OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - The W.P. Kinsella League random update thread

BirdWatcher · 07-18-2021, 05:07 PM

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Heading into the home stretch of the 1981 regular season, there are a few interesting pennant races to follow, with the most intense being that of the MGL West where your Denver Brewers now trail those surprising Portland Wild Things by 1/2 a game.

The SJL West has been the weakest division in the WPK this year, with the El Paso Dawgs having led most of the way but limping a bit towards the finish line while the reigning WPK champion San Antonio Keys, led as always by future Hall of Fame shortstop Bud Lindsay (starting to show his age and hampered by a career-long propensity for injuries), have recently risen from mid-standings to even briefly take over first in the past week. The Dawgs have since returned to the top spot, but are barely hanging on.

Over in the SJL East, the Pittsburgh Road Runners are looking to repeat, having won the very first SJL East pennant in 1980 when divisional play was introduced to the WPK. The Road Runners are led by the best player in the game (having taken over that mantle from Bud Lindsay last year), reigning SJL MVP Matt Van der Heyden. Van der Heyden has put up 12.4 WAR thus far in 1981, easily the best in the WPK with the next best being 8.7 for Portland's ultra-talented young shortstop Willie Romero (now the consensus best defensive player in the game). The Washington Night Train got off to a great start and unexpectedly have held on all season to post a respectable record largely on the strength of a surprisingly good offensive attack, keyed by two young South Korean players, 25 year old second baseman Ki-moon Kym and 23 year old right fielder Myon-ki Choi.
The Columbus Whalers continue to have one of the best rotations in the game (led by youngsters Bill Thompson and Jay Crosby) but it certainly doesn't look like it will be enough to catch the powerhouse Road Runners.

Over in the MGL East, the Brooklyn Aces hold the edge with the Baltimore Lords almost surely being the only team left that could challenge them. But it looks like this one is the Aces to lose. The Aces are, unlike often in the past, an offense first team, led primarily by young center fielder Chris Caldwell and veteran slugging first baseman Danny Salvador (who will probably end up with career numbers shy of Hall of Fame level, but certainly has had a distinguished run). The Aces are only 9th in the league in runs allowed but if they can get into the late innings with a lead, they do have one of the most dynamic young closers in the business in 21-year old lefty Micheal Tucker, who saved 28 games in his rookie season at the tender age of 20 and now has 36 saves and an impressive 2.17 ERA this season.

And back to the MGL West, where our Brewers have led most of the way since taking over from the San Franciso Velocity, who got off to a torrid start but have had a poor second half, in mid-May. Those young Portland Wild Things, led by ace Joe Barbour, defensive marvel (and decent power hitting) shortstop Willie Romero, breakout star first baseman Will Masiello (hitting .339/.377/.517 with a 6.3 WAR in his first full season of play) and rookie center fielder Quincy Schultz (younger brother to long-time star WPK first baseman Josh Schultz), who likely will have a trophy case full of Gold Gloves before his career ends, just kept hanging around all season and recently have moved into first place. The Brewers, who won the MGL West last year with the best record (110-52) in the WPK, only to lose in the first ever MGL Division Championship series to the expansion Montreal Royals, who won the woeful MGL East with an 82-80 mark, find themselves in the unusual position of looking up at first place down the stretch run. This is of course more about how well the Wild Things have played than any mark against the Brewers, who still have the second best record in all of the WPK at this stage of the season. The Brewers rotation, almost completely homegrown through the draft at this point, remains one of the strongest in the game, and the bullpen has been surprisingly good, deep, and balanced. First baseman Brett Taranto (.353/.400/.508, 5.9 WAR) is having a come-back season after two decent but somewhat disappointing seasons in a row, and it appears he will claim the third batting title of his career. Right fielder Antonio Acuna has won the MGL MVP award the past two seasons and with a very strong first half it appeared he might claim a third consecutive, but he has worn down a bit in the second half while still remaining a force (.326/.357/.502, 7.0 WAR, and a strong candidate for his first Gold Glove- 16.4 ZR, 19 outfield assists). The outfield remains a strength for the club, with 4 solid starters, including veteran center fielder Joe McPhillips (.263/.354/.398, 4.1 WAR), left fielders Val Guzman (.299/.361/.439, 2.5 WAR) and Matt Catlett (who also has often played center to give the aging and fragile McPhillips breathers) (.308/.354/.447, 4.0 WAR), who went to his first All-Star game earlier in the year.
The infield, aside from Taranto at first, is far more unsettled, with three fragile veterans and a rotating cast of others fighting for time and trying to make an impression. Shawn York has shared shortstop duties with veteran Rich White, but while York has been very impressive with the glove his bat remains somewhat disappointing (.236/.271/.297, 2.2 WAR on the strength largely of his 15.5 ZR). Third baseman Jake DiCesare has continued to play well when healthy (.323/.359/.430, 2.0 WAR) but he is often injured and there are indications that this might be starting to take a toll of his skills as well. One young player who looks like he might take advantage of the Brewers aging and injury-prone infield situation is Russell Fleming (.287/.316/.421 in 174 PA). While Fleming does not profile as a starter and his defense is mostly just adequate (he does have a very strong arm so third base is his best fit) he has a decent hit tool and can also play the outfield pretty well (in fact, he could be an elite defensive right fielder, except of course we already have one of those in Acuna). But Fleming's positional versatility along with above average contact hitting skills and a fine makeup (high loyalty and work ethic) make him the prime candidate for a super-sub position on the team going forward.

07-18-2021, 05:07 PM	#2
BirdWatcher Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: Denver, Colorado Posts: 4,263	WPK Standings, September 19th, 1981 Heading into the home stretch of the 1981 regular season, there are a few interesting pennant races to follow, with the most intense being that of the MGL West where your Denver Brewers now trail those surprising Portland Wild Things by 1/2 a game. The SJL West has been the weakest division in the WPK this year, with the El Paso Dawgs having led most of the way but limping a bit towards the finish line while the reigning WPK champion San Antonio Keys, led as always by future Hall of Fame shortstop Bud Lindsay (starting to show his age and hampered by a career-long propensity for injuries), have recently risen from mid-standings to even briefly take over first in the past week. The Dawgs have since returned to the top spot, but are barely hanging on. Over in the SJL East, the Pittsburgh Road Runners are looking to repeat, having won the very first SJL East pennant in 1980 when divisional play was introduced to the WPK. The Road Runners are led by the best player in the game (having taken over that mantle from Bud Lindsay last year), reigning SJL MVP Matt Van der Heyden. Van der Heyden has put up 12.4 WAR thus far in 1981, easily the best in the WPK with the next best being 8.7 for Portland's ultra-talented young shortstop Willie Romero (now the consensus best defensive player in the game). The Washington Night Train got off to a great start and unexpectedly have held on all season to post a respectable record largely on the strength of a surprisingly good offensive attack, keyed by two young South Korean players, 25 year old second baseman Ki-moon Kym and 23 year old right fielder Myon-ki Choi. The Columbus Whalers continue to have one of the best rotations in the game (led by youngsters Bill Thompson and Jay Crosby) but it certainly doesn't look like it will be enough to catch the powerhouse Road Runners. Over in the MGL East, the Brooklyn Aces hold the edge with the Baltimore Lords almost surely being the only team left that could challenge them. But it looks like this one is the Aces to lose. The Aces are, unlike often in the past, an offense first team, led primarily by young center fielder Chris Caldwell and veteran slugging first baseman Danny Salvador (who will probably end up with career numbers shy of Hall of Fame level, but certainly has had a distinguished run). The Aces are only 9th in the league in runs allowed but if they can get into the late innings with a lead, they do have one of the most dynamic young closers in the business in 21-year old lefty Micheal Tucker, who saved 28 games in his rookie season at the tender age of 20 and now has 36 saves and an impressive 2.17 ERA this season. And back to the MGL West, where our Brewers have led most of the way since taking over from the San Franciso Velocity, who got off to a torrid start but have had a poor second half, in mid-May. Those young Portland Wild Things, led by ace Joe Barbour, defensive marvel (and decent power hitting) shortstop Willie Romero, breakout star first baseman Will Masiello (hitting .339/.377/.517 with a 6.3 WAR in his first full season of play) and rookie center fielder Quincy Schultz (younger brother to long-time star WPK first baseman Josh Schultz), who likely will have a trophy case full of Gold Gloves before his career ends, just kept hanging around all season and recently have moved into first place. The Brewers, who won the MGL West last year with the best record (110-52) in the WPK, only to lose in the first ever MGL Division Championship series to the expansion Montreal Royals, who won the woeful MGL East with an 82-80 mark, find themselves in the unusual position of looking up at first place down the stretch run. This is of course more about how well the Wild Things have played than any mark against the Brewers, who still have the second best record in all of the WPK at this stage of the season. The Brewers rotation, almost completely homegrown through the draft at this point, remains one of the strongest in the game, and the bullpen has been surprisingly good, deep, and balanced. First baseman Brett Taranto (.353/.400/.508, 5.9 WAR) is having a come-back season after two decent but somewhat disappointing seasons in a row, and it appears he will claim the third batting title of his career. Right fielder Antonio Acuna has won the MGL MVP award the past two seasons and with a very strong first half it appeared he might claim a third consecutive, but he has worn down a bit in the second half while still remaining a force (.326/.357/.502, 7.0 WAR, and a strong candidate for his first Gold Glove- 16.4 ZR, 19 outfield assists). The outfield remains a strength for the club, with 4 solid starters, including veteran center fielder Joe McPhillips (.263/.354/.398, 4.1 WAR), left fielders Val Guzman (.299/.361/.439, 2.5 WAR) and Matt Catlett (who also has often played center to give the aging and fragile McPhillips breathers) (.308/.354/.447, 4.0 WAR), who went to his first All-Star game earlier in the year. The infield, aside from Taranto at first, is far more unsettled, with three fragile veterans and a rotating cast of others fighting for time and trying to make an impression. Shawn York has shared shortstop duties with veteran Rich White, but while York has been very impressive with the glove his bat remains somewhat disappointing (.236/.271/.297, 2.2 WAR on the strength largely of his 15.5 ZR). Third baseman Jake DiCesare has continued to play well when healthy (.323/.359/.430, 2.0 WAR) but he is often injured and there are indications that this might be starting to take a toll of his skills as well. One young player who looks like he might take advantage of the Brewers aging and injury-prone infield situation is Russell Fleming (.287/.316/.421 in 174 PA). While Fleming does not profile as a starter and his defense is mostly just adequate (he does have a very strong arm so third base is his best fit) he has a decent hit tool and can also play the outfield pretty well (in fact, he could be an elite defensive right fielder, except of course we already have one of those in Acuna). But Fleming's positional versatility along with above average contact hitting skills and a fine makeup (high loyalty and work ethic) make him the prime candidate for a super-sub position on the team going forward. __________________ The Denver Brewers of the W.P. Kinsella League-- The fun starts here(1965-1971: https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...d.php?t=289570 And continues here (1972-1976): https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...d.php?t=300500 On we go (1977- 1979): https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...d.php?t=314601 For ongoing and more random updates on the WPK:https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...d.php?t=325147, https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...d.php?t=330717 Last edited by BirdWatcher; 07-18-2021 at 05:14 PM.