The Denver Brewers of the W.P. Kinsella League

[BirdWatcher]

Lazaro Lowndes, the superstar center fielder for the Houston Cavaliers (and a likely future Hall of Famer) led the SJL in batting average this year with a WPK-best .367 while also setting a new single season high-mark for hits with 243.



Over in the MGL, it was a tight race between two teammates- the Denver Brewers Bobby Erbakan, who led in this category most of the season, and Brett Taranto, who surged at the end of the season. Taranto ends up the winner with a .357 batting average, while Erbakan finished 2nd at .353.

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:



The Columbus Whalers continue their SJL dominance, but it will be interesting to see if Boston and Pittsburgh can take the next step forward in 1978.


MGL:



Much less parity in the MGL as the Brewers in the end win with a not uncomfortable margin. Oklahoma City was probably the biggest surprise. Brooklyn, as always, under-achieved. And the Phoenix Speed Devils, in spite of finishing with a team ERA of 6.93 (MGL league ERA was 4.31), avoid breaking the team single-season loss mark of 117 set by the El Paso Dawgs back in 1967.

[BirdWatcher]

The Columbus Whalers, who have won 4 WPK championships in their history- the most of any WPK team- once again represent the Shoeless Joe League in the Kinsella Classic Series. This is the 3rd straight year they have done so and they are looking to make it 3 straight titles.

And if they do so it will be on the strength of their incredible starting rotation. Their top two starters- Jim Norris and Luis Ramirez- are expected to be the main contenders for this year's Pitcher of the Year award in the SJL. (Norris won it last year.) Third starter Cody Barnhart is a 6-pitch lefty with great stamina who always keeps his team in games. And their number 4 guy? Well, just the greatest left-hander of his generation in the WPK and future Hall of Famer Jake Harris.



They have a solid, if not completely lights out, bullpen which is strengthened with the presence of normal #4 starter Juan Olguin. One thing of note: Olguin, like all of the starters listed above, is a left-handed pitcher. This could work to Columbus' advantage in shutting down some of the Brewers best hitters like Joe McPhillips, Josh Schaeffer, and Rodrigo "RodRod" Rodriguez, but with the Brewers having added some quality role players this year who hit lefties well (Jon Williams, John Flores, Jake DiCesare) and with both Brett Taranto and Bobby Erbakan being among the best hitters for the club (both right-handed hitters) it might not be as big an advantage as it was in the 1976 KCS.


And while the Denver defense is very good, the Columbus defense is spectacular. (Though they are a bit error prone, finishing 6th in this category in 1977.)




But Columbus is not a perfect team. If they experience any lapse in pitching or defense in this series it could spell doom as this team just doesn't hit much. Even in the less offensive minded SJL, they were near the bottom of the league in nearly every offensive category. And while all of the Brewers starting pitchers are right-handed, Columbus has very few good left-handed hitters to take advantage of this (cleanup hitter Ken Rowell being the obvious exception.) In fact, even when you add in their bench for the series, they have only one left-handed hitter on the roster and no switch-hitters.

[BirdWatcher]

While it might be a bit too reductive to boil it down this way, it could be argued that the 1977 Kinsella Classic Series is a classic match-up of great pitching against great hitting.

The Denver Brewers are a dangerous offensive club, especially at home, where 4 of the 7 KCS games are scheduled. They haven't been a very good running team this year, but they scatter hits all across the field, work deep counts and draw a lot of walks, and even hit for more power this year then is usual for them. Having received fine performances by role players such as Jon Williams, Jake DiCesare, Nick Ward, and John Flores- all of whom made the post-season roster cut- who all hit left-handed pitching well, they are a balanced offense, more so than in the 1976 KCS which they lost to Columbus 4 games to 2.




And while the Brewers don't have the starting rotation that matches up to Columbus (who does?), with the strong seasons of their Japanese duo up top- Sadahige Kawasaki and Sekien Hamasaki- and the fact that Columbus doesn't have the left-handed hitters that could give the right-handed Brewers pitchers fits, this category isn't a total gimme for the Whalers. Much will depend upon which version of Steve Green in 1977 shows up and whether John Weaver can continue to provide some quality innings, but the Brewers could compete in this area.




The Brewers bullpen should be at least the equal of the Whalers, and finished the season with the best ERA in the MGL. The Brewers defense is nearly the equal of Columbus and is a bit less error prone, having finished 2nd in the MGL.


In summary a quick run-down of the matchups:


Starting Rotation: Advantage Columbus, but perhaps not a huge advantage.

Bullpen: Probably essentially even.

Defense: Slight advantage, maybe, Columbus.

Lineup/offense: Big advantage Denver!

Home field advantage: Denver, if they can take advantage of it early.

[BirdWatcher]

Well, the Brewers really couldn't have scripted this one better than it turned out. Scoreless pitching from starter Sadahige Kawasaki- 8 inning pitched, only 4 hits allowed, no walks, 2 K's- and relievers Walter Hackler and Victor Colon.
Great defense, particularly up the middle with Rich White and Bobby Erbakan as well as Joe McPhillips in center.

And in the first inning they got to reigning SJL Pitcher of the Year (and this year's ERA king) Jim Norris for 5 runs, including Bobby Erbakan and Jake DiCesare each hitting 2-run homers. Jon Williams, replacing the left-handed hitting Josh Schaeffer in right field, just went 3 for 4 and scored the first run of the game. Rich White, in addition to stellar d, went 2 for 4 and hit a double.

The goal was to get off to a strong start and prove that with their deep bench they could hit even the best left-handed pitching.
So far, so good.

[BirdWatcher]

Well, you don't win 4 championships in 12 seasons by rolling over and giving up after a tough game 1 KCS loss.
So naturally, the Columbus Whalers bounced back.
And then some!

Believe it or not this was a tight game, with the Brewers holding a 4-3 edge, going into the 7th inning. And then the Brewers pitching staff just imploded, allowing 13 runs, most of them before a single out was recorded.

The Brewers rallied for 6 runs in the bottom of the 9th (leaving 2 men in scoring position) to make it an American football score for both teams, but really this was just a case of domination by the reigning champs.

Columbus heads home with some much needed confidence and after the memory of a convincing game 1 victory is erased, the Brewers are a rattled crew looking to regain some confidence heading into enemy territory.

(We should note though that backup right fielder Jon Williams continues to rake, going 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored in this one. He also stole a base.)

[BirdWatcher]

Well, the good Steve Green certainly showed up for Denver in their pivotal game 3 against the Whalers in Columbus. (I was originally planning on saying that he pitched a whale of a game. But, well, that's silly, right?)
Green gave the Brewers 8 tremendous innings of shutout pitching and although there were some nervous moments for Brewers fans in the 9th when the first batter reached on an error by Brett Taranto and two outs later light hitting second baseman David Flesh hit a 2-run homer off of Ben Flynn, the big righty was able to the next batter to strike out swinging, ending the game and preserving the win. And somehow Joe McPhillips, in spite of being a left-handed hitter who sometimes struggles against same handed pitchers, and in spite of the fact that he has had to face some of the best southpaws in the game in this series thus far, is finding a way to contribute not just with his glove but with his bat too.

[BirdWatcher]

Biggest moment of 24-year old starting pitcher John Weaver's life was yesterday, and he totally rose to the occasion. With the future Hall of Famer Jake Harris looking like the Jake Harris of old (not the old Jake Harris) and the Columbus defense providing him with sparkling support, somehow young John Weaver was even just a bit better. If the Brewers do manage to hold on and take this series, even though he likely won't be given the honor, many in the Brewers clubhouse would argue that the series MVP is this young man. A gutsier performance you will not see. Of course, a scoreless inning each from Ben Flynn and Tim Shore were also key in this 1-run shutout win. And with the Brewers only getting 4 hits in the game, it was a timely 2-out single by Jake DiCesare (Bobby Erbakan had led off the inning with a double) in the 7th inning against Columbus closer Jamar Clay that was the game-winning hit.

It's do or time now for Columbus as they face the red-hot Sadahige Kawasaki in a must-win game 5 today. Meanwhile, the Brewers are looking to clinch their third WPK championship with one more win.

[BirdWatcher]

And that, friends, is that.
In spite of a humiliating loss at home in Game 2 of the series, the Brewers end up winning the 1977 KCS fairly easily.
In game 5, rookie outfielder Jon Williams, getting all the starts in right field due to the all left-handed rotation of Columbus, homered in the 1st inning off Jim Norris to set the tone for the game. And then Williams proceeded to 3 hits total in 5 at-bats while scoring twice and driving in 3 runs on his way to winning the 1977 KCS MVP honors. All he did was hit was hit .529, scored 5 runs, drive in 3, steal a base, and play very solid defense in right field, including making a spectacular catch on a screaming line drive headed into the corner off the bat of the Whalers lead off hitter to start game 3. Coming off the Brewers crushing defeat in game 2 and in Columbus, many players would point to this play later as one of those quiet turning points in a series that gave a boost to the team when they needed it most.
Sadahige Kawasaki also could easily have been named MVP as he pitched two wonderful starts to go 2-0 with a 0.57 ERA.
Another right-handed batting back-up outfielder also made strong contributions, as John Flores, having returned to the team early this season in a trade, earned his second championship ring- the other also being as a member of the Brewers in 1974. Flores was .385/.467/.538 in the series, hitting two doubles and driving in a pair of runs.
And at least one left-handed batter in the Denver lineup didn't seem terribly bothered facing all the super southpaws in the Columbus staff: Joe McPhillips went .368/.429/.421, hitting one double, scoring 4 times, walking twice, swiping a base, and playing his usual terrific center field defense.

But mostly it was a total team effort. With the exception of the disastrous 7th inning of game 2, the Brewers got good pitching, terrific defense, timely hitting, and even the few lucky breaks that a team needs to take the crown.

Congratulations to our 1977 Denver Brewers, the Champions of the W.P. Kinsella League!

[BirdWatcher]

(Well, it was a bad season for Cheol-han, but I honestly did not see this one coming.)



With the Brewers having been crowned WPK Champions, Cheol-han Lee announced yesterday that he considered it a good time for him to gracefully step away from the game. It was clear that the future Hall of Famer was a mere shell of himself this season but many believed that with his league highest contract having several years left he would try to hang on a bit longer.

The team wishes him well and thanks him for his years of service and it was announced that in a ceremony early next season his uniform number will be the first one officially retired by the Denver Brewers.

Thanks for the years of service, Cheol-han!

(EDIT: Hmm, I just noticed that those career numbers appear to be his numbers as a Brewer. His actual career numbers are much more impressive than that, as he has over 200 wins, etc.)

[BirdWatcher]

So, a final accounting of the new single season records set in 1977 (see highlighted categories in lists below):

[BirdWatcher]

After having suffered through ten losing seasons, the El Paso Dawgs have now had two winning season in a row, though they did take a slight step back from the progress they had made in 1976 this season.




They now have a new owner who appears to place profit above winning, so we shall have to wait to see how that works out.

[pauwoo]

I may have missed it, but what year did you roll for the ‘77 stats output?

[BirdWatcher]

Originally Posted by pauwoo

I may have missed it, but what year did you roll for the ‘77 stats output?

Hey pauwoo- you didn't miss it, I just never said.

So, the story is that this part of my plan hasn't always worked out very well and I probably need to think it through a bit more (and make sure I'm doing it entirely right) so for this year I just let things roll with 1977 stats as well (since that is pretty much in the sweet zone for me anyway) and did a recalc just prior to the season.

And while offense was up quite a bit- well, mostly in the MGL- I was very happy with how things turned out. The WPK had been a pretty low offense environment (though you wouldn't always have known this just from following the offensively gifted Brewers) for much of its history and I thought things balanced out nicely this year.

[BirdWatcher]

A very incomplete listing of some of the individual statistical leaders in the 1977 season for the SJL:

[BirdWatcher]

And selected leader boards for the MGL:

[BirdWatcher]

And awards season has begun:

SJL:




For Curtis Horah it is the 10th time in his career that he has earned this honor. There can be no doubt that he is the most gifted defensive left fielder of his generation.
First time winners include catcher Elvis Iniguez, who will surely win many more, first baseman Curt Carroll, and right fielder Anthony Schaer.
It should probably not come as a surprise that the Columbus Whalers led the way with 3 GG's this season.
Also of note: Juan Mendoza wins his 4th after having won 3 consecutive from '73 through '75 but somehow missing out last season. He is pretty clearly the best defensive third baseman in the WPK at this time.


MGL:




Greg Alwardt wins his 4th GG, though his first was when he was playing second base earlier in his career.
First timers include catcher Andrew Litteral, first baseman Brett Taranto, and right fielder Omar Mallari (who wins his first at the advanced age of 30.)
Charlotte and Denver each have two recipients.
For the Brewers Rich White this is his second overall and second in a row.
L.A.'s Bryan Perry wins his 3rd straight and is probably blocking Bobby Erbakan from getting this honor even though he is certainly deserving as well.

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:




At age 28, San Antonio close Adam Vane has his breakout season, winning his first Reliever of the Year award.
Three former Brewers- Justin Bismark, Jordan Stephens, and Sam Pruiett- also received votes but Vane took all the first place votes to easily win the honor.

MGL:




Wow, here's a shocker! (Sarcasm alert.)
Jamel McNeil has now won the Reliever of the Year award 8 times in his storied career, 4 times apiece in each league. He is the gold standard at his position and likely in the future this award will be known as the Jamel McNeil award.
Among the 3 other pitchers getting first place votes for this award was the Brewers Ben Flynn, who finally started to live up to his great potential this season.

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:




The great Lazaro Lowndes gets his 5th Silver Slugger award.
First timers include pitcher Adam Buhman, first baseman Josh Schultz, and third baseman Ken Rowell.
Young Pete Wiederkehr wins his second consecutive Silver Slugger.
All the others here have now won this award 3 times.
El Paso is the only SJL team to have two players win one this year.

MGL:




Future Hall of Famer Nate Bennett wins his 11th career Silver Slugger award (all but the last 3 were as a right fielder).
Chris Tobin wins his 6th.
First timers include third baseman Manny Barajas, left fielder Chia-ch'ing Chou, and right fielder Jaime Benjamin.
All others on the list (including Brewers Bobby Erbakan and Joe McPhillips) win their 2nd this year. (Bobby's other came as a first baseman.)
Three teams have two players on the list: Los Angeles, Denver, and Baltimore.

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:




It was a battle between teammates as two rookie Pittsburgh outfielders had tremendous debuts in 1977. In the end Larry Leshane took the honor for best rookie player in the SJL, though many insiders believe that teammate Matt Van der Heyden will eventually outshine him.

A pair of starting pitchers who surprised this season- Milwaukee's Mike Coon and Houston's Sandy Morales- rounded out the voting.


MGL:




Detroit's Ren-qing Leong was already a distinguished professional baseball player in his native Taiwan when he signed on top play in the WPK last off-season, and he didn't seem to have any troubles transitioning to the North American version of the game.
A pair of speedy outfielders- John Hemman, also of Detroit, and Val Guzman of Denver- also got first place votes.