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Week 12: July 2nd-July 8th
Weekly Record: 2-6
Seasonal Record: 38-43 (5th, 17 GB) Stars of the Week George Sutterfield : 27 AB, 10 H, 2 HR, 4 RBI, .370 AVG, 1.080 OPS Leo Mitchell : 22 AB, 9 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .409 AVG, .980 OPS Elmer Grace : 29 AB, 9 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .310 AVG, .782 OPS Schedule 7-2: Win at Kings (8-5) 7-3: Loss at Kings (8-9) 7-4: Loss vs Saints (6-5) 7-4: Loss vs Saints (5-1) 7-5: Loss vs Saints (5-2) 7-6: Loss at Stars (1-2) 7-7: Loss at Stars (1-2) 7-8: Win at Stars (6-3): 11 innings Recap Well it's official. We suck. The sell off has started. One guys is already gone, a second is pretty much half way out the door. The final straw was Max Wilder letting David Molina blow a six run lead . Wilder is not coming back next season. And hopefully a lot more guys then just him. In truly pathetic fashion, we followed up our first decent winning streak, a fiver, with a six game losing streak, and since the Sailors were even worse we could have made up a ton of ground. But no. We just suck. Yet another wasted season and the CA isn't going to get any easier. I still can't believe how awful the 40s went for us. That was supposed to be our decade. We were the clear front runner almost every season. I'll never get over losing a WCS by dropping four one-run games. And I don't think we'll ever get back to do it again. This may be the last hoorah for this cursed franchise... I also forgot the monthly screenshots last sim. Oh well. Can't get them now. So, anything good happen? There's Leo Mitchell getting his 2,500th career hit! It should have been the feel good moment of a win over the Kings to extend the winstreak to six, but no, Wilder let Molina implode and get walked off. #2,500 came in the 6th, a double off Bob Arman, and Mitchell finished that game 2-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored. He had one of our better weeks, 9-for-22 with 2 doubles, 2 walks, 3 RBIs, and 7 runs to up his season line to .317/.367/.488 (122 OPS+) with a 132 WRC+. He swiped three bases too, now with 17 in 67 games. The other plus was a successful debut week from Elmer Grace, who did not look phased by the ineptness of his new team. He had three multi-hit games, spending time at second, third, and short. Grace finished 9-for-29 with a double, a walk, 2 runs, 4 RBIs, and a home run off Clarence Barton to sweeten up what started as an 0-for-4 debut. Grace will continue to play regularly, even if we add the infielder I'm trying to trade for. That would make Grace rotate more, though Wilder already has him as the first alternate for third and short anyways, so even as is he's not just playing second base. I can't see him going down this season, and even if he doesn't keep hitting, his playing time will likely stay consistent. There's a lot of potential for this young infielder, and if I can continue to get all the dead weight off the roster, he could really shine and help usher in the new generation of Cougars. There's a legitimate chance one of Frank Reece, Henry Norman, or Jerry Smith is manning center before August. That was defintley not on my 1951 bingo card. I mean are we really 5 under and 10-19 in one-run games with a bullpen ERA that's over three points higher then the starter's? Who could have guessed that!?!?!?! There's also the All-Star Game, we have three reps, with just one starting the game. I'll never claim to understand voters, but I don't know how Red Bond had as many votes (5) as all other candidates (4 with 5) considering he not only leads in nearly every offensive category for first basemen, but also has the most homers in the CA (19) and the third highest OPS (.982). I mean what more can he do!?!?!?! Hopefully get traded to a contender, but in his 4th appearance he'll start at first base, while Duke Bybee (2nd) and Pete Papenfus (5th) fill the pen. Bybee had the second most votes, as thankfully all ten ballots had Adrian Czerwinski on them, but let's just say there were some questionable players that got votes. Charlie Rivera over Al Farmer!?!?!?!?! What!?!?!?!?! Oh yeah, I guess I should mention some draftees signed, with 1st Rounder Jack Craft checking in at 37th and 2nd Rounder Allie Eddy at 69th. These two will start their pro careers together in La Crosse, with a Lions team that split their first four games of the season. The only other signing was of our college senior, Bob Powers, who will spend a few seasons being a backup outfielder. San Jose may be the first spot, but he'll have to get used to changing area codes at a moments notice. Looking Ahead Oh man... Do I even want to? Even with being off to start the week, we have five chances to get embarrassed at home. The first three would come at the hands of the Cannons, who at 35-46 somehow have a worse record then us by three full games. So that means we'll be equal when they sweep us! They sent two players, with 30/30 quest participant Mike T. Taylor (.339, 14, 52, 15) starting in left and Chuck Adams (.292, 12, 56) as one of the two Chuck's backing up Bond at first. Even if we survive here, we'll have to face Cleveland and their seven All-Stars, and they're somehow within two of first as the Sailors have completely fell off a cliff. If only we could actually win games, we'd be right back in it... But winning games is too difficult. Minor League Report LHP Dixie Gaines (AA Little Rock Governors): Due to a yet to be named event, Dixie Gaines may end up in the Cougars rotation sooner then later, but first he's going to go back up to AAA. His likely last Dixie League start was about as dominant as it gets, a 5-hit shutout with 12 strikeouts to improve to 9-2 on the season. His 2.56 ERA (158 ERA+) and 3.15 FIP (77 FIP-) are simply elite, and he's got a tidy 1.16 WHIP with 62 strikeouts and a 1.7 K/BB. A five pitch pitcher, Dixie would have to be added to the 40 regardless, and our minor league coaches think he's been ready for Chicago since spring training. The former 25th ranked prospect has a deep five pitch mix, and he excels at keeping the ball on the ground. His mid 80s sinker is why he gets so many double plays, but his change will do the heavily lifting when he wants a strike out. He'll attack batters with his fastball and try to put guys a way with the curve or split. You have to be prepared for everything he offers as the stuff isn't easy to punish. He does have some control issues, that's not going to change, but they said Peter the Heater had control issues and he's struck over 1,500 batters and he's not going anywhere any time soon. There are a few other interesting things like Jerry Smith joining Frank Reece in Milwaukee, but there's too much else going on to mention with our very busy day. |
A Family Reunion
This was actually the last of the three trades completed, as after eighteen million attempts to trade for a Buddy/Skipper middle infield duo, I finally managed to do it. Taken after Skipper and before Bart with the 8th pick of the 1939 draft, Buddy Schneider has not had the same career as Skipper, even if he did get the best of us in 1941. The second basemen Schneider debuted slightly after Skipper in 1940, appearing in 94 games and hitting .288/.332/.414 (110 OPS+) with 18 doubles, 7 triples, 3 homers, and 38 RBIs.
There was no sophomore slump, as in Buddy's first full season he led the Fed with 193 hits with a still career best 6.0 WAR in all but one game. The then 20-year-old hit .336/.396/.424 (128 OPS+), better then Skipper has ever done, and while none of his league leading hits came via. the home run, he collected 81 runs, 31 doubles, 10 triples, 62 RBIs, 55 walks, and 11 steals. Like his brother, he's impossible to strike out, just 7 times in 636 trips to the plate. That's a mini 1.1 K% that somehow wasn't the best that year. Buddy's line dipped to .264/.318/.350 (94 OPS+) with 153 of his 154 starts at second, but with great defense, a tiny strikeout rate (2.3), 38 extra base hits, and 81 RBIs you'll definitely take it. Though when the war in Europe started, Buddy enlisted with Bart and Skipper. They all expected to serve with each other, but Skipper had an undiagnosed hernia that prevented him from joining the Navy. That was a blessing for us, but for the Minutemen they lost their triplet for three seasons, and when he came back he was just where he left off. Now 25, he hit a simple .260/.300/.343 (91 OPS+). Good not great. But the defense was still good enough to push him over 5 WAR. He produced 62 runs, 30 doubles, 6 triples, 2 homers, and 63 RBIs, but his 38 strikeouts were more then his pre-war total. His WRC+ in 1947 then dropped to 79, coming off back-to-back 90s that followed his 111 and 124 to begin his career. He stayed under 90 the next two seasons, but finally started to click last season. He hit .283/.346/.404 (102 OPS+) with 38 doubles, 5 triples, 6 homers, 8 steals, and 70 RBIs. With his still relative youth, he was doing his best to fend off the talented Marshall Strickland, and 1951 would be a chance to prove himself. Instead, Buddy has endured his worst season yet, hitting just .249/.302/.316 (62 OPS+) with 10 doubles, 5 triples, 31 RBIs, 10 steals, and 23 walks. It wasn't anything close to his past levels, but when the Minutemen GM approached me about acquiring him, I couldn't say no. At time of the trade he's still a .279/.334/.373 (97 OPS+) hitter with a 3.7 K% and 1,228 FABL hits. He can walk, steal some bases, and play solid defense, but most importantly he can do what he did at Northwestern (a high school, not the college): turn double plays with his brother. Skipper is hitting a similarly poor .247/.307/.323 (67 OPS+), but is a career .283/.335/.369 (100 OPS+) hitter who plays the best shortstop you'll ever see. The brothers are worth more then 100 WAR together, and it's going to eb so fun having them on the same team. When I first wanted to form that duo, they were young and still at the top of their game, and they'd probably never take a day off. Now, there's this guy called Elmer Grace, and he's not going to stop getting playing time. Buddy will be the everyday second basemen against righties, but Elmer will get starts there and at third base, and if needed, short to give Skipper the occasional rest day. Then against lefties Grace will be the regular while Buddy makes some appearances off the bench. Of course, if someone isn't hitting, they won't play, do aside from Skipper manning short it's a fluid situation. If the brothers can unlock what's been ailing them this season together, it would bode well for our future title hopes. Buddy will always have the shorter lease, but even if he's relegated to a bench role we'll find time for him and Skipper to turn some of the fanciest double plays. I can't wait!!!! We did have to pay a price, of course, to land the veteran infielder, sending shortstop Cecil Burr and righty Jim Williams to Boston. Burr entered the week as the 200th ranked prospect, and he was off to a decent start in San Jose. The 21-year-old was hitting .321/.363/.415 (111 OPS+) with 4 doubles, 2 homers, and 11 RBIs in 113 trips to the plate. He's a solid defender with an above average contact tool, hitting line drives to all fields. He's far from the majors, but gives Boston another talented young infielder. They'll also take a shot on Little Rock star Jim Williams, who was struggling in Milwaukee this season. Last year Williams was 16-6 with a 2.33 ERA (172 ERA+) and 1.34 WHIP, but there isn't much room for him in Chicago. The package made sense so I just couldn't pass up on Buddy, even if he doesn't quite fit the team. I'm hoping more trades are coming, as Red Bond deserves to play for a pennant and Otto Christian really needs a change of scenery. |
Trade News!
Aside from bringing in Buddy, we shipped to recent Cougars out of town. Jim Morrison was the first to go, headed to the Gothams for Steve Groves and Bert Preble. In a sense, Morrison spent a season in Chicago, as he was acquired last July and will leave this July. The 36-year-old didn't do anything wrong, we needed him to not give up two homers a start in our pennant race and he succeeded, and he was just as reliable this season. The numbers don't jump out at you, but despite a 8-13 record in 25 starts, he was pretty solid. His 3.93 ERA (103 ERA+) and 3.71 FIP (91 FIP-) were above average, and he had a decent 1.43 WHIP with 74 walks and 68 strikeouts. He got a lot of weak contact and went deep into games, which is exactly what the Gothams need. Ed Bowman (11-2, 2.62, 75) is the best pitcher in the league, but aside from Buddy Long (12-3, 3.36, 31) he hasn't had enough support. Guys have been average or awful, and Morrison is a guy who keeps you into games. Unlike our offense, the Gothams score runs, leading the Fed with 419.
With how bad our bullpen has been, I was looking for a reliever anyways, and since the Gothams didn't want to move any of their top prospects for an old guy, I targeted their stopper Steve Groves. One of the most reliable relievers in the game, Groves has led the Fed in saves two years in a row, and he has 86 with a 32-31 record in 375 innings out of the pen. His 3.53 ERA (111 ERA+) and 3.61 FIP (91 FIP-) are dependable, and he was just selected to his third consecutive All-Star Game. The 33-year-old has worked to a 2.92 ERA (146 ERA+) and 1.40 WHIP in 49.1 innings. He has 17 walks and 17 strikeouts, and unlike David Molina, hasn't blown a six run lead. To be fair, he has blown five saves, so it's not that he's automatic, but his mess-ups have been fewer and far between. He's not replacing Molina in the late innings, just joining them, as I'm hoping these two can both hold leads. Maybe Wilder will bail Molina out if he knows he has Groves too, but even if he doesn't it won't hurt to have a groundballer who can hit 97. Though the real prize of the trade is the 72nd ranked prospect Bert Preble. Taken in the 3rd Round of the 1949 draft, Preble is still 22 and is absolutely mashing in AAA. Sure it's just 25 games, but the center fielder is hitting .415/.465/.594 (201 OPS+) with excellent defense (3.6, 1.079) and equal walks (11) and strikeouts. A prospect I've always been interested in, he was on my list for 1949 and I debated between him and Fred Crawford for the 45th pick. It was pretty much instantly the wrong choice, as he quickly ranked 32nd on the prospect list and is already looking like a potential option for a FABL outfield. He has some strikeout issues, but he'll hit around .300 with good discipline. He hits line drives, has great speed, and handles center well, and even with Reece, Norman, and Smith, he has a way to playing time if he keeps hitting. Those guys may debut quicker, but you can never have too much young talent. They can't all pan out, or at least not usually, and a youth movement in Chicago was well overdo. -- Our second trade ends what ended up being the extremely short John Moss era as a Cougar. He'll stay in Chicago ironically, the Chiefs are his new employer, but I am ready to start fresh. He was hitting, a respectable .254/.363/.405 (103 OPS+) line, and a 14.3 BB% contributed to his 114 WRC+. Moss hit 8 homers, drove in 33 RBIs, and added 13 doubles and 3 triples, and will end his Cougar career with approximately 220 games. Part of me already regrets moving him, I really like him and paid a ton to get him, but Smith, Reece, and Norman are all ready and Moss was just going to stay in their way. Unless he got hurt, none of that trio would play much if any center field at Cougars Park this year, but now I can see all three of them now, with all three again in camp to compete for the starting spot. It's about time we start capitalizing on our young outfield talent, and the Wood-Sonntag-Doyal outfield got me way too excited for Reece-Smith-Norman. It's going to happen! With Moss we got three prospects back, including another center fielder in Curt Neville. At 154th, he's surprisingly their 3rd ranked prospect, and even before accounting for the guys in trades we got better then him, he would rank 17th. With two other's we picked up above him that may be 19th tomorrow, but he's a further off prospect who has plenty of time to move up. Taken in the 3rd Round last season, he was on my radar as well, and the 19-year-old has since played 137 games in San Jose. They've gone alright, as the young lefty hit a respectable .294/.362/.352 (89 OPS+) line with 12 doubles, 3 triples, 3 homers, 3 steals, and 75 RBIs. Even better is the defense, as his 7.9 zone rating and 1.059 efficiency in center this season is way better then I expected. In fact, he's hit much better this year too, with an average .312/.368/.397 (102 OPS+) triple slash. Even though he has just 2 homers in 69 games, I think there's power to be unlocked, with Dixie and OSA expecting average or a little bit above pop from him. It's not quite Henry Norman 2.0, but I have high hopes for him developing into a useful big leaguer. But the must have in the deal was Bobby Crooks, a young righty I stumbled on in the offseason. I debated trading for the 1949 2nd Rounder in the offseason for Elmer Grace, but he was just not good in the Chiefs pen. The control wasn't there, which really countered out the nice stuff. Lucky for me, the Chiefs decided to move him to the rotation, and even though the walks were still high, I saw a lot of things I liked. The curve is looking good, as even when it's flat it's not being punished. The groundballer has been able to work around a lofty 15.3 BB%, and his 3.36 ERA (115 ERA+) is due to the stuff. Not a hard thrower by any means, it's the movement that gets batters in trouble. Even the fastball isn't straight, so if you're not focusing on the pitch you're likely to whiff or roll over it. But my favorite trait may be his poise, as he's cool and composed, but able to kick it up a notch when he has to. He gives off clutch vibes, and you need his mentality to still succeed with runners on base. He's certainly a project pitch, but the dev lab allows us to focus on improving guys like this, and if he can keep the walks under control he's going to be pitching big games for the rest of his career. The final piece was a young catcher, as I added 20-year-old Johnny Hook to give us some extra depth behind the plate. 21 in August, he hasn't gotten above C ball, but I have the perfect spot for him in San Jose. Sam Bird has really struggled, hitting just .211/.271/.286 (51 OPS+), and him and Hook can share the duties there. Even better, he can play some outfield, so if the catching defense isn't good we could move him to one of the corners. I think he could pick up first too, so if he hits he could be a super useful backup catcher. He's strong and should hit his share of homers, and even if he may strikeout too much he'll work walks as well. He's a guy I had my eye on in the 1948 draft that I'm happy to acquire now. Even if the return for Moss wasn't as good as what we gave up, there's a lot to like about the three young players we added here, and even though none of our young outfield trio is coming up tomorrow, I will continue to make roster changes until the deadline to open spots up for the next generation of Cougars. We do have the 2nd ranked farm after all! Let's see what these guys can do! Craziest thing is, none of these three trades were the biggest. That would be the monster Ralph Johnson traded that send a billion players between Detroit and Brooklyn. Johnson, Dan Smith, and Bob Arman all gone. A whole lot of other stuff coming in. I think I started something! |
Week 13: July 9th-July 15th
Weekly Record: 2-6
Seasonal Record: 38-43 (5th, 17 GB) Stars of the Week George Sutterfield : 27 AB, 10 H, 2 HR, 4 RBI, .370 AVG, 1.080 OPS Leo Mitchell : 22 AB, 9 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .409 AVG, .980 OPS Elmer Grace : 29 AB, 9 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .310 AVG, .782 OPS Schedule 7-12: Win vs Cannons (2-7) 7-13: Loss vs Cannons (6-4) 7-14: Loss vs Cannons (8-3) 7-15: Win vs Foresters (3-2) 7-15: Win vs Foresters (5-4): 14 innings Recap We really want the Sailors to win the CA, huh? After dropping two of three to the Cannons, we swept the double header against the Foresters, who are now within just a single game of the sinking Sailors. Even Montreal is 6.5 out, which is why it's ever so frustrating that the one time we strung together more then three games, we erased the gain with an even worse effort. Even now 13.5 is way better then when the month started, though that's not going to stop me from trying to get rid of the vets. We may be better without them, though we do get the benefit of activating a Whitney winner to the active roster. Sal Pestilli is healthy and back in center, and he has a chance to showcase himself for teams that are far better then us. Then there's the reuniting of the Schneider boys, as Buddy and Skipper can once again play middle infield together. They spent four seasons together at Northwestern, and will now look to sweep the Foresters with his brother playing beside him. I don't love the lineup, but against righties he'll bat seventh behind Skipper Schneider and George Sutterfield, which kind of highlights why it was so hard to score last year when Sal wasn't hitting homers. There's not much power and our park plays better for power, which is part of why I target so many players with at least average power. You can't really survive in our park without hitting home runs. That makes it so encouraging that Sutterfield has produced a career high 8 home runs through 82 games. He's gotten hot in July, hitting .392/.446/.608 (176 OPS+) after a nice 9-for-19 week. Like his infield partners, he almost seemed encouraged that Buddy was added, as Elmer Grace showed that he belongs too. The switch hitter was 9-for-21 with a pair of doubles, runs, and walks. He's still going to play regularly, as the #1 backup at all three positions. Then there's lefties when Buddy doesn't play, so it won't really look like our rookie is losing any playing time. Though the best improvement came from Skipper himself, as he had what unfortunately may be the best week of his season. Not only is he reunited with his brother, but he went 8-for-22 with 6 runs, a double, a homer, and 3 RBIs. Skipper hasn't done much in the box this season, just a .256/.311/.340 (72 OPS+) line, but his 20 steals are tied for the association lead and he's walking more then he strikes out. He hasn't had many big hits -- like this solo shot off All-Star Adrian Czerwinski -- but he puts the ball in play, moves runners over, and is a weapon on the base paths. Now their is two of them! Well, more like one and three quarters. But you get the point! I'm actually excited for Cougars baseball! These two should be so fun together! Looking Ahead Duke Bybee actually got the win in the All-Star game, following two scoreless innings from "the Mad Professor". Both allowed a hit, though Duke had a walk instead of a strikeout. Pap pitched too, just two pitches to the sixth, while the staring first basemen was just 0-for-2 before a 4-for-24 week. That's not good for Bond's trade value, and he'll look to rebuild some in the finale against Ollie White (10-6, 2, 4.39, 82). Frenchy Sonntag (.307, 14, 50) has picked up right where he left off, forming the best CA outfield with Joe Wood (.297, 9, 53) and Sherry Doyal (.357, 17, 74). Doyal took Pap (7.2 IP, 8 H, 2, ER, 5 BB, 6 K) deep in a game David Molina (W, 1.1 IP, 3 K) ended up winning, looking like the prime stopper he always should be. I think he's off tonight, so it's good Steve Groves came along, and we somehow have a chance to sweep the defending champs. Donnie Jones (10-5, 3.42, 78) is pitching! If we want to help the Sailors, we'll lose the next three, but knowing us this is when we start to get hot. Or let them get hot. Someone's going to get hot from this. Philly still has scored the most runs and allowed the fewest, but their latest win snapped a seven game losing streak that started with three hosting the Wolves. We're not the only one that can't beat them! With double headers they might use spot starters, but I expect their somewhat underwhelming front three of Lou Robertson (7-6, 4.12, 47), Lloyd Stevens (8-6, 4, 3.77, 39), and Joe Hess (1-3, 5, 4.99, 37). They demoted Al Duster (7-4, 3, 4.40, 48) to the pen, but his 3.73 FIP (85 FIP-) tells me he might be the best healthy starter. Best case for them would be George Reynolds (8-4, 4.24, 55) polishing his stuff, as the former 10th ranked prospect should one day lead this rotation. The bats will give plenty of support, as Al Farmer (.358, 13, 51) may be a star and George Rutter (.317, 16, 85, 4) is having huge power surge. Hitting between them is star center fielder Billy Forbes (.313, 9, 61, 20), a nightmare for any staff. I think Bond would be perfect for that lineup, but right now they're getting by with Joe Scott (.276, 9, 53) and Cotton Dillon (.255, 4, 43). The week ends with what should be a reprieve, three with a last place team, but with how we've played them you'd think we were the ones in the bottom of the standings. We may get our first taste of personal favorite Les Ledbetter (0-1, 7.71, 9), who enters today as the 18th ranked prospect and third ranked pitcher (Allen is #1 again!) made his debut in Cincinnati on the 4th. The Sailors got him good, but otherwise he's held his own, and the 22-year-old has started what should be a long and impressive career. For now he's behind George Garrison (4-11, 3.77, 47), who's been officially added to the block. It's taking a lot of willpower to not make an offer for our recently vacated rotation spot, but it would be nice to not have to face him. One guy we expect to see is old friend Zane Kelley (3-1, 3, 3.31, 31), who guess what? Has been great in the pen! As nice as it would be to have him, it's good seeing him succeed in the Wolves stopper role, and a return to the rotation may not be out of the question. Joe Hancock (4-8, 4.14, 47) or Jerry York (5-7, 3.57, 53) could easily be on their way out, and at 25 Kelley may be just getting into his prime now. |
Week 14: July 16th-July 22nd
Weekly Record: 5-2
Seasonal Record: 46-47 (t-4th, 12.5 GB) Stars of the Week Red Bond : 24 AB, 10 H, 3 HR, 10 RBI, .417 AVG, 1.232 OPS Leo Mitchell : 25 AB, 10 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .400 AVG, .983 OPS Johnnie Jones : 2 Wins, 17.2 IP, 5 BB, 15 K, 2.04 ERA Schedule 7-16: Loss vs Foresters (4-1): 11 innings 7-17: Win vs Sailors (2-5) 7-18: Loss vs Sailors (4-3) 7-19: Win vs Sailors (2-9) 7-20: Win vs Wolves (2-4) 7-21: Win vs Wolves (0-12) 7-22: Win vs Wolves (2-6) Recap We switched allegiance this week, as after helping the Sailors, we helped the Foresters, dropping the finale before taking two of three from the now second place Sailors, who sit half a game out of the lead. But the biggest thing was the sweep of the pesky Wolves, who we finally treated like the way below .500 team they are. What sucks is Steve Groves wasn't used as I wanted, leaving David Molina to take both losses this week. The one against the Sailors was his fault, but I have no idea why Wilder went to him instead of Groves against Cleveland, as Molina threw 48 pitches in the double header. Groves threw just 20 pitches, but I guess Wilder wanted to use the pinch hitter, and Molina came in instead of Decker or Matson. Oh well, I'm sure they would have blown it anyways! The biggest news of the week was the reuniting of the Schneider brothers, as with Johnnie Jones, who is very familiar with playing with his brother, pitched a gem in a 5-2 win over the Sailors on the 17th. Buddy and Skipper were the duo up the middle, as they were for three other games, marking the first of hopefully many games where the duo fields and wins together. It was Buddy's only bad outing this week, as it looks like playing with his brother has rejuvenated him. In the following three games he went 5-for-10 with 3 runs, 3 RBIs, 2 walks, 2 doubles, and a triple. Buddy also hit his first homer of the season, a solo shot of Sailors starter Lloyd Stevens, who he's faced over 100 times due to his regular spot in the Keystones rotation. This time he didn't play with Skipper, Elmer Grace manned short in a scheduled off day, but any level of offensive production from the 30-year-old triplet is an added bonus. Back to Johnnie, who won the start of the Schneider era, it was a great week for him. The veteran southpaw picked up two wins on the week, going all nine against a tough Sailors team. He allowed just 5 hits, 2 runs, and 4 walks, striking out 7 in an excellent performance. He was arguably better against the Wolves, but he needed Ken Matson to get the final out. Johnnie allowed 8 hits, but just 1 walk with 8 strikeouts in one of his best outings of the year. Johnnie now sports an above average ERA (3.98, 105) and FIP (3.95, 94), something he hasn't done since his dominating rookie season in 1943 where he was 15-8 with a 2.93 ERA (111 ERA+), 3.22 FIP (98 FIP-), and 1.30 WHIP. But the best start of the week came from All-Star winner Duke Bybee, who twirled a 5-hit, 4-strikeout shutout with just one walk in our 12-0 throttling of Toronto. Bybee himself was 2-for-4 with a run scored, lowering his ERA to 2.74 (152 ERA+) while improving his record to 9-5. The other four starts were great, as Donnie (8 IP, 7 H, ER, BB, 7 K; W, 9 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K) was great twice, Pap had the strikeouts going (W, 7 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 9 K), and George Polk (7.2 IP, 4 H, ER, 3 BB, 6 K) is trying to prove that he belongs in our rotation. It's just 25 innings, but the 25-year-old has a nice 2.52 ERA (166 ERA+) and 1.32 WHIP, navigating around his 12 walks well. He'll get a few more turns through the rotation as he tries to keep Dixie and Bob Allen in AAA, though Allen in particular (more on that later) is knocking loudly to get let in. We did a lot of hitting this week, with Red Bond did his best to improve his trade value. The CA home run leader hit three to reach 22, going 10-for-24 with 5 runs and 10 RBIs. Sal Pestilli had an amazing week back, as even though he was just 5-for-20, his hits were a single, two triples, and two homers, adding 8 walks, 10 runs, and 5 RBIs. Leo Mitchell stole three more bases, 10-for-25 with a double, homer, 4 RBIs, and 6 runs. Even Eddie Howard got in on the fun, 7-for-19 with a homer, 2 runs, and 4 RBIs. Unfortunately for us, the 28-year-old is still hitting what could be a career worst .256/.299/.342 (69 OPS+) with just 9 doubles, 5 homers, and 24 RBIs. While the homers is actually an improvement, he had just two coming into this season, his walk rate is down to 4.7 %. Lucky for him, he's skilled defensive catcher, but one of the many reasons we're struggling this year is our 98 WRC+ catcher from last year is just at 76 in 301 trips to the plate. We got some excellent news on the prospect front, as 3rd Rounder Harry Rollins checks in at 108th on the prospect rankings. And he actually is listed with more potential then Peter the Heater! The 18-year-old is ticketed for La Crosse, and he goes from being a reliever scare to a really high prospect ranking. Among pitchers he's 21st, giving us four in that group. Joe Dorch also got a surprising ranking, checking in at 27th in our system and 236th Overall. Dorch will start his career as the regular second basemen in San Jose, but what his versatility I may end up moving him around. He's got time at first, third, short, and left too, and the next logical step would be giving him some time in right. The solid prospect ranking was a surprise. Six of our guys taken in the first ten rounds have signed, and only 7th Round catcher Jim Hauer ranks outside the league's top 500. Looking Ahead Off to start the week before the beginning of our next road trip. It starts with series against the 7th and 8th place teams, starting in Cincinnati with the 42-52 Cannons. Despite the low record, they've given no indications of selling, and will continue to role with the group in place. Mike T. Taylor would have been a big add, as the 33-year-old has hit .341/.367/.588 (143 OPS+) with 16 doubles, 10 triples, 15 homers, 19 steals, 47 runs, and 58 RBIs. While not much of a defender, he offers so much offensively, as his speed and power combo is one of the best. The war initially set him back, as he had a huge 1941 season where he hit .298/.365/.467 (129 OPS+) as a 23-year-old. It was the last season he played until 1946, as Taylor provided 22 doubles, 17 triples, 13 homers, 83 runs, 92 RBIs, and 23 steals. He led the CA in triples and steals, and was well on his way into becoming the hitter he is now. In the last four seasons he's had a WRC+ above 130, though only one of the seasons saw him make more then 350 trips to the plate. With the #1 farm system and only one ranked higher then us, they may be comfortable enough with their prospect cupboard as is. They have nine guys in the top 100, most of who are far off, but they're looking like a real force to be reckoned with In the back half of the decade. After that we'll see the Wolves, who may want to get some revenge on us for the big sweep. We really got to Harry Phillips (1-2, 5.84, 8), inflating his ERA from 3.74 to 5.84 (74 ERA+). I think we'll see him again if they keep him in the rotation, as the off day to start the week should allow them to use the top three in their rotation. One guy that I'm excited to see is 23-year-old Tony Ballinger (.343, 6, 18), the 27th ranked prospect who has a 159 WRC+ in 116 FABL plate appearances this season. The power is evident, he actually shares the team lead with Kirby Copeland (.296, 6, 44, 6), and Fred McCormick (.217, 4, 29) has taken the young righty under his wing. It's been a nice changing of the guard in Toronto, as Ballinger is starting to look like a capable replacement for a Hall-of-Famer. Fred's influence has been apparent, and I think he'll hang up the cleats once he's deemed his successor ready for the job long-term. Minor League Report CF Frank Reece (AAA Milwaukee Blues): Even a promotion couldn't slow down Frank Reece, as the former 2nd Rounder took home Player of the Week in his third week up. The 61st ranked prospect was 12-for-28 with 8 runs, 3 doubles, 4 homers, and 12 RBIs, upping his 16 game batting line to .300/.329/.629 (169 OPS+). He looks more then ready for big league action, and if I can move some or all of Red Bond, Chubby Hall, and Sal Pestilli, he could get that sooner then later. An athletic outfielder who doesn't have the regular look of a FABL player, but the Iowa native has all the talent and athleticism he needs. An excellent defensive outfielder and base stealer, OSA even thinks even his power will be above average. Dixie does too, even if he's not as confident, but I have a good feeling he's going to be the young outfielder to play in Chicago on Opening Day. He seems the closest to his potential and most deserving of the first starting spot, but I'll have to make room for him sooner then later. RHP Bob Allen (AAA Milwaukee Blues): As promised, I'm digging into Bob Allen, who showed huge resilience in his third AAA start. The first one was solid, 7 innings with 6 hits, 4 walks, a run, and 5 strikeouts, but in number two he struggled against the host Columbus Titans. Boston's affiliate, who is chasing the first place Blues, got 9 hits, 7 runs, and 5 walks on him, as the top ranked pitching prospect struck out 5 in 6.2 innings pitched. The resilience came after, as when the Titans came to Milwaukee for three, Allen set up Dixie Gaines (W, 8 IP, 4 H, ER, 3 BB, 2 K) and Joe Quade (W, 8.2 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 K) for the eventual sweep. Allen allowed just 2-hits in a big 8-0 win, walking 3 and striking out 4 as he lowered his ERA and WHIP to 3.18 (106 ERA+) and 1.28 WHIP through 22.2 innings. If George Polk was struggling in Chicago, I'd lean towards Allen making two more starts this week, but instead Allen is likely to stay right where he is until at least August. Dixie Gaines has recently moved Allen above Johnnie Jones on the organizational depth chart, which surprises me beyond belief. Just 23, a future ace with the floor of Johnnie Jones sounds like a darn good pitcher, and if the makeup is any indicator he's going to be a far better pitcher. The stuff is amazing, he gets absurd movement on all four of his pitches, and once the command rounds out he's going to be that dude. This guy could legit be the best pitcher in baseball, and I'm starting to think that once he enters the rotation, he's not going to leave it. Like he's just that good! CF Henry Norman (AA Little Rock Governors): I really want to trade Chubby Hall, because there's no room in Milwaukee for Henry Norman, and he's too good for the Dixie League. Capturing batter of the week, the 77th ranked prospect went 11-for-19 with 6 runs, 3 doubles, a triple, 2 homers, 9 RBIs, and 3 walks. The 22-year-old is the last of our three center fielders in Little Rock, appearing in 73 games while hitting .357/.399/.588 (156 OPS+) with 19 doubles, 10 triples, 11 homers, 61 RBIs, 23 walks, and 6 steals. He's struck out even fewer times, just 21 in 338 trips to the plate (6.2 K%), and he's already worth over 5 WAR (5.1) on the season. Acquired for Mel Haynes in 1948, Norman could be ready for big league action already, and he's projecting to hit comfortably over .300 with 20+ steals and a lot of extra base hits. 11 homers may be around his FABL ceiling, but the speed will lead to doubles and triples, even if he isn't much of a base stealer. He's also getting more time in center now that Reece and Smith are gone, with a plus 3.9 zone rating and 1.026 efficiency as he approaches 200 innings. He was elite in right (9.3, 1.097), which may be his spot with us, as that's where Buck Sargent liked using him with Reece and Smith in the picture. Those two are absolutely raking in AAA, I'm sure Norman would too, and unless something crazy happens, we'll see this trio play a game together in Chicao. Ideally with Leo Mitchell at first. That could be a fun group! 1B Dudley Sapp (A Lincoln Legislators): Dudley Sapp hasn't had the greatest season, even if a 106 WRC+ in 164 PAs with San Jose was enough for a promotion, but the former 3rd Rounder looked to turn his fortune's this week. Now through 164 PAs in Lincoln, he's hitting just .274/.348/.322 (87 OPS+), but his performance this week was rewarded with an accolade. The Heartland League Player of the Week was 10-for-21 with 5 runs, a double, 6 RBIs, and his first home run since promotion. Our 23rd ranked prospect and a member of the top 200 at 183, I don't know how it took so long to get a home run, as he's a big 6'4'' slugger who should be able to hit 20 or more in a season. Since he hasn't been doing that, he hasn't produced at the plate, and that's a must for first basemen. It's been five years of slow progression and minimal success for Sapp, and if this big week doesn't help him build anything, he could end up lost in the shuffle despite the nice prospect rank. RHP Walt Cooper (C La Crosse Lions): Strikeouts are crazy up in the UMVA, even a bit moreso then usual, so when I say that Walt Cooper has struck out 32 batters in two complete games, it's really not as impressive as it sounds. What is impressive, however, is the 10 hits and 2 runs, and in the small sample he's lowered his BB% from 15.9 to 12.7 in a similarly small sample. The headliner in the Walt Pack trade, Cooper's already been dealt a major suspect in his FABL aspirations, as a torn elbow ligament ended his 1950 just as it was getting going. It's nice to see that the stuff is still sharp, as he has a nice sinker/slider mix with a fastball he can use around the edges. Control could be an issue for Cooper, he walked too many guys before his injury too, but his pitching profile plays well in our park. The 20-year-old does a great job keeping the ball on the ground, as his sidearmed sinker is difficult to elevate. His slider is especially dangerous to same side hitters, but until the fastball is closer to 90 it's going to remain a weak pitch. I still like his future as a starter, and he's started the beginning of an upward battle to reach the big leagues. |
Week 15: July 23rd-July 29th
Weekly Record: 2-4
Seasonal Record: 48-51 (4th, 14.5 GB) Stars of the Week Eddie Howard : 20 AB, 10 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, .500 AVG, 1.095 OPS Leo Mitchell : 26 AB, 7 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .269 AVG, .806 OPS Elmer Grace : 19 AB, 6 H, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .316 AVG, .895 OPS Schedule 7-24: Loss at Cannons (3-4): 10 innings 7-25: Loss at Cannons (0-2) 7-26: Loss at Cannons (2-3) 7-27: Win at Wolves (6-2) 7-28: Loss at Wolves (5-6): 11 innings 7-29: Win at Wolves (6-3) Recap Since we refuse to build up any momentum, we had to follow up the two loss week with a two win week. We dropped three more one-run games, now 12-23 (.342) in our Achilles heel. The fourth loss was by two runs, and the Cannons managed to sweep us, as we continue to underperform literally everything. Along with those 23 one-run losses, we've dropped 13 more by two or three runs, making 36 of our 51 losses (71%!) by three or one run. Isn't that just dandy! I kind of want to get in on the good, we had a lot of good starts and some decent hitting performances, but it's just impossible for me to get past how bad we are in close games. I took a look: we haven't been more then three games over .500 in one-run games or have a better one-run record then our overall record since 1941. The last time we made the postseason. Seemingly every season sense, the one-run games have kept us out of the playoffs, including 1946 when we lost the one game playoff, and 1948 where we were within two of first. It's seemingly nonsensical. I don't know how we can do so bad in close games so consistently, and every adjustment I attempt seems to fail. I mean David Molina has the same amount of earned runs this year as he did in 130 innings in 1948 and 117.1 innings in 1949. What happened to him!?!?!? Looking Ahead Ugh... Off to start the week before three in Philly against the Sailors and four in three games in Cleveland against the Foresters. Cleveland is 64-38, Philly 62-39, and neither will have any trouble dispatching us. My guess is 1-6 with 5 one-run losses and the sixth decided by two. Let's say two David Molina earned runs and two losses. Leo Mitchell is going to steal 5 bases. That's going to be the only bright spot. Minor League Report RHP Bob Allen (AAA Milwaukee Blues): The minors is a lot more fun because we have guys like Bob Allen throwing no-hitters. He's ready for the bigs y'all! The only issue is George Polk has allowed two or fewer earned runs in each of his three starts, and Allen has made just 4 AAA starts. Plus he walked 4 and struck out just 1, so as impressive as the no-hitter was, it's more of a defense thing. Still, a 2.27 ERA (149 ERA+), 3.07 FIP (91 FIP-), and 1.04 WHIP in 31.2 innings is pretty dominant. Maybe two more Century League starts. Maybe a few more. But if I was Jerry Decker or Ken Matson, I'd be very nervous that my roster spot was going to disappear. Allen needs to be in the big leagues I'm just not aggressive enough right now. If we were any good, maybe he would be, but do I really want him to lose six 3-2 starts before the season ends? |
Trade News!
What started as a hopeful Red Bond reunion and ended with a spot opening trade that sends Sal Pestilli to the third place Saints. This deal allows Joe Austin (.271, 7, 45, 17) to return to second as Montreal attempts to erase a seven game deficit. I hope we can do them some help this week, but getting a guy like Pestilli can only help a team. He has a 110 WRC+ with 8 homers, 11 steals, 25 RBIs, 30 walks, and 39 runs scored. A vintage performance from Sal could help them make up ground fast, and they were willing to part with a pair of top 100 prospects for our potential Hall-of-Fame outfielder. The prospects are nice, I'll get into that later, but this trade allows one of our many young outfielders to take the position next week. I won't say who that outfielder is yet, as that could be Smith, Reece, or Norman depending on any number of things. A lot can happen in a week, but I think the one thing for certain is that Don Lee will be happy. The 29-year-old captain hasn't been happy and asked for more playing time. He'll get it, with the deadline midsim, and no one will inform him of the impending callup until the week is over.
In exchange for Pestilli we'll receive two prospects I've had my eye on since they were drafted. Despite being the lower of the ranked prospects, White was a 5th Rounder in 1948, which even at the time I knew was too late. Since I just took Dixie Gaines in the 4th, I didn't want to go back-to-back with pitchers, and I ended up taking John Kerr the pick before Pug. Pug would've been the next pick, and there isn't really anyone after I would have rather had over him. Now 21, the lefty has pitched well in Class B, 5-7 with a 3.62 ERA (123 ERA+) and 3.77 FIP (84 FIP-). The 1.51 WHIP is better then it looks, and he has 82 strikeouts and 67 walks in 117 innings pitched. A three pitch pitcher, what fascinates me is the mid 80s sinker, which is and will always be his best pitch. It should help him keep the ball in our park, and once he can command his stuff it will be good enough for big league hitters. He can work around the corners and generate weak contact, and our excellent defense will be of great benefit to him. He's still a few years out, but that's the type of prospect we need, with so many young players ready to compete. The second piece will have to deal with that competition, as "Southern Comfort" Herm Kocher will make his way to Chicago. Recently 22, the former 12th Overall pick has been moved twice in 1951, originally with the Keystones before they went to get the struggling Andy Lyon (5-4, 6.43, 31). Kocher hasn't progressed quickly and is actually Rule-5 eligible, and I think I'll keep him in Class A. He's hit .262/.304/.331 (74 OPS+) in 369 PAs with the Saints Class A affiliate, and asides from his steals (15) and defense (8.6, 1.051) not much is going right. We can take our time with him, as he's still the guy that hit .575/.606/.949 in high school and could hit high in a FABL batting order. Both OSA and Dixie Marsh comment on his power potential, but I'm more intrigued by his hit tool. He could bat over .300 and even contend for some batting titles, and his glove is more then good enough to stick in center. It's always nice to have a contingency plan, as there is on guarantee that any of our many ready guys are actually good. But I think at least one of them is better long term then a 35-year-old Pestilli and a head start could only benefit these guys for 1952. It's open season on the outfield spots and if I ever move Red Bond, Leo Mitchell can move to first to open the lasted spot. Everyone else seems to be staying put at this point, but the offseason will allow plenty of buyers to enter a smaller market. |
Week 16: July 30th-August 5th
4 Attachment(s)
Weekly Record: 2-5
Seasonal Record: 50-56 (6th, 18 GB) Stars of the Week Buddy Schneider : 20 AB, 8 H, 2 HR, 4 RBI, .400 AVG, 1.179 OPS Elmer Grace : 17 AB, 8 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .471 AVG, 1.315 OPS Red Bond : 27 AB, 8 H, 1 HR, 8 RBI, .296 AVG, .778 OPS Schedule 7-31: Loss at Sailors (3-5) 8-1: Loss at Sailors (2-5) 8-2: Loss at Sailors (4-6) 8-3: Win at Foresters (7-4) 8-4: Loss at Foresters (5-8) 8-5: Loss at Foresters (4-6) 8-5: Win at Foresters (7-5) Recap I think we mistook "Saints" for "Sailors", seeing just the first three letters before dropping all three games in Philly. We did them another solid by splitting with the Foresters, as Philly opens the week 2.5 games above them and 7.5 above the Saints. Surprisingly, none of the losses were by a single run, but guess what?!?!?! They were all by two or three!!! In fact, all seven of the games were close like that! Love these close games!!! Not going to get too deep into what happened this week, it's not really worth it, as the only news that matters is our new starting center fielder! Frank Reece! The second of our now 15 top 100 prospects (we have the #1 farm again!), the first being the red hot Elmer Grace (81st) who's hit an outstanding .343/.408/.491 (137 OPS+) with 6 doubles, 2 triples, 2 homers, and 16 RBIs, Reece will join the club in Chicago to make his best attempt at keeping the job. Ranked 5th in the system and 61st overall, Reece was absurdly good in his short AAA sample, slashing .340/.375/.642 (187 OPS+) with a 206 WRC+ in 25 games. That's even better then his impressive work in 60 games with Little Rock, where he hit .333/.397/.550 (145 OPS+) with a still well above average 158 WRC+. Between the two spots, he's tallied 75 runs, 22 doubles, 15 triples, 12 homers, 67 RBIs, and 32 walks in 399 trips to the plate. Barring injury, the rest of his work will be in Chicago, and as long as he keeps hitting, he won't have to worry about someone like Jerry Smith or Henry Norman coming in and stealing his playing time. Smith got plenty of consideration, he's also hitting great at both levels, but his .295/.386/.523 (158 OPS+) line isn't as good, if you can believe that, and the storywriter in me wants him and Bob Allen coming to Chicago together. Allen has been elite, just a single run in his last three starts, but George Polk even looked good in his first bad start. Sure, he allowed 5 runs (4 earned) in 7.1 innings, but he didn't walk anyone, allowed just 7 hits, and struck out 2 in his fourth start with us. In 40 innings between the pen and rotation, he's got a 2.92 ERA (141 ERA+) and 1.23 WHIP, and I just can't kick him out of the rotation right now. He'll pitch at least once this week, maybe twice, and as long as he keeps getting outs, he'll be holding onto the fifth spot. And until September gives us roster expansion, I'm not ready to go to a six man. We made one additional roster move, as I designated Billy Brown for assignment. He raked in AAA and spring training, but just can't get it going when the games matter, just 2-for-13 without a walk or extra base hit. Despite all his potential out of high school, he had an above average OPS+ and WRC+ just once, coming during a 1947 season where the 24-year-old hit .252/.327/.453 (114 OPS+) with 22 homers and 68 RBIs. That season accounts for somewhat close to half of his 57 career homers, as Brown owns a .230/.309/.369 (89 OPS+) career line in 604 games. 4th Rounder Morrie Phillips finally signed, though shockingly he's unranked as the third man out, but with him and Herm Kocher joining the organization we needed to make room for another outfielder. Coming up with Reece from AAA is Clyde Zimmerman, who hit a solid .243/.363/.419 (123 OPS+) with 9 doubles, 4 triples, 11 homers, 24 steals, 41 RBIs, 54 walks, and 55 runs. He gives us another option in center, and allows Norman to play in Milwaukee with Smith and Clyde Parker. I want to bring up the recently acquired Bert Preble too, but for now he'll be in Little Rock with Charlie Harvey and Harley Dollar, both ranked outfield prospects themselves. I guess I should talk about the re-energized Buddy Schneider, who went 8-for-20 this week with a double, 2 homers, 2 steals, and 4 RBIs, upping his Cougar line to .347/.389/.673 (176 OPS+) in 13 post-trade starts. The "kid" didn't homer once in Boston, and they hit plenty of homers there, with five batters who would rank no worse then third in homers with George Sutterfield's eight. It's not going to keep up forever, but Buddy is doing just what Skipper does, giving great defense with the chance to get hot, and now he gets Frank Reece behind him. Those two could really start a bottom of the order rally, and all of sudden our lineup might produce runs? Like the make the defense make mistakes kind of runs. That's supposed to happen in close games? Looking Ahead It's bad, but I really want to lose all three of these games against the Saints, but since we're at home, winning two or three is far more likely. They're the humans last hope in the CA, 62-47 and actually within single digit of the back-in-first-place Sailors. You're welcome for that, I guess. Montreal's big move was adding our very own Sal Pestilli (.240, 8, 26, 12), who bats behind our very own Joe Austin (.259, 7, 46, 17) in an improved lineup. The struggling Moe Carter () has also been replaced by former 1st Rounder Hank Smith (.289, 4, 16), leaving an uncharacteristically healthy and struggling Gordie Perkins (.247, 3, 30, 7) as the only sub-100 WRC+ member of the lineup. Otis O'Keefe has been the anchor, slashing .317/.389/.500 (133 OPS+) with 19 doubles, 8 triples, 13 homers, 62 runs, and 63 RBIs, drawing 48 walks and swiping 6 bases with his 140 WRC+ and 3.9 WAR. He even took home the recent Batter of the Month, hitting .342/.403/.667 (178 OPS+) with 8 doubles, 9 homers, and 28 RBIs. At 25 he's already one of the best hitters in the CA, and if they can just get Pat Weakly (10-7, 4.50, 75) and Bert Cupid (9-9, 5.81, 56) hot, they could be right back in this thing. Ted Coffin (12-5, 3.02, 77) emerging as a legit starter has helped shoulder the load a bit, but if they can get the former co-aces going, the long pennant drought in Montreal may be ending. And this year they have the depth to make up for injuries! Last year really should have been their year... The wins better come on the weekend, where we'll host the Brooklyn Kings for three. It's the first time we see them without Ralph Johnson (.301, 17, 58, 5), who seemed to really hate us and dealt unspeakable damage to our sterling staff. In his place is Fred Miller (.329, 10, 65, 11), shifting from left to right, while 25-year-old Bob Craig (.320, 3, 14) has hit himself into regular playing time. Their new catcher is Frank Reichardt (.215, 1, 7), who OPS+ (72) hates and WRC+ (91) tolerates, while Johnson/Smith/Arman return piece Walt Staton (5-2, 6, 1.69, 25) is now in the rotation. The Rule-5 pick has looked good between Detroit and Brooklyn, but I'd love to see him, as despite what the numbers say he's the worst of the bunch. Yes, it may seem Ron Berry (5-0, 5.82, 73) forgot how to pitch, but for some reason the groundballer is allowing homers twice as often as he did last year, and he's actually dropped his BB% (9.3) below 10%. Just 25, like former 1st Overall Pick Roy Schaub (9-6, 3.18, 46) and a year younger then ace Joe Potts (12-6, 3.23, 60), the Kings will bring an excellent young rotation to Kansas City, and I expect them to be much better in 1952 then they are now. |
Week 17: August 6th-August 12th
Weekly Record: 4-2
Seasonal Record: 54-58 (5th, 16 GB) Stars of the Week George Sutterfield : 16 AB, 6 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .375 AVG, 1.037 OPS Duke Bybee : 1 Win, 9.0 IP, 3 BB, 6 K, 0.00 ERA Leo Mitchell : 20 AB, 7 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, .350 AVG, .800 OPS Schedule 8-7: Win vs Saints (2-3) 8-8: Loss vs Saints (12-11): 10 innings 8-9: Win vs Saints (3-6) 8-10: Loss vs Kings (2-0) 8-11: Win vs Kings (0-5) 8-12: Win vs Kings (3-4) Recap No!!!!!! Now we start winning!?!?!?! Remember guys help the Saints, not the Sailors! S-A-I-N-T-S! I guess it could have been worse, we could have swept them, but we took two of three from both the Saints and Kings as we continue to play good ball at home. I think the funniest park is we've gone now almost a month (July 14th) since we've lost a game by more then three runs. You think that would be a good thing, but we're just 14-13 in that span, with all but five of those games decided by three or fewer runs. Along with trying to win every game that isn't against the Saints, my new focus for the season is getting Duke Bybee his Allen Award, as after two 5-run starts in Philly and Cleveland, Bybee was dominant. The All-Star Game winner threw a 5-hit shutout with 3 walks and 6 strikeouts, improving to 12-6 in our 5-0 win over the Kings. The record alone makes him worthy of the award, as he's one of only two pitchers with a winning record. And he has fewer wins and more losses. More importantly, he leads all Continental pitchers in ERA (2.84), ERA+ (146), BB/9 (2.6), WHIP (1.11), rWAR (5.7), and quality starts (17), though in that he's only tied for the lead. This is the guy that entered the season as the "fifth" starter, showing just how good our rotation is. It's still not going to have Bob Allen, though this time he had "just" a complete game win with 7 hits, 2 runs, a walk, and 6 strikeouts, as current #5 George Polk just keeps on going. The 25-year-old still can't buy a win, but he threw 7.2 quality innings with 3 hits, a run, 2 walks, and 4 strikeouts. David Molina "won" that one, walking 4 and allowing a run, but he did keep the game tied so Clyde Zimmerman got a pinch-hit walk-off home run against the FABL team that drafted him in the 5th Round and unceremoniously released him a year later. We actually did plenty of hitting for a change, led by George Sutterfield who went 6-for-16 with a double, homer, walk, 3 runs, and 4 RBIs. Red Bond hit his league leading 25th homer, 5-for-20 with 4 walks, 6 runs, and 2 RBIs. Chubby Hall went 4-for-13 with 2 doubles, 2 RBIs, 3 runs, and 4 walks. Leo Mitchell swiped his 24th bag and went 7-for-20 with 2 doubles and 3 runs scored. Jimmy Hairston, who will get some starts now in right, and was 4-for-11 with a homer and 3 RBIs. But the guy we all wanted to succeed, Frank Reece, wasn't one of the key contributors, just 7-for-27 in his first week in the pros. He didn't draw a walk, but added a double, triple, 2 runs, and 3 RBIs. Small sample defense is dangerous, but his was actually good (0.4, 1.044), and he made the only remote (lowest likelihood catches) opportunity that came his way. Jerry Smith continues to hit well in AAA, but I don't expect him to come up until at least September. Reece has time to turn things around, but when Smith comes up he'll play some. How much will depend on how Reece can hit. Looking Ahead Off to start the week before three with the Saints and Kings, this time on the road. As much as I'd like for our winning ways to keep on going, I don't think we're beating the Saints in Montreal, but I do like our chances with the Kings in Brooklyn. As expected, Ron Berry (6-9, 5.49, 77) looked like the rookie version against us, twirling a 4-hit shutout that actually preceded Bybee's shutout. I hope we miss him this time, as I expect Joe Potts (12-8, 3.28, 65) to have a chance for revenge. Facing both would make things much harder on us, but the Kings lineup looks a lot different without Ralph Johnson (.302, 18, 61, 5) and our pitching staff should do a good job keeping them in check. Maybe another 4-2 week is on the way? Minor League Report C Danny Noonan (A Lincoln Legislators): Don't have too much time today, but want to make sure I cover Danny Noonan's Player of the Week Award in the Heartland League, as he went 7-for-19 with 2 homers, 7 walks, and 10 RBIs. That's almost a third of his 33 RBIs in 218 plate appearances, as he's drawn 39 walks with 7 doubles, 9 homers, and an impressive .263/.399/.434 (133 OPS+) batting line. Unfortunately for Noonan, he has the misfortune of being older and less talented then Garland Phelps, making his FABL prospects quite low. Still, he's hit really well with Lincoln despite almost all of his previous experience in La Crosse, and will continue to make starts if he keeps hitting like this. CF Fred Crawford (C La Crosse Lions): Fred Crawford also got a Player of the Week, and it may earn him a promotion from a crowded Lions infield. The 20-year-old went 10-for-23 with 6 runs, 3 walks, 2 homers, and 4 RBIs, which is much better then he's done the rest of the season. It's only 119 PAs, but he's hit just .340/.412/.434 (88 OPS+) and he hadn't homered before this week. His defense in the outfield hasn't been great either, and since the prospect pickers have soured on him things weren't looking good. A former 3rd Rounder, Crawford once looked like a future starter, but both OSA and Dixie view him as a bench piece now. Lucky for him, he can play second and third as well, but I'm sure he rather be an everyday center fielder then someone who you hang onto just so he can play whatever position needs covering. |
Week 18: August 13th-August 19th
Weekly Record: 4-2
Seasonal Record: 58-60 (5th, 15. GB) Stars of the Week Frank Reece : 22 AB, 9 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .409 AVG, 1.004 OPS Buddy Schneider : 17 AB, 7 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .412 AVG, 1.062 OPS David Molina : 1 Win, 1 Saves, 3.2 IP, 2 BB, 2 K, 0.00 ERA Schedule 8-14: Win at Saints (4-0) 8-15: Loss at Saints (1-2) 8-16: Win at Saints (12-5) 8-17: Win at Kings (2-1): 10 innings 8-18: Loss at Kings (4-6) 8-19: Win at Kings (5-1) Recap Guess what? We finally had minor league injuries. All at the draft pick signing deadline! I planned ahead, so we have five players signed to counter the five minor league injuries. Here's all the guys we didn't sign, and when they will be eligible for the draft again: 5th Round: RHP Joe Holt: Ferguson (1954) 12th Round: LHP Don Grossi: Eastern State (1952) 14th Round: CF Frank Selander: Carolina Poly (1954) 15th Round: RHP Bert Wood: St. Dominic's (1954) 17th Round: LHP Don Smith: Wisconsin Catholic (1952) 18th Round: RHP Dan Landis: Shenandoah Valley State (1952) 19th Round: 1B Dan Williams: McHenry College (1954) 22nd Round: C Bill Grigsby: Mobile Maritime (1952) 23rd Round: 3B Jim Carr: Weston (1954) 24th Round: C Duane Price: Georgia Baptist (1952) 25th Round: C Bill Woods: CC Los Angeles (1954) We continued to win games and only lose the close ones, as the road didn't change our two of three from the Saints and Kings. A lot was do to the emergence of Frank Reece, who went 9-for-22 with 3 doubles, 3 runs, and 3 RBIs. He drew his first two walks too, and is hitting .327/.353/.449 (111 OPS+) with a 120 WRC+ in his first 51 trips to the plate. He handled the Parc Cartier well, and will have a chance at home to get his first FABL home run. It will also be a nice time for Buddy Schneider to continue his home run hitting arc, as the lefty Schneider hit his 4th homer in 22 games. Skipper's brother went 7-for-17 to raise his Cougar average to .342/.386/.592 (155 OPS+). Skipper hasn't seen the same increase, hitting just .258/.317/.331 (72 OPS+), but he's swiped an association high 26 bases and leads both associations with his 16.6 zone rating and 1.108 efficiency. George Polk picked up a much deserved first win as a Cougar, tossing 7.2 scoreless innings with 3 hits, 2 walks, and 4 strikeouts. It's his fifth straight start where he's left in the eighth inning, and he's allowed two or fewer runs in all but one. It's the only thing keeping Bob Allen in AAA, as he twirled two 8-inning, 2-run outings to improve to 6-1 with a 1.95 ERA (171 ERA+), 1.01 WHIP, 23 walks, and 44 strikeouts in his 8 starts. I don't know what I'm going to do with all these pitchers next year, but I think it's an excellent problem to have as you never know who's going to get hurt. Speaking of good pitching, Duke Bybee came an out away from a shutout, but instead left with a no decision. Thankfully, George Sutterfield homered in the 10th, and after David Molina got a strikeout for the final out in the ninth, he allowed just a single to FABL hit leader Charlie Rogers (178) in a scoreless 10th. His ERA is actually below 7 now, and he picked up a four out save in a combined shutout with George Polk. Please tell me I didn't jinx him. Looking Ahead Okay, this week we're at home and I really want to win. We get an off day to reset our rotation, before dealing with the 34-83 Toronto Wolves. George Garrison (5-15, 3.85, 59) pitched in the double header, so we should avoid him, instead looking to face Les Ledbetter (2-5, 5.49, 40), Jerry York (5-13, 4.27, 77), and Harry Phillips (1-4, 5.40, 23). I'm loving the work Zane Kelley (5-2, 4, 2.96, 39) is doing as their stopper, having gone nine outings without a loss or blown save. It's crazy to think how much better off we'd be with him pitching late innings instead of David Medina (8-11, 13, 6.82, 38), but instead we'll try to stop his little streak. The Wolves have won just one of their last nine, and we really need to pule onto that. Ducky Cole (.283, 1, 20) has gotten playing time in left field, getting to hit a fair amount with corner mate Kirby Copeland (.309, 7, 57, 7) on base, but Ducky will need to do more to support him and Tony Ballinger (.295, 8, 28) if he wants to keep playing regularly. It's then an unconventional Friday-Saturday series with the Cincinnati Cannons, who have about a quarter of a chance of finishing the week above .500. They have six games and are 60-60, as they've gone 26-14 since the All-Star break. Rufus Barrell (10-5, 3.26, 84) may have lost his last two starts, but he's trying to push for his fourth Allen Award, and we're lucky enough to miss him. The rest of the rotation has been solid, even Tony Britten (12-10, 4.16, 81) has an above average ERA+ (102) was is a well above average FIP- (85 FIP-). I think we're the only teams with a rotation of only positive ERA+, and just like their .500 record, they have almost the same amount of runs scored and allowed. The offense is generally just Mike T. Taylor (.342, 17, 77, 23) and Chuck Adams (.280, 18, 89), but the team has been scoring lately, and they could come in hot and earn the quick sweep. The last game of the week is the most important, as we'll have to play the first place Sailors. I want to beat them the most, as they're in competition for the pennant and I need an epic comeback from the Saints. I'll probably cover them more Monday, but if I can pick one game to lock the win, it's this one. Until I see the "e" next to our team like the Wolves have now, I'll be deluded enough to think we can pull of a comeback, and there's nothing wrong with playing a good spoiler. |
Week 19: August 20th-August 26th
Weekly Record: 4-2
Seasonal Record: 62-62 (4th, 15 GB) Stars of the Week Elmer Grace : 16 AB, 7 H, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .438 AVG, 1.509 OPS Duke Bybee : 1 Win, 9.0 IP, 1 BB, 2 K, 0.00 ERA Frank Reece : 25 AB, 6 H, 2 HR, 4 RBI, .240 AVG, .749 OPS Schedule 8-21: Win vs Wolves (3-12) 8-22: Loss vs Wolves (5-4): 16 innings 8-23: Win vs Wolves (0-4) 8-24: Win vs Cannons (2-5): 10 innings 8-25: Win vs Cannons (2-7) 8-26: Loss vs Sailors (5-1) Recap It finally happened! No, not us getting back to .500. Though I guess that's cool. But we lost a game by more then three runs! For the first time since July 14th! It was by four runs this time! Of course it was the Sailors, who are now eight above the Saints and half a game above the Foresters, who ended our annoying streak, but it didn't stop us (and actually helped, technically) from our third consecutive 4-2 week. Depending on how you look at things, the biggest event of the week was Duke Bybee's (4 H, BB, 2 K) complete game shutout, raising his record to 13-6 and lowering his association ERA to 2.62 (158 ERA+), but he shut out the Kings two weeks ago and three on the season. Like an Allen winner should. But since he's done it before and, let's be honest, it's the Wolves, I'd say the biggest event of the week was Frank Reece's first career homer! It was a three run shot off former 1st Overall pick Les Ledbetter in our huge 12-3 victory, and just three days later he hit a solo shot against Mickey Mills. That helped get the game to extras, before Clyde Zimmerman pulled off the theatrics again, a walk-off three run homer off Art Edwards to give us the win. He has just three hits in 16 trips to the plate, but he's made them count, a pair of walk-off blasts and a clutch pinch hit single in the ninth of an eventual loss. Both center fielders have a pair of longballs since they've came up, though Reece has way more PAs, slashing .297/.325/.459 (105 OPS+) with a 113 WRC+, 7 extra base hits, and a 3.1 zone rating (1.042 EFF) in his young career. The plan still is to bring up Jerry Smith next week when rosters expand, but Reece will still maintain a majority of playing time in center. Interesting enough, most of the offense came from outfielders like Reece, though the star of the week is the red hot Elmer Grace. I almost feel bad for acquiring Buddy Schneider, but you know, how could I resist? Since Grace has been so darn good! This week it was 7-for-16 with 2 doubles, 2 homers, 4 runs, 5 walks, and 6 RBIs. His FABL line is up to .350/.436/.517 (151 OPS+) in 165 trips to the plate, adding 8 doubles, 2 triples, 4 homers, 25 RBIs, and a 21-to-15 walk-to-strikeout ratio. In the two positions he's played more then 100 innings in, he has above average zone ratings and efficiencies, 1.1 and 1.010 in 185.2 innings at second and 0.9 and 1.052 in 124 innings at third. Before the promotion, he had just 52 games (41 starts) at second and 19 (6 starts) at third, which makes the defensive production so impressive. His work ethic has helped him get where he is, and it's allowed him to excel in unfamiliar positions. Looking back to the outfield, some of the vets put in the work, with Leo Mitchell 6-for-16 with a double, 2 runs, and 2 RBIs. He picked up two more steals, now 27 in 34 attempts, equal to his combined total from the previous eight seasons. 30 is in reach, and only Skipper (28) has more stolen bases in the CA. The 38-year-olds speed boost has made up for his 119 WRC+ -- ten points below his career average -- and a 21.8 K% that's set to be a career high. He's only been above 20 one other time, with the next highest the 17.2 from his 1942 season where he was actually most valuable in terms of WAR (4.2). Corner mate Chubby Hall was 5-for-18 with a double, homer, 2 runs, 2 walks, and 3 RBIs, while 4th outfielder Don Lee was 2-for-8 with a double, 3 walks, and 3 RBIs. We didn't get much from the rest of the squad, but it hasn't mattered too much, as August is on pace for our best month of the year. The pitching is always great, and after Pete Papenfus dropped his ERA to 3.75 (110 ERA+) on a complete game victory, all five of our starting pitchers have ERA+ that are at least 10% better then average. The leader being George Polk (174 ERA+), who stayed hot with his first complete game win. He actually needed just 95 pitches, a little less then his max, as despite 11 hits he allowed just 3 runs and a walk with 3 strikeouts. But the absolute best part was Polk's bat, as he was a perfect 3-for-3 with a walk, 2 runs, and 4 RBIs. He single handedly beat the Wolves! He only hits singles, so the WRC+ isn't anything special, but he hit .250 for the Keystones and .273 in Chicago. Dixie Marsh now thinks that Polk is better then Allen frontrunner Duke Bybee, if you can believe it, so guess what!?!? We have another pitching logjam!!! I have to re-scout him, Dixie has never been the biggest fan since he joined the organization, but if we have another ace on our hands, who knows what the future holds! If only we could consistently score runs... Looking Ahead We have one more with the Sailors, and I really hope we can embarrass the swingman John Thomas Johnson (11-3, 2, 1.39, 42) who has somehow allowed just 13 earned runs despite 5 homers. I have no idea why he's been so dominant, as even his 3.33 FIP (77 FIP-) in 84 innings is elite, but at some point the former top 50 prospect is going to fall back to earth. If it's against us, it's even better, but he's coming off a 1-run complete game win over a weakened Kings lineup that he recently shutout in his first of five starts. He's yet to allow more then 2 runs in a game all season, and a pair of solo shots from Ralph Hanson (.312, 4, 35, 15) and Bill Barrett (.275, 21, 78) in start two is his only appearance with two earned runs. I mean, I know we don't score, and their #1 offense is probably going to put up 15 on us, but wouldn't it be fun to blemish his nice ERA? I won't dive too much into their elite offense, but George Rutter (.311, 24, 120, 6) is the biggest run producer in years. He's on pace for 147 RBIs, good for a tie with Max Morris for 16th, and the highest total since Bobby Barrell knocked in 152 in 1944. I've always been a huge Rutter fan, so it's nice seeing this breakout for him, as the once 11th ranked prospect has managed to be one of the best run producers despite a tiny 2.9 BB% and 100 strikeout pace. If he wasn't in the lineup, I don't see a way they spend this much time in first, and while the overall numbers don't back it ("just" a 123 WRC+), I could see the 25-year-old getting serious consideration for the Whitney. Speaking of Whitney contenders, we get Sherry Doyal (.330, 27, 97) and the Foresters next, ending our long homestand with the other pennant hopeful. Joe Wood (.315, 14, 71) is still 3-4 weeks out, and aside from his 29.2 BB% in his first 24 trips to the plate, Ivey Henley (.176, 3) can't do anything that Wood can. Will it matter? Maybe not, as Doyal. Lloyd Coulter (.273, 20, 63), Frenchy Sonntag (.327, 22, 83), Lorenzo Samuels (.273, 22, 78), and Larry McClure (.287, 10, 55) provide plenty of oomph. The one limitation to their title hopes is the pitching, and even Adrian Czerwinski (17-5, 3.25, 103) has allowed 5 earned runs in each of his last two times out. Dick Lamb (4-2, 2, 2.54, 27) has looked decent in his return to the rotation, but that's not going to be enough. They might have to just out slug everyone else, and aside from the Sailors, that shouldn't be too hard. Just maybe not when Larry Beebe (13-12, 4.75, 80) is pitching. He's been awful in August (9.99 ERA, 2.10 WHIP) and the sophomore slump pretty much kicked in on his last start of May. Off on Friday to start our road trip, where we technically get the third pennant contender. That would be the Saints, but now that they're a game closer to us then the Sailors, things aren't looking good. The guy who is looking good is Ted Coffin, who may be Bybee's biggest competition for the Allen. An impressive 13-5, Coffin's 2.88 ERA (144 ERA+) trails just Bybee in the CA, and he's got a 1.23 WHIP and 94 strikeouts in 187.1 impressive rotation innings. He's trying for a team triple crown, tied with Pat Weakly (13-8, 4.20, 93) for wins and Wally Doyle (12-8, 3.62, 108) for strikeouts. The rookie has a good shot at the Kellogg award, mainly with Wood missing time, as he leads or shares the lead in nearly every pitching category among Continental rookies. He loses a couple if you include the Fed rookies, but he's still the dominant name, and as much as I don't want him to take votes away from Bybee, I've always loved "The Grim Reaper" and some more dominant starts could help secure the nomination at the expense of Bybee's Allen. Lucky for us, I think we miss him, but after a quick sweep at the hands of the Wolves, I think they're going to be out for revenge. Let's just hope they take it out on the Sailors first. Then they can beat us. I guess... Minor League Report CF Henry Norman (AAA Milwaukee Blues): Center field is going to open up when Jerry Smith makes his inevitable debut, and Blues fans will have no loss in production value when Norman slides over. He was crucial in the recent 6-5 win over St. Paul, going 4-for-5 with 2 runs and 4 RBIs. Norman hit for the cycle, and was responsible for all but one of the first place Blues runs in a rather strange Bob Allen (7.2 IP, H, 3 R, 8 BB, 5 K) start where he couldn't quite recover from an unlucky error as the command wasn't quite there. Norman has helped his pitchers out many times, as after hitting .350/.395/.577 (151 OPS+) in 85 games for the Governors he's hit .304/.353/.519 (148 OPS+) in 20 games with the Blues. He's played mainly in left, the position he's had the least experience so far. Time out there can do him well, as Smith has been amazing (9.6, 1.129) in 37 games of center field. It's going to tough to beat that, and while I like him best in right if him, Smith, and Reece are in the same outfield, I've been known to trade for big bats. Sometimes that needs to be in an outfield spot. Being able to play all three outfield positions will be a plus, and he could use any advantage he can get when it comes to earning playing time. RHP Cliff Wallace (AA Mobile Commodores): I don't usually like talking about the older guys, especially since pitchers tend to throw shutouts more often then they should, but man after four I just got to give Cliff Wallace props. The former 9th Rounder doesn't have the slightest chance of pitching in our rotation, but that hasn't stopped him from trying, as the ready for Milwaukee righty now has more shutouts then losses (3). He's done it twice in three starts, and actually had more shutouts then losses for a brief time before this, and he's won 14 of his 20 starts. 25 this May, he's got a slim chance to win Pitcher of the Month, following a perfect 4-0 July with the same figure in August. In his 165 innings on the season he has an impressive 3.00 ERA (136 ERA+), 3.30 FIP (80 FIP-), and 1.27 WHIP with 56 walks and 96 strikeouts. If you can believe that, it's a bit worse then last year, where he was 17-7 with a 2.57 ERA (155 ERA+) and 1.24 WHIP and 114 strikeouts. He's stuck here as our AAA rotation is full, but I'll do whatever I can to ensure he's pitching somewhere other then Little Rock elsewhere. I have too many guys in need of 40-man roster spots, and a season like this could make him very enticing for a team in need of an arm. |
Week 20: August 27th-September 2nd
4 Attachment(s)
Weekly Record: 4-2
Seasonal Record: 66-64 (4th, 15 GB) Stars of the Week Red Bond : 19 AB, 9 H, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .474 AVG, 1.388 OPS Chubby Hall : 22 AB, 7 H, 3 HR, 4 RBI, .318 AVG, 1.196 OPS Elmer Grace : 17 AB, 7 H, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .412 AVG, 1.053 OPS Schedule 8-27: Win vs Sailors (0-10) 8-28: Loss vs Foresters (6-5) 8-29: Win vs Foresters (1-3) 8-30: Win vs Foresters (3-6) 9-1: Win at Saints (3-2) 9-2: Loss at Saints (0-1) Recap It actually happened!!!!!!!! We thrashed the fraud!!!!!!! Okay "thrash" and "fraud" may be a stretch, as only five of the ten runs were charged to JTJ (7.1 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 2 HR, 2 BB, 2 K), but we did thrash the Sailors in a dominant 10-0 win where we're finally starting to look like a team that can win baseball games. Sure, we lost two one-run games for good measure, as our pythagorean record swelled to 71-59 with our fourth consecutive 4-2 week. We took two of three from Cleveland before splitting the road games in Montreal. Aside from the blowout win, the offense was a three man show this week, as Red Bond had one of his best weeks of the season. No Player of the Week, I get why Larry McClure (13-24, 3 HR, 9 RBI) got it instead, but that shouldn't diminish the week Bond had. The 38-year-old went 9-for-19 with a double, 2 homers, 3 walks, 5 runs, and 5 RBIs, giving him 27 homers and 80 RBIs on the season. This ties his mark from the past three seasons, giving him a current tie for 6th All-Time in a single Cougar season. He's on pace for 32, one shy of Sal Pestilli's record 33 in 1948, and he's looking to join Sal and Tom Taylor (31, 1934; 30, 1932) as the only two Cougars to hit 30 homers in a season. Chubby Hall out-homered him on the week, three in six starts, giving the former 3rd Rounder 11 in 114 games. Chubby was 7-for-22, adding a double, 4 walks, 4 RBIs, and 5 runs. I'm sure you can guess who the third was, as Elmer Grace continues to stay hot. 7-for-17 in his five starts, Grace provided a pair of doubles, runs, RBIs, intentional walks, and unintentional walks, as he surpassed the 2 WAR mark (2.1) before his 200th plate appearance. In more or less everyday time, he's hit .356/.446/.519 (154 OPS+), already accumulating 10 doubles, 2 triples, 4 homers, 19 runs, 27 RBIs, and 25 walks. I'm glad we weren't able to find a deal for him, there were a few options I thought would work, as this rookie season can only bolster his trade value. Same goes for the Rookie of the Month award, an award I can't remember the last time we won one. Grace doesn't have a chance for the Kellogg, but he hit .424/.541/.661 (216 OPS+) which could have been Player of the Month worthy if he played a bit more. With 5 doubles, 3 homers, 12 runs, and 13 RBIs he doesn't quite have the counting stats, but it was a stellar showing from the two-month vet. There was one bad start, we won't get in to that, but George Polk made two great ones. The first came in our 10-0 thrashing, as he held the #1 offense scoreless for 7 innings. Polk scattered 5 hits and 2 walks, striking out 3 to improve to 4-5 on the season. Then, in a bout of bad luck, he was charged with a loss, as he allowed 4 hits, 5 walks, and a run with 3 strikeouts in 6 innings. The loss came since we couldn't score off Pat Weakly, who twirled a 6-hit shutout in the finale. Polk now has an absurd 2.09 ERA (198 ERA+) in 77.1 innings as a Cougar. Bob Allen is still coming up, more on that later, but there is no way he doesn't start more games this year. Sure, he may not this week, pitching on Sunday while we have an off day on Tuesday, but one way or another, he's getting starts the rest of the way through. Even if it has to be every sixth game. The issue is, that might make things hard for Duke Bybee, as I really want our supposed 4th best pitcher to capture the Allen. Even the defending champs couldn't touch him, as he allowed just 1 run off 5 hits, 5 walks, and 3 strikeouts in 8.1 innings pitched. Bybee has allowed just 2 runs in his last 37 innings, and it's easy to forget just how hard it is to hit 95-97 when Donnie Jones throws just as hard and Peter the Heater, well, has that heater! Bybee unluckily has just the second best WHIP at 1.09, as stupid Lloyd Stevens is at 1.08. The unfair part is, like George Polk he struggles with the Keystones, and his 1.89 WHIP in 53 innings looks a lot like Polk's. That was still an obvious fluke, he's a career 1.42 WHIP guy and the combined 186.1 innings are a more logical 1.31, ranked 16th among all qualified pitchers. That's before Pap's 1.33 and right behind his replacement Sam Ivey (a slightly lower 1.31 based on hundredths). The closest there to Bybee is Gotham great Ed Bowman (1.11), with Saint Pete Ford (1.19) a full point back. Bybee continues to lead the CA with his 2.55 ERA and 162 ERA+), but now only crosstown ace John Stallings (2.52, 166) leads him overall. Bybee's always pitched like an ace, and if he can just give it his best his last four starts he better come home with a shiny new trophy to go with his Pitcher of the Month. 4-1. 2.02 ERA (205 ERA+). 1.14 WHIP. His lowest ERA of the season but he hasn't had a month above 3.10. Give this guy the award! None of our other pitchers deserve it, but at least Johnnie Jones has straightened himself out. Usually a hot starter, Johnnie has pretty much improved each month since his awful May and since the overall results don't matter much anymore, I hadn't really noticed the nice streak he was on. He's allowed three of fewer runs in each of his last five games. This technically wasn't his best start, but he allowed just 5 hits, 2 runs (1 earned), and 4 walks with 2 strikeouts in a big 3-2 win over the Saints. Now 11-9, he's got a chance to finish above .500 for the fourth time in the last five seasons. Brother Donnie made an effort there as well, with a complete game win over the Foresters. He struck out 6 while allowing 8 hits and 3 runs, as both Larry McClure (12) and Frenchy Sonntag (23) took him out of our tiny park. That accounted for all three runs, and with no walks it's safe to call that a dominant performance. 13-10 with a 3.45 ERA (120 ERA+) is a typical season, and it may end up better then a few of the seasons he was an All-Star. Oh yeah, and David Molina "might" be back. He finally had a month where his monthly ERA (2.76) was lower then his career ERA (3.42)! In 16.1 innings he allowed 11 hits, 5 runs, and 7 walks, striking out 9 while finishing 3-1 with 2 saves and a hold. He's allowed just one run in his last eight outings, and that came in a three inning effort in extras. If he's back to himself in 1952, everyone better watch out! Looking Ahead With rosters now extended, players are coming up to the big league club, and all the eyes will be on Bob Allen and Jerry Smith. Technically the new face of the offense and pitching, these two guys will have all the eyes on them, and they couldn't handle it any different. Taken 5th Overall in a deep draft that saw Les Ledbetter (3-7, 5.33, 50), Irv Clifford (.347, 2, 59, 13), Ken Newman (.300, 9, 65), and John Morrison (47th ranked prospect involved in the Ralph Johnson blockbuster) go before him, Smith was pretty much touted a star from the second he hit .523/.581/.1.116 with 11 doubles, 10 homers, and 18 steals as a sophomore. He was the first outfielder selected, and Smith is one of the last debut. That's because we had Sal Pestilli (.235, 8, 37, 20) and John Moss (.267, 13, 53, 7) in center to block him, allowing Marshall Thomas (6th, .295, 6, 26), Frenchy Sonntag (7th, .323, 24, 87), Cecil LaBonte (8th, .309, 3, 58, 7), Al Farmer (9th, .307, 15, 71), Charlie Rogers (10th, .346, 5, 45, 21), Tony Britten (11th, 12-12, 4.43, 88), Paul Watson (15th, .291, 15, 56), and Dan Smith (16th, .269, 13, 66) get there before him. He has plenty of time to pass them up, and everybody who sees him thinks that he's going to be the kind of guy who can change games. Ranked as high as the 5th best prospect, Smith is already popular locally and well known nationally. There was the time his personality said he had it and now he's a "fan favorite always signing autographs" which are absolutely the traits you want in a guy who hits 34 doubles, 15 triples, 17 homers, 77 RBIs with 102 runs, 80 walks, 16 steals, and a 8.2 WAR. That's what he did in just 114 games between AA and AAA, and he'll get a chance to add to those totals as the season comes to an end. Right now Frank Reece is the every day center fielder, but he'll make about a third of the starts to begin with. Reece has held his own, producing a 106 WRC+ in 94 trips to the plate, but that's not the largest hurdle to jump. I'm sure each will get some work in the corners too, and they can definitely co-exist if both are hitting. Like you can never have too many good hitters. Allen, on the other hand, is an unassuming little guy who you'd have no idea played baseball. It's a perfect contrast to the made for the spotlight Smith, and I think it can be. The pitching, like Allen, won't be showy. But it will get you outs and keep things close. And while it isn't one now, I want our park to have some flashy hitters who can hit it a mile, as we need some personalities in the lineup that can get things going. In his own right, Allen can do flash too, striking out 12 in a no decision earlier in the month, and the top ranked pitching prospect ranked threw a no-hitter in his last July start. The former 10th Round pick was remarkably better in the Century League then the Dixie League, and he only made one fewer start in AAA. His 1.68 ERA (196 ERA+), 2.77 FIP (84 FIP-), 1.03 WHIP, and 16.0 K% are all better, though it's not like he was terrible in the Dixie League either. In 13.1 more innings, he was 8-3 with a 3.36 ERA (123 ERA+), 1.30 WHIP, and 53 strikeouts, and his 9.9 BB% was a bit better then what he commanded with the Blues (10.3). In a larger run scoring environment his 3.57 FIP (86 FIP-) was just two percent lower, and I like the consistency it shows. Getting through these next few starts will be the toughest challenge he's faced yet, and even if it doesn't happen instantly, he seems to rise to the challenge when ready. The duo's first test will be a double header, though Allen pitched two days ago and won't be ready until later in the week. We're back at home against the Kings, causing a short rest start despite an off day tomorrow. If I was smart, I would have sequenced Allen's starts to the double header, but the thought didn't cross my mind till right now. Considered our fifth best starter, he'll hold that spot for now, but I think the plan is to rotate the non-Bybee starters by putting the guy who just pitched in the sixth spot. I've been letting Max Wilder take the reigns for a bit, so the fate for the week is in the hands of the manager. With five in a row later in the week, the fifth guy is guaranteed a go, and he'll always be more rested then Polk. Brooklyn is line to get a fully rested Duke Bybee (14-6, 2.55, 82) and a short rest Donnie Jones (13-10, 3.45, 125), a tough draw for the Charlie Rogers (.346, 4, 45, 21) led lineup. Ken Newman, Fred Miller (.336, 15, 87, 57), Chuck Collins (.289, 19, 76), and Johnson replacement Bob Craig (.310, 3, 22), who's actually hit well even if he isn't the guy he replaced. The recently turned 24-year-old Miller is making a bid to be the new star right fielder, as he has an impressive 144 WRC+. He's on pace for 24 doubles, 15 triples, 18 homers, 109 runs, 102 RBIs, 66 walks, and 18 steals, a Whitney worthy season in certain years. They've been running a six man themselves, making nemesis Ron Berry (7-9, 5.31, 86) and ace Joe Potts (13-10, 3.49, 73) the full rest entrants, making things difficult for even the well performing Cougars to come away with wins. We then finish the week with three against the Stars and two against the Saints, as we look to improve or at least maintain our 41-27 home record. Unfortunately for us, we'll have just two home games after this week, making it a good thing we aren't in the middle of a heated pennant race. The Stars have dropped to seventh with Bill Barrett's (.275, 21, 80) uncharacteristic down season, as his current 3.5 BB% would be almost a third of his previous career low of 9.4. Coincidentally the only season before this year he found himself in single digits. This makes no sense, but baseball is silly some times, and he could just as easily be leading the Stars to a pennant next season. Same can be said for the Saint's Pestilli, who's hit just .212/.303/.269 (52 OPS+) since the trade. The center field defense is great (5.1, 1.088), and he has stolen 9 bags in 29 games, but the Saints have slipped to 9.5 back and are trending downward since they got swept in a short two game set at home against the Wolves. Now that I kind of want to beat them, I'm sure we'll lose, but there is a chance our stellar play at home and the infusion of young talent could help us stay hot. We just can't be 4-2 next week! It's seven games! Minor League Report RHP Jack Hale: The pen can always use an extra arm, and I'll go with 37-year-old Jack Hale, who spent each of the past four seasons with the Blues. He pitched a few innings for them in 1946 too, but from 1941 to 1945 he pitched with the Foresters. There was some AAA time sprinkled in, though most of his innings came in 26 starts as a 27-year-old rookie. The former 2nd Round pick did not do well, 8-14 with a 4.78 ERA (83 ERA+) and 1.65 WHIP, walking 91 hitters with just 45 strikeouts. He made a solid 6.1 inning start the following season, but that's the last time he'll make a FABL start. He pitched to varying success out of the pen the next three seasons, and enters the week with a 4.56 ERA (85 ERA+) and 1.61 WHIP. As uninspiring as that looks, he's been flat out dominant in Milwaukee this year, and for some reason Dixie Marsh thinks he's our third best reliever. This was even before the 0.64 ERA (512 ERA+) and 1.18 WHIP, as until recently he was even ahead of Steve Groves and ranked second when the year began. As shiny as the ERA is, he was probably better in 52.2 innings last year, where he was 5-1 with a 2.39 ERA (149 ERA+) and 2.82 FIP (79 FIP-) with a 1.12 WHIP, 8 walks, and 23 strikeouts. He deserves one last hurrah, and who knows? Maybe it sticks? C Mike Bordes: I love my third catchers in September, and that means Mike Bordes will finish his last season on optional assignment in Chicago with the big league club. Set to be the replacement to Harry Mead next season, Bordes fought injury during the season, limiting him to just 79 games. He hit an average .242/.360/.330 (99 OPS+) with a stronger 108 WRC+. The big red flag was the home runs, as after double digit bombs in every season since he joined the organization, he hit just one homer in 328 trips to the plate. I have a sneaking suspicion he'll hit another before the year ends, and I want him to get some starts in the final month. I need to see if he's ready to replace Mead, and if he can't hit here I can't imagine anyone claiming him if waived. Catching is a weak position, and Bordes does have a great eye, but if the power is gone he'll struggle to be an average FABL hitter. He did at least double 19 times, so that should add some value, but he's not a good enough defender to be a poor hitter too. Offense is his key to sticking, and the eventual 40-man roster addition Garland Phelps will certainly find a way to push him off. 3B Al Clement: I hated DFA'ing former 2nd Rounder Al Clement, so he'll come back up from Milwaukee to return to a backup infield role. The 26-year-old made just 50 trips to the plate after his demotion, but the .390/.500/.659 (231 OPS+) line is about a thousand times better then I expected. He had 3 doubles, a triple, 2 homers, 2 steals, 7 RBIs, and 9 walks, making the most of the limited time. I don't think he'll see the field too much, but he'll help keep guys fresh and play better first base then Red Bond, so if we have a comfortable lead and Bond just batted he can finish off the ninth inning. Or maybe Jerry Smith might. Max does like him there... Little Rock Governors: Wow... Even the pitchers hit... Andy Felton went 5-for-5 in a 16-3 complete game win. He had two doubles and four RBIs, allowing 7 hits, 3 runs, and 3 walks with 4 strikeouts. That was earlier in the week, but they won three straight to finish 90-30. This includes a big 5-hit outing from Harley Dollar, who came up on the 8th. Dollar has hit an absurd .412/.500/.565 (176 OPS+) in 102 trips to the plate, perfectly fitting the next man up mentality. At some point they clinched the top of the Dixie League standings, as the team with 17 shutouts has still yet to lose more then ten games in a month. This is all through numerous promotions, as nearly everyone that plays is having their best season yet. If only the big league team could be this good! |
Week 21: September 3rd-September 9th
Weekly Record: 5-2
Seasonal Record: 71-66 (4th, 15 GB) Stars of the Week Skipper Schneider : 23 AB, 10 H, 1 HR, 7 RBI, .435 AVG, 1.109 OPS Red Bond : 17 AB, 7 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .412 AVG, 1.171 OPS Elmer Grace : 15 AB, 5 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .333 AVG, .922 OPS Schedule 9-3: Win vs Kings (0-2) 9-3: Loss vs Kings (5-1) 9-5: Win vs Stars (4-5) 9-6: Win vs Stars (1-3) 9-7: Loss vs Stars (8-3) 9-8: Win vs Saints (4-8) 9-9: Win vs Saints (6-7) Recap We just can't stop winning! With a 4-2 week impossible this time around, we took it a level higher, winning 5 of 7 to move within two games of the third place Saints. As weird as it sounds, it was nice to lose some non-close games, even winning the close ones, as we attempt to be a more normal team. There was one problem this week, however, as a beautiful streak of pitching was broken after Peter the Heater had to exit the 7th of our 7-6 win (and replacement Jerry Decker was the cause of four of those runs...) with shoulder inflammation. That was his 29th and final start of the season, as for the first time since his return from the Navy he failed to make at least 32 starts. Pap wasn't his sharpest this season, just 9-11 with a 3.99 ERA (104 ERA+) and 1.32 WHIP, with the 3.99 ERA his highest in a season with more then 130 innings pitched. He did strike out 125 with just 89 walks, leading to a 9.9 BB% that's actually his third best in any sample, but the 33-year-old fireballer wasn't as dominant as he's used to being. The only "good" thing about the injury is it opens the rotation back up for five men, though all six arms were able to start a game this time through. All eyes were on the Bob Allen debut, which was equal part work and progress and equal part dominance. Allen got 26 of the 27 outs in an 8-3 loss, as he was charged with 11 hits and 5 runs, with 3 in the first, 1 in the 7th, and 1 more in the 9th. The dominance came from the 9 strikeouts and just 2 walks, as in the middle innings he had the Stars guessing. The top pitching prospect showed signs of why he's up so high, as no Cougar this season has struck out more then 9 in a game. Sure, Pap, Donnie, and Johnnie all have done it, but it's just once, while Allen frontrunner Duke Bybee has actually topped out at 6. The other big debut came from Jerry Smith, though it was just one out as a pinch hitter in the loss to the Kings. He did single and walk in his first start, a 5-4 win over New York, but the 8th ranked prospects first week saw him 1-for-10 with 4 walks. The discipline is awesome, and the hits will come, but the just turned 23-year-old (September 6th!) doesn't look like he'll be taking playing time away from Frank Reece anytime soon. I mentioned last post or a few posts ago that my new goal is to get Duke Bybee the Allen award, but with how he's pitching, it doesn't look like I'm going to have to do much campaigning. Bybee came an out away from his third shutout in five weeks, scattering 4 hits and 2 walks with 6 strikeouts in our 2-0 win to kick off the week. Bybee has allowed just two runs in his last five starts, lowering his CA best ERA to 2.44 (170 ERA+) with a 1.07 WHIP, 60 walks, and 88 strikeouts. Now that he's second in wins, I see only Adrian Czerwinski (20-5, 3.19, 116) giving him any trouble since he's a 20-game winner on a good team, but he may have to deal with Lloyd Stevens (15-7, 4, 3.13, 73) if voters choose to ignore his atrocious numbers with the other Philly team. Bybee might have had competition from Johnnie Jones had he started out hot like he tends to, as the 33-year-old vet put together his 5th straight start with 2 or fewer runs, now winning 8 of his last 9 decisions. Johnnie allowed just 5 hits, a run, and 3 walks with 5 strikeouts to improve to 12-9 with a 3.47 ERA (119 ERA+) and an even 100 strikeouts. These two have been instrumental to our recent form, and I'd love to see this carry into next season. The bats sort of had it going, though recently its been the original Schneider brother who's on the hot streak. Skipper had a huge 4-for-5 game with a pair of steals in our 8-4 win over the Saints, and finished his week 10-for-23 with a double, homer, 5 runs, 7 RBIs, 3 walks, and 3 steals. He was actually caught twice, but he's still an elite 31-for-36 in stolen base attempts. That didn't put him in the lead, as Leo Mitchell swiped three as well, now with 33 in 40 attempts. In 1,286 games between 1941 to 1950 he stole just 33 bases, and the 38-year-old now leads both associations in successful stolen base attempts. Elmer Grace kept up his excellent rookie campaign, 5-for-15 with a homer, 2 walks, 3 runs, and 5 RBIs. Red Bond broke his four way tie with himself for homers on our single season record books, now with 28 after his two-run shot was all the action in Bybee's almost shutout. He had a three hit game to end his week too, 7-for-17 with a double, 4 runs, 4 walks, 4 RBIs, and get this. 2 steals! Bond now has 5 on the season, a third of his career totals and half the amount he had entering the season. Why are all our old guys stealing bases!?!?!?! I ... love it??? I'm not sure what to think... Looking Ahead This coming week might suck. Two off days will limit the damage, but we have two in Cleveland and two in Philly before the first of two in Cincinnati. The Sailors now have a 3 game lead, and considering all the help we've given them, we'll probably drop those two and sweep the Foresters. At 87-52, they have the best FABL record, but are left in the dust by the 93-33 Little Rock Governors who are in cruise control the rest of the way. An off day before they come to town could shake things up, but I really hope we get a chance to blemish Lloyd Stevens and his stupid 2.53 (169 ERA+) Continental ERA and 1.04 Continental WHIP. He got us good in Chicago, so maybe it's best if the Stars do the beating, but he still doesn't compare to Bybee when focusing only on the innings since he switched associations. It will irk me beyond belief if he steals an Allen from the more deserving candidate, who Max Wilder now inserts into the 1 spot in our rotation. He'll have a tough task against the Foresters, preventing what would be a potentially epic Bybee vs Stevens brawl for all the marbles. I'd love to keep up our two loss trend, but this is going to be a tough one, as we have to play the two best teams in the Association and eventually are good fortune will run out. Better off this year too, then next year, right??? I mean next year is our year! Minor League Report 2B Roxy Hilts (AAA Milwaukee Blues): A member of the 1951 Champion Milwaukee Blues, Roxy Hilts got an early gift, picking up the most recent Player of the Week. A guy who started with the Dixie League champion Little Rock Governors, Hilts went 12-for-22 with a double, homer, 4 runs, and 5 RBIs. The former 4th Rounder upped his season line to an average .258/.320/.382 (101 OPS+) in 256 trips to the plate. He hit much better in the 190 PAs before, as in Little Rock he produced a 142 WRC+ -- almost fourth points higher then his 104 to the date. Most surprisingly, he's got an 11.5 zone rating and 1.096 efficiency at second. Never considered much of a fielder, this is great news for him if he can maintain it. We have a lot of open 40-man roster spots right now, but as an unranked prospect he could slip through the cracks. He projects as a bench player with a high IQ and the type of kid who's willing to take a smaller role to help the team. The type of player you never want to let go of, but if they can get a shot elsewhere, you let them pursue it. If he sticks around, I can see him hitting his way to a roster spot, and the prospect people envision a 1952 debut for the 23-year-old. RHP Ernie Tisdale (A Lincoln Legislators): It took a lot of debate, but I eventually settled on promoting Ernie Tisdale to Lincoln after the deadline. There's an argument he should have been there to start with, going 6-2 with a 3.32 ERA (133 ERA+), 1.36 WHIP, and 55 strikeouts in 10 starts with San Jose last year, but we have a lot of young pitchers who had no business in San Jose, and Tisdale was just drafted last season. The issue this year was that he was allowing a lot of hits and more walks, pitching to an unattractive 1.70 WHIP in 112.2 innings this year. This raised his ERA to 3.75 (104 ERA+), but a .339 BABIP suggested he was unlucky. San Jose actually has a bad defense this year, I must be doing something weird with the positions, and with a 3.09 FIP (79 FIP-) that had a FIP- just 1 point higher then during his dominance last season. Then there's the chance he just needed to feel challenged, as after a 5-run clunker in start four he responded with back-to-back 5-hit shutouts. Between the two he walked 9 and struck out 11, improving to 3-2 with a 2.60 ERA (134 ERA+) and 1.29 WHIP. Allowing just one homer in 45 innings, he's got a skill that will serve him well in Chicago. I've made a concerted effort to upgrade our pitching depth in the minors, so the former 2nd Rounder has now slipped to 7th among pitchers as the 18th of 23 top 150 prospects. "Big E" is one of the best builds for a pitcher, an intimidating 6'4'' righty who's 90 might feel closer to 95. That's his new max, as he's gone from 85-87 to effortless high 80s, which could account for his continued success. The command isn't great, but if he keeps his splitter low he'll generate swings and misses, giving him the perfect compliment in a sinker/change mix. He uses all five of his pitches, so there's no good pitch to sit on, and if you guess wrong your swing may look silly. He's one of our most far along prospects, with probably just Allen, Dixie Gaines, and Cliff Wallace better pitchers at this time. There's a lot more guys with upside, but that's all hypothetical till it happens, and the big righty has a head start in the race to Chicago. |
Week 22: September 10th-September 16th
Weekly Record: 1-4
Seasonal Record: 72-70 (4th, 16.5 GB) Stars of the Week Chubby Hall : 19 AB, 7 H, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .368 AVG, 1.084 OPS Skipper Schneider : 17 AB, 6 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, .353 AVG, .918 OPS Jerry Smith : 10 AB, 4 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, .400 AVG, .900 OPS Schedule 9-11: Loss at Foresters (3-4) 9-12: Loss at Foresters (3-12) 9-14: Win at Sailors (4-3) 9-15: Loss at Sailors (2-5) 9-16: Loss at Cannons (4-5) Recap Yeah this makes sense. The wheels were going to come off at some point. And it was good teams on the road. A record above .500 is still manageable, and with teams that aren't the Sailors and Foresters we may have a better chance. It's weird that getting blown out 12-3 was satisfying, but seeing Donnie Jones' ERA jump from 3.49 to 3.67 (113 ERA+) kills the excitement quick. Still, it's better then the one run loss in Cincinnati, as Bob Allen couldn't strike out anyone, so 5 hits and 6 walks led to 5 runs. David Molina didn't strike anyone out in his perfect ninth, so this may have been our first zero strikeout game in years. All our starters strike guys out, even Allen if last start is to be believed, and the Cannons are actually 6th in strikeouts so it's not like they do this often. Before you panic, Duke Bybee is fine, only 3 of his 4 runs were earned, but I wish he went more then 7 innings. He allowed 6 hits and 3 walks with 5 strikeouts, though it was a poor enough start for Lloyd Stevens to take the Continental lead in ERA and WHIP. Bybee still has a few starts to take them back, but it would be quite unfortunate for him to lose out on leads from a midseason acquisition. Jerry Smith will start the week as the starting center fielder, as he had a nice week while Frank Reece has gotten cold. Smith was 4-for-10 with 2 runs and walks, while Reece went just 1-for-9 with a run and walk, lowering his season line to .246/.301/.377 (78 OPS+). The defense is still solid (4.1, 1.024), but it's time to see what our hopeful star can do in regular playing time. Aside from two homers from Chubby Hall (7-19, 4 R, 5 RBI) and another nice week from Skipper Schneider (6-17, 2B, 3B, SB, 4 R), we didn't do much hitting away from home. Someone's got to heat up, as Red Bond has slowed down in what may be his last season as a Cougar. It's time for Leo Mitchell to make the move to first, and Bond's good enough to start elsewhere. The last thing worth noting is a callup, as we have a lot of healthy pitchers so I decided to give the pen an extra arm. That would be Charlie Kelsey, who will get one more chance to hold a pen spot. He pitched really well in the Blues rotation, going 9-5 with a 2.36 ERA (140 ERA+), 1.08 WHIP, 35 walks, and 96 strikeouts. This came in 17 starts and 144.2 innings, and perhaps he was treated to harshly in a small sample. I'm not sure if he'll get many innings in the final few weeks, but he's not the worst option to mop up innings. Looking Ahead We have a chance for revenge after a one-run loss, as Duke Bybee (15-7, 2.49, 93) will take on Mickey Mills (10-10, 3.28, 95) in what should be an excellent pitcher's duel. Mills had a breakout at 28 and has followed it up at 29, coming off a complete game win in Cleveland where he allowed 6 hits, 2 runs, and 4 walks with 3 strikeouts. He's much better then his record shows, as the lineup hasn't done much to help him during the season. They've tried shaking things up, sending 24-year-old Max Dorsey (.200, 2) into center and last year's Rule-5 pick Dolph Krapf (.231) at third. Mike Taylor (.335, 19, 92, 26) and Chuck Adams (.286, 25, 109) could use their help, but Bybee should be a difficult hurdle to climb on Monday. The three following are must win games. It's not just because they're before the off day that begins our last "homestand" but because they're against the 43-100 Toronto Wolves. There is hope for the future as Les Ledbetter (3-9, 4.85, 60) has looked good against teams that aren't the Cougars or Sailors, and his 4.01 FIP (93 FIP-) is technically slightly more impressive then then Donnie Jones' 3.67 (94 FIP-). They've gotten decent output from Hancock trade return piece George Avery (4-3, 4.01, 26) while Charlie Zimmerman (3-8, 4.50, 25) was brought back to the rotation after a stint in AAA. He was part of the return for Chink Stickels, as the Wolves made a concerted effort to pick up pitching when they sold off. That includes our Zane Kelley (5-4, 7, 2.95, 44), as they look to rebuild into a staff that's again to be feared. After the previously mentioned off day we'll host the 7th place Stars for our last two home games. In a season with plenty of disappointment, the Stars can take solace in the fact that Paul Anderson (10-4, 1, 3.03, 75) will be pitching their for a while. Ranked as highly as the 10th best prospect, Anderson might already be the best pitcher in the Stars rotation, as I'll never trust Ed Cornett (14-15, 3.71, 87) and both Vern Hubbard (10-13, 4.46, 72) and Eli Panneton (6-12, 4.70, 89) have not pitched like we've used to see them. They're hoping another key to improving the rotation is Hub Armstrong (1-0, 1.80, 9), the current 43rd ranked prospect who they acquired in the Mack Sutton (.273, 33, 104) deal that may have the reverse effect of what it did to the Stars when they sniped him in front of us and won the 1946 World Championship Series after a grueling tiebreaker. After a relief appearance in his debut, Armstrong has made three starts for the Stars, working around 12 walks as he can roll up a lot of double plays. OSA and Dixie think the Chicago kid is going to lead a rotation, as the Stars may end up shifting from a power packed team to a pitching and defense team that can also hit home runs. The corners and even shortstop Paul Watson (.276, 15, 63) provide a lot of power, and if Bill Barrett (.273, 22, 86) can start walking again the Stars could go from bottom to top at any point. |
Week 23: September 17th-September 23rd
Weekly Record: 4-2
Seasonal Record: 76-72 (4th, 15 GB) Stars of the Week Jerry Smith : 17 AB, 8 H, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .471 AVG, 1.291 OPS Chubby Hall : 25 AB, 8 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .320 AVG, .913 OPS Bob Allen : 1 Win, 9.0 IP, 3 BB, 2 K, 0.00 ERA Schedule 9-17: Loss at Cannons (2-6) 9-18: Win at Wolves (3-0) 9-19: Win at Wolves (11-0) 9-20: Loss at Wolves (4-5) 9-22: Win vs Stars (3-7) 9-23: Win vs Stars (0-2) Recap Now that it was back on the table, we were right back to the 4-2 ballclub we've been for the past month plus, and this week really had everything. From one-run losses to multiple shutouts and a first career home run, we were at least entertaining even if we're eliminated from the playoffs. The best part is we almost guaranteed our 14th .500 or better season in the last 15 seasons, as the only way we don't at least finish .500 is if we lose each of our last six games, which may lead to the most drastic of actions if that unthinkable result happened on Monday. Unfortunately, even winning all six would give us 82 on the season, as just three of those mentioned seasons saw us win fewer then that. You can't even blame the sell-off, we're 28-20 since July, and since the Saints already have 80 wins I don't see us finishing any better then 4th. It's disappointing any way you look at it, though I actually predicted us to finish in 5th. That's more because I expected more then two teams in it for most of the year, as the Sailors are looking to pull of the impossible. There's a two game lead with four to play, but the last three are hosting the second place Foresters. That should make for must see action, and any one of those three games could determine who represents the association. It could technically end in a tie, just like the three team race with half a game of separation in the Fed, and as a neutral fan it would be awesome if both ended up even. But enough about the other teams, we want to hear about the Cougars! Seeing Jerry Smith's name atop the "Stars of the Week" from our sim email with Bob Allen third is something I can absolutely get used to! Smith hit the first career home run, taking Charlie Zimmerman deep in the 3rd inning of Johnnie Jones' 11-0 shutout. As nice as it was to see Smith homer, Johnnie was the star, striking out 6 while not allowing a single walk. Johnnie scattered 6 hits, improving to 14-9, and he now has both walked and struck out 113 hitters on the season. If he just did his usual hot start, he'd have passed Bybee in the Allen, and he'll get one more start before the season ends. He's likely to have Smith in the outfield once more, as our top guy went 8-for-17 with 2 doubles, 2 walks, and 3 runs to go with the homer. Believe it or not, Smith has a 171 WRC+ through his first 45 PAs, slashing .351/.467/.486 (153 OPS+). The power isn't there yet, but if we can get him to start hitting more home runs, everything is going to go our way. That's his job this offseason. Add some power, and you'll continue to bat 4th in this lineup that needs a star to measure up to the plenty in the rotation. If that's Bob Allen next year, I don't know, but the for some reason no longer top pitching prospect threw a 4-hit shutout, and unlike the Jones Brothers, it came against a lineup with Jack Welch (.244, 27, 77), Bill Barnett (.271, 29, 86), Bill Barrett (.277, 22, 88). It's a nice revenge shutout for him too, as the Stars were the team that gave him his first career loss. As good a first win as any, Allen held New York to 4 hits and 3 walks as we took advantage of a first inning error. The offense did just enough to win, but it did have some life at other points. Skipper kept on going, 7-for-21 with a double, triple, steal, 2 runs, 3 RBIs, and 4 walks. Leo Mitchell didn't steal successfully, though he was 6-for-21 with 2 doubles, 4 runs, and 5 RBIs, allowing Skipper to move within one of the FABL lead. Elmer Grace was just 3-for-15, but he doubled and homered, walking 5 times, scoring 6 times, and driving in 5. He's been great in limited time, and has found a way to co-exist with Buddy Schneider and George Sutterfield. It's not certain yet, but I envision Grace at third and Buddy at second, with Sutterfield the guy splitting positions between the two. If Buddy doesn't hit, I wouldn't mind moving him to a reserve role, and I think I'll have him work on third base to give him another avenue to playing time. His Cougar line is back to a more sustainable .289/.322/.452 (103 OPS+), and that with good brotherly defense is all he needs to stay in the lineup. Looking Ahead With the minor league seasons all wrapped up, I'll fill some if not all the last six spots on our expanded roster, but that's going to have to come in a separate post at a later point. With the weekend coming up and what could have been an elite pitching matchup at the Rate, I don't have to worry about picking the players before the day ends. I can work on that and a separate Minor League Report to cover some of our amazing minor league performances. The Little Rock Governors managed to break the Dixie League win record with 103, as our dominated AA squad never lost more then ten games in a month. Their 14-10 (.583) July was the only month with a sub .650 win percentage, and they led the league in nearly every category out there. The most impressive is they were losing their top players left and right, and they just kept winning ballgames. Seven pitchers with 11 or more starts had an above average ERA+, and the eight batters with 250 or more PAs all had WRC+ above 100. and if Jerry Smith had one more PA he'd make it nine. Plenty more under have done the same, but no loss hurt as much as him. Our last six games is a road trip we won't ever take again, as we have three against the Kings and three against the Stars. One team is already moving and the other is at risk of it, and at least next year it will save us travel time. With the Kings go to Kansas City, we'll have a team much closer to us, as we don't get to see the Chiefs or Pioneers and Milwaukee won't get a team until our AAA affiliate leaves. We can do our part to keep the Kings under .500 in their final season, which I'm not sure if I like or not. I want, or even need, the wins, as everyone else is bad and we could get three balls in the lottery. Our lottery luck has to change at some point, but we're guaranteed at least two balls if we win in Brooklyn. Plus a 17th win will be crucial for Duke Bybee (16-8, 2.62, 101), who didn't do well in Cincinnati. He then walked too many hitters in a complete game win (6 H, 3 ER, 7 BB, 5 K) win over the Stars, and seems likely to face them once more. Lloyd Stevens (17-7, 4, 3.10, 126) pretty much locked up Continental WHIP, but at least now his overall numbers are looking better. He has to face the Foresters, who put up 9 hits, 6 runs, and 3 walks on him to finish the week, but it was a complete game win. He got help from Joe Scott's (.295, 13, 87) 4-for-5 with doubles from him, Cotton Dillon (.253, 7, 64), and RBI leader George Rutter (.306, 27, 131, 6) in the 6-5 win, a game that could be the difference if they hold on and win. |
Final Week Callups
As promised, here's who we're bringing up for the final week of the season. We're now up to 35 on the active roaster with 36 on the 40:
LHP Dixie Gaines: One of the many Cougar farmhands who got to play for both the Century League and Dixie League champions, the now 24-year-old Dixie Gaines will spend the last week of the season in Chicago. I'm inserting him into the six spot in the rotation, so if Max Wilder wants to, he can give the young lefty his major league debut this coming week. Once a top 25 prospect, Dixie has dropped to 23rd in our system and 180th overall, but among pitchers he's 39th and only seven other lefties rank above him. Unlike Bob Allen, Dixie was better with Little Rock, going 9-2 with a 2.56 ERA (160 ERA+), 1.16 WHIP, 37 walks, and 62 strikeouts in 95 innings. His 3.16 FIP (77 FIP-) was outstanding, and he allowed just three balls to leave the yard. That dropped to just two in 96.1 innings for the Blues, where he was an unlucky 4-6 in his 11 starts. With a strong 2.80 ERA (118 ERA+) and 2.98 FIP (90 FIP-) on a 92-win team, you'd expect a record over .500, but for the first time in his career he failed to win more games then he lost. I personally could care less, as he still had an excellent 1.17 WHIP with 61 strikeouts. The one issue was the walks, his BB% jumped from 9.7 to 12.4, but everything else says that the former 4th Rounder is FABL ready. A five pitch pitcher from Mississippi, he had to be protected from the Rule-5 draft anyways, so even if he doesn't pitch it made sense to bring him up early. Aside from the control and velocity, he's got plus ratings everywhere, thought it's not the best combo if I had to pick two flaws. What's beneficial for him is his ability to keep the ball on the ground, as not only does he have a tough mid 80s sinker, but aside from the occasional hung curve, all of his pitches seem to disappear as they're coming to the plate. He'll frustrate hitters, getting them to roll over hittable pitches, while relying on his middle infield when he walks guys. I think no one is hurt more from George Polk's emergence then Dixie, who now seems likely to return to Milwaukee next season. As always, he could be moved to a team that needs FABL pitching more then us, but his prospect ranking will likely lead to teams undervaluing what he can do right now. LHP Bert Rogers: I kept going back and force on whether I wanted a second arm to come up, and after realizing that I was probably going to be at 33 or 34 without him, I just decided to reward the now ready former 1st Rounder. No longer a prospect of much note, the 25-year-old Bert Rogers made 20 of his 22 starts in Milwaukee, going an impressive 12-3 with a 2.91 ERA (114 ERA+), 1.32 WHIP, and 94 strikeouts. His walks are still high, 86 of them in 148.2 innings, leading to a 13.7 BB% that ranks higher then Johnnie Jones' career worst of 13.1 in 240.2 innings in 1949. The Chicago lefty doesn't have the stuff Johnnie does, but I think in a multi-inning pen role it could play well. He sits in the 89-91 range with a solid fastball, but the best tool is his curve. The slider never really panned out, so starting games in the majors seems unlikely. A two-pitch attack with poor command could cause some problems in longer stints, but once through the lineup he could work around it. I doubt he gets an inning this year, but if he's still with us next year, he's probably the extra arm to come up from Milwaukee to keep the pen fresh. 1B Charlie Everitt: First base is tough position to make a name at unless you're an early pick, but Charlie Everitt has gone from a solid 14th Round Pick who likely lasted longer then he should have to a potential big leaguer. In an effort to boost his versatility, he got 41 games in left and 28 in right, but he never got a right field rating and his left field play (-5.8, .897) leaves a lot to be desired. As a lefty, he can't short-side platoon with Mitchell or Bond, making his best path to the majors as a bench bat. If he had a little more pop, the 6'4'' Ohio native could sneak his way into the lineup, but he had just 11 homers in 132 games this season. That may look worse then it did, it led the team with Clyde Zimmerman on the team with the most Century League team, but Dixie thinks average power is his ceiling. He's working on cutting the whiffs, particularly on offspeed pitches, but he's got a quick bat and can cover a lot of the zone. His hit tool would fit better in a larger stadium then Cougars Park, but it's still good enough that after just 18 games in AA last year he had a 112 WRC+ while spending almost half his games in positions he's never played. 2B Rupert Heinbaugh: Playing a lot of shortstop since Elmer Grace joined the big league club, Rupert Heinbaugh actually looked quite good, as the natural second basemen had just 28 fewer innings at short with a matching 1.080 efficiency. His 9.2 zone rating at second is a bit higher then the 8.0 at short, but both are excellent marks that boost his value to a FABL club. The former 7th Rounder got a similar cup of coffee last season, 1-for-2 in four appearances. Always considered a plus defender at second, I think it's fair to say he can handle short too, and he has over 1,000 minor league innings at third under his belt. That's the fewest, as he has just over 3,000 innings and efficiencies above 1.045 at second and short. Minor league fielding is way easier, but aside from the four guys who are playing regularly at second, third, and short, we don't really have a glove like that. He's still got an option left, but if Billy Hunter retires like I think he will, Heinbaugh will have a legit shot at securing a bench spot. Having his glove will allow us to pinch hit for one of our defense first guys without worrying about the late innings. With a 5.1 WAR and 111 WRC+ in 135 AAA games, you have to think he could be at least a passable utility infielder, and he could build his prospect value with a strong full season at short for the Blues next year. CF Henry Norman: Knowing myself, the Reece-Smith-Norman outfield won't last together very long, but in the last week of the season I'll let the trio take all the starts against lefties. Acquired straight up for Mel Haynes before the 1948 season, the former 3rd Rounder has ranked as high as 37th on the prospect rankings, battling injuries and competition on his way to Chicago. The former Chief farmhand needed to be protected from the Rule-5 draft, and he'll now get a few swings against FABL pitchers in his quick rise this season. Topped out at A ball last year, Norman hit .350/.395/.577 (150 OPS+) in Little Rock before a still excellent .297/.363/.445 (131 OPS+) in Milwaukee. He had WRC+ of 161 and 145, tallying 29 doubles, 15 triples, 15 homers, 9 steals, 90 RBIs, 92 runs, and 42 walks between the two stops. The defense was great almost everywhere, though his AAA LF defense (-1.6, .976) was much worse then AA (1.6, 1.316), but that just looks like regular regression from being too good before. Of the three outfielders, Norman has the best hit tool, as he could challenge for batting titles as he regularly puts the ball in play. His defense is solid, with right his likely landing spot, but he's more then good enough to stick in center. The promotion is a nice birthday gift for Norman, who turned 23 on the 23rd, and I can't wait to see him, Reece, and Smith patrolling the outfield together for the first of hopefully many times. These guys could bring us back! RF Clyde Parker: An often forgotten about outfielder, Clyde Parker may not be a top-100 prospect anymore, but he still checks in at 35th and 337th respectively on the two lists, and the just turned 25-year-old spent two weeks with the big league club earlier in the season. I'd love for Max to put him in at some point this last week, as they lefty swinger hit well in 493 PAs with the Blues. The Leo Mitchell-lite hit .286/.359/.408 (120 OPS+) with a 130 WRC+ that would fit right in with our speedy vet. Parker only has two steals, and has been caught seven times, but he put together 15 doubles, 7 triples, 8 homers, 56 runs, 49 RBIs, and 52 walks in 121 games. He's got an option left after this season, but at least in our system, his best chance for playing time is a bench platoon with righty Jimmy Hairston. Hairston's .303/.390/.459 (124 OPS+) triple slash managed to get him some playing time towards the end of the season, and as a strong-side platoon hitter that would mean more then the occasional start for Parker. I don't see him leaping over Reece/Smith/Norman anytime soon, but injuries happen (especially for Norman) and a quality bat never goes out of style. |
Minor League Report
AAA Milwaukee Blues (Century League): 92-48 (.657), 1st, 9 GA: The Little Rock Governors may have got most of the buzz this season, but the Milwaukee Blues had almost as effortless of a season. Just like their "little brother" they lost ten or fewer games in each month of the season, though losing Allen and Smith did lead to "just' a 9-7 (.562) record in September. They still ended up ranked first or second in 22 of the 27 categories from the "Team Stats" page and if you take the best 25 guys in the organization who played there they could beat a few big league teams in seven game series. Allen's dominance was a real highlight, as our highest ranked pitching prospect went 6-2 with a 1.68 ERA (196 ERA+), 1.03 WHIP, and 51 strikeouts in his 10 starts. He was one of six pitchers with 10 or more starts and an above average ERA+, led by last year's waiver claim Joe Quade (15-3, 2.21, 92). Bert Rogers (12-3, 2.91, 94) and Charlie Kelsey (9-5, 2.36, 96) pitched well enough to get a callup, and despite the poor record Dixie Gaines (4-6, 2.80, 61) excelled in his half season as we had a multitude of arms contribute. A guy who deserves a shoutout is Frank Sartori, who after being returned from the Wolves, he filled the stopper role. His eight starts as a Rule-5 pick did not go well, 0-6 with a 7.00 ERA (61 ERA+) and 1.84 WHIP, walking 29 to just 17. Back in Milwaukee he finished 4-2 with 15 saves in 61.2 innings, a larger sample then his time north of the border. He had a stellar 1.90 ERA (174 ERA+) and 2.30 FIP (69 FIP-), with the FIP the more impressive measure. He cut his BB% from 13.5 to 7.5 as his K% jumped from 7.9 to 13.8. He's earned himself an outside chance at a pen spot, though there's always a chance someone takes the same risk the Wolves make and try to bolster the staff at the cost of a 24-man roster spot.
As good as the pitching was, the offense was actually the best, as they led the Century League with 611 runs. Rupert Heinbaugh, (.277, 5, 59), Charlie Everitt (.273, 11. 53), and Clyde Parker (.286, 8, 49) earned callups with consistent performance while top 100 prospects Henry Norman (.297, 4, 25, 3), Jerry Smith (.265, 3, 22, 8), and Frank Reece (.340, 6, 29, 2) put up star level production in limited time. But the lineup MVP might be Clyde Zimmerman, who got a callup after the deadline and still had a share of the team lead for home runs (11). He produced a 137 WRC+ and .243/.363/.419 (124 OPS+) batting line with 24 steals and 24 extra base hits. Only Heinbaugh and Billy Nash (.274, 8, 71) had a higher WAR and they both appeared in 135 games to Zimmerman's 91. It's also easy to forget Elmer Grace was there for about half the season, and he hit .290/.400/.435 (140 OPS+) with 12 doubles, 3 triples, 4 homers, 27 RBIs, and 39 walks. His 150 WRC+ is 1 point lower then his current 151 WRC+ as a Cougar, but my guess is that it will finish the year higher. There's plenty of starter quality talent that waited for an opening this year, and there will be plenty of more of that next season as some of our top young outfielders may be stuck here waiting for a shot next season. AA Little Rock Governors (AA Dixie League): 103-37 (.736), 1st, 24 GA): Shattering the all-time Dixie League win record, the Little Rock Governors won 103 games, finishing 24 games above the next best team. Saying they were dominant is an understatement, as they led the league in nearly every category but most importantly they scored a league high 875 runs and allowed a league low 500. They did about everything well, but I think what's most impressive is the 19 shutouts, with Ben Clough (12-4, 2.85, 101) and Cliff Wallace (16-5, 3.22, 121) leading the way with four. Poor Clough tore his rotator cuff, now giving him that a torn UCL in the last three years, potentially ending the career of the now 26-year-old. A former 14th Round Pick, he was dominant as a starer, but he may have to return tot he pen as he's getting older and he might not be ready for Opening Day. Wallace will be moving up too, opening up room for some of the younger guys to move up. There's no Dixie Gaines (9-2, 2.56, 62) or Bob Allen (8-3, 3.36, 53) replacements coming up, but we have some talented minor league vets who should help the Governors go for three consecutive titles since joining the Dixie League. The offense saw Frank Reece (..333, 6, 38, 5), Jerry Smith (.329, 14, 55, 8), and Henry Norman (.350, 11, 65, 6) graduate and team at bat leader Garland Phelps (.347, 8, 92) will be in AAA in his first year as a 40-man roster player. Deadline acquisition Bert Preble (.330, 7, 33, 7) seems likely to start or at least finish the season in Milwaukee, leading plenty of spots open for talented young players. One thing that's going to be interesting is the middle infield, which for the most of the past two seasons has been A.C./D.C. Archie Cunningham (.273, 8, 65, 48) is likely ready for AAA, but we have no shortage of upper minors infield depth. If he goes up, Dick Cunningham (.276, 4, 51, 37) isn't likely to follow, which would break up the long time duo from the 1948 draft. I'm ready for Harley Dollar (.375, 1, 27) to step up and tame the league, with Preble and Charlie Harvey (.309, 4, 43) forming an excellent outfield. They won't break any records next year, but there's a lot of talent stuck here with plenty of low minors players waiting to push themselves up. A Lincoln Legislators (Heartland League) 74-66 (.529), 3rd, 14 GB: Our only champion last year, the Legislators were the first of our three non-champion teams, though all three did finish above .500. So many of the players that helped them win 92 last year were in Little Rock or finished there. They won on the backs of their pitching, with one of the best arms former 12th Rounder Pat Sheridan (9-5, 2.50, 96). There is risk he'd start the season in Little Rock, but one guy bound to start in Little Rock is Ernie Tisdale (4-3, 2.55, 48). His 8 starts were dominant, with a 2.33 FIP (68 FIP-) and 1.7 K/BB. Him and Jimmy Isgro (1-4, 2.60, 34) give them two quality prospects to lead the rotation to start the season, and since he went 5-0 with a 0.58 ERA (594 ERA+) and 0.83 WHIP in 78 innings I absolutely have to protect Mack Lyons. The 22-year-old Chicagoan struck out 60 with just 31 walks, and his 1.99 FIP (57 FIP-) jumps right off the page. It would be huge for the Legislators if he returns, but with all our quality upper minors arms they're for sure getting quality pitching. The offense needs someone to step up, and I'd love for it to be the 70th ranked Bob Allie (.257, 8, 52, 7). He seemed to be overmatched at the plate, but played quality defense in center (2.3, 1.046) and right (6.8, 1.051) as a 21-year-old. I'd love to see more from Herm Kocher (.198, 2, 14, 4), but there are a lot of question marks for the Legislators lineup next year. B San Jose Cougars (California-Oregon-Washington League): 77-63 (.550), 2nd, 3 GB: It's another second place finish for the baby Cougars, though after 3 games back they were 14 of the 91-49 Tacoma Captains. Just like the Legislators, they ranked 2nd in runs allowed (574) and 5th in runs scored (601), and they saw the three arms mentioned above Tisdale, Lyons, and Isgro give great innings for them. What helped San Jose, however, was our deadline trades, as Pug White (5-2, 3.29, 43) and Bobby Crooks (5-2, 3.04, 1.49; 12-4, 3.26, 73) came in to do great work. As a third replacement was needed, Ben Helm (7-3, 3.29, 39) stepped in, as our 9th Rounder had a nice start to his pro career. I expect this trio to lead the rotation into next season, while Jack Lowe (.270, 2, 35), deadline acquisition Curt Neville (.265, 26; .294, 3, 68) and this year's 6th Rounder Joe Dorch (.263, 3, 25) anchor the lineup. Plenty of spots are up for grab, and with La Crosse's season not starting until after the draft there may be a mix of recent high school draftees coming up and down to replace struggling bats. C La Crosse Lions (Upper Mississippi Valley Association): 32-30 (.516), 4th, 11 GB: Not a typo here (though I do make my share of those) as for the second season in a row the La Crosse Lions finished 32-30 and in 4th place in the UMVA. It was 11 games instead of 12 this time, as our collection of youngsters was hit hard at times. 2nd Rounder Allie Eddy (0-4, 12.43, 35) had a nightmare season himself, as the 73rd ranked prospect allowed 13 homers in just 21 innings before rotator cuff inflammation ended his season early. The staff was able to survive some of this, as other draftees did well in their debut season. 3rd Rounder Harry Rollins (3-1, 4.17, 70) and 11th Rounder Mike Peter (3-1, 3.98, 38) pitched well, but the star of the staff was the later promoted Bill Davis. Acquired in the package for Harry Beardsley, Davis went 6-2 with a 3.27 ERA (186 ERA+) and 102 strikeouts in the high run, high strikeout environment low minors. Davis was one of the few pitchers who could really prevent runs consistently, and we just couldn't keep up with some of the better teams. The lineup had too many high upside guys not hit well, as Buddy Byrd (.215, 9, 28, 19), Jack Craft (.202, 8, 30), and Biff Tiner (.237, 3, 14, 3) all struggled at the plate. It may have just been 19 games, but 10th Rounder Alex Caraballo showed off the offensive talent, batting .263/.432/.544 (120 OPS+) with a 130 WRC+, 5 homers, 15 RBIs, and 16 walks. The defense in center isn't great, but if the bat maintains that production, he'll have no trouble fitting into a corner. The winter draft always affects how well the team can do, and since we generally focus on high school prospects, our lowest affiliate can struggle at times, but it's impressive they've managed to stay above .500 in each season since their last place finish in 1945. |
Week 24: September 24th-September 30th
4 Attachment(s)
Weekly Record: 4-2
Seasonal Record: 80-74 (4th, 15 GB) Stars of the Week Leo Mitchell : 25 AB, 13 H, 1 HR, 8 RBI, .520 AVG, 1.466 OPS Chubby Hall : 22 AB, 9 H, 3 HR, 10 RBI, .409 AVG, 1.567 OPS Johnnie Jones : 1 Win, 9.0 IP, 3 BB, 3 K, 0.00 ERA Schedule 9-25: Loss at Kings (1-3) 9-26: Win at Kings (2-0) 9-27: Win at Kings (7-2) 9-28: Loss at Stars (8-9) 9-29: Win at Stars (13-8) 9-30: Win at Stars (7-5) Recap As great as it was to have our sixth 4-2 week in the last six, six game weeks, there was some dreadful, awful, no good, very bad news: remember how Pete Papenfus was out for five weeks??? Well, now its nine months. . . Yes. That means no fireballer on Opening Day... George Polk: you are no longer on the trade market! Enjoy the rotation! It's absolutely dreadful news for us, as the durable co-ace is dealt his first significant injury, and I'm now going to be anxiously awaiting is return for way longer then I should have. Being without one of the top arms in baseball for any time is a huge loss, and when you consider he'll be 34 next time he pitches again, there's always concern of an inevitable drop-off. Speaking of drop-offs, that's what happened to Duke Bybee, who after two of his three worst starts of the season, he's probably going to lose the Allen because Adrian Czerwinski won 22 games because the Foresters actually give their pitchers run support. After 6 runs of a pair of homers, 5 hits, and a walk in just 3 innings, Bybee will end the year with a 2.82 ERA (146 ERA+) and 1.13 WHIP, both good for second in the CA because Lloyd Stevens gets the gift of his Keystone innings not counting against him. Bybee still led the association with 23 quality starts and his 16 wins were tied for the second most in the CA, but I'm afraid it won't be enough to give him the one The last piece of bad news is we didn't face any lefties, so there was no Reece-Smith-Norman outfielder and there may not ever be one. Norman didn't even get into a game, but it allowed Leo Mitchell to end his season on the right note. He didn't steal any more bases, so he'll have to share the CA lead with Skipper after he swiped a bag despite a 5-for-22 showing, but he'll end hot with a 13-for-25 week and .362/.317/.511 (144 OPS+) month. Mitchell added 2 doubles, 2 triples, a homer, 4 walks, 8 runs, and 8 RBIs in a Player of the Week worthy showing, improving his final season line to .311/.354/.463 (114 OPS+) in 548 trips to the plate. His 124 WRC+ was just five points below his career average, and with 19 doubles, 10 triples, 13 homers, 67 RBIs, 80 runs, and 34 steals he impacted the game in plenty of ways both on the field and off. He's one of the well respected captains of the team, and if he continues to produce at a high level he'll get to climb the team leaderboards as he looks to add to his team best 174 home runs. Dixie Gaines got to make his long awaited debut, though like many of our pitchers he couldn't keep the ball in the park against the Stars. Jack Welch (.242, 29, 82) and Dan Atwood (.224, 14, 61) got the best of him in a game we managed to win. We got two in the ninth and tenth off Stars stopper George Scruggs (7-9, 16, 4.17, 56) as we prevented the young lefty from taking the loss. He ended up allowing 8 hits, 5 runs, and 2 walks, striking out 4 in 6+ innings. If he didn't throw two pitches in the 7th that ended up being doubled and homered, he'd have had a much finer debut, but at 90 pitches it made sense for him to start the 7th. It's a shame it didn't go this way, but he's been elevated to the 6th starter role, competing with Joe Quade for the chance to be the fill in starter. Our pitchers tend to stay healthy, but with Pap out we're in need of a guy who could eat innings in case of emergency. He's a back end starter who will have some issues with command, and we got a preview of that with two hittable pitches quickly souring his debut. 1952 Opening Day Center Field Starter Jerry Smith showed why he could be such a valuable player, as despite going 4-for-21 he was able to impact the game in other ways. His elite discipline took over, as he drew seven walks and his speed allowed three of the hits to be doubles. The defense is good too, and even though it's just 14 games he had a 1.5 zone rating and 1.022 efficiency in 114.1 innings of center field. If I was a betting man, the soon to be fan favorite Smith would be my choice for the Kellogg Award, as this dude has superstar potential and could be what elevates us to a legit title contender for the first time since 1948. I then saved the best for last, as Johnnie Jones was named the Pitcher of the Month in the Continental Association. Johnnie finished the season with back-to-back shutouts, ending the year 15-9 with a 3.19 ERA (130 ERA+), 1.37 WHIP, and 116 walks and strikeouts in his 30 starts. He was a perfect 5-0 in September, allowing just 25 hits, 15 walks, and 5 runs in 45 innings pitched. He struck out 23 with a month best 1.5 K/BB, while his 1.00 ERA (413 ERA+) and 0.89 WHIP jump off the table. He was as dominant as he's ever been, and does not want to get pushed out of the rotation with Bob Allen coming in. His 3.70 FIP (89 FIP-) has the lowest FIP- of his career, and his 3.19 ERA (130 ERA+) has the highest ERA+ since his 133 came in his first post-war season where he was an unlucky 10-14 despite a 2.64 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. With Pap out for Opening Day Johnnie will be forced into a more important role, and since Max Wilder actually did well enough to keep his job, he'll get to use Johnnie as our third starter. Minor League Report CF Bert Preble (AA Little Rock Governors): Doing his best to show he belongs in Milwaukee next year, Bert Preble was named Batter of the Month for October, hitting .338/.464/.597 (174 OPS+) with 6 doubles, a triple, 4 homers, 4 steals, and 13 RBIs. Acquired with Steve Groves in the Jim Morrison deal, Preble turned 23 in August ranks 63rd on the current prospect list. A former 3rd Rounder, Preble finished his Cougar time in AA with a .330/.423/.532 (147 OPS+) line. His 2.1 zone rating and 1.042 efficiency in center impressed, and he looked good in both corners as well. There's no shortage of outfield talent in the system, but with Preble not yet Rule-5 eligible he is one of the lower priority players for promotions. He's in line for a promotion next season, and if we move from our outfield depth a spot in Milwaukee could open up for the Connecticut native. |
It was another disappointing season, unfortunately. The Cougars always seem to be on the brink yet seated on the consolation couch.
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