Jeromy Burnitz
A powerful, left-handed slugger who launched 315 home runs, embodying the raw power and journeyman spirit of 1990s baseball.
Born 1969 (age 57)·American baseball player·Birthday: April 15·Generation X
Biography
Jeromy Burnitz emerged from the California baseball scene with a swing built for damage. Drafted by the Mets in 1990, his path to stardom wasn't immediate, but he found his true home in Milwaukee. With the Brewers, Burnitz transformed into a feared middle-of-the-order presence, a hulking figure in the batter's box who could change a game with one violent, arcing connection. His career was a tour of the National League, a testament to the value of consistent power; teams were always willing to add his bat. While never a batting title contender, his production was reliable and potent, marked by towering homers and a workmanlike approach that saw him play through injuries. He retired as one of only a handful of players to hit 30+ homers for five different franchises, leaving behind a highlight reel of no-doubt blasts.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Jeromy was born in 1969, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Jeromy Was Born
The biggest hits of 1969
#1 Movie
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Best Picture
Midnight Cowboy
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Jeromy's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1969Born
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1974Started school
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1982Became a teenager
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1985Could drive
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1987Could vote
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1990Turned 21
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1999Turned 30
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 40
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 50
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 57 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Hit 315 career home runs over a 14-season Major League Baseball career.
- Recorded five consecutive seasons with 30 or more home runs from 1997 to 2001 with the Milwaukee Brewers.
- Earned a National League All-Star selection in 1999 during his peak power-hitting years.
- Drove in 100 or more runs in three separate seasons, establishing himself as a key run producer.
Did You Know?
He was a first-round draft pick (17th overall) by the New York Mets in the 1990 amateur draft.
Burnitz hit two home runs in his first Major League start for the Mets in 1993.
He was traded from the Mets to the Cleveland Indians in a deal that involved star outfielder Carlos Baerga.
In 1999, he led the National League in games played, appearing in all 162 for the Brewers.
“I just tried to hit the ball hard somewhere, and sometimes it went out.”
