The Denver Brewers are having their worst season in nearly two decades (they are on pace for their worst record since 1967, when the team went 80-82).
Will it surprise you if I say that I am somewhat happy about this and consider it evidence that this fictional league, and OOTP, are working the way they should? If anything, the fact that the Brewers won 100 or more games for 9 straight seasons (1974-1982) was the troublesome fact.
Don't get me wrong, it's fun to win. And it's not that I'm not trying to field a winning club this season also. Granted, I did make a few philosophical decisions- particularly focusing on building the pitching staff entirely from prospects (every starting pitcher currently on the club was drafted by us), not through free agency or trades- that might have meant that there would be some growing pains. But there is no intentional tanking, or semi-tanking, going on here.
My perception is that one factor is that OOTP is getting gradually more challenging- particularly when it comes to making trades-for the human G.M. And that is as it should be, in my opinion.
And, if anything, this seasons struggles for the Brewers probably just mean that I will stick around running the Brewers for longer than I might have otherwise, not needing to move to a lesser club for a fresh challenge.
So, let's take a look at things at this stage of the season for our Brewers:
As you might have been able to guess from the images above, the three Denver Brewers who were selected to this year's All-Star roster were starting pitcher
Austin Bond, first baseman
Chris Romines, and left fielder
Val Guzman.
For
Austin Bond this is his second All-Star selection, his first being in 1983.
Bond is one of our smartest and hardest working players and, as has been discussed often here, has over-achieved his perceived abilities. (In some ways he reminds me of our former team Captain Matt Helm in this regard, though the more durable
Bond is putting up even better numbers thus far.) To be fair, Bond has probably also been somewhat lucky this year, as is indicated by his .268 BABIP against, his 3.8 K/9, which is below his career 5.0 K/9, and his 2.5 BB/9, a bit higher than his career 2.0 BB/9. Then again, his 3.77 FIP is solid and he has a FIP- of 87, right about his career average. So while
Bond isn't a great pitcher, he is a great competitor and he gives his club a chance to win in nearly every start. (
Bond came in 4th in voting among starting pitchers in the MGL.)
Val Guzman is another hard working player who has over-achieved in his career. Sure, he was a 1st round supplemental draft pick in 1972 (34th overall) but he never cracked the top 100 prospect list as a minor leaguer and profiled as likely a 4th outfielder before joining the big league club. And now he has been named to his 5th All-Star game, this time as the starter voted in by the fans. He has a slash line of .325/.415/.601 and it is his ability to get on base and his great speed once he is there that have been some of his most durable calling cards as a player. He also has decent power, hitting at least 20 homers in 2 seasons and being in double digits now in 7 of his 9 full-time seasons in the bigs.
Chris Romines, in his rookie season at age 25, was also selected by the fans as the starter at his position (first base). On the subject of over-achievers,
Romines was the Brewers 7th round pick (#183 overall) in the 1981 draft. He was drafted as a third baseman and can still play that position quite well, with a strong infield arm. As a first baseman he fits into the Denver Brewers historical trend of having excellent fielders at this position not usually known for fielding. While
Romines is not of the defensive caliber as 6-time Gold Glover Bobby Erbakan, he is probably about the equal of his immediate predecessor, Brett Taranto, which is to say among the better defenders in the league at the position.
Romines won't hit for much power, but he is proving to be one of the best contact hitters in the game, and has a slash line of .383/.407/.532. He might not hit many home runs but he does have 21 doubles and 6 triples and therefore a good slugging percentage. Although he doesn't walk much (12 walks this season), he also rarely will strike out (7 K's). Perhaps the biggest surprise is that with just above average speed and baserunning abilities, according to the scouts,
Romines has legged out many infield singles and has solid baserunning numbers this season. And, you know, those 6 triples say something about this too. He is not a base stealer but he has swiped one bag this year and hasn't been caught stealing yet. He is a switch-hitter who is particularly potent from the left side of the plate but can also hit left-handers. The Brewers have several first base prospects- particularly power-hitting types- coming up through the system but for now this young man has more than earned the starting job.