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Week 17: August 9th-August 15th
Weekly Record: 3-3
Seasonal Record: 67-44 (2nd, 4 GB) Stars of the Week Hank Barnett : 24 AB, 8 H, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .333 AVG, .985 OPS Clark Car : 23 AB, 10 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, .435 AVG, .958 OPS Joe Brown : 1 Win, 9.0 IP, 0 BB, 6 K, 0.00 ERA Schedule 8-11: Loss vs Foresters (3-1) 8-12: Win vs Foresters (0-6) 8-13: Loss vs Foresters (8-7) 8-14: Win vs Foresters (1-2) 8-15: Loss vs Wolves (3-2) 8-15: Win vs Wolves (0-4) Recap Not at all what we wanted... Despite playing at home, we split with both the Foresters and Wolves, and since the Cannons had a great week, our deficit doubled to four games. We do play them this week, which can help cut the deficit, but we have to stop losing winnable games. I also don't like the way we won the games, as they were either shutouts or one-run games. We allowed just a single run in our three wins, but gave up 14 in the three losses. We've got a bit more then a month left in the season, a nd we're in need of a hot streak to stay in the pennant race. Rich Langton is now healthy, but since he hasn't played in nearly two months, he'll head to Milwaukee for rehab along with Frank Crawford. Langton only got in 40 games, but he was hitting an impressive .293/.386/.459 (144 OPS+) with 10 doubles, 3 triples, 2 homers, 3 steals, and 24 RBIs with twice as many walks (20) as strikeouts (8). I can see Don Homer already sweating, knowing his days on the roster are coming to a close. Discounting Art White's start in Cleveland, we actually pitched really well this week. Not sure why White struggled so much, allowing 9 hits and 8 runs with 4 walks and a strikeout in 6.1 innings pitched. We got much better outings from Johnnie Jones, who lost to the Foresters and shutout the Wolves. Against Cleveland we couldn't score for him, as he allowed just 3 runs, 9 hits, and 3 walks with 2 strikeouts in a complete game. He then tossed a 6-hit shutout with a single strikeout in our 4-0 win over the Wolves. Jones hasn't had a great run of late, but he's still 14-5 with a 2.56 ERA (134 ERA+), 1.23 WHIP, 78 walks, and 75 strikeouts. We got a better outing from Joe Brown, who tossed a 3-hit shutout with 6 strikeouts. Brown is red hot, and has now thrown three consecutive shutouts and eight of his last nine starts have seen just one earned run or fewer. Our vets pitched well too, as Jim Lonardo had a much needed complete game win. Lonardo allowed 7 hits, a run, and a walk with 2 strikeouts. Dick Lyons didn't get the win, but went 8 strong with 6 hits, 3 runs (2 earned), and 2 walks. Discounting the White start, our other five each allowed 3 or fewer runs, which generally leads to more then just three wins on the week. The bats let us down, but our center field duo was surprisingly effective. Orlin Yates has started to catch fire, going 5-for-13 with a triple, homer, walk, steal, and 2 RBIs. Yates has been elite in August, slashing .375/.423/.708 (224 OPS+) in August to raise his season line to .247/.320/.326 (87 OPS+) with 9 doubles, 3 triples, 2 homers, 6 steals, and 30 RBIs. Dan Fowler picked up his first hits in a Cougar uniform, 5-for-10 with a double, walk, 3 runs, and 2 RBIs. Hank Barnett at an impressive week, 8-for-24 with a double, 2 homers, 4 runs, and 5 RBIs. Clark Car tried to match that production, 10-for-23 with a double, 3 runs, 2 walks, and an RBI. We'll need more from Dick Walker, Billy Hunter, and Leo Mitchell, who struggled to do much of anything. The trio went just 11-for-63, although Hunter did hit his first FABL homer since 1941. We have one of our toughest weeks coming up, and based on how this one went, I'm not really too optimistic. Looking Ahead It's time to get real! This crazy week starts with two against the Wolves, who are closer to us (3 GB) then we are to the Cannons. Toronto is 63-46, and we'll have to deal with their two best starting pitchers. We'll start with Jimmy Gibbs (9-6, 1, 2.85, 35) before dealing with the always tough Joe Hancock (12-8, 2.84, 85) to finish off the four game set. It's gong to be hard to win either of these games, let alone both, and this is the "easy" part of the week. I don't expect much scoring here, as Chink Stickels (.211, 1, 35, 8), Charlie Artuso (.231, 2, 37, 3), and Ockie Holliday (.281, 2, 40) haven't hit much lately. Even Juan Pomales (.291, 2, 33, 10; 3-4, 1, 4.72, 13) has started to slow down, same with Mike Rollinson (.295, 2, 43, 2) and even Walt Pack (.277, 15, 59). Our bats will need to start heating up if we want to take this series, as we'll need the momentum when the Cannons come to town. Cincinnati is the first in the FABL to reach 70 wins, and they've done it with just 39 losses. It is next to impossible to score on their rotation, and with four games, we'll have to deal with most of their top guys. We can't miss two of Butch Smith (16-6, 1.94, 77), Rufus Barrell II (14-6, 2.07, 113), and Vic Carroll (10-4, 2.38, 74) and Chris Clarke (9-10, 3.10, 52) has gone 3-2 with a 2.63 ERA (133 ERA+), 1.14 WHIP, 14 walks, and 20 strikeouts in 8 starts as a Cannon. The weak link is Roger Perry (8-6, 4.08, 1.40), and we're set to face him, but the crafty veteran is no stranger to strong outings. Offensively they're almost as good as us, and depending on how aggressive the Cannons want to be with Fred Galloway (.268, 2, 25, 2), he could lead their very deep lineup again. Sam Brown (.329, 3, 59, 3), Billy Dalton (.295, 10, 44), Chuck Adams (.265, 13, 59), and Adam Mullins (.327, 2, 39) are all excellent hitters, and they've now added Jack Cleaves (.279, 1, 22) to lengthen it even more. This is a make-or-break series for us, although not the Cannons, as even if we sweep them they could still hold first place over us. We need these wins desperately, as I'm not ready to punt to 1944. Injuries have sabotaged us and we were hit really hard with enlistments, but I still feel like our roster is the best. I want the race to go down to the wire, but after this week it may not be possible. Just one more game in the week, and it will be hosting the Sailors for the first of a three game series. We are off to start next week, which will give us some much needed rest. The Sailors will be another tough test, as they are 59-55, but double digits out of first. The Sailors did subtract a bit, sending Paul Richardson (8-7, 2.85, 50) to Boston for a pick and the #100 prospect Frankie Gonnella. That's not the only reason their staff is weaker, as Doc Newell (11-6, 2.47, 59) is dealing with elbow tendinitis. This leaves just Karl Wallace (10-12, 3.07, 62) as a reliable option in their rotation, as it's hard to count on the always injured Ray McCarthy (3-5, 3.54, 16). We should be able to put runs up on them, and I think we'll be able to quite the lineup. There are a lot of threats, the biggest Joseph Mills, who has somehow managed to hit .311/.386/.478 (138 OPS+) with 29 doubles, 4 triples, 4 homers, and 50 RBIs. He walks (36) more then he strikes out (24), is on a 5 WAR pace, and owns an elite 159 WRC+. He has some help with Marion Boismenu (.320, 4, 36, 4), Harvey Brown (.291, 1, 49, 9), and Woody Stone (.295, 2, 46), but better staffs have done well keeping them in check. These home games are crucial, as our last three weeks of the season are spent on the road, and we can't afford any .500 or worse weeks as the season winds down. Minor League Report LF Huck Hanes (AAA Milwaukee Blues): With the injuries to Cliff Moss and Rich Langton, I did debate calling up Huck Hanes, but instead he stayed put in Milwaukee. He hasn't had the greatest season, but the 24-year-old put up his best week of the season, going 14-for-31 with 5 RBIs. This was good enough for Player of the Week, and his season line is now a bit below average .268/.330/.377 (96 OPS+) with 14 doubles, 4 triples, 7 homers, and 43 RBIs. A 4th Round selection in 1941, Hanes hit a bit better last season with the Blues, batting .303/.349/.371 (106 OPS+) with 11 doubles, 2 homers, and 31 RBIs. A bat first righty, Hanes isn't much of a defender, and even after 11 decent games in center, he didn't develop a position rating there. He's not quite big league ready, but Hanes does have a really strong bat, a potential .300 hitter with decent pop. He has great bat speed and hits the ball hard, but unless he can do it with more consistency, he may just be a pinch hitter. At times he ranked high in our prospect rankings, but he's now absent from the top 500. He's got some work to do before establishing himself as a future piece now, but I still have faith that we can get something out of him. SS Dick Hamilton (B San Jose Cougars): It was a big game for Dick Hamilton against the Spokane Lumberjacks, but unfortunately for the Cougars, he had more then half their hits in a 3-2 14 inning loss. Hamilton went 5-for-7 with a double, and he was responsible for both of San Jose's runs, driving in and scoring one. Last year's 4th Rounder was ice cold in July, but he's been outstanding in 11 games this month. Hamilton has hit .396/.455/.604 (205 OPS+) with 3 doubles, 2 triples, a homer, steal, and 9 RBIs. This upped the almost 23-year-old's season line to .256/.364/.390 (117 OPS+) with 12 doubles, 3 triples, 9 homers, 4 steals, and 49 RBIs while worth a decent 2.8 wins above replacement in 90 games down in San Jose. He hasn't looked great at short, still above average, but not quite the top notch defense I'd hope for, so we've given him some time at first, second, and third as well. The Maryland State alum has shown some power this season, and he's improving his pitch selection. His discipline is his best offensive tool, as I don't see him every hitting for a high average. He has shown a knack for extra base hits, but he's struck out in 2/3rds of his games this season. He has the tools to start, but he's still very raw and will likely need more seasoning then most college bats. |
Week 18: August 16th-August 22nd
Weekly Record: 1-6
Seasonal Record: 68-50 (3rd, 5.5 GB) Stars of the Week Dick Walker : 27 AB, 9 H, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .333 AVG, .980 OPS Billy Hunter : 27 AB, 9 H, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .333 AVG, .741 OPS Clark Car : 31 AB, 7 H, 2 HR, 7 RBI, .226 AVG, .702 OPS Schedule 8-16: Loss vs Wolves (3-1): 11 innings 8-17: Loss vs Wolves (3-2) 8-18: Loss vs Cannons (10-4) 8-19: Win vs Cannons (8-13) 8-20: Loss vs Cannons (4-2): 10 innings 8-21: Loss vs Cannons (4-1) 8-22: Loss vs Sailors (3-2): 10 innings Recap Well, that was disappointing... If there is any consolation, it's that the Cannons only beat us this week, but they did it three times and are only win was against them. The Wolves took the last two in Chicago and the Sailors took the first of three, dropping to third place and 5.5 games out. Our old nemesis, one run losses, came back to bite us, as we dropped four of them. And to make matters worse, three of them came in extras. I didn't think we were having much of an issue with those this year, but turns out we're now 13-19 in those pesky one run outings. Because of that, our 68-50 actual record falls well short of our 74-44 expected record, which of course, would put us in first place. The weirdest thing, however, is that 5 of our 7 decisions came from our relievers, who generally don't get many innings. Before this week, we only had 14 decisions go to our pen arms, with over 25% of the season total coming this week. Obviously, it's not completely over, but a return to the postseason is not looking too likely for the Chicago Cougars. Who to blame... Who to blame... Well, the pitching was inconsistent, as some of the starts were great, but they tended to end in a loss. Of course, there were also the two from Jim Lonardo and Johnnie Jones, that couldn't have gone much worse. Lonardo went 5.1 and was charged with 14 hits, 8 runs, and a walk with just a single strikeout. Jones went just 3, allowing 9 hits, 7 runs, 3 walks, and a strikeout. Jones has had a rough August, going 1-2 with a 6.20 ERA (55 ERA+), 1.70 WHIP, 10 walks, and 8 strikeouts. He's now 14-5 with a still respectable 2.90 ERA (117 ERA+), 1.28 WHIP, 81 walks, and 76 strikeouts. Art White and Joe Brown both made two strong starts, but neither was able to pick up a win. White actually lost one, charged with 17 hits, 5 runs, and 7 walks with 3 strikeouts in 17 innings pitched. Joe Brown had a pair of one run starts, tallying 14.2 innings with 8 hits, 2 runs, 8 walks, and 8 strikeouts. The pen was shaky, with both Angel Lopez and Ben Curtin losing two games. Lopez really struggled, 9 hits, 6 runs, and 5 walks with 2 strikeouts in 5 innings. Curtin was more unlucky, going 7.1 with 7 hits, 2 runs, 4 walks, and 3 strikeouts. Pug looked good, 5 scoreless with 4 hits, 2 walks, and a strikeout, while picking up the only win of the week. The last innings went to Cal Knight, 2.2 innings with 3 hits, a run, and a walk. Consistency will be more important if we want to make up any ground, but I'm worried that there isn't quite enough time to reclaim first place. Crazy enough, the offense wasn't bad, and we continued to get surprisingly strong results from Orlin Yates. He's still not playing every day, but the veteran went 3-for-6 with a double, walk, and 2 RBIs. Don Homer decided this was his only week of production, 1-for-3 with a pinch hit two run homer. Unfortunately for Homer, that raised his season line to .192/.276/.308 (69 OPS+), and he'll hit waivers as Rich Langton returns from AAA. We had a few other surprising good weeks, with Harry Mead actually hitting the ball. The backstop went 5-for-19 with 2 doubles, a run, RBI, and 5 walks. Dick Walker continued to be our most valuable hitter, going 9-for-27 with 2 doubles, 2 triples, 2 RBIs, 5 runs, 5 walks, and a steal. Clark Car went just 7-for-31, but with a double, 2 homers, 5 runs, and 7 RBIs. Billy Hunter was 9-for-27 with 2 doubles, 2 runs, and 2 RBIs. He'll see some time go to Langton, but his versatility will keep him in the lineup if he can stay healthy or continue to hit. We'll need to get back on track, and adding Langton may be a big help to jumpstart the lineup. Looking Ahead An off day to start the week is huge, as we really need a chance to catch our breath. And with a lot of off days, we don't need a 5th starter, so Johnnie Jones will work out of the pen this week. Our long, yet unsuccessful homestand ends with two against the Sailors, who are now 64-57 and as far behind us as we are to the Cannons. We're stuck facing their top two, the talented Karl Wallace (11-12, 2.84, 67) and strikeout machine Tom Cipolla (6-6, 1, 4.17, 67). Wallace will be tough, but even with our strikeout tendencies, I think we should be able to beat Cipolla. Of course, I also thought we'd win more then one game last week, so what do I know... The Sailors are always a tough test, and with our slump it will be tough, but this could be what we need to get back on track. We're then off for two days before three games in two days with the New York Stars. The Stars are on a nice little hot streak, now 51-70 and 24 games out of first. A lot has gone wrong in the Big Apple this season, but former Cougar draftee Chubby Hall has finally started to hit. The 26-year-old is hitting .318/.394/.443 (138 OPS+) with 3 doubles, a triple, 2 homers, and 9 RBIs in August. His season line is now up to .273/.353/.356 (102 OPS+) with 10 doubles, 3 triples, 7 homers, and 39 RBIs, with a lot more walks (52) then strikeouts (31). Rookie Elijah Bourdeau was recently brought up, and the 23-year-old top prospect is hitting an impressive .270/.356/.426 (122 OPS+) with 6 doubles, 2 triples, 4 homers, and 16 RBIs in his first 39 FABL games. Not much has gone well for them, but Henry Jones (.259, 11, 46) has had an excellent season at 39, making up for an average season from Dave Trowbridge (.273, 4, 42). The staff has had it's struggles, with Billy Riley (3-14, 3.94, 61) completely falling apart and Vern Hubbard's (13-8, 3.52, 95) drop in productivity. Waiver claim Hank Mittan (8-9, 3.37, 43) has somehow been their only productive pitcher, so we really should be able to pile on the runs against a struggling team. |
Week 19: August 23rd-August 29th
Weekly Record: 2-3
Seasonal Record: 70-53 (3rd, 7.5 GB) Stars of the Week Billy Hunter : 13 AB, 7 H, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .538 AVG, 1.110 OPS Ben Curtin : 1 Win, 5.0 IP, 2 BB, 2 K, 1.80 ERA Art White : 1 Win, 9.0 IP, 3 BB, 2 K, 1.00 ERA Schedule 8-24: Win vs Sailors (4-5): 13 innings 8-25: Loss vs Sailors (6-2) 8-28: Win at Stars (3-1) 8-29: Loss at Stars (0-1) 8-29: Loss at Stars (2-4) Recap It keeps getting worse, huh? It's another losing week for the Cougars, who split with the Sailors before dropping two of three to the Stars out in New York. The offense was non-existent, as we put up just 12 runs in the five games, with almost half of them happening in the first game of the week. Our long homestand did not go well, as we went 7-11 and haven't won a series since the first week of August. Since our 14 game win streak, we've stumbled to go 16-22 and we're now 7.5 games behind the Cannons, closer to fourth (6.5 GA) then the top of the league. The injuries continue to pile up, as while we do get Cliff Moss back, the Conti WAR lord Skipper Schneider will miss two weeks with a mild shoulder strain. The 22-year-old superstar has been worth 6.7 wins above average due to a .286/.342/.377 (109 OPS+) batting line and 33.1 zone rating (1.120 eff). Skipper has 19 doubles, 4 triples, 4 homers, 7 steals, and 59 RBIs in 484 trips to the plate this season. His absence means Billy Hunter will return to short, and we'll return to the classic Rich Langton and Cliff Moss platoon out in right. Hunter has played games at first, second, short, center, and right this season, while hitting a respectable .289/.335/.389 (111 OPS+) with a much better 121 WRC+. It's only a matter of time before he gets hurt again, but I just hope he can hold off until after Skipper returns. As you'd might expect from a week with little-to-no scoring, most of the bats sucked. Only two of them did anything, the previously mentioned Billy Hunter and the struggling Harry Mead. Hunter looked really good, 7-for-13, but all seven hits were singles and he added just a walk, run, and 2 RBIs. Mead was just 4-for-14, but with a double, 2 RBIs, and 3 walks. Mead still hasn't hit much on the season, but his WAR is up to 2.1 and his .237/.298/.338 (85 OPS+) batting line isn't terrible for a catcher. Dick Walker had a rare rough week, 3-for-21 with 2 runs, 3 walks, and a steal. Our center fielders were rather useless, with Yates and Fowler going 2-for-20 with a Yates double and RBI. Even Hank Barnett struggled, just 3-for-19 with a double, run, 2 walks, and 2 RBIs. Leo Mitchell stayed ice cold, 4-for-19 with a double, RBI, and 3 runs scored. His .320 average is still best in the CA, but his .320/.355/.385 (115 OPS+) season line pales in comparison to his .332/.377/.440 (128 OPS+) career mark. The bats need to wake up as soon as possible, and with just over a month left in the season, we are running out of time. Dick Lyons looked like a 43-year-old, losing to both the Sailors and the Stars. He was charged with 14 hits, 10 runs, and 8 walks with 5 strikeouts in just 12.1 innings pitched. This jumped his ERA all the way up to 2.55 (133 ERA+), and his 6 runs in 7 innings against the Sailors was the most he's allowed all season. With the great Dave Trowbridge announcing this season will be his last, Lyons is set to be the oldest player in the FABL next year. I think he's got another good year in him, hopefully two, and with 226 career wins he's doing whatever he can to convince voters he's hall worthy. The rest of the starts were good, but only Art White was able to pick up a win. White allowed just 2 hits, a run, and 3 walks with 2 strikeouts in a complete game win. Joe Brown got an unlucky loss, as we couldn't give him any support, going 8 with 8 hits, a run, and 6 strikeouts. With Lyons' rough week, Brown's 2.41 ERA (141 ERA+) is now best on the team, and he has a share of our triple crown with a team high 91 strikeouts with 14 wins matching Johnnie Jones. Jim Lonardo was unlucky, going 10 without getting a decision. He allowed 12 hits and 3 runs with a walk and strikeout. Ben Curtin did well in two relief outings, tallying a win with 5 innings, a hit, run, 2 walks, and 2 strikeouts. Johnnie Jones made a relief outing, 2 innings with 2 hits, 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts. Other then Lyons, can't complain about the pitching, as we just need to finally have some sort of timely hitting. Next week we'll get a few reinforcements, as I'll bring Frank Crawford back from rehab, as well as a waiver claim in Merritt Thomas. The longtime Sailors righty spent 1930-1941 in their organization before 8 innings with the Eagles in '42 and 51 more with the Kings this season. He's not the same guy who went 20-6 with a 3.26 ERA (140 ERA+) and 1.30 WHIP with 65 walks and 90 strikeouts in over 200 dominant innings, but he's a veteran who can soak up a few innings. This season has actually gone well, 2-3 with a 2.82 ERA (124 ERA+), 1.31 WHIP, 14 walks, and 8 strikeouts. The undrafted free agent is nearing the end of his career at 35, but he's thrown 1,221.1 FABL innings pitched. Thomas is 85-74 with 57 saves, a 3.99 ERA (104 ERA+), 1.44 WHIP, 489 walks, and 485 strikeouts, and has been one of the more successful Rule-5 Picks in the human GM era. They won't be the only two up, but since our minor league teams are doing better then the big league ones, most of our prospects will stay down until their season ends. All five teams are either first or second, with the top two both leading. We have 33 40-man spots filled, with a 34th going to Thomas, so I have a lot of choices for who can help us out the last month of the season. Looking Ahead Off to start the week, with one more in New York. They've gotten the best of us so far, now 54-71. They have one win fewer then Brooklyn, two compared to Montreal, but they've lost 5 more games then both. We couldn't beat Riley (5-14, 3.69, 69) or Hubbard (14-8, 3.38, 95), and now we're going to have to deal with Hank Mittan (8-9, 3.37, 43), although I'd much rather prefer Alex Vaughn (1-8, 1, 5.86, 32). This will be one of our last chances to see Dave Trowbridge (.271, 4, 43), who as previously mentioned, announced 1943 would be his last season. I'd love to see him keep playing and add to his 597 doubles, 212 homers, and 1,428 RBIs. Trowbridge won't reach 3,000 hits, he's at 2,895 in 2,376 career games, while worth 58.5 WAR. His .325/.393/.485 (136 OPS+) career line is impressive, and for someone who didn't pass 70 games in a season until he was 29, Trowbridge put together a historic career. I'd love to spoil one of his last games, but the Stars have really enjoyed the spoiler role this season. Off for roster expansion on Wednesday, where we'll head back home to host the Saints for four. Montreal has surprisingly struggled, 21 games behind the likely 1943 Continental Association champion Cannons. A shoulder injury to Ed Baker (6-2, 4.37, 33) and the collapse of Jake DeYoung (6-17, 5.27, 62) has really sabotaged them. Sure, Bill Ross (11-8, 2.45, 55) has done his best ace-impersonation at 30, but they haven't gotten the ideal production they were looking for from rookies Wally Reif (7-7, 3.58, 49) and Pat Weakly (8-7, 3.51, 76). Both are talented young righties who should be devastating CA hitters for years, but it's not quite their time yet. The bats haven't offered them much support either, with Bill Greene (.228, 7, 46, 22), Jake Hughes (.269, 51, 11), Bert Lass (.265, 3, 42), and Charles Woodbury (.268, 6, 47) all underperforming. Even Vic Crawford (.258, 10, 44) has cooled off from his excellent start to the year, leaving Mark Burns (.268, 1, 16, 6) and his 42-to-8 walk-to-strikeout ratio as the only real productive hitter. Art McMahon (.335, 2, 19, 6) has been surprisingly productive, but he's already on his six injury of the season. After coming close to .500 last year, the Saints look to be in the midst of their 13th straight losing season, something a lot of us thought would come to an end. I'm not sure our results matter anymore, as it would take a collapse from the Cannons to reclaim first, but as always, I'd love to win as many games as we can. Minor League Report 2B Jimmie James (AAA Milwaukee Blues): One of the non-40 man roster guys I'm debating on calling up once rosters expand, Lane State alum Jimmie James is starting to look big league ready. The versatile switch hitter was excellent in Mobile earlier this season, and has continued to produce up in Milwaukee. James owns a 142 WRC+ and has hit .279/.382/.437 (128 OPS+) in his first 54 AAA games. Combined with his time in AA, the former 4th Rounder has recorded 11 doubles, 5 triples, 13 homers, and 69 RBIs with more walks (71) then strikeouts (46). Recently turned 25, James has spent most of his time at second, and he's put up excellent numbers (10.5, 1.074) defensively. James also has experience at second, third, and all three outfield spots, making him a very functional bench piece if he can't hit like this in the big leagues. I think he's a much better hitter then Tip Harrison, who has managed to keep a roster spot due to his positional versatility. James consistently flashes above average bat speed and a strong hit tool. His speed isn't great, but he's definitely not slow, and he's a very smart baserunner. He hits the ball in the air a lot, which could lead to a lot of short homers in Chicago, but he's at his best when he's hitting the ball hard to the gaps. Add in leadership and you have a really exciting youngster, who can provide value even if he's struggling at the plate. He tends to rank in the top 200, currently 196, and he'll be in camp this spring looking to earn a bench role. RHP Ken Matson (AAA Milwaukee Blues): Matson was on the roster for Opening Day, and even made 5 starts, but the overall results weren't great. He had a very high ERA (4.75, 71) and WHIP (1.60) and the walks (33) were far more frequent then the strikeouts (25). Since going down, however, Matson has been dominant, improving his BB/9 and K/9 from 5.6 and 4.2 to 3.8 and 6.5. The 25-year-old has made 18 starts, going 7-2 with an impressive 2.63 ERA (143 ERA+). Matson owns a 1.27 WHIP with 46 walks and 79 strikeouts in 109.2 innings pitched, and I think the consistency has really helped the young righty. He's getting consistent starts with the Blues, not rotating between then pen and rotation, but there is a concern about his innings. He's finished the 8th just once since his demotion, and he hasn't passed the 110 pitch mark. This is a little worrisome, as he was able to crack 130 pitches in his last two starts up in Chicago. Since I want him starting every five days, he won't join the pen next sim, but if we have an opening after the season ends he's likely to get a spot. Matson does project to be a decent back-end starter, and while we do have a lot of pitching depth, he could be a very useful depth arm if we continue to get hit with injuries like we were this season. SS Steve Rosko (A Lincoln Legislators): We've had a lot of weird seasons this year, but there are few as unexpected as Steve Rosko's. He started the season in San Jose, hitting .264/.391/.421 (134 OPS+) with 3 doubles, 2 triples, 5 homers, 3 steals, and 28 RBIs in 42 games for the Cougars. This earned him a promotion to Lincoln, where he took things to the next level. The 24-year-old hit .329/.437/.548 (151 OPS+) with 13 doubles, a triple, 11 homers, and 40 RBIs. He's also been excellent at short for the Legislators, with a 9.9 zone rating and 1.112 efficiency. His 3-for-14 stolen base rate leaves a lot to be desired, but there is very little to complain about when it comes to Rosko's performance this season. The former 7th Rounder is now getting the call to AA, as he works towards earning a 40-man roster spot. The versatile infielder has good speed and a nice glove, and while I'm not buying into the power surge, he'll draw his share of walks and keep his average respectable. Tom Weinstock thinks he can force his way into a lineup, and with all the injuries and enlistments, you never know who's going to get a call. |
Week 20: August 30th-September 5th
4 Attachment(s)
Weekly Record: 2-3
Seasonal Record: 72-55 (3rd, 9 GB) Stars of the Week Clark Car : 20 AB, 7 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .350 AVG, 1.000 OPS Leo Mitchell : 17 AB, 6 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .353 AVG, 1.097 OPS Dick Lyons : 1 Win, 9.0 IP, 0 BB, 1 K, 0.00 ERA Schedule 8-31: Loss at Stars (4-5) 9-2: Loss vs Saints (5-4) 9-3: Win vs Saints (2-13) 9-4: Loss vs Saints (5-4) 9-5: Win vs Saints (0-2) Recap Can it get any worse? No, seriously... I'm actually asking! Can it!?!?!? It's crazy to think that we were actually in first about a month ago, and now the Cannons are nine up on us and eight up on Toronto. This week was a major slap in the face in multiple ways, starting with the three identical 5-4 losses. Add in the fact that we outscored our opponents by 10 runs (27-17) and one just two games, and you begin to question everything your eyes are telling you. At least the nightmare that was August (10-15) is over, and if you play the run differential game, our record should be 8 wins better then it is. Still not first, but definitely not waiting until 1944. As crazy as it may seem, since August 15th we are 6-13, but have scored one more run (70) then we have allowed (69). That's what 8(!) one run losses will do to you... Any consolation? Well, Dick Lyons had a good start! After an awful week, Dick Lyons was back to his youthful self, keeping the Saints in check to pick up his 10th win of the season. The crafty lefty struck out 1 and allowed 5 hits in a 2-0 shutout over the Saints. His 2.42 ERA would be the best of his 17 full seasons, and his 140 ERA+ is better then all years he did not when the Allen Award. Joe Brown stayed hot, picking up a complete game win with 9 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts. Of course, that means none of our other starters got wins, with rough outings from both Jim Lonardo and Johnnie Jones. Both lost 5-4 games, although it was 100% Ollie Page's fault for Jones. I used the supposedly good defender at short for one game this week, and he made 3 errors, leading to one of Jones' runs (although I'm sure the rest hurt) being unearned. No Skipper hurts (and even worse, is recover time is now unknown), as Johnnie allowed 11 hits with 5 walks and strikeouts and got all but one out in the game. All Lonardo's runs were earned, going 8 with 10 hits, 5 runs, a walk, and 2 strikeouts. Art White picked up a no decision, 12 hits, 4 runs, 2 walks, and a strikeout in 8 innings pitched. Ben Curtin made the only two appearances out of the pen, going an inning and a third with a hit, run, strikeout, and 3 walks. He was charged with the loss in White's start. We didn't hit much, with four of our hitters doing most of the work. Leo Mitchell finally had a good week, going 6-for-17 with 2 doubles, a homer, 5 RBIs, 4 runs, and 3 walks. The CA batting leader is hitting .322/.358/.394 (119 OPS+) and holds a 8 point lead on Sailor first basemen Marion Boismenu (.314, 5, 43, 5). This is still Mitchell's worst offensive season since becoming a regular in 1937, but his 85 strikeout pace would be the first time he didn't record more then 95 since the '38 season. Dan Fowler finally showcased his power, hitting two homers in three games, going 3-for-12 with 4 runs and 4 RBIs. Clark Car is approaching the 6 WAR mark, finishing this week 7-for-20 with 3 doubles, a homer, 5 runs, and 4 RBIs. The breakout star is now tied with Dick Walker and Hank Barnett for a team high 10 homers, more then his combined total since 1939. Cliff Moss had a decent return to the roster, 2-for-9 with a homer and two runs scored and driven in. He did leave the game on the 4th with a strained hamstring, and he'll miss today's double header at home. We needed Hank Barnett, this week 4-for-14 without an extra base hit, to not have his worse month in August, as things have really spiraled for us. We have still scored the most runs in the CA, but we are not leading in much else. Rosters are now expanded to 35, and we'll add a few more players to the active roster. One I thought would be Don Homer, but the Sailors reclaimed him. If he passed, I could have brought him up or sent him to Milwaukee to bring up Hufford or Browning, but we don't really need an extra outfielder so it was more just to make roster limits work. We will get two arms, with the recently claimed Merritt Thomas and deadline pickup Frank Crawford joining the Cougar 24. Crawford's 4 starts in Milwaukee weren't all that inspiring, as he was 2-1 with a 4.43 ERA (84 ERA+), 1.84 WHIP, 10 walks, and 8 strikeouts in 22.1 innings pitched. We do have some double headers coming up, so Crawford may get a start or two this month, but both are going to be used primarily out of the pen. We do have one to start the week, but Crawford is on 4 days rest just like Art White, and I trust White about a thousand times more, even if he's just been average since coming over. We do have a few more adds, but I'll cover those in the minor league report. Most of our exciting prospects will continue to get everyday time in more meaningful games, so the first round is more depth then anything else. Looking Ahead Since we can't quick play until 1944, we just have to try to win as many games left, as there really isn't much difference between picking 10th, 12th, or 14th anyways. We should be able to handle the Kings at home, they're just 56-70, but we've been playing well below our talent lately and I wouldn't be surprised if we fail to win yet another series. It's a double header to start the week, followed by an off day and then the finale on Wednesday. The opener will be a very exciting one, as Art White will take on former Cougar prospect Oliver Allen, who was part of his four pitcher package. Our 4th Rounder in 1938, the Kings called the 23-year-old up on the 17th, and he's had two impressive 6 inning outings. He's allowed just 10 hits, a run, and 4 walks with 5 strikeouts. We're also set to see fellow rookie Jim Kenney (10-8, 2.77, 12), who despite plenty more walks then strikeouts, has done very well in 20 starts. Of course, with roster expansion we may see a lot of different players, leading to a lot of uncertainty in the rotation and lineup. Really the only guys who won't have to worry are Kenny, Tiny Tim Hopkins (.250, 14, 45), and Jim Crawford (11-14, 3.34, 31), but most of the Kings young talent is either a year away, injured, or off to war. Down in AAA they could bring up former 5th Rounder Ben Brazel or returned Rule-5 Pick Manny Franco, but had top 50 prospect Orie Martinez not been dealing with a hip strain, we'd probably see the Rincon Rifle batting third and manning left field instead of utility man Jim Alarie (.250, 34, 12). We'll then get another go with the now six place Stars, who are also 24 games behind the Cannons, but have two more wins and losses then the Kings. New York has caught fire, 17-10 in August and off to a 3-1 start in September. Vern Hubbard (15-8, 3.34, 98) and Billy Riley (6-14, 3.57, 74) have both allowed 2 or fewer runs in each of their last four starts, but the rest of the pitching is still suspect. They do have an intriguing option to bring up in the games #12 prospect Wally Hunter, who is 11-5 with a 1.89 ERA (179 ERA+), 1.09 WHIP, 54 walks, and 88 strikeouts in 171 impressive innings for AAA Los Angeles. The 21-year-old has dominated much older competition, and has even hit a productive .286/.332/.384 (108 OPS+) while making semi-regular starts in the outfield. The Stars have all three spots covered by Chubby Hall (.273, 8, 43), Henry Jones (.259, 12, 52), and fellow top prospect Elijah Bourdeau (.268, 5, 24, 2), but you have to imagine he's a better option on the mound then Alex Vaughn (1-9, 1, 5.58, 38) or Bill Keith (4-8, 4.66, 40). The Stars could bring up a few other of their 13 top 100 prospects, with catcher Chick MacKnight in AAA and first basemen and #11 prospect Bill Barnett in AA. MacKnight may not be a name most Cougar fans know, but he's actually who the Stars used with our pick in the trade that netted Clark Car and a 4th and 7th Rounder. Both MacKnight and Barnett may need a little more seasoning, but both should be ready to produce once "William the Conqueror" returns to conquering baseballs and not axis fighters. Minor League Report RHP John Little (AAA Milwaukee Blues): Well, someone's earned a callup! After four consecutive starts with one earned run allowed, John Little bested himself, tossing a 6-hit shutout with a walk and 3 strikeouts as Milwaukee beat Minnesota 3-0. That improved Little to 11-6 on the season with a 2.50 ERA (149 ERA+), 1.12 WHIP, 38 walks, and 69 strikeouts in 176.1 innings pitched. It's been a tremendous season for the 27-year-old, who set career bests for ERA, WHIP, ERA+, and BB/9 (1.9) in his seventh season as a professional. A 5th Round selection back in 1937, Little will now officially become an FABL pitcher, likely getting a relief outing or two before the season ends. The righty has never relieved a game in his career, but he definitely won't crack our rotation and both OSA and head scout Tom Weinstock view Little as a pen guy. He's a flyball pitcher who's stuff isn't that great, but his command is strong and he locates his pitches well. Don't expect many strikeouts, but he can go deep in games and soak up as many innings as needed. Since he's on the older side and will turn 28 next month, his 40-man spot isn't the most secure, but if he can hold on he'll have a shot to earn a pen spot next season. LF Huck Hanes (AAA Milwaukee Blues): While nearly every Cougar had an awful August, Huck Hanes decided to go against the grain, winning Batter of the Month in the Century League. The 61st Pick of the 1941 draft hit an impressive .380/.424/.491 (155 OPS+) with 7 doubles, 2 steals, a homer, and 15 RBIs. 25 in October, I've debated whether Hanes will get a call to Chicago, but I am leaning towards letting him finish the season in Milwaukee. With less then 4 years of service time I don't have to worry about protecting him in the Rule-5 Draft, and he's not likely to replace Leo Mitchell any time soon. After a dreadful start to the season, Hanes is hitting an above average .287/.350/.408 (111 OPS+) with 18 doubles, 4 triples, 10 homers, and 60 RBIs. The once concern is the strikeouts, as he had just 14 in 575 PAs last year, but that's skyrocketed to 52 in 517 this season. His lack of strikeouts were a huge part of his appeal, and while he has at least hit as many homers this season as his first season and a half combined, OSA and Tom don't think he's got big league home run power. He's a groundball hitter who's at his best when he puts the ball in play, and he's not putting the ball in play nearly enough. Scouts have soured on him a bit, thinking he's no more then a bench bat, but he has a low floor and could suit up effectively for an FABL team that had a need for a corner bat. RHP Ken Matson (AAA Milwaukee Blues): A nice sweep down in AAA, as with Hanes taking the Batter of the Month, Ken Matson was named Pitcher of the Month. Like Hanes, Matson will get the next three weeks to play regularly in Milwaukee, but he's almost guaranteed a callup once the season ends. His August results make me excited, as Matson is looking once again like a big league starting pitcher. The 25-year-old went a perfect 4-0 with a 1.91 ERA (195 ERA+), 1.11 WHIP, 14 walks, and 27 strikeouts in his 6 starts. Matson is having the best season of his minor league career, tossing 116 effective innings atop the Blues rotation. Now 8-2, Matson owns a 2.56 ERA (146 ERA+) and 1.25 WHIP with 49 walks and 84 strikeouts. His 6.5 is elite, just a few points behind Pap's league leading 6.9 in '41. Now I'm not saying Matson is even half the pitcher our favorite fireballer is, but the strikeout numbers are very enticing. His cutter is filthy, hands down one of the best pitches in our system, and his curve and change will always get ugly swings from opposing hitters. The one issue is his control, which is why he's more of a back-end guy then front-end, but OSA speculates he could be a #2. With the age of some members in our rotation, Matson has a legit chance to enter the front five (or six if we have a ton of double headers) next season, but I can't really see a scenario where he returns to Milwaukee unless his results are just abysmal. CF Don Lee (AA Mobile Commodores): With all the center field trouble we have, maybe I should have just looked within. Make it two Player of the Week awards for Don Lee since his promotion to AA, as the 21-year-old outfielder continues to rake at the plate. The brother of Sailors shortstop Rip Lee, "Rap" Lee was 10-for-24 with 2 homers and 6 RBIs in his third overall Player of the Week and fifth in the past three seasons. He's now surpassed his PA total from Lincoln in Mobile, hitting an outstanding .309/.436/.487 (145 OPS+) with 13 doubles, 4 triples, 7 homers, 16 steals, and 44 RBIs. In total Lee has been worth 5.1 WAR with 27 doubles, 19 homers, 40 steals, and 86 RBIs, and if there was an organizational MVP, Lee would most certainly take it. The prospect pickers don't give him nearly enough credit, ranked 114th overall and 6th in our system, but I think Lee is going to be a tremendous big leaguer. The former 2nd Rounder is already a captain, has elite speed on the bases, and mixes elite plate discipline with excellent batspeed. Lee has walked 102 times in 138 games this season, while striking out just 43 times. For someone his age and against the competition he's faced, this doesn't look like just a second division starter, as the only real knock on him is he's just average out in center. His bat is more then capable for a corner guy, and Lee is doing his very best to convince me it's time to give the young outfielder a callup. I can't see him in Chicago this season, but I'm leaning towards starting him in Milwaukee and giving him the chance to take time away from the veteran Dan Fowler. RHP Charlie Kelsey (A Lincoln Legislators): Well, if we can't win games, why not win awards! Granted, I do hate when relievers win them, and even more so when the results aren't that great. That's not to say Kelsey did bad, but I have to think there was a better option then a reliever who had a 3.45 ERA (138 ERA+) and 1.15 WHIP. Sure, he was 5-1 with 2 saves, 4 walks, and 26 strikeouts, and yes, 28.2 innings is a decent amount, but his own teammate Jimmy Maness had a 1.95 ERA (245 ERA+) and 1.21 WHIP. But he was only 1-1 so obviously he sucks... Anyways, the numbers have been good for Kelsey, who was called up last month to Lincoln. Since then he's gone 5-3 with a 3.40 ERA (140 ERA+) and 1.16 WHIP, a bit better then his numbers with San Jose. What the former 9th Rounder has done, is vastly improved his walks and strikeouts, with 8 and 40 respectively. That's good for an elite 1.7 BB/9 and 8.5 K/9, and the signs have been really encouraging for a potential dominant stopper. The 21-year-old doesn't throw too hard, sitting in the high 80s with his fastball and sinker, but he limits hard contact and is able to get a lot of swings and misses. His stuff is solid and he generates a ton of groundballs, and if guys get on base they usually don't score. Kelsey projects to be a very useful bullpen piece, and with his ability to throw multiple innings, he could be a useful bridge in a high scoring close game where he can come in the 7th or 8th and finish things off. SS Dick Hamilton (B San Jose Cougars): Happy 23rd birthday to Dick Hamilton, who also recently celebrated a Batter of the Month selection in the California-Oregon-Washington League. Hamilton was the best hitter in August, slashing a superb .361/.453/.505 (176 OPS+) with 4 doubles, 2 triples, 2 homers, 5 steals, and 16 RBIs. Hamilton has had one of the weirdest statistical seasons, and you wouldn't really be able to tell that from his .266/.379/.403 (125 OPS+) season line. In 108 games, he has 73 walks, 72 strikeouts, and a dreadful 8-for-27 stolen base success rate to go with 13 doubles, 4 triples, 11 homers, and 61 RBIs. He has a lot of three true outcome appearances and for some reason continues to attempt to swipe bags. His 5-for-10 this month was the best, as before that he was just 3-for-16. Is he slow? Unlucky? A terrible base stealer? Who knows! But it is something to keep an eye on as he does have a lot of interesting tools. He's got a great eye despite all the whiffs, and Hamilton consistently hits the ball hard. His defense at short is improving, likely at least average, and he's looked good in limited time at second and third too. I think he could be a decent double play partner with Skipper (who is actually younger), but with Clark Car emerging as a top 5 player (he's currently #3 on the top 20 list for some reason) Hamilton may not contribute in Chicago for a while. He's probably ready for A ball, but we'll let him finish the season here and he'll start in Lincoln next spring. |
Week 21: September 6th-September 12th
Weekly Record: 5-1
Seasonal Record: 77-56 (t-2nd, 7 GB) Stars of the Week Art White : 2 Wins, 18.0 IP, 2 BB, 6 K, 1.00 ERA Joe Brown : 1 Win, 9.0 IP, 0 BB, 5 K, 0.00 ERA Clark Car : 22 AB, 6 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .273 AVG, .860 OPS Schedule 9-6: Win vs Kings (0-7) 9-6: Win vs Kings (3-7) 9-8: Win vs Kings (0-1) 9-9: Win vs Stars (5-9) 9-11: Loss vs Stars (3-1) 9-12: Win vs Stars (2-3) Recap So now we decide to win? Can't complain about a five win week, other then the fact that we waited so long to have it! We even picked up a few rare one run wins, and are now back to seven out of first place. With just 20 games to go, the deficit is likely insurmountable, but at least they're trying to make it respectable again! We're also now tied with Toronto in terms of games, but a percentage point above with one fewer win and loss. I just now realized we played our last home game, the 3-2 win over the Stars, so we'll really have our work cut out for us. Due to an attendance "feature" ticket sales exploded around July, so we drew 2,215,186 fans, a Cougar record and currently the most in the FABL. This is the second time we've cracked the 2 million fan mark, although this one doesn't quite feel the same. The 49-86 Gothams managed to crack 2 million too, but since they are done with home games as well, their 2.1 million will be shy of ours. We've been alright on the road, 46-31 (.597), but we'll have to do better then that to catch the Cannons who are playing well over .600 ball total, and they have a lot of home games left. They are actually better on the road, but still playing .600 ball at home. Part of the wins coincided with Art White finally pitching like Art White. White got a little revenge on the Kings, tossing a 6-hit shutout in the first game of our double header. He walked just one and struck out 4 in a comfortable 7-0 win. He then held off the Stars, picking improving to 14-11 with another complete game win. This start wasn't as great, but still just 10 hits, 2 runs, a walk, and 2 strikeouts to finish the week. Turns out it was a good week to be a color in the Cougar organization, as Joe Brown twirled a shutout of his own. It was necessary, as we managed just a single run off George Smith. Brown struck out 5 and allowed just 2 hits, dropping his season ERA and WHIP to 2.30 (147 ERA+) and 1.03. The 29-year-old has quietly had an impressive season, ranked 3rd in the CA for ERA, tied for 2nd in strikeouts, and tied for third in wins with 16. Dick Lyons picked up the only loss, but he didn't pitch poorly. The lefty went all nine, allowing just 7 hits and 3 runs (2 earned) with a pair of strikeouts but he didn't get the run support the start deserved. Johnnie Jones was far more lucky hosting the team that drafted him, picking up a complete game victory with 9 hits, 5 runs (3 earned), 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts. Jim Lonardo picked up a complete game win too, allowing 8 hits, 3 runs (2 earned), and a walk in the second game of our double header. Newcomers Frank Crawford and Merritt Thomas didn't pitch, and despite now having seven pitchers in the pen, none of them threw an inning. That's not a bad thing, as our starters were able to go out and do what they're supposed to, go all nine. Harry Mead had a nice resurgence, going 6-for-14 with 3 walks, 4 runs, and an RBI. Dan Fowler went 6-for-18 with a double, homer, 2 walks, 3 RBIs, and 4 runs scored. Cliff Moss entertained the home fans, 4-for-16 with 2 homers and 4 RBIs. Leo Mitchell had a week worthy of someone competing for a batting title, 7-for-20 with a double, steal, 4 walks, and 6 runs scored. Clark Car took the team home run lead, 6-for-22 while also picking up a triple, steal, 3 walks, 4 runs, and 5 RBIs. My daily lineups didn't take, so Cuno Myer didn't get to start the double header. Despite that, he picked up his first big league hit, picking up a pinch hit single in his lone at bat. Luckily, the lineup issues didn't cause any injuries, but we'll have to get by for another week without Skipper. He's still dealing with a shoulder strain and I don't want to rush him back with us so far out. The last thing you want is for your 22-year-old superstar shortstop is to get hurt at less then 100% in a meaningless game. Looking Ahead Our road trip starts with the now eliminated Brooklyn Kings. At 59-74, they are one of four teams who have been officially eliminated in the CA, currently sitting in 6th and 24.5 games out. They moved Oliver Allen to the pen, so we didn't get to see him take on Art White, as they instead went with 23-year-old Dick Farmer (1-1, 5.84, 6). The former 7th Round pick spent most of his season in AA, and the Kings decided to take a look at their 22nd ranked prospect. He's no Jim Kenny (10-9, 2.98, 12), but Farmer is a fireballer with really good stuff. He does struggle with the longball, as two homers helped us pile on 6 hits and 7 runs during his 3.1 inning debut in Chicago. Walks are an issue for him too, there were six of them, but he's still got a lot of growth as a pitcher. If he upgrades his command or limits the homers, he can be a really good pitcher, but unfortunately he's not the hardest worker. Not many other new faces, but they did bring up Mel Haynes (2-0, 1.93, 9) to fill the pen. We'll face them for three, and we expect to see George Smith (7-7, 3.94, 40), Jim Crawford (11-15, 3.42, 32), and Bill McGraw (4-4, 3.78, 22). We beat them in Chicago, so you'd think we could do the same in Brooklyn, which can help us make up some ground as the Cannons have a lot of off days. We have one too, but it sets up four games in three days with the Saints. Montreal is a game and a half ahead of the Kings, 62-72 and 9 back of the 4th place Sailors. Montreal hasn't made too many callups, as they have youngsters like Wally Reif (7-9, 4.03, 55) and Pat Weakley (10-7, 3.54, 84) already on the active roster. In a season with a lot of disappointment, there have been some bright spots, including the emergence of 29-year-old Karl Weiss. He was very unlucky last season, but things have gone much better in '43, as he's 10-13 with a 2.92 ERA (120 ERA+), 1.15 WHIP, 39 walks, and 50 strikeouts. These are very strong numbers for a former 18th Rounder, but then again 700+ FABL innings is already impressive enough. With top prospects Jackie James and Bert Cupid waiting down in AAA, Weiss can either hold a spot for them or be shipped out this offseason while his value is high. We're likely going to have to face him, but even if we don't that means we got former Cougar 3rd Rounder Bill Ross (12-8, 2.60, 62). The offense has let the staff down, but Vic Crawford (.270, 13, 52) has started to heat up and they do have a lot of good hitters. The Saints have one of the top rated systems, but with a lot of their best youngsters at war, Saints fans may have to wait until the conflict subsides. Minor League Report LHP Lefty Jones (C La Crosse Lions): Taken with the 77th Pick in this summer's draft, it hadn't been the smoothest start for Lefty Jones, but the sidewinding lefty was unhittable in a 4-0 win over the Marshalltown Kings. He allowed just one hit in the shutout while striking out seven. His wildness was on full display, walking seven for the third time in four starts, but it's clear that Jones' stuff is unhittable. One of those effectively wild type guys, the 18-year-old does have difficulty hitting the zone, but his pitches are next to impossible to square up. He comes at you from an awkward angle, and his cutter has insane life. The slider is unhittable for lefties and the change neutralizes power against righties. He's struck out (69) more hitters then innings (67.1), but his 6.4 BB/9 leaves a lot to be desired. That contributed to a high 4.81 ERA (108 ERA+) and 1.56 WHIP, and his 6.32 FIP thinks there is a lot of regression coming. I'm not overly worried, a lot of teen pitchers are getting hit hard (don't look at Tommy Seymour...), and it can take time for guys to get their footing. His stuff is electric even though he sits in the mid 80s, and I'm excited to see if he stays there or eventually picks it up. As a finesse pitcher I think he'll never hit 90, but that could make him one of the more interesting pitchers in the league. He currently ranks 11th in our system and 176th Overall. Jones is our fifth ranked pitcher and third highest of our recent class. Tom Weinstock thinks he'll be no more then a spot starter, but if he can continue to miss bats like he has, he'll be a very good FABL pitcher. RHP Dick Garcia (C La Crosse Lions): Speaking of young arms in C ball... Just three days after Lefty Jones' shutout, Dick Garcia got in on the fun, allowing just 4 hits and 2 walks with 3 strikeouts in a 2-0 win over the Burlington Bears. Our most recent regional pick, the East Chicago native has been one of our best teen arms with the Lions, going 5-6 with a 4.05 ERA (129 ERA+), 1.51 WHIP, 54 walks, and 62 strikeouts through 73.1 innings pitched. The walks are high for the soon-to-be 19-year-old, but Garcia's sinker is able to erase them with a lot of double plays. His middle infield defense will always have to be on their toes, but it's hard to elevate his pitches. He doesn't throw too hard, just 85-87, and his cutter and change are solid, just not nearly as good as his sinker. He works down in the zone and a good catcher will be crucial to block a lot of pitches in the dirt, but the movement is good enough to still get swings. If he wants to be more then an emergency starter, he'll have to start locating his pitches better, but the harder he throws the more effective he'll be. |
Week 22: September 13th-September 19th
Weekly Record: 2-5
Seasonal Record: 79-61 (3rd, 6.5 GB) Stars of the Week Leo Mitchell : 29 AB, 11 H, 2 HR, 3 RBI, .379 AVG, 1.006 OPS Clark Car : 26 AB, 9 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, .346 AVG, .854 OPS Hank Barnett : 28 AB, 7 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .250 AVG, .729 OPS Schedule 9-13: Win at Kings (2-0) 9-14: Win at Kings (5-1) 9-15: Loss at Kings (3-5) 9-17: Loss at Saints (1-3) 9-18: Loss at Saints (2-5) 9-19: Loss at Saints (7-10) 9-19: Loss at Saints (4-5) Recap This week was a huge wasted opportunity, is even after dropping our last five, we managed to make up a half game over the floundering Cannons. If we went at least 4-3, we'd be just 4.5 out and with a better 5-2 we would have been within 3.5. But instead, we'll start a tough week with the Wolves and Cannons closer to elimination then first. Our season is now effectively over, but for one Cougar, it is official. That of course, is the always injured Billy Hunter, who has once again sprained his knee. Hunter managed to make just 213 trips to the plate this season, hitting an above average .296/.335/.382 (109 OPS+) with 10 doubles, 2 triples, a homer, and 19 RBIs. Crazy enough, those 213 PAs are his highest total since 1939, same goes for his 55 games. Lucky enough for us, it coincides with the return of Skipper Schneider, who's shoulder is now 100%. Despite missing three weeks, his 6.8 WAR is still tied for the CA lead, and the soon-to-be 23-year-old is hitting .286/.342/.377 (109 OPS+) with 19 doubles, 4 triples, 4 homers, 7 steals, and 59 RBIs. Having Skipper these last three weeks could have made a huge difference, potentially within striking distance of first as the season winds down. Of course, underperforming our 87-54 expected record hasn't helped too much either... The offense was extremely unproductive, which didn't apply to the hopeful batting title winner Leo Mitchell. Mitchell was 11-for-29 with 2 homers, 2 walks, 3 RBIs, and 5 runs scored and named Player of the Week in the Continental Association. His .326 batting average is 14 points higher then the Sailors' Marion Boismenu, and it is looking more and more likely that he'll win his first batting title. Clark Car went 9-for-26 with 3 doubles, a steal, 4 runs, and an RBI. Hank Barnett hit another homer, going 7-for-28 with 2 doubles, 4 runs, and 5 RBIs. On the other side, Cliff Moss had a hitless week, 0-for-17 with a pair of walks. Our center fielders didn't do well either, with Orlin Yates 0-for-7 and Dan Fowler 2-for-14. Not very much went right, but I'm hoping we have a little more in the tank to finish the season on a high note. The pitching wasn't much better, as Dick Lyons allowed 6 hits and runs in just a single inning pitched. He was then replaced with Frank Crawford, who didn't fair much better in his Cougar debut. He was charged with 5 hits, 4 runs, and 4 walks with a strikeout in 4.1 innings pitched. Johnnie Jones was roughed up too, 10 hits, 4 runs, and 2 walks with 5 strikeouts in 7 innings pitched. Joe Brown made two starts, including his second consecutive 2-hit shutout. This one came with a walk and 4 strikeouts. His second start was sabotaged by errors, as four of his five runs were unearned as we lost 5-2. He allowed 8 hits with a walk and 3 strikeouts. Jim Lonardo picked up two starts, a win and loss. He was effective against the Kings, just a run with 5 hits, 2 walks, and a strikeout in a complete game win. Then against the Saints he allowed 8 hits, 5 runs, and a walk with a strikeout. The last start went to Art White, who allowed 6 hits, 3 runs, and 4 walks with a strikeout in 8 innings pitched. With some better starts we could have had an improved week, and would have been plotting a way to overtake first instead of wondering what could have been. Looking Ahead Two off days before starting a tough three game set with the Wolves. This is huge for Toronto, as they are just 3 games behind the Cannons for the top spot in the CA. A big reason for their big season has been Walt Pack, who has slashed .282/.357/.453 (125 OPS+) with 24 doubles, 19 homers, and 82 RBIs. He hasn't gotten much support outside of Juan Pomales (.288, 2, 39, 18; 3-4, 1, 4.55, 16) and Mike Rollinson (.301, 3, 53, 4), and their only other above average hitter is Clarence Howerton (.281, 2, 47). Despite that, they score a decent amount of runs and they generally pitch well. Whenever Joe Hancock (18-8, 2.78, 107) is on the mound they have the chance to win, and they've gotten consistently good outings from Jimmy Gibbs (12-7, 1, 2.25, 51) and Bernie Johnson (15-8, 2.77, 49). They also have an elite stopper in Lou Jayson (10-2, 14, 1.40, 44) who is a big part of why they are 31-16 in those pesky one run games. I'm really not sure what's going to happen in this series, but my guess is it won't matter whether we win or lose. It doesn't get easier, as our weekend plans are three games in two days with the Cannons. At 85-55, they're 3 up over the Wolves and 6.5 above us. They should be far clear, as they've slumped, and while not quite as bad as our -8, their record is six wins fewer then their run differential would suggest. Part of that has been due to a lack of run support for Rufus Barrell, who is just 16-11 despite a league best 2.13 ERA (162 ERA+) and league high 129 strikeouts. Him and Joe Brown will compete for the triple crown, although unlike Brown, who's top three in all categories, Barrell's lack of run support as kept his win total down. He's behind co-ace Butch Smith (18-8, 2.39, 96) while Vic Carroll (13-5, 2.22, 92) is in competition for the ERA crown despite a 5.7 BB/9. Chris Clarke (11-15, 2.76, 72) would be in the running too if you only count his Cincinnati ERA (2.16), giving the Cannons the best rotation by a longshot. Scoring runs off of them will be a challenge, and they generally have the offense to support the staff. Jim Hensley (.233, 7, 58) is the only hitter with a WRC+ below 100, and it's at 99 and could move up by the end of the season. Even with that "below average" offense, Hensley is tied for the WAR lead with Skipper at 6.8. Billy Dalton (.286, 15, 67) and Chuck Adams (.266, 15, 70) supply power while Fred Galloway (.265, 2, 36, 4), Sam Brown (.316, 3, 71, 4), and Adam Mullins (.305, 3, 48) are always on base. Even Bob Griffith (.282, 2, 61, 4) is a well above average hitter this season, making things difficult for anyone. I'm not sure how the Cannons haven't clinched already, but I'd be even more surprised if they don't walk right through us. Minor League Report C Gene Lee (AAA Milwaukee Blues): With the callup of Steve Mountain, we had an open spot in AAA, so I decided to give Gene Lee everyday at bats until the season ends. He's taken advantage of that so far, and despite us losing 9-7 against Indianapolis, he was a perfect 5-for-5 with a run scored and driven in. He's played 13 games for the Blues, hitting .348/.412/.370 (119 OPS+) with a double and 9 RBIs. This is far better then his 151 PAs down in Mobile, slashing a below average .256/.331/.383 (89 OPS+) with 4 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, and 19 RBIs. One of the few pluses was four times the walks (16) as strikeouts (4), but the 23-year-old hasn't had the greatest season. Still, as a former 19th Round selection, making it up to AAA is a huge accomplishment, and he's managed to do it without getting frequent at bats. He's Rule-5 eligible, and I don't plan on protecting him, but he could find his way onto a big league roster. He's not a great catcher, but he does hit the ball hard and he has a really quick swing. We don't have too many options behind the plate if injuries arise, so Lee could be a useful depth piece and he'll get a chance to impress next spring. RHP Jack Huston (AA Mobile Commodores): The amazing season continues for Jack Huston, who put together another shutout for the Commodores. This time it was a 6-hitter in Nashville with 6 walks and 5 strikeouts to improve to 23-6 on the season. Huston has been elite, worth an even 7 wins above replacement with a 2.92 ERA (157 ERA+), 1.22 WHIP, 85 walks, and 137 strikeouts. These are huge numbers for the former 5th Rounder, who has tallied 255.2 innings with a few starts left to go. Regardless of his prospect ranking (or lack thereof), Huston has developed into an excellent starting pitcher, effortlessly going the distance while keeping runners off base. Even when they get on, he does a good job erasing base runners with groundouts, and his sidearm windup is very hard to pick up. He doesn't need to overpower hitters, sitting in the high 80s, but he still is able to produce whiffs, especially against lefties. His slider is unhittable and his curve is great, both receiving a lot of movement in different directions. The issue at times is command, as sometimes he misses his spot by a wide margin, but a good catcher can really help him hit his spots. Next season he'll be in Milwaukee, and depending on injuries we could see him debut, but I don't expect to see him in Chicago for anything more then a spot start. |
Week 23: September 20th-September 26th
Weekly Record: 2-5
Seasonal Record: 81-66 (3rd, 9.5 GB) Stars of the Week None Generated Schedule 9-22: Win at Wolves (4-2) 9-23: Loss at Wolves (3-10) 9-24: Loss at Wolves (2-3) 9-25: Loss at Cannons (0-1) 9-26: Win at Cannons (3-2) 9-26: Loss at Cannons (2-3): 12 innings Recap It is now official; the Chicago Cougars have been eliminated from postseason contention. Yet another 2-5 week riddled with one run losses did us in, as we continued our rapid fall from grace. We've dropped eight of our last ten and are now ten games under .500 in one run games. This was supposed to be the year for us, but instead we'll turn our focus the offseason where we have the tough decision of trying to upgrade with our thin system or attempt to run it back with a full season of Art White and a healthy Harry Parker. All five minor league levels are now done, so we'll fill our roster (players in minor league report) with young players for the final week. Tomorrow is the last sim of the season, and since that is when our season ends, I'll do a large scale minor league report on Thursday to recap our affiliates successes. Joe Brown had a rare rough start, as the Wolves jumped on him for 11 hits and 8 runs with 2 walks and strikeouts in just 4.2 innings pitched. He'll get one more start, which will be his 32nd of the season, and he's on pace for career bests in starts, wins (17), ERA (2.42), FIP (2.85), innings (256.2), strikeouts (110), WHIP (1.04), HR/9 (0.3), ERA+ (139), FIP- (84), and WAR (5.5). Brown has emerged as one of the better starters in baseball, currently ranked 9th in the FABL. His start was really the only bad one, but most of are arms got losses. Two didn't, Art White and Jim Lonardo. White also got a no decision, beating the Wolves and falling to the Cannons. He tossed a complete game in Toronto, allowing 8 hits, 2 runs, and a walk with 2 strikeouts. The Cannons actually had less success, as White went 8 with 6 hits, a run, and 4 strikeouts. He'll also make one more start for us, and I am very excited to see a full season of Art White. He did solid this season, 15-12 with a 2.79 ERA (122 ERA+), 1.22 WHIP, 69 walks, and 64 strikeouts in 271 innings between us and the Kings. Lonardo won't make another start, ending the season on a high note. He'll finish an even 12-12 after tossing 8 innings in Cincy with 7 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks, and a strikeout. The 39-year-old was a bit below average this season, working to a 3.61 ERA (93 ERA+) and 1.19 WHIP with 42 walks and 26 strikeouts in his 16th consecutive 200 inning season. Dick Lyons is trying to crack that 200 inning mark, going 7 with 10 hits, 3 runs, a walk, and 2 strikeouts. He dropped to 10-11 on the season, but Lyons is on pace to crack 4 WAR for the first time since 1939. He'll get one more start as he looks for his 228th career win. Still now word on Lyons calling it quits, so expect the 43-year-old to pitch his 17th season in Chicago. The last start went to Johnnie Jones, who can blame Dan Fowler and the overall lack of offense for the loss. Jones was walked off with one out in the 9th, as Adam Mullins tagged up from second on a Billy Dalton flyout, and since Fowler's throw got away from Barnett, Mullins managed to score and win a frustrating 1-0 game. Johnnie allowed just 3 hits with 4 walks and 3 strikeouts. No more starts for the 25-year-old this season, although I'll let him spend the week in the pen while I find innings elsewhere. If he doesn't make another appearance, the potential Rookie of the Year will finish 15-8 with a 2.93 ERA (115 ERA+), 1.30 WHIP, 96 walks, and 97 strikeouts. He's just 3.1 innings away from 200 on the season, and we're hoping the former 4th Overall Pick can take another step forward next season. Our pen had some struggles, as all three of our relievers allowed runs. Frank Crawford went 3.1 innings with 6 hits, 2 runs, and a walk. Ben Curtin picked up a loss, throwing 3 innings in 3 appearances with 3 hits, a run, and 3 walks. Cal Knight was also charged with a loss, 4 hits, a run, and 3 walks in 2 innings pitched. Our staff has been decent all season, but all the close losses really came back to bite us. Of course, some of those close losses can be blamed on the offense, which doesn't show up every day. Most of the week we struggled, but hey! Our center fielders did well! Discounting the error, Fowler went 4-for-11 with a walk, run, and 2 RBIs. Orlin Yates was even better, an even 6-for-12 with a double, steal, 2 runs, and 4 walks. Rich Langton had a great week, 6-for-12 with a double, steal, 2 runs, and 4 walks. Leo Mitchell was just average, but he managed to stay atop the batting title race. Mitchell went 7-for-23 with a double, walk, RBI, and 4 runs scored. If he can walk less then four times, he'll manage to avoid 80 for the first time since 1938, which was the last time he didn't make more then 600 PAs. Skipper Schneider had an awful return to the lineup, just 1 hit in 19 trips to the plate. He did double, walk, and drive in a run, but it was a really rough week for the young star. With the season already determine, a lot of our every day guys will get days off. The only one immune from that will be Hank Barnett, who has started all 147 of our games this season. Looking Ahead Just two more series left, starting with three games in two games with the Sailors. They're just two games behind us, now 80-69, and they will give us a tough couple of games. A lot of the Sailors success has come from Doc Newell, who has been reborn at 35. Newell hasn't had an above average season since his 20 win campaign back in 1937, but the veteran righty put together the best season of his career this year. Newell is 14-8 with a 2.32 ERA (151 ERA+), 1.15 WHIP, 39 walks, and 78 strikeouts in 198 innings pitched. The rest of the staff hasn't been great, but Karl Wallace (14-15, 2.95, 84) showed last season wasn't a fluke and second year stopper Hannibal Davis (5-6, 19, 2.88, 38) has been huge for them finishing games off. The offense doesn't score too much, but the Sailors have overtaken us as the team with the highest average in the CA. Marion Boismenu (.315, 6, 56, 5) is the only one with a shot to take the batting title from Leo Mitchell, but he doesn't have nearly as much cushion as Mitchell. They've gotten production from their corner outfield, with a big season from Joseph Mills (.281, 5, 57) and a strong first full season for Harvey Brown (.288, 1, 64, 14). The Sailors are always competitive and continued that this season, and if we're not careful, they'll pass us in the standings. Our season then ends with four in Cleveland against the last place Foresters. This would have been a perfect series if we were in a pennant race, but instead we'll try to pad our record by ending on a high note. We'll get our first look at Jim Adams Jr., this year's #1 overall selection. He's got into 27 games for the Foresters, and hit a respectable .250/.318/.385 (95 OPS+) with 7 doubles, 3 triples, 2 steals, and 7 RBIs. Believe it or not, that's one of their best batting lines, and Adams Jr. is one of the most exciting youngsters in the league. His defense isn't great yet, but scouts think he could end up elite, and he should challenge for batting titles as he matures. They don't have many building blocks other then him, Cal Howe (.287, 1, 40, 13), and Leon Blackridge (.280, 1, 25, 3). There are a lot more questions in the rotation, but they've brought up 23-year-olds Jim Zimmerman (0-0, 3.00, 3) and Jimmy Collins (1-2, 3.09, 12). Neither project to be aces, but both have back end potential, and are far better then what they've seen lately. Ben Turner (14-17, 3.28, 80) did turn things around, but it's been his first average or better season as a full time starter since 1935. The Foresters haven't been relevant since the 1939 season, but things are starting to look up for Cleveland, who boast three top 10 prospects and 8 in the top 100. Minor League Report LHP Ed Fisler (AA Mobile Commodores): One of the pieces we acquired from the Chiefs in the Freddie Jones deal, almost finished the season off on the highest note. In his second to last start of the season, Fisler tossed a 1-hit shutout in an 11-0 domination over Atlanta. Fisler walked 3 and struck out 5 to even his record at 10-10. His final start wasn't great, raising his ERA in AA to 3.91 (118 ERA+), but he finished with a strong 1.39 WHIP, 86 walks, and 88 strikeouts in 177.1 innings pitched. I debated bringing up the southpaw for the last week, as we'll need to protect him in the Rule-5 draft anyways, but he's got a lot of innings under his belt and there are a lot of other guys I want a quick look at. Fisler will start next season in the minors no matter what, likely tabbed for Milwaukee, but he's got really good stuff and could start in the big league already. He's got a nice three pitch mix, featuring a well above average mid 90s fastball. His slider and change pair well with it, but his command isn't perfect and can cause his pitch counts to skyrocket. He isn't one of the higher ranked prospects, outside the top 300, but Tom Weinstock thinks he can be a back-end starter and we don't have much lefty depth in our system. At 22, he's got a lot of growing left, but he's pretty far along already and has shown a lot of promise in the minors thusfar. RHP Jack Huston (AA Mobile Commodores): He just keeps on going! Make it back-to-back shutouts for Jack Huston, who allowed just 4 hits and 3 walks with 4 strikeouts in another big win over the Peaches. Huston finished the season with three consecutive victories, an impressive 25-6 while worth 7.6 wins above replacement. Huston was elite for the Commodores, working to a 2.83 ERA (162 ERA+) and 1.20 WHIP with 92 walks and 148 strikeouts. It couldn't have gone much better for the 24-year-old, who has put himself on our rotation radar. I want him to start locating his pitches better, and it could help if he adds a little more velocity. Right now big league hitters should be able to handle his pitches, but Huston's been dominant the past two seasons and he's made vast improvements since we used our 5th Rounder on him back in '41. RHP Ken Matson: Time for the callups! Just adding one arm for the week, as we'll get one more look at Ken Matson in the rotation. He made 5 starts in Chicago, where he was just 2-2 with a 5.82 ERA (58 ERA+), 1.59 WHIP, 19 walks, and 13 strikeouts. His starts in Milwaukee went far better, 9-3 with a 2.93 ERA (127 ERA+), 1.27 WHIP, 54 walks, and 109 strikeouts in 147.2 innings pitched. It was a great overall season for the 25-year-old, who worked his way up to 12th in our system and 178th overall. Matson's success comes from a hard biting cutter, which he can use to not only get ahead of pitchers, but also to put batters down. His curve and change are reliable offerings as well, and he's gotten huge strikeout numbers at each stop in the minors. If he can keep his pitch count under control, I imagine a bunch of complete games with 6+ strikeouts, and OSA and Tom Weinstock are both really warming up to him. OSA actually thinks he could be a #2, which is even more then I'm expecting, while Tom thinks he's a mid rotation guy. I think that's more likely, but he's still got room to grow. He may be an inconsistent arm, as he can get himself into trouble, but when he's on he's on and can be truly unhittable. If we have a lot of double headers next season, I may try to sneak him into the rotation, but he'll have to beat out Jim Lonardo or hope that Harry Parker isn't ready for Opening Day. Regardless, I think he's going to make the team, and if he does he'll take the stopper job back from Ben Curtin. 2B Jimmie James: If Skipper wasn't healthy when Billy Hunter returned to the IL, Jimmie James would have jumped right into the lineup and played short. A natural second basemen, James had an elite defensive season, with a 6.9 zone rating and 1.115 efficiency in 42 games with the Commodores and 8.1 and 1.067 in 81 with the Blues. The bat was even better, hitting .325/.443/.490 (147 OPS+) in AA and a still impressive .276/.376/.410 (120 OPS+) in AAA. HIs 134 WRC+ with Milwaukee was far better, and he tallied 16 doubles, 5 triples, 14 homers, and 80 RBIs split between the two spots. He walked (84) more then he struck out (61) and was worth an impressive 5.8 wins above replacement. James is an exciting young hitter, being able to cover six positions (likely seven with first) while hitting from both sides of the plate. He generates a ton of bat speed which should lead to high averages and a lot of extra base hits. He has good speed, but just terrible at stealing bases, something I hope our base coaches can help him work out. Currently ranked 15h in our system and 194th overall, James is projected by both OSA and Tom Weinstock to be an every day player, but he has the games best second basemen Clark Car in front of him. Of course, with his versatility he can make multiple starts a week and a few late inning substitutions, and with Billy Hunter's consistent injury issues, James may be able to replace Hunter in that role. He'll be in camp this spring to try and secure a bench spot, but he could be a dark horse for our center field role either from Opening Day or if we continue to lack production from that spot. I'm a big fan of the Lane State alum and I think he could be a very useful piece for us even if we don't have an easy lineup spot for him to fill. He'll get a few starts this week to make an early mark on the coaching staff as he looks to work his way into a long term role. 3B Steve Jones: A 5th Rounder way back in 1938, Steve Jones finally secured a big league debut. He spent all season in AAA, but he didn't quite hit as well as expected. The 26-year-old slashed .245/.344/.305 (82 OPS+) with 11 doubles, 6 homers, and 50 RBIs. His 70 walks were impressive, but they were toned down a bit by the 98 strikeouts. Jones' value comes from his glove, with well above average production at second, third, and short. He's a perfect defensive replacement, which helped him tally nearly 3.5 WAR despite the subpar offense. He doesn't profile as an every day starter, but we have a few empty 40-man spots and his glove could be a nice plus down the road. CF Bunny Hufford: It's a return to the big leagues for Bunny Hufford, who was optioned down to Milwaukee after a really rough start to the season. Hufford hit just .188/.291/.229 (53 OPS+) with a triple, RBI, and 7 walks. It's nowhere near as productive as his Milwaukee numbers, where Hufford hit an excellent .308/.402/.438 (135 OPS+) with 25 doubles, 6 triples, 6 homers, 14 steals, and 44 RBIs. I was really hoping Hufford could take the center field job this season, but he just could not hit for us. His defense was decent with us, a bit below average in Milwaukee, but the soon-to-be 26-year-old will need to hit to secure every day playing time. He's got great speed and is an extremely aggressive hitter who still manages to keep strikeouts down. He gets on base a lot, fighting through long counts against tough pitchers, but the best will still be able to get him out. I still have hope he can be an every day center fielder, and he'll get a lot of our starts this week. If all goes well, this will be his last promotion to Chicago, as I'd love to see Hufford taking all the at bats against righties next season. RF Chick Browning: The last of our callups, filling 34 of our 35 roster spots, Chicagoan Chick Browning will return to the big leagues. He didn't get a start, 0-for-1 with a walk in 4 games, and spent most of his time down in AAA with the Blues. Browning hit an impressive .281/.395/.426 (129 OPS+) with 18 doubles, 8 homers, and 46 RBIs with more walks (63) then strikeouts (40). Browning has a little versatility too, handling all three outfield spots as well as first. I don't really trust him in center, but he's not awful there. I'd say right is his best position, but his glove isn't as good as his bat. He understands the strike zone well and hits the ball hard, and as a lefty he has a lot of value as a pinch hitter. He does have one more option, so he doesn't need to make the roster next season. That being said, his 40-man spot is secure, so he can focus on improving in the offseason and not have to worry about whether he'll have a big league contract. |
Week 24: September 27th-October 3rd
4 Attachment(s)
Weekly Record: 5-2
Seasonal Record: 86-68 (3rd, 8 GB) Stars of the Week Hank Barnett : 26 AB, 12 H, 1 HR, 8 RBI, .462 AVG, 1.241 OPS Dick Walker : 24 AB, 9 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .375 AVG, 1.149 OPS Leo Mitchell : 28 AB, 10 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, .357 AVG, .830 OPS Schedule 9-28: Win at Sailors (8-5) 9-28: Loss at Sailors (3-5) 9-29: Win at Sailors (3-2) 9-30: Loss at Foresters (3-5) 10-1: Win at Foresters (6-2) 10-2: Win at Foresters (7-5) 10-3: Win at Foresters (4-2) Recap Our season is now officially over, but at least we ended it on a high note! We took two of three from the Sailors and three of four from the Foresters to finish the season with a respectable 86 wins. That's still well shy of our expected 94 wins, which would have put us in a deadlock with the Cannons for first. Blame the 18-27 record in one run games, or the 26-29 record from August 1st on, or even our 40-37 road record as a lot went wrong for the Cougars this season. We'll watch from home as the Cannons take on the Boston Minutemen, and as usual, we'll be rooting for our CA competitor to take home the trophy. Since we finished in third and the Fed picks first, we'll get the 12th pick in each draft. It works a little better then if we did it by record, as we would have been 13th like we were this year. Not many league leaders, but Leo Mitchell did secure the batting title after a strong 10-for-28 week with a double, RBI, 6 runs, and 4 walks. Despite the league best .326 average, his 124 OPS+ was the first sub-130 OPS+ for Mitchell since 1936. The bats were really working this week, as despite all the lineup changes we were able to put up a lot of runs on the board. Hank Barnett had a huge week, finishing 12-for-26 with 3 doubles, a homer, 5 runs, 4 walks, and 8 RBIs. Barnett didn't have the Whitney worthy season we had expected, but the veteran slugger still hit an impressive .301/.387/.415 (134 OPS+) with 27 doubles, 12 homers, and 83 RBIs. Jimmie James had a glorious debut week, an even 6-for-12 with a double, run, 2 walks, and 4 RBIs. Dick Walker went 9-for-24 with 2 doubles, a triple, homer, steal, 4 RBIs, 5 walks, and 6 runs scored. Clark Car was 7-for-22 with a double, triple, and homer. Harry Mead was 7-for-24 with 2 doubles, a homer, and 3 walks, runs, and RBIs. Cliff Moss was 8-for-22 with a walk, run, 2 doubles, and 3 RBIs. Skipper Schneider was 8-for-24 with a homer, 2 walks, 3 runs, and 3 RBIs while finishing with a 36.3 zone rating and 1.119 efficiency at short. Steve Jones was supposed to get a start, but for some reason he was left out of the lineup, so he did not get to make his big league debut. We had a lot of good starts this week, but Art White's wasn't one of them. White went just 7 with 10 hits, 5 runs, and 2 walks with just 2 strikeouts. Angel Lopez didn't look too good in his 3rd start of the season, allowing 7 hits, 4 runs, and 3 walks with 2 strikeouts. He did pick up the win, however, and the Rule-5 pick managed to survive all season, going 2-4 with a 3.57 ERA (94 ERA+), 1.48 WHIP, 21 walks, and 18 strikeouts. Dick Lyons finished the season on a high note, 8 impressive innings with 8 hits, a run, and a walk. Frank Crawford did the same, picking up a complete game win with 10 hits, 2 runs, 4 walks, and 6 strikeouts. Ken Matson picked up a win, just 7 innings with 8 hits, 5 runs (3 earned), 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts. Joe Brown made a pair of starts, losing to the Sailors and beating the Foresters. In Philly he allowed 9 hits, 5 runs, and 4 walks with 4 strikeouts in 7.1 innings pitched. He was much better in Cleveland, a complete game win with 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts. It ended a great season for Brown, making 33 starts and going 18-11 with a 2.51 ERA (134 ERA+), 1.05 WHIP, 63 walks, and 119 strikeouts. Brown dropped out of the top three for ERA, but finished third in strikeouts and tied for second in wins. Ben Curtin pitched 3 innings, picking up a save with a hit and strikeout. John Little made his big league debut, allowing 3 hits, a run, and a walk in a shaky first inning. |
Minor League Report
Just like in our farm system, things aren't looking to great for the Cannons, who are down 2-0 to the Minutemen. But also like our system, there is a lot of reason for encouragement. They'll head back home to try and get back into the series. Despite a lack of top level talent in the farm, our lowest affiliate win percentage was .550 down in La Crosse, and they were the only of the five to finish with a lower percentage then the big league squad. We had a trio of 80 win teams and two champions, a bit better then the results last season.
AAA Milwaukee Blues (Century League): 85-55, 1st, 9 GA: After coming a game short of a Century League title last season, the Blues were back on top, picking up their first since back-to-back in '38 and '39. The Blues have now won 5 of the last 10 and 7 of the last 14. The Blues did just about everything well, well, other then stealing bases, as they were helped with a nice mix of vets and prospects. Breakout hurler John Little was the star of the team, going 11-6 with a 2.50 ERA (148 ERA+), 1.12 WHIP, 38 walks, and 69 strikeouts in 176.1 innings pitched. The underliers weren't as excited, as his FIP- of 112 is actually pretty poor. He had a lot of help in a very deep staff, as we got great starts from Ken Matson (9-3, 2.93, 109) and Johnny Ruby (13-7, 3.43, 145) while former Wolf and Eagle Bill Anderson (12-6, 18, 3.64, 76) was a force out of the pen. The lineup took a lot of pressure off the staff, as no team scored more runs then the Blues. Longtime Cougar farmhand Cuno Myer was a huge part of that before his well deserved promotion, slashing .329/.386/.482 (142 OPS+) with 24 doubles, 2 triples, 9 homers, and 71 RBIs. The lineup had a lot of depth, with Bunny Hufford (.308, 6, 44, 14) and Huck Hanes (.285, 11, 67) ahead and Chick Browning (.281, 8, 46) behind. Second basemen Jimmie James (.276, 8, 41) and Eddie Curtis (.453, 10, 7) were extremely productive during their times with the Blues and many others filled in well when called on. We saw a ton of shuffling with all our injuries, but whoever was called on managed to produce. AA Mobile Commodores (Dixie League): 86-54, 1st, 10 GA: Threepeat! The Commodores tied our organization high in wins, losing 14 fewer games then we did. The offense wasn't bad, but the pitching was beyond elite, leading in nearly every pitching category. Of course, the leader of that was the dominance of Jack Huston (25-6, 2.83, 148), but they got huge performances from Bill Tuttle (9-6, 3.52, 66), Harry MacRae (6-1, 3.58, 28), and Ed Fisler (10-10, 3.91, 88). It's easy to see why they pitched so well, as the team got a ton of run support from a lineup with a lot of pop and speed. Bill Rich led the offense, slashing .301/.355/.449 (112 OPS+) with 27 doubles, 18 homers, and 115 RBIs. Don Lee was even better, hitting an elite .313/.438/.502 (148 OPS+) with 16 doubles, 8 triples, 9 homers, 19 steals, and 62 RBIs with an elite 72-to-27 walk-to-strikeout ratio. Jim Dickinson (.285, 3, 67, 11) had his best season at the plate and put up a whopping 24.3 zone rating, Jim Madsen (.273, 11, 88, 7) tallied 47 extra base hits, and Norm Anderson (.308, 1, 21) continued to put the ball in play with regularity despite not turning 21 until the season was about to end. A lot of our good prospects are starting to reach the top, and the Commodores have really reaped the rewards of that. They will lose a few important pieces, but there's enough ready in Lincoln to refill the core. A Lincoln Legislators (Heartland League): 83-57, 2nd, 16 GB: Despite a really good season for the Legislators, they were never really in the pennant hunt as the Peoria Pastimers (Sailors affiliate) came just a win shy of 100. The Legislators didn't have a lot of top prospects, but the lineup was filled to the brim with power. Former 7th Rounder Dan Collins had a huge season, slashing .287/.410/.465 (125 OPS+) with 24 doubles, 22 homers, and 96 RBIs with 105 walks. He was one of four 15 homer hitters, and we would have five if we held on to Adolph Jacobson (.345, 14, 59) for a little longer. Danny Richardson (.283, 21, 75) cracked 20 and Ed Neal (.238, 18, 64, 28) and Leo Davis (.294, 15, 55, 23) were very productive. Don Lee (.330, 12, 42, 22) was elite when he was a Legislator, as was Norm Anderson (.326, 3, 28), so the Legislators never had an issue knocking runs in. The staff dealt with a lot of churning, with very few pitchers spending their whole season there. That led to 25-year-old reliever Andy Gomez (7-4, 5, 4.48, 125) leading the team in strikeouts, with 20-year-old Joe Swank (10-14, 3.75, 94) the only other arm with more then 60. Stan Flanders (10-4, 3.57, 35) and Harry MacRae (11-3, 3.41, 45) won most of the games they started and 19-year-old Jimmy Maness (3-2, 2.24, 42) was dominant yet unlucky in his 12 starts with Lincoln. In another year this season would have been good enough for a title, although they have recent second place finishes with 88 and 94 wins. B San Jose Cougars (California-Oregon-Washington League): 71-49, 3rd, 7 GB: Just like Lincoln, San Jose saw a lot of roster shuffling, which was expected with the lower roster counts. The team triple crown was almost given to 24-year-old Ray Jensen (7-3, 10, 1.94, 138), who threw 116 innings in 46 pen appearances. A big reason for the large inning totals from the pen was a lack of top quality starting pitching, as Babe Stinson (10-7, 3.88, 50), George Oddo (4-4, 3.91, 38), Jimmy Ballard (7-5, 3.58, 71), and Russ Cushing (4-8, 3.74, 66) were all a bit below or above average. Jimmy Maness (7-2, 3.35, 57) and Bill Ballantine (5-4, 2.94, 42) were much better, but they spent half their season elsewhere. The pen helped us win a lot of close games, with strong performance from Johnny Romberg (1-2, 3, 1.99, 23) and Tom Irwin (2-1, 7, 1.46, 70) helping Jensen in the late innings. We didn't score nearly enough runs and had very little production from most of the lineup. Dick Hamilton was one of the few success and took home the team triple crown, slashing .261/.374/.407 (126 OPS+) with 14 doubles, 4 triples, 14 homers, 9 steals, and 62 RBIs. He got some support from Alex Horning (.259, 6, 42, 22) and Lew Lord (.278, 7, 46), but I wanted to see a little more from this year's 5th Rounder Johnny Weaver (.228, 5, 33, 3). There aren't too many guys in San Jose right now worthy of promotion, which should help the Cougars crack 80 wins again next year, as they previously had in each season since '38. C La Crosse Lions (Upper Mississippi Valley Association): 66-54, 2nd, 6 GB: After a 95 win last season, seeing just 66 for the Lions was a huge shock. In fact, they haven't won fewer then 80 games since 1937, and 66 is their lowest total since 1933 when they stumbled to just 46-94. Our lower levels were thinner then normal with all the callups, and while most teams filled their lowest level with 24+ players languishing in free agency before the draft, we had a lot of non-prospects getting more playing time then I'd prefer. Since our draft class had a ton of high schoolers, we saw a lot of teenagers taking a majority of the playing time. Once the season ended, we had most of the draftees playing, with really just Ducky Cole (.329, 15, 75, 12) and Billy Biggar (.243, 14, 69), both drafted last season, spending most of the year in the Lions lineup. Bob Griffen (.333, 10, 47, 10) got off to a hot start to earn a promotion to San Jose once the draftees started to file in. Al Clement was one of the few new draftees to succeed, slashing .254/.403/.519 (122 OPS+) with 17 steals, 13 doubles, and 26 RBIs. Al Hurd (.235, 12, 42) was the only other draftee to be at least average, with struggles from Caleb Humphrey (.190, 9, 29, 14), Bob Rogers (.264, 7, 26), Tom Brownleaf (.201, 7, 25, 6), and Jimmy Hairston (.179, 10, 24). Clement may get the move to San Jose, but I expect the rest of the new Cougars to stay down in La Crosse. The UMVA was a very high scoring environment, so while the numbers don't look great for most of the staff, we had a handful of above average performers. Dick Garcia (5-6, 3.97, 67) had a really nice 132 ERA+ and Bill Holloway's (4-5, 4.28, 94) wasn't much lower. Unfortunately two of our more exciting draftees Tommy Seymour (3-5, 9.22, 44) and Lefty Jones (5-5, 5.50, 72) really struggled, but Weinstock still raves about their sky high potential. We have a lot of high upside, low floor guys who will come back next season, and I think the Lions should have a better shot at a pennant with a lot of these guys getting another go of things. |
1943 No Trade Team
As expected, the Cannons evened up the series, so the best of seven has now turned into a best of three. Will the home teams continue to win every game? I know Minutemen fans hope so!
Catchers Solly Skidmore (CHI): DNP - Military Service Harry Mead (CHC): 88 OPS+, 4 HR, 69 RBI, 2.9 WAR *Ben Richardson (MON): 65 OPS+, HR, 22 RBI, 0.7 WAR Infielders Arnie Scurlock (WAS): DNP - Minor Leagues Billy Hunter (CHC): 109 OPS+, HR, 19 RBI, 0.3 WAR Tommy Wilson (STL): 88 OPS+, 3 HR, 63 RBI, 9 SB, 3.9 WAR Ducky Jordan (CHI): 74 OPS+, HR, 28 RBI, 3 SB, 0.9 WAR Hal Wood (TOR): 91 OPS+, HR, 23 RBI, SB, 0.6 WAR Skipper Schneider (CHC): 106 OPS+, 5 HR, 63 RBI, 9 SB, 7.2 WAR John Lawson (CHC): DNP - Military Service *Ivan Cameron (STL): 62 OPS+, HR, 38 RBI, 0.2 WAR *Hank Stratton (CLE): 77 OPS+, 2 HR, 57 RBI, 0.6 WAR Outfielders Leo Mitchell (CHC): 124 OPS+, 8 HR, 69 RBI, 3 SB, 3.6 WAR Reginald Westfall (TOR): 101 OPS+, 4 HR, 37 RBI, 0.5 WAR John Johnson (WAS): DNP - Minor Leagues Rich Langton (CHC): 141 OPS+, 2 HR, 29 RBI, 4 SB, 1.4 WAR Chink Stickels (NYS): 74 OPS+, 2 HR, 49 RBI, 10 SB, 3.6 WAR Carlos Montes (CHC): DNP - Military Service *Aart MacDonald (CHC/DET): 116 OPS, 6 HR, 42 RBI, 12 SB, 3.3 WAR *Chubby Hall (NYS): 106 OPS+, 11 HR, 61 RBI, 2.9 WAR Pitchers Danny Hern (STL): 13-13, 87 ERA+, 88 K, 4.3 WAR Dean Astle (BOS): 5-2, 151 ERA+, 22 K, 1.5 WAR Tom Barrell (PIT): 2-4, SV, 92 ERA+, 21 K, -0.5 WAR Mike Murphy (DET): 6-7, 87 ERA+, 20 K, 1.2 WAR Pete Papenfus (CHC): DNP - Military Service Harry Parker (CHC): 6-3, 116 ERA+, 41 K, 1.9 WAR Sam Hodge (NYG): 7-5, 4 SV, 85 ERA+, 23 K, -0.2 WAR Pug Bryan (CHC): 1-0, 127 ERA+, 11 K, -0.1 WAR Frank Gordon (DET): DNP - Military Service *Cy Sullivan (DET): 12-15, 84 ERA+, 45 K, 1.0 WAR *Jim Crawford (BRK): 11-19, 92 ERA+, 35 K, 4.2 WAR Totals Hitters: 31.9 Pitchers: 13.1 Total: 45 Approximate Wins: 68 Low totals this season because of all the service guys, so I used some replacement players denoted with *. Without these, we would have had just 50 wins, with 7 missing roster spots plus injuries to Hunter, Langton, Astle, and Parker. Even with the additions, this Cougar team vastly underperformed the real one, with just 68 wins which would have had us tied for 6th with the Stars. There are a lot less Cougar draftees playing then usual, with a lot of the talented ones off at war. Offseason Moves for 1943 Replace Phil English with Sam Hodge Replace Fred Barrell with Solly Skidmore Notable Prospects/Picks Traded October 1942: Traded C Solly Skidmore, 2B Ossie Grogan, and RHP Mel Haynes to the Chiefs for 3B Hank Barnett July 1943: Traded LHP Oliver Allen, RHP Pinch Lenhart, RHP Harry Stewart, and LHP Leo Hayden to the Kings for LHP Art White July 1943: Traded RHP Joe Crosby and 1B Adolph Jacobson to the Foresters for CF Dan Fowler July 1943: Traded RHP Ira Hawker to the Dynamos for LHP Frank Crawford Debating whether I will do an End of the Season review or not, so either that or our eventual offseason top prospect list will come next unless we can work a trade. A few things in the works, as always, but not sure anything will materialize until after the season ends. Hopefully that will be Monday, as I can't wait for the offseason to kick off. It's been far too long since the Cougars have taken home a title! |
Trade News!
As I was writing my End of Season Review (which will come out sometime today), I got news that my trade has officially materialized! Last offseason, the Gothams GM reached out to me to let me know that he'd be interested in bringing Jim Lonardo back home to finish off his career. At the time, I wasn't too interested, but the more I thought about it the more it made sense. Lonardo is getting old, but is still effective at 39, so if I wanted anything for him I'd have to move quickly. Since then, we've added Art White and we'll get Harry Parker back next season, so we don't really need Lonardo. The Gothams were shopping a player I've been a fan of for a while, so while the season isn't officially over, we began working on a swap to send the former Allen Winner back to the team that drafted him way back in 1925. Lonardo, Bunny Hufford, and prospects Cy Howard and Jimmy Maness were shipped off to the Big Apple for the angry and hard throwing Rusty Petrick, as well as the first pick in the 4th Round.
This ended a 4 and a half year stint in Chicago for Lonardo, who made 141 starts in a Cougar uniform. The righty went 71-53 with a 3.46 ERA (108 ERA+), 1.24 WHIP, 215 walks, and 265 strikeouts in 1,145.2 innings pitched. Lonardo threw 200 or more innings in each of his full seasons as a Cougar, extending his personal streak to 16 consecutive seasons. The first 10 came with the Gothams, including three Allen Award winning seasons. He led the league in wins three times, strikeouts twice, WHIP twice, BB/9 five times, BABIP once, and WAR twice. All told, Lonardo went 162-124 with a 3.73 ERA (121 ERA+), 1.27 WHIP, 510 walks, and 969 strikeouts. Lonardo has been one of the more reliable and durable arms, one of the few to reach 4,000 career innings, and Lonardo has done it with an excellent 3.57 ERA (119 ERA+) and 1.26 WHIP. He'll give the Gothams a great leader to help support all-world starter Ed Bowman, and eat innings for a team that might not be winning many games. The 4th Round pick was a nice add too, as I'd love a repeat of Duke Bybee, but the deal really hinges on the well traveled Petrick. A former 1st Round selection back in 1933, the Gothams traded him before he even pitched a game in their organization, packaging him with three picks and three former Cougars (Jim Mason, Oscar King, and Bill Marshall) for future Hall of Famer Rabbit Day. Petrick then threw a no-hitter in his first pro start and was named the #20 prospect in all of baseball. He toiled around in the minors for a few seasons, striking out a ton while walking just as much, before debuting at 21 during the 1937 season. It was for a bad Cannons team, so Rusty was just 10-20 with a 4.46 ERA (91 ERA+), 1.60 WHIP, 174 walks, and 147 strikeouts. The walks were easily most in the CA, but even with the inconsistency, the talent was always apparent. Petrick had varying success in the next four seasons, before being part of another deal, returning to the Gothams for a 1st Round Pick. He had a rough return to New York and led the league with 19 losses, but Petrick looked like the 1st Round talent many thought he could last season. Petrick led the Fed with 36 starts and 295.2 innings pitched, going 20-12 with a 2.98 ERA (120 ERA+) and 1.41 WHIP. His 168 walks and 178 strikeouts were also the highest in the league, and Petrick was worth nearly 5 wins above average. With the loss of his capable middle infield in Mule Monier and Roosevelt Brewer, Petrick's production nosedived, and he was even sent to the pen for a bit. Petrick went just 8-15 with a 4.41 ERA (78 ERA+), 1.60 WHIP, 125 walks, and 116 strikeouts. That was the fourth time Petrick led the league in walks, and he's walked 100 or more hitters in each of his seasons with 150 or more innings pitched. So why are we after Petrick? This is a guy who for his career is 70-102 with a 4.22 ERA (92 ERA+) and 1.57 WHIP with a very high 5.4 BB/9 and 5.1 K/9. Well, as evidenced by a large part of our rotation, I'm more then okay with taking on guys who walk a lot. Everyone's favorite fireballer Peter the Heater has a matching BB/9, so does "The Patron Saint of Groundballs" Johnnie Jones. And just like those two, Petrick induces a ton of groundballs and can really rack up the strikeouts. Petrick has elite stuff, featuring a mid 90s cutter that really gets in on right handed hitters. His curve, slider, and change are all above average pitches, and they have insane movement and he can get a ton of whiffs on them. Petrick will almost never give up a homer, just a 0.5 HR/9 which is very similar to the crafty southpaw Dick Lyons. Harry Mead is an excellent catcher, and has done a good job commanding our wild hurlers. Add in two elite defenders up the middle in Clark Car and Skipper Schneider, and we should be able to get the most out of Petrick. Plus he'll be 28 in November, and there could be a little more potential we can wring out of him. Petrick expands our depth in the rotation, which I'm hoping to make a six man if we can stay healthy and out of the military. I'd love to sport a rotation of White, Parker, Brown, Lyons, Jones, and Petrick, with all six available out of the pen if needed. With a ton of options to start games, we can deal with Rusty's inconsistencies a bit, and I'm very confident he'll improve with our infield defense. I'm chasing upside here, as Petrick is a real boom or bust arm, and he arguably has the biggest gap between floor and ceiling in the FABL. Will there be more moves? I'm not too sure... There's a few players I'd love to add to our roster, but our farm is low on top ranked prospects, and the two we have (Otto Christian and Duke Bybee) aren't going to be moved. It may be a slow offseason, but we definitely have the talent to compete again. With a little more luck, we should be in it come the last week of the season, but other then our hole in center (which may not need to be filled), there's not too much we need to change. |
End of Season Review
Cougar fans can only watch as the Minutemen and Cannons prepare for a crazy game seven, and it's hard for them not to think they could have been here. Had it not been for a mix of enlistments, injuries, and underperformance, the Cougars could have been getting their revenge on Boston for the '41 series. But above all things, what plagued the Cougars the most is what always seems to; the lack of winning close games. This year was far worse then most, as we played .400 ball (18-27) in one run games. If that was an overall record, it would have been worse then every team other then the Gothams and Foresters, which really shows how ineffective we were in those pesky one run affairs. And as you'd expect, our record in non-one run games (68-41, .624) was better then every team in baseball. So yes, we were the best team in baseball if you forget about those stupid one run games...
Of course, that's not how things work, as we ended up 86-68, 8 games behind the pennant winning Cannons. There was a lot that went wrong, but let's first focus on what went right. Joe Brown really found his foot at 29, and helped anchor a rotation that was missing it's top three starters. The Illinois native was one of the most valuable pitchers in the CA this season, going 18-11 with a 2.51 ERA (134 ERA+), 1.05 WHIP, 63 walks, and 119 strikeouts. His wins were tied for second, his strikeouts third, and his WAR (5.6) third as well. Brown set many personal bests, including wins, ERA, FIP (2.91), starts (33), innings (273), strikeouts, WHIP, HR/9 (0.3), BABIP (.242), FIP- (86), and WAR. Brown stepped up when we needed him most, and he finished the season ranked in the top 10 for pitchers in the FABL. Brown wasn't our only productive starter, as we've had numerous arms step in and produce in the past three seasons. This is all because of the WAR, but since 1941, we've had eight different pitchers have at least one season with 150+ innings and an ERA+ above 110. Joining that club this season was our ageless wonder Dick Lyons, who put together his best season since he won the Allen in '38. Lyons was 11-11 with a 2.65 ERA (127 ERA+), 1.08 WHIP, 33 walks, and 30 strikeouts. He led the league with his 1.5 BB/9, was worth a full 4 wins above replacement, and cracked 200 innings for the 13th time in his career. Lyons will be back for 1944, and will turn 44 next June. He's now won 228 games and is a bit over 200 innings away from 4,000 for his career. Each season I wonder if this is it for the crafty vet, but we will keep trotting him out until he's ready to call it quits. And even if he has a steep decline next year, there are plenty of talented arms to fill in. We'll get a full season of Art White (15-13, 2.88, 66), who was 10-6 as a Cougar with a 3.04 ERA (111 ERA+) and 1.21 WHIP, and hopefully Harry Parker (6-3, 2.89, 41) can stay healthy. I'm excited to see if Johnnie Jones (15-8, 2.93, 97) can take the next step as a sophomore, and Cougar fans will get their first look at former 1st Rounder Rusty Petrick (8-15, 1, 4.41, 116). The pen was pretty strong too, with Ben Curtin (3-8, 11, 2.32, 26) and Cal Knight (2-1, 1, 1.76, 18) putting together really good years, and we'll see guys like Ken Matson (5-4, 2, 4.65, 28), Frank Crawford (7-6, 3.78, 30), Pug Bryan (1-0, 2.66, 11), and Merritt Thomas (2-3, 1, 2.72, 9) compete to fill the pen. We have a lot of pitching depth on the big league club, which is helpful as the farm doesn't have much at the upper levels. Until Pap comes back, we'll be second to the Cannons staff, but there is a lot to like going into 1944. The offense was a real mixed bag, as there was a lot of underperforming and a total lack of consistency, but we still managed to score the most runs in the Continental Association. The defense was also very good, and we had the most valuable infield in all of baseball. Of our four All Star starters, just Hank Barnett (4.9) failed to crack 5 WAR, and the quartet (24.8) was worth more then the entire offensive rosters of all teams excluding the Minutemen, Cannons, Chiefs, Sailors, and Wolves. A big part of that was the breakout from Clark Car, who has quickly emerged as one of the best players in all of baseball. Car currently ranks 4th of all positional players, and the 29-year-old hit .283/.326/.445 (124 OPS+) with 29 doubles, 9 triples, 13 homers, 16 steals, and 58 RBIs while worth 7.2 WAR in 133 games. Skipper was worth the same, with worse offense and elite shortstop defense, slashing .280/.336/.372 (106 OPS+) with an astronomical 36.3 zone rating. If Skip stayed healthy all year, he'd have led the CA in WAR, and could have surpassed his 7.9 from last season. Both Walker (.270, 11, 64, 23) and Barnett (.301, 12, 83) posted OPS+ above 125, but Barnett's performance was a bit disappointing none-the-less. The now 34-year-old slugger a still impressive .301/.387/.415 (134 OPS+) with 27 doubles and 82 walks. The drop in homers were a little concerning, but offense was down around the league. The biggest disappointment of the whole season, however, was the cratering of Harry Mead's bat. Mead was a top three catcher last season, hitting an impressive .287/.352/.456 (139 OPS+) with 30 doubles, 16 homers, 81 RBIs and an elite 47-to-10 walk-to-strikeout ratio. Pretty much everything went wrong for the 29-year-old backstop at the plate, as while his defense was sill as reliable as always, he hit just .238/.308/.339 (88 OPS+) with 27 doubles, 3 triples, 4 homers, and 69 RBIs. He had similar walks totals (44) but with far more strikeouts (29), and he was worth half as many wins above replacement as last season. The drop in power really hurt, but Mead was making far less hard contact and he wasn't finding holes. His average and .288 BABIP were his worst since his 67 game sample when he was 23, and this year was his first season with 250 or more PAs a sub .260 average. I'm not the least bit worried, I knew last year was more likely a ceiling then norm, and we will not be looking to replace him. A backup could be helpful, as Mike Taylor (.188, 9) and Steve Mountain (.148, 7) were both completely useless with the bat, but but both offer strong production behind the plate and Taylor is a well liked veteran leader. The outfield was very weird this season, as there was a ton of guys in the lineup at everywhere except left field. That's because we have the batting title winner and iron man Leo Mitchell cemented out in left. Mitchell started 153 of our 154 games (think it was some double header against a tough lefty he got the day off for), hitting a personal full season low .326/.368/.402 (124 OPS+) with 22 doubles, 8 homers, and 69 RBIs. It was his first season with 250 or more at bats and a sub 130 OPS+, but his 132 WRC+ is in line with his 135 career average. The strikeouts were down, just 79 in 658 PAs after 113 in that same sample last year. The 30-year-old continues to be one of our more reliable hitters. The former 2nd Rounder has worked his way up on our leaderboards, currently ranked 4th All Time in batting average (.333), 6th in OBP (.379), 10th in OPS (.820), 9th in runs (660), 6th in hits (1,426), and 9th in total bases (1,890). Of course, he's already near the top of our strikeout list, striking out more (729) then every Cougar excluding Ike Martie, who was set down 751 times in 4,394 PAs. Mitchell will surpass that next year quite easily, but he'll also continue to move up the better counting stat totals. Right field was expected to be shared, as it has been for a bit, but both sides of the platoon missed time. When they were healthy, Rich Langton (.287, 2, 29, 4) and Cliff Moss (.291, 9, 41) were impressive, but the duo missed about three months in total. This opened time for Billy Hunter, who of course misses time with injury himself, and he was passable in right while hitting .296/.335/.382 (109 OPS+). He also got some time in center, which was a revolving door of prospects, vets, and journeymen. We trotted out Hunter (11), Dan Fowler (28), Bunny Hufford (15), Moss (3), and Orlin Yates (90), with not much success from any of them. Yates finished the season really strong, with an OPS+ of 158 in August and 151 in September, raising his season total to .248/.324/.335 (92 OPS+) in a career high 350 trips to the plate. His defense is productive too, with a 12 zone rating and 1.038 efficiency, and with Hufford on his way to the Big Apple, the now 32-year-old Yates will enter camp as the projected Opening Day starter. There aren't many good center fielders available, but depending on Yates and Fowler's production, we may see Don Lee force his way into the picture. We have a lot of depth in our system, but without headliner prospects, it will be tough to add a big name to the roster. I think our team as built is good enough to win a pennant, we'll just need a few more breaks to go our way. After the Hufford trade, we're projected to have just four top 100 prospects, but 39 more between 101 and 500. A lot of our better prospects are in the service, but we have a few prospects who could make an impact next season. Gloveman Jim Dickinson is set to start the season in AAA and could fill in if Skipper and Hunter get hurt again, and we have a bunch of depth arms in Jack Huston, Ed Fisler, Harry MacRae, and Bill Chapman who can offer upside in the pen. What bodes well for us is the Cannons prospect cupboard is bare aside from #3 prospect Dick Blaszak, so it will be tough for them to upgrade. The Stars and Foresters won't be looking to compete, so we won't have to worry about the #1 and #3 farms going all out, but the other three are the Sailors, Saints, and Wolves, who all boast competitive teams. It will be interesting to see if the Wolves move one or both of their top 10 prospects to add a big bat to support Walt Pack, but with few obvious sellers it might be a relaxing offseason. Regardless of what our opponents do, I think we're set up very well for another run at the pennant, but with all the uncertainty involving the war and the usual injury/regression issues that have haunted organizations from the beginning of time, we can't take anything for granted. Well, other then that it will be another fun season in Figment! |
Top Prospects!
It's that time of year again! The Cannons took game seven, finally returning the title to the CA. This starts what could be another long offseason, as our commish is about to head on vacation, and may have another one that will prevent simming next week too. We won't be back in action again until Monday, which will give me plenty of time to pour through our fresh list of top prospects. Our system isn't great, ranked 9th of 16th, as we don't have many prospects in the top 100. Our top two are in the top 25, but our 5th is ranked outside the top 100. We still have 21 in the top 250 and 43 in the top 500, so our depth is fine, we just lack top of the system quantity. It's tough to get top talent with late round firsts and seconds, but if I can hit with the Gothams 4th, we might have another Duke Bybee on our hands. Speaking of Bybee, the talented future ace leads off our list! Despite none cracking the top 100, a lot of our draftees made the list too, with eight of the recent picks in the top 30. And with the all the military enlistments, I've decided to expand to 40 prospects this year as players who have been enlisted for two seasons won't have too much fresh information.
1. LHP Duke Bybee (6th Overall): 2nd/16th 2. 3B Otto Christian (21st Overall): 3rd/26th 3. RHP George Oddo (44th Overall): 6th/90th 4. C Eddie Howard (70th Overall):7th/92nd 5. CF Don Lee (103rd Overall): 10th/153rd 6. RF Jimmy Hairston (112th Overall): 61st Overall Pick 7. RHP Foster Smith (124th Overall): Not Ranked 8. LHP Bill Chapman (147th Overall): 16th/127th 9. 3B Johnny Weaver (155th Overall): 72nd Overall Pick 10. SS Jim Dickinson (158th Overall): 21st/256th 11. 2B Jimmie James (177th Overall): 12th/195th 12. RHP Ken Matson (186th Overall): Not Ranked 13. SS Al Clement (195th Overall): 29th Overall Pick 14. LF Bob Rogers (199th Overall): 93rd Overall Pick 15. 1B Jocko Pollard (202nd Overall): 20th/239th 16. RHP Bill Holloway (203rd Overall): 56th Overall Pick 17. LHP Lefty Jones (207th Overall): 77th Overall Pick 18. RHP Tommy Seymour (229th Overall): 13th Overall Pick 19. LHP Harl Haines (232nd Overall): 18th/219th 20. RHP Sam Hess (248th Overall): 11th/182nd 21. RHP Harry MacRae (249th Overall): 22nd/261st 22. CF Ed Neal (276th Overall): 13th/208th 23. RHP Babe Stinson (282nd Overall): 25th/280th 24. RHP Joe Swank (305th Overall): Not Ranked 25. RHP Jimmy Ballard (311th Overall): Not Ranked 26. SS Tom Brownleaf (321st Overall): 125th Overall Pick 27. 3B Steve Jones (322nd Overall): Not Ranked 28. LF Harry Harris (323rd Overall): 27th/293rd 29. RHP Stan Flanders (328th Overall): Not Ranked 30. RHP Fred Thaxton (339th Overall): Not Ranked 31. LHP Ed Fisler (348th Overall): Acquired from Chicago 32. RHP Jack Huston (360th Overall): 23rd/267th 33. LHP Bob Hobbs (379th Overall): Not Ranked 34. RHP King Price (391st Overall): Not Ranked 35. LHP Barney Gunnels (423rd Overall): 157th Overall Pick 36. RHP Charlie Kelsey (427th Overall): Not Ranked 37. RHP Dick Garcia (433rd Overall): 45th Overall Pick 38. RF Sammy Dillon (441st Overall): Not Ranked 39. RHP Charlie Everett (456th Overall): Not Ranked 40. CF Harry Carr (461st Overall): 14th/209th |
Top Prospects: 1-5
LHP Duke Bybee (6th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 49th Overall (1940) Alma Mater: Brooklyn Friends Quakers If Bybee wasn't serving in the Marines, you would likely have seen two or three paragraphs explaining his meteoric rise up the system. Instead, there are very few updates. Bybee spent nearly all season ranked as the #5 prospect in the game, and the offseason article actually ranked him there. Just a few days after, they pushed this year's first selection Jim Adams Jr. above him, which is fair considering his 105 WRC+ in 143 PAs up in Cleveland. With Bybee, however, we'll go another year without him, and this time he didn't get a velocity bump. The 21-year-old probably won't end up throwing much harder then the 95-97 he currently sits at, but he still has all the makings of an ace. Bybee has six reliable pitches and he masters them with elite command. He's a captain who will strike out a ton of batters while walking very few, and he's an imposing southpaw who stands at 6'4''. Only three pitchers rank higher in the prospect rankings, and Tom Weinstock thinks Bybee has a higher ceiling then all our arms other then Mole Killer and Peter the Heater. Bybee may join them when they all return from the war, as he already lacks a red arrow in Milwaukee. Weinstock ranks him as our 4th most developed prospect as well, trailing just Harl Haines, Ken Matson, and King Price, who will all be 26 come Opening Day. Bybee is easily the most valuable piece of our system, and he could not be any more untouchable. 3B Otto Christian (21st Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 1st Round, 13th Overall (1941) Alma Mater: Walla Walla Warriors Another unavailable and untouchable, fellow 21-year-old Otto Christian's report could have contained a record breaking season for homers. Instead, he was out in the Air Force serving his country. The 13th Pick of the 1941 Draft, Otto Christian was supposed to be the heir apparent to future Hall of Famer John Lawson, but Lawson declined and they both enlisted. Now Christian will replace a potential Hall of Famer in Hank Barnett, who is 34 and still mashing baseballs. Christian has been affected more by the lost development time then Bybee, as he was very raw when drafted and has a lot of developing left to go. Those two have many other differences, as Otto is not nearly as hard working and carries far more risk. He has the potential to be a 300 home run hitter with a strong hit tool. He's very disciplined and puts the ball in play, hitting it hard to all fields. He does have the tendency to swing for the fences and get under the ball, but he can muscle anything out of the park if its near the zone. I think he'll need at least a full season once he gets back, so as long as Hank Barnett can keep up his production, we can take our time in polishing his offensive game. Defense will be interesting, but he won't have to worry too much as his bat will keep him in any lineup. RHP George Oddo (44th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 8th Round, 125th Overall (1941) Alma Mater: Pawtucket Raiders Hey! Someone who played this year! Our only remaining top 100 prospect to appear in a professional game this season, George Oddo is going to spend a long offseason listening to trade rumors, as he's likely to be included in any major package the Cougars try to work out. 21 in November, Oddo was our 8th Round selection back in 1941, and he's flown up the prospect ladder. A towering 6'4'' righty, Oddo pitched at three levels, starting down in La Crosse and finishing up in Lincoln. Obviously his best performance came in La Crosse, where he went 5-1 with a 3.57 ERA (146 ERA+), 1.49 WHIP, 20 walks, and 38 strikeouts. The strikeout numbers were huge, nearly one an inning (40.1), and then his next nine starts came in Lincoln. He was just average, 4-4 with a 3.91 ERA (97 ERA+), 1.38 WHIP, 23 walks, and 38 strikeouts. I probably shouldn't have pushed him up to Lincoln, but we really needed arms, and Oddo was one of the few without a red arrow. He struggled a bit, but showed a lot of strong signs in his 13 starts with the Legislators. He maintained strong strikeout numbers (5.7 K/9), but his walks (4.9 BB/9) were the highest of the season and he allowed basically a hit an inning. Oddo sported a respectable 6-3 record with a 5.35 ERA (89 ERA+) and 1.52 WHIP in a very high scoring environment. This season was an impressive year for the young righty, who added some velocity over the offseason and it showed in his increase in strikeouts. He has a polished three pitch mix, leading with a high 80s fastball, good curve, and devastating change. His change up is arguably the best pitch in our system, and it can already fool even the best hitters. His stuff should be elite at his peak, and he's already making huge strides to reach that. His work ethic gives me a lot of hope, as he could get his control figured out by time he reaches Chicago. I think he needs 3 or 4 more seasons before we'll see the finished product, but he should be well worth the wait. Oddo is no ace, but definitely an arm you can trust for reliable innings. Of course, we don't need an ace, we have enough of those off to war, but he's far better then a filler arm and should be a quality #2 on most teams. C Eddie Howard (70th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 2nd Round, 20th Overall (1941) Alma Mater: St. Joseph Chiefs Another guy off to war, our fourth and final top 100 prospect is backstop Eddie Howard. Just 20 years old, Howard could have been catching in Lincoln if he wasn't in the Navy. A bit of a light hitter, Howard has an excellent contact tool and could challenge Leo Mitchell for a batting title once he's fully developed. His defense isn't the greatest, but he's more then capable. I don't expect Harry Mead to struggle next year like he did this year, so Howard being enlisted doesn't hurt us too much. His bat will be what takes him to the big leagues, and he reminds me a lot of Adam Mullins. The difference is Mullins showcases more pop and a better eye, but those are two things Howard could improve on. Mullins is definitely the ceiling, but I'd say he'll end up much closer to Woody Stone. CF Don Lee (103rd Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 2nd Round, 28th Overall (1940) Alma Mater: Lincoln High School Lions Is Don Lee my new favorite prospect? Hmm, not sure he can pass Bybee...But, one thing I know is that he's my favorite hitter! No Cougar farmhand rapped more then Rap Lee, who tallied 30 doubles, 9 triples, 21 homers, and 104 RBIs with 41 steals. Lee was worth 7.3 wins above replacement with a .330/.452/.569 (162 OPS+) line in Lincoln and .313/.438/.502 (148 OPS+) line in Mobile. Another captain in the locker room, Lee will celebrate his golden birthday on January 22nd, and he's going to try his best to hit his way up to Chicago. A speedster who is always looking to take the extra base, Lee gets on a lot by being patient and making consistent contact. I'm hoping the power sticks too, as he would be a huge upgrade over Orlin Yates and I really want his speed to turn into range. He was average in both Lincoln and Mobile this season, and if he keeps hitting like this average will be more then enough. I still can't believe he's not a top 100 prospect, as I know there aren't 100 youngsters more exciting then Lee. |
Top Prospects: 6-10
RF Jimmy Hairston (112th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 61st Overall (1943) Alma Mater: Bowman Mohawks Our highest ranked prospect from the most recent draft, Jimmy Hairston checks just outside the top 100 after his first few months as a Cougar farmhand. It didn't go too well, as the young slugger hit .179/.330/.397 (75 OPS+) in just under 200 trips to the plate. He did manage to hit 10 longballs with 4 doubles, 24 RBIs, and 28 walks, but there is a lot of room for improvement for the corner bat. He was a bit unlucky, with not many balls falling in play, with just 14 singles. The 55 strikeouts were sign for concern as well, but he does do a good job managing the strike zone. He'll need to make more contact, and that's something Tom Weinstock thinks he can do. Of course, being 18 probably limited his production a bit this season, and he's projected to be a .270 hitter with impressive raw power. He's got a lot of work to do, but there is a lot of growing to do. If he can reach his lofty potential, he should be a reliable regular, but it should take him a while to get there. His defense in the corners isn't too bad either, but his bat is far more exciting. A full season in La Crosse should help him gain his footing, but I don't expect him to make his way up any time soon. RHP Foster Smith (124th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 6th Round, 96th Overall (1942) Alma Mater: Henderson Bulldogs This was supposed to be a huge breakout season for Foster Smith, who leaped up our prospect ladder after a strong showing up in San Jose to finish last season. Instead, one of the in-game enlistments got him, and Smith took the year off to serve his country. He'll be back for next season, likely starting in San Jose and hopefully finishing up in Lincoln. The 19-year-old got a bit of a velocity boost, sitting at 86-88 with his fastball and sinker. The sinker is his best pitch, one he uses to keep the ball on the ground and induce a lot of weak contact. His change is a solid pitch too, and he's able to locate and command all three very well. He hasn't shown the ability to go deep into games, but I guess that should be expected when you are nicknamed "The Thin Man" and weight just 165 while standing 6'2''. With a bit more work he could develop into a solid middle of the rotation arm, but his stuff is already impressive and he could fall back as a reliable late inning arm. LHP Bill Chapman (147th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 3rd Round, 48th Overall (1942) Alma Mater: Edina Eagles Despite only turning 20 on the 2nd of September, Bill Chapman had green arrows all season up to Chicago. He didn't quite pitch like that, and the walks really slowed him down. In 179 innings for the Commodores, he walked 106 batters with just 44 strikeouts. As you'd expect that means the overall results weren't great, as he was 8-16 with a 4.78 ERA (96 ERA+) and 1.68 WHIP in his 24 starts. A lot of this has to do with Chapman's pitches, as while he has six of them, none of them are that great yet. His fastball sits in the upper 80s and low 90s, which projects to be average at best. He's supposed to show strong control, but the results don't yet support that. Once he starts locating his pitches better, each one will be more effective, but I'd like to see his slider or curve turn into a put away pitch. He is very young, and has a lot of time to improve, so perhaps it's a good sign he could more-or-less hold his own all the way up in AA. He projects to be a decent back-end starter, and while he'll run it back in Mobile next season, he could work his way up to Milwaukee or even Chicago by this time next year. 3B Johnny Weaver (155th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 72nd Overall (1943) Alma Mater: Cumberland University Explorers One of our 5th Rounders this season, Johnny Weaver skipped La Crosse and made 66 appearances in San Jose. It went rather well for a first year player, hitting .228/.358/.333 (100 OPS+) with 8 doubles, 5 homers, and 33 RBIs. He didn't make much contact, not a lot of hits and over a strikeout a game, but Weaver is adept at drawing walks, 45 in 270 trips to the plate. It's easily his strongest tool, as his eye could be borderline elite and he'll eventually cut down on the strikeouts. OSA and Tom Weinstock are very high on Weaver's future, and at one point he ranked in the 1st Round of the mock draft. There are a few things that could hold him back, as he'll never hit for a high average and may not have more then 10 homer power. He's not the greatest defender, but he can handle third and has some experience in left and at first. I haven't decided where Weaver will start the season, but I'd love to have him get at least a taste of A ball next year. With Otto Christian at third, there's not an easy spot for him to secure, but with his discipline and potential power, we could find a way to squeeze him in. SS Jim Dickinson (256th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 3rd Round, 45th Overall (1941) Alma Mater: Calumet Catholic Missionaries After a season and a half in Lincoln, Jim Dickinson went from awful to just below average, but I still decided to bring up the talented shortstop to Mobile. He rewarded my faith with a huge season, tallying 7.1 wins above replacement in 137 games. The Illinois native is an elite defender, recording a 24.3 zone rating and 1.093 efficiency at short. But even more impressive, Dickinson produced with the bat, slashing .285/.413/.382 (111 OPS+) with 24 doubles, 9 triples, 3 homers, 11 steals, and 67 RBIs. As you can tell by that OBP, his WRC+ (125) was far better then his OPS+, and he drew 115 walks and scored 119 times. Even my wildest projections for Dickinson wouldn't have surpassed how he actually performed, and he'll man short for the Blues next season. He'll be 25 next season and is likely ready for the big leagues, but when your big league shortstop is a year and a half younger, it's hard to work your way into your organization's future plans. This could make the former regional pick an enticing trade piece, as if this year is any indication of his future, he could be one of the better two way shortstops in the FABL. Just not quite Skipper Schneider... |
Top Prospects: 11-15
2B Jimmie James (177th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 53rd Overall (1940) Alma Mater: Lane State Emeralds It was a huge season for Jimmie James, who started his season in Mobile and finished it in Chicago. It was his best production overall since the few months after he was drafted, as he excelled at each level. With the Commodores, James hit an outstanding .325/.443/.490 (147 OPS+) with 4 doubles, 2 triples, 6 homers, 39 RBIs, and 35 walks in just shy of 200 plate appearances. He kept up the production with the Blues, slashing .276/.376/.410 (120 OPS+) with 12 doubles, 3 triples, 8 homers, and 41 RBIs. He struck out (44) about as frequently as he walked (49) and was just 1-for-9 on steals, but he was worth 3 WAR with an excellent 134 WRC+. This all culminated into a promotion for the 25-year-old, who made three starts up in Chicago the final week of the season. James looked like a longtime big leaguer, an even 6-for-12 with a double, 2 walks, and 4 RBIs. The former 4th Rounder is doing his part to force himself into our lineup, and while his primary positions of short and second are pretty locked up, his versatility gives him another avenue into semi-regular play time. He got a little time at third and in right this season, and he has experience in left and center too. Being able to provide us with consistent defense at multiple positions is a huge plus, and with a relatively weak bench, James' upside could help him replace an Ollie Page or Tip Harrison. You wouldn't know it from his base stealing success (or lack thereof), but James is speedy and with his great bat speed he is adept at putting bat on ball. Add in strong plate discipline and you have the working of a very productive hitter. As a switch hitter he's an asset late in game already, and he is a solid option to replace Car or Skipper if they get hurt. James should be a reliable every day player, but it may be a season or two before he gets a chance. RHP Ken Matson (186th Overall) Acquired: Via Trade with Brooklyn (1942) Drafted: 10th Round, 160th Overall (1936) Alma Mater: Clinton Falcons Ken Matson managed to make the big league roster as our stopper, and then moved to the rotation for Harry Parker's first injury, but he didn't have the production I expected. Including his September callup, Matson pitched 60 innings in Chicago, going 5-4 with 2 saves, a 4.65 ERA (72 ERA+), 1.58 WHIP, 35 walks, and 28 strikeouts. Not great numbers for the 25-year-old, but for a debut season it could have gone worse. He was much better for us down in Milwaukee, going 9-3 with a 2.93 ERA (127 ERA+), 1.27 WHIP, 54 walks, and 109 strikeouts in 147.2 innings pitched. A big part of his success was the huge strikeout numbers, as fireballer whiffed 6.6 per 9, yet another season with a 5 or higher in the minors since the '41 season. The three pitch pitcher jams a lot of hitters with his 95-97 cutter, and his curve and change are just as tough to hit. His control isn't perfect, and he'll rack up high pitch counts, but both Tom and OSA think he's got a future in the big league rotation. Tom wagers he'll be a middle of the rotation arm, while OSA takes it a step further and projects him to be a #2. I want him on the big league roster to start next season, spending time both as our 6th starter and stopper depending on the congestion of the week. I'm a big fan of the righty and I think he's going to be one of the more talented pitchers in our system and a perfect option to stabilize the staff in case of injury. If he can keep his walks down he's going to be a very tough pitcher to square up. SS Al Clement (195th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 2nd Round, 29th Overall (1943) Alma Mater: De Pere Redbirds Once Clement signed, I was very shocked he ranked outside the top 100, let alone the top 200, as he was a guy I was convinced was one of the best in the 1943 class. He did sneak into the top 200, and his production in La Crosse definitely looks like a top 100 guy .The 18-year-old was extremely effective, slashing .254/.403/.519 (122 OPS+) with 4 doubles, 3 triples, 13 homers, 17 steals, and 26 RBIs. The 13 homers were definitely a shock, and I'd be surprised if he hits that many again above C ball, but he did hit 11 homers in his last two seasons at De Pere. His defense at short was approximately average, and something I expect to improve as he matures. He's fast and has good range, and we'll look to get him time at second and third as well to boost his versatility. I do think he's going to be better at the plate, as he has a quick bat and has no issue with velocity. He's got to work on the off-speed stuff, as evidenced by his 53 strikeouts in 231 plate appearance, and if he doesn't it will be tough for him to be a regular without some improvement. He does have a good eye for a youngster, which will help, and he's really good at drawing walks. Clement is a very raw prospect, but I think he'll spend some of his season up in San Jose next year. He's got a really high ceiling and he could be a potential All-Star, but his floor is far lower. I expect him to meet in the middle, an average big league shortstop akin to Ollie Page's first two big league seasons. LF Bob Rogers (199th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 6th Round, 93rd Overall (1943) Alma Mater: Newman Norseman When I drafted Rogers I didn't realize he was "impossible" to sign. I just saw the .517/.569/.661 batting line and thought "this is a guy I want!" Lucky for us, impossible really just means "give me a ton of money," so $40,830 was more then enough for "Snoot" to sign on. It wasn't a great debut season in La Crosse, however, as he hit a below average .264/.343/.433 (87 OPS+) with 7 doubles, a triple, 7 homers, and 26 RBIs. A big reason for the drop in production was a huge hike in strikeouts, 49 compared to 17 in his first 204 minor league PAs. He still managed to sneak into the top 200, and at times showed signs of being a big league quality hitter. He showed a little pop, but more importantly he consistently hits the ball hard. He has plus contact potential, which makes the strikeouts very surprising, but he'll turn 19 in January and has a lot of room to grow. He's not one of the most exciting prospects, really just a bat only guy, but few have as reliable of a hit tool as he does, which can help him develop into a reliable big leaguer. 1B Jocko Pollard (202nd Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 6th Round, 95th Overall (1935) Alma Mater: Grafton Indians Out in the Coast Guard this season, Jocko Pollard's last official at bat was a solo homer, so if he never returns to the big leagues, he'll end his career about as good as he can. A slugging first basemen, Pollard had the inside track to a bench job, but he'll instead have to deal with a huge roster clog once everyone returns from overseas. His lack of versatility works against him, as his calling card is really just his power. A lot of players like Pollard will miss out on their chance to be a big league regular, as he'll be 28 when he returns, and there will be a lot more exciting youngsters chomping at the bit for his roster spot. |
Top Prospects: 16-20
RHP Bill Holloway (203rd Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 56th Overall (1943) Alma Mater: Lincoln College Presidents Acquired with the 4th Rounder we received from the Chiefs in the Freddie Jones deal, the Chicagoan Bill Holloway ranks just outside the top 200 after making 12 starts down in La Crosse. Holloway pitched very well, going 4-5 with a 4.28 ERA (122 ERA+), 1.47 WHIP, 44 walks, and 94 strikeouts in 67.1 innings pitched. There is a lot going on here, as Holloway has very inflated walk (5.9) and strikeout (12.6) per nine numbers. The strikeouts are really impressive, putting up modern day punch-out numbers in a much different era. Obviously the walks are of some concern, but as a junior at Lincoln College he had a very similar mark. He's really not an overpowering guy, relying more on location then blowing it past guys. When he's on he's unhittable, but when his command wanders he leaves pitches over the plate and they get crushed. He has a nice four pitch mix, a high 80s fastball and sinker with a decent change and knuckle curve. If he can improve his command without scarifying strikeouts Holloway will pitch his way into a rotation, but likely more as a back-end then a rotation leader. LHP Lefty Jones (207th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 207th Overall (1943) Alma Mater: Wilsonville Wildcats Our 5th Round selection this season, Lefty Jones didn't have the smoothest of starts, allowing 20 homers in just 70.1 innings pitched. Jones was average otherwise, 5-5 with a 5.50 ERA (95 ERA+), 1.64 WHIP, 54 walks, and 72 strikeouts. The walks were really concerning, nearly 7 per 9, but the sidewinder did a good job recording swings and misses. Not a very hard thrower, Jones thrives on movement, as his cutter and slider have insane horizontal movement and his change' bottom really falls out when its working. He doesn't command them well, which could lead to even more movement, but as evidenced by the spike in homers he can get hit hard if he makes a mistake. He really struggles with righties right now, most of his walks and homers come against them, but he's very good at keeping lefties off balance. Right now he's really just a spot starter, but he's a tall and lean 6'3'' and his whip like windup is very enticing, especially for a team like ours which doesn't have much lefty depth. RHP Tommy Seymour (229th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 1st Round, 13th Overall (1943) Alma Mater: Olathe Pioneers When I selected him with our first pick last winter, I truly thought Tommy Seymour would rank within the leagues top 100 and our top 5. Turns out, I couldn't have been any more wrong... Seymour didn't even crack the top 200, and finished on the outside at 229. To make matters worse, his performance was not like most first rounders, going just 3-5 with a 9.22 ERA (57 ERA+), 2.21 WHIP, 50 walks, and 54 strikeouts in 55.2 innings pitched. Yes, that looks really bad... Am I worried? Of course not! Seymour didn't turn 18 until August, and the soft tosser is still beloved by Tom Weinstock and OSA. Weinstock views Seymour as a #2 and OSA goes a step higher and thinks he'll front a rotation. A three pitch pitcher, Seymour has a devastating change up, and it will continue to improve as he increases his velocity. I can't imagine Seymour throwing 83-85 his entire career, so his fastball will increase in effectiveness with any velo boosts. His last pitch is a splitter, which is a great third pitch that should induce a lot of swings and misses. His stuff is actually his worst quality, as his movement and control have the potential to be elite. He's got a lot of developing left to go, but I'm really excited to see what he turns into, and I think he'll be a quality rotation leader once it's all said and done. LHP Harl Haines (232nd Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 10th Round, 149th Overall (1935) Alma Mater: Niagara Falls Big Red Recently turned 26, Harl Haines would have been a huge help this year, as our starting pitching depth was tested and the hard throwing submariner would have been an excellent fill in arm. Haines has a rubber arm and can eat a ton of innings, locating his pitches extraordinarily well to make up for a lower quality of pitches. Losing three to four years of development will be tough to overcome for Haines, as he'll be either 27 or 28 when he returns, and we have a lot of talented young pitchers who will be looking for rotation spots. I expect Haines to throw more then the 3.2 big league innings he has now, but I would have expected to have at least 20 big league starts by now. RHP Sam Hess (248th Overall) Draft: 10th Round, 145th Overall (1942) Alma Mater: Athens Eagles The season started well for the 19-year-old Sam Hess, who made 10 nice starts with the Lions before a torn labrum ended his season early. Hess went 6-3 with a 4.42 ERA (118 ERA+), 1.54 WHIP, 36 walks, and 58 strikeouts in his 59 innings pitched. He recently turned 20 and has just a few more days left of recovery, but I'm hoping he can pick up right where he left off up in San Jose. Hess is a groundballer who sits in the upper 80s with his cutter that can occasionally touch 90. His change is his feature pitch while his curve isn't used too much, but they should all be at least average pitches. He's more of a high floor low ceiling type guy, who should turn into a serviceable pen arm at worst, but he lacks the potential upside of a middle of the rotation arm. If he continues to locate his pitches well, he could be a serviceable back end arm, but after the major injury there are a lot of question marks around him. |
Top Prospects: 21-25
We made a minor trade to free up a roster spot, sending Eddie Curtis to the Gothams for a 7th Round Pick. Curtis filled our bench for most of the season after hitting .453/.482/.625 (208 OPS+) in 32 games with the Blues. He is 26 in less then a month and can play a few positions, but he's out of options and we'll have a huge logjam for the bench next season. I want to give our switch hitter Jimmie James a more extended look, and this will make it easier for him to break camp. He'll still have to deal with guys like Ollie Page and Tip Harrison, but I think the three can find a way to co-exist.
RHP Harry MacRae (249th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 7th Round, 112th Overall (1942) Alma Mater: Topeka State Braves Being a two pitch pitcher hasn't stopped up Harry MacRae yet, who's first full season went pretty well. The 22-year-old righty started his season as a 21-year-old in A ball, going an impressive 11-3 with a 3.41 ERA (139 ERA+), 1.41 WHIP, 44 walks, and 45 strikeouts in 111 innings pitched. He then made 9 starts in Mobile to finish the season, and he was just as reliable. MacRae went 6-1 with a 3.58 ERA (128 ERA+), 1.17 WHIP, 23 walks, and 28 strikeouts. It was nice to see him walk fewer hitters with similar strikeout numbers, but the righty had a shaky end to the season with 4 or more runs in 4 of his last 5 starts. He might have ran out of gas at the end, another sign that he's probably best suited for the pen. He commands his low 90s fastball well, locating it on the black with very few mistake pitches, and his curve can get swings and misses. I'm still banking on him picking up a third pitch, as it will be tough for him without it to have a regular role on our staff. He may end up developing into a really good stopper, which wouldn't be the worst case for us as we tend to lack talented back of the pen arms. CF Ed Neal (276th Overall) Draft: 5th Round, 80th Overall (1942) Alma Mater: St. Blane College Fighting Saints After spending his first partial season in San Jose, Ed Neal played all 140 of his games this season a level higher up in Lincoln. Neal had an issue with strikeouts, picking up 115 of them in 618 trips to the plate, which lowered his batting line to a just below average .238/.347/.411 (95 OPS+) with 19 doubles, 9 triples, 18 homers, 28 steals, and 64 RBIs. The home run and stolen base numbers are really encouraging, as were his 86 walks, but Neal does not make consistent enough contact yet. The soon-to-be 23-year-old does not have a strong hit tool, but he has really good pitch recognition skills and his speed is off the charts. He does look to have good outfield range, with an impressive 16.9 zone rating and 1.100 efficiency out in left, and he should be able to handle center. He didn't play out there as another excellent gloveman Leo Davis patrolled the middle of the outfield, but I will look to give Neal some reps in center next season. Neal isn't one of our more exciting prospects, but his glove and speed give him a lot of value as a fourth outfielder, and if the power sticks he could force his way into a lineup. I wouldn't bet on it, so he'll instead have to put the ball in play more to develop into a useful piece for a contender. RHP Babe Stinson (282nd Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 64th Overall (1942) Alma Mater: Louisville Coyotes Despite not turning 19 until August 26th, Babe Stinson spent his entire season in San Jose, and pitched relatively effective in 26 starts. Stinson threw 125.1 innings pitched, going 10-7 with a 3.88 ERA (98 ERA+), 1.36 WHIP, 68 walks, and 50 strikeouts. In a normal season, Babe would have likely been in La Crosse at least to start, if not also finish, the season, but with a lot of enlisted pitchers he was forced to fill in for the Cougars. OSA is a fan of the soft tossing former 4th Rounder, thinking he could eventually develop into a back of the rotation starter. He has a lot of work to get there, as he's a pretty raw talent. His best pitch is his change, but his cutter, splitter, and forkball are all solid offerings. His pitches get plenty of movement, which leads to a lot of weak contact and groundballs, while doing a great job keeping the ball in the par. With some more velocity on his cutter he should be able to work his way up our prospect ladder, and he's got a lot of way to go before developing into an effective big leaguer. RHP Joe Swank (305th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 7th Round, 107th Overall (1941) Alma Mater: Rhodes Rams Despite not a single inning above C ball before this season, Joe Swank skipped Class B completely, and even made 2 starts up in AA. The 20-year-old was really good down in Lincoln despite his 10-14 record in 27 starts. Swank worked to a 3.75 ERA (126 ERA+) and 1.27 WHIP with 76 walks and 94 strikeouts. The walks were a bit high, but still well below his strikeouts, and a lot of young guys deal with some sort of control problems. A three pitch pitcher, Swank doesn't light up the radar gun, but he gets good movement on his pitches and he keeps the ball on the ground. His fastball isn't great, just 85-87 and it won't generate a lot of whiffs, but his curve and circle change are very tough to square up. His stuff overall isn't great, but I think that's more because there isn't much separation between his fastball and his offspeed stuff. This could be tough for him to overcome once he faces better hitters, but the skinny six foot righty did throw two miles per hour faster this year compared to last. If we can get him throwing 90-92 I think he could be a really good pitcher, but he'll have to spend time bulking up to get there. RHP Jimmy Ballard (311th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 64th Overall (1942) Alma Mater: Donora Bombers It's been a rocky career for the 21-year-old Jimmy Ballard, who seems to deal with injuries every season. This year it was recurring back spasms, that cost the 6'4'' righty a month and a half of his season. This prevented him from reaching the 100 inning total for the second time in his career, as he managed 78 innings in San Jose and 18.2 more in La Crosse. Ballard was average for the Cougars, going 7-5 with a 3.58 ERA (106 ERA+), 1.27 WHIP, 34 walks, and 71 strikeouts. The strikeout numbers were huge, which was nice as he had a small drop last season in San Jose, elevating the mark from 3.7 to 8.2. He's always had issues with free passes, but if he can strike out more then twice as many guys as he walks, we can live with it. The sidearmer also added some velocity for the first time since the 1940 offseason, now sitting at 91-93 with his fastball. He's done a good job polishing his slider and change as well, and I think the improved effectiveness in the slider is what allowed him to strike out a lot more hitters. Injuries have taken a toll on him, and taken out a lot of the intrigue that we saw of him as a 6'4'' high schooler who is now already eligible for the Rule-5 draft. I can't imagine someone taking him, but it will be very tough for Ballard to work his way up to a 40-man roster spot. |
Top Prospects: 26-30
SS Tom Brownleaf (321st Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 8th Round, 125th Overall (1943) Alma Mater: Durant Lions A natural shortstop, our 8th Rounder Tom Brownleaf spent most of his season at second, because 2nd Rounder Al Clement was getting most of the reps there. Since both are 18 and figure to spent a lot of time together, Brownleaf may have to move over to second. He looked much better there then at short, with a 1.107 efficiency in 386 innings compared to .972 in 115 innings on the other side. His glove was far better then his bat, as the young switch hitter hit a pitcher like .201/.286/.336 (59 OPS+) with 3 doubles, 2 triples, 6 steals, 7 homers, and 25 RBIs. He had to deal with a lot of tougher pitchers, so I can excuse this performance as long as he has a nice start to next season. I expect him to spend all next season in La Crosse, and he'll get time at all three infield spots next season. Depending how long Al Clement stays in La Crosse he may get a lot of time at short, where I do think he'll be capable. He has good speed which should at least lead to decent range which will help if he never hits for much power. Brownleaf has a nice hit tool, and I expect him to eventually cut down the strikeouts. He had 70 in just 74 games, which may end up being a career eye. Same thing is likely for the homers, but he is pretty strong so some more time in the weight room could do him well. Some pop in his bat could improve his potential from bench role to starter, but being a switch hitter with a good glove is the best way to get a bench role at the big league level. 3B Steve Jones (322nd Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 76th Overall (1938) Alma Mater: Topeka State Braves The daily lineups sabotaged Steve Jones' debut, as he was supposed to start in one of our last double header. Instead, the 26-year-old will have to earn another callup next season to make his big league dream a reality. The former 5th Rounder is known more for his glove then his bat, as he hit just .245/.344/.305 (82 OPS+) with 11 doubles, 6 homers, and 50 RBIs in 569 trips to the plate. Jones has spent most of his minor league career at short, but he's played at least 750 innings at third, short, and second with above average efficiencies at each spot. Jones isn't much of a hitter, but he makes up for it with a good eye and a fair amount of infield hits. Jones is a good presence in the clubhouse as well, but I'd be very surprised if he ever gets a shot of regular playing time. And if that happens, we probably got decimated with injuries or enlistments. LF Harry Harris (323rd Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 7th Round, 108th Overall (1939) Alma Mater: DuPont Manual Crimsons It was another missed season for the soon-to-be 23-year-old switch hitter, who was enlisted in the army. The switch hitter hasn't played since 1941, and the then 20-year-old hit .299/.403/.417 (127 OPS+) in 131 games down in La Crosse. Harris has more versatility then most corner bats, appearing in 30 games at third and 52 out in right. He was actually drafted as a third basemen, but we had far more depth in the infield so he's spent most of his time on the grass. Harris will probably get to skip up to AA or A, and he could end up working his way up very quickly. It might be hard for him to secure regular playing time, but he offers more with the bat then most depth pieces. I know we'll have a ton of good fielders on our bench already, which will work in Harris' favor. RHP Stan Flanders (328th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 10th Round, 157th Overall (1941) Alma Mater: New Haven Bulldogs A catcher at New Haven, we drafted Stan Flanders with the intent to make him a pitcher, but with thin rosters he's gotten to catch some innings too. It's just 120.2 so far, but I expect that to continue to increase if we have smaller innings limits in A ball. Having a rotation member who can function as a third catcher allows the Legislators to pinch hit and run a backup catcher if he's not starting the game. He didn't hit much, but after just 10 innings in San Jose, he excelled in his 24 starts with Lincoln. Flanders went 10-4 with a 3.57 ERA (133 ERA+), 1.36 WHIP, 48 walks, and 35 strikeouts. He was worth a career best 3 wins above replacement and could potentially make the move up to Mobile. A bit of a soft tosser, Flanders sits in the mid 80s with his fastball, which is effective because of the spin and where he places it. His curve and change need improvement, and without it he may be forced into a relief role. That may not be a problem, as relievers aren't too valuable, and one that can catch is a huge plus. It gives us a lot more flexibility, as most pen guys won't crack 40 innings in a season. RHP Fred Thaxton (339th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 7th Round, 97th Overall (1939) Alma Mater: Tallmadge State Terriers After a great season in Mobile last year, Fred Thaxton had a chance to debut before a call from the Navy derailed that plan. The 25-year-old won't be a prospect when he returns, making things tough for the former 7th Rounder to debut. A three pitch pitcher, Thaxton has a really good change up, and he locates his high 80s fastball and cutter well. He's not a big strikeout arm, and since he isn't the hardest worker, I don't expect him to be aided by a velocity boost. OSA thinks he could be a number 5 while Tom Weinstock just a spot starter, but he could have been nice depth to have next season as I'm sure we'll get hit by injuries again. |
Military Callups
The first wave of callups hit FABL teams hard, with numerous star players leaving their getting the call. We'll be without the runner up for MVP (Clark Car) and the third place Allen finisher (Joe Brown), leaving two huge holes on our roster. Both players rank in the top 10, Car 3rd and Brown 9th, leaving us thinner then we ended the season. Car is coming off the best season of his career, worth 7.2 wins above replacement with a .283/.326/.445 (124 OPS+) batting line. He added 29 doubles, 9 triples, 13 homers, 16 steals, and 58 RBIs, making him extremely hard to replace. Billy Hunter will be the obvious replacement, but the odds of him staying healthy all season are less then a single percent. Replacing Brown will likely be tougher, as we don't have nearly as much pitching depth anymore. He had the highest WAR on our staff at 5.6, and the 29-year-old finished 18-11 with a 2.51 ERA (134 ERA+), 1.05 WHIP, 63 walks, and 119 strikeouts. If Harry Parker is healthy, we at least have a capable option to replace him, but I'm always worried that Dick Lyons will inevitably fall off. With a healthy Parker, our rotation will contain him, Lyons, Art White, Rusty Petrick, Johnnie Jones, and Ken Matson. It's not the greatest rotation by any means, but after losing three ace quality pitchers its hard to still have a strong rotation.
Here's an updated list of all Cougars in the military, with new enlistments denoted with an asterisk. As always, this list will be edited as opposed to a new post each time we lose guys. Army LHP Rusty Watts (March 31st, 1941) RHP Ray McNeill (December 22nd, 1941) SS Jimmy Bach (December 22nd, 1941) 2B Harry Avery (December 22nd, 1941) CF Max Rucker (December 22nd, 1941) RF Sammy Dillon (December 22nd, 1941) RHP Bob Leonard (December 25th, 1941) RF Harry Harris (January 5th, 1942) RHP Charlie Everett (January 5th, 1942) RHP Pat Rhodes (January 5th, 1942) 2B Stu Stasny (January 5th, 1942) CF Glenn Shepperd (January 6th, 1942) 2B Jim Nickerson (June 22nd, 1942) 1B Bobo Shafer (June 22nd, 1942) CF Hugh Oubre (June 22nd, 1942) LF Hippo Carney (June 22nd, 1942) CF Phil Davis (June 22nd, 1942) RHP Donnie Jones (November 9th, 1942) RHP Joe Crosby (November 23rd, 1942) 3B Hod Seagroves (November 30th, 1942) CF Harry Carr (December 28th, 1942) RHP Joe Stuart (January 4th, 1943) LHP Hugh Vaughn (January 11th, 1941) 2B Skippy Ellis (January 11th, 1941) LHP Charlie Harlan (January 18th, 1943) SS Nick Bryan (January 18th, 1943) *RHP Joe Brown (November 1st, 1943) *LHP Johnnie Jones (November 8th, 1943) *RHP Frank Crawford (November 15th, 1943) *RHP John Little (November 15th, 1943) *3B Johnny Weaver (November 29th, 1943) *RHP Howard Miller Jr. (November 29th, 1943) Navy RHP Pete Papenfus (December 8th, 1941) RHP Harl Haines (December 8th, 1941) RF Alex Ingraham (December 8th, 1941) C Diego Bernal (December 22nd, 1941) SS Connie Wright (December 27th, 1941) LHP Art Ramsey (December 31st, 1941) RHP Walt Leonard (December 31st, 1941) LHP Jim Fetrow (June 22nd, 1942) RHP Jim Bob Clark (June 22nd, 1942) CF Johnny Kirtz (June 22nd, 1942) 3B John Lawson (November 2nd, 1942) RHP/RF Danny Goff Jr. (November 16th, 1942) LHP Ed Wilkinson (November 16th, 1942) CF Carlos Montes (November 16th, 1942) RHP Fred Thaxton (December 28th, 1942) 2B Bill Hunt (December 28th, 1942) C Eddie Howard (January 4th, 1943) C Hugh Elasser (January 11th, 1941) RHP John Lash (January 18th, 1943) RHP Bill Lyman (January 18th, 1943) RHP Chet Williams (January 18th, 1943) *2B Clark Car (November 1st, 1943) *LF Bobby Mills (November 29th, 1943) *3B Morrie Graves (November 29th, 1943) *3B Caleb Humphrey (November 29th, 1943) Air Force RF Fred Vargas (December 8th, 1941) RHP Tommy Wilcox (December 25th, 1941) RHP Harry Stewart (December 31st, 1941) 3B Wally Burnett (December 31st, 1941) LHP Leo Hayden (January 7th, 1942) C Butch Stone (June 22nd, 1942) SS Frank Beacham (June 22nd, 1942) 1B Ray Ford (November 2nd, 1942) 3B Otto Christian (November 2nd, 1942) RHP King Price (November 30th, 1942) *RHP Foster Smith (March 8th, 1943) *LF Ducky Brown (November 29th, 1943) Marines Corp RHP Duke Bybee (December 31st, 1941) 1B Joe Powers (December 31st, 1941) SS Dave Gilbert (June 22nd, 1942) CF Ernie Martini (November 30th, 1942) LHP Bob Hobbs (January 4th, 1943) RF Dave Bryant (January 11th, 1941) *C Steve Mountain (November 15th, 1943) Coast Guard LHP Joe Bement (December 31st, 1941) LF Skinny O'Hanesian (June 22nd, 1942) 1B Jocko Pollard (November 2nd, 1942) LHP Joe Ferrara (November 30th, 1942) |
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