Ruben "Streak" Souffront and the Denver Brewers

[BirdWatcher]

The Brewers offense is hitting on all cylinders right now and leading the way is rookie Pat Rondeau. They needed every one of his 5 hits in today's game versus Los Angeles as the pitching staff nearly gave up a what was a solid 8-4 lead mid-game.

[BirdWatcher]

The Brewers take 3 of 4 from the L.A. Spinners and continue to play well in May. Ruben "Streak" Souffront has been a contributor as his numbers are much better now and the team is cautiously optimistic that he has turned the corner on his young career and might start to live up to his potential. He currently has an 11-game hitting streak and has been playing fine defense in right. He also now has 5 stolen bases with 2 caught stealing so it would appear he maybe is developing a better stolen base technique (or, at least, making wiser decisions about when to run.)
Meanwhile, rookie Pat Rondeau is second in the MGL in batting average at .400 (4th in the WPK.)

[BirdWatcher]

With the serious shoulder injury suffered by Alex Burley earlier in the season and the struggles of young starter Abel Pennington, when veteran lefty Daniel Torres, who was acquired in the off-season and was eligible for free agency at the end of the season, requested a chat to discuss an extension, the Brewers management thought it was probably wise to take that meeting.
The result is a three-year deal (with a team option on year 3) to keep the veteran leader around while the organization tries to develop some young starters through the system.

[stevem810]

Originally Posted by BirdWatcher

Forgot to report on Ruben Souffront.
After a really great spring training, Ruben got off to a very slow regular season start. However, towards the end of April he started to show signs of coming out of his batting slump and ended the month with at least a positive WAR.
Ruben is performing quite well in the field and thus far is doing much better in the stolen base success rate department- he has swiped 3 bases and only been caught attempting to steal once.
The thought at this point is that Ruben will likely remain on the active Brewers roster all season but that this is the pivotal year in terms of his future in Brewers' purple. With the emergence of Pat Rondeau, who would be a very strong rightfield option (though without the power bat one would normally wish for) and the solid play of Zack Banks thus far in 1967, Ruben will need to prove he can play at the WPK level or the team might look to move him.

'Say it ain't so'! 'Streak Fans' request two more years (at least)

[BirdWatcher]

Originally Posted by stevem810

'Say it ain't so'! 'Streak Fans' request two more years (at least)

Well, the good news is that Ruben is playing quite well at the moment and the sense in the front office is that if Ruben basically breaks even this year in terms of WAR (and as of May 12th he is at 0.9 WAR) he will certainly be around for the 1968 season. Even though the possibility remains that management will give up on him and let him try to prove himself elsewhere, this is still considered a last resort option and he will only need to show a reasonable degree of development this season to stick around. The hope is still that he will be the long-term inhabitant of rightfield for the Brewers.

[BirdWatcher]

I am loving this team right now! Second straight win on the road against the first place Portland Wild Things. Solid pitching, great defense, team speed, and timely hitting.
Doubt we can keep this up for the entire season but hopeful of at least a winning record by the end.

[BirdWatcher]

Bad news for the Seattle Alligators as they found out today that they will be without the services of their start secondbaseman, Mike Robinette for approximately 6-7 weeks due to a badly strained groin.

[BirdWatcher]

It took 10 innings, but the Brewers get a third straight win against Portland and look to sweep the mighty Wild Things by taking the night-cap of a Sunday doubleheader. This team is riding high right now!

[BirdWatcher]

And the Brewers come so close to sweeping a four-game set with Portland, leading 6-5 going into the bottom of the 8th in the final game. The Portland offense is formidable though, and they managed to score 2 runs in the 8th and held on for a 7-6 victory to regain sole possession of first place and drop the Brewers back down to third place in the MGL.
Still, a very nice week for the Brewers.

[BirdWatcher]

In the SJL, the Columbus Whalers lose their big off-season free agent acquisition, leftfielder Matt Birch, to a season ending shoulder injury.

[BirdWatcher]

Another pretty fine WPK pitcher is lost for the season: this time Brian Bauer of the L.A. Spinners.
Meanwhile, the Brewers are falling back to earth a bit with some tough losses of late.

[BirdWatcher]

In the midst of a six-game losing streak (including dropping all four of series in Denver against Portland) the Brewers have fallen back to .500.

Some good news:
Rookie Pat Rondeau, who had been slumping at the plate for a bit, has recently regained his form and his still having a tremendous rookie season.
Secondbaseman Tanner Yurek has been the best player on the team this year (leading in WAR at 2.0) having recently signed a long-term deal to stay in Brewers purple at least through the 1973 season.
And still quite young shortstop Chad Brown is having a fine season at the plate and an even finer season in the field, where he is showing all the signs of eventually winning perhaps a handful of gold glove awards.
Also, the bullpen remains the best in the league and the team defense remains at or near the top of the pack.

On the other hand:
Star leftfielder Antonio Puente, while not having a bad season (he is second in WAR at 1.7), has been a bit disappointing at the plate thus far. Puente (.250/.326/.468) is second on the team in HR's with 7 (Yurek has 8) and is an excellent fielding outfielder but thus far at the plate he has clearly not yet performed to expectations.
Firstbaseman A.J. White, who hit .324 with a .429 OBP in 1966, is finding himself increasingly riding the bench with a .195/.311/.260 slash line and horrible defense. Although he remains a fan favorite and there would be ramifications in terms of fan interest, given that White is free agency eligible at the end of the end of the season and there is no plan to try to keep him, the team is looking at the possibility of seeing if any teams out there are interested in him based upon his past success and continued decent reputation (he is still a 3/3 star player).
Also, the starting pitching staff, very much missing the injured Alex Burley, is now just below middle of the pack in terms of performance.

[BirdWatcher]

Brewers snap a 7-game losing streak largely on the strength of an 8-run 2nd inning- sparked largely by the continued great play of Pat Rondeau (2 for 5, 2 runs scored) and Ruben Souffront (2 for 5, 1 run scored, 3 RBI, 1 double, 1 triple). With the win the Brewers climb back to .500.

[BirdWatcher]

I must say that I am amazed, and thrilled, that as we prepare to enter June, Brewers rookie centerfielder Pat Rondeau is third in batting average in the MGL at .341. I expect that eventually he will fall back to earth but it seems clear that likely no matter what this will be considered a successful rookie campaign. (He provides fine defense, great base-running, has stolen 10 bases and been caught trying only twice, and is on pace for 25 doubles and 11 triples. Much better than I expected thus far.)

[BirdWatcher]

Now, for a little organizational housekeeping.
With an eye on clearing out the minor leagues a bit prior to the upcoming new player draft and freeing up a bit of salary room, the Brewers traded 26-year old relief pitcher Brad Schmidt and 28-year old RF'er Andy Wing to the Portland Wild Things for 25-year old shortstop Rafael Betancur. Both Schmidt and Wing were on the Brewers active roster during the 1966 season (Schmidt also made some appearances in 1965) but neither was seen as having any future with the Brewers. Schmidt could still fashion a small major league career as a mop-up reliever but with the strong Brewers bullpen and many better prospects on the horizon he was felt to be expendable. Wing, a premium defensive outfielder with very little offensive upside, was also pushed out by a plethora of better outfield prospects. Betancur is also unlikely to have an impact at the major league level but with his strong infield defense and running ability he could serve useful as a late-season bench player.

[BirdWatcher]

Then today (05/31/1967), the Brewers sent marginal OF prospect Joe Kent and lefty pitcher Jim Harrison (who made one appearance for the Brewers in 1966) to Milwaukee for 23-year old relief pitcher Kyle Green. Kent is a solid player but probably more a AAAA guy than a bonafide major leaguer and was very unhappy at AAA Chester. Harrison is a fragile lefty who at one point looked like a potential back-end of the rotation starter but increasingly looks, to the Brewers scouting staff anyway, like an aging (25) non-prospect. Green has been assigned to AAA for now but is certainly a capable injury replacement and may yet turn into a decent middle reliever.

[BirdWatcher]

Rookie Pat Rondeau earns MGL Rookie-of-the-Month honors for May 1967. Not only does Rondeau continue to be one of the batting leaders in the MGL, but he has displayed impressive defensive skills thus far.
The Brewers hope the future for young Mr. Rondeau is even brighter than earlier thought.

[BirdWatcher]

I'm liking what the latest scouting report has to say about top Brewers prospect, Bobby Erbakan.

[BirdWatcher]

Denver Brewers May 1967 Team Report:

The Brewers got off to a good start in May, going 9-6 in the first half of the month, including taking 2 of 3 from Oklahoma City, 3 of 4 against Los Angeles, and 3 of 4 against the Portland Wild Things. But the second half things to a turn in the opposite direction, as they dropped 11 of 15, including suffering a 4-game sweep at the hands of Portland. As we enter June, the Brewers remain the team with the best bullpen ERA and the most steals in the league, they are 2nd in the MGL in runs allowed, 3rd in defensive efficiency. On the other hand, they are 7th in runs scored, 6th in offensive HR's, 5th in OBP, but still a respectable 4th in team batting average.

Who's Hoppy? As mentioned above, rookie centerfielder Pat Rondeau earned May Rookie-of-the-Month honors in the MGL. For the season Rondeau is now at .331/.349/.428 with 1.2 WAR. Ruben Souffront is also still having a fine season. Ruben (.308/.320/.425, 1.4 WAR) has hit 5 doubles, 3 triples, 2 HR's, driving in 11 runs while stealing 11 bases and being caught only 4 times. He also has played fine defense in rightfield and has 3 outfield assists on the season. Shortstop Chad Brown (.309/.339/.409, 1.5 WAR) also continues to have something of a breakout year and now has 10 doubles, 4 triples, 12 RBI and has provided excellent defense.
Two Miguels in the bullpen have also excelled: veteran Miguel Solis is now 1-0 with 3 saves and an ERA of 0.84. In 21 1/3rd innings pitched he has struck out 26 batters while walking 7 and has a WHIP of 0.89. Miguel Campos, coming off a season-long injury (he was injured in the fifth inning of his first start of the 1966 regular season) has been masterful thus far in the pen. Campos is now 2-1 with an ERA of 0.96, a WHIP of 0.80, and has struck out 23 batters in 18 2/3rds innings while only walking 2!

Who's Hungover? Veteran A. J. White continues his struggles both at the plate and in the field. White (.198/.318/.275, 0.1 WAR) is rumored to be on his way out in the relatively near future. Youngster Erik Shelton, who has paired with White at firstbase this year, although playing quite well in the field has not been good at the plate this year. Shelton is currently .230/.304/.274 with an 0.2 WAR. Veteran starting pitcher Jeff Burdick is also faring somewhat poorly after getting off to a strong start in April. Burdick (4-4, 3.94, 0.5 WAR) has allowed 7 HR's in 61 2/3rds IP, while striking out 29 and walking 11 and has a WHIP of 1.25. (Okay, those numbers don't actually look that bad, but he is trending in the wrong direction.)

What's Brewing Around the League? As we enter June, the Shoeless Joe League continues to be led by the reigning World Champion Jacksonville Wolf Pack. Jacksonville, at 29-14, leads Philadelphia (26-16) by 2 1/2 games and Milwaukee (27-21) by 4 1/2. The Moonlight Graham League sees the Phoenix Speed Devils in first place with a 31-16 record. Portland is just behind them, by 1/2 game, at 31-17, while the Los Angeles Spinners sit in third place at 27-20, 4 games behind the leader.

The Streak Souffront Saga: see Who's Hoppy above. (Suffice it to say, at this point Ruben's place on the team for the 1968 season seems assured.)

Brewers' Power Ranking: #15 (#1 POR, #2 PHO, #3 JAC, #4 PHI, #5 L.A.)
Brewers' Record: 23-25, .479, 7th place in the MGL, 8 1/2 gb PHO.

[BirdWatcher]

And there it is: after returning from a season-ending injury suffered in his first start of the 1966 season, and pitching great from the bullpen for the first two months of 1967, the Brewers felt forced into having Miguel Campos start a game and sure enough, another season ending injury.
Not good.