[BirdWatcher]

While it is early days still, so far it appears that the trade that sent Jamel McNeil to Jacksonville and brought the Brewers thirdbaseman Jared Stephenson was a good one for Denver.
Not only has Stephenson played very well, providing excellent defense at third and a surprising amount of power, but the bullpen has remained steady, if not quite as dominant as earlier, the team is scoring more runs, winning more games, and the clubhouse chemistry has skyrocketed to a level of ecstatic happiness.

The strength of the Brewers remains pitching as the club is tied for 3rd in the MGL in fewest runs allowed, has the 3rd best starters ERA and the 4th best bullpen ERA.
In terms of offense the Brewers are now 7th in runs scored and OBP, and 8th in HR's and batting average. These don't sound very impressive in the context of a 10-team league, but given that much of the season we were at the very bottom or next-to-last in all of the categories indicates movement in the right direction.

Some pleasant surprises: back-up infielder Juan Lujan, who was brought up to the majors from AA earlier this summer due to hamstring injuries that put both starting second-baseman Tanner Yurek and back-up Arturo Baca on the DL (within a week of each other), has impressed with the glove and lately has been very good at the plate as well. Lujan (.256/.291/.273, 0.7 WAR) looks likely to remain on the team to provide defensive back-up at shortstop, secondbase, and thirdbase in the 1969 season.
Rookie firstbaseman Bobby Erbakan has been one of the most consistent bats and defenders on the team this season. Erbakan (.246/.292/.377, 3.1 WAR) has shown indications of good power potential as he is tied for the HR lead on team (with the resurgent Antonio Puente) at 8, is 3rd in doubles with 13 and 3rd in triples with 7, and leads the team in RBI with 44. He still has quite a bit of room for improvement at the plate and he has struck out 101 times while walking only 15 times, but hopes are high for his future.
Pat Rondeau also continues to impress at the plate and in the field, at all 3 outfield positions. Rondeau (.263/.280/.364, 2.7 WAR) is second on the team in triples with 9, has hit 12 doubles, and is third in stolen bases with 15 (caught 7 times.)
Among pitchers, one standout surprise has been the solid performance of veteran lefty Chris Healy, who has quietly put up very fine numbers. Healy (2-3-0, 1.14 ERA, 0.95 WHIP) gives the team a good multi-inning middle relief option and is great at inducing groundballs, which with our infield defense is a real plus. In spite of his advanced age, it is thought that the team is seriously considering bringing him back for at least one more season.

Biggest Disappointments: Tanner Yurek, currently on the DL and with recovery time unknown, after having put up career numbers in the 1967 season, has really struggled in 1968. Yurek (.170/.252/.289, 0.6 WAR) has not only suffered at the plate but hasn't been great in the field either (-4.4 ZR, 11 errors). Yurek, who is signed through the 1973 season and is a fan favorite, is still expected to play a key role in the Brewers future, but with both Arturo Baca and Juan Lujan showing good skills at second and with a future possible star in the low minors (Jonathan Koch), Yurek will need to return to form in 1969 or his place on the team might be in doubt.

It's been fairly well established here that All-Star leftfielder Antonio Puente has had a disappointing 1968 season at the plate. Puente (.222/.325/.367, 3.6 WAR) has been showing some signs of life lately, but approaching September he has still hit only 8 HR's. For a player who has averaged a little over 29 HR's per season in his career, this is a pretty anemic number. He does have 17 doubles, which puts him on pace for an average or slightly above average seasonal number for him, and given his continued excellent defense he remains the position player with the second highest WAR on the team. But the team needs him to get his power swing back and soon if they hope to contend.