The Denver Brewers of the W.P. Kinsella League

[BirdWatcher]

With their ace, Eduardo Obando, lost for the rest of the season the first place L.A. Spinners are once again seeing 38-year old veteran right-hander Jason Wilson anchoring their rotation. Wilson, who was the 1969 MGL Pitcher of the Year and is a 3-time 20-game winner, has reeled off 5 straight wins and isn't showing any signs of slowing down in spite of no longer having much left in terms of stuff. He is a picture of guile and savvy.



For years Wilson was in the shadow of his former teammate (and current Brewer farmhand), the great Jose Santos, and more broadly he has been over-shadowed by the big two- Jake Harris and Cheol-han Lee- and now more recently by emergent young stars like Aaron McNally and Jim Norris. Yet Wilson just keeps chugging along, putting up impressive career numbers. He has only been an All-Star twice in his long career but with his apparent durability if he can put up a few more seasons like the one he is this year it will be hard to ignore him when it comes time for casting Hall-of-Fame ballots five years after he finally retires from the game.



If the Spinners can hold onto first place in the MGL, holding off the likes of Denver and Brooklyn, this man will surely be at the center of the success story.

[BirdWatcher]

Having recovered from his earlier bout with shoulder inflammation, the Brewers stalwart captain, Matt Helm, was in the midst of a rehab assignment at AAA Chester to get back into playing form to help out his team down the stretch run.

And then disaster struck in the form of a strained oblique muscle. Helm returns to the IL and isn't expected to be ready to go again for a month to five weeks. Given the amount of time he has missed already it is unlikely that he will be ready to pitch effectively again in the last few weeks of the season or even in the Kinsella Classic Series, should the Brewers make it back to the post-season.



On the plus side, the WPK's number 1 overall prospect two years running, starting pitcher Jim Atwell, is pretty much looking ready for his big league debut and will almost surely be in a Brewers uniform on September 1st, if not before.

[BirdWatcher]

Trevor Leach has long been one of the finest third basemen in the game and one of the most popular players in the WPK and it was a big blow to the hopes of the El Paso Dawgs as they fight to stay in contention in the SJL when he was diagnosed yesterday as having suffered a fractured foot.


Leach is expected to be out of the lineup for at least a month.

[BirdWatcher]

Catcher Zacarias Martell has long been one of the more well-liked and steady members of the Denver Brewers, adored by the local fans and very popular with his teammates, and he has also helped guide the Denver pitching staff to great success.

And yesterday it was announced that he and the team had reached agreement on a contract extension that could keep him in Brewers purple through the 1982 season. He reportedly will receive a little over 208K per year though the team does have options to buy out his contract for each of the final two seasons.



Sources close to the negotiations, who didn't wish to be named, indicated that when the team originally approached Martell and his agent they were merely looking to sign him for next season, with him having two more years of arbitration eligibility. But Martell wanted a long-term commitment from the team, reportedly asking for something in the vicinity of a 9-year deal. In the end a compromise was struck that could at least keep the 3-time All-Star backstop on the team through his age 32 season.

[BirdWatcher]

A feature I have been meaning to roll out for some time is periodic tools reports for the WPK. Today I am publishing the first of these, which looks at which players in the WPK have the best batting eye.
Just to explain the methodology a bit:
1) This is not a reporting of scouting ratings...
2) Nor is it just a stats based ranking.
3) The idea is to identify a subjective, but evidence-based, top 10 list for a specific baseball tool.
4) Some weight will be given to career stats but even more weight will be given to current stats and scouting perceptions. In other words, what have you done for me lately?

In the case of batting eye we have of course looked at the scouting EYE ratings for all WPK players, total walks for the 1977 season and career totals, OBP for 1977 and career- but particularly looking at the difference between batting average and OBP, and walk percentages. (And just a reminder: the WPK uses a 1-10 scouting rating.)

So without further ado, here are your top 10 players in the WPK in terms of batting eye:

10- Mike Wagner, Left fielder, Phoenix Speed Devils.
EYE rating=9. 1977 walks= 67, tied for 14th in WPK. 1977 OBP= .362, minus BA= 118. Career walks= 735, 15th most. Career walk %= 17.5.
Three-time All-Star Mike Wagner has walked more than 100 times in a season 4 times in his career, though he has never led the league in the category. He is a power-hitting, low contact hitter who has walked 228 more times in his career than he has struck out. Although he is only on track for 2.5 WAR this season, he is also on pace for 30 homers and 92 bases on balls. So a pretty typical season for the 30-year old fan favorite.

9- Bob Hernandez, First baseman, San Francisco Velocity. EYE rating=9. 1977 walks=55, outside of the top 20. 1977 OBP=.378, minus BA=119. Career walks= 937, 5th most. Career walk %=13.7.
36-year old power hitter Bob Hernandez has never walked more than 94 times in a single season (though he led the league in walks with 92 in 1965) but over the years he has proven to have one of the best approaches at the plate in the game, having walked 937 times while striking out 787 times. At 36 he appears to possibly be on his last legs, currently out with a concussion with no timeline on when he will return and considered wrecked in terms of his injury proneness. But even this year, prior to his injury, he was showing his great patience at the plate and is on this list primarily for his long track record in this regard and his continuing reputation.

8- Nate Bennett, First baseman, Los Angeles Spinners.
EYE rating=6. 1977 walks= 69, tied for 12th in WPK. 1977 OBP= .407, minus BA=94. Career walks= 986, 3rd most. Career walk %=11.6.
Another power hitter. Well, not another power hitter, but rather THE power hitter thus far in WPK history, with the career best total of 416. While Bennett has the lowest EYE rating according to the scouts of any player on this list, his career numbers and his 1977 performance indicates that he is better than his reputation in this area. Granted, he has never put together a 100 walk season with his best being a league leading 91 last season, but at age 38 he is still going strong and is on a 94 walk pace this year. And for a guy with over 400 homers to have walked more times in his career than he has struck out is impressive. For career totals and consistency, he belongs on the list.

7- Danny Salvador, First baseman, Brooklyn Aces.
EYE rating=9. 1977 walks= 69, tied for 12th. 1977 OBP= .375, minus BA=101. Career walks= 676, 19th most. Career walk%= 14.8.
Yup, another power hitter who walks far more than he strikes out. He has put together 4 100-walk seasons in his career and led the league 3 straight years (1973-1975). He is on pace for 94 more this season.

6- Chia-ch'ing Chou, Left fielder, Baltimore Lords.
EYE rating=9. 1977 walks= 55, outside of the top 20. 1977 OBP= .456, minus BA=105. Career walks= 147 (only in league 1 1/2 years). Career walk %= 16.2.
Chou only came to the WPK last season from Taiwan but when healthy he shows one of the best batting eye's in the game. He would likely be higher on the list if he had more WPK history.

5- Larry Leshane, Left fielder, Pittsburgh Roadrunners.

EYE rating=9. 1977 walks= 66, 15th most. 1977 OBP= .437, minus BA=109. Career walks= 78 (first full season in league). Career walk %=16.5.
And now we start getting into the budding potential portion of the rankings. Leshane is a rookie this year, having had a late season call-up in 1976, and he is already showing an impressive approach at the plate. There are concerns about his durability and his work habits, but for at least the next several years there is a good chance that Leshane will compete for the best OBP in the SJL.

4- Nick Haran, Right fielder, San Antonio Keys.

EYE rating=9. 1977 walks= 78, tied for 4th most. 1977 OBP=.385, minus BA=115. Career walks= 1,108, 2nd most. Career walk %=14.2.
Only one player thus far in the history of the WPK has collected more bases on balls than Nick Haran, and we will see that person still on this list, of course. At age 35 (he'll be 36 before the season ends), Haran is still a tremendous player, on pace for 5.1 WAR this season. The biggest concern with Haran is his health (Wrecked), but if he can stay in the lineup he is on pace for not only 26 homers but 106 walks. It would be his 5th season with 100 plus walks in his career if he can get there. He has led the league in this category twice.

3- Matt Van der Heyden, Center fielder, Pittsburgh Roadrunners.

EYE rating=10. 1977 walks= 53, outside of the top 20. 1977 OBP= .427, minus BA=132. Career walks= 53 (first year rookie). Career walk %=18.8.
If and when this list is compiled two or three years in the future, it is a safe bet that this guy will be in the top spot. Although he isn't among the league leaders in walks this season, he has an impressive 18.8 walk % and his OBP is 132 points higher than his batting average. He is one of only two players who the scouts consider a perfect 10 in terms of EYE rating. And he's just a fabulous all-around player who is quickly becoming one of the biggest stars in the game.

2- Josh Schaeffer, Right fielder, Denver Brewers.

EYE rating=9. 1977 walks= 81, most in the WPK. 1977 OBP= .458, minus BA=144. Career walks= 404. Career walk %=17.3.
Schaeffer was never considered a top prospect coming up through the Brewers farm system, but in his 4 1/2 seasons as a starter with the club he has emerged as one of their most consistent players and arguably the best OBP guy in the game. Many might argue that there is a strong case for this guy being at the top of this list. His OBP leads all of the WPK this year, he led the league in walks last season with a tremendous 122 total, his career walk % is phenomenal.Among qualifying batters in the WPK with a .400 OBP or better, Schaeffer leads the pack in terms of OBP minus BA at 144. Because of the emergence of Van der Heyden, Schaeffer may never make the top spot on this list, but at age 28 he has certainly earned the reputation of having one of the best batting eyes in the game. (Also, in spite of his propensity to strike out a bit, he has 100 more walks than strikeouts in his short career thus far.)

1- Ryan Rodgers, Right fielder, Brooklyn Aces.

EYE rating=10. 1977 walks=78, tied for 4th most. 1977 OBP= .440, minus BA= 114. Career walks= 1,233, most in WPK history. Career walk %=16.7.
And finally, at #1 on this list, is former Brewers superstar outfielder Ryan Rodgers, who at age 38 is still considered by scouts to have the best eye in the business, with the possible exception of young Matt Van der Heyden. Rodgers career walk total of 1,233 almost surely has hurt his chances of getting to 3,000 career hits (he only just cracked 2,000 recently) but he is almost surely a Hall of Famer. He has led the league in walks 4 times, drawn over 100 walks 5 seasons, led the league in OBP 7 times. And even at his advanced age he is on pace to walk 106 times this season. Though Van der Heyden and Schaeffer are giving him a good run for his money, Ryan Rodgers remains the WPK player with the distinction of having the best batting eye.

[BirdWatcher]

Brewers record: 4-3 (week), 75-45, 3rd place, MGL, 3 gb L.A. (season)

August 14, at Portland: 5-0

August 15-17, versus Phoenix: 3-5, 8-5, 10-2.

August 18-20, versus Los Angeles: 5-4, 3-6, 6-9.

The Brewers start the week by completing a 3-game sweep of the Wild Things in Portland. In game 3 Sekien Hamasaki and Ben Flynn combined to shut out the home club. Hamasaki (13-3, 3.16), lasted 7 innings, allowing 4 hits. Flynn pitched the final 2 innings, striking out 4 while not allowing a base runner. Flynn also homered in the game, his 5th of the season. Rodrigo "RodRod" Rodriguez, hitting in the cleanup spot, went 2 for 5 with 3 RBI and hit his 6th homer of 1977.

Returning home for a 6-game home stand, the Brewers started by hosting the woeful last-place Phoenix Speed Devils.
And in game 1, they found themselves on the losing end. The Speed Devils scored 3 times in the 9th inning to come from behind and then held on for the victory. Denver starter Steve Green was sailing along until the 9th when he ran into trouble and the bullpen was not able to bail him out. He ended up giving up 3 runs on 6 hits over 8 innings pitched. The loss went to reliever Victor Colon (1-1, 5.14). Casey Bromwell led the way offensively for the Brewers, with a 4 for 4 performance, including hitting his 5th double.

The Brewers broke a 4-4 tie by scoring 3 runs in the 6th inning of game 2 and held on to even up the series. Bobby Erbakan led the way with a 2 for 4, 2 RBI game. Val Guzman hit his 11th homer of the year and John Flores his 2nd. Cheol-han Lee (6-6, 6.95) got a rare start and the win, allowing 4 runs, but only 2 earned, over 6 innings. Victor Colon was the last of 4 relievers for the Brewers and got credit for his first save with the team.

And in the rubber match of the series, the Brewers man-handled the visitors, winning 10-2. Among many hitting stars for the home club, Brett Taranto stood out and was named Player of the Game for his 3 for 5, 3 run scored, 2 RBI game in the lead-off slot. Taranto hit his 26th double and 7th triple of the season in this game. Bobby Erbakan hit his 22nd home run of 1977, to set a personal single-season highest mark, and drove in 3 runs to get to 95. Bobby also swiped his 12th bag of 1977. Jake DiCesare hit his 4th homer and light-hitting defensive specialist infielder Nick Ward hit his 1st homer of 1977, also his first as a big leaguer. John Weaver (5-5, 3.74) got the start and the win, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits over 6 1/3rd innings pitched.

The Brewers concluded the week by playing host to the 1st place Los Angeles Spinners. The Brewers came into this series having taken 9 of 12 games off the Spinners this season, but it is a red-hot and very confident Spinners team that entered Centennial Stadium for this series.
The Brewers do manage to narrowly win the first game of the series but it requires extra innings. Los Angeles scored 2 9th inning runs to tie the game at 4 apiece and it took a 1-out, bases loaded single by Josh Schaeffer to give the Brewers the walk-off victory in the 10th. Staff Ace Sadahige Kawasaki pitched well in this one but didn't get a decision. He allowed just 2 runs on 6 hits over 7 2/3rds innings. Closer Tim Shore (6-2, 2.52) got both a blown save (his 5th) and the win in relief. Brett Taranto stays hot and went 3 for 5 in this one. Casey Bromwell hit his 2nd homer of the season in a Brewers uniform.

But in game 2 the Spinners plated 3 7th inning runs and held on for the win. Erik Sloan (7-5, 3.93) was not sharp in this one, giving up 6 runs on 12 hits, including 2 homers, over 6 innings. Brett Taranto (.345/.392/.542) was again the hitting star for the home team, going 3 for 4 with a run scored (72). RodRod hit his 7th homer of the season in the loss.

And in the final game of the series and the week, the Spinners beat the Brewers more soundly than the final score even indicates. The Brewers did waste several good scoring opportunities early and then put together some late runs off the Spinners bullpen to make the score seem a little more respectable, but really it was clear early that this wasn't going to be their day. Starter Sekien Hamaski (13-4, 3.51) ,having had such a good start to begin the week, ended it with a disastrous one, giving up 8 runs on 12 hits in just 4 1/3rd innings pitched. The bullpen was much better, with Walter Hackler pitching a pretty heroic 2 2/3rds (though he did give up 1 run as he tired), but the damage had been done by that point. Bobby Erbakan (.375/.410/.634) was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored and hit his 23rd homer in the loss. And Casey Bromwell (.283/.356/.457) is showing some real life at the plate of late, going 2 for 5 with 2 RBI and hitting his 3rd home run, his 2nd in 3 games, in the loss.

With the series loss to L.A. the Brewers drop 3 games behind them in the MGL standings, while Brooklyn remains 7 games off the pace in 3rd place. No other MGL team is closer than 13 games behind and it appears to be a 3-team race to the finish line.
Things are much closer in the SJL, where Columbus holds just a 1/2 game lead over Jacksonville, with Boston just 1 game back and just 6 1/2 games separating the top 7 teams in the league.

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:



On Monday, during the dog days of summer, the SJL saw an epic 16-inning battle between a contender- the El Paso Dawgs- and a pretender- the last place Chicago Fire- and the Fire defeated the Dawgs in the bottom of the 16th inning when center fielder Juan Lobato, known for his great defense and speed but not his bat, tripled home former Denver Brewer Chad Brown with the winning run. Having tied the game by scoring 2 bottom of the 9th inning runs and then matching El Paso's 12th inning run to keep things going, and after 4 hours and 40 minutes of baseball, it was a gusty win by the second-year club in front of the few thousand fans left (paid attendance for the game was 14,682) at game's end for the lowly Fire.



MGL:



It is very hard to shut out the Phoenix Speed Devils, especially at their bandbox of a park, Phoenix Municipal Stadium. But that is precisely what San Francisco Velocity right-handed starting pitcher Jon Weldon did on Thursday. The big (6' 6", 210 lb) native Texan isn't the most popular guy on the team, by a long shot, but he was pretty well-liked on this day as he gave up just 5 harmless singles to the power-hitting Speed Devils to earn his 3rd win of the season.

[BirdWatcher]

Bud Lindsay, the superstar shortstop for the San Antonio Keys, is not only one of the most talented players in the WPK, he is also one of the greatest leaders in the game, a true Captain. The 1972 SJL Rookie of the Year has really only had one struggle to overcome in his big league career: the injury bug. After his truly amazing rookie season of '72, when he put up a 9 WAR season at age 21, his next two seasons were both shortened considerably by significant injuries (a fractured finger in 1973 and a ruptured MCL in his left knee in 1974). There were concerns that he would not be able to live up to his early great potential. In 1975 he was again lost after mid-August due to torn ankle ligaments, but in the time he did play he put up an impressive 6.2 WAR season. And then last season he finally had another full season, relatively injury free, and as long hoped he eventually would, Lindsay was named the SJL MVP for the season.




This season thus far he is on pace to very likely win back-to-back MVP awards. With not a single injury, even of the most minor variety, besetting him in 1977, he is on pace for a 9.7 WAR season. Even though he is only 26 years old many around the league are convinced that the only thing that can possibly stop Bud Lindsay from having a Hall of Fame career is his propensity to get hurt. Even his opponents find themselves rooting for him, when they aren't playing him, to stay healthy and have the celebrated career he so richly deserves.

[BirdWatcher]

The Denver Brewers backup catcher, Kirk Patnode, renowned for his defensive prowess, suffered an intercostal strain earlier this week and has had to be put on the 10-day IL. It is thought that the injury will likely sideline him up to about 2 weeks. The normally ultra-durable backstop goes on the IL for the first time in his big league career, though he did miss 4 weeks of playing time with a sprained ankle back in 1968, when he was a collegiate player at Las Vegas College.



With Patnode's injury, AAA catcher Erik Bettencourt gets a slightly earlier call up to the big league club then expected, as he almost surely would have joined the team in another week or so when rosters expand. Bettencourt is a decent defender but has a subpar throwing arm (and this was exploited in his first start with the Brewers) but is more known for his high energy play and a pretty good bat. And as a right-handed hitter he provides a good complement to left-handed hitting starting catcher, Zacarias Martell. (Patnode is a switch-hitter but hits better from the right side.)

[BirdWatcher]

Brewers record: 4-2 (week), 79-47, 2nd place, 1 gb L.A., MGL (season)

August 21-23, at San Francisco: 0-3, 4-3, 4-5.

August 25-27, versus Oklahoma City: 12-4, 20-1, 10-8.

After dropping two of three in San Francisco (the most pitcher friendly park in the league) the Brewers returned to the friendly confines of Centennial Stadium and blasted the Oklahoma City Diamond Kings in a three game series.

The first game in San Francisco saw the Brewers get shut-out by Velocity fan favorite, Jose Mendoza. He improved to 6-8 with a 5.14 ERA by holding the Brewers to just 3 hits and 1 walk. Tough loss for Steve Green (9-6, 4.80), who deserved better after giving up 3 runs on 7 hits over his 8 innings pitched. RodRod collected 2 of the 3 Brewers hits including his 15th double of the season. Josh Schaeffer also doubled, his 17th, for the other hit.

Game 2 went into extra innings tied up at 3 apiece but the Brewers rallied for a 10th inning run off former Brewer reliever Jeremy Walker, capped by a Jon Williams sacrifice fly, and held on for the narrow victory. John Weaver wasn't bad in the start, giving up 3 runs, only 2 earned, on 7 hits over 6 1/3rd. Reliever Evan Perez (2-0, 0.66) got credit for the win and Ben Flynn picked up his 9th save of the year in as many opportunities. RodRod again picked up 2 hits in 4 ab's though he also committed his 9th error of the season. Josh Schaeffer hit his 9th homer of 1977.

The rubber match of the series went to the home club. Although the Brewers led 4-3 going into the bottom of the 9th, the bullpen could not hold the lead. Closer Tim Shore (6-3, 3.00) came in to preserve the lead and instead not only blew the save but lost the game, getting only one out before the Velocity got the walk-off win. Another win stolen from staff ace Sadahige Kawasaki who gave up 3 runs on 9 hits over 7 1/3rd innings pitched. Brett Taranto collected just one hit in the game but it was his 15th home run of the season and drove in 3 runs. Casey Bromwell, who has been starting to show some hitting ability, went 2 for 4 in the loss.

Having struggled to score runs in San Francisco, the Brewers hitters were clearly happy to be back home in the more hitter friendly Centennial Stadium. The 4th place Oklahoma City Diamond Kings had mostly held their own against the Brewers coming into this series. Not so much in these three games.
In game 1 the Brewers plated 12 runs, having collected 19 hits, including 4 doubles. Erik Sloan wasn't great in the start (he did not get a decision), allowing 4 runs on 6 hits, including a pair of home runs, over just 5 1/3rd innings. But reliever Ben Flynn (6-3, 3.13), having his breakthrough season, went the final 3 2/3rds nearly flawless innings to get the win. Flynn, probably the best power hitter on the club and one of the best hitters overall, also went 2 for 2 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI in the game, hitting his 5th double. It was also a great game for the young Jo(h)n's on the team: John Flores (.292/.370/.554) went 4 for 6 with 2 runs scored, an RBI, and hit his 3rd double and Jon Williams (.325/.372/.462) was 4 for 5 with 3 runs scored, 2 RBI, hit his 11th double and drew a walk. Brett Taranto (there will be more from him this series) went 3 for 5 with 2 RBI and hit his 27th double, though he did also commit his 11th error.

Then, in case their dominance wasn't clear enough in game 1, they simply demolished the Diamond Kings in game 2, to the tune of 20 runs on 21 hits. And not that they needed great pitching, but hey, they got that too. Starter Sekien Hamasaki (14-4, 3.40) allowed the only Oklahoma City run of the game when he gave up a 5th inning solo homer to Diamond King catcher Carlos Lopez, but he went 8 strong innings, giving up that 1 run on just 5 hits. It would take far too long and far too much space to mention all of the offensive stars for the Brewers. But RodRod's (.343/.382/.507) 4 for 4, 5 RBI, 2 runs scored game in which he hit his 16th double and 8th home run is certainly worth mentioning. And young outfielder Val Guzman (.266/.371/.436) collected just a pair of hits in his 6 at-bats, but one was his 12th home run of the season, and he scored 3 runs while driving in 3 more. He also picked up his team-leading 21st stolen base. Oh, and we mentioned Brett Taranto had a pretty good series. Well, in this one he went 3 for 5 with 2 runs and 3 RBI, hitting a pair of doubles to get to 29. But one last hitting line we need to highlight, the one from the most surprising source. Starting pitcher Hamasaki, admittedly probably the best hitting member of the rotation, went 3 for 5, scoring twice, driving in 4 runs(!), and hitting his 1st double of the season.

Game 3 was the closest game of the series and the home team was actually trailing 6-4 going into the bottom of the 7th but then they exploded for 5 runs in that frame and picked up one more in the 8th to hold on for the win and the series sweep. The big hit in the 5-run 7th? Well, a home run by relief pitcher Ben Flynn of course. For big Ben it was homer number 6 of the season, in just 60 plate appearances. Flynn poses a bit of conundrum for management. He did come up through the minors as a two-way player and he can play first base, though not spectacularly. And on a team without a true power hitter, the closest they have is the Longmont, Colorado native who turned 27 on the day he hit his 6th long ball of 1977. He is doing a fine job out of the 'pen this year as a multi-inning reliever. But boy does the front office, as well as his manager and coaches, have to wonder how many balls he could hit into the seats in fair territory if he got more AB's. The Brewers hit 4 homers in this one. The others hitting them: Jon Williams (5), Nick Ward (2), and Jake DiCesare (5). This was certainly a game where the relatively unknown backup players got to shine for Denver. (Ward, for instance, known for his great glove and not his bat, went 2 for 4 while scoring 3 runs and driving in 3 more.) More well known is All-Star first baseman Brett Taranto (.348/.394/.545). All he did in this one was go 3 for 5 with a run scored and an RBI which made him 9 for 15 with 4 runs scored and 6 RBI in the 3-game sweep. Following up his Rookie of the Year 1976 campaign with an equally impressive 1977 season seems to have solidified Taranto's grip on the first base position for the foreseeable future in Denver.


This was certainly a roller-coaster week for the Brewers as at mid-week they had fallen to 4 games behind the 1st place L.A. Spinners and then with the 3-game sweep of Oklahoma City and with the Spinners inexplicably getting swept in three games by in-state rivals, the San Francisco Velocity, the Brewers are right back in things, breathing down L.A.'s neck. The Brooklyn Aces had a good week, winning 4 straight to end the week, and are hanging in there at 5 games back. No other team in the MGL is closer than 13 games out.

And in the SJL the Columbus Whalers have currently lost their grip on first place, after having sat in that position most of the season, and the surging Jacksonville Wolf Pack now lead the Whalers by 2 games. Boston and Pittsburgh are both just 3 1/2 games back and several other teams remain in contention in the tight SJL race.

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:



The Jacksonville Wolf Pack moved into first place in the SJL this week, pushing past the mighty Columbus Whalers, at least for the time being. And one factor to their surge is the help they have gotten from veteran starting pitcher Pablo Bernal since they traded slugging outfielder Alex Reyes to Baltimore to acquire him a little over a month ago. Not that Bernal has been tremendous in a Wolf Pack uniform- he is 4-2 with a 3.95 ERA since joining them, though his WHIP is improved from what he did as a Lord at 1.26- but he has provided added leadership to the team and has won 3 of his last 4 starts to help in the Jacksonville surge.



MGL:




The MGL Game of the Week also occurred on Thursday evening but it didn't end until early Friday morning. Last week's SJL GoTW was a 16-inning marathon. But this week the Portland Wild Things and Detroit Falcons made that game look like a sprint as it stretched to 21 innings and lasted just under 7 hours (6:53). As you might imagine, several records were either tied or set for each team in this one.

[BirdWatcher]

Ouch! What a strange way to have a fine comeback season end.




Former Brewer Jonathan Koch, on his way to the best season of his career, tore a meniscus suffered in one of those terrifying shoe-tying incidents. (Dangerous stuff, that shoe tying. He might want to try velcro instead.)

[BirdWatcher]

What does poor Harry Lyerly need to do to get back to the WPK?




The former Denver Brewer star and 1970 MGL Pitcher of the Year is 15-5
with a 2.50 ERA and 236 strikeouts this year pitching for the Jacksonville AAA farm club in Louisville, Kentucky. With the September roster expansion only a few days away perhaps Harry will finally get to pitch at the big league level again soon.

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:



Lazaro Lowndes, the Houston Cavaliers' big free agency signing in the off-season, is thought by many the most likely candidate to be the first WPK player to reach 3,000 hits in his career. He is on pace to rack up a WPK single season record 244 base knocks this season (more on that in another post soon) and most WPK insiders figure that the 30-year old superstar, who was the 1972 SJL MVP, is a 7-time All-Star, and has 2 championship rings from his time as a member of the Washington Night Train, is a lock for the WPK Hall of Fame. And he helped to propel the expansion Houston club into potential contention in the first half of this season. While the Cavaliers have wilted in the second half the feeling is that if they are to develop into a contending ball club in the next five years or so, it will be Lowndes leading them on the offensive side. (The one chink in his armor, other than the fact that he doesn't hit for power, is that his 3rd best in WPK history stolen base total of 434 is also accompanied by the number total of times caught stealing in league history at 295.)


MGL:



And speaking of future inductees to the WPK Hall of Fame in Dubuque, Iowa, how about 38-year old slugger Nate Bennett? Bennett not only is the all-time leader in home runs in the WPK at 421 but he continues to be one of the most consistent hitters in the game at his advanced age. And just this past month Bennett slugged 12 more bombs and though he is very slow and a poor fielder he remains one of the finest hitters in the game and is having a season that will likely end up being his best since his 1969 age 29 7.8 WAR campaign. Long live the HR king!

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:



It has been a bit of an up and down road for Milwaukee's 1969 first round draft pick Jose Mendoza but not for any lack of effort on the part of the always high energy Puerto Rican left-handed pitcher. After having a fine 1974 season in which he won 17 games and put up 4.9 WAR, he then suffered through a 20 loss season in 1975. This season he has been solid, if not spectacular, and he was so good this past month as he helped to keep the 5th place Cadets at least in sight of contention, that he earned his first ever Pitcher of the Month honors.

MGL:



In his first full big league season the Brooklyn Ace's 25-year old closer, Jose Hernandes, might just be emerging as one of the best bullpen arms i the league. He certainly looked like it this past month as he earned MGL Pitcher of the Month honors. Since being signed as an amateur out of the Dominican Republic back in 1969 he has quietly moved up the prospect rankings, peaking at #8 in 1975 before falling back slightly to #9 last year. The hard working sidearmer with the wicked slider served notice to the MGL this past month that his time is now.

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:


Another Milwaukee Cadet starting pitcher also earned honors for the month of August- rookie right-hander Mike Coon. The 1972 first round pick doesn't stand out as having any elite skills, other than perhaps his great stamina, and the highest ranking he ever achieved as a prospect was #92. But you can't argue with the results he has achieved this year, and this is mostly a product of his great propensity to induce the ground ball out (his 54 GO% isn't spectacular but he has averaged over 11 ground outs per game in his last 4 starts.)



MGL:



To the growing list of very talented young center fielders who are taking the WPK by storm (think Matt Van der Heyden, Pete Wiederkehr, Nick Thompson- hmm, okay, we've missed this kid somehow but he is actually leading the position in WAR this season) we can now also add the name John Hemmah. Hemmah was the 4th overall pick in the 1973 draft and came into this season ranked as the #24th prospect in the WPK. And in August he gave the league a glimpse of his potential greatness as one of the fastest players in the game with potential Gold Glove skills in the field and elite bat to ball skills. The Detroit Falcons have been an also ran for a very long time but with the emergence of young players like shorstop Blake Brock, who took this honor for the month of May, and international signing Ren-qing Leong, who won this two times earlier this season, perhaps the future is starting to look brighter for the Motor City franchise. (Hint: next up on the prospect horizon for the club are three talented starting pitchers.)

[BirdWatcher]

Former Brewer mainstay Harry Lyerly was honored with Pitcher of the Month honors for August in his AAA league for his continued heroics. Will it be enough to earn him a big league call-up soon?



And the Brewers farm system saw a member of their AA Nashville squad also earn such honors- 22-year old left-hander Oscar Medrano. Medrano is admittedly in the midst of his 3rd full season at the AA level (looks like I haven't monitored him well- whoops!) so that might be a factor, but he is still quite young and has consistently pitched above his perceived talent since being signed as an international discovery out of the Dominican Republic back in May of 1971. And with the Brewers recent record of developing pitchers successfully, it isn't out of the realm entirely that the young man with the potentially elite fastball and plus change-up could develop into a useful back end of the rotation starter. The fact that he is left-handed certainly increases his potential value.

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:



It looks like it will be a fun race to the finish line in the SJL this year. The Columbus Whalers and Jacksonville Wolf Pack, two of the most storied teams in the league, are tied entering the final month of the season. The Pittsburgh Roadrunners are the most over-achieving team in the WPK but with their lethal young bats they can't be counted out. Boston, El Paso, Milwaukee, and Washington also all remain viable contenders.

MGL:



After having dropped to 4 games behind L.A. in the MGL pennant race just a week ago, the Denver Brewers find themselves entering the final full month of the season with a narrow half game lead over their arch-rivals. As always, the talented Brooklyn Aces are the biggest under-achiever in the WPK, but they could certainly get back into legitimate contention with a strong final month. All others in the MGL are basically also-rans, with the Phoenix Speed Devils the only team mathematically eliminated from contention in all of the WPK and heading towards very likely the worst win-loss record in WPK history thus far.

[BirdWatcher]

For the remainder of the season we will dispense with the weekly player spotlight reports (though players will be featured of course in other ways) in order to share a weekly update regarding various single season individual statistical records which could likely be broken this year.

Let's get right to it:

Individual single season records almost sure to be broken in 1977:

1) Single season HR record, batter: The WPK record for most home runs hit by a WPK player in a single season is currently 50, a record shared by two aptly named sluggers: Jamison Bash, who did this in 1966, and Eric Brakeall, who accomplished it in 1969. Devin Schwisow, of the Phoenix Speed Devils, currently has hit 47 homers and is on pace for a 59 home run season. He is sure to break the record, barring some disastrous collapse or injury.

2) Single season K record, pitcher: The WPK single season strikeout record for a pitcher is 261, set by the great Jaime Schardein in 1968. This year Brooklyn starting pitcher Joel Travino is currently sitting at 238 K's, on a pace to finish just under 300 for the season. Again, almost surely this record will fall in 1977.

3) Single season doubles record, batter: The WPK single season record for doubles hit is 54 and this was set just last season by Seattle first baseman Fred Reinhardt. Reinhardt himself is on pace for a 51 double season in 1977 but Pittsburgh's Bill Winchester is on pace to shatter Reinhardt's record as he has hit 49 and is on pace for 61.

4) Single season record for home runs allowed, pitcher: This one isn't one anyone wants to set. But this one is basically a done deal at this point, with Phoenix starter Marty O'Brien having already matched the previous record of 40 homers allowed set by Willie Morales in 1966. O'Brien is on pace to give up an ungodly 50 bombs this season.

Individual single season records that might be broken in 1977:

1) Single season record for Slugging Percentage, batter: Jesus Casiano, in his MVP season of 1970, set many individual batting records that still stand. Among them is the highest single season Slugging Percentage of .655. Devin Schwisow currently holds a SLG% of .659 so this one might fall.

2) Single season record for hits, batter: The current single season record in this category is 238, set by the great Travis Johnson in 1966. This year Lazaro Lowndes has collected 196 hits going into September and is on pace for a record setting 244. Good chance we get a new high mark here.

3) Single season record for runs scored, batter: In 1970 Josh Jenkins scored 138 times and that is the current WPK record. This season the veteran slugger Nate Bennett has already scored 111 runs and is on pace for 139, which would just narrowly give him the record. Stay tuned.

4) Single season record for saves, pitcher: Up to this point in WPK history saves totals have been fairly consistent and pretty moderate, with the highest yet being set just last season by Ben Bakeman, when he saved 37 games in 43 opportunities. At the moment former Brewer Jordan Stephens, now the closer for the Jacksonville Wolf Pack, is sitting at 30 saves and on pace to set the new record with just one more save then the previous record. He has blown 6 saves thus far.

5) Single season record for bases on balls issued, pitcher: Another dubious distinction, like home runs allowed. The WPK record was set in 1975 by Omar Melero, with 154 free passes issued. This season Portland starter Brad Evans is on pace to finish just south of that at 153.

Individual single season records with an outside chance of being broken:

1) Single season record for total bases, batter: Current record: 417, set by Jesus Casiano in 1970. Best chance to break: Chris Tobin, who is on pace for 404.

2) Single season record for triples hit, batter: The great future HOF'er Felix Lopez hit a tremendous total of 30 triples during the inaugural WPK season of 1965 and that record has been unchallenged since. But this year L.A.'s talented young shortstop Pat Mercado is on pace to hit 26, so this record could still be in jeopardy.

3) Single season record for RBI, batter: The record holder is, like so many offensive categories, Jesus Casiano from his amazing 1970 season, when he drove in 152 runs. Veteran Nate Bennett is on pace for 149 this season, so with another month like the one he had in August this record could be broken.

4) Single season record for stolen bases, batter/runner: The WPK record for stolen bases in a season was set just last year when Brooklyn speedster Jeremy Brigatti swiped 72 bags. Brigatti is now out for the rest of the 1977 season so he won't be challenging his own record, but his teammate Tommie Signor might. Signor is on pace for 70 at this stage of things.

5) Single season record for wins, pitcher: Aaron McNally's single season record of 25 wins, set in 1974, is probably safe. But Jacksonville great Juan Maldonado is on pace for 23 this year so a great final month could leave this record vulnerable, at least to be tied.

6) Single season record for shutouts, pitcher: And finally, among records that could possibly be broken this year, Cheol-han Lee's record 9 shutout total from 1968 could be challenged by Columbus starter Luis Ramirez, who is on pace for 8 this season.

As the month progresses we will look in on these single season records at least once per week, with primary emphasis on the single season HR and K records.

[BirdWatcher]

With the roster expansion of September 1st, the Brewers made several moves to add AAA players to the active big league roster.

The biggest addition was, of course, the #1 WPK prospect two years running, starting pitcher Jim Atwell. This could be the beginning of quite an adventure. (And is almost certainly the beginning of the end for future HOF'er Cheol-han Lee in the rotation.)



The other AAA player added to the 40-man roster for the first time and promoted to Denver is slugging left-handed hitting first baseman Sean Wright.



Relievers Cory Degano and Brandon Veach, who had both had stints with the club at different points this season, also returned to the 'pen. Veach, in particular, could have an important role in the future.



The only other addition to the big league squad was the return of center fielder Joe McPhillips, who had been on a somewhat extended rehab stint at AAA Chester since returning from the IL. With McPhillips return young Val Guzman can return to left field, where he is more comfortable and gifted and the team gains back one of their most formidable bats in the middle of the lineup.

There will likely be at least one or two more call-ups before the season ends as well.