[BirdWatcher]

With the 1967 season in the tail lights, and a new WPK Champion having been named (okay, that's a teaser- will report on the last two games of the World Series tonight), it's time to start to thinking about 1968 and beyond for my Denver Brewers.
The good news is, despite me not providing our owner with the championship he was asking for this season, he has decided to open the organizational wallet a bit more than usual for this coming season. And with a few expensive veterans being off the payroll now- Jeff Burdick did not meet his required number of innings pitched for his vesting option to kick in for 1968 (because I didn't let him) and veteran firstbaseman Aaron Fuller did not meet his required number of games played for same (because I didn't let him- he was a total washout in a Brewers uni)- combined with a bit more generosity on the part of the owner, we are in a pretty good position to possibly pick up one impact free agent (there are three starting pitchers we have our eye on, most especially Jaime Schardein) and to try to get a few of the young players we are counting on to form the core of a winning team signed to longer-term contracts (Chad Brown, Ruben Souffront.)

Also, the owner has readjusted his expectation for the 1968 season to be more in line with reality as he is looking for us to have a winning record. That should be achievable, I believe. He wants a championship by 1970, which is fair, if by no means a given.

Looking over the team as it is currently comprised, it seems to me that these are our strengths going into 1968 (in addition to general youth and potential):
1) Middle infield defense plus good offensive production from our starters in those positions. With Chad Brown's emergence as a solid hitter and continued development as a spectacular fielder and Tanner Yurek's consistent and even slightly increasing power bat, above average defense, and fine plate discipline, we are great up the middle in the infield.
2) Outfield defense. Puente is terrific in left, Rondeau is already looking like a potential gold glove candidate in center, Souffront is solidly above average in right, and Zack Banks provides great d as a fourth outfielder, particularly in left and center.
3) Team speed. A few slow pokes (catchers, of course, Hector Uribe at thirdbase) but overall, nearly every position player is either well above average or exceptional in the speed category.
4) Bullpen (maybe, probably). The bullpen was horrible in 1966, great in 1967. The nature of these things, it could be bad again in 1968. But with some of the key additions made prior to the '67 season and the maturation of some of the young arms in the pen, I expect it will be at least above average again in 1968. And it is deep. Clearly some of the guys who saw work with the Brewers this past season will need to spend some time at AAA this year, so in the event (a given) of injuries during the season, there will be solid replacements available.
5) Corner infield defense. Although you will see the corner infielders make an appearance in the weaknesses list below, they are all above average to well above average defensively. And with super-utility glove-man Jose Bravo added to the mix, defense in the Brewers infield will not be an issue. Honestly, the only area where we could use some defensive help is behind the plate.

Some of the weaknesses that we would like to address:
1) Corner infield offensive production. The corners are in flux right now and will likely see some platoon action with young players. Firstbase has two youngsters with at least decent offensive potential in Erik Shelton (22 years old) and Bobby Erbakan (21.) Shelton was very decent with the bat in his partial season with the Brewers in 1966 but took a step backwards in 1967. Although, after his brief suspension in September, he finished the season pretty hot at the plate. Erbakan looks mostly over-matched at the big league level at this point, but could someday be a very gifted major league hitter and has shown some glimpses of his great potential.
Thirdbase features players with good defense and limited offensive upside. Hector Uribe did have a better second half at the plate in 1967 but at his best his offense would probably be just good enough to make him an average thirdbaseman given his defensive strengths. And long-time minor leaguer Willie Chavez, who turns 27 near mid-season, has what is probably a AAAA bat, but does offer solid defense and is a right-handed batter who can sub for the lefthanded hitting Uribe when lefty pitchers are on the mound.
Thirdbase is the area our owner is focusing on now in terms of positional improvement. And I'm not yet sure how we will satisfy him in this area. We can only hope that Jose Careaga continues his development in the minors and is ready sooner rather than later.
2) Lack of team power. We have to hope that Puente takes a step forward again in his power game in 1968, that Yurek continues to inch upwards in this category, that Ruben Souffront perhaps starts to find untapped potential in this area, that Bobby Erbakan matures quickly and develops at least average power, etc., etc. A lot of ifs. And given the expected crop of free agents, it does not look like this is a weakness that will be solved this year via that route.
3) Lack of a true ace for the starting rotation. But this one we might be able to resolve through a free agent signing. And this will probably be priority number one in the off-season.
4) Catcher defense. Starter Sam Rogers is a three-time All-Star. This is as much because of his reputation and sterling character as his on the field performance though. He's a solid hitter but no more than that. And a pretty mediocre to poor fielder. Backup catcher Tony Silmon is a very solid defensive catcher other than having a weak arm. But he can't hit a lick. So, another priority in the off-season will be to identify a superior defensive catcher who isn't too terrible a liability with a bat in his hands who might take over the back-up job from Silmon.

Posting all of this away from the game. Will likely be elaborating or following-up on most of this over the course of the off-season with screenshots. And before long we will see how well I did identifying and addressing areas of need for the team.