The Denver Brewers of the W.P. Kinsella League

[BirdWatcher]

As we head into the second month of the season, let's take a look at the early standings.

SJL:



Those once lowly El Paso Dawgs are off to a great start and are currently red-hot. The Dawgs have quietly put together a strong and deep starting rotation although there are some concerns that their two top starters- Vincent Medina and Zachary Shackleford- are both considered injury risks. Their offense is keyed by two very talented youngsters in the middle of the lineup in shortstop Nathan Littlepage and rising superstar center fielder Pete Wiederkehr. Whether they have the roster depth for the long haul remains to be seen but it is great to see the rise of this team, which for the first decade of WPK history was the weakest team. Of course, the mighty Columbus Whalers are right there again, with the surprising Seattle Alligators in 3rd place.

MGL:



The reigning WPK champion Denver Brewers are unsurprisingly in first place but the Oklahoma City Diamond Kings, who remained in contention until quite late in 1977, are pushing them in the early going. Phoenix has also gotten hot lately to move into 3rd place. The Brooklyn Aces and Los Angeles Spinners are both sitting at .500 but while Brooklyn has been trending upwards lately, the Spinners are reeling a bit.

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:



He is a superstar in the league, a 2-time league MVP, and a very strong future Hall of Fame candidate, and for the 7th time in his career Justin Vargas of Boston is also the SJL Batter of the Month.


MGL:



It's been a bit of an up-and-down career for veteran slugging first baseman Drew Johnson and largely it has looked like his glory days were behind him since he put up 4 WAR in 1973 as a member of the Baltimore Lords. But after a disastrous 0.1 WAR season in 1977, Johnson seems to have recovered some of his youthful offensive firepower at the age of 33 and he is off to a wonderful start this season.

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:



Luis Ramirez would probably get a lot more attention if he hadn't pitched his entire career up to this point in the shadow of Pitcher of the Year award winners like Jake Harris and Jim Norris. But the big durable lefty with the elite fastball and excellent splitter is bound to get his due eventually and at age 26 has many great years still ahead of him.


MGL:



Among the reasons the Oklahoma City Diamond Kings have become contenders in the MGL, the performance of their outspoken but talented (and durable) right-handed starter Dan Knauff is certainly near the top of the list. Oddly enough, Knauff slots in at #3 in their deep rotation. With their talented and mostly young rotation (and the great Ben Bakeman anchoring their bullpen) if the Diamond Kings could just get a bit more offensive firepower they might have a very good chance of landing atop the MGL in the next few seasons.

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:




If there is one thing that the San Antonio Keys know how to develop it is great hitting position players. And their rookie left fielder John Freeman joins those ranks, with a combination of great raw power and an advanced hit tool and approach at the plate. On the other hand, he is slow and a poor fielder and doesn't even profile as more than a barely adequate future first baseman. This won't help the league worst pitching staff much. Fortunately the Keys do have a couple of very talented starting pitching prospects at AAA this year but with the team defense being poor overall (Gold Glove shortstop Bud Lindsay being the obvious exception), this team may just need to slug its way into contention. That hasn't worked out very well for them thus far.

MGL:




Baltimore's rookie right fielder Robert Mustard looks like a captain in the making. He is also a plus hitter with elite speed and running skills who is solid, if unspectacular in the field. Just what the already offensively gifted Lords needed- more hitting! (Note: this is one of those times where the merits of Overall/Potential star ratings seem to come into question. Granted, his power isn't elite and he doesn't have the strongest arm for a right fielder, but how is this guy only a 2 1/2 star player?)

[BirdWatcher]

(In which we discuss some team trends, minor league performances, speculations, rumors, etc.)

Although the Brewers are off to a fine start in the 1978 season, there are some areas of concern and some changes have already been made to help bolster the squad.

One position that seems particularly to be up for grabs is third base, where incumbent Rodrigo "RodRod" Rodriguez is off to a very cold start at the plate (.217/.240/.261). With RodRod's defensive shortcomings, anything short of offensive excellence makes him a liability. After bouncing back at the plate last year to the tune of .325/.363/.491 he still only managed 2.2 WAR. This season he already sits at -0.5. Partly due to this Jake DiCesare, who did so well in his 188 plate appearances last year with the team, was re-called not long ago from AAA Chester and is getting more and more of the starts (and once again both hitting and fielding quite well.) And perhaps even more significantly, top third base prospect Jose Figueroa is off to a fine start at AAA Chester, hitting .360/.375/.430 with 0.8 WAR in the early going. When you combine RodRod's weak offense thus far with his already poor and continually declining defense and his propensity for injury, his days with the club may be numbered. There certainly are plenty of contenders to take over from him, with the defensively gifted Nick Ward and Joe Willemse also in the mix.

The Brewers are also experiencing some pitching issues this season. The rotation has seen tremendous performance from the top two starters- Sadahige Kawasaki and (especially) Sekien Hamasaki- while number 3 starter Steve Green is once again under-performing, and #4 John Weaver has been inconsistent. Young Jim Atwell, at the back-end of the rotation has started to show some of his great promise, including getting his first complete game win in the big leagues in his outing yesterday (not yet reported on).
But the front office is encouraged by the performance thus far this year at AAA Chester by prospect Bryant Cox. Cox, in his first 4 starts this year, has gone 3-1 with a 1.71 ERA and 0.99 WHIP and is looking nearly big league ready. (Likely he won't be called up until the September 1st roster expansion, but if injuries arise it could be sooner.)

Although he has had a few great games this year for Denver, and he was the MVP of the 1977 KCS, Jon Williams was recently demoted to AAA to take a bit of pressure off of him and let him work out of his hitting woes. In 47 plate appearances this year he has hit .186/.255/.349 and with Josh Schaeffer coming off the IL room needed to be made on the roster. With Casey Bromwell hitting well since being promoted on April 17th, it was decided to send down Williams, who is still only 25 year old and has 3 option years left. Williams went 3 for 5 in his first game back at AAA, so hopefully that is a good sign that he will get his offensive mojo back.

Rumor has it that the Brewers may be looking to sign right fielder Josh Schaeffer to an extension soon. Schaeffer would he arbitration eligible for the last time at the end of the season and many wonder if the team might try to sign him more long-term given the value he has provided up to this point. On the other hand, he will turn 30 later this season and has long had a reputation for having a poor work ethic, so just how many years the team would be willing to commit to him is an open question.

[BirdWatcher]

Erik Sloan, the Brewers top left-handed starting pitcher for the past several years, is now on track to return to action sooner than expected. Sloan had surgery in mid-September to repair a partially torn UCL and wasn't originally expected to be able to pitch until about mid-season this year, but given that he should be ready to start a rehab assignment within the next few weeks, it looks like he will back in the rotation in Denver perhaps as soon as the second week of June.

Good news indeed.

[BirdWatcher]

At age 39, Travis Johnson of the Detroit Falcons is certainly showing some signs of decline as a player, but he remains a dangerous hitter and yesterday the 2-time league MVP, 2-time batting champ, 9-time All-Star became only the 3rd WPK player to collect as many as 2,500 career hits (joining the great Felix Lopez and Josh Jenkins.)



Although defense has never been his calling card, in his younger days Johnson was one of the leagues premiere base stealers and twice in his career he had 20/20 seasons (home runs/stolen bases) and his .385 batting average in 1966 remains the single season best ever in the WPK. Most WPK experts are convinced that Johnson will fairly easily find himself voted into the WPK Hall of Fame in Dubuque, Iowa.

[BirdWatcher]

Brewers record: 5-1 (week), 18-7, 1st place, MGL (season)

April 30-May 1, at Portland: 6-1, 1-7.

May 2- May 4, versus San Francisco: 5-3, 7-6, 8-3.

May 6, at Baltimore: 10-5.

On the final game of April, the Brewers get what the hope is a little taste of the future, as rookie starting pitcher Jim Atwell (3-1, 3.45) picks up his first big league complete game victory, allowing just 1 run on 5 hits, striking out 7 batters and walking 2. Much of the offensive support he received was courtesy of Joe McPhillips, who went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored, 2 more driven in, and hit his 3rd double of the season.

The Wild Things avoided the sweep with an easy win in the last game of the series. Sadahige Kawasaki (2-1, 2.68) wasn't at his best, giving up 6 runs on 8 hits over 6 innings pitched. The Brewers also gave him very little offensive support, their 1 run coming on just 6 hits. Zacarias Martell had 2 of the hits, in 3 at-bats, including hitting his 4th double of the season. He did, however, also commit 2 errors, both while trying to throw out base stealers, as the Wild Things ran at will on the Brewers, picking up 8 stolen bases in this game (while being caught trying once.)

The Brewers then come home to Denver for a 3-game series against the San Francisco Velocity.
In game 1, Sekien Hamasaki (4-0, 1.93) continued his fine season, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits over 7 innings pitched, striking out 6 and walking 1. Tim Shore pitched the final inning for his 5th save in 5 chances and keeps his ERA at 0.00. (Rumor has it that he has reached out to management requesting they negotiate an extension as his contract runs out at the end of the season and he would like to remain in Denver.) Zacarias Martell had another good game at the plate, going 1 for 2 with 2 RBI, walking twice. Joe Willemse hit his 2nd triple of 1978 and Josh Schaeffer hit his 2nd homer.

Jake DiCesare, increasingly becoming the number 1 third baseman on the team, gets the lion's share of the credit for the win in game 2. With the Brewers trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the 8th, DiCesare, who had replaced RodRod at third in the 6th inning, hit a 404-foot home run into the right field stands to tie the game. Then, after the Brewers allowed 2 runs to the Velocity in the top of the 9th, DiCesare came up again in the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs and the game again tied and lined the second pitch he saw up the middle for the walk-off win. With the walk-off Javy Bermudez (3-0, 4.50) got the win. Steve Green once again was not sharp in the start, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits over 5 innings. Josh Schaeffer went 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored and 2 walks in the win.

And Rich White's early season heroics continued in game 3 as he went 2 for 4 with 1 run scored and 3 RBI, hitting his 1st triple of the year. John Weaver (2-0, 6.03) isn't off to the best start, but was decent in this one, allowing 3 runs on 7 hits over 6 2/3rds innings for the win. The Brewers hit 3 triples in the game with both Joe McPhillips and Brett Taranto picking up their 3rd of the season. Jake DiCesare stays hot, going 2 for 3 and hitting his 1st double of the season.

After a day off on Friday, the Brewers started a 3-game series in Baltimore against the slugging Lords.
And in spite of a 2-homer game by Baltimore's star rookie Robert Mustard, the Brewers hitters did prevail in game 1. Brett Taranto, who had cooled off considerably at the plate since his hitting streak ended, heated up again in this one, leading the offense with a 4 for 5 day, scoring once and driving in 3 runs. Rich White stays hot, going 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored and hitting his 3rd double. Jim Atwell (4-1, 3.89) struggled a bit with his control, walking 4 while giving up 4 runs on 5 hits over 6 innings pitched, but also got some help from his outfielders, with Joe McPhillips throwing out a runner at third base and Josh Schaeffer stopping a runner from scoring at the plate. And although Schaeffer only had 1 hit in the game, he walked 3 times and scored 4 runs.

[BirdWatcher]

At this stage of the WPK season only one qualifying batter in the WPK is hitting over .400, and he is hitting at a torrid .432 pace, and that man is the unheralded Milwaukee Cadets third baseman Steven Brown.




Very little stands out about Steven Brown other than the fact that in his three full-seasons in the WPK he has never hit below .304 and has a lifetime batting average of .310 as he approaches age 30 soon. Granted, Brown is considered a very tough man to strike out, with his 40 strikeouts last season being a career high. He is on pace to strikeout just 19 times this season. But most scouts don't rate his hit tool particularly high. So one might assume that he plays his home games in a great hitters park. One would assume wrong. Pere Marquette Park in Milwaukee is if anything a ballpark that slightly favors pitchers, with the only advantage to hitters being (slightly) in the area of hitting doubles. (It is a park that particularly suppresses home run power, not that Brown is really a power hitter.)

So how do we explain it? We don't, we just enjoy the mystery. And the unassuming 3rd round pick, largely unknown around the country, continues to enjoy confounding scouts and, especially, opposing pitchers.

[BirdWatcher]

Brewers record: 5-2 (week), 23-9, 1st place, MGL (season)

May 7-8, at Baltimore: 4-5, 3-2.

May 9-11, versus Oklahoma City: 3-5, 3-2, 6-2.

May 12-13, at Brooklyn: 7-1, 4-2.

Having won the first game of 3 at Baltimore, the Brewers drop game 2 when their late innings come-back attempt falls short. Sadahige Kawasaki (2-2, 2.91) takes his second straight loss as he gives up 5 runs (3 earned) on 10 hits over 6 1/3rd innings pitched. Josh Schaeffer had a good day at the plate, going 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored and an RBI and hitting his 3rd home run of the season and swiping his 4th base.

The Brewers win the rubber match though when they get another good start from Sekien Hamasaki (5-0, 2.05) and get an unexpected 3-run home run from little Joe Willemse in the 6th inning to account for all of their runs. Hamasaki pitched 6 2/3rds innings, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits. Evan Perez got the final out of the game after closer Tim Shore had to leave having recorded two outs in the 9th (it turned out he had a very minor hamstring strain) and got his first save of 1978. Brett Taranto and Rich White each went 2 for 4 in the victory.

Next up for the Brewers were the second place Oklahoma City Diamond Kings. And in game 1 the Diamond Kings fine young left-handed changeup specialist Joe Shetler shut the Brewers down until very late in the game and held on for the win. Steve Green's (1-4, 7.41) miserable 1978 continues, as he allowed 5 runs on 10 hits over 7 1/3rd innings. (On the plus side, he did hit his 2nd double of the season.) Brett Taranto went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI and hit his 2nd double of the season and Joe McPhillips hit his 6th home run of 1978. Josh Schaeffer was hitless in the game and struck out twice but he also threw out 2 runners on the base paths to get to 3 outfield assists this year. With the loss the Brewers found themselves in a tie for 1st place with Oklahoma City.

In game 2 the Brewers regained sole possession of 1st place when John Weaver gave them his finest start of the season and Ben Flynn provided the walk-off magic in the 10th inning. Although Weaver did not get a decision, he lasted 8 scoreless innings, giving up just 3 hits and walking 3 batters. Tim Shore unfortunately got his first blown save of the season or Weaver would have gotten the win. Jason Gottula (1-1, 2.16) came in and got the win. Although reliever Ben Flynn did not throw a single pitch, he made his presence felt when he hit a 2-out walk-off double to win the game as a pinch-hitter. It was Ben's 3rd double of the season and he continues to show his usual excellence as a batter. Joe McPhillips took the team lead (and is now 2nd in the MGL) in home runs when he hit his 7th.

And the Brewers took the series by winning game 3 behind the solid pitching of rookie starter Jim Atwell (5-1, 3.59). Atwell, the top prospect in the WPK two years running, hasn't been exactly dominant, but he is certainly not disappointing thus far either. In this one he lasted 8 innings, giving up just 2 runs on 9 hits while striking out 4 and (amazingly, for a guy whose biggest weakness is a lack of control) walking none. Atwell, who was a two-way player in college and is a pretty decent hitter, also went 2 for 2 with 2 RBI in the game. Josh Schaeffer, just putting up another fine season as he always quietly does, went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI and picked up his 4th outfield assist. And backup catcher Kirk Patnode went 1 for 3 but also scored 3 times and drove in a run.

The Brewers then flew to Brooklyn to take on the perpetually under-performing Aces.
And the Aces under-performed again in game 1 as their lefty strikeout specialist Joel Travino wasn't fooling anyone in this game. Earlier in the day the Brewers had brought Jon Williams back up from AAA while sending Casey Bromwell back down to Chester. Apparently the time away from the big leagues did Williams some good as he led the offense in this one with a 2 for 4, 3 runs scored, 1 RBI, 1 walk day and hit his 2nd home run of the season. Oh, and he also stole 2 bases to get to 3 on the year. Kirk Patnode had another big day, going 3 for 4 with 2 RBI. And Jake DiCesare continued to make RodRod dispensable as he went 2 for 3 with 2 RBI and continues to provide fine defense at the hot corner. Sadahige Kawasaki (3-2, 2.63) also got back on the winning track with 8 strong innings, giving up just 1 run on 4 hits.

And the Brewers make it 4 straight wins behind Sekien Hamasaki (6-0, 2.12) who is establishing himself as an early Pitcher of the Year candidate. Hamasaki went 7 innings, giving up 2 runs on 7 hits while striking out 5 and walking 2. Tim Shore pitched the 9th to earn his 6th save in 7 chances this season. Little Joe Willemse went 2 for 4 with an RBI in the game and continues to perform well as the primary replacement for Bobby Erbakan while Bobby is on the IL. And Val Guzman, not having a great year at the plate thus far, did hit his 8th double, which easily leads the team. But it was a Josh Schaeffer clutch RBI single in the 8th inning that gave the Brewers the lead they did not relinquish.


So the week ends with the Brewers having stretched their lead out to 3 games ahead of Oklahoma City and 4 ahead of the surprising Phoenix Speed Devils. L.A. is in 4th, 6 games out, and Brooklyn in 5th, 7 games off the pace.

And the Columbus Whalers have once again climbed to the top of the pile in the SJL, with a 1/2 lead over the very surprising Seattle Alligators (that can't last, can it?) and a 1 game lead over the recently flat El Paso Dawgs. Philly is just 3 games back with Milwaukee and Boston both hanging in there at 4 games behind the leader.

[BirdWatcher]

Jesus Hernandez is far from an unknown in the WPK, but what he is doing thus far this season, at least in terms of home runs, deserves some attention.



While the veteran L.A. third baseman has long been one of the better power hitters in the league, at age 37 he is easily leading all of the WPK early on with 11 homers and is on pace to shatter the single-season WPK record of 54 set by Devin Schwisow just last season. Now granted it is early still and almost surely Hernandez will slow down and his injury proneness may also affect his ability to keep up this pace. But it should also be noted that he plays his home games in a park that isn't exactly a hitter's paradise and, maybe more to the point, while the 1977 season ended with 0.97 home runs being hit per game in the MGL, that rate is down to 0.70 in the MGL this season. He leads the L.A. Spinners in all three of the hitting triple crown categories.
It remains to be seen whether he can keep this up all season but he is certainly currently adding to his already probable Hall of Fame credentials.

[BirdWatcher]

Veteran right-handed starting pitcher Jason Wilson, who was the MGL Pitcher of the Year in 1969, has led the league in wins 5 times in his career and has won at least 20 in 4 different seasons, yet somehow is only a 2-time All-Star, joined an exclusive club yesterday when he notched the 200th win of his career at age 38.




In so doing he joins just two other pitchers- the two generally considered the greatest of their generation: Jake Harris (211) and the recently retired Brewers great Cheol-han Lee (205). (I have been remiss in mentioning that Harris was released by the Columbus Whalers, the team he had pitched for his entire career and the team for whom he was clearly the best ever player to wear their uniform, back on April 16th. He has since signed a minor league contract with El Paso and is pitching for their AAA club, the Honolulu Valiants.)

Many WPK experts still consider Wilson a bit of a long shot for enshrinement into the Hall of Fame in Dubuque, Iowa, but reaching this milestone certainly boosts his credentials a bit.

[BirdWatcher]

(Experimenting with this feature, perhaps for at the beginning and in the middle of each month during the regular season.)

Who's Hot:

In the Brewers starting rotation clearly Sekien Hamasaki is off to the best start (not to take anything away from Sadahige Kawasaki and his usual brilliance). Hamasaki is 6-0 with a 2.12 ERA and an 0.86 WHIP. Granted, his BABIP is an un-sustainably low .221 (career average= .273). And certainly his 0.2 HR/9 will likely be higher by season's end. On the other hand, he has a FIP of 2.29 and a FIP- of 55 and his groundball out rate of 49% is fairly well below his career average (he is known as a groundball pitcher.) So it should not be expected for his performance to crater, just to return to somewhat more mortal levels eventually.
Closer Tim Shore is also off to a great start, having saved 6 games in 7 chances (and that one was coming off an injury shortened outing a few days prior) and has a 2.25 ERA and 0.88 WHIP.
First baseman Brett Taranto has cooled off a bit since very early in the season but he still has a slash line of .355/.388/.565, has hit 6 home runs, driven in 23 runs and scored 24, has 3 doubles and 4 triples, and leads all position players on the team with 1.8 WAR.
And let's give some love to third baseman Jake DiCesare, who since returning to the team from AAA Chester on April 21st, has hit .316/.365/.386, with a double and a home run and 6 runs driven in while also walking 5 times while striking out just twice. He has also solidified the hot corner a bit, with his +0.1 ZR and 2.74 RF perhaps not looking that impressive (he has had limited action so far) but when compared to erstwhile starter RodRod's -0.6 ZR and 2.22 RF, DiCesare has already been a pretty significant upgrade.

Who's Not:

It is already pretty well established that after a disappointing 1977 season, in which his advanced metrics indicated that he pitched better than his traditional stats would lead one to believe, Steve Green is again struggling. Green is 1-4 with a 6.80 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP in 1978. His BABIP against is insanely high at .363, so trusting this isn't a trend (his 1977 BABIP was .312, with a career BABIP of .284), things should straighten out. But then again, we said that most of 1977 too and it never really quite did work out. (Though let's not forget that he gave us a great start in the KCS.) His FIP is a respectable 3.80 for a FIP- of 92, so it probably isn't time to push the panic button yet. Still, at age 31 and with next year the last on his contract and the team having the option to buy that out, he might want to start proving soon that he still has it.
Ben Flynn provides one of the best bats off the bench- as a relief pitcher! But after finally having the kind of season on the mound that had long been forecast for him in 1977, he has backslid a bit in 1978. Flynn has pitched 18 1/3rds innings, by far the most of any Brewer reliever, and has a 6.38 ERA and 1.85 WHIP with an 0-1 record and 2 saves. Okay, that .474 BABIP against probably explains it. Small sample size still, Flynn is bound to turn it around.
For a team with a nearly .700 winning percentage, there are a surprising number of Brewers hitters who could be considered cold thus far.
But let's just talk about Val Guzman right now. It's not that the sophomore left fielder hasn't been valuable this year- his 0.5 WAR still ranks in the top 5 among Brewers batters- but his slash line of .224/.303/.402 is somewhat concerning. He does still lead the team in doubles with 8 and is tied for third in stolen bases (with Joe McPhillips) with 4 and he's hit 3 home runs, driven in 17 runs while scoring 18, and his BABIP of .228 is bound to come up so likely he's had some hard hit balls that didn't fall in.

Dollars and Sense (and some nonsense):

The end of the season is still far away but the front office is already starting to plan for it, given that a number of tough decisions await them.
First off, 10 players are arbitration eligible at the end of the year, and one of them- Josh Schaeffer- for the last time. Among these 10 players are some of the Brewers key players(estimated arbitration amount at this point): the aforementioned Schaeffer (314K), Sekien Hamasaki (90K), Rich White (96K), Ben Flynn (41K), and Kirk Patnode (39K).
And a few players who are arbitration eligible likely won't be on the team next year. Third baseman RodRod, as has been mentioned previously, might be moved in trade soon with Jake DiCesare having earned the starting job and Jose Figueroa not far behind. And 4th outfielder John Flores is the weak link defensively among Brewers outfielders and while he does provide a potent right-handed bat he is expected to command at least 160K next season and we have plenty of less expensive options as potentially good as him.

In addition, the Brewers have team options to buy out 4 players at the end of the season if they wish: Matt Helm, Steve Green, Jason Gottula, and Bobby Erbakan. Now obviously Bobby isn't going anywhere, and likely Green and Gottula aren't either, but captain Matty Helm is a tough decision. He has pitched exclusively, and sparingly, in the bullpen this year and while he has fared quite well, he is a career-ending injury waiting to happen.

And finally, there is veteran closer Tim Shore, who is on the final year of his contract. Rumors are that the team and Shore are already well into negotiations on a contract that will keep the 32-year old right hander, currently considered among the best in the league at his position, in the fold for 3 to 4 more years.

Down on the Farm:

Let's take a quick look at our minor league affiliates:
AAA, Chester Big Stick: 21-11, 2nd place, 2 games behind.
The Brewers top pitching prospect not yet on the big league club is Chester right-hander Bryant Cox. Cox is heading towards having his finest season as a professional ballplayer yet with a 4-1 record and a 1.25 ERA. Third base prospect Jose Figueroa has cooled off a bit lately but is still on pace for a 3.7 WAR season and has a slash line of .306/.333/.358.

AA, Nashville Red Wings: 12-20, 9th place, 13 games behind.
Oscar Medrano (4-2, 2.03) still leads the not very good starting rotation. Right fielder Eric Hammock still profiles as a future WPK outfielder, whose bat could even make him a star someday, but his .276/.343/.439 isn't anything to get too excited about.

A, Bainbridge Brawlers: 11-21, 8th place, 13 games behind.
Left-handed starting pitcher Eric Seidel may yet someday be a useful member of the Brewers rotation, but age 19 he looks outmatched at the single A level. Seidel is 1-4 with a 5.75 ERA and 1.82 WHIP thus far in 1978. Young center fielder Matt Catlett, considered by many WPK experts to be the Brewers best position player prospect, isn't tearing up single A but his .262/.336/.393 slash line isn't too concerning and with his great work habits, game-changing speed, and developing tools the front office is still pretty excited to watch his progress.

Injury Report:

Recently the team doctors cleared veteran left-handed starting pitcher Erik Sloan to start pitching in games again and he has joined the AAA Chester rotation for a rehab stint prior to returning to action as a Brewer. Bobby Erbakan is nearly ready to resume play as well as his sore elbow is healing nicely and he should need just a few more days before he can play again at which point he will also be given a short rehab stint.
The Brewers system is pretty injury free at this stage but they did suffer a big loss when veteran left-handed starting pitcher Nick Baldwin, who was signed to a minor league contract to provide depth in case of injuries to the big league rotation, suffered a torn rotator cuff and won't pitch again this season. Relief pitcher Ryan Muilenburg, part of the group of AAA relievers with experience in the Brewers bullpen and good potential, is out for 3 more weeks with shoulder bursitis which started bothering him towards the end of April.
And outfielder Billy Ferguson, the Brewers 2nd round pick in 1975, is expected to be out for a few more weeks as he deals with chronic back soreness which has currently sidelined him since the second day of May. The irony is that Ferguson himself is considered a pain in the backside to his Nashville teammates (Disruptive) and they are in no hurry to have him back. (Likely his time in the organization is coming to an end soon. If he wasn't a pretty darn good hitter it probably already would have, but with his toxic personality, poor defense, and complete lack of any foot speed, he is surely not a keeper.)

[BirdWatcher]

Well, I guess that buys RodRod a little more time in a Brewer uniform.



With DiCesare going to the IL the Brewers have brought backup power-hitting first baseman Sean Wright back up from AAA Chester (DiCesare had not only become the starting third baseman but with Bobby Erbakan still out he was really the only decent back up for Brett Taranto at first base.)

[BirdWatcher]

It was announced yesterday that veteran closer Tim Shore, currently one of the best relievers in the game, has signed a 4-year deal to stay with the Denver Brewers through the 1982 season (reportedly the team does have a buy-out option for the final season) at what is believed to be around $215,000 per year.



The 5-time All-Star has been a member of three WPK Championship teams- in both 1968 and 1969 as a member of the Columbus Whalers, and last season with the Brewers, who defeated the Whalers- and the feeling is that he felt that this was the best way to give himself a good chance to earn at least one more ring.

[BirdWatcher]

Brewers record: 2-4 (week), 25-13, 1st place, MGL (season)

May 14, at Brooklyn: 4-5.

May 15-17, at Los Angeles: 3-8, 0-2, 8-4.

May 19-20, versus Phoenix: 13-1, 0-1.


The Brooklyn Aces defeat the Brewers on Sunday to avoid being swept. They did so in spite of the Brewers coming from behind by scoring four 9th inning runs to erase a 4-0 deficit. The Aces won the game in walk-off fashion when rookie first baseman Owen Zwiebel (a defensive liability but a tremendous hitting prospect) hit a two-out, pinch-hit run scoring single off Brewers reliever Ben Flynn (0-1, 6.38). Steve Green had a rare strong start as he allowed just 2 runs on 9 hits over 6 innings pitched. The Brewers had tied the game on a Josh Schaeffer Grand Slam, his 4th homer of the year.

In a quirk of scheduling the Brewers then had to fly clear across the continent to play the Spinners in Los Angeles the next day and perhaps unsurprisingly dropped game 1. John Weaver (2-1, 5.00) was pitching pretty well before running into trouble in the 5th inning when the Spinners plated 5 runs. Weaver gave up 8 runs (only 4 earned) on 8 hits over 5 2/3rds innings. Val Guzman went 2 for 3 in the loss, drawing a walk and hitting his 9th double of 1978 while also stealing 2 bases to get to 6.

The Brewers get shut out in game 2 by the talented 1976 Pitcher of the Year Eduardo Obando. Rookie Jim Atwell (5-2, 3.38) deserved a better fate as he went the distance allowing just 2 runs on 9 hits in the loss. Zacarias Martell collected 2 of the Brewers 4 hits in the game, none of which went for extra bases.

The Brewers avoid the sweep behind staff ace Sadahige Kawasaki (4-2, 2.73) who worked 8 innings, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits, striking out 7 and walking none. Val Guzman, who had been mired in a slump for some time, had another strong game, going 3 for 5 with a run scored and two driven in and hit his team-best 10th double. Brett Taranto went 3 for 5 and has regained the MGL batting average lead at .361. And little Joe Willemse also went 3 for 5, driving in 3 runs and picking up his first stolen base of the season.

After a day off, the Brewers played host to the slugging, and thus far surprising, Phoenix Speed Devils and in game 1 the Brewers crushed the visitors. Sekien Hamasaki (7-0, 2.12) certainly didn't need all the run support he got in this one, as he gave up just 1 run on 8 hits over his 7 innings pitched while striking out 10 batters. But run support he did get. Actually, he gave himself some of it with a 3 for 4, 2 runs scored, 2 RBI game. The increasingly benched RodRod did have a great game in this one, going 3 for 5 with a run scored and two driven in and hit his 1st triple of the season. Brett Taranto stays hot, going 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored and 3 RBI and hitting his 4th double. Rich White hit his 2nd home run of the season.

But in game 2 the Brewers were again shut out for the second time in four games, this time by Phoenix left-handed starter Chris Palmisano who held the home club to just 4 hits and walk while striking out 6. Another tough loss for Steve Green (1-5, 6.04) who certainly pitched well enough to get a victory- he scattered 8 hits over 7 innings, giving up just 1 run. Brett Taranto's 5th double of the season was the only extra base hit for Denver. Nick Ward, who has an anemic .194 batting average, did collect 2 hits in 3 at-bats in the loss.



With the Brewers having several right-handed batters who aren't producing- Jon Williams (.204/.271/.407), John Flores (.255/.327/.489), Nick Ward (.194/.307/.258)- and with Bobby Erbakan still needing some rehab time, left-handed starting pitchers are a problem in spite of right-handed hitters Brett Taranto and Rich White both off to good starts. Knowing that switch-hitter Jake DiCesare, who punishes southpaws, won't be back until at least late June at the earliest and with continuing frustrations over RodRod's poor defense and under-performing bat (.259/.286/.318), and given that he has been hot again down at AAA Chester, the Brewers decided not to wait any longer to give third base prospect Jose Figueroa his debut and announced after the game on Saturday that they were calling him up to the bigs and sending slugging back-up first baseman Sean Wright back to Chester. The move likely speeds up the departure of RodRod, who rumor has it might be packaged with Flores (who was not expected to return for 1979) with the Brewers reportedly looking for a right-handed left-fielder who is cheaper than Flores and provides a bit more defensive value to platoon with Val Guzman for the time being.

[BirdWatcher]

The most surprising team at this point of the season in the Shoeless Joe League is the Seattle Alligators, who sit in first place with a 25-13 record, a game and a half ahead of Columbus and El Paso.

One of the key players in the good start for Seattle is veteran right-handed starting pitcher Omar Melero, who is leading all of the WPK in ERA while pitching out of the #4 slot in the Alligators rotation. Melero was snatched up by the club in the Rule 5 draft this past off-season after having been released by San Francisco early in the 1977 season, then being signed to a minor league contract by the Jacksonville Wolf Pack organization only to be left off the 40-man roster and left unprotected. Jacksonville, currently sitting in 5th place, 5 1/2 games behind Seattle in spite of having the best offense in the league, probably wishes now they had kept Melero given the woeful state of their pitching staff.



Granted, Melero is a walk machine, having led the league in this category in three consecutive seasons while pitching for Pittsburgh (1973-75), and his WPK lowest (by far) BABIP of .162 is clearly unsustainable. Still, given how deep and largely durable the Seattle rotation is, and with Melero's Iron Man durability, good stamina, and solid clubhouse influence, there can be little doubt that this was a good addition for Seattle.

[BirdWatcher]

Former Brewer great and current Brooklyn right fielder Ryan Rodgers has been placed on the IL after first suffering a day-to-day injury in the form of an ankle sprain and then being felled by tightness in his back.



The Aces have been playing well and find themselves now in 3rd place in the MGL, 5 games behind Denver, but being without the probable future Hall-of-Famer Rodgers for potentially up to 3 weeks isn't a blow.

[BirdWatcher]

At age 41, Philadelphia right fielder David Beane remains an offensive force in the game (and is even an acceptable fielder, in spite of being extremely slow of foot), but with the news yesterday that he suffered a torn PCL that will keep him away from the game for at least 9 months, one has to wonder if this is the end of the line for the 4-time All-Star.
He had joined the Mud Hens on a 1-year contract as a free agent this off-season and having suffered such a serious injury it seems a stretch to think that he could come back for his age 42 season next year.

[BirdWatcher]

Jim Atwell came into this season listed as the #2 overall prospect in the WPK, after having been at the very top of that list the two previous years.
And thus far in 1978, his first as a big league starting pitcher from day 1 of the season, he has been quite solid, if not exactly spectacular.
Yesterday he gave us all a taste of the spectacular.



In a dominating performance, Atwell allowed just 1 hit, amazingly enough a 6th inning double off the bat of the opposing pitcher Kantaro Yasui, as he shut out the Detroit Falcons. In addition, he struck out 14 batters, to put him 2nd all-time in Brewers history in K's in a single game, behind the great Cheol-han Lee, who recorded 15 K's against the Portland Wild Things in a game in April of 1972. Atwell shares 2nd place in this category with Harry Lyerly, who admittedly struck out 14 batters in four different games in his Brewer career.
Atwell did walk 3 batters and lack of control continues to be his biggest weakness. But his 96 game score in this one is the best so far in all of the WPK in 1978, with Luis Ramirez of Columbus next best with his 4-hit, 12 K, shutout of Chicago on April 20th.

Oh, and Atwell hit the 1-out single that started the 5-run rally in the 5th inning which broke what up to then was a scoreless tie!

Brewers fans and the front office alike hope that this was just a first tantalizing glimpse into the very bright future of the young future Ace.