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-   -   Harry Lyerly and the Denver Brewers of the WPK (https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com//showthread.php?t=300500)

BirdWatcher 01-13-2020 01:11 AM

Spring Training wrap-up (1976)
 
Opening Day 1976 is upon us but before we move forward let's recap the Brewers Spring Training exhibition season a bit.

The team fared pretty well, not that Spring Training records mean anything, finishing tied for 2nd place in the MGL at 18-12. The starting pitching was a bit erratic but Steve Green was excellent. And the bullpen was largely quite good, especially some of the relievers the team will most be relying on in 1976, like Tim Shore and Ben Flynn. As hoped and anticipated, by the end of Spring Training Bobby Erbakan looked like a premiere second baseman, both defensively and with the bat. He will be our starting second baseman this year. Brett Taranto, according to the most recent development reports from our scouting staff, might not turn into as good a hitter as had been hoped but he is a very fine defensive first baseman and will at least start the season in the starting role there. Mike Lovett hit quite well in the Spring and ended up being placed at AAA Chester instead of AA Nashville as was expected. (And now I realize that I was kind of hoping he would struggle so I could feel a bit less guilty. ;))

The only injury the Brewers suffered was late in the exhibition season when Rodrigo "RodRod" Rodriguez suffered an oblique strain while running the bases. He can return from the IL 5 days into the new season.
A few youngsters get to start the season on the 25-man roster including pitchers John Weaver and Damian Hahn, who came up through the minors as starting pitchers but will be in the Brewers bullpen for now. The slick fielding, great running, and weak hitting Nick Ward made the team as the second utility infielder behind Joe Willemse. And two outfielders will get their first taste of the bigs: 25-year old Izzy Veliz and 22-year old Val Guzman. Both are great fielding, fast running players with a few potential areas of offensive strength but also some glaring weaknesses at the plate. Veliz hits from the right-hand side of the plate and Guzman from the left.

Recent reports indicate that Cheol-han Lee may be starting to show his age as his stuff is falling into sub-par range and even his movement has dropped a bit from his normal elite range to very good. He should still be quite good, but may no longer be the ace of the staff. That mantle seems likely to be passed to Sadahige Kawasaki, who was already building a case for that title in 1975. Joe McPhillips and Bobby Erbakan still profile as superstars. Zacarias Martell is looking quite good to our scouts and should remain among the game's best catchers and if our scouts are to be believed the bullpen should bounce back nicely this season.
Heading in the wrong direction are Andrew Kennedy, Brett Taranto, and Jorge Gonzalez. It is looking like the Brewers might need to figure something out for left field before too long.

BirdWatcher 01-13-2020 01:15 AM

1976 WPK Pre-Season Predictions
 
4 Attachment(s)
The prognosticators have spoken.
First the SJL:
Attachment 668525
Attachment 668526

And the MGL:
Attachment 668527
Attachment 668528

BirdWatcher 01-13-2020 01:19 AM

Top 100 Prospects List
 
3 Attachment(s)
Brewers farm-hand Jim Atwell, the most promising starting pitching prospect in the Denver system, is named the #1 prospect overall in the WPK for 1976.
Attachment 668529
Attachment 668530

Interestingly, the top position player prospect on the list from Denver is unheralded outfielder Victor Oseguera at #68 overall while Mike Lovett is only #71.
Attachment 668531

The only other Brewer prospect in the top 100 is John Weaver at #99.

BirdWatcher 01-13-2020 07:16 PM

WPK Superstars update, Opening Day 1976
 
As I've mentioned before, I like to keep track of some reputation trends in the WPK twice a season- once on Opening Day and again during the All-Star break.

This is to document things like team Captain status, Fan Favorites, and Disruptive players but even more importantly to capture who are the current players considered the best in the business overall and by position.

(Simply put, I see overall star ratings as a current reputation indicator and I compare the OSA view of this with my own scouting staff's view to find some sort of possible consensus.)

Looking at the 5-star players in the league as we begin the 1976 season we find 7 players, a few more than at this time last year but a few less than at the AS break 1975.

A couple have been on this list for some time: veteran future HOF reliever Jamel McNeil and the oft-injured but terrific San Antonio shortstop Bud Lindsay. The youngest member of the group is Columbus 22-year old closer Jamar Clay, a real fan favorite as well. Another veteran reliever, the 32-year old Kee Han, now with Milwaukee also qualifies. It shouldn't surprise that the SJL ROY of 1975, Philadelphia's Xiao-mei Mah, is now on the list. And the last two are both Brewers- Joe McPhillips and Bobby Erbakan.

As far as positional ratings go, the top two starting pitchers (according to both the OSA and the Brewers scouts) are Aaron McNally (naturally) and Denver's own Sadahige Kawasaki. (The future HOF'ers, Jake Harris and Cheol-han Lee, both heading into the twilight of their careers, are still not far behind in the next level.) Obviously the three relievers listed above (Clay, Han, McNeil) dominate that position.
Both the OSA and Brewers scouts agree that the top catchers in the game are L.A.'s Greg Foster and Boston's young (23) Elvis Iniguez. But Denver scouts believe that our own Zacarias Martell belongs in the mix too. Interestingly, the long-time consensus best in the business at this position, Erik Buonopane, while still being up among the best, has a lot of competition and has lost his status as the class of the WPK as a backstop.
With Bobby Erbakan having moved to second base, the best at first base are now veteran slugger Nate Bennett of Philly and Brooklyn's talented 27-year old, Danny Salvador.
Bobby Erbakan does share the honor as top second baseman in the WPK with Xiao-mei Mah.
Jesus Hernandez, the ageless L.A. Spinner, is the consensus best third baseman in the WPK at the age of 35.
Left field is a bit more crowded as there is no consensus truly elite player there. Among the contenders are Joe Brodeur (San Antonio), Curtis Horah (Boston), and Eric Taylor (Washington). The OSA also sees the 24-year old Matt Buelvas of Washington as joining this group. (Not quite sure how you have two of the best in the business at one position on one team. Something would seem to have to give there.)
Center field isn't crowded. Joe McPhillips. End of list. (Now if we can just keep him healthy for a full season again.)
And there can be only one in right field too. Two time MVP Justin Vargas of Boston.

Palaaemon 01-13-2020 09:44 PM

Team post request
 
Bird,

I have a request. Would you please post the current 25 man major league team and all relevant 40 man or others that would be among the first brought up due to injuries. Just want to get a good look at the new look team, especially since we have not seen a lot of these players for a bit. Thanks brother.

Have a Great night!

Palaaemon

BirdWatcher 01-13-2020 10:57 PM

5 Attachment(s)
Quote:

Originally Posted by Palaaemon (Post 4577118)
Bird,

I have a request. Would you please post the current 25 man major league team and all relevant 40 man or others that would be among the first brought up due to injuries. Just want to get a good look at the new look team, especially since we have not seen a lot of these players for a bit. Thanks brother.

Have a Great night!

Palaaemon

Sure. Let's start with the basics and then I will try to share screenshots of some of the unknown/new players.

The rotation remains pretty much the same, minus Harry Lyerly.
Attachment 668609

The bullpen has 4 returnees from 1975- Gottula, Shore, Flynn, Marino. The other 3 are really starters waiting for a chance to join the rotation, with Hamasaki being the guy who would fill out the rotation as the 6th starter during the dog days of summer.
Attachment 668610

Hahn had a great season at AAA last year, but is only a borderline candidate for a starting job in an emergency.
Attachment 668611

Attachment 668612
With the 2 lineups shown here only 1 player currently on the 25-man roster is unaccounted for and that is 22-year old outfielder Val Guzman.
Here he is:
Attachment 668613

And I'll pick up the rest of this in the next post.

BirdWatcher 01-13-2020 11:09 PM

5 Attachment(s)
As you can see, we are 3 games into the season and swept our opening home series against Oklahoma City.

The infield defense looks amazing right now, with Erbakan already a force at second base, Taranto quite good at first, Rich White playing a sparkling short, and, with RodRod on the IL, Nick Ward and Joe Willemse taking turns at third.
Here is Ward:
Attachment 668614

Outfield defense is great too, other than the adequate Andrew Kennedy. In addition to Guzman getting his first taste of the bigs, 25-year old Izzy Veliz also made the cut with the extra spot open due to RodRod's injury.
Veliz:
Attachment 668615

Veliz will probably remain when RodRod returns with Guzman going back to AAA for seasoning. Neither look like more than 4th or 5th outfielders but they both have some valuable skills, especially with the glove and legs.

If things go completely topsy-turvy with the pitching staff, Levi Happ is a passable option in a pinch.
Attachment 668616

And if one of our fine catchers goes down Chris Moon is chomping at the bit to join the Brewers and could play at the WPK level right now.
Attachment 668617

Reliever Antonio Nieves, if he could just harness his control a bit, could also play a role eventually.
Attachment 668618

Palaaemon 01-16-2020 02:24 AM

The Next Chapter
 
Bird,

It's that time again. Harry Lyerly has moved on. Time to rename the title for this next chapter of the Denver Brewer's story. Might I suggest that as an alternate possibility don't use a players name. I am quite tired at the moment and nothing comes to mind but I will think about a suggestion starting tomorrow. What do you think?

Have a Great night!

Palaaemon

BirdWatcher 01-16-2020 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Palaaemon (Post 4577732)
Bird,

It's that time again. Harry Lyerly has moved on. Time to rename the title for this next chapter of the Denver Brewer's story. Might I suggest that as an alternate possibility don't use a players name. I am quite tired at the moment and nothing comes to mind but I will think about a suggestion starting tomorrow. What do you think?

Have a Great night!

Palaaemon

So here is the funny thing- I hadn't mentioned it last time you brought this up, with the thought that I might include Joe McPhillips in the title of the next thread, but my decision already was to simply entitle the next thread The Denver Brewers of the W.P. Kinsella League.

But I think I won't do that until we move into OOTP 21 and I start the third installment of this story. I'm okay with leaving things as they are for now and anyone who has been following along will be aware that the Brewers portion of Lyerly's career has come to an end. Having said that, I still plan to give regular updates on how things are going for Lyerly as I have in the past (and continue to do, but not as frequently) regarding Ruben Souffront.

BirdWatcher 01-18-2020 12:37 PM

Week 1, April 11-17, 1976
 
Brewers record: 4-2 (week), 4-2, 2nd place, 1 gb (season).

April 12-14, versus Oklahoma City: 2-1, 8-7, 9-2.

Opening Day, 1976: The Brewers get a fine start from Sadahige Kawasaki and a timely hit off the bat of Bobby Erbakan to claim a narrow 2-1 win in front of over 41,000 fans at Centennial Stadium in the 1976 season home opener. Kawasaki gave up 1 run on 5 hits in 7 innings pitched and then Jason Gottula and Tim Shore combined to preserve the victory. Rich White goes 3 for 4 in the leadoff slot. Joe McPhilips picked up his first outfield assist of the new season, throwing out a man at home plate to end the top of the 3rd inning.

In the second game of the season, Cheol-han Lee is not sharp but the offense lifts him to a win anyway. Lee gave up 6 runs on 7 hits in 7 innings pitched. On the other hand, the veteran hurler was 2 for 3 with a run, an RBI, and a double at the plate. Zacarias Martell and Bobby Erbakan lead the offensive production. Martell went 2 for 3 with 3 runs scored and hit 2 doubles. And Erbakan was 2 for 4 with 2 RBI and hit his, and the team's, first HR of the season. Ben Flynn pitched the final 2 innings for his first save of the 1976 season.

The Brewers also provided plenty of run support in game 3 for veteran southpaw Erik Sloan, though he really didn't need it. Sloan went the distance for the victory, allowing just 2 runs on 5 hits. Bobby Erbakan and Rich White remain hot. Erbakan was 2 for 3 with a run and an RBI in this one while White went 2 for 3 with 2 runs and an RBI. The two have also combined to provide exceptional defense in the middle of the Brewer infield.

April 15-17, at Charlotte: 0-1, 4-3, 1-3.

The Charlotte Sting have been one of the hottest teams in the early going, and they get the series victory against the Brewers in a close, low-scoring 3-game set.

In game 1 the Brewers are shut out by the unheralded Danny Tatum, getting his first shot at the starting rotation at age 22. Tatum possesses a great change-up and tremendous leadership skills (Captain) but other than that profiles as an average starting pitcher. But he was masterful in this one, holding the Brewers to 1 hit over 7 innings. Why only 7 innings? Rain. Game called before the Brewers had a chance to mount a late-innings comeback. Steve Green gave up just 1 unearned run on 5 hits in his 6 2/3rds before the game was called and takes a tough-luck loss.

The Brewers do come back in game 2 though, as a pair of 9th inning runs make the difference and they hold on for a one-run victory. Brett Taranto was 3 for 5 in the game and came up with the 9th inning run producing single that gave the Brewers their margin of victory. Matt Helm gave up 3 runs (2 earned) on 7 hits in his 7 innings pitched but did not figure in the decision. Ben Flynn, off to a good start, pitched the final 2 innings to get his first victory of the season. Zacarias Martell and Rich White, both off to great starts, also each picked up a pair of hits in the victory.

In the final game of the series, Charlotte knuckleballer Lienhart Brown mystified the Brewers hitters on the way to a 3-1 victory. Sadahige Kawasaki got the start for the visitors, working 7 2/3rds, giving up 3 runs on 9 hits and sees his record fall to 1-1. Andrew Kennedy went 3 for 4 and hit 2 doubles in the loss.

Notes from around the league: The Columbus Whalers don't seem to be experiencing a Kinsella Classic championship hangover, as they start the season 5-1 to lead the SJL. The Chicago Fire, who were half-way respectable in their first season as an expansion club, get off to an 0-6 start in their second campaign.
The Baltimore Lords and Charlotte Sting both get off to a 5-1 start in the MGL. On the flip-side, the Detroit Falcons start 0-6.

BirdWatcher 01-18-2020 03:12 PM

Week 2, April 18-24, 1976
 
Brewers record: 5-1 (week), 9-3, 1st place (tie), (season).

April 18-20, versus Baltimore: 11-3, 9-1, 5-0.

It is nearly always good news for the Brewers offense when they get to come home to Centennial Stadium, and this series was certainly no exception to that.

In game 1, Brett Taranto went 2 for 3 with 3 RBI and hit his 1st triple of 1976. Taranto was one of 7 Brewers to collect multiple hits in this one. Josh Schaeffer, off to a slow start, went 2 for 3 with 2 walks and 3 runs scored. He also stole his first two bags off the season and threw out a runner at third base. Cheol-han Lee (2-0, 5.40) got the win, giving up 3 runs on 10 hits over 8 innings pitched.

Game 2 saw more of the same, with RodRod leading the way offensively this time, going 3 for 5 with 4 RBI and hitting 2 doubles in the victory. Bobby Erbakan went 3 for 5 with 2 RBI and hit his 2nd HR of the season. Erik Sloan improves to 2-0 with a 1.65 ERA, giving up just 1 run on 6 hits in his 7 1/3rd innings pitched.

And the series wraps up with a Steve Green complete game shutout as the Brewers get the sweep. Green (1-1, 0.00) allowed just 2 hits while striking out 5 and walking 2. RodRod went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored and an RBI, hitting his 3rd double of the season. Brett Taranto was 2 for 3 with a run scored, another driven in, and hit his 2nd double.

April 21-23, at Detroit: 3-2, 9-2, 2-5.

The Brewers then head to Detroit to take on the struggling Falcons.
The visitors take a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the 8th and escape with a narrow 3-2 victory. Sekien Hamasaki's first start of the season was a solid one, as he gave up just 1 run on 3 hits in 7 innings. Ben Flynn pitched the final inning to pick up his 2nd save of 1976. Josh Schaeffer went 4 for 4 in the game and stole his 3rd base and Joe McPhillips, off to a very slow start at the plate, finally started coming alive with a 3 for 5, 2 run game, hitting his 2nd double of the season.

The Brewers get another big game from Rich White (.514/.575/.714), who goes 4 for 5 with 2 runs scored and 2 driven in, hitting 3 doubles to get to 5 on the year, in game 2. Captain Matt Helm (1-0, 2.51) pitched strong again, giving up 2 runs on 9 hits in 7 1/3rd.

In the final game of the series, the Brewers clawed their way to a 2-2 tie at the end of the regulation 9, only to see the Falcons walk-off with a 3-run HR in the bottom of the 11th. A tough no-decision for Sadahige Kawasaki (1-1, 2.05). Sadahige allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 10 hits in 7 1/3rd innings pitched. Ben Flynn (1-1, 4.15), who has been pitching so well up to now, took the loss, allowing the 3-run blast in the 11th after having pitched a fine 10th inning. Jorge Gonzalez, off to a very slow start, went 2 for 5 with an RBI in the loss. Former Brewer Hector Hard went the distance for the win, throwing just 112 pitches in his 11 inning victory.

Notes from around the league: The Washington Night Train have caught the Columbus Whalers for a share of 1st place in the SJL. Both teams are now 9-3. The normally strong Jacksonville Wolf Pack have dropped into a last place tie with the Seattle Alligators, both with 4-8 records. (The Chicago Fire have now won 5 in a row and are tied with fellow expansion club Houston in 8th place at 5-7.)
The Brewers share the lead in the MGL with the Charlotte Sting. Oklahoma City has been playing well and is next at 8-4. In spite of their win against the Brewers yesterday, the Detroit Falcons still sit in last place with a miserable 2-10 record.

Palaaemon 01-18-2020 04:53 PM

1976 Begins!
 
A great start to the season I see. Not all cylinders are hitting at the same time, but the way that the team as a whole is playing it looks like they will have time to get into the groove ;). I did not see any injuries posted, were there any? If you don't have time I understand bro, but were you going to post the 25 man roster? If that is too much I can make a short list for you. I am just interested in seeing how the players have developed since last we saw them. Some have been longer than others. Some have gone through decently long injuries, (McPhillips and Erbakan hoping those injuries do not cause them any further hardships) at least one has changed position, (Erbakan) possibly someone might have been affected by the TCR fairie or some with more moderate up/down bumps. I just like to keep track of the boys as they set out on another fine season of WPK baseball!

Have a Great weekend brother!

Palaaemon

BirdWatcher 01-18-2020 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Palaaemon (Post 4578353)
A great start to the season I see. Not all cylinders are hitting at the same time, but the way that the team as a whole is playing it looks like they will have time to get into the groove ;). I did not see any injuries posted, were there any? If you don't have time I understand bro, but were you going to post the 25 man roster? If that is too much I can make a short list for you. I am just interested in seeing how the players have developed since last we saw them. Some have been longer than others. Some have gone through decently long injuries, (McPhillips and Erbakan hoping those injuries do not cause them any further hardships) at least one has changed position, (Erbakan) possibly someone might have been affected by the TCR fairie or some with more moderate up/down bumps. I just like to keep track of the boys as they set out on another fine season of WPK baseball!

Have a Great weekend brother!

Palaaemon

Sorry, I thought I had posted the 25-man roster, in a manner of speaking. I just captured it by showing you all of the players on it, including the rotation, the bullpen, the lineups and the few players who weren't included on any of those lists. That was it, basically.

Only injury to start the season was RodRod, who has since returned (with Val Guzman getting sent back down to AAA.) No more injuries yet, fingers crossed.

As pointed out in the post about WPK superstars and best players by position, Joe McPhillips and Bobby Erbakan remain among the best in the game. I realize that was just based on overall ratings, but essentially their underlying ratings remain unchanged. If anything the move to second base has lifted Erbakan's value a bit and he is now a premium defensive second baseman. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him win his 7th Gold Glove at the end of the season, his first as a second sacker.

I did earlier allude to some of the slight changes in ratings as we begin the season: Ben Flynn on the plus side, Cheol-han Lee a bit on the negative side. But no major changes either among the big league roster or in the minor leagues.

As we go forward in the season I will try to feature players along the way. But feel free to ask me for screenshots of any particular players you would like to see.

And thanks, as always, for following along.

Palaaemon 01-18-2020 06:51 PM

Screen Shots Short List
 
Yea, I was talking about screen shots, but I did like what you did also. So how about a short list of:

All 5 starting pitchers
Joe McPhillips
Bobby Erbakan
Zacharias Martell
Rich White

Thanks!

Palaaemon

BirdWatcher 01-18-2020 07:36 PM

5 Attachment(s)
Quote:

Originally Posted by Palaaemon (Post 4578374)
Yea, I was talking about screen shots, but I did like what you did also. So how about a short list of:

All 5 starting pitchers
Joe McPhillips
Bobby Erbakan
Zacharias Martell
Rich White

Thanks!

Palaaemon

Sure, no problem.

I'll take care of the starting rotation in this post and then the rest of the list in the following post.

The rotation:
Attachment 669136
Attachment 669137
Attachment 669138
Attachment 669139
Attachment 669140

Obviously a rotation where it pays to have a great infield defense behind them.

EDIT: Whoops, sorry. Should have made sure that screenshot showed Sloan's screwball. It is his best pitch and rates at 8 out 10 currently.

BirdWatcher 01-18-2020 07:45 PM

5 Attachment(s)
And the position players you asked for (with Josh Schaeffer thrown in as a bonus):

Attachment 669141
Attachment 669142
Attachment 669143
Attachment 669144
Attachment 669145

As you can see, Rich White is off to a terrific start that is unsustainable for him (offensively, anyway.) Bobby is also off to a great start. Joe McPhillips is starting slow, but still a premium defender and runner and his bat is sure to come around. Zacarias Martell, like his backup Kirk Patnode, always seems to over-achieve his offensive ratings, which he can just keep doing as far as I'm concerned. And Josh Schaeffer has become one of the steady contributors on this team, in spite of his supposed work ethic issues.

BirdWatcher 01-19-2020 02:05 PM

Week 3, April 25-May 1, 1976
 
1 Attachment(s)
Brewers record: 5-2 (week), 14-5, 1st place, MGL (season).

April 25-27, at Portland: 6-2, 4-2, 12-6.

The Brewers head up to the Pacific Northwest and rather easily dispatch the Wild Things in 3 games.
In the first game, Cheol-han Lee picked up his 3rd win of the season (3-0, 4.50), pitching a strong 7 innings, giving up 2 runs on 6 hits. Andrew Kennedy was 3 for 5 with 3 RBI in the win.
Game 2 saw veteran lefty Erik Sloan (3-0, 1.85) give another fine performance. Sloan lasted 8 innings, allowing 2 runs on 8 hits. Tim Shore pitched the 9th for his 2nd save of the season. Rich White led the way offensively with a 3 for 5 game and hit his 1st HR of the season. Jorge Gonzalez, off to a very slow start, did go 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored in this one and hit his 4th double and picked up his first stolen base of 1976.
The final game was something of a slug fest with Andrew Kennedy again leading the way. Kennedy went 4 for 5 with 3 RBI and hit 2 doubles to get to 5 on the season. It was Steve Green's (2-1, 2.57) poorest start of 1976 but he got the win anyway. He allowed 6 runs on 8 hits in 5 1/3rd IP. John Weaver pitched the final 2 2/3rd for his 1st save. RodRod went 3 for 6 with 2 RBI and Rich White contributed a 2 for 4, 2 run, 2 RBI game and hit his 6th double.

April 28-30, versus Los Angeles: 2-8, 8-3, 3-2.

The Brewers return home to face the thus far disappointing L.A. Spinners. But in game 1, the Spinners get a fine performance from their rookie starter Eduardo Abando, who was signed as a free agent out of Mexico in the off-season. Sadahige Kawasaki (1-2, 2.51) takes the loss for Denver, as he gives up 3 runs on 8 hits in 6 2/3rds, and is the victim of both a lack of run support and a melt-down by the bullpen, which has been pretty solid up until now this season. Ben Flynn gives up 3 runs on 4 hits while recording just a pair of outs to let the game get out of hand. Andrew Kennedy hits his 6th double but that is one of only 5 hits for the Brewers in the game and the only one for extra bases.
Attachment 669243

The home club bounces back in game 2, with the big hit being a Zacarias Martell bases-loaded and bases-clearing double in the 6th inning. Martell had 1 hit in just 2 at-bats but drove in 4 runs in the victory.
Brett Taranto went 1 for 3, hitting his 3rd triple of 1976 and scoring 3 times. He also stole his 3rd base (but has been caught 5 times- yikes!) Matt Helm was the starter for Denver but did not get a decision in this one, having pitched 5 1/3rd while giving up 3 runs on 8 hits. Sekien Hamasaki (2-0, 0.84) pitched the final 3 2/3rds for the win.

The Brewers and Spinners battle to a 2-2 tie after 9 in the rubber match, but the home squad holds on to walk off with the win in the bottom of the 10th. The normally excellent L.A. reliever Yu-bao Tong gave the Brewers the victory by issuing a 1-out walk to Bobby Erbakan , allowing a Joe McPhillips infield single (well, can't really blame Tong for that- Joe is speedy!), and following that by hitting Andrew Kennedy with a pitch and then working to a 1-2 count on Brett Taranto before uncorking a wild pitch that scored Erbakan from third with the winning run.
Cheol-han Lee was excellent in this one but did not figure in the decision. He allowed just 1 run on 7 hits in 8 innings pitched. Ben Flynn (2-1, 5.23) got the win in relief. The Brewers infield turned 3 double plays and outfielder Joe McPhillips threw out a runner at third base or the outcome might have been very different. (There can be no doubt that the Denver defense is better than it has been in years.)

May 1, at Phoenix: 1-3.

Former Brewer farm hand Steve LaCoste (who went 17-10 with a 4.23 ERA in 1975 for the Speed Devils), gave the Brewers fits in the first game of a 3 game set in the desert. Tough loss for Erik Sloan (3-1, 2.27), who gave up 3 runs on just 6 hits in his 7 1/3rd innings pitched. Brett Taranto went 2 for 4 in the loss and Joe McPhillips finally hit his first homer of the 1976 season.

Notes from around the league:
The Washington Night Train are rolling in the SJL and now have a record of 15-4 and lead Columbus by 1 game. The Boston Berserkers have been playing well and sit in 3rd place with a 12-7 record. The Houston Cavaliers and the Milwaukee Cadets bring up the rear with matching 6-13 marks.
The Brewers now lead the MGL with Oklahoma City and the Brooklyn Aces tied for 2nd with 12-7 records, 2 games behind Denver. The Detroit Falcons and the reigning MGL champs L.A. sit in last with 6-13 records. Rich White still leads the league in batting average at .403 but not far behind him is former Brewer Ruben "Streak" Souffront at .390. In third is Brewer Brett Taranto at .386. It is unlikely that any of these three will be atop the leader boards in this category at the end of the season, but they are all off to terrific starts. White and Taranto are 1-2 in OPS in the league and White trails only Brooklyn's Felix Lopez (having quite the resurgence since the beginning of 1975 in his mid-30's) in WAR (1.8 to 1.7).

BirdWatcher 01-19-2020 02:16 PM

April (1976) Batters of the Month
 
2 Attachment(s)
Justin Vargas is the reigning SJL MVP and one of the finest hitters in the game. So it should come as no surprise that he took Batter of the Month honors for the month of April in the SJL.
Attachment 669246

1971 MGL ROY and 3-time All-Star second baseman Randy Keisel of the Baltimore Lords is often a thorn in the sides of the Denver Brewers. In the month of April, apparently several clubs were feeling the sting of his bat.
Attachment 669247

BirdWatcher 01-19-2020 02:25 PM

April (1976) Pitchers of the Month
 
2 Attachment(s)
Since joining the WPK as an international free agent out of South Korea prior to the 1972 season, Seung-jin Kim has rarely made much of an impression. But that changed this last month for the easy-going 32 year old as he earned the SJL Pitcher of the Month honors with three terrific starts.
Attachment 669249

Chris Justice of the Brooklyn Aces had a tremendous first half in 1975 before tailing off considerably in the second half. He is off to another great start in 1976 and if he can just translate his talent to a full-season of excellence the Aces would have quite the 1-2 punch at the top of their rotation in Justice and back-to-back Triple Crown and Pitcher of the Year award winner Aaron McNally.
Attachment 669250

BirdWatcher 01-19-2020 02:36 PM

April (1976) Rookies of the Month
 
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Kyle Newsome came into the WPK much heralded, being the overall top pick of the 1972 draft out of Venice High School in L.A. Since then he has seen his stock drop a bit, having been considered the #5 best prospect in 1973 and dropping all the way down to #36 by 1975. He has rebounded a bit to #29 this year and if April is any indication he might be ready finally to make his mark on the big leagues. He is doing so at this point from the El Paso bullpen but he still profiles as a future starting pitcher in the WPK once he develops his third pitch, an above average splitter, a bit more. He is a hard worker and many think he is likely to maximize his potential soon.
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As has previously been discussed, 27-year old free agent out of Mexico Eduardo Abando has been spectacular for L.A. thus far in 1976 and with veteran great Jose Santos currently on the IL with elbow tendinitis for at least another month, his contributions are very much needed by the struggling reigning MGL champs.
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