Brewers manager Phil Garner expressed confidence in the team's young first base prospect John Jaha in 1993, enough so to hand him the team's starting first baseman job, The La Crosse Tribune wrote.
"We like the kid," Garner told The Tribune, "and felt it was just a matter of time before he was going to be playing (full-time) anyway. He's got a real solid future."
Jaha's future included time spent in 10 major league seasons, seven of those with the Brewers. It also included an all-star selection, in 1999 with the Athletics.
Jaha's career began in 1984, taken by the Brewers in the 14th round of the draft out of Douglas High School in Portland Ore.
Jaha started with the Brewers in 1985, at rookie Helena. He made single-A Beloit in 1987 and high-A Stockton in 1990. His 1990 season proved abbreviated due to an early knee injury, one of multiple injuries he'd have through his career.
"Basically, I just wrote off last year," Jaha told The El Paso Times in April 1991. "I've just had to start this year all over again to get to where I wanted to be."Jaha then came back in 1991 at AA El Paso and won league MVP honors. For 1992, he made AAA Denver. Then, that July, he made Milwaukee.
Jaha got into 47 games that year in 1992 and hit .226. He then returned for all of 1993 and saw 153 total games, while hitting .264, with 19 home runs.
Jaha saw 84 games in 1994, 88 in 1995 and another 148 in 1996. He hit .313 in 1995 and .300 in 1996 with 34 home runs.
Despite his success, his previous knee injury came up in contract talks for 1997, leading the Brewers to only offer him a one-year deal.
Then came other injuries. He saw just 46 games that year in 1997 due to a shoulder injury., then 73 games in 1998 due to a foot injury.
He then signed for 1999 with the Athletics and played the full season, 142 games. He hit .276, with 35 home runs and made the All-Star Game.
Jaha then saw 33 games in 2000 and 12 in 2001 to end his career
Made the Majors:1,405-32.2%-X
Never Made Majors:2,958-67.8%
10+ Seasons in the Minors:354
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