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Old 11-10-2019, 01:30 AM   #703
BirdWatcher
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1975 Spring Training storylines

With the first Spring Training exhibition game now in the books for the Brewers (a grueling 16-inning loss to Oklahoma City), everyone in Brewer nation starts looking forward with anticipation to the upcoming regular season.

There aren't many question marks for the Brewers that need to be answered in the exhibition season. Of course, injuries could complicate that. But mostly the 25-man roster is set and looks a great deal like last season's championship team. With the addition, of course, of Japanese right-handed starter Sadahige Kawasaki.
One interesting thing to watch though is the apparent emergence of fellow Japanese righty Sekien Hamasaki as a legitimate contender for at least a back-end of the rotation slot. Hamasaki, who was an international free agent signed by Detroit prior to the 1974 season, was traded to the Brewers mid-season and mostly pitched for AAA Chester last season and then got some more seasoning in the Arizona Fall League, where he led the league in ERA, strikeouts, K/9, and WAR. And now in the pre-season the Brewers scouting staff are fairly high on the durable ground-baller. With the continuing decline of Harry Lyerly's stock (the OOTP thread title curse?) and Justin Peacock looking less and less like a viable rotation candidate, Hamasaki has a chance to stake a claim on the 5th slot in the rotation, competing with Matt Helm. John Weaver, the 22-year old top pitching prospect for the Brewers, who is expected to start the season in AAA, is also with the big leaguers in camp to get a taste of the WPK culture and competition. Weaver profiles as having a ceiling as a 5th starter, but is as hard a worker as they come and sparks his teammates to play harder, and having just turned 22 in late December has plenty of time still to exceed his current perceived potential.
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Speaking of the starting rotation, rumor has it that the Brewers are currently in talks with left-handed veteran Erik Sloan to extend him for at least a handful more years. The thought is that this was a directive of the owner, but the general consensus is that it's the right thing to do with Sloan continuing to be a solid investment with great control as well as being a fan favorite for his great work ethic, keen intelligence, and unwavering loyalty to his team.
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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
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