Beermen Retool for Stretch Drive

by Fergus McGee
Minneapolis Star Tribune
August 16, 2025

The hot and cold Minneapolis Beermen have done some retooling as the season nears the September stretch drive.  The team is looking to improve on its hitting and provide more offensive support for its strong pitching staff.

A slumping Manny Coronas was demoted to St. Paul, replaced on the roster by 25-year-old Chris Downing.  A first baseman by trade, Downing is not noted for his fielding and is very slow on the base paths.  But he has always been able to hit, and in his first month in the majors, he is motoring along at a .336 clip.

37-year-old pitcher Hector Vargas has been waived and designated for assignment.  If he clears waivers and refuses to report to St. Paul, as is his right, he will become a free agent.  Coming up as his replacement is long time minor leaguer Paul Gilmore.  At age 26 Gilmore has been in the system for five years and has until recently been considered a career minor leaguer.  But he has shown substantial improvement this year at St. Paul as a starter (12-7, 3.55).  He will revert to the bullpen with the Beermen.

Then just before the gavel fell on the trading season the club announced that it had dealt away its first and third round picks next year to the London Imperial Swine for two players who can potentially improve the offense:

• Outfielder Gerald Hoffman has a lot of the skills that one likes to see:  He is a fine defensive outfielder with excellent range and a good arm, he’s exceptionally fast on the bases, and he rates very high in most hitting categories.  While he hasn’t yet hit his stride with the Swine, but the club feels he will be a starter with the Beermen very quickly.  He’s only 27 years old while still making the league minimum salary.
• 24-year-old catcher Daniel Robinson is a very good defensive catcher, and he has never hit below .300 in college or in the pros, including last year and this year in AAA.  He has yet to play in the majors and will start out his Minneapolis career in St. Paul, but we expect to see him in a Beerman uniform before year-end.  Could this mean it’s the last year for John Walko in a Beerman uniform?  Time will tell.

Dan Royster is coming up to a club option year on his contract, and it has widely rumored that the club will pass on keeping him.  But Royster has been an important offensive contributor this season currently sporting a .301 batting average.  A top notch defensive first baseman, it’s his ability to step in behind the plate if needed that may entice the club into keeping him on for next year.

Sang Higgins, newly acquired this year in a big trade, is also coming up on a club option contract year.  While it may seem obvious that Minneapolis would exercise the option, there seems to be some doubts about it.  Higgins is hitting only .226, by far his worst offensive performance ever although he has hit 20 home runs.  With a bevy of promising outfielders at St. Paul, the Beermen may choose to relieve themselves of Higgin’s $12.7 million contract and go with the kids.  Stay tuned.

First round draft pick Shiro Sakei has been very impressive in his professional debut at Ortonville (AA) where he is hitting .336 in his first 60 games.  A first baseman throughout his impressive college career, he is currently playing second base for the Harvesters, and the coaching staff is impressed with his smooth conversion to the keystone sack.  Third round pick Mitch Thomas also started out in Ortonville, and he too is hitting well over .300 and showing some power as well.

As we enter the second half of August, the locals are in first place with a two-game lead over surprising Sioux Falls and a four game edge over South Carolina.  There is lots of baseball to be played yet.  Come on out to Yoerg Stadium and watch the exciting stretch drive.