The Denver Brewers of the W.P. Kinsella League

[BirdWatcher]

Brewers record: 4-2 (week), 57-24, 1st place, MGL (season)

July 3-5, versus San Francisco: 7-4, 14-2, 2-4.

July 6-8, at Baltimore: 12-1, 8-3, 1-3.

Having hosted the All-Star festivities, the Brewers remain at home coming out of the break and take on the San Francisco Velocity to start the symbolic (if not exactly literal) second half of the season.
In game 1 the Brewers overcome an early deficit to get the win behind veteran left-hander Erik Sloan (3-0, 3.00), who lasted 6 1/3rd innings while giving up 4 runs on 7 hits. Ben Flynn pitched the final 2 innings for his 4th save. Josh Schaeffer led the way offensively, going 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI, hitting a pair of doubles to get to 9.

The Brewers get a blowout win in game 2 with Bobby Erbakan perhaps the biggest offensive contributor (though there was a lot of competition) as he went 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored and 4 RBI, picking up his 11th double. Brett Taranto hit his 11th homer of the year while going 4 for 6 with 3 runs scored. Steve Green (5-6, 5.04) had another decent, if unspectacular, start as he tries to turn things around in 1978. Green gave up 11 hits but lasted 8 innings and gave up just 2 runs, while striking out 3 and not walking a single batter.

The Velocity avoid being swept with a narrow victory in the final game of the series. Matt Helm (2-1, 2.39) pitched quite well other than a shaky 5th inning when he gave up 3 runs. He gave up the 3 runs on 4 hits over 5 innings pitched. Josh Schaeffer went 3 for 4 in the loss and Joe McPhillips hit his 13th home run.

The Brewers then travel to Baltimore to take on the normally high scoring Lords and nearly get a no-hitter in game 1. (This is the previously reported whoopsie moment when I pulled Sadahige Kawasaki for a pinch-hitter in the 8th, not realizing he hadn't given up a hit.) Sadahige Kawasaki (8-5, 2.49) worked 7 innings, giving up 1 run on no hits, striking out 6 while walking none. (So how did he give up a run, you ask? Well, in the first inning he hit a batter- All-Star Robert Mustard- who then stole second and third and came home on a ground out to second base.) Evan Perez pitched the final 2 innings, giving up just 1 hit while striking out 4 batters. The near no-hitter was nearly eclipsed as the story of this game by Val Guzman's 5 for 5 performance. While all 5 of his hits were singles he did drive in 4 runs in the game. It didn't hurt that the two guys above him in the lineup went 5 for 10 in the game with Nick Ward having a 2 for 6, 3 runs scored game and catcher Kirk Patnode going 3 for 4 with 4 runs scored and 2 RBI and hitting a pair of doubles to get to 6 on the season. And Antonio Acuna (.429/.441/.786) just keeps rolling since joining the club as he hit a pair of triples in this one, his first 2 of the season.


In game 2 Sekien Hamasaki (12-0, 1.95) stayed undefeated on the season as he worked 7 innings, giving up 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits. Val Guzman stays hot, going 2 for 5 with 2 RBI and hitting his 7th homer of the season. Rich White went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.



And Baltimore managed to salvage the final game of the series behind 27-year old righty Sako Zakian, their first round (3rd overall) 1972 draft pick. The native Houstonian with one of the best names in the league is also emerging as one of the better pitchers in the MGL. In this one he held the Brewers to 1 run on 5 hits over his 7 innings as another young rising star pitcher, Jim Atwell (10-3, 2.74) takes a tough loss. Atwell also went 7 innings, giving up 3 runs (2 earned) on 7 hits. Bobby Erbakan went 2 for 4 in the loss and stole his 5th base and Brett Taranto hit home run number 12.

[BirdWatcher]

So something I've been enjoying the past few days is looking at the history of the WPK so far and seeing where the players come from- in terms of nation of origin.

Of course the vast majority were born in the U.S.A. but it's great fun to see the nations that have been represented in the WPK thus far by just a few players, or even just one.

Among the countries that have only sent a single player to the WPK:
-Austria (the great retired reliever Benni Herregger)
-Brazil (current Detroit Falcons starting pitcher Lancarote Serr)
-The British Virgin Islands (AA first baseman Ellis McNally in the Milwaukee organization, who has had a few cups of coffee in the WPK)
-Chile (slugging Detroit veteran right fielder Roberto Camacho)
-China (32-year old right fielder Tin-jong Wang, currently in AA in the San Francisco organization but who has played parts of 5 WPK seasons, though most recently in 1972)
-Honduras (retired left fielder Melvin Martinez, who played in only 18 WPK games for Seattle between the 1966 and 1968 seasons)
-Suriname (Barry Baars, a second baseman who won a Gold Glove for his play with Seattle in 1974 but is currently in AAA)


There have been two Germans in the WPK- both starting pitchers: former Denver Brewer Volker Kuhn who retired in 1973, and current Charlotte knuckleballer Lienhart Brown, who was drafted 1st overall in the 1969 draft after playing collegiately at Oral Roberts University.

There have been two South Africans, both now retired after having short and undistinguished careers.

There have been three players out of the Netherlands, two of them now retired. Relief pitcher Denis Van der Vegt probably has had the most significant big league career of the three and he retired in 1977 having compiled a big league record of 5 wins, 13 losses, 8 saves, and a 6.41 ERA, having pitched parts of 5 seasons for the San Antonio Keys. If you want to call that pitching.

There have also been three players out of Aruba and they have acquitted themselves quite a bit better. Among them is starting pitcher Reece Vaughan who has amassed 187 career WPK wins and has an outside chance of making the Hall of Fame (unlikely). And while Joost Poot, who at one time was in the Brewers organization, is now playing at single A at the age of 28, the speedy defensive specialist did win a Gold Glove award in 1973 as the starting center fielder for the Los Angeles Spinners. He played for L.A. for a good portion of 4 seasons. The third, 38-year old Derrick Opdam, who is currently pitching in AAA, only has appeared in 19 games at the WPK level, but with a career ERA of 2.83 and WHIP of 1.18 he certainly can be proud of his accomplishments.

Of the 9 WPK players from Australia, Jeremy Brigatti of the Brooklyn Aces has been by far the most significant. A 3-time All-Star and 2-time Gold Glover, Brigatti has amassed 37.2 WAR in his 8+ years as a big leaguer, has led the league in stolen bases 4 times and has 407 career stolen bases with 176 times caught trying.

Out of 29 Canadian WPK players, retired starting pitcher Art McMartin (45.5 WAR) and current Columbus left-handed starter and 2-time SJL Pitcher of the Year Jim Norris are the most significant.

Colombia has been represented by 9 players in the WPK with the best former Brewers left-handed starting pitcher Daniel Torres, who twice led the MGL in ERA.

Four players have represented Costa Rica in the WPK, none significant enough to mention.

Cuba has had 19 WPK players, several of whom have been quite good but probably the best thus far is retired starting pitcher Manny Carvajal, who put up 40.9 WAR in just over 10 seasons in the WPK before retiring in 1976.

Curacao has sent 7 players to the WPK- the most notable is retired outfielder Akke Holierhoek, who retired in 1976 with 15.8 WAR over roughly 10 seasons.

I didn't bother to count how many natives of the Dominican Republic have played in the WPK, but it's a pretty high number. Among them are many greats and at least 1 or 2 future Hall of Famers. The most sure HOF'er of the Dominican players is third baseman Jesus Casiano. Retired starting pitcher Chris Hernandez should also get some HOF votes, though he will likely fall a bit short. And the same could likely be said of Jose Santos, though Santos, with his tremendous reputation and 2 Pitcher of the Year awards, may end up enshrined in Dubuque eventually.

Among the 29 Japanese players who have graced the WPK, Denver ace Sadahige Kawasaki has thus far had the best career and teammate Sekien Hamasaki is probably number 2 on that list.

Twenty two players from Mexico have been WPK players. The best, at least by WAR, thus far is retired starting pitcher Manny Nieto, but certainly in terms of impact and name recognition you can't beat Eduardo Obando.

Nicaragua has sent just 6 players to the WPK, and by far the best is Leo Gavilla, the long-time team Captain for the mighty Columbus Whalers, who has a Gold Glove and 2 All-Star appearances but more importantly 4 championship rings to show for it. In his nearly 13 big league years he has put up 42.4 WAR.

Panama has 8 players who have played in the WPK, but one of them-Jesus Hernandez- is among the biggest stars in the game and an almost sure Hall-of-Famer.

Thirty three Puerto Ricans have hit the WPK, none with greater impact then retired starting pitcher Danny Estrada, who pitched for Philadelphia and Detroit in his 11 year big league career, being named an All-Star 4 times and winning 2 Gold Glove awards.

South Korea has seen 11 WPK players, but former Brewers ace and future first ballot Hall of Fame starting pitcher Cheol-han Lee is by far the best of the lot.

Taiwan has sent 13 players to the WPK and nearly half of them have been pretty impactful. Outfielder Ju-au Ju, who has led the league in home runs 4 times, been an All-Star 7 times, and a Silver Slugger the same amount, and won the MGL MVP award in 1977, is the most significant. Philly's superstar second baseman Xiao-mei Mah still has some years though to try to catch up.

And last, but certainly not least, Venezuela. Again, like the Dominican Republic, the number of WPK players from this country is large enough that I didn't bother counting them. Among them are sure Hall of Famer Felix Lopez and another center fielder who is building a strong case for the Hall in Lazaro Lowndes. Frank Hernandez won the SJL MVP award in 1965 and probably would have been a candidate for the Hall had he not already been 31 years old when the league was formed. The recently retired Antonio Sosa is a possible Hall of Famer, though he will likely fall a bit short. And Brooklyn first baseman Danny Salvador has been quite an impact player as well. Among Venezuelan born pitchers, Joel Travino, also a Brooklyn Ace, set the WPK single season strikeout record last season. And let's not forget Denver catcher Zacarias Martell, who has put together a nice little career.

[Palaaemon]

Great research and content in this post my friend. This is the kind of information we have come to love and respect you for. I know that this took a bit of time to put together and I have no doubt that your readers appreciate the time and effort you put into not only this post but also your entire Denver Brewers dynasty! That being said, I want to comment on the post itself.

First of all there are a few names that are just GREAT names! The starting pitcher from Brazil with Detroit, Lancarote Serr, not a name you see every day. The CF Joost Poot, formerly of the Brewers, now with the Los Angeles organization. A couple other great names include, Eduardo Obando (Obandomania anyone?), and one last name that is not in this post but in post #313 is Rand Pinti a RP that the Brewers just traded for that is quite unusual (I suggest you check him out). Wondering if he was foreign or from the USA I asked "Is he from America?". The reply was " No, he's from Kentucky"*.

Bird, if you have time could you post the overall team records from 1965 on and each teams playoff and championship records also please?

I had more to say but I need to go, so you are all off the hook.

Have a Great night!

Palaaemon


*(For the record there is absolutely no disrespect meant towards the great state of Kentucky or any residents of said state. This is only a bit of humor. These days we need some humor in our lives ).

[BirdWatcher]

Thanks Palaaemon, though I'm a bit surprised you didn't bite on my little tease of backstory in the Mike Robinette post. (One of the things that has been rolling around in my head lately concerning the WPK is starting to create a biographical history and encyclopedia of the league, including this beginning of what might be considered the sabermetrics movement in the league- starting with filling in the biographies of Murray Allen and Jeremiah Jefferson, who might be seen as the Bill James and Jay Jaffe of the WPK, though with some distinct differences as well- along with more fleshing out of the W.P. Kinsella Hall of Fame in Dubuque (for instance, who administrates it, what former players or managers are on the board, etc.), and backstory about the antecedent professional baseball leagues in the WPK history- the players in the inaugural draft came from somewhere obviously and it isn't likely that baseball just sprang up out of nowhere in 1965 (one obvious antecedent is the Iowa Baseball Confederacy.) Anyway, more about all of this later. And probably delivered in bits and pieces.)

So, like you I am a big fan of the more interesting and unusual names in the WPK. I must admit that I've been a bit lazy about one thing though and that is some of the unusual accent marks that should properly be used for these names. I know there are ways of capturing these here but I find it laborious to research this every time. So suffice it to say that in both Lazaro Lowndes and Lancarote Serr's first names there are accent marks that I am not capturing here (for Lancarote it is under the c, a mark apparently called a cedilla whereas for Lazaro it is an accent over the first a called an acute.)

As for your request regarding team histories I am happy to oblige. I will do so starting in the next post and in chunks of 5 teams per post. I'll start with the SJL and will go in order of overall winning percentage.

EDIT: I also feel I should say that Palaaemon and I have conversations off-line and he is aware that I sometimes become a bit discouraged by a lack of interaction with this thread so it is very much appreciated that he is trying to provide some of that and encourage a more interactive sense here. On that note, I'd like to encourage anyone who stops by occasionally to read about the WPK and the Denver Brewers to reach out here with any questions or comments as it really helps to keep things fresh for me and often stimulates me to think about or look at something in the WPK that I might not have thought of otherwise. No pressure and I appreciate you stopping by whether you respond or not but please know that I am always happy to answer any questions as well.

[BirdWatcher]

Jacksonville Wolf Pack:



Although the Columbus Whalers are the most celebrated team in the first decade plus of the WPK, having captured four titles in six Kinsella Classic Series appearances, it is actually the Jacksonville Wolf Pack who have the best overall winning percentage in the Shoeless Joe League (second overall in WPK history). Some of this makes sense as Jacksonville has a bigger fan base than Columbus and historically has spent quite a bit more on player payroll. And they have quite a bit to show for it as well, as they have won three KCS championships in five trips to the series. This year however they are on pace for their worst season ever.

Columbus Whalers:



As has been well documented, the Columbus Whalers are the dominant team, at least in terms of championships won, in the early period of the WPK. They have largely done it with a celebrated starting rotation that just keeps producing Pitcher of the Year award after Pitcher of the Year award in the SJL. And perhaps most impressively they do it with a generally much lower payroll than the teams they are competing with and a somewhat smaller fan base. They have never lost more than 88 games in a season and have three times won over 100 and are on pace for another contending season in 1978.

Washington Night Train:



The Washington Night Train have never won 100 games in a season but they also have never lost more than 82. And in two trips to the Kinsella Classic Series they have captured two championship trophies. They are a well financed club so their consistency might not be as surprising as their lack of really dominant seasons. Like Jacksonville, they are on pace for their worst season ever as we head into the second half of the 1978 season.

Philadelphia Mud Hens:



The SJL has claimed the WPK Championship 9 of the 13 full seasons thus far played in the WPK, but we have seen all the SJL teams to win a championship to this point and things drop off a bit now. Having said that, the Philadelphia Mud Hens are currently in first place in the SJL as they look to claim their first SJL pennant and their first trip to the KCS. Philly has been a bit of an up and down team, though they have never won 100 or lost 100 and have never finished in first or last place. Twice they have come in second place, just 1 game behind Washington in 1967 and 2 games behind Jacksonville in 1974. Philadelphia has moderate attendance numbers and a fairly robust budget. Will this be the year they break through and finally earn a trip to the KCS?

Boston Berserkers:



The Berserkers have the poorest attendance history of any of the teams in the top 5 in the SJL in spite of Harbor Street Yards being capable of seating 42,000 fans per game. And they correspondingly haven't had very large budgets to work with (although their owner is pretty free with money) and have often operated in the red. In the first 8 years of their existence they only managed 1 non-losing season and that year they broke even. They have been generally on the rise since though and have won at least 90 games in 4 of the past 5 seasons. While they have a winning record this year they have taken a step backwards from the past few seasons. Still, there is time for them to contend in 1978.

[BirdWatcher]

San Antonio Keys:



The San Antonio Keys are another team that has never finished in either first or last place in the SJL, but in their case the highest they have ever finished is third place. Their best season was a 89-win season two years ago and that was only good for 4th place. Their nadir was 1971 when they finished in 9th place with a 66-96 record. They have mostly had pretty average attendance numbers and player budgets. They have produced some great position players and few pitchers. And this year they are once again mediocre.

Milwaukee Cadets:



The small market, small budget Cadets have finished in last place three times in their history but usually manage to at least be respectable, if never actually contenders. They finished in 3rd place once- in 1970 when their veteran shortstop (now retired) Alvin Delgado had his finest season and third year starting pitcher Mike Stagner led the league with 19 wins- but they are both long gone and this year the Cadets once again are just trying to stay somewhere around .500.

Seattle Alligators:



Palaaemon's favorite WPK team (sarcasm: he hates the name and has lobbied for a change, arguing that it is ridiculous for a team in Seattle to be called the Alligators. He's not wrong, but I kind of like the incongruity and have always tried to explain it with some story about a beloved alligator at the zoo and the kids of Seattle overwhelming the naming committee with petitions demanding the team be named after Allie the Alligator, or some such nonsense.) Almost everything I said above about Milwaukee could be said about Seattle, expect that they have never finished in last place but also have never finished higher than 4th place. They got off to a great start in 1978 but have fallen somewhat since and while they remain in contention few expect them to still be there when the season ends.

Pittsburgh Roadrunners:



The Roadrunners have finished in 10th place 4 of the past 6 seasons and only the addition of a pair of expansion clubs in 1975 kept that from being more than 2 last place finishes. But after many years of mostly futility, the Roadrunners took a big step forward last season- led by their power hitting young right fielder Bill Winchester and even younger superstar in the making center fielder Matt Van der Heyden. Having finished in 3rd place with 91 wins in 1977 Pittsburgh fans had high hopes for the team in 1978. So far not so good. It probably doesn't help that their penny-pinching owner is only interested in profit and is fine with a .500 finish. How long that will satisfy the fan base, which has shown a strong disinclination to attend games as it is, is a good question.

El Paso Dawgs:



I don't think it is any secret here that I have fondness for the Dawgs, who spent most of their history as the doormat of the SJL, having finished in last place every season between 1967 and 1971, losing over 100 games in 4 of those 5 seasons, including a WPK record 117 loss season in 1967. The past few seasons the Dawgs have finally risen from the depths of the league and they are strong contenders for the SJL pennant this season. They are a relatively small market club with a modest budget with little room for error particularly given that some of their best players are injury prone. Still, there is finally hope in El Paso and I say, Go Dawgs!

[BirdWatcher]

Houston Cavaliers:



It should come as no surprise that the two teams at the bottom of the list in terms of winning percentage, not just in the SJL but in all of the WPK, are the two clubs that joined the league in the 1975 expansion. There isn't much to say about Houston yet except that they over-achieved a bit in 1976 when they took a big step forward from their last place inaugural season and then under-achieved a bit in 1977 when they finished in 10th place with 95 losses. Now, in their 4th season, they are pretty darn horrible and on pace for their worst record yet.

Chicago Fire:



The Fire were pretty respectable in their first season and then plunged down into last place the following two seasons. There isn't much that can be said about them this year other than that they are better than their expansion counterparts Houston at this point and shouldn't come close to their 106 loss record of last season.


I should probably note also though that Houston has the 3rd highest rated farm system in the WPK while Chicago's rates 15th out of 22. So perhaps better times are ahead for Houston sooner than for Chicago?

[BirdWatcher]

Denver Brewers:



Well, yeah, the Brewers have the best winning percentage of any team in WPK history, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. A bit embarrassed actually. I've been thinking about ways to give myself more of a challenge with this and while I enjoy winning I don't want things to be terribly unrealistic. Anyway, you know about the Brewers if you are reading this, so that's all I'll say about that for now.

Los Angeles Spinners:



No team in the WPK has a bigger market, more fan loyalty, or a bigger budget to play with than the Spinners. Yet for all of that and in spite of their continued competitiveness they have no championship trophies to show for it. And their current team is mostly aging and/or injury prone. They are in contention this year but only barely. And they have one of the lowest rated farm systems in the game. Still, they have money they can throw at the problem so don't count them out anytime soon.

Brooklyn Aces:



It isn't surprising that the perpetually underachieving Aces are a combined -28 in terms of actual record compared to expected record based upon run differential. And much of that deficit has come in the past six seasons. In spite of playing in the biggest city in the U.S. the Aces aren't considered a terribly big market club and their attendance is modest and their budget, while robust compared to many clubs, is nothing like L.A.'s war chest. They are currently in 2nd place, but a distant 2nd, and their farm system is even more depleted than L.A.'s.

Phoenix Speed Devils:



The Speed Devils have been trending in the wrong direction since their 105-win season of 1971, which unfortunately for them coincided with a 108-win Denver Brewers season. Last season the Speed Devils, who play in the best hitter's park in the WPK, had an historically bad pitching staff and lost 110 games. They are better so far this year, but not a great deal.

Oklahoma City Diamond Kings:



The Diamond Kings have never been a great team and never been a horrible team, with their most wins in a season being 91 (achieved twice, including last season) and their most losses 90. More of the same this year, as they currently sit in 3rd place on pace for a 92-win campaign. Given that they are one of the smallest markets in the league, with poor fan support, and the lowest budget in the WPK, that's all pretty impressive actually. And with the 4th best farm system, they should be able to maintain at least marginal success going into the future.

[BirdWatcher]

Baltimore Lords:



What is there to say about the Lords? Their one 90+ winning season was largely the result of vastly over-achieving their expected win-loss record. Last season they greatly under-achieved. Mostly they are just pretty much the epitome of middle of the road. They have a few good young players (Robert Mustard, Sako Zakian) and a few aging stars (Chris Tobin, Jesse Hartong) and a poor farm system. They steal quite a few bases. But mostly, they just aren't all that interesting.

San Francisco Velocity:



The Velocity have the top ranked farm system in the game, led by a dynamic trio of young outfielders. They play in the best pitching park in the WPK. They have an above average market size and fan loyalty. But they also have an interfering, economizing owner. They have little history of success. Does the future hold a dramatic upswing? Perhaps. Only time will tell. But for now, they remain mediocre at best.

Portland Wild Things:



The Portland Wild Things started their history with the most celebrated of the early WPK superstars, shortstop Andy Wilson, and soon added another league MVP in first baseman Frank Hernandez. These two, along with 1968 MGL MVP Danny Sanchez, led the Wild Things to two straight MGL pennants (1967-68). But couldn't get them a championship. It's been mostly downhill for the franchise since then. They currently sit in 8th place, their most talented young player (Justin Ficklin) is a disruptive influence in the clubhouse, and their farm system is exactly middle of the pack in the WPK. A return to the glory days may still be a long ways off.

Charlotte Sting:



There has been no more surprising WPK championship club than the Sting team of 1972. Their 6th place finish the season before was the highest the club had achieved yet, but certainly no indication that a 101-win season capped with a KCS win and championship trophy lifting was impending. Everything just went right in '72, including some luck (over-achieved expected wins total by 6), a 6.1 WAR season from reliever extraordinaire Jamel McNeil and good seasons from 3 young starters- Jalen Cotton, Adam Getchell, and Mike Hiatt. No batter had higher than a 5.4 WAR season (Gold Glove winning shortstop David Flesh), but they were a well-rounded club. And the next season they returned to mediocrity. Although there was a bit of bounce back in 1974, they have never really contended since that championship season. And they sit in last place at the moment. They have a strong farm system, particularly when it comes to pitching. But there is no real evidence that a return to glory is imminent. Still, for one glorious season the Sting were the talk of the WPK.

Detroit Falcons:



And finally we have the Detroit Falcons, perpetual also-rans in the Moonlight Graham League. In their best season, 1968 (on the heels of their worst season) they won 88 games and finished in 4th place. And that's what they call a great season in Falcons history. They have a tremendous young center fielder in John Hemmah, a strong farm system with several good pitching prospects, one of the bigger markets in the WPK and great fan loyalty. And even an owner who is willing to spend to win. And they have to win eventually, right? I mean, it doesn't look like it will be this season, but someday, maybe? (I find myself thinking of Dan Bejar's words in the song Rubies by his excellent band Destroyer: "all good things must come to an end, the bad ones just go on forever.")

[BirdWatcher]

For the second time in the 1978 season Brett Taranto has put together a consecutive games hit streak of over 20 games.
The first one ended at 24 games and now his most recent ends at 23 in a win against the Oklahoma City Diamond Kings.

[BirdWatcher]

Harry Lyerly, the former Denver Brewers pitching phenom who was the MGL Pitcher of the Year in 1970, after having demolished AAA hitters the past two seasons finally returned to the big leagues earlier this season, only to lose his first three starts for the Jacksonville Wolf Pack in fairly spectacular fashion (although he did strike out 11 batters in his second start). The power pitcher with the propensity to give up the long ball then got two wins in a row, neither exactly convincing but an improvement nevertheless.



Apparently that was enough to convince the San Antonio Keys to take a chance on him and they sent a rather pedestrian left field prospect (?) to Jacksonville to get Lyerly. It is believed that the move was largely made in order to provide a little protection for an aging and injury prone rotation and to bolster a bullpen that was left short handed when left-hander Tommy Egli suffered a torn rotator cuff injury at the end of June.

[Palaaemon]

Happy Harry is back!

[BirdWatcher]

Brewers record: 3-3 (week), 60-27, 1st place, MGL (season)

July 9-11, versus Oklahoma City: 6-3, 3-1, 8-1.

July 12-14, at Brooklyn: 3-4, 2-5, 0-4.

The Brewers return to Denver from the east coast for a quick 3-game homestand against the Oklahoma City Diamond Kings.
In game 1, Erik Sloan (4-0, 3.05) continues his winning ways since returning from elbow surgery, as he went 8 1/3rd innings giving up 3 runs on 9 hits. Javy Bermudez comes in to get the final two outs, leaving a runner stranded, and picks up his 1st save of the season. Nick Ward and Val Guzman drove the offense in this one: Ward went 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored and an RBI and hit a pair of doubles to get to 5 on the season and Guzman was 2 for 3 with a run and 3 RBI. Rich White hit his 5th homer of the season in the win.

Game 2 saw team captain Matt Helm have to leave after just recording two outs (the only 2 men he faced) with what later was diagnosed as a sore elbow. It is not believed to be serious and he should be back soon, though he was placed on the 10-day IL. Ben Flynn (4-1, 3.56) replaced him and worked 3 1/3rd strong innings for the victory, giving up one run on just 2 hits. Four other Brewers relievers were used in the game with Tim Shore the final one, picking up his 16th save of 1978. Brett Taranto, Bobby Erbakan, and Val Guzman all picked up 2 hits in the game, one of Erbakan's being his 12th double of the season.

And the Brewers got the series sweep behind another strong Steve Green (6-6, 4.71) pitching performance. Green went the distance, giving up 1 run on just 2 hits (including a solo HR off the bat of former Brewer farmhand, Dan Kaeding), while striking out 5 and walking 1.Brett Taranto went 4 for 5 in the victory, driving in a pair of runs. And rookie shortstop Geoff Bartholomew, who has hit very well since joining the club in mid-June, was 3 for 5 with a run scored and hit a pair of doubles to get to 3. Josh Schaeffer also hit a pair of doubles (11) in a 2 for 3, 4 runs scored, 2 RBI, 2 walk day.

The Brewers felt pretty good heading into Brooklyn with their top 3 starters lined up, especially knowing that they wouldn't be facing 3-time Pitcher of the Year Aaron McNally, who had just claimed his 12th win of the season the day before.
That didn't work out so well for Denver.
In game 1 Brooklyn fans saw a pitching duel between Denver ace Sadahige Kawasaki (8-6, 2.47) and the Ace's 26-year old breakout starting pitcher Jose Hernandes, who leads the league in ERA at 1.25. Kawaski went the distance for the Brewers, but allowed 2 runs to Brooklyn in the bottom of the 8th to see his 1-run lead disappear. Sadahige was only charged with 2 earned runs while allowing 10 hits and striking out 8 batters and walking none. Bobby Erbakan went 1 for 3 in the game but scored 2 of the Brewers runs and drew a walk.

And game 2 saw Sekien Hamasaki's (12-1, 2.15) 15-game winning streak (stretching back to the end of the 1977 season) come to an end. Hamasaki lasted 6 1/3rd, giving up 4 runs on 5 hits. The Brewers only managed 4 hits off Ace's starter Joel Travino and veteran closer Adriao Simozinho (who got the win in game 1 and the save in this one), two apiece. Two of the Denver hits were doubles, Erbakan's 13th and Antonio Acuna's 3rd.

And the Brewers are swept by Brooklyn when Mike Hiatt, the only WPK hurler to have 2 career no-hitters, shutout the Brewers on 5 hits, striking out 4 and walking none. Jim Atwell (10-4, 2.89) was on the losing side of this one, having allowed 4 runs on 6 hits over 6 1/3rd innings pitched. Lack of control was a big issue for the rookie hurler in this one as he walked 5 batters. He did strike out 6 Brooklyn hitters, including a called strikeout to lead off the bottom of the 1st against the Aces star left fielder Jeremy Brigatti, who took great offense to the call and was ejected from the game for his animated protestations. His displeasure was so colorfully expressed that he was later given a 4 game suspension by the league office.




The normally very steady Denver defense committed 3 errors in the game: Atwell with his 1st, Josh Schaffer's 4th, and Zacarias Martell's 6th.

The sweep finally gets Brooklyn to within single digits of Denver, as they trail the Brewers by 9 in second place, while Oklahoma City is 11 back in third and L.A. sits in 4th place, 12 games off the pace.

[BirdWatcher]

Although Denver came away from their recent trip to Brooklyn without a win, they did leave town with a new veteran left-hander in their bullpen as they worked out a deal with the Aces (initiated by the Brooklyn front office) to send 26-year old right handed reliever Evan Perez, 25-year old first baseman Sean Wright, and 21-year old outfielder Bobby Bernstein to the Aces for veteran (36 year old) left handed reliever Chris Pollack, a two-time All-Star, minor league reliever Bobby Beggs, and 20-year old outfielder Jim Scott.

The sense from Brewers insiders is that although Perez had been pitching somewhat better for the past month or so, the front office wasn't that thrilled with him and was ready to move on and saw in Pollack a good short-term addition for the stretch run, given his experience and strong work habits and the fact that he adds a third left-handed arm to the 'pen. The Brewers also have plentiful good young first basemen and nowhere for them to go with Brett Taranto firmly entrenched at that position on the big league club likely for years to come. In fact, the AAA Chester club still features two big league caliber 23-year old first basemen in Bobby Stewart and Richard Escamilla. Bernstein was just another of the plethora of fine young outfielders in the Brewers system and although he is a fine fielder and terrific leader, the feeling was that his bat would not play at the WPK level and his ceiling is as a 5th outfielder/defensive replacement.




Pollack is thought to be just a rental for the rest of this season, with several young talented relievers currently waiting down at AAA for their chance, several of whom have already served time in the Denver 'pen (Walter Hackler, Ryan Muilenburg, Tim Reinecke, Brandon Veach) and the recently acquired Rand Pinti.



Beggs joins the mix of potential future Brewers relievers with his extreme groundball propensity and great stamina. With a bit more development of his second pitch, and already above average slider, he could be a solid middle reliever or long man at the big league level.



And Scott becomes yet another in the large group of toolsy outfielders in the system, with his fine defensive skills and speed and good leadership abilities, and slots in at the lower levels of the organization as a development project for possible WPK entry in 3 or 4 years.

[BirdWatcher]

Javy Bermudez had to leave yesterday's loss to L.A. after throwing just one pitch and the diagnoses released later that day was decisive and season-ending: a torn rotator cuff in his throwing arm.



While the off-season free agent signing hasn't been a significant player in the bullpen this year he has been solid and remains a fan favorite.
With Bermudez going to the 60-day IL, power pitching sidearmer Walter Hackler returns to the Brewers bullpen, where he pitched quite effectively in 1977 (4-2, 0 saves, 2.84 ERA, 0.97 WHIP).

[BirdWatcher]

The Milwaukee Cadets 30-year old star third baseman Steven Brown is currently leading all of the WPK in batting average at .360 (just a tick above Brett Taranto's .359, but easily the best in the SJL) but learned yesterday that he will be out of action for likely at least 6 weeks, greatly jeopardizing his chances to win his first batting title.

[BirdWatcher]

The Detroit Falcons, historically the weakest team in the Moonlight Graham League, pulled off what many WPK insiders are calling a trading coup today when they acquired 25-year old catching prospect Zach D'Amico from Portland in exchange for 25-year old reliever Jamil Morales and 23-year old starting pitching prospect Jesse Wilder.

D'Amico, the 2nd round draft pick for Portland in the 1975 amateur draft out of Washington College, looks like a potential future All-Star with solidly above average defense, a potent bat, and good leadership qualities.



While Jamil Morales is an already established big league reliever, his track record is pretty pedestrian and he is thought to be quite injury prone, particularly susceptible in the past few years to back issues.
And although Jesse Wilder could become an acceptable back-of-the-rotation starter at the WPK level, he is unlikely to develop anything more than an adequate third pitch and is likely to be prone to be susceptible to the long ball and wandering control challenges.

This looks like an astute trade by the Detroit front office.

[BirdWatcher]

Long-time Baltimore Lords second baseman Randy Keisel, a 6-time All-Star and the 1971 MGL Rookie of the Year, is a Lord no longer, having been traded earlier today to the Oklahoma City Diamond Kings in exchange for 22-year old infield prospect Craig Hoover and 24-year old minor league outfielder Troy Turdik.



It had been rumored for awhile that the 29-year old Keisel was on the trading block, though it isn't yet quite clear who will be replacing him at second. The Lords do have the good hitting, poor fielding 28-year old Joe West as their backup second baseman, but there are questions about whether they would want to take the defensive hit in the middle of their infield that they would suffer if he was a starter. Far more likely is that one of their two solid third basemen will move over to second and the more obvious candidate would be 27-year old Luis Rodriguez, who already has some experience at the position. It remains to be seen what role the defensively gifted Hoover might end up in.



For the Diamond Kings the big question is what this means for current starting second baseman Chris Standafer, who is strong defensively but a weaker hitter than Keisel though a much better runner.

Could another trade be on the horizon?

[BirdWatcher]

Harry Lyerly, the 1970 MGL Pitcher of the Year as a member of the Denver Brewers (his original club), took a big step in establishing himself as a big leaguer again, after spending all of last season and the start of this season in AAA, as in his first appearance as a member of the San Antonio Keys he got a 2-0 shutout victory against the mighty Columbus Whalers, giving up just 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 6 batters.



Brewers nation is pulling for Harry!

[Palaaemon]

Originally Posted by BirdWatcher

Harry Lyerly, the 1970 MGL Pitcher of the Year as a member of the Denver Brewers (his original club), took a big step in establishing himself as a big leaguer again, after spending all of last season and the start of this season in AAA, as in his first appearance as a member of the San Antonio Keys he got a 2-0 shutout victory against the mighty Columbus Whalers, giving up just 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 6 batters.

Attachment 732694

Brewers nation is pulling for Harry!

You bet we are!!!