Also on the To-Do list is figure out what i want to do regarding salary arbitration eligible players. We have ten players eligible. Of the ten, three are starting pitchers, and 3/4 of the starting infield from last season as well.
I decide that I will tender all ten an offer. In line to receive the biggest increases are starting pitcher Juan Leyva, who compiled a 14-16 record in 1979, with a 3.62 ERA in 261 innings pitched, and a 5.4 WAR. In 1979 he made $168,000, and we are offering him $337,500 for next season.
Also in line for a big increase is 23 year old catcher Ron Schwartz. Schwartz hit .252/.365/.359 this past season, with 6 HRs in 515 AB. His WAR was 3.8 Defense is where he really shines though. This guy will hopefully be our backstop for many years to come. In his three years in the Big Leagues, he has been an All-Star twice, won the Silver Slugger in 1978, and Gold Gloves in 1977 and 1978, with another one probably on the way when this year’s awards are announced. He made $41,600, and before I joined the ball club we extended him an offer for $232,000 for the next season.
Additionally, we have six players who are pending free agents. One of those is the previously mentioned Lee Lewis, our closer this past season. He is the only one I will pursue at all. The rest are fringe players making too much money for fringe players.
I ended up making a couple internal moves to help shore up the minor league coaching staffs. As I mentioned, I let Ben Thomas and Henry Day go from AAA Porterville, and I ended up promoting Jack Fisher, who was managing our AA Kernal City club, up to Porterville. I also moved AA Kernal City Hitting Coach Billy Sadler up to Porterville in the same role. Both Fisher and Sadler have been long time Kernal City stalwarts, with Fisher managing the team since 1972, and Sadler plying his trade as hitting coach with Kernal City since 1967. Both are long overdue for these promotions.
To fill their roles with Kernal City, I moved our Single A Cascadia City manager, John Lugo, up to manage the Huskers. I also moved Cascadia City Hitting Coach Bill Howell up to Kernal City as well.