[BirdWatcher]

Looking at some of the basic stats for the Denver Brewers as we head into the final month of the 1985 WPK regular season:





The starting rotation has been a mess, other than Austin Bond. And now Eric Maisch, who has mostly had a very disappointing campaign in spite of on paper being the most talented member of the staff (and one of the most talented in the game), had to leave his most recent start (one in which he was pitching quite well) and it is unclear the extent of his injury.
Veteran workhorse Jim Atwell has looked bad often but in reality his FIP of 3.78 and FIP- of 86 indicate that he has been better than his primary stats would lead one to believe. He's not going anywhere and is likely to have a bounce-back season in 1986. That's probably even more true of Maisch, with his FIP of 3.49 and FIP- of 79, assuming he can stay healthy and depending upon the severity and length of his current injury.
But what the rotation looks like next year after Atwell, Maisch (if healthy), and Bond is up in the air. Stephen Brooks (6-7, 5.22), Eric Fehrenbacher (8-5, 5.55), Alex Canty (3-4, 5.32) and Jose Corpeno (3-4, 5.46), all with potential of varying degrees and all who had moments where they showed it, mostly were bad in their Denver stints this season (and all went back-and-forth between Denver and AAA Chester). Corpeno is out of options after this season and has the most big league experience of these four and likely won't be back. Canty might be best suited to the bullpen. Brooks and Fehrenbacher are thought of highly enough to be given another chance to prove themselves next season, but they might soon find themselves being pushed by the next wave of pitching prospects- particularly 23-year old's Bernie Lopez and Jim Evans.

The bullpen has been mostly quite strong this year, with a pair of veterans who are almost surely not returning in 1986- likely future Hall of Famer Tim Shore and Brewer team captain Ben Flynn- dragging down the overall numbers. (Shore's 6.84 ERA comes in 25 innings pitched and he also has a 1.76 WHIP, while Flynn has an ERA of 6.00 in 33 IP, with a WHIP of 1.36.) Dan Folk missed a big chunk of time early in the season with an ankle injury but he has electric stuff and should anchor the 'pen for years ahead (he is 24). Willie Ramirez also has nasty stuff (an elite slider), great stamina, durability, and strong leadership with a high baseball IQ, and is also 24 with a seemingly bright future ahead of him. Veteran former Rule 5 draft pick Paul Johnson has had a tremendous season (2.28 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 55.1 IP) and at age 27 (and also durable and smart) he's not going anywhere either. Lefthanded veteran and fan favorite Rand Pinti got off to a difficult start but has been great since May and although his stuff is average he has great movement and fine control. Fellow lefty Diego Lopez went in the opposite direction- excellent through June but with some struggles since then, but he's likely to stick around for at least one more season.
And Shore and Flynn likely being gone will clear up some space for some good young relievers in B.J. Adams (21 and the Closer in AAA this season), Cesar Perez (22 and doing the same in AA), and top pitching prospect (he has risen to the #6 top prospect in the WPK this year) Mike Warner, who profiles as borderline starter, with 4 pitches but only 2 of them better than mediocre. Warner is only 20, has great stamina and durability, is a hard worker, and an extreme groundballer, with potentially elite control combined with above average stuff and movement. Whether he ends up being a top of the rotation starter, as the scouting staff sees his potential, or a multi-inning reliever, he should be a valuable arm.

The Brewers current catchers are veteran Willie Ortega (.257/.325/.371 in 118 plate appearances after missing 3 months of the season with a fractured ankle), a very fine defender and fan favorite with a slightly below average bat at his position and 25-year old rookie Joe Sandwell (.259/.305/.332 in 236 PA's), who is a left-handed hitting sparkplug with strong catching ability and a weak arm who is still developing defensively but has an above average contact batting profile. This is the most likely tandem for 1986, with good-hitting, average defensive Omari Williams still possibly in the mix (having had his first small taste of the WPK this season at age 26) and top catching prospect (in the Brewers system, that is) Rich Fugate at AA and at age 25 looking like a right-handed hitting version of Sandwell, but without the great makeup (Fugate is just blah in terms of personality- "likes to fish in his spare time").

The infield looks mostly set for 1986 with this year's rookie surprise Chris Romines (.361/.392/.526, 4.2 WAR) a lock at first base, 29-year old Justin Banks (.316/.336/.479, 3.5 WAR) set to return at second, 29-year old star third baseman Ryan Campbell (.324/.424/.489) also returning, and hopefully with his power-bat returning as well (he hit 29 homers last season and 23 the year before), and probably 27-year old, speedy shortstop Roberto Costocurta (.239/.294/.350) at least being penciled in as the starter in 1986. Costocurta's defense hasn't been as advertised (-3.1 ZR this year) and he likely profiles better at this point as a third baseman or second baseman, and with his weak bat even more so as a utility multi-position backup infielder, but it isn't clear yet who could take his place. With more experience, Marty Crumbley (.375/.419/.581, 1.5 WAR in 148 PA's) probably has the range to play short, and he certainly has the contact bat to fit into the lineup on a regular basis. He's also smart and could develop average home run power to go with plus gap power, but his average speed is combined with horrible savvy on the base paths. He is the 56th best prospect in the WPK and his strengths may outweigh his weaknesses. At age 24, this upcoming season might be his chance to shine. Another 24-year old, Gene "Basher" Brasher, will also be given a chance to stick on the big league roster as the back-up first baseman and right-handed power hitter off the bench. Brasher biggest impediment as a prospect, other than his utter lack of footspeed and the ability to play any defensive position but first, is Chris Romines emergence as a star player.

The outfield may be seeing some changes. Veteran right fielder Joe McPhillips (.276/.360/.490, 1.6 WAR in 292 PA's) has continued to be a solid producer when healthy and remains a force on the base paths and one of the harder workers on the team. But he is 36 years old, fragile, and his contract ends when this season does, and the thought is that (in spite of the owner's demands) he will be allowed to test free agency, with the Brewers hovering around .500 and looking to get younger. Antonio Acuna (.281/.318/.473, 0.5 WAR in 277 PA), a 3-time MVP, isn't happy about his much diminished playing time, but while he has a player option that he can exercise it isn't available until the end of next season. It looks like the team and Acuna might be stuck with each other for one more season at least. If he doesn't opt out after the 1986 season, he is under contract through 1991, so with his diminishing batting and defensive skills this could become a very tricky situation for the club.
On the other hand, the only slightly younger left fielder Val Guzman (Acuna is 32 and turns 33 in the off-season, while Val is 31 but turns 32 on September 11th) is signed through 1987 and has remained very valuable. Guzman (.297/.388/.555, 3.7 WAR in 412 PA) is leading the team in home runs (18) and has 18 stolen bases and 28 doubles. He has a great work ethic, has a good eye and approach at the plate even though his contact skills are perceived by the scouts as being below average at this stage of his career, and while he isn't great defensively, he doesn't hurt the team much in left (-2.4 ZR, 1.91 RNG, 2 outfield assists, 3 errors). It does look like he will be gradually giving way though to future left fielder Javier Hernandez (.373/.448/.633), who as a 26-year old rookie who was an 11th round draft pick profiles much like Val Guzman in his prime. Hernandez has plus plus speed with elite base-stealing and base-running skills, has good contact hitting skills with an advanced approach at the plate (plus eye, plus avoid K), and he's a sparkplug. He's a good defensive left fielder, not a great one, and he has been called on to play center quite a bit this year too, which is a admittedly a stretch. His .390 BABIP in 195 big league plate appearances clearly indicates that his offensive numbers thus far are unsustainable, but he has hit well at every level of pro ball and should be a solid starter in left field for the time being. Finally, in center field, Myles Ford has had an okay season, but certainly a step back from last year when he put up 4.5 WAR. He is hitting .273/.324/.398 with 18 doubles, 9 home runs, and 11 stolen bases. He is by far our best defensive option in center field and even at that his ZR is -3.7 (he does have 12 outfield assists this year, though also 10 errors) but our next best center fielder at this point is Javier Hernandez, who has a ZR of -3.6 in far fewer innings played out there.
The Brewers are not as outfield rich as an organization as they generally have been in the past, and while we do have some very good hitting but less defensively talented corner outfielders coming up the ranks, a true defensive center fielder is not on the near horizon in the organization (although this year's first round draft pick, John Bittner, has the potential to develop into at least a plus defender in center, but with a weak arm).