The Denver Brewers of the W.P. Kinsella League

[BirdWatcher]

The Scouting Report:



Game 1:



The Brewers score 7 runs between the 7th and 8th innings to come from behind and win the series opener. Erik Sloan got the start and wasn't bad, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits over 6 innings pitched. Ben Flynn vultured the win in spite of once again not doing a good job. Flynn gave up 4 runs on 3 hits in his 2 2/3rds innings pitched. On the other hand, Flynn did go 1 for 2 and scored a run. Tim Reinecke, recently promoted from AAA, got the last out to earn his 1st save of the season with the Brewers. Brett Taranto had a huge game, going 4 for 5 with 3 runs scored and 3 RBI, hitting a pair of doubles to get to 13 and also hitting his 3rd triple of 1979. And Jake DiCesare went 3 for 5 and added a pair of RBI to his team-high total of 40.

Game 2:



The Brewers win a back-and-forth game 2, scoring a run in the 9th to tie the game and then, after allowing a run in the top of the 10th, getting a walk-off win in the bottom of the frame on a Brett Taranto 2-run double. Bryant Cox was the Brewers starter and obviously didn't get a decision. He allowed 3 runs on 8 hits while striking out 5 and walking 1 over 6 innings pitched. Walter Hackler pitched the final 2 innings for the win. Val Guzman continued his productive season, going 4 for 4, scoring a run and driving in another, while also swiping his 14th base (he has been caught stealing 4 times.) Antonio Acuna was 3 for 5, also scoring once and driving in 1 run.

Game 3:



And the Brewers get another extra-inning walk-off win, another series sweep, and their 6th straight win in the final game of the series. This one was a great pitching matchup between Sadahige Kawasaki, who gave up 1 unearned run on 5 hits while striking out 6 and walking none over 9 innings, and veteran left-hander Edgar Lira for the Speed Devils. Tim Shore pitched an inning and two thirds for his 2nd win of the season. Val Guzman scored both of the Brewers runs and his 14th double of the season got the rally started in the bottom of the 11th and Rich White's 8th double drove him in with the winning run. Joe McPhillips went 2 for 4 in the game, the only Brewer batter with more than one hit other than Guzman in this one.

Notes from around the league:



Former Brewer Eric Johnson has become one of the best control artists among WPK starting pitchers and is in the midst of a career year in 1979. Johnson, who has always had a reputation for being one of the smarter players in the game, has also emerged as an Iron Man and though his stuff is merely average and his movement sub-par, Johnson has seen his stock rise in his early 30's and is a mainstay of the the Pittsburgh rotation. (He is signed through 1983.) Although there really wasn't a place for him in the Denver rotation the Brewers front office did have mixed emotions about letting go of Johnson at the trading deadline of 1974 (they got Ben Flynn in trade), so many in the Brewers organization are happy for Eric's recent successes.

His Pittsburgh club sits pretty much in the middle of the pack in the SJL, 2 games under .500, but with their potent offense it is far too early to count them out.
But at this moment San Antonio (47-20) continues to lead the SJL, with a 3 game lead over Columbus (43-22) and 6 1/2 over the recently surging Boston Berserkers (40-26).

The Brewers lead the MGL by 7 games over L.A. (40-27) and 8 over Detroit (39-28) while Brooklyn is 11 games out in 4th place at 36-31.

[BirdWatcher]

The Scouting Report:



Game 1:



A fine start by Jim Atwell propels the Brewers to another win in the first game of this home series against Charlotte. Atwell lasted 8 innings, giving up 1 run on 8 hits for his 9th win of the season. Tim Shore pitched the 9th and recorded his 15th save. Bobby Erbakan drove in a pair of runs for the Brewers with his 6th inning homer, his 7th of the season.

Game 2:



The Brewers stretch their winning streak to eight games with a blowout victory over the visiting Sting in the middle game of the series. Baseballs were flying out of Centennial Park in this one, including 4 off the bats of Brewers hitters in the 7-run 4th inning. Jake DiCesare hit a solo homer in that inning and then another in the 7th inning to get to a team high 9 on the season. (He also leads the team in RBI with 43.) Steve Green got the win, pitching 8 innings while giving up 4 runs on 8 hits. Rich White went 3 for 4 and hit his 6th triple and 6th home run and was just a double short of hitting for the cycle. And Val Guzman was 2 for 5 with a run scored and 2 RBI and he hit his team-best 15th double.

Game 3:



And the Brewers winning streak finally comes to an end in the final game of the series as Erik Sloan give up 6 runs 11 hits over his 6 innings pitched and his teammates manage to score just a pair of runs off veteran starter Nick McDermott. Brett Taranto was 2 for 3 and drove in a run in the loss. Val Guzman hit his 4th triple and walked twice in the leadoff slot (likely where he will be most often going forward) and Rich White hit his 7th triple.

Notes from around the league:



Eric Schwartz was named the collegiate MVP in his conference and is now a member of the Milwaukee Cadets, having been chosen with the 13th pick of this year's amateur draft. (In the other conference, freshman first baseman Adam Bruce of Glendale College was awarded this honor.) Schwartz is considered a future team captain and a likely star at the big league level, though there is some question about what position, or positions, this will be at, since Schwartz has potential both as a starting pitcher and an outfielder.

Speaking of Schwartz' future team, the Milwaukee Cadets are currently hanging in there in the SJL pennant race, sitting in 5th place with a 36-33 record, 12 games behind San Antonio. The Keys, at 48-21, are 2 games in front of the 2nd place Columbus Whalers (45-22). Boston (42-26), having won 9 in a row, are in 3rd place, just 5 1/2 games back. Philadelphia (37-31) are in 4th, 10 1/2 games out.

In the MGL, the Brewers stay in first place, 7 games ahead of both L.A. and Detroit (each at 41-28), and 11 games ahead of Brooklyn (37-32).

[BirdWatcher]

The Scouting Report:



Game 1:



Veteran Aces starting pitcher Michael Esco was an All-Star last season, for the first time in his career, and he's had a respectable career, but he's not the guy on the Brooklyn staff you expect to shut you down completely. But that's exactly what he did in game 1 against the Brewers. Bryant Cox started for the Brewers and deserved a better fate than befell him here, having worked 7 and 1/3rd innings and allowing 3 runs, only 2 of them earned, on 8 hits, but fell to 1-4 on the season. Jose Figueroa went 2 for 4 in the loss and got his 2nd stolen base of the season (granted on the back-end of a double steal with the speedy Val Guzman, who now has 15 stolen bases on the season).

Game 2:



Sadahige Kawasaki continues his great season, giving up 1 run on 6 hits over 8 innings pitched in his 9th win of the season. Tim Shore pitched the 9th and got his 16th save. Bobby Erbakan (.274/.320/.444), in the midst of a disappointing season, led the offense in this one with a 3 for 4, 2 runs scored, 2 RBI game and hit his 9th home run of 1979.

Game 3:



Ben Flynn had probably his best game of the season in the rubber match, pitching 2 1/3rd innings of scoreless, hitless ball, striking out 3 and walking none and then hitting a solo home run with 2 outs in the top of the 13th inning to break a 3-3 tie. His manager then replaced him for the bottom of the 13th with closer Tim Shore and it proved to be a move that led to much second guessing. Shore didn't have his best stuff and not only did not hold the lead but lost the game. Flynn had plenty left in the tank, from all indications, and many wondered if it would have been better to let him finish things off. Jim Atwell started for the Brewers, lasted 7 innings, giving up 3 runs on 8 hits while striking out 9 batters and walking just 1. Jake DiCesare (.310/.343/.477) went 3 for 3 but left the game in obvious pain after doubling in the 7th inning (his 13th double). The full extent of his injury has not yet been determined, or at least not yet revealed to this reporter. Kirk Patnode was 3 for 6 and hit his 8th double of the season.

Notes from around the league:



The great Jesus Hernandez is at it again, continuing to rack up the Hall of Fame credentials at the age of 38. After a bit of a slow start in 1979 he is really heating up as we head towards the All-Star break later this week.

As for his Los Angeles Spinners (43-29), they now sit 6 games behind the Brewers in 2nd place in the MGL with the Detroit Falcons (41-31) now trailing by 8 games. Brooklyn, coming off the home series win against Denver, is in 4th place with a 39-33 record, 10 games behind the Brewers.

[BirdWatcher]

The Scouting Report:



Game 1:



Although the Detroit Falcons have been the surprise team in the MGL in the first half of the 1979 season, the Brewers have seemingly had their number thus far and that continued in the series opener at Centennial Stadium on Tuesday evening. The Brewers took an early lead and held on for the win behind Steve Green, who allowed 4 runs on 8 hits and 4 walks over his 6 innings pitched. The bullpen was terrific in this one for Denver with Tim Shore pitching the 9th for his 17th save. Bobby Erbakan seems to finally be warming up as we approach the All-Star break, and he went 4 for 5 with 3 RBI in this one, hitting his 10th home run of the season. Joe McPhillips is also on a tear and contributed to this win with a 3 for 5, 2 runs scored, 2 RBI game.

Game 2:



In the middle game of the series the Brewers built up an nearly insurmountable lead and then did their best to give it away but still held on for a big win. Erik Sloan got the start and the win, having allowed 4 runs on 8 hits over 6 innings pitched. Young Tim Reinecke struggled for 2 innings, giving up 4 runs on 3 hits and a walk. But Victor Colon then came in, and while he wasn't perfect, he did manage to get the Brewers to the finish line with the lead intact. Now, what a different game it might have been if not for Joe McPhillips, who not only went 4 for 5 while scoring 3 runs and hitting a pair of homers in the game, but drove in 10 of the Brewers 13 runs (his 6th inning home run was a Grand Slam). The two homers gives him 9 on the season and he also hit his 14th double of the season in this one. Antonio Acuna (.363/.423/.550) went 3 for 4 with 5 runs scored, his 5th double and 8th stolen base, in also making a great impact on the final score.

Game 3:



And the Brewers cap off the series sweep with an easy win in game 3 and head into the All-Star break on a high note. The only sour note in the game was when starter Bryant Cox had to leave after recording two outs in the 4th inning (the good news, revealed after the game, was that it was just a mild oblique strain and he won't miss a start). Cox had allowed a pair of hits and a pair of walks but no runs in his time on the mound in this one. Ben Flynn pitched 3 innings, again not flawlessly, for the win. Among the many offensive heroes for the Brewers once again Joe McPhillips (.296/.393/.458) and Bobby Erbakan (.287/.337/.469) were at the forefront. Joe went 3 for 5 with a run scored and 3 more driven in (to raise his RBI total to a team-high 52). And Bobby, who has found his power bat of late, hit his 11th homer of the season as part of a 3 for 3, 3 runs scored, 2 RBI, 2 walk day. Brett Taranto (.344/.377/.458) was 2 for 4 with 3 runs scored, hit his 16th double and his 5th home run while also swiping his 11th base of the season.

Notes from around the league:



Among the young starting pitchers in the MGL most likely to eventually take on the title of best in the league when Aaron McNally and Sadahige Kawasaki start to decline a bit, the most obvious three right now are Denver's Jim Atwell, Oklahoma City's Joe Shetler, and this young man who pitches for the Portland Wild Things. Joe Barbour has emerged as one of the few rays of hope for a team that has been floundering in the fog of second division status for some years now. Barbour is not only a very talented young hurler (whose specialty is an elite slider which compliments his terrific changeup and a fastball with good movement but not a great deal of velocity (86-88 mph)) but also the consensus captain of the team. He is going to need a lot of help if he is going to lead the Wild Things back to the promised land but with the gifted defensive shortstop Willie Romero also having graduated now to the big leagues and with pitching prospects Matt Jenkins and Justice Harper both at AA this season there is some hope that the Wild Things are on the right path for improvement over the next 3 to 5 seasons. They also have seen 24-year old Joey Johnson take over as their closer and have good success this year. They are largely an aging team and will need an infusion of much more talent if they are going to catapult back into contention at some point, but with young Mr. Barbour leading the way, look for more hopeful times ahead in Stumptown.

And maybe even sooner rather than later, as a recent surge has moved the Wild Things up to 5th place with a 36-39 record, 16 games off the pace of the MGL leading Denver Brewers. Los Angeles (44-31) is in second place heading into the All-Star break, 8 games out and Brooklyn is now in a 3rd place tie with Detroit, both with 41-34 records and 11 games back.

Over in the SJL, San Antonio (52-23) holds onto first place over Columbus (48-26) with a 3 1/2 game margin and the recently hot Boston Berserkers (46-29) are in 3rd, 6 games back. Speaking of hot teams, the Philadelphia Mud Hens enter the break on a nice run and have closed to within 10 1/2 of the leaders in 4th place. (The Jacksonville Wolf Pack, on the other hand, enter the break with a 12-game losing streak and have fallen to 8th place with a 33-40 record, 18 games out of first.)

[BirdWatcher]

All of the ballots have been counted and here are the final results of the All-Star voting for the Shoeless Joe League:





And the official All-Star roster for the SJL:





Three SJL teams have 5 players representing them: the Columbus Whalers, the Pittsburgh Roadrunners, and the Boston Berserkers. The first place San Antonio Keys are sending 4 players, while two teams have just 1 player from their club heading to Houston's Bell Park- the Washington Night Train and the Seattle Alligators.

The home town fans will have a chance to cheer their rookie pitcher and top prospect Jack Hettinger as well as veteran right fielder Ju-ao Ju, one of the team's big off-season free agent signings.
For Ju it is the 8th All-Star selection. The only player to have more on the SJL roster is the great Justin Vargas of Boston, who is headed to his 9th mid-season classic. Bud Lindsay, once again the top vote-getter, has earned his 7th All-Star selection. Catcher Bryan Wojtach of Jacksonville and Boston third baseman Kasey O'Neil each now are 5-time All-Stars.

Eleven members of the roster are first time All-Stars, including the dynamic young Columbus pitching duo of Jay Crosby and Kevin DeRouen, former Brewer and current slugging Philadelphia first baseman Mike Lovett, Pittsburgh's fine rookie third baseman Bobby Glaus, and, the most senior first timer in the SJL, former Brewer pitcher Eric Johnson, getting his first All-Star game selection at age 32.

[BirdWatcher]

The final vote tallies for the Moonlight Graham League:







And the roster:




The Brooklyn Aces send 7 players to the All-Star game while the Denver Brewers are next with 6 players chosen. Los Angeles and Portland follow with 4 players on the roster while only Charlotte sends just a single player (the very worthy young left-handed closer Vinny Arreola, who is rapidly emerging as one of the best in the game at age 22.)

Jesus Hernandez, the sure future Hall of Famer, heads to his 10th All-Star game. Denver veteran closer Tim Shore is now a 7-time All-Star, with Brooklyn's Aaron McNally getting his 6th AS nod. Five-timers include: San Francisco starting pitcher Mike Stagner, Los Angeles catcher Greg Foster, Brooklyn shortstop Chris Blackmore, and Denver center fielder Joe McPhillips.

Among the thirteen first-time All-Stars in the MGL are two Brewers outfielders- Val Guzman and Antonio Acuna- the Portland Wild Things young captain and starting pitcher Joe Barbour, a number of fine young relievers (in addition to Arreola above, also Edgar Cruz of Brooklyn, Portland's Joey Johnson, and Baltimore's C.J. Allison), Detroit's breakout catching star Zach D'Amico, Phoenix' rookie slugging left fielder Jose Gonzalez (also the Speed Devils' team captain), Brooklyn rookie second baseman Robert Marinko, and Baltimore's Gold Glove center fielder Mike Schimmel.

(For the record, the Brewers I voted for were Kawasaki (his 4th All-Star selection), Shore, Rich White (now a 3-time All-Star), and Val Guzman.)

[BirdWatcher]

In a low scoring game in Houston's Bell Park, in front of an SJL faithful crowed, the MGL came out of top and not without some fine performances from members of the Denver Brewers.



Val Guzman, in his very first (but hopefully not last) All-Star appearance walked away with the MVP honors, on the strength of a 2 for 2, 1 double, 1 run scored, 1 stolen base performance. Joe McPhillips pinch-hit for Val in the 5th inning and he also doubled, in his only appearance in the game. Antonio Acuna came in to play left field after Val's departure and stayed there the rest of the game, going 1 for 3, though he did get picked off at first after his lone hit. Rich White played the entire game at shortstop and went 2 for 4. Sadahige Kawasaki pitched the first inning and although he did allow a 1-out single he then induced a double play ball to get out of the inning having faced the minimum. Tim Shore had a bit more difficulty in his only inning (the 7th) when he allowed a hit and a walk and left a man stranded at 3rd, but he also preserved the shutout.

[BirdWatcher]

We should probably mention that the hometown Houston fans did have something to cheer about during the All-Star festivities as their veteran right fielder Ju-au Ju was the winner of the Home Run Derby, defeating the great Bud Lindsay in the final round.

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:



Hitting in the cleanup slot of the San Antonio Keys lineup, right behind the all-world Bud Lindsay, John Freeman has become one of the most feared hitters in the WPK. He's a liability in the field, sure, but with his bat, who cares? (Okay, I would care, a little. But even with his defensive shortcomings and lack of any foot speed the man is on pace for a 9.9 WAR season. So I could probably get over my reservations.)


MGL:



For years Larry Carnell patiently waited for his turn, trapped behind the veteran slugging first baseman Devin Schwisow on the Phoenix roster. But with Schwisow now a member of the Jacksonville Wolf Pack Carnell is finally getting his chance to shine, and shine he is. Although Carnell is not an improvement over Schwisow defensively (both are sub-par) he is a better contact hitter and all around hitter. And, unlike his predecessor who has a reputation for poor work habits and a generally unpleasant disposition, Carnell is a sparkplug on the club with his great work ethic and adaptable attitude. At age 28, it is about time the former 6th round draft pick out of UCLA got his chance to be a starter in the WPK.

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:



It has been a disappointing first half of the season for the reigning WPK Champion El Paso Dawgs as they currently sit in 7th place, 7 games under .500. But you can't blame their veteran #2 starting pitcher Alberto Centeno, who has clearly been the best in their rotation so far in 1979. Centeno has never been a flashy pitcher and has a reputation for being mild-mannered and not seeking the limelight, in spite of having been the 9th player overall chosen in the 1965 draft out of the University of Central Florida. Three times in his career he has led the league in losses but it must be said that he was pitching for very poor teams (El Paso, in their darkest days, and Seattle) and deserved a much better fate. Although nothing stands out about him, other than maybe the advancing gray in his goatee, he is the consummate professional big league pitcher. Hopefully his team can rally in the second half of the season and his efforts will not once again be in vain.

MGL:



Well, of course. Note: Sadahige has an ERA+ of 320, with the MGL league ERA currently sitting at 4.16. He also easily leads all of the WPK in WHIP (0.94), FIP (2.79), WAR (4.1), and rWAR (6.5).

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:



Bobby Glaus looks like the favorite for SJL Rookie of the Year at this point (though a few young Columbus starting pitchers could probably argue the point) and he continues his fine season. He's a smart kid and a solid all-around player who should have a long and successful career.

MGL:



Young Justin Banks is just starting to tap his great potential. The former collegiate star out of Brooklyn College might be slightly built but he has a bit of pop in his bat and with his elite speed and still developing gap power he should rack up a great number of extra base hits. His line drive hitting approach will also help. Although he won't draw a lot of bases on balls he also is quite tough to strike out. Defensively he has a chance to develop into a perennial Gold Glove second baseman and only a somewhat weak arm keeps him from having the opportunity to be a great shortstop also. This hard working kid with a reputation for durability expects to get paid for his efforts eventually and this reporter feels that he will be and will earn every penny. Whether that will be in Oklahoma City, with their below average market size and owner who likes to economize and emphasizes profit over all else, is a big question. But he's getting an early enough start to reach free agency while still in his prime. (It will also be interesting to see what happens when 20-year old Venezuelan Edgar Lopez, who is the 22nd best prospect in the WPK, is ready for the bigs. Lopez could shift to the outfield but is best suited to second base, and while he doesn't have the defensive skills of Banks he also has elite speed and potential for batting title level contact hitting skills.)

[BirdWatcher]

Shoeless Joe League:



The top two teams in the SJL are certainly coming at it from different approaches, with San Antonio at the very top of almost every offensive category and Columbus, as always, a pitching juggernaut. One thing they do share though is excellent defense as San Antonio is first in ZR at +18.4 and Columbus is just behind them at +18.2.
The Boston Berserkers have been more balanced and rode a tremendous June (20-7) back into contention.
And this reporter would caution not to go to sleep on the Philadelphia Mud Hens though they do need to do something to solidify their pretty miserable bullpen for the stretch run.

Moonlight Graham League:



As has been the case the past few seasons, there is much less competitive balance in the MGL than in the SJL. Not that the first place Brewers can afford complacency. The star-powered Los Angeles Spinners, with their enormous budget, are unlikely to go away anytime soon and the Brooklyn Aces strong pitching, good defense, and team speed always make them dangerous. (Though, you will notice, once again they are one of the most under-achieving teams in the league. After so many years of this it starts to look more like a pattern than a fluke.) After their strong start, Detroit experienced a June swoon, going 9-17 for the month. They are clearly a team on the rise, but whether they are ready to contend this year is something only the second half of the season can reveal. (The guess here is that until a few of their young pitching prospects develop it is unlikely.)

[BirdWatcher]

For the fourth time in his 7+ year career Joe McPhillips gets the MGL Player of the Week honors.

[BirdWatcher]

With the Philadelphia Mud Hens aiming for a second half run at the SJL pennant, they made a move yesterday to bolster their injury riddled rotation, trading shortstop Malachi Person to El Paso for righthander Zachary Shackleford, who last year led the SJL in wins, games started, and innings pitched. Shackleford is a quality four-pitch starter who induces groundball outs and has strong control. Still, some question the move given Shackleford's propensity over the years for being injury prone, particularly with chronic back issues.



As for Person, he is a definite upgrade for El Paso over current shortstop Brennan Anderson and his career slash line of .207/.289/.275 (over 937 plate appearances). Both Person and Anderson are excellent defensive shortstops but Person has a decidedly better bat and although he has sub-par foot speed he is a savvy base runner and base stealer. On the other hand, he has a reputation for selfishness and is due to be a free agent at the end of the year, so it is hard to know what the Dawgs long-term plan is with this one. The Mud Hens certainly saw Person as expendable, with the talented Mineto Kato ably handling the position and providing better clubhouse value with his keen and somewhat mischievous sense of humor (prankster). And in Dan Venegas the Mud Hens got themselves a young player who could develop into an acceptable big league third baseman and has the leadership qualities of a captain.

On the whole this trade looks like a bit of a white flag raising for the reigning WPK Champion Dawgs and a strong move for the Philadelphia club as they look to challenge the three teams currently ahead of them in the SJL pennant race.

[BirdWatcher]

The Scouting Report:



Game 1:



Jim Atwell got the second half of the season started well with a 12 strikeout, 8 hit, no runs allowed performance in the series opener. He threw 128 pitches and was looking gassed in the 9th so he did not get the complete game shutout, as Tim Shore came on to get the last 3 outs of the game after Atwell allowed a lead-off single by our old friend Ruben "Streak" Souffront. For Shore it is his 18th save. Atwell also went 2 for 4 at the plate and drove in one of the Brewers runs. Josh Schaeffer, rumored to possibly be trade bait soon, went 3 for 5 with a run scored and hit his 1st triple of the season and Jose Figueroa, who is building a strong case for more playing time, was 3 for 4 with a run scored. Val Guzman's one hit was his 4th homer of the season.

Game 2:



Sadahige Kawasaki wasn't at his sharpest in the middle game of the series, but he got some great help from his defense, including twice seeing Portland rallies squelched when a Brewer outfielder (once Antonio Acuna, the other time Joe McPhillips) threw a perfect strike to the cut-off man, in both cases Bobby Erbakan, who then nailed the runner at home plate with a strong throw from the outfield grass. Kawasaki threw 7 innings while allowing 3 runs on 10 hits. Tim Shore pitched the 9th for his 19th save in 21 chances. Antonio Acuna (.370/.427/.547) went 3 for 5 with a run scored in the game in addition to his big outfield assist. Jose Figueroa (.356/.368/.394) was 2 for 5 with a run scored and an RBI.

Game 3:



And the Brewers get an Independence Day win to complete the series sweep with Steve Green working 7 effective innings, giving up 2 runs on 7 hits, for the win. The game was knotted at a run apiece until the 7th inning when the Brewers broke out for 5 runs, the big hit being a 2-out bases-loaded 3-run double off the bat of Jose Figueroa, his lone hit of the game. Antonio Acuna drove in 2 runs with a single and a walk in the game.

Notes from around the league:



At age 24, San Antonio starting pitcher Michael Noland is still developing as a big leaguer but he has shown flashes of his very good potential this season and is one of the reasons the Keys seem to be poised to win their first SJL pennant. The durable left-hander out of Gloucester, Massachusetts (meaningless sidenote: Gloucester was the site of this reporters second, and ill-fated, wedding- well, the wedding was lovely, in a gazebo over-looking the Atlantic at sunset, but the marriage was ill-fated), is an innings-eater with four solid pitches (his best a fastball still developing towards greatness) and good movement. With their great offense, the development of young pitchers like Noland and 23-year old right-hander Steven Wells (a Channel Islander from the island of Guernsey, who unfortunately profiles as fragile) is what the Keys have needed to catapult them to the top of the league.
And the top is where they continue to sit, with a record of 54-24, 3 1/2 games ahead of 2nd place Columbus (50-27). Boston continues to sit in 3rd place at 47-31 (7 games behind) and Philadelphia is in 4th at 44-33 (9 1/2 games out).

In the MGL, the Brewers continue to dominate and lead the 2nd place L.A. Spinners (46-32) by 9 games. Brooklyn (43-35) is in 3rd, 12 games back while Detroit (42-36) has fallen to 13 games out in 4th place.

[BirdWatcher]

We've been a bit remiss in not reporting this sooner, but the Columbus Whalers tremendous and wildly popular and admired 26-year old closer Jamar Clay is looking like a man not only well on the way to setting a new single-season saves record in the WPK, but to completely destroying the old record.

With his team still a handful of games away from having technically reached the half-way point of the 1979 season, Clay has recorded 30 saves in 31 opportunities.

Let's look at the WPK leaders in this category so far in 1979:



And here is what those numbers project to for a full season:




So it should be noted that with some shifts in how teams approach the use of their bullpens, three pitchers, including the Brewers Tim Shore, are on pace to break the former record for saves in a season, which is 37 (see below). And Clay does have the advantage of playing for a team that wins a lot but rarely in blow out fashion. Still, what Clay is on pace to do is something much more than setting a new record- he is headed towards demolishing the old record and setting a new record that will likely be very hard to beat. By anyone, ever. Unless perhaps by Clay himself.

For the record, here are the top 10 highest single-season saves totals in WPK history thus far:

[BirdWatcher]

The rumor mill has it that the Denver Brewers may be active participants in the trading market leading up to the non-waiver deadline at the end of the month.
Among the Brewer players most rumored to possibly be on the move are right fielder Josh Schaeffer, who will be a free agent at the end of the season, relievers Javy Bermudez (also on the last year of his contract) and Victor Colon, and catcher Zacarias Martell. And while moving Martell, in particular, would be emotionally difficult for the front office, the fact is that most of these moves would be to clear space on the active roster for players who probably should have been on the big league club some time ago. Erik Bettencourt will be 27 years old before the end of this season and is a far better hitter than either Martell or Kirk Patnode and nearly the equal of Martell defensively. He is durable and a sparkplug and given that Patnode has emerged as the most important team leader, in the absence of a true captain, and is one of the best receivers in the game defensively, moving Martell to make space for Bettencourt makes the most sense. And right fielder Eric Hammock has such a dangerous bat, with tremendous raw power, and could probably be a star in the WPK today if given a chance, in spite of his pretty average defense and lack of foot speed. At age 25, Hammock is on pace for an 8.5 WAR season at AAA Chester with a slash line of .367/.435/.713 with 24 doubles and 23 home runs over 72 games played.


But I digress. Today's trades are not on this level. These two trades are perhaps just warm ups for what is still to come.




In the first deal, the Brewers have traded away the hero, the MVP, of the 1977 Kinsella Classic Series, Jon Williams to their nearest competitor, the Los Angeles Spinners. Risky move, perhaps, but the Brewers get back a veteran left-hander for the bullpen in Adam Buhman, a promising right-handed reliever in John Geyer, and a useful middle infielder who at least gives the organization more depth at the upper ends of the minor league system in Danny Ferguson. Buhman moves into the bullpen primarily as a lefty specialist, an area of weakness for the Brewers. He had a pretty good stretch of seasons as a starting pitcher from 1973 through 1976 (and part of 1977) and is a 2-time All-Star, but lacks the stamina or the developed third pitch to be a starter at this stage of his career. He makes a lot of money for a bullpen lefty specialist but given that the Brewers, prior to this deal, had the 2nd highest budget but only the 10th highest player payroll, this isn't an immediate concern and he will be a free agent at the end of the season and was brought in really just for the second half of this season.
The Brewers also send to L.A. a pretty decent young power-hitting first baseman in Bobby Stewart and a speedy but otherwise not very noteworthy right fielder Ray Neustadt.



The second trade was mostly to free up a bit more space at the upper ends of the minor league system (Matt Catlett, the next best outfield prospect after Hammock, was promoted from AA Nashville to AAA Chester and it looks like there is a good chance he might earn a September call-up to the big club) and also to address a bit of a need, at some of the lower levels of the organization, for outfielders. It is an unusual situation for the Brewers to be in- not having enough outfielders- and as is obvious from these two trades, that certainly wasn't true at the top of the organization, but in Ralph Morrison and Jesus Hernandez the Brewers got a couple of useful minor league outfielders for their single A Bainbridge club (that needs some help, once again having a horrible season) either of whom could eventually see some big league action, but not likely to be significant WPK players ever.
The Brewers send Philadelphia a good hitting outfielder in Casey Bromwell, who could certainly help the Mud Hens in their quest for the pennant down the stretch run, and durable left-handed pitcher Al Alamillo, who is an interesting, if flawed, young pitcher. Alamillo has dynamic swing-and-miss stuff due to his elite changeup and extremely tricky knuckle curve. On the other hand, he is a flyball pitcher with very poor movement and his control still has some room for development but is expected to be merely average at best once fully developed. He does have a third pitch (a decent cutter) and good stamina and has a chance to earn a back-end-of-the-rotation spot, but his baseball smarts are also called into question.

[BirdWatcher]

Jesse Hartong is a having a great season for the first place San Antonio Keys in the SJL at the age of 36 and yesterday moved to the top of the list of career wins for pitchers in WPK history (albeit, not a very long history yet.)



Let's take a look at the top 15 on the list:



The 2nd guy on the list- Jake Harris- is a pretty obvious first ballot Hall of Famer, who will first be eligible, along with Cheol-han Lee, on the 1983 ballot. Third is Jason Wilson, who at age 40 finds himself currently pitching at single A in the Houston organization, having signed a minor league contract. So he probably has won his last WPK game. Then Cheol-han of course, like Harris retired and headed to the Hall before long. And that is the end of the 200 plus win club.
The next closest is 36-year old Reece Vaughan, who suffered a torn rotator cuff back in May of 1978 and is expected to be ready to pitch again before the end of August. How many more games he could win in his career will depend a great deal upon how well he recovers at his advanced (baseball) age.
Next- Bobby Cruz- 40 years old, fragile, pitching at AAA. Probably not a lot of big league wins left in that arm.
Now Devin Washburn, on the other hand, might be a good bet to at least get to 200 wins before his career is over. He is 33 years old, an Iron Man, still considered a pretty talented pitcher, and, at least for now, pitches for a winning team in L.A. (He is a free agent at the end of the season.)
Schardein and Santos are retired.
Jose Casillas is 32 and a pretty good pitcher for a good team (San Antonio) so he might challenge Hartong's total, but probably not.
Colby Muir is a AAA relief pitcher at age 37. This is probably about the extent of the WPK wins he will compile.
Manny Alvarado is 36, fragile, and a free agent at the end of the season. He still possesses great control and stamina but little else. Another dozen wins or so in his career doesn't seem like a stretch. Another 56 or more seems like a pipe dream.
Ruben Torres is 33 and an Iron Man and a decent pitcher. Then again, he pitches for Phoenix (is signed through 1980). His career still has some life but it is extremely unlikely he will approach 200 career wins.
Chris Hernandez is retired and will be on the Hall of Fame ballot this coming offseason for the first time. It is unlikely he ever earns induction into the Hall but it wouldn't be a surprise if he stuck around for at least several ballots before falling off.
And Mike Stagner is a durable 35-year old with great movement and plenty of talent. On a better team (he is signed with San Francisco through 1980) he could rack up some wins still, but won't challenge the career mark.

Aaron McNally, with 130 wins, is number 20 on the list and at age 28 and arguably the best pitcher in the game (though at the moment Sadahige Kawasaki is probably slightly better) this is the guy to watch. He should have a good chance to take over the top slot on this list before he retires.
A dark horse candidate would be 30-year old Mike Hiatt, who has 133 wins and is just above McNally on the list. The only WPK pitcher to have more than one no-hitters on his record (two, with one of them being a perfect game), Hiatt is considered an Iron Man, but given that he is signed through 1984 with the now woeful Washington Night Train, it could be a tall task for him to get to 200 wins.

[BirdWatcher]

The Scouting Report:



Game 1:



With a win in the first game in San Francisco (at the best pitcher's park in the MGL, Bank of the West Ballpark) the Brewers have their second winning streak of at least 7 games in the past three weeks. And they did it after losing starter Erik Sloan after just 2 innings pitched (he was suffering from back spasms but it ended up being a very minor injury and he was fine the next day). Brandon Veach, who has pitched in small portions of the last two seasons for the Brewers, pitched a tremendous 4 scoreless innings, giving up 4 harmless hits and striking out 4 batters, and presenting a good case to management that he belongs in the big league bullpen. Ben Flynn was also good for 2 1/3rd innings and got the win while Tim Shore closed it out for his 20th save of the season. The Brewers didn't get much offense going against veteran Mike Stagner but Bobby Erbakan had a good day, going 4 for 5 with a run scored and Ben Flynn hit a big 9th inning double and scored an important insurance run shortly thereafter when Josh Schaeffer singled him home.

Game 2:



The winning streak came to an end in the middle game of the series as young Tim Wilson got his second shutout in his last 4 starts in this his rookie season. Bryant Cox continues to have little luck as he didn't pitch that poorly, having given up 4 runs, 3 of them earned, on 8 hits over 6 innings pitched and suffering his 5th loss of the season (with only a single win so far.) Joe McPhillips was pretty much the only Brewer who had any success in this one, as he went 2 for 4 and hit his 15th double of the season.

Game 3:



But behind another brilliant start for Jim Atwell the Brewers get the win in game 3 and take the series. Atwell went the distance, giving up 2 runs, but only 1 of them earned, on just 3 hits while striking out 7 and walking 2 batters. Jose Figueroa (.359/.369/.400) went 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored and an RBI. Ben Flynn got a rare start at first base (Brett Taranto is on a cold streak and was given a breather) and he went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored. (One does sometime wonder if he should be given a chance to play in the field full time. In his 346 big league plate appearances Flynn has a slash line of .348/.390/.552 with 23 doubles and 14 home runs.) Bobby Erbakan (.288/.337/.466) had just one hit in the game but it was his team-best 12th home run.

Notes from around the league:



In all of our recent talk about the best and brightest of the young pitchers in the WPK, we have somehow neglected to talk about this 22-year old Milwaukee hurler, who is already a fan favorite in Milwaukee, and possesses a 6-pitch repertoire, in which the weakest pitch is a slightly above average sinker. He has an elite slider and changeup and a knuckle curve that still has a chance to develop into an elite pitch. He is durable, he has good stamina, he throws 93-95 mph, induces ground balls, and can even hit a little. He will likely always be a bit prone to give up home runs and while the feeling is that eventually his control will be significantly above average he has not yet harnessed all of his pitches. But watch for this kid- he looks like the real deal.

As for his team, the Cadets are hanging in there in the middle of the pack, though they haven't been playing great lately. They have a 39-42 record and are 18 games behind the leaders in 6th place.
The leaders are still, of course, the San Antonio Keys, with a 57-24 mark. Columbus (53-27) is still in 2nd place, 3 1/2 games back. Boston (48-33) is in 3rd, 9 games behind the Keys. And Philadelphia (45-35) is in 4th and trail the leaders by 11 1/2 games.

The Brewers, with the identical record as the San Antonio Keys, lead the MGL with a 9 game lead over Los Angeles (48-33) and 12 game margin over Brooklyn (45-36). Detroit (44-37) remains in 4th place and now trail the Brewers by 13 games.

[BirdWatcher]

And the trade most anticipated to be on the Brewers agenda for before the trade deadline has happened, as they send veteran right fielder Josh Schaeffer, who is free agency eligible at the end of the season, to the Oklahoma City Diamond Kings along with under-performing left-handed reliever Victor Colon in exchange for a 27-year old power pitching, ground ball lefthanded reliever in Nick Schroeder and a 23-year old outfielder with elite speed and defense and a poor bat in Josh Roper.



Mostly this trade was about clearing space though- the space for Antonio Acuna to take over as the everyday right fielder and for the extremely talented hitting outfielder Eric Hammock to join the big league club as the 4th outfielder.

Schroeder moves into the bullpen joining the recently acquired veteran Adam Buhman and, for the moment anyway, young Rand Pinti as the trio of southpaws in the 'pen. And Roper takes Hammock's spot on the AAA Chester roster.