[BirdWatcher]

(In which we discuss some team trends, minor league performances, speculations, rumors, etc.)

Although the Brewers are off to a fine start in the 1978 season, there are some areas of concern and some changes have already been made to help bolster the squad.

One position that seems particularly to be up for grabs is third base, where incumbent Rodrigo "RodRod" Rodriguez is off to a very cold start at the plate (.217/.240/.261). With RodRod's defensive shortcomings, anything short of offensive excellence makes him a liability. After bouncing back at the plate last year to the tune of .325/.363/.491 he still only managed 2.2 WAR. This season he already sits at -0.5. Partly due to this Jake DiCesare, who did so well in his 188 plate appearances last year with the team, was re-called not long ago from AAA Chester and is getting more and more of the starts (and once again both hitting and fielding quite well.) And perhaps even more significantly, top third base prospect Jose Figueroa is off to a fine start at AAA Chester, hitting .360/.375/.430 with 0.8 WAR in the early going. When you combine RodRod's weak offense thus far with his already poor and continually declining defense and his propensity for injury, his days with the club may be numbered. There certainly are plenty of contenders to take over from him, with the defensively gifted Nick Ward and Joe Willemse also in the mix.

The Brewers are also experiencing some pitching issues this season. The rotation has seen tremendous performance from the top two starters- Sadahige Kawasaki and (especially) Sekien Hamasaki- while number 3 starter Steve Green is once again under-performing, and #4 John Weaver has been inconsistent. Young Jim Atwell, at the back-end of the rotation has started to show some of his great promise, including getting his first complete game win in the big leagues in his outing yesterday (not yet reported on).
But the front office is encouraged by the performance thus far this year at AAA Chester by prospect Bryant Cox. Cox, in his first 4 starts this year, has gone 3-1 with a 1.71 ERA and 0.99 WHIP and is looking nearly big league ready. (Likely he won't be called up until the September 1st roster expansion, but if injuries arise it could be sooner.)

Although he has had a few great games this year for Denver, and he was the MVP of the 1977 KCS, Jon Williams was recently demoted to AAA to take a bit of pressure off of him and let him work out of his hitting woes. In 47 plate appearances this year he has hit .186/.255/.349 and with Josh Schaeffer coming off the IL room needed to be made on the roster. With Casey Bromwell hitting well since being promoted on April 17th, it was decided to send down Williams, who is still only 25 year old and has 3 option years left. Williams went 3 for 5 in his first game back at AAA, so hopefully that is a good sign that he will get his offensive mojo back.

Rumor has it that the Brewers may be looking to sign right fielder Josh Schaeffer to an extension soon. Schaeffer would he arbitration eligible for the last time at the end of the season and many wonder if the team might try to sign him more long-term given the value he has provided up to this point. On the other hand, he will turn 30 later this season and has long had a reputation for having a poor work ethic, so just how many years the team would be willing to commit to him is an open question.