Brewers 1982

Covering the Milwaukee Brewers throughout the 1982 season, in real-time, as it would have happpened.

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Brewers Sign Ernie Camacho

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Ernie Camacho
I couldn’t find any pictures of Ernie Camacho, so I took liberties with this Harvey Haddix card.

Looking to bolster their beleaguered bullpen, the Brewers announced today the signing of 27-year-old free agent right handed pitcher Ernie Camacho. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Drafted in the first round by Oakland in 1976, Camacho fought to climb past Triple-A Ogden in the A’s system before making a brief five-game appearance with Oakland in 1980. In April of 1981, Camacho was sent to the Pirates in a trade for pitcher Bob Owchinko. After a pedestrian year in which Camacho compiled a 2-3 record and 4.74 ERA with Triple-A Portland and 4.98 ERA in seven appearances with the Pirates, he was dealt with Vance Law to the White Sox for Ross Baumgarten and Butch Edge. The reliever pitched seven games for Triple-A Edmonton in 1982 before the Orioles picked him up. In all, Ernie pitched 37.1 innings this season between those two systems, logging an 0-1 record and 2.65 ERA.

Camacho may have had a long journey, but his recent success may be evidence that he is ready to contribute in the big leagues. He will compete in spring training for a job in a bullpen that struggled last season and could use another dependable arm.

What do you think, is Camacho a solid addition?

Down on the Farm

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Paul Molitor
Is the next Paul Molitor waiting in the Brewers system?

The Brewers may have swung trades to nab stars like Rollie Fingers, Pete Vuckovich, Ted Simmons, Cecil Cooper and Ben Oglivie, but others such as Robin Yount and Paul Molitor are homegrown. This team does have a strong nucleus, but some of the veterans are getting up there in years.

On Opening Day of 1985, the average age of the current starting lineup will be 33. The average age of the team’s current best pitchers will be 36. As a result, the Brewers will need to have some prospects develop into stars over the next few years to remain at a high level.

“As long as you don’t let it [age] get too big on you, you’re all right,” said Brewers general manager Harry Dalton. But if you do stand pat, get lulled by your success, you’re going to get hurt. We won’t plan to make any wholesale changes in our ballclub at the winter meetings in Hawaii, but in the back of my mind will be the fact we have some players getting up in years.”

To be blunt, there isn’t much talent immediately ready for 1983, but the deeper you look the more talent you will find. As a result, the Brewers are built to rely on their current team now and will have the next crop of stars rising up during the coming two to three years.

Let’s take a look at each level, including quotes from an unnamed scout.

Vancouver Canadians (AAA)

If you are looking for a good back-up catcher, this is where you start. The Brewers have two solid prospects at the position in Bill Schroeder and Steve Lake. Of course, the Brewers already have three catching capable players on the big league roster, but the depth could be a source of a potential trade.

The scout thinks that Schroeder “could be a good second catcher” and that Lake has a “hell of an arm.” But neither are projected to be the starting catcher if Ted Simmons’ career submarines.

Bob Skube may be the player most likely to make an impact in 1983. He has a “better than average arm, he’s a better than average runner and a fair hitter.” That could be exactly what the Brewers need in the outfield, even as a backup.

Unfortunately, there is not much immediate help in the pitching ranks. We’ve already seen Chuck Porter and Doug Jones. The scout says that Jones is “below average in most of his pitches,” and due to his age he “has to make it now or else.” Porter has “good velocity but spotty control.”

Pacific Coast League (AAA)
 
North Division
Tm Aff W L W-L% GB
Tacoma Tigers OAK 84 59 .587 —
Spokane Indians ANA 78 65 .545 6
Vancouver Canadians MIL 72 72 .500 12.5
Edmonton Trappers CHW 70 74 .486 14.5
Portland Beavers PIT 65 79 .451 19.5
 
Top Hitting Prospects
Name Age AB R H HR RBI SB AVG
Bill Schroeder 23 425 66 113 22 77 2 .266
Larry Rush 25 477 58 125 13 70 14 .262
Doug Loman 24 411 57 106 14 64 10 .258
Bob Skube 24 433 55 121 13 61 13 .279
 
Top Pitching Prospects
Name Age W L ERA IP H BB SO
Rich Olsen 25 5 5 3.56 101.0 101 54 52
Chuck Porter 27 8 12 3.98 183.1 196 59 102
Michael Anderson 29 5 5 3.29 101.1 92 64 61
Doug Jones 25 5 8 2.97 106.0 109 31 60
 

El Paso Diablos (AA)

It’s easy to get excited about offensive stats of the Diablos while being concerned about the stats of the pitchers, but the truth in their respective abilities aren’t accurately reflected by statistics. “You should take about 20 points off every batting average,” said the scout, “and a run and a half off every earned run average. So with that in mind…

There is some excellent offensive talent in El Paso, though they may be a couple of years from reaching Milwaukee. Randy Ready, a 22-year-old third baseman, led the Texas League in batting at a staggering .375 clip while smacking 20 homers and driving in 99. Ready is athletic and the Brewers will either be forced to make room for him or shift the rising star to the outfield.
Scout on Ready: “Can’t see him not hitting .300 wherever he plays.”

Ready may be one of the most polished prospects in the Brewers’ system, but outfielder Dion James may have the most upside. At only 19 years old, James was the youngest player in the Texas League in 1982. He projects to have above average speed and power with the ability to hit for average.
Scout on James: “He has it all.”

Bob Gibson and Jamie Cocanower are a bit old at 25 to be in AA, but they also may be primed to make the leap to the big club at some point in 1983 if the Brewers need immediate pitching help.
Scout on Gibson: “He throws 89-92 consistently.”

Texas League (AA)
 
West Division
Tm Aff W L W-L% GB
El Paso Diablos MIL 76 60 .559 —
Midland Cubs CHC 67 66 .504 7.5
San Antonio Dodgers LAD 68 68 .500 8
Amarillo Gold Sox SDP 61 74 .452 14.5
 
Top Hitting Prospects
Name Age AB R H HR RBI SB AVG
Randy Ready 22 475 122 178 20 99 13 .375
Dion James 19 422 103 136 9 72 16 .322
Steven Michael 25 435 92 150 19 89 9 .345
Bill Foley 25 415 76 128 23 106 0 .308
 
Top Pitching Prospects
Name Age W L ERA IP H BB SO
Bob Gibson 25 6 2 2.17 66.1 55 39 66
Jaime Cocanower 25 3 1 3.32 62.1 73 30 29
Daniel Burns 23 10 4 3.78 116.2 128 29 63
Andy Beene 25 8 2 4.15 80.1 73 51 62
 

Beloit Brewers (A)

There is a nice mixture of exciting, young hitting and pitching in Beloit. Bill Wegman, a rising young hurler, and Jim Paciorek, a versatile player who is the brother of White Sox first baseman Tom Paciorek, may be the most likely to see time on the Brewers. Paciorek’s progress has been slow, however, though he made a leap in 1982. Wegman projects as a top of the rotation starter, though he may be three or four years away.

Midwest League (A)
 
Central Division
Tm Aff W L W-L% GB
Springfield Cardinals STL 83 53 .610 —
Beloit Brewers MIL 71 68 .511 13.5
Clinton Giants SFG 63 75 .457 21
Danville Suns CAL 57 80 .416 26.5
 
Top Hitting Prospects
Name Age AB R H HR RBI SB AVG
Jim Paciorek 22 312 38 101 4 37 6 .324
Ty Van Burkleo 18 412 61 99 22 65 5 .240
Butch Kirby 20 415 54 92 0 37 45 .222
Collin Tanabe 23 365 49 102 10 51 6 .279
 
Top Pitching Prospects
Name Age W L ERA IP H BB SO
Bill Wegman 19 12 6 2.81 179.2 176 38 129
Bryan Clutterbuck 22 13 6 3.63 173.2 165 56 138
Rob Derksen 22 3 3 1.79 55.1 39 16 48
Wendell Walker 21 8 6 3.28 123.1 114 56 89
 

Stockton Ports (A)

Scott Roberts may be the best pitching prospect in the Brewers’ organization. He has a plus fastball that should be able to get out hitters at the big league level.
Scout on Roberts: “He needs to use his fastball more because he can overpower a game.”

Speed and defense are the name of the game in Stockton, and Ernie Riles and Mike Felder personify that. Riles is a flashy shortstop and Felder is likely the fastest player in the California League — if not all of baseball. Felder, who stole 92 bases in 1982, could add another dimension for the Brewers on the base paths, though his bat still needs to develop.

Tim Crews projects as a middle of the rotation starter or solid arm out of the bullpen.

California League (A)
 
North Division
Tm Aff W L W-L% GB
Modesto A’s OAK 94 46 .671 —
Stockton Ports MIL 81 57 .587 12
Reno Padres SDP 70 68 .507 23
Redwood Pioneers ANA 65 75 .464 29
Lodi Dodgers LAD 58 82 .414 36
 
Top Hitting Prospects
Name Age AB R H HR RBI SB AVG
Ernie Riles 21 447 60 128 2 56 21 .286
Mike Felder 20 524 102 138 7 47 92 .263
Carlos Ponce 23 489 59 140 6 79 17 .286
Juan Castillo 20 483 60 130 0 42 36 .269
 
Top Pitching Prospects
Name Age W L ERA IP H BB SO
Tim Crews 21 10 4 3.37 139.0 151 28 83
Raymond Gallo 23 6 2 1.81 44.2 37 22 39
Brian Mignano 22 1 4 2.89 28.0 21 13 14
Scott Roberts 22 14 6 2.53 174.1 151 41 137
 

Pikeville Brewers (Rookie)

Experts were enamored with the Brewers 1982 draft, and several draftees already put up solid numbers. Sveum is yet another solid, young shortstop who projects to have power, while Billy Jo Robidoux may be the power hitting first baseman the Brewers need when Cecil Cooper passes his prime (though he is playing third base for now).

The best pitching overall in the Brewers system may in fact be in Pikeville. Sure, they likely won’t see the big stage for at least three more years, but Bosio, Crim and Aldrich may be a fixture in the Brewers rotation for years to come.

Appalachian League (Rookie)
 
North Division
Tm Aff W L W-L% GB
Bluefield Orioles BAL 47 22 .681 —
Paintsville Yankees NYY 43 27 .614 4.5
Pulaski Braves ATL 36 33 .522 11
Pikeville Brewers MIL 25 42 .373 21
 
Top Hitting Prospects
Name Age AB R H HR RBI SB AVG
Dale Sveum 18 223 29 52 2 21 6 .233
Billy Jo Robidoux 18 167 28 48 0 13 2 .287
Edgar Diaz 18 24 4 2 0 0 0 .083
Dewey James 21 213 38 56 6 27 22 .263
 
Top Pitching Prospects
Name Age W L ERA IP H BB SO
Chris Bosio 19 3 2 4.91 51.1 60 17 53
Chuck Crim 20 4 6 2.56 77.1 62 18 76
Jay Aldrich 21 1 2 4.19 53.2 44 28 37
Hipolito Pena 18 0 2 4.64 21.1 23 16 23
 

Brewers Re-Sign McClure

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Bob McClure
The Brewers inked McClure to a four year deal

The Milwaukee Brewers announced today that they have signed free agent Bob McClure to a four year, $1.95 Million contract. The deal includes $150,000 in bonuses, a $100,000 buyout and an option for a fifth year.

McClure, who became a free agent on November 10, was considered a hot commodity and was seven different teams in the re-entry draft. The offer from the Brewers was rumored to be lower than that of the A’s, who some thought had signed McClure a couple of weeks ago.

“It’s very hard to leave a contending team to go someplace else where you don’t know what’s going to happen,” said McClure. “And there are other things. For one thing, the support these fans showed for us last year — especially after the strike — was the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen. These fans love this club. I wouldn’t want to come back here and get booed by 40,000 or 50,000 people.”

Did McClure receive any pressure from teammates to re-sign with the Brewers? It’s not clear if he was joking, but McClure says Robin Yount taunted him the past few days from outside of his window.

“He stood there swinging a bat,” said McClure. “He was trying to show me what it would be like having to pitch against those guys next year. Heck, I wouldn’t want to pitch against these guys. I might be dumb, but I’m no fool.”

McClure has been a Brewer since a 1977 trade with the Kansas City Royals. Prior to 1982, the 30-year-old hurler was used almost exclusively out of the bullpen. But the Brewers had trouble finding stability in the back-end of their rotation early on last season, so McClure got to see action as a starter in 26 games. He was signed to be a starter, but his flexibility is also an attractive asset.

Signing McClure guarantees he will be a Brewer through the 1986 season, when he will turn 34. Since it is unclear whether he has a spot in a rotation that has only two spots open (Mike Caldwell, Don Sutton and Cy Young award winner Pete Vuckovich anchor the first three spots), should the Brewers have made such a commitment to a pitcher who may be used primarily out of the bullpen for four years?

You tell us.

Ripken Wins AL ROY

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Cal Ripken
Ripken played like a seasoned veteran in his rookie season.

Cal Ripken, Jr. has been announced as the runaway winner of the American League Rookie of the Year Award by the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Ripken, who received 24 of 28 possible first place votes, hit .264 with 28 homers and 93 RBI. The voters undoubtedly considered factors other than offensive numbers since Minnesota’s Kent Hrbek (.301, 23 homers, 92 RBI) was equally as impressive with the bat.

This is a point that did not go unnoticed by ornery Twins owner Calvin Griffith who called the result “an out-and-out travesty.”

Griffith said that he thinks Ripken is a good player, but “by no stretch of the imagination is he the all-around baseball player that Hrbek is.”

The voters disagreed. And, really… The stats did as well.

Ripken’s Orioles team was more involved in the pennant race, though they lost the division to the Brewers on the final day. And Ripken is also a shortstop, which is a much more demanding position than first base, which is Hrbek’s position.

What do you think? Did the award go to the right player?

Player – Tm Pts 1st AVG HR RBI W ERA SV
Cal Ripken, BAL 132 24 .264 28 93      
Kent Hrbek, MIN 90 4 .301 23 92      
Wade Boggs, BOS 10 0 .349 5 44      
Ed Vande Berg, SEA 9 0   0 0 9 2.37 5
Gary Gaetti, MIN 4 0 .230 25 84      
D Hostetler, TEX 3 0 .232 22 67      
Von Hayes, CLE 2 0 .250 14 82      
Jesse Barfield, TOR 1 0 .246 18 58      

Sax Wins NL ROY

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Steve Sax
Sax is one of the game’s most exciting young players.

Steve Sax of the Los Angeles Dodgers has been named the National League’s Rookie of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America, edging out Pittsburgh’s Johnny Ray by six points.

It’s become an award reserved only for members of the Dodgers, who have now won in four consecutive seasons. Other members of the Dodgers Rookie of the Year Club include Rick Sutcliffe (1979), Steve Howe (1980) and Fernando Valenzuela (1981). So, which new member of the Dodgers will win in 1983? Mike Marshall?

Sax squeaked by with only nine of a possible 24 first place votes. Five different players received first place votes with Ray (six), Willie McGee of the Cardinals (five), Chili Davis of the Giants (five) and Ryne Sandberg of the Cubs (one) receiving the other votes.

The honor is, however, not unanimously recognized. Ray has been named Rookie of the Year by The Sporting News, with Sax taking second.

Player – Tm Pts 1st AVG HR RBI W ERA SV
Steve Sax, LAD 63 9 .282 4 47      
Johnny Ray, PIT 57 6 .281 7 63      
Willie McGee, STL 39 5 .296 4 56      
Chili Davis, SFG 32 3 .261 19 76      
Luis DeLeon, SDP 10 0 .091 0 0 9 2.03 15
R Sandberg, CHC 9 1 .271 7 54      
S Bedrosian, ATL 4 0 .038 0 0 8 2.42 11
Dave LaPoint, STL 1 0 .053 0 1 9 3.42 0
Eric Show, SDP 1 0 .146 0 0 10 2.64 3

Murphy Wins NL MVP

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Dale Murphy
The baseball writers voted Murphy the NL’s Most Valuable Player.

The votes are in from the Baseball Writers Association of America, and Dale Murphy of the Atlanta Braves has been named the National League’s Most Valuable Player for the 1982 season.

The announcement isn’t particularly surprising, given that Murphy received 14 of 24 possible first place votes. Murphy, 26, had the best season in his young career, batting .281 with 36 homers and 109 RBI. Murphy becomes the first Braves player to win MVP since Hank Aaron in 1957 when the Braves played in Milwaukee.

“I think it was more a tribute to how our team did,” said a humble Murphy, “our team doing that well is really the reason I was being considered.”

Cardinal outfielder Lonnie Smith finished a bit closer than many speculated, getting 218 votes to Murphy’s 283. The results may have been even closer had two first place votes not gone to closer Bruce Sutter, Lonnie Smith’s teammate.

What do you think? Did the award go to the right player?

Player – Tm Pts 1st AVG HR RBI W ERA SV
Dale Murphy, ATL 283 14 .281 36 109      
Lonnie Smith, STL 218 8 .307 8 69      
P. Guerrero, LAD 175 0 .304 32 100      
Al Oliver, MON 175 0 .331 22 109      
Bruce Sutter, STL 134 2 .125 0 1 9 2.90 36
Mike Schmidt, PHI 54 0 .280 35 87      
Jack Clark, SFG 53 0 .274 27 103      
Greg Minton, SFG 44 0 .176 0 1 10 1.83 30
Steve Carlton, PHI 41 0 .218 2 8 23 3.10 0
Bill Buckner, CHC 38 0 .306 15 105      
Bill Madlock, PIT 37 0 .319 19 95      
Gary Carter, MON 35 0 .293 29 97      
Ozzie Smith, STL 25 0 .248 2 43      
G. Hendrick, STL 20 0 .282 19 104      
T. Kennedy, SDP 20 0 .295 21 97      
Joe Morgan, SFG 17 0 .289 14 61      
K. Hernandez, STL 12 0 .299 7 94      
J. Thompson, PIT 12 0 .284 31 101      
J. Andujar, STL 6 0 .158 0 4 15 2.47 0
Gene Garber, ATL 6 0 .133 0 0 8 2.34 30
A. Dawson, MON 3 0 .301 23 83      
F. Valenzuela, LAD 3 0 .168 1 9 19 2.87 0
C. Chambliss, ATL 2 0 .270 20 86      
Gary Matthews, PHI 2 0 .281 19 83      
Ray Knight, HOU 1 0 .294 6 70