OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - The Denver Brewers of the W.P. Kinsella League

BirdWatcher · 12-12-2020, 08:52 AM

Contract news, players:

The Brewers head into the offseason with very few roster questions and with all of the players on the 40-man roster signed to contracts for 1979 with one exception.
The team has given no indication of intending to bring back veteran relief pitcher Chris Pollack, who was acquired mid-season in a trade with Brooklyn and who posted an ERA of 7.00 in his 13 appearances with the team.

But the toughest decisions were with regards to four veteran players who were entering the final year of their contracts and for whom the team had options on next season.
In the end the Brewers management decided to exercise the option for next year for their prodigiously talented but oft-injured star second baseman Bobby Erbakan, whose $188,000 salary is a steal for the team even if his season is shortened somewhat by injury and they decided to do the same for veteran right-handed starting pitcher Steve Green, who will make $165,000 in 1979. There was some thought that Green might be bought out after his mediocre 1977 campaign and his horrible start to this past season, but a strong second half persuaded the front office to bring him back for at least one more season.

On the other hand, in perhaps the most agonizing decision management has had to make in years, it was decided to buy out team captain Matt Helm's contract, which will make him a free agent this offseason. They also made the same choice regarding veteran left-handed reliever Jason Gottula. Gottula had missed much of '77 with a torn back muscle, returned to have a strong first half this season but then struggled in the second half. While he remains a talented reliever with a wicked curveball, there are questions about this work habits and baseball smarts and the Brewers wanted to give an opportunity to some younger arms who they are high on, particularly left-hander Rand Pinti and right-hander Walter Hackler.

Contract news, personnel:

The Brewers allowed the contracts of several minor league personnel to expire at the end of the season, including their AA Nashville manager, their single A Bainbridge hitting and pitching coaches, and short-season A-ball (Jersey City) manager. They decided to move Rookie-ball level (Greensboro) pitching coach Jeremy Adams up to A Bainbridge, opening a hole in Greensboro.
Then, unexpectedly, Denver assistant general manager Mike Finger walked away from the game.
They have now filled all of these positions except for the Bainbridge hitting coach slot, as they are waiting a response from candidate Pedro Carrero, who specializes in developing a hitter's plate discipline and is regarded as working well with younger players.
For the assistant G.M. job with the Brewers (a position that most see as largely advisory and not very powerful given the strong G.M. at the helm), they hired 51-year old John Keese, who served as the G.M. in Portland for three years (1965-1967) before being the scouting director for the San Antonio Keys from 1969 up until 1977. Keese is believed to favor the development of prospects and is big on having loyalty to the current players and not doing a lot of wheeling and dealing, all of which fits pretty well into the current management philosophy.

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For the AA Nashville manager job the team went with relatively inexperienced 51-year old Lucca Holmes, who is known as a tactician with a very laid-back style and likeable personality.

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At short-season A Jersey City, the new manager will be 62-year old Mario Gonzales. Gonzales takes a rather conventional approach tactically, and has the reputation of being a fiery leader, but there are indications that he might be a strong developer of talent even if not always a guy who is going to have a happy contingent of players.

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He will be joined by new pitching coach Oscar Fuentes, about whom little is known. Fuentes apparently favors a balanced approach as a coach, working with all types of pitchers equally and enjoying working with youngsters. Whether he will have any success is to be determined.

With pitching coach Jeremy Adams moving up from the Rookie League level to single A Bainbridge, the new pitching coach at Greensboro is 57-year old Joe Diehl, who specializes in working with finesse pitchers.

Brewers prospects in the Arizona Fall League:

The Denver Brewers organization's relationship with the Surprise Saguaros continues as always.
This year the Saguaros roster includes left-handed 22-year old starting pitcher Terry Dubiel, who is expected to pitch at AAA Chester this upcoming season and may even get a late-season audition in Denver.
Catching prospect Joey Mendiola is a long-shot for a backup role in Denver in the next year or two but will get a chance to hone his skills a bit more in the AFL. Mendiola is considered a fine defender but has limited offensive upside.
Jose Figueroa, who was with the big league club much of last season, is getting a little extra work as a member of the Saguaros as well.
Infielder/outfielder, potential super-utility player Russell Fleming, who played this last season at single-A Bainbridge and is approaching his 21st birthday, is primarily playing first base for the Surprise club and hitting in the middle of the order. Fleming isn't a top prospect for a future starting job in the bigs, but with his great defensive versatility, strong work ethic, and a bat that shows some promise, he might earn a role similar to that of Joe Willemse in a few years.

A handful of lesser prospects from the Denver organization are also on the team, including: 22-year old starting pitcher Paul Forrester, 16-year old starting pitcher Javy Montenegro out of Nicaragua, 23-year old relief pitcher Nick Muller, 17-year old catcher Steven Allen (another strong defensive, poor hitting backstop), 22-year old catcher Steve Burch (same), 22-year old second baseman Walt Schrand, 22-year old third baseman Cameron Rodger (good power hitting potential, will need to improve his bat-to-ball skills if he is going to have any future), 19-year old center fielder Noah Ballard (great speed, decent defense, but that's about it), 18-year old right fielder Rick Groth (could hit a few home runs if he accidentally runs into a few balls with his bat), and 18-year old right fielder Jaden Washington (excellent speed, smart guy, could still develop into something useful.)

12-12-2020, 08:52 AM	#456
BirdWatcher Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: Denver, Colorado Posts: 4,263	Brewers Banter- offseason edition *Contract news, players:* The Brewers head into the offseason with very few roster questions and with all of the players on the 40-man roster signed to contracts for 1979 with one exception. The team has given no indication of intending to bring back veteran relief pitcher Chris Pollack, who was acquired mid-season in a trade with Brooklyn and who posted an ERA of 7.00 in his 13 appearances with the team. But the toughest decisions were with regards to four veteran players who were entering the final year of their contracts and for whom the team had options on next season. In the end the Brewers management decided to exercise the option for next year for their prodigiously talented but oft-injured star second baseman Bobby Erbakan, whose $188,000 salary is a steal for the team even if his season is shortened somewhat by injury and they decided to do the same for veteran right-handed starting pitcher Steve Green, who will make $165,000 in 1979. There was some thought that Green might be bought out after his mediocre 1977 campaign and his horrible start to this past season, but a strong second half persuaded the front office to bring him back for at least one more season. On the other hand, in perhaps the most agonizing decision management has had to make in years, it was decided to buy out team captain Matt Helm's contract, which will make him a free agent this offseason. They also made the same choice regarding veteran left-handed reliever Jason Gottula. Gottula had missed much of '77 with a torn back muscle, returned to have a strong first half this season but then struggled in the second half. While he remains a talented reliever with a wicked curveball, there are questions about this work habits and baseball smarts and the Brewers wanted to give an opportunity to some younger arms who they are high on, particularly left-hander Rand Pinti and right-hander Walter Hackler. *Contract news, personnel:* The Brewers allowed the contracts of several minor league personnel to expire at the end of the season, including their AA Nashville manager, their single A Bainbridge hitting and pitching coaches, and short-season A-ball (Jersey City) manager. They decided to move Rookie-ball level (Greensboro) pitching coach Jeremy Adams up to A Bainbridge, opening a hole in Greensboro. Then, unexpectedly, Denver assistant general manager Mike Finger walked away from the game. They have now filled all of these positions except for the Bainbridge hitting coach slot, as they are waiting a response from candidate Pedro Carrero, who specializes in developing a hitter's plate discipline and is regarded as working well with younger players. For the assistant G.M. job with the Brewers (a position that most see as largely advisory and not very powerful given the strong G.M. at the helm), they hired 51-year old John Keese, who served as the G.M. in Portland for three years (1965-1967) before being the scouting director for the San Antonio Keys from 1969 up until 1977. Keese is believed to favor the development of prospects and is big on having loyalty to the current players and not doing a lot of wheeling and dealing, all of which fits pretty well into the current management philosophy. For the AA Nashville manager job the team went with relatively inexperienced 51-year old Lucca Holmes, who is known as a tactician with a very laid-back style and likeable personality. At short-season A Jersey City, the new manager will be 62-year old Mario Gonzales. Gonzales takes a rather conventional approach tactically, and has the reputation of being a fiery leader, but there are indications that he might be a strong developer of talent even if not always a guy who is going to have a happy contingent of players. He will be joined by new pitching coach Oscar Fuentes, about whom little is known. Fuentes apparently favors a balanced approach as a coach, working with all types of pitchers equally and enjoying working with youngsters. Whether he will have any success is to be determined. With pitching coach Jeremy Adams moving up from the Rookie League level to single A Bainbridge, the new pitching coach at Greensboro is 57-year old Joe Diehl, who specializes in working with finesse pitchers. *Brewers prospects in the Arizona Fall League:* The Denver Brewers organization's relationship with the Surprise Saguaros continues as always. This year the Saguaros roster includes left-handed 22-year old starting pitcher Terry Dubiel, who is expected to pitch at AAA Chester this upcoming season and may even get a late-season audition in Denver. Catching prospect Joey Mendiola is a long-shot for a backup role in Denver in the next year or two but will get a chance to hone his skills a bit more in the AFL. Mendiola is considered a fine defender but has limited offensive upside. Jose Figueroa, who was with the big league club much of last season, is getting a little extra work as a member of the Saguaros as well. Infielder/outfielder, potential super-utility player Russell Fleming, who played this last season at single-A Bainbridge and is approaching his 21st birthday, is primarily playing first base for the Surprise club and hitting in the middle of the order. Fleming isn't a top prospect for a future starting job in the bigs, but with his great defensive versatility, strong work ethic, and a bat that shows some promise, he might earn a role similar to that of Joe Willemse in a few years. A handful of lesser prospects from the Denver organization are also on the team, including: 22-year old starting pitcher Paul Forrester, 16-year old starting pitcher Javy Montenegro out of Nicaragua, 23-year old relief pitcher Nick Muller, 17-year old catcher Steven Allen (another strong defensive, poor hitting backstop), 22-year old catcher Steve Burch (same), 22-year old second baseman Walt Schrand, 22-year old third baseman Cameron Rodger (good power hitting potential, will need to improve his bat-to-ball skills if he is going to have any future), 19-year old center fielder Noah Ballard (great speed, decent defense, but that's about it), 18-year old right fielder Rick Groth (could hit a few home runs if he accidentally runs into a few balls with his bat), and 18-year old right fielder Jaden Washington (excellent speed, smart guy, could still develop into something useful.) __________________ The Denver Brewers of the W.P. Kinsella League-- The fun starts here(1965-1971: https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...d.php?t=289570 And continues here (1972-1976): https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...d.php?t=300500 On we go (1977- 1979): https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...d.php?t=314601 For ongoing and more random updates on the WPK:https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...d.php?t=325147, https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...d.php?t=330717 Last edited by BirdWatcher; 12-12-2020 at 05:26 PM.