[BirdWatcher]

Who's Hot:
Let's face it, when a team is performing as well as the Brewers are this season a great number of players are likely to be hot at any given time.

But let's focus on a few at the moment, starting with the already established hottest of the hot, Bobby Erbakan.
Having gotten off to a very slow start in 1978, coming off surely his best ever season in '77, when he finished 2nd in the league MVP voting, Bobby then suffered through about a month long absence due to a sore elbow. He stayed fairly tepid at the plate upon his return in early June but then started to heat up in mid-June and has been terrific since then.
He now has a slash line of .317/.363/.458 and with his continued terrific defense at second base is on pace for a 4 WAR season in spite of missing a bit more than a month of the season.

His near double, Brett Taranto, has just been hot all season long. Taranto continues to lead the MGL in batting average (.351), RBI (71), and WAR among batters (5.0). He has a slash line of .351/.383/.529 and is on pace to collect 32 doubles, 14 triples, 21 home runs, and 21 stolen bases, while playing Gold Glove defense at first base.

And in spite of a bit of a sluggish start, sophomore left fielder Val Guzman is putting up fine numbers particularly with a surge at the plate in the past few weeks. Guzman has a slash line of .279/.373/.419 and is on pace for a 3.5 WAR season, providing very fine defense in left, good speed on the bases (on pace for 19 stolen bases), with some pop in his bat (he has 8 homers on the season and is tied for second on the club in RBI with 65.)

And obviously several members of the starting rotation (particularly Sekien Hamasaki, Sadahige Kawasaki, and rookie Jim Atwell) as well as veteran closer Tim Shore have been hot pretty much all season long.

Here is a look at the lineup and rotation:




And where the team stands in several statistical categories:





Who's Not:

It would be hard to identify Brewers who are not playing well at this point.
Earlier in the season one might have singled out Steve Green (8-6, 4.42, 1.32 WHIP) but in fact Green has been quite good since the All-Star break and he has the 3rd best BB/9 and is tied for 2nd best K/BB ratio in the MGL. He is also 8th in the league in FIP and WAR among pitchers.

John Weaver, one of the heroes of the 1977 KCS for the Brewers, hasn't been great as a swingman out of the bullpen, going 3-1 with a 5.32 ERA and 1.57 WHIP, but he isn't counted on that much.

Ben Flynn continues to underperform his reputation as a pitcher a bit (4-2, 5 saves, 4.36 ERA, 1.41 WHIP) but also continues to rake at the plate (.362/.393/.517) and is a fan favorite.

Veteran left-hander Erik Sloan, who was very good in his first several starts after returning from an 8 month layoff due to a partially torn UCL, has been struggling more of late and now has a 5-2 record with a 4.53 ERA in 8 games started, though his WHIP remains a fine 1.17, largely because of his staff best control.

The lowest WAR among position players (not counting rookie Jose Figueroa, who only has 43 plate appearances with the Brewers this season) is utility infielder Nick Ward, who remains a spectacular glove man but after clearly overachieving at the plate last season (.318/.387/.467 in 119 PA's), has reverted to the light-hitting which was always expected of him, with a slash line of .206/.304/.325 in 150 plate appearances this season.

The Farm Report:



AAA, the Chester Big Stick- 64-38, .627, 1st place:
The top prospect in the Brewers minor league system, with the promotion of Jim Atwell this year to the big league club, is starting pitcher Bryant Cox who is having a fine season at AAA. Cox is 12-6 with a 2.72 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. He has a FIP of 3.51 and a FIP- of 79. With a BABIP of an even .300 there is little reason to believe that his numbers aren't indicative of his actual performance this season. He should be a member of the Brewers roster after September 1st and will be given every opportunity to earn a spot in the rotation in 1979.


AA, the Nashville Red Wings- 47-54, .465, 6th place, 18 gb:

24-year old left fielder Eric Hammock hits 3rd in the Red Wings lineup and while his .301/.384/.493 slash line isn't eye popping all indications are that he has a chance to be a star player at the WPK level very soon. Although he plays left field for Nashville, he is mostly likely the future right fielder for the Brewers, particularly with his cannon arm.

A, the Bainbridge Brawlers- 38-63, .376, 7th place, 26 gb:

It can be a bit hard to find a bright spot on the woeful Brawlers club, but the continued development of outfielder Matt Catlett definitely qualifies. Catlett has a slash line of .322/.367/.480, is developing into a plus defender, and is almost surely the fastest and most gifted runner in the Brewers organization and possibly in the game of baseball. Outfield remains a strength for the Brewers throughout the organization, but Catlett is almost surely the most well-rounded, toolsy prospect in the system and will be given every opportunity to earn a starting role within the next 3 seasons, if not before.

short season A, the Jersey City Judges- 16-21, .432, 9th place, 10 gb:

Jersey City doesn't have many real prospects but left-handed starting pitcher Austin Bond, the Brewers 2nd round draft pick last year, continues to look like a young man who may have a future somewhere between the middle and the back end of the rotation eventually. In 8 starts thus far in 1978 he is 1-1 with a 2.74 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. With his great makeup (especially his strong work ethic and baseball smarts) and his perceived durability, the feeling is that while Bond's ceiling might not be the highest, his floor is pretty high.

rookie league, the Greensboro Bisons- 17-20, .459, 9th place, 6 gb:

This year's 1st round draft pick for the Brewers, right handed starting pitcher Eric Maisch, has already risen to 3rd best prospect in the organization. Maisch is 3-2 with a fine 2.35 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in his 8 professional starts thus far (with a .300 BABIP and 3.21 FIP). His journey to the big leagues has only just begun, but it's a promising start for the young finesse pitcher with a curveball that is already big league ready and projects to be elite.

Ulrik's update:



The most recent report received by the front office from the scouting staff, led by Scouting Director Ulrik Berthelsen, contained good news particularly for the pitching staff, with good development from relievers Walter Hackler (recently brought back up to the big league club) and Brandon Veach as well as future rotation fixture Bryant Cox, while John Weaver sees his stock fall.
Not much to report in terms of position players, though 24-year old second baseman Dustin Millman did receive some mention as it is believed he is improving his contact hitting ability a bit towards average to go along with his elite speed and very strong defensive skills. It's hard to see how Millman has a path to the bigs with the Brewers, but if given a chance he could be a solid WPK player.