Brewers bullpen catcher helps kids get their mitts on warm coats

Racine native Marcus Hanel is Brewers’ bullpen catcher. That means it’s his job to make sure the Brewers’ pitching staff stays warm.

This morning, however, Hanel is making sure 300 of the 370 kids at Milwaukee Public Schools’ Brown Street Academy will stay warm this winter.

Hanel hits Brown Street, 2029 N. 20th St., this morning at 9, along with Brewers officials and MPS superintendent Gregory Thornton, to give each child a coat and to talk with students.

In case you’re not all that familiar with this integral, albeit behind the scenes, Brewers staffer, Hanel was drafted out of Horlick High in 1989 by the Pittsburgh Pirates and spent 11 years in the minors, ending his career in 1999 at AAA Tucson.

Hanel might be unknown to most fans in Miller Park, but he is no stranger to community service. Since 2005, his Koos for Kids (which takes its name from Hanel’s handle) has raised money to help disadvantaged, special needs and terminally ill children.

UPDATE: I heard later that Hanel showed up at Brown Street Academy with 370 coats, one for every kid at the school!