Brewers 1982

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

Willie Wilson

Cooper, Yount are Silver Sluggers

Cecil Cooper
Cecil Cooper proved that he is the top hitting first baseman in the AL.

NL Award Winners

The votes are in from the American League managers and coaches, and the Brewers’ Robin Yount and Cecil Cooper were named the best offensive players at their respective positions.

Yount is being recognized seemingly every day for another award following his historic 1982 season. It is the second time he has been a Silver Slugger, winning it first in 1980.

Cecil Cooper is a three time Silver Slugger winner, taking the honors in each of the last three seasons. Often overshadowed by Yount this year, Cooper was spectacular. Second only to his amazing 1980 season, Cooper hit .313 with 32 homers and 121 RBI.

It’s not surprising that multiple Brewers would make the list. And not to get greedy, but you could make an argument for Paul Molitor, Gorman Thomas, Ben Oglivie and Ted Simmons as well. Though to be fair, all winners were deserving, and are probably more deserving than the Brewers just mentioned.

What do you think? Were any Brewers snubbed?

Pos: Player, Tm AVG HR RBI H 2B 3B SB
C: Lance Parrish, DET .284 32 87 138 19   2   3
1B: Cecil Cooper, MIL .313 32 121 205 38   3   2
2B: Damaso Garcia, TOR .310 5 42 185 32   3   54
3B: Doug DeCinces, CAL .301 30 97 173 42 5 7
SS: Robin Yount, MIL .331 29 114 210 46   12   14
OF: Reggie Jackson, CAL .275 39 101 146 17 1 4
OF: Willie Wilson, KCR .332 3 46 194 19 15 37
OF: Dave Winfield, NYY .280 37 106 151 24 8 5
DH: Hal McRae, KCR .308 27 133 189 46   8   4

Breaking Down the MVP Field

Since the Brewers have a day off before Game 1 of the American League Championship Series tomorrow (it never gets old saying it!), I thought I’d break down Robin Yount‘s competition for the AL MVP award. Let’s be honest: As Brewers fans, it’s obvious to us who has earned the award this year. But I wanted to step back and take as unbiased a look as I can at which players he’ll be up against when the voters cast their ballots.

The Players
When the votes come in, you’ll see as many as 30 or so names in all that get listed on the ballots. But of course, not all of those names are legitimate contenders. I want to start this exercise by whittling down my list to the players we may find in the top three to five when all is said and done.

As I look through our top performers in the American League, I immediately decided to eliminate all pitchers. Though our own Rollie Fingers may have won the award last season, there simply does not appear to be a serious contender this season. The only pitchers to consider are Pete Vuckovich, Dan Quisenberry and Jim Palmer. Vuke won’t get it ahead of Yount, and neither Quisenberry nor Palmer made the playoffs. So hitters only.

While I could limit it only to players on playoff teams, I think that’s a mistake. The players who make the post season will have an advantage, but we can’t ignore great performances from those players who didn’t make it to the next round.

So here’s my list, in alphabetical order to avoid any perceived bias:

Cecil Cooper, MIL
Doug DeCinces, CAL
Dwight Evans, BOS
Rickey Henderson, OAK
Reggie Jackson, CAL
Hal McRae, KC
Eddie Murray, BAL
Willie Wilson, KC
Dave Winfield, NYY
Robin Yount, MIL

I could have legitimately listed Gorman Thomas and Paul Molitor, but let’s be honest: If there’s an MVP award coming from Milwaukee again this year, it’s going to be Robin Yount. I considered not listing Cooper for that reason, but his stats are just as good as most of these guys, so he has to be in the mix.

The Stats
Let’s stack them up and make a list. I have placed the numbers in bold if they lead this group (they don’t necessarily lead the league). Also, players marked with an “x” are those who are on teams that won their division.

Player HR RBI BA
Cooper, MIL -x 32 121 .313
DeCinces, CAL -x 30 97 .301
Evans, BOS 32 98 .292
Henderson, OAK 10 51 .267
Jackson, CAL -x 39 101 .275
McRae, KC 27 133 .308
Murray, BAL 32 110 .316
Wilson, KC 3 46 .332
Winfield, NYY 37 106 .280
Yount, MIL -x 29 114 .331
 
Player R H SB
Cooper, MIL -x 104 205 2
DeCinces, CAL -x 94 173 7
Evans, BOS 122 178 3
Henderson, OAK 119 143 130
Jackson, CAL -x 92 146 4
McRae, KC 91 189 4
Murray, BAL 87 174 7
Wilson, KC 87 194 37
Winfield, NYY 84 151 5
Yount, MIL -x 129 210 14
 

As you can see, there are six different players who lead this group in at least one category: Dwight Evans in OBP, Rickey Henderson in stolen bases, Reggie Jackson in home runs, Hal McRae in RBI, Willie Wilson in batting average and Robin Yount in three categories. So five players led in one category apiece while Yount leads in runs, hits and slugging.

Of course, leading isn’t everything because a well-rounded player who is second in everything may be the MVP. But let’s use Robin Yount as the statistical measuring stick since he appears to be our front-runner.

Cooper is well-rounded, but Yount leads him in everything but home runs and RBI, and both by slim margins. Let’s toss away Cooper. Sorry, Coop.

Yount leads DeCinces in everything but homers, but again that difference is only one. Nope, not happening.

Yount leads Evans in everything but homers and OBP. He’s at about Cooper’s level, but the Red Sox didn’t make the playoffs. Nope, not Evans.

Rickey Henderson was amazing this season, blowing away Lou Brock‘s stolen base record. He led Yount in stolen bases (by a ton) and OBP, but that’s it. Henderson hit only .269 with 10 homers and the A’s didn’t make the post season. So, no. Not Rickey Henderson, though I think his special season should warrant consideration.

Reggie Jackson hit more home runs than Yount and he led his Angels to the playoffs, but that’s really it. Considering Jackson is known for his power, it’s telling that Yount has a higher slugging percentage (.578 to .532). Good year for Reggie, but Yount was better.

Hal McRae led the majors in RBI, but the Royals collapsed and missed the playoffs. Nope, not McRae.

Eddie Murray led Yount in homers and OBP, but nothing else. Had the Orioles knocked off the Brewers on the final day of the season, he’d get a much more serious look. But they didn’t, and Yount’s season was clearly better. Not Murray.

I added Willie Wilson to the list just to make myself angry. As you know, Wilson held a small lead in batting average over Yount heading into the final day of the season. Yount had three hits, including two homers and a triple. To preserve his average, Wilson didn’t play. Pathetic. The Royals don’t deserve the playoffs and Wilson doesn’t deserve either the batting crown (which he won) or the MVP award (which he’ll lose).

Dave Winfield is yet another example of a player who hit more homers (37) but nothing else to distinguish himself from Yount. And the Yankees were never a serious player in the pennant race.

The Verdict
Alright, so it’s obvious. Robin Yount will be this season’s American League Most Valuable Player. The majority of players who are close statistically to Yount aren’t even in the playoffs. Add to the mix that Yount hit two crucial home runs in the final, division-clinching game of the season, and any dispute should be laughed at. If Yount does not win the award — and by a lot — there should be an investigation.

Ladies and gentlemen, not only have our Brewers made the playoffs, but rest comfortably knowing that we will have secured the MVP award for the second consecutive season.

Yount’s Homers Not Enough

Royals 6, Brewers 4
Brewers now 55-39 (1st)
Box Score | Season Schedule

Robin Yount
Robin Yount's two home runs were not enough.

KANSAS CITY — Royals starting pitcher Larry Gura had a dream last night. “I had a no-hitter through eight innings,” he told the Milwaukee Sentinel after the game. “I told my wife I didn’t know what happened in the ninth.”

Well, Robin Yount put an end to that dream quickly with a home run in the first inning, but Gura did a good job of holding the Brewers’ bats down all game long in a 6-4 Royals win.

In fact, other than the first inning home run and a second Yount homer in the fourth, Gura was perfect through the first 6 1/3 innings. He was so frustrated with Yount that in the sixth inning he told catcher Don Slaught to let Robin know what pitch was coming next. Slaught declined and Yount grounded out to third.

Gura should not be ashamed considering Yount is 14-for-23 (.609) on this road trip, and is now hitting .337 overall, only eight points behind the league leader, Royal Willie Wilson.

Trailing 6-2 in the seventh, the Brewers did manage to make the game interesting. With one out, Ted Simmons doubled off of the wall in right center and Gura then walked both Gorman Thomas and Ben Oglivie to load the bases. Don Money then hit a two-run single to end Gura’s night and Mike Armstrong relieved him. Jim Gantner then hit a liner to center that Willie Wilson misjudged, only to recover and make a spectacular running catch. If not for his speed, the Brewers would have likely tied the game there if not taken the lead.

Armstrong would allow only a hit over the final 2 2/3 innings for his third save, giving the Royals the series win.

Unfortunately for the Brewers, the Boston Red Sox beat the Twins to pull back to within a half game of first place. But if you ask Harvey Kuenn, Boston may not be the team the Brewers should be worrying about.

Every morning, he opens the sports section to check the AL East standings. He starts with the Brewers and then scrolls down to find out where the Orioles are, the team he fears the most in the division.

Game Notes: The Brewers have a .681 winning percentage since Harvey Kuenn took over.

Vuckovich Returns, Brewers Win

Brewers 7, Royals 4
Brewers now 55-38 (1st)
Box Score | Season Schedule

Pete Vuckovich
Pete Vuckovich returned to do what Pete Vuckovich does: WIN.

KANSAS CITY — After missing some time with an injured hand, ace Pete Vuckovich returned to the mound today against the Royals. It didn’t start out pretty for Vuke, but then again his starts rarely are a thing of beauty. He just wins.

The Brewers took a first inning lead on a two-run home run by Cecil Cooper, his 20th of the season. Vuckovich gave a run back in the first following a leadoff triple by Willie Wilson and a sacrifice fly by UL Washington. The Brewers extended their lead to 4-1 in the 2nd after a series of singles, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly. But the Royals tied it back up when they scored three more runs on Vuke on four hits, a walk and an error.

Cecil Cooper made it 5-4 in the third on a comebacker to the mound that scored Yount, and then both offenses remained silent until the ninth. At that point, Paul Molitor and Robin Yount took matters into their own hands, knocking in two more runs to give Vuke a little more cushion.

Vuckovich won, pitching a complete game and allowing three earned runs on 10 hits. He improved to 11-4 on the season.

Game Notes: The Red Sox lost, thereby increasing the Brewers’ lead in the AL East to a game and a half. … Robin Yount lined a single off of rookie pitcher Derek Botelho in the third, knocking him from the game. … Brewers hitters are hot. During the last 19 games, Robin Yount is hitting .430; Jim Gantner is hitting .549 over his last 17 games; Ted Simmons is hitting .408 over his last 12 games; and Don Money is hitting .464 over his last eight games.

Letters (6/25/1982 Milwaukee Sentinel)

The following is extracted from the “Letters” in the Milwaukee Sentinel sports section from June 25, 1982. Enjoy!

Caldwell, Simmons are Needed

To The Sentinel:

Replying to what’s-his-name from Sheboygan regarding Mike Caldwell‘s spurious remark about Buck Rodgers, allow me to point out that you are subject to the same sin when you say “get rid of him.”

1982 Fleer Ted Simmons
Brewers fans are full of opinions when it comes to Ted Simmons.

It’s true that the “10 game” remark was not sporting — but then baseball pitchers like you and I often say things in a flash of temper that we really don’t mean. For every effect, there must be a cause and after 10 years of nagging and mishandling, any man of guts will strike out.

A lot of the same sentiment was in the minds of other Brewers, too, only it didn’t get printed. We need Caldwell. At his mediocre best, he’s better than most and when he’s hot, nobody is going to hit him (least of all, YOU).

While I’m at it, let’s consider the other man, that fellow behind the plate, Simmons. This is just conjecture, of course, but I venture to say that here is a case of professional jealousy. How could Buck Rodgers tell a man who is 20 times as good at catching than Buck ever was how to do his job. He couldn’t and he knew it, so he belittled Simmons — every chance he got.

Fill Buck’s glass with a bit more of his Chivas Regal (25 bucks a bottle). That’s what it’s all about for Buck anyway. All BUCKS.

Meanwhile, Harvey Kuenn will go on to be one of the best managers in baseball because of the men who surround him and because of the mutual respect they have for one another.

Thank you,

“CALDWELL AND SIMMONS FAN”
Milwaukee

He says end fan balloting

To The Sentinel:

I know it’s been said over and over, but it’s time to do away with the fan balloting for the All-Star game.

When Robin Yount is second to anybody, (especially Bucky Dent), and Cecil Cooper continues to be ignored as the American League’s best first baseman something must be done.

With Reggie Jackson and Dave Winfield running one and two in the outfield there’s little wonder the AL loses every year. They are just not fielding their best team.

In a recent trip to County Stadium, I felt obligated to stuff the ballot box by voting for every Brewer except Ted Simmons even though Toby Harrah and Willie Wilson deserved my vote.

This brings me to another point. Ted Simmons is presently second in the fan balloting. He isn’t even the second best catcher on the Brewers, let alone the American League. He must be getting a lot of votes from National League cities.

BRAD McNULTY
Peshtigo, Wis.

Brewers need pitching

To The Sentinel:

I’ve been a Brewer fan since the ballclub came from Seattle. I’ve taken their side on all arguments. But the way they are handling the Ted Simmons problem has finally gone too far.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out the club needs pitching. The Brewers have two pitchers on their farm club that could help right now. It became apparent after the Baltimore game that Ted’s skills have taken a bad turn. There is no excuse for not knowing how many outs there were in a game. If they can’t trade him, at least send him to a farm club where he can play everyday. There he can get the help he needs. If Simmons was any kind of a team man, or just a man, he should ask for this move.

KEN LALK
Menomonee Falls

Brewers Hesitate, Royals Win

Royals 3, Brewers 2
Brewers now 11-9 (3rd)
Box Score | Season Schedule

Jim Gantner
Gantner's hesitation at second proved costly.

MILWAUKEE — Not the best way to start this series.

The Royals are without Amos Otis (hamstring), Willie Wilson (hamstring), Willie Aikens (hand), UL Washington (back) and Lee May (groin). Other than George Brett, that’s pretty much the Royals’ lineup.

So the Brewers knew they were playing a team that was short-handed offensively. Quite the advantage. All they’d need to do is, I don’t know, score three or four runs. Right?

Right. Problem is, they only scored two. Brewers only had seven hits in nine innings, but they didn’t have many opportunities to score. The only true blown shot was in the first when Paul Molitor reached third in the first with one down. Ben Oglivie (strikeout) and Ted Simmons (pop-up) failed to bring him home. The only had a runner in scoring position one other time during the game.

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