The Denver Brewers of the W.P. Kinsella League

[BirdWatcher]

It's been a tough first half of the season for Bobby Erbakan. After getting off to a particularly slow start at the plate at the beginning of season he then went to the IL for a month with a sore elbow. Having returned from a rehab stint the first week of June, Erbakan's struggles at the plate continued- until this past week, anyway.



While he still has yet to hit a home run for the Brewers in 1978, it was gratifying to see him have such a big week in which his overall numbers have started to climb back towards levels more normal for him.

[BirdWatcher]

Talk about burying the lede:





It's a bit hard to understand why the Oklahoma City Diamond Kings, sitting in 3rd place in the MGL, would trade away one of their more talented starting pitchers, the durable curveball specialist Dan Knauff, to San Francisco for what amounts to a good glove/poor bat backup infielder and a 23-year old starting pitcher with low stamina and very little overall potential.

I suppose it might free up some money as Knauff is arbitration eligible at the end of the season and due to get a big raise, though it does nothing for this season's finances. And maybe even more to the point, it frees up a spot in the rotation for top prospect Steve Meehan. And it is a case of trading from a strength, as the Diamond Kings are first in the league in run's allowed and starter's ERA. But the real question isn't why they would trade Knauff, it is why they didn't get more value in return? They are already a strong defensive team but rank 6th in the league in runs scored. This trade does nothing to address that deficit.

[BirdWatcher]

Brewers record: 6-1 (week), 50-21, 1st place, MGL (season)

June 18-19, at Phoenix: 8-7, 5-6.

June 20-22, versus Charlotte: 7-1, 10-1, 2-0.

June 23-24, at Detroit: 9-3, 8-2.

In game 2 in Phoenix, the Brewers jumped out to an early lead which they nearly relinquished, particularly due to Ben Flynn's continued uneven work out of the bullpen. Jim Atwell (8-2, 2.99) got the win in spite of the poor bullpen work. Atwell allowed 4 runs on 5 hits over his 6 innings worked. Flynn gave up 3 runs on 3 hits in his 1 inning pitched. Fortunately, Jason Gottula and Tim Shore were able to shut it down after that, with Shore earning his 14th save. Josh Schaeffer was one of the biggest heroes on offense, with a 2 for 5, 2 runs scored, 3 RBI, 2 homer game, which gets him to 8 on the season. Bobby Erbakan went 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored in the game and hit his 7th double.

Phoenix managed to avoid being swept by taking the final game of the series as Steve Green's poor 1978 season continues. Green did not get take the loss but gave up 4 runs on 6 hits over 6 innings and now sports a 5.86 ERA. The loss went to Jason Gottula (4-4, 2.89) in relief. Bobby Erbakan was 2 for 4 in the game and hit his 1st home run of the 1978 season. Joe McPhillips chipped in with his 9th homer and Rich White hit his 4th of the season.

The Brewers then returned home to Denver to take on the Charlotte Sting and got an easy win in game 1. Sadahige Kawasaki (6-5, 2.61) lasted 8 innings, giving up just 1 run on 7 hits. Brett Taranto led the way on offense with a 2 for 4, 1 run scored and 3 RBI game, hitting his 12th double of the season. Bobby Erbakan went 2 for 4, hit his 1st triple of 1978 and also picked up his 1st stolen base. 25-year old shortstop Geoff Bartholomew, having recently been brought up to the big leagues from AAA for the first time to take the place of the injured third baseman Jose Figueroa, went 2 for 4 and scored a run in the game. Bartholomew was tearing up AAA (.356/.422/.465) and while he doesn't profile as a future starter in the WPK, he is a solid defender with plus speed and an adequate hit tool.

More of the same in game 2, with Sekien Hamasaki (11-0, 2.00) continuing his brilliant 1978 campaign- lasting 8 innings while giving up 1 run on 4 hits with 7 K's and no walks in this one- and getting plenty of run support. Joe McPhillips has been heating up of late and in this one he went 3 for 4 with 3 runs scored, 4 RBI, and hit a pair of home runs to get to 11 on the season while also hitting his 10th double. Val Guzman went 2 for 3 in the game, driving in 2 runs and hitting his 14th double of 1978. League leading batter Brett Taranto only had 1 hit in this one but it was his 8th home run of the season.

Game 3 was a pitcher's duel in which veteran team captain Matt Helm continued his inexplicably fine season. Helm (2-0, 1.93) lasted 7 innings, giving up no runs on 3 hits while striking out 3 and walking 4. Victor Colon and Tim Shore each pitched an inning to preserve the shutout, Shore getting his 15th save. Bobby Erbakan drove in a 3rd inning run with his 8th double of the season, against former Brewer Justin Peacock, who is having a fine season. Brett Taranto's 8th inning solo homer, his 9th of the season, gave the Brewers the only other run in the game. Josh Schaeffer threw out a runner at the plate to also make a huge contribution to the shutout win.

The scene then shifts to East Lake Park in Detroit as the Brewers start a 3-game series against the lowly Falcons, who often seem to give us more than we bargained for.
But in game 1 the Brewers scored 7 runs in the first two innings and went on to get an easy victory. Erik Sloan (2-0, 1.53) nearly went the distance, running out of gas with just a single out needed to complete the game. In his 8 2/3rds, he gave up 3 runs on 8 hits. Bobby Erbakan was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored and 2 driven in and hit his 2nd triple of the season. Brett Taranto went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored and an RBI, hit his 13th double and stole 2 bases to get to 11 on the season. But probably the biggest hit of the game came courtesy of the recently acquired Antonio Acuna, who hasn't played much yet but has shown great promise when he has. Although he only had one hit in this one, that hit was his 3rd home run in limited action with the club, a 2nd inning Grand Slam that broke the game open for the visitors.

Game 2 was far closer than the final score makes it look. In fact, at the end of the regulation 9 innings it was tied at 1-1, thanks to great pitching from Denver starter Jim Atwell (9-2, 2.82) and former Brewer Hector Hard for Detroit. The young Atwell worked 9 strong innings, giving up just 1 run on 5 hits while striking out 5 and walking 1. The lone run he gave up was on a solo home run. The Brewers then broke things open in the top of the 10th by plating 7 runs, the big hits being Val Guzman's 2-run, 1-out home run, his 6th of the season, and catcher Kirk Patnode's 2-out, 2-run scored triple, his first three bagger of the season. Antonio Acuna went 3 for 5 in the game, scoring twice and hitting his 1st double.

With the productive week, the Brewers now lead the MGL by 9 games over their nearest competitors, the Oklahoma City Diamond Kings and the Brooklyn Aces.

[BirdWatcher]

Second baseman Tanner Yurek was one of the original Denver Brewers and one of the team's more important players in the early years. The extremely well-liked hard-working Minnesota native played for the Brewers for most of 8 seasons and is perhaps still best known for his WPK best 4-home run game on May 4th of the 1965, the inaugural season for the WPK. During his early years with the team Yurek provided good pop from the second base position along with excellent speed. And while he was never known for high batting averages, he possessed (and indeed still does) a wonderful eye at the plate and therefore maintained generally quite decent on base numbers.




After being traded by the Brewers to the Charlotte Sting in late June of 1972 (along with Jamison Bash in a deal that brought both Erik Sloan and Nick Ward to the Denver organization), his career was never really the same. Admittedly, at that point he was in his 30's, and his contact skills continued to decline while his already mostly mediocre defensive skills couldn't make up for increasing offensive deficiencies. But as a player beloved by fans and teammates alike, Yurek continued to get chances and played an important role for the expansion Chicago Fire in their first season in the league and now is providing veteran presence on the other expansion club, the Houston Cavaliers, in what will be his final season.

While Tanner Yurek will conclude his career as a marginal player and although his career is far from Hall of Fame caliber, he will be remembered fondly and it would not be a surprise to anyone if he has a second career in the WPK as a coach or manager.

[BirdWatcher]

The annual WPK All-Star game is scheduled for later today so let's take a look at the final voting results and the rosters for this year's game, starting with the Shoeless Joe League:

The final voting tallies:




And the roster:



The Columbus Whalers are the team most represented, with six members of the roster representing the most storied franchise in the SJL thus far. Three members of their league best starting rotation were chosen: for Luis Ramirez it is his 4th time as an All-Star, for 2-time Pitcher of the Year winner Jim Norris it is his 3rd, and Cody Barnhart gets his 2nd AS nod.
Cody Kane, the veteran great and Boston team captain, is headed to his 9th All-Star game. Curtis Horah- perhaps the greatest defensive player of his generation at any position- heads to his 8th as does almost sure Hall of Famer Justin Vargas, who earned the most votes this year.

There are many first timers, with some of the more interesting being Philadelphia Mud Hens' starting pitcher Bobby Martinez, who at age 25 is already the team captain and has been a big part of Philly's move to the top of the pack in the SJL, San Antonio's rookie left fielder John Freeman, who is quickly earning a reputation as one of the best pure hitters in the league though only an indifferent fielder, and Pittsburgh's fantastic young center fielder Matt Van der Heyden, who most surely will play in many more All-Star games before his career is over.

[BirdWatcher]

And the final voting tallies in the MGL:




The roster:




The Los Angeles Spinners and the Oklahoma City Diamond Kings both have six players on the roster while the first place Denver Brewers have five.
Chris Tobin of Baltimore heads to his 7th All-Star game. For Denver closer Tim Shore this is number 6. And Baltimore's Randy Keisel get's his 5th nod.
Among the many first timers are some of the best starting pitchers in the MGL in the first half, including Denver's Sekien Hamasaki, Brooklyn's Jose Hernandes, who leads the league with his miniscule 0.74 ERA, and Oklahoma City's dynamic rookie hurler Joe Shetler.
A few veterans also get well-deserved first ever All-Star honors, among them Oklahoma City's 32-year old left fielder Bill Ramiro, Portland's 31-year old starting pitcher Michael Esco, and L.A.'s 28-year old sparkplug left fielder Tadahiko Goto.

As for the Brewers picks, besides the previously mentioned Shore and Hamasaki, it is the 4th All-Star honor for Joe McPhillips, and the 3rd for Sadahige Kawasaki and for this year's top vote getter in the MGL, Brett Taranto.

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:



Pittsburgh's Bill Winchester has become one of the greatest power hitters in the league, and at age 28, in spite of being a mediocre defensive left fielder at best, one of the premiere players in the WPK.

MGL:



Matt Kinney is one of the hardest guys to strike out in the game and a fine defensive left fielder with good speed and elite base running and stealing skills. And, as we saw in the month of June, a pretty darn good hitter as well.

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:



Daniel Riha spent three seasons getting bounced around between the minor leagues and the WPK, including stints with 4 different WPK clubs during the course of the 1976 season, before finally getting a full-season in the San Antonio bullpen in 1977. This season though is his first at the big league level being used as a starter and as indicated by his recent selection to an All-Star game for the first time and the honor of being the SJL's Pitcher of the Month for June, he has enjoyed the transition and the long-awaited opportunity.

MGL:



The long heralded Denver prospect Jim Atwell started this his rookie season at the back end of the Brewers rotation. Here now at the All-Star break, and having won the June Pitcher of the Month award in the MGL, it is clear that Atwell has already developed into one of the top 3 starters on the team, along with Sadahige Kawasaki and Sekien Hamasaki, and in fact is becoming one of the best pitchers in the game.

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:



First time All-Star John Freeman is a tremendous hitter with an advanced approach at the plate. In spite of his below average speed and poor defensive skills, he should have some productive years ahead of him in the WPK.

MGL:



Can the Denver Brewers snag their 3rd Rookie of the Year award in the past 4 seasons? With this guy on the club the chances are pretty high.

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:



It is looking like a great 4-team race so far in the SJL, with the Philadelphia Mud Hens recently surging to overtake both Columbus and El Paso and hold first place coming out of the All-Star break. On the other end of the spectrum, the once mighty Jacksonville Wolf Pack have lost 11 straight and find themselves tied with the Chicago Fire, just barely above the last place Houston Cavaliers.
And don't count out the recently strong and always talented San Antonio Keys either. They may be positioned well for a second-half run, especially if superstar team captain Bud Lindsay stays healthy and on pace for potentially his third straight league MVP title.

MGL:



The story is much different in the MGL where the Denver Brewers have taken a double digit lead into the All-Star break and have by far the best record and best run differential in the WPK. The Los Angeles Spinners have been playing well of late and are just behind the 2nd place Brooklyn Aces and Oklahoma City Diamond Kings. It appears to be all pretty much also-rans after that. But there is still a lot of season left and it wouldn't pay for the Brewers to get too comfortable yet.

[BirdWatcher]

Brewers record: 3-1 (week), 53-22, 1st place, MGL (season)

June 25, at Detroit: 7-2.

June 27-29, at Portland: 10-0, 5-6, 5-2.

In a week shortened by the All-Star break, the Brewers were on the road and completed a 3-game sweep of Detroit followed by taking 2 of 3 from Portland.

Sadahige Kawasaki (7-5, 2.56) got the complete game victory in Detroit to start the week, giving up 2 runs on 9 hits. Brett Taranto drove the offense with a 3 for 5, 3 RBI game, hitting his 15th double and his 10th home run and picking up his 12th stolen base.

After a day off, the Brewers blew out the Wild Things in Portland in game 1 of that series. Steve Green (4-6, 5.28) had his best start of the season, getting the shutout on just 4 hits allowed while striking out 6 and walking 2. Bobby Erbakan went 3 for 5 with 3 runs scored and 4 RBI in the game, hitting his 9th double and 2nd homer of the season. And Josh Schaeffer was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored and 4 RBI from the lead off slot as both of his hits were home runs to get him to 10 on the season.

In the middle game of the series, Portland fought back from an early 2-run deficit to get a walk-off win in the bottom of the 9th when All-Star catcher Kyle Luker homered off of Denver reliever Evan Perez (1-1, 4.43). Erik Sloan started for the Brewers and gave up 3 runs on 7 hits over 6 innings pitched. Young outfielder Antonio Acuna certainly did his part to try to get the Brewers the win, going 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored and 3 RBI and hitting a pair of home runs to get to 5 on the season and swiping his first base as a Brewer. Unfortunately, when he came to the plate with the bases loaded and 2 outs in the top of the 9th inning, he was not able to get the job done in spite of having a strong 9-pitch at-bat after having gone down 0-2 on a pair of called strikes to start the plate appearance. On that 9th pitch he hit a groundball to the second baseman to end the rally and set up the Wild Things bottom of the 9th heroics.

The Brewers got a strong and efficient complete game victory from Jim Atwell (10-2, 2.76) in the rubber match to take the series. Atwell needed just 98 pitches to hold the Wild Things to 2 runs on 7 hits while striking out 3 and walking none. Joe McPhillips went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI while hitting his team-best 12th home run and Josh Schaeffer hit his 11th home run, walking 3 times and driving in 2 runs while also swiping his 10th base in the win. Catcher Zacarias Martell scored twice, walked twice, and hit his 2nd home run of the season.

[BirdWatcher]

The 14th annual mid-season matchup of the greatest players in the W.P. Kinsella League was held this year at Centennial Stadium in Denver and the 48,900 fans in attendance- which is to say a sold out full house- certainly got their money's worth with a back-and-forth extra innings game.



Unfortunately for the majority of the fans- the Brewers faithful- the final result wasn't ideal and their favorite players did not acquit themselves particularly well.

Brewers closer Tim Shore gave up a 3-run homer to John Freeman in the top of the 7th which gave the SJL a 5-1 lead at that point. The MGL was able to come back, scoring one run in the bottom of that inning but then 3 more in the bottom of the 9th, capped by a 2-run homer off the bat of L.A. center fielder Heath Zweig, to send the game into extra frames.

The SJL got a 2-run homer from an unexpected the source, the great, but normally power challenged, Curtis Horah, in the top of the 13th off Eduardo Obando, and then held on for the win.

As for the hometown heroes, Sadahige Kawasaki pitched the 1st inning and in spite of giving up a pair of 2-out hits, held the SJL scoreless. His rotation mate Sekien Hamasaki was less successful in the 3rd, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits. We've already discussed Tim Shore's 7th inning failures (3 runs on 3 hits while only getting 2 outs.) Joe McPhillips got the start in center field and went 0 for 3 with a strikeout. Brett Taranto started at first base and went 0 for 2.

[BirdWatcher]

Responding to an inquiry from the Charlotte Sting general manager, the Brewers management worked out a deal with the Sting to send a pair of decent outfield prospects to Charlotte for a decent starting pitching prospect and an intriguing 1-pitch relief pitching prospect.



Jason Brannan, who was the 6th round pick for the Brewers back in 1974, has proven himself to be an excellent minor league hitter and shows potential to be a big league starter, if not exactly a star player. But with the continuing great depth of quality outfielders in the Brewers organization, he had no future in Denver. With Charlotte's corner outfielders being old and injury prone, he is a great fit for that organization. Justin Horner was the Brewers 1st round pick, 22nd overall, in the 1975 draft but profiles as more of a 5th outfielder in the WPK eventually. But like Brannan, Horner has had some fine seasons of late with the bat in the Brewers farm system. Although he is slow, he is a decent base runner and not a bad fielder, and with his baseball smarts he has a decent chance to have a big league career at some point, even if in a limited role.




The Brewers in return get 2 left-handed pitchers. Terry Dubiel was a supplemental 1st round pick for Charlotte in 1974 and while he doesn't profile as a front-line big league hurler, he does have decent mid-to-back-end of the rotation potential, profiles as durable, is a groundball specialist, and has decent stamina. But really probably the most important thing is that he is a southpaw, and the Brewers desperately need more depth in their pitching ranks in terms of left-handed throwers.



Then there is reliever Rand Pinti. The 22-year old Kentuckian, a 4th round pick by Boston last year, was the source of much discussion and disagreement in the Brewers front office. The scouting staff loves this guy, with his wonderful makeup, his multi-inning stamina, his excellent sinker and extreme groundball inducing talent, and fine movement. Others in the front office argue that he can't possibly live up to the scouting staff's projections with just that single quality pitch. In the end, his strong character traits and mostly the fact that he is left-hander won out and the team decided to take a chance on him. And really, with neither Brannan or Horner having any path to the bigs with Denver, what was there to lose in taking a risk on Pinti?

[BirdWatcher]

For the second time during the 1978 season, the Denver Brewers star first baseman Brett Taranto has put together a hitting streak of at least 20 consecutive games.




Taranto continues to easily lead the MGL in batting average and holds a very narrow edge in the RBI category as well, though he is unlikely to get the kind of home run numbers needed to mount a real Triple Crown threat.

In other news, his teammate Bobby Erbakan saw his recent hitting streak end at 16 straight games, having walked in his final two plate appearances in yesterday's loss to San Francisco.

[BirdWatcher]

So, in the game that I just finished I pulled ace starter Sadahige Kawasaki for a pinch-hitter in the top of the 8th inning. It wasn't because we needed more runs- we were up 12-1 at the time. But he'd thrown 100 pitches, the bullpen was well rested, and I didn't see any reason to make him go any further.

Not important what happened with the pinch-hitter or for the rest of that half inning.
But when the bottom of the 8th commenced I brought Evan Perez in to pitch. He struck out the first guy he faced. Then the second. And then he allowed a little bloop single to the third hitter in the inning. Still, no big deal obviously. Except that is when I saw this little message pop up on the PBP: "the no-hitter is gone." Wait, what, that was the first hit for the Baltimore Lords in this game?
Why the heck did I pull Kawasaki when he was throwing a no-hitter and still had plenty left in the tank?

Simple- I didn't notice the lack of a hit for the opposition. I mean they scored a run and I knew he was sailing along but I guess I just assumed there was at least one hit along the way off Sadahige. But nope. I admire his self-control in not throttling me in the dugout!

Perez shuts them down after that, recording 2 more K's in the 9th. And it is a combined 1-hitter.
But oh, what might have been had I been paying better attention.

Doh!

[Palaaemon]

For the love of....

Are you serious?!?!?

It's alright my brother, I don't speak for everyone but I know that I have made my share of mistakes, overlooks, screw-ups and just plain flub-ups. We obviously don't have the time for me to relate to you all my tales of woe, but safe to say that they have rivaled yours.

These events can be just as memorable (if not moreso at times) than some of our amazing moments. Later on after the "pain" has diminished, rest assured you WILL be reminded about the "No-Hitter that you didn't know about!"

Have a Great day!

Palaaemon

[Palaaemon]

Birdwatcher,

I am curious, what records (positive and negative) are looking to be likely to be broken this year? Also, does it appear that anyone will be hitting important milestones this year? Thanks!

Have a Great night my friend.

Palaaemon

[stevem810]

Originally Posted by BirdWatcher

Except that is when I saw this little message pop up on the PBP: "the no-hitter is gone." Wait, what, that was the first hit for the Baltimore Lords in this game?
Why the heck did I pull Kawasaki when he was throwing a no-hitter and still had plenty left in the tank?
Doh!

I can see the red angry icon burning oh so brightly.

[BirdWatcher]

Originally Posted by Palaaemon

Birdwatcher,

I am curious, what records (positive and negative) are looking to be likely to be broken this year? Also, does it appear that anyone will be hitting important milestones this year? Thanks!

Have a Great night my friend.

Palaaemon

Hey Palaaemon,
Sorry- been away from the forums for a few days.
I'll take a closer look in the next few days but my sense at the moment is that very few records are in danger this season. Although 2-time league MVP Justin Vargas and young rising star Matt Van der Heyden are both on pace to easily break the single season runs scored record. And Denver first baseman Brett Taranto is currently just slightly ahead of the pace needed to set a new single season hits record with 246.

As for milestones, well, I will be reporting soon on a veteran player who reached 2,000 hits recently and at least one other player should reach that mark before long. The great Nate Bennett is 10 homers away from 450 and certainly should get there before season's end (well, upon closer inspection he is on pace to hit about 9 more this season so maybe, maybe not) and his teammate Jesus Hernandez, who is currently tied for 2nd in the MGL in homers this season, needs just 4 to get to 350 on his career. Another great third baseman named Jesus- Casiano- is 3 shy of 350. And Boston captain Cody Kane needs 3 more to get to 300.

The often underrated Curtis Horah, likely the greatest defensive player of his generation, is 18 runs shy of 1,000 runs scored in his career and Seattle second baseman Mike Robinette needs 24 to reach that mark.


With 20 more RBI, Jesus Casiano will reach 1,500.
Veteran Columbus outfielder Leo Gavilla will reach 350 stolen bases with 9 more, San Antonio's Norm Howard is 5 away from 300, and a few other players are single digits short of 250.

On the pitching side, Baltimore's veteran starting pitcher Jesse Hartong, who is 8-4 this year, needs just 2 more wins to join Jake Harris, Cheol-han Lee, and Jason Wilson in the 200 win club. (Jacksonville's Reece Vaughan would be the next in line to reach 200 but at age 35 he has suffered a torn rotator cuff and is expected to be out at least for the next 14 months.)
Washington veteran starter Colby Muir is 21 K's short of the 2000 mark. Only 4 other pitchers have reached that level so far.
The long dominating reliever Jamel McNeil is 21 saves short of reaching 300 for his career but he only has 1 save to go along with a 5.40 ERA this season so he will need to rebound if he is to get to 300. (He is also 49 games shy of reaching 1,100 appearances in his career.)

[BirdWatcher]

Mike Robinette has been the face of the Seattle Alligators franchise for the first 12 1/2 seasons of their history and yesterday he became the first Seattle player to reach the 2,000 career hit plateau. (He is the 13th player in WPK history to reach 2,000 career hits.)




The mild-mannered 7-time All-Star is not having a great season after a very fine 1977 campaign but he remains one of the most popular and talented players in the game. While he will almost surely be a Hall of Fame candidate when his career is over the current feeling is that he will likely fall short, though most think he will stay on the ballot for several years.
His current Allen Scale score is 29 with a 50 being an average HOF score and 100 being the maximum score (with some slight chance for a few more points coming from the Canova List additional points system).

Note: we will not take the time here to go into the details and history of the Allen Scale, created by foremost baseball researcher/theoretician Murray Allen, but promise to provide more details in a later post, including more about Professor Allen's biography and contributions to baseball research as well as those of his friend and compatriot Dr. Jeremiah Jefferson, the creator of the Jefferson Wins Above Replacement Score (JAWS) tool, which is one of the main components that feed into the development of an Allen Scale score.