2013 New York Brewers Season Review- New York, NY
2013 was a disappointing inaugural season for the New York Brewers. Although few had them as preseason contenders, the 68-94 finish was well below the consensus opinion. GM Joel Schrock, though disappointed with the season, was upbeat when talking about the future. "I don't think we expected this to be easy. A baseball team, like any other business, is all about putting together the best portfolio of assets. Our assets did not make us competitive this year, but I hardly feel that is an indication of future problems."
According to the front office, the team was built in the inaugural draft around a strategy of maximizing value with each pick, without making a "now or later" decision on when to field a championship-caliber team. "We feel that the most successful teams have historically been the perennially good teams, not teams that targeted a specific year to win in" said Schrock. "We were more likely to take the 25 year-old, solid player, and leave the aging veteran or risky prospect on the board." This strategy left the Brewers with a young, inexperienced 2013 roster, but club officials are confident that the core of the team will remain productive for the next 5-7 years.
The team struggled to adapt to their New Hilltop Park, putting up a 30-51 record on the road. They seemed to make adjustments with better defensive players getting playing time as the season went on, but the team's continued adaptation to the odd ballpark will be something to watch in future years. New Yorkers were often not watching, as the team had the worst attendance in the AFBL at 13,472 patrons/game. Brewers pitchers allowed 105 home runs on the year, significantly less than the 154 home run average for the Patriot League. This was, of course, offset by the league's worst WHIP, ERA (and perhaps related, worst BABIP). Although the Brewers starting pitchers had the league's 3rd best ERA, the bullpen managed to negate this with the league's worst ERA.
As the calendar turns to 2014, the Brewers have a number of decisions to make. The first order of business is the Amateur Draft. Club officials are predictably vague about the team's intentions, but a source familiar with the team's strategy indicated that the Brewers comfortable with their core and are looking for upside, even if that upside is a bit riskier than the talent the Brewers have been historically interested in.
Trade rumors have begun to swirl regarding the New York outfield. LF Kenneth Krant, slotted to be the team's starting left fielder going into spring training, was lost to a knee injury in March that kept him out for the entire season. The Brewers certainly have a logjam of capable outfielders, with Chris Flannery in RF, Joe Sloan in CF, and either Alvin Kane or Kenneth Krant in LF. "This is an organization that will always preach depth" says Schrock. "Obviously, we needed it in left field this year." Schrock's phone should be quite busy this offseason with such an obvious asset in left to move. Although no one would comment publicly on the OF situation, it appears the Brewers could actually be looking to move Flannery, Kane and Krant, filling the corner outfield spots from the 2013 bench players. The experiment of playing Sloan in CF seemed to work quite well, as he produced 2.6 WAR despite an OPS+ of 99. The thought is that the Brewers may be better served going with cheap defense in the OF, concentrating their hitters in the infield. If so, the team could have a very different look come opening day 2014.
When asked for his 2013 highlights, Schrock cited the defensive awards handed out in the offseason. "The fact that we could get Ben [Crossin], Joe [Sloan] and Esteban [Osorid] fielding awards speaks to the emphasis that we put on defense this year." While the defensive wizardry was not enough to make the Brewers competitive this year, it may be something to build on in the future.
