.

After interning at print publications like Birds and Blooms (official motto: "America's #1 backyard birding and gardening magazine!"), Sports Illustrated (unofficial motto: "Subscribe and save up to 90% off the cover price!") and The Dallas Morning News (a newspaper!), Jimmy worked for web outlets like CBSSports.com, where he was a Packers beat reporter, and FOX Sports Wisconsin, where he managed digital content. He's a proponent and frequent user of em dashes, parenthetical asides, descriptive appositives and, really, anything that makes his sentences longer and more needlessly complex.

Jimmy appreciates references to late '90s Brewers and Bucks players and is the curator of the unofficial John Jaha Hall of Fame. He also enjoys running, biking and soccer, but isn't too annoying about them. He writes about sports - both mainstream and unconventional - and non-sports, including history, music, food, art and even golf (just kidding!), and welcomes reader suggestions for off-the-beaten-path story ideas.