Week 18: August 10th-August 16th
 

I don't really have much time for a write up, and considering how the week went, it's probably a good thing. We won just one games and will now be without Ross Combs for a month. We fell to 6.5 games out of first, and I unfortunately think are season has come to an end. I had such high hopes when we started the season, but we never really found our footing. We battled all the way back to within half a game just to lose seven of eight.

Week 19: August 17th-August 23rd
 

August 17th, 1931
Chicago Cougars (66-54): 5
Baltimore Cannons (70-47): 1

W: Jim Crawford (13-10)
L: Ben White (0-1)

After a nightmare of a week, we at least started this one off with a win over the first place Cannons, and we can at least earn a split if we win tomorrow's finale. Jim Crawford was excellent in his start, allowing just an unearned run, 6 hits, and a walk with 2 strikeouts in a complete game victory. John Kincaid was 4-for-5 with a double, steal, run scored, and RBI. Vince York was 2-for-3 with a walk and run scored. Jim Kyle was 2-for-3 with a walk and RBI. Cy Bryant was 1-for-3 with a walk, run scored, and RBI.

August 18th, 1931
Chicago Cougars (67-54): 12
Baltimore Cannons (70-48): 3

W: Bill Kline (1-0)
L: Dutch Everett (15-10)
SV: Ace McSherry (1)

The offense exploded for 12 in the finale to escape Baltimore with a split. We did have a scare, after Max Wilder left after five pitches, but all tests came back negative and he won't have to miss anytime. Bill Kline was excellent as the replacement starter, going 4.1 innings with 2 hits, a run, and 2 walks in his first big league win. Ace McSherry pitched the rest of the game, 4 innings with 3 hits, 3 walks, and 2 unearned runs for a very unconventional four inning save in a 9 run victory. Fred Barrell was 4-for-5 with a double, 2 runs, 2 RBI's, and his elusive first home run of the season. Tom Taylor was 2-for-5 with a homer of his own, 2 runs, and 3 RBI's. Harry Simmons was 2-for-4 with a double, walk, and three runs scored. Bill Ashbaugh was 2-for-4 with a walk, run scored, and two driven in.

August 19th, 1931
Chicago Cougars (68-54): 7
Brooklyn Kings (67-54): 2

W: Dick Lyons (14-5)
L: Lyman Weigel (17-12)

The road trip continues to Brooklyn where we'll see the Kings for a four game set. The offense looked good again, and 15 hits led to 7 runs in a nice 7-2 win to open the series. All nine hitters in the lineup recorded a hit, but all of them were singles. John Kincaid was a perfect 3-for-3 with 3 walks and 2 runs scored. Bill Ashbaugh was 3-for-4 with a walk and run scored. Vince York was 2-for-5 with a run and 3 RBI's. Fred Barrell was 2-for-4 with a walk and 2 RBI's.


August 20th, 1931
Chicago Cougars (68-55): 3
Brooklyn Kings (68-54): 4

W: Frank Parsons (1-0)
L: Steve Castellini (7-14)
SV: Del Lyons (4)

The Kings only scored in one inning, but a four run fifth was enough to take this one 4-3. We fell victim to former 4th Round pick Frank Parsons' first career win in his first career outing. It wasn't a terrible start by any means, but Steve Castellini allowed 8 hits, 4 runs, and 3 walks in 6 innings pitched. Chick Meehan struck out one in two perfect frames. Fred Barrell was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Phil Vaughan was 2-for-4 with a solo homer. Bill Ashbaugh was 2-for-4 with a double, run scored, and RBI. Vince York was 1-for-3 with a double and walk.

August 21st, 1931
Chicago Cougars (68-56): 0
Brooklyn Kings (69-54): 7

W: Milt Fritz (20-11)
L: Dick Leudtke (12-10)

Just when it looked like we were turning things around, we fell victim to a Milt Fritz shutout as he became 1931's first 20 game winner. Dick Luedtke didn't pitch well again, 6.2 innings with 10 hits, 7 runs (5 earned), 2 walks, and 4 strikeouts. Tom Taylor was 1-for-4 with a double. Harry Simmons had the only other hit, and he was 1-for-4 as well.

August 22nd, 1931
Chicago Cougars (69-56): 2
Brooklyn Kings (69-55): 1

W: Jim Crawford (14-10)
L: Tommy Wilcox (17-11)

The finale saw an excellent pitching duel, but Jim Crawford out dueled Tommy Wilcox and we left Brooklyn with a split. Crawford allowed just one run with 5 hits, a walk, and 5 strikeouts in another complete game victory. John Kincaid was 2-for-3 with a walk, run scored, and RBI.Harry Simmons was 2-for-4 with a double and RBI. Cy Bryant was 2-for-4 with a double and run scored.

August 23rd, 1931
Chicago Cougars (70-56): 8
Montreal Saints (51-72): 3

W: Max Wilder (14-11)
L: John Barrie (3-5)

Our road trip is nearly over, as our last series (still the single game in Philly) will be a four game set with the Saints in Montreal. No injury scare for Wilder in this one, as he led us to an 8-3 victory. He went all nine with 8 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks, and 4 strikeouts. He was also 1-for-3 with a sac-bunt, run scored, and sac-fly. Jim Kyle was 4-for-5 with a double and run scored. Cy Bryant was 3-for-5 with a triple and three runs scored. Bill Ashbaugh was 2-for-5 with 3 RBI's. Vince York was 1-for-4 with a double, walk, and run scored.

Stars of the Week
Fred Barrell : 19 AB, 9 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .474 AVG, 1.208 OPS
John Kincaid : 24 AB, 10 H, 0 HR, 4 RBI, .417 AVG, .976 OPS
Jim Crawford : 2 Wins, 18.0 IP, 2 BB, 7 K, 0.50 ERA

Weekly Summary
I have never seen such a crowded division race. The top four teams in the CA all have 70 wins and the fifth team, Brooklyn, is right behind with 69. Unfortunately, we're in fourth because our 56 losses is one more then the Sailors, which is one more then the Stars, and then one more then the Cannons. The Sailors have rolled off 8 in a row to jump back into things as they had their way with the Stars and Cannons. We'll have to face the Sailors for just a single game in Philly after finishing off the last three with the Saints. We have off days on the 28th and 31st, with a two game home series against the last place Foresters (45-79) between. If we play this week right, I think we have a chance to start September on top of the division. I gave up all hope, but just like that, right back in it.

Fred Barrell finally broke his home run drought after 76 games to start the year without one. Despite his power completely dropping off this year, his .315/.378/.430 (107 OPS+) with 50 RBI's in 337 trips to the plate. What's crazy, however, is how his caught stealing percentage has fell from 61.9 all the way down to 38.5. The plantar flaschitis may have slowed him down a bit behind the plate, but it's not something to worry about yet. Barrell had a long homerless stretch last year, and then went on a nice little run of his own. A few key homers down the stretch could make the difference, so I'm hoping he's got a few more up his sleeve.

Jim Crawford had a dominant week, allowing just a single earned run in two complete game victories. He walked just 2, allowed 11 hits, and struck out 7 as well to improve to 14-10 on the season. He's got an impressive 3.08 ERA (138 ERA+), 1.33 WHIP, and 66 strikeouts in 207.1 innings across 25 starts. The 25-year-old Crawford has found himself this season, and has taken charge of the rotation in just his second season in the majors. The dream of him and Tom Barrell leading the Cougar rotation for years

Injury Report
SP Dick Kadlec (AAA Milwaukee Blues): Partially Torn UCL (11 Months)
CF Tom Thomas (AAA Milwaukee Blues): Strained back (3-4 weeks)
SP Ken Grosvenor (B San Jose Cougars): Returned from the DL
RF Bill De Berardinis (B San Jose Cougars): Returned from the DL
SS Larry Burns (B San Jose Cougars): Returned from the DL
SP Roy Byrd (C La Crosse Lions): Returned form the DL
RP Harry Chamberlain (C La Crosse Lions): Back stiffness (4 days)

Minor League Report

SP Mike Murphy (AAA Milwaukee Blues): It might be time for another Cougar first round selection to make his major league debut. Waiting in Milwaukee, September 1st could be a big day for the former #2 overall pick. He's spent all year with the Blues, going 4-7 with a 3.90 ERA (113 ERA+), 1.41 WHIP, and 95 strikeouts in 115.1 innings pitched. Despite industry belief, I still think Murphy can start, but if I bring him up, he'll be used as a late inning high leverage guy as his stuff should translate really well into the bullpen.

SP Bobby Love (AA Mobile Commodores): A late season promotion to Mobile will be the third stop on the ladder for former 2nd Rounder Bobby Love. In 16 starts with Lincoln, he had an excellent 2.19 ERA (169 ERA+), 1.13 WHIP, and 117 strikeouts in 107 innings. He didn't have many decisions, just 6-1 in his 16 starts, but Love looked more then ready to take the next step. Now 22, it's his fourth professional season and he won't be Rule-5 eligible until next season. The 6'5'' right is, however, getting closer to the majors as he continues to perfect his arsenal. He has his troubles with command, but his stuff is just so good. He racks up lots of strikeouts and can overpower hitters when needed. Pitching prospects are such wild cards, as they can develop or decline at any time, and Love has a nice track record. I see him filling the back of the rotation, but a little boost to his velocity an he may surpass those expectations.

Week 20: August 14th-August 30th
 

August 24th, 1931
Chicago Cougars (70-57): 6
Montreal Saints (51-73): 7
11 Innings

W: Sam Young (1-3)
L: Claude Purvis (2-3)

We should have won this one... We were up 6-2 in after six and a half, and then they scored three in the bottom of the seventh. We held a one run lead in the 9th, but again, another starter left out too long. Instead of going to Purvis, Lyons allowed the game tieing run. Pruvis did end up getting the loss, but it was in his second inning of work as Cliff Moss walked it off with a single. Dick Lyons allowed 6 runs (5 earned), 13 hits, and a walk with 5 strikeouts in 9 innings. Purvis went 1+ inning, with all three hits and the run in the 11th. Slim Bloom was 3-for-5 with a triple, run scored, and two driven in. John Kincaid was 2-for-5 with a walk and RBI. Tom Taylor was 2-for-5 with a steal and RBI.Vince York was 2-for-5 with a run scored.

August 25th, 1931
Chicago Cougars (71-57): 6
Montreal Saints (51-74): 3

W: Steve Castellini (8-14)
L: Rich Fisher (11-7)
SV: Claude Purvis (4)

Six runs was enough today, as a big five run 6th helped us cruise to the finish line. Steve Castellini actually had a pretty good start, 7 strong innings with 8 hits, 3 runs, a walk, and strikeout. Claude Purvis pitched two perfect frames to pick up the save. John Kincaid was 3-for-5 with a run scored and two driven in. Vince York was 2-for-5 with a double and 2 RBI's. Phil Vaughan was 2-for-4. Cy Bryant was 1-for-4 with a steal and two run scored.

August 26th, 1931
Chicago Cougars (72-57): 1
Montreal Saints (51-75): 0

W: Dick Leudtke (13-10)
L: Dave Paynter (8-15)

Happy (pre) Birthday to me! Sure, I'd love more then just one run but a 7-hit, three strikeout shutout by Dick Leudtke is something I can't complain about. John Kincaid was 2-for-5 with a double and run scored. Bill Ashbaugh was 1-for-3 with a walk. Tom Taylor was 1-for-5, but his RBI double was enough for the win.

August 27th, 1931
Chicago Cougars (72-58): 4
Philadelphia Sailors (71-58): 7

W: Doc Newell (3-3)
L: Jim Crawford (14-11)

Well, losing sucks, don't get me wrong, but at least we're basically done with road games. The 7-4 loss to the Sailors was the last of 20 consecutive road games and 17 consecutive games with a day. What an awful stretch...

Anyways, the game itself wasn't great, as the Sailors managed to score 7 runs (5 earned) off 11 hits and 4 walks in just 5 innings of Jim Crawford. Ace McSherry mopped up the rest, 3 innings with 2 hits and a punchout. Cy Bryant was 3-for-4 with a double, run scored, and RBI. John Kincaid was 2-for-4 with a double, run scored, and RBI. Fred Barrell was 1-for-4 with a double and run scored.

August 29th, 1931
Cleveland Foresters (47-82): 2
Chicago Cougars (72-59): 1

W: Kyle Johnson (7-14)
L: Max Wilder (14-11)
SV: Eddie Grace (6)

We were off the day before and we probably needed another one. The offense never made it back, and we let the lowly Foresters keep us in check all game long in a 2-1 loss. Max Wilder pitched well, 7 innings with 6 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks, and 4 strikeouts. Tom Taylor was 2-for-4 with a walk. Harry Simmons was 1-for-4 with a double. Vince York was 1-for-4 with a walk.

August 30th, 1931
Cleveland Foresters (47-83): 3
Chicago Cougars (73-59): 10

W: Dick Lyons (15-5)
L: Pete Jemison (0-2)

Maybe we should have waited an extra day, as the offense woke back up and we won our last game of August 10-3. Vince York was 3-for-5 with a double, homer, and three runs scored. Fred Barrell was 3-for-5 with an RBI. Tom Taylor was 1-for-3 with a homer, 2 walks, 3 runs, and 2 RBI's. Bill Ashbaugh was 2-for-3 with a double, sac-fly, and 4 RBI's. John Kincaid was 2-for-5 with a run scored. Dick Lyons had a great start, going all nine with 7 hits, 3 runs (2 earned), a walk, and 4 strikeouts.

Stars of the Week
John Kincaid : 29 AB, 12 H, 0 HR, 4 RBI, .414 AVG, .916 OPS
Vince York : 26 AB, 8 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .308 AVG, .857 OPS
Dick Luedtke : 1 Win, 9.0 IP, 0 BB, 3 K, 0.00 ERA

Weekly Summary
13-14

I don't think I've ever been happy with a 13-14 month when I thought my team was supposed to play postseason baseball. But, with 17 consecutive road games and 20 of the 27 August games were all out of town. Honestly, we should've finished the month over .500, but we decided to drop the two home games against Toronto to start the month. Our road record isn't too bad either, as while 38-35 isn't great, it's still over .500. At home though, we're playing nearly .600 ball (35-24). After a four game series in Cleveland, we have 18 consecutive home games to end the year. I'm a little late on this post, so I already know how the series goes, but assuming we keep our winning pace at home, we should be able to count on 10 wins, which would put us just short of last year's 84 wins (this doesn't count the Foresters series). It may be enough to win the division, but I have to imagine that with ample rest days and no travel, we'll exceed those projections.

On the player side of things, both John Kincaid and Vince York are hitting .346, a point behind the third best CA hitter Doug Lightbody. A batting title seems far out of the reach as New York's Pete Layton is hitting .367, but we should have another top three hitter this year. I've talked a lot about York, but what's funny with Kincaid is in terms of OPS+ (he likes when his gets lower each year) it's the worst season of his career. He's hitting .344/.386/.426 (108 OPS+), but he hasn't homered and only has three triples. He doesn't have much power, just 14 career longballs, but he's recorded double digit triples each year in his career. He does have 17 steals and 52 RBI's, but Kincaid has been almost strictly a singles hitter this year. He still has a ton value on defense as he's an elite defender and he's as durable as they come. And if WAR is your thing, his defense is so good that he's likely to surpass his career high 5.0 last year with 4.4 and rising (hopefully).

Even though he did get a loss this week, I can't begin to explain how amazing Claude Purvis has been. Dick Kadlec, who probably won't pitch for a whole another year, just could not pitch out of the pen. In comes Purvis, who gets a whole option year burned because Tommy Russel decided to not pitch this season since he wasn't in the rotation, and injured himself out of spite. He's been excellent since, 26.2 innings with a 1.69 ERA (252 ERA+), 0.94 WHIP, and 7 strikeouts. The pen has actually turned into a strength now with him, Ace McSherry, and Bill Kline replacing Taylor Collins, Kadlec, and Russel. Add in the #2 (?) reliever in baseball Chick Meehan and it's hard to score in the late innings off our reinforcements.

And of course, what post is complete without Tom Taylor? He stole his 18th base, and he's just two more steals away from another 20/20 season. Yes, I wanted 40/20 when I traded for him, but one thing that Tom Taylor really brings to the team is his power. Vince York finally hit his 10th homer, but the next closest to double digits is Ashbaugh with just 7. Even better, none of my other starters have more then 3 (including Combs). Our fourth most homers is backup Phil Vaughan, who's slugged 4 in just 100 plate appearances. Sure, Taylor is an elite defender too, perhaps the best in the league, but that isn't what makes him special. Even if Taylor is just a league average hitter, so are most of my other players. None of them can hit 20 homers and steal 20 bases.

No minor league report today, I've been a day behind for a while now (we had a sim today that got us to roster expansion), but I'll do a big one tomorrow on our off day with all the call ups including a former top pick.

Week 21: August 31st-September 6th
 

September 2nd, 1931
Chicago Cougars (74-59): 9
Cleveland Foresters (47-84): 3

W: Jim Crawford (15-11)
L: Al Howell (2-10)

We got two days off, one where we stayed home and one where we traveled to Cleveland for our first series in September and last 1931 road series. We hit well in the opener, and took it 9-3. Bill Ashbaugh was 2-for-4 with a homer, walk, 3 runs, and 2 RBI's. Vince York was 2-for-4 with a triple, walk, and two runs scored. Fred Barrell was 2-for-5 with two runs scored. Cy Bryant was 1-for-4 with a walk, double, run scored, and 2 RBI's. Jim Crawford went all nine with 8 hits and 3 runs, but neither a walk or a strikeout.

September 3rd, 1931
Chicago Cougars (74-60): 2
Cleveland Foresters (48-84): 3

W: Carl Bragg (2-4)
L: Max Wilder (14-13)

A pair of Harry Simmons errors proved to be costly, as all three of the Foresters runs were unearned. It ruined Max Wilder's start, allowing 6 hits and 4 walks with 2 strikeouts in 8 innings. Vince York was 1-for-3 with a double, walk, run scored, and RBI. Fred Barrell was 1-for-4 with a double and RBI.

September 4th, 1931
Chicago Cougars (75-60): 7
Cleveland Foresters (48-85): 2

W: Dick Lyons (16-5)
L: George Barker (8-12)

The offense woke back up in this one, and we will at least split our final road series of the season. Vince York was 2-for-4 with 2 doubles, a walk, 2 runs, and 2 RBI's. Bill Ashbaugh was 2-for-4 with a double, run scored, and RBI. Cy Bryant was 2-for-5 with a double. Fed Barrell was 2-for-5 with a run scored and driven in. John Kincaid was 2-for-5 with 2 runs scored. Tom Taylor was 1-for-4 with a walk and solo homer. Dick Lyons went all nine, allowing 10 hits, 2 runs, and a walk with 5 strikeouts.

September 5th, 1931
Chicago Cougars (76-60): 3
Cleveland Foresters (48-86): 1
11 Innings

W: Claude Purvis (3-3)
L: Kyle Johnson (7-15)

Both teams scored a single run in the 6th, but that was all the scoring in regulation. Luckily, Bill Ashbaugh hit a two run homer in the 11th, and we held strong in the bottom half to win our last road game of 1931 3-1. Ashbaugh was 2-for-5 with the two run homer. Tom Taylor was 2-for-5 with a triple, RBI, and two runs scored. John Kincaid was 1-for-4 with a double and walk. Dick Leudtke made the start, 9.1 innings with 6 hits, a run, walk, and 5 strikeouts. Claude Purvis picked up the win, 1.2 innings with a hit, 2 walks, and a strikeout.

September 5th, 1931
Philadelphia Sailors (73-63): 5
Chicago Cougars (77-60): 6

W: Steve Castellini (9-14)
L: Oscar Morse (18-13)
SV: Claude Purvis (5)

We're home free! The rest of our season will be in beautiful Chicago, and the first team we welcome in is the Sailors for just a single game. The opener was real close, but we managed to edge our guests 6-5. As unusual as it is, Steve Castellini pitched well enough for us to win, 7 innings with 9 hits, 4 runs (3 earned), a walk, and 4 strikeouts. Claude Purvis got a 2 inning save, allowing a run and 4 hits with a strikeout. Slim Bloom was 3-for-4 with a steal. Cy Bryant was 3-for-4 with a run scored. John Kincaid was 2-for-4 with a steal, run scored, and RBI. Harry Simmons was 2-for-4 with a runs cored and driven in.

Stars of the Week
B. Ashbaugh : 19 AB, 7 H, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .368 AVG, 1.191 OPS
V. York : 20 AB, 8 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .400 AVG, 1.128 OPS
C. Bryant : 19 AB, 7 H, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .368 AVG, .902 OPS

Weekly Summary
This was a great week! Just one loss and now we are just a game out of first place while both Baltimore (77-58) and New York (77-58) are tied for first. It's going to be a dog fight the res of the way, but I think we have a nice advantage. After we had to have the entire month on the road, both Baltimore and New York have to play most of their games at road this month. And it isn't even a three team race, it'd be foolish to count either Brooklyn (74-61) or Philly (73-63) out.

Looking ahead, we have a double header with the Wolves (59-77) who I thought we were done with. I'm pretty sure if we win just won (we better win both though...) they will join Montreal (57-78) and Cleveland (48-87) in being eliminated from postseason contention. We get two off days before starting a tough stretch of games against our competitors. Three with the Stars, four with the Cannons, and three with the Kings. These games are critical, because if we can win each series, we can distance ourselves from the pack. Or worse, if they take series from us, we may not have a chance to recover as the season is so close to ending.

We'll get to make roster call ups now as well! All call ups can be found below in the minor league report:

Injury Report
SS Charlie Gamble (AA Mobile Commodores): Returned from the DL
LF Dave Ward (B San Jose Cougars): Returned from the DL
CF Flip Lafferty (C La Crosse Lions): Returned from the DL
SP Fred Collins (C La Crosse Lions): Returned from the DL

Minor League Report

2B Hank Mitchell: It's a long time coming, but the former 1925 2nd Rounder is finally set to make his big league debut. Mitchell's greatest appeal is his versatility, as he can fill in anywhere except catcher and pitcher. He filled in all throughout the system when injuries hit, and this season played games at first, second, third, short, left, and right. He's a great defensive second basemen, and in just 665.1 innings, he has an impressive +10.7 ZR and 1.115 efficiency this season. Not only is Mitchell also a switch hitter, he's got blinding speed and has 129 professional steals including 29 back in 1927. He doesn't really have that much talent at the plate, but he's extremely valuable late in games and could really make his presence known.

SP Mike Murphy: Another player making his debut, the former #2 Overall Pick Mike Murphy will be on hand as a late inning reliever. The sidewinding lefty spent the entire season in Milwaukee, going 6-7 with a 3.94 ERA (112 ERA+), 1.45 WHIP, and 112 strikeouts in 134.2 innings pitched. He's got a low 90s fastball, but he'll get an extra mile or two working out of the pen. He does an excellent job controlling his pitches, and it's pretty hard to hit a home run off him. This will be a nice little audition for him as he'll get a chance to prove that he's a major league talent. I still hope he's a starter, but he may get comfortable in a relief role and if he flourishes, it may not be worth moving him to the rotation.

RF Mike Smith: He had an awesome season in AAA last season, but he got hurt right when rosters expanded so he didn't get a chance for a callup. This year, he'll get a nice 26th birthday gift, a one way ticket to Chicago. He tore the cover off the ball all season, hitting .315/.388/.547 (141 OPS+) with 26 homers, 22 steals, and 85 RBI's in 534 trips to the plate. Unfortunately for him, he's not much of a center fielder so I can't really start him over Bryant and it's impossible to bench York or Taylor for Smith to start. I'll give him a decent amount of at bats, especially since Smith has the talent to start. A strong September could make him an intriguing trade target for a team who's not yet ready to compete and can afford to give an extended tryout.

SP Gus Cain: Make it back-to-back dominant seasons for the 27-year-old Gus Cain in Milwaukee. This year he was 13-6 with a 3.15 ERA (141 ERA+), 1.12 WHIP, and 202 strikeouts in 163 innings pitched. The southpaw from Illinois won't enter the rotation, but he will start Game 2 of the double header with the Wolves. It will be Cain's 8th career start, and he's 0-2 with a 4.56 ERA (103 ERA+), 1.40 WHIP, and 4 strikeouts in 47.1 innings pitched. Like Smith, a strong September for Cain could make him an interesting trade target. He's way too good to keep pitching in AAA, but I don't think I could even replace Castellini with him.

RF Ed Rhoden: This is the second September callup for the former 13th Round Pick, and I spent this season giving him almost equal starts in left, right, and center. It was a nice season for him with Milwaukee, hitting .307/.372/.469 (118 OPS+) with 16 homers, 29 steals, and 59 RBI's in 587 trips to the plate. My scout is a huge fan of him, loving his hit tool, speed, and defensive ability out in right field. Rhoden has a lot of talent, and he'll get a chance to show it off a bit.

That's all the callups for now, but I might decide to make a few more reinforcements later in the month.

Week 22: September 7th-September 13th
 

September 7th, 1931
Toronto Wolves (59-78): 1
Chicago Cougars (78-60): 3
Game 1

W: Jim Crawford (16-11)
L: Babe Adams (9-7)

Our worst nightmare came to town in the form of the 59-77 Toronto Wolves, who we hosted for a quick double header. Jim Crawford did what he did best, and allowed just one run in the 3-1 victory. He went all nine, with 7 hits, a walk, and 6 strikeouts. He was also 1-for-2 with a sac-bunt and run scored. John Kincaid was 2-for-3 with a walk and run scored. Slim Bloom was 2-for-4 with a run scored and RBI. Ed Rhoden was 1-for-2 with 2 walks and an RBI.

September 7th, 1931
Toronto Wolves (59-79): 1
Chicago Cougars (79-60): 4
Game 2

W: Gus Cain (1-0)
L: Barry Wood (11-11)

The pitching was just as good in the second game, and we managed to sweep our former nemesis in the double header. Gus Cain got to make the start, and it would have been hard for him to do any better. He went all nine, allowed 7 hits, a run, and 2 walks with 7 strikeouts. John Kincaid was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Phil Vaughan was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Tom Taylor was 1-for-3 with a walk, steal, and run scored. Mike Smith was 1-for-3 with a walk and run scored.

September 10th, 1931
New York Stars (78-61): 0
Chicago Cougars (80-60): 3

W: Max Wilder (15-13)
L: Gene Stevens (10-14)

Before the game started, we were actually in first place. The Stars and Cannon were both 78-60, so we had a one game lead. A lead for the first time in my career running the Cougars. Max Wilder took things upon himself, and tossed a brilliant 7-hit shutout with 2 walks and 5 strikeouts as we took the first of a crucial three game set. Bill Ashbaugh was 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo homer, his 10th on the season. John Kincaid was 2-for-4 with a double and RBI. Harry Simmons was 1-for-4 with a double and run scored. Fred Barrell was 1-for-4 with a run scored and RBI.

September 11th, 1931
New York Stars (79-61): 14
Chicago Cougars (80-61): 3

W: Charlie Stedman (3-5)
L: Dick Lyons (16-6)
SV: Boyd Harper (8)

Well, you can't pitch perfect forever. The game was a little closer then the score indicated, as the Stars piled on 8 insurance runs in the 8th. Dick Lyons had a rough outing, 6 runs and 11 hits with a walk and strikeout in 6 innings. It was a nightmarish debut for the 23-year-old Mike Murphy, allowing 7 hits, 8 runs, and 2 walks with 2 strikeouts in 1.2 innings pitched. Bill Ashbaugh had another good game, 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored. Vince York was 2-for-4 with a walk and 2 RBI's. Cy Bryant was 1-for-4 with a triple, walk, run, and RBI. Slim Bloom was 1-for-1 with a pair of walks.

September 12th, 1931
New York Stars (79-62): 11
Chicago Cougars (81-61): 12
11 Innings

W: Ace McSherry (2-0)
L: Earl Slater (5-7)

This was a crazy up and down game. The Stars scored 4 in the 7th to tie the game at 8, and then scored 3 more in the 9th to take an 11-8 lead. In the bottom of the ninth, Cy Bryant led off the inning with a double and then a Vince York single brought him to third. The former MVP Tom Taylor lined a shot to right field over the fence to tie the game with a three run homer to send the game to extras. Fast forward to the 11th, and Slim Bloom singled home Vince York as we walked off winners and took two of three from one of our closest competitors.

Jim Crawford made the start, but it didn't go so well. He went just 6 with 13 hits, 8 runs (6 earned), a walk, and strikeout. Claude Purvis allowed 3 runs off 3 hits and a walk in 2 innings pitched. Vince York was 4-for-6 with a triple, 3 runs, and 2 RBI's. Slim Bloom was 3-for-6 with a pair of RBI's. Cy Bryant was 2-for-5 with a steal, walk, RBI, and three runs scored. Tom Taylor was 2-for-4 with a homer, 2 runs, 2 walks, and 4 RBI's. Bill Ashbaugh was 2-for-6 with a double, run scored, and RBI. Harry Simmons was 1-for-4 with a walk, sac-bunt, and RBI.

September 13th, 1931
Baltimore Cannons (80-62): 0
Chicago Cougars (82-61): 8

W: Dick Leudtke (14-10)
L: Rabbit Day (17-14)

We had another big series up next, and this one was a four game set with the team right behind us, Baltimore. Dick Leudtke was absolutely dominant in the opener, just 4 hits, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts in a complete game shutout as we shut down the Cannons. Vince York was 3-for-4 with a double, walk, 3 runs, and 2 RBI's. Tom Taylor was 3-for-4 with a walk, run scored, and RBI. Harry Simmons was 1-for-2 with a walk, run scored, and 2 RBI's. Slim Bloom was 1-for-3 with a run scored and driven in.

Stars of the Week
Tom Taylor : 19 AB, 8 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .421 AVG, 1.101 OPS
Vince York : 26 AB, 9 H, 0 HR, 6 RBI, .346 AVG, .854 OPS
Bill Ashbaugh : 20 AB, 7 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .350 AVG, .959 OPS

Weekly Summary
FIRST PLLLLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

WOW!

This feels awesome!

Not going to lie, when I found out I more or less jumped for joy. With all the things that went wrong early in the season and when I thought we fell too far to come back, I thought the season was over. But, just a few weeks later we're in first for the first time since they won the 1922 World Series.

But, that doesn't mean it''s going to be smooth sailing the rest of the way. Our magic number is 11 and we have 11 games left. Luckily, all 11 our at home while the Stars (80-62) have 12 road games and the Cannons (80-62) have 9 road games and 3 home games. This plays out well for us, and the game gives us a 68% chance to make the postseason with New York (15.6%), Baltimore (14.1%), and Brooklyn's (2.3%, 78-64) chances much lower.

This week sees us play three more against the Cannons and a three game set against the Kings. After, we get Montreal (63-79) for three before three off days. After, we finish the season for two against the Sailors (75-68). It's a little scary how much can happen in those three off days, but I'd say a 5-2 week seals the deal. I'm really confident at the moment, but of course, anything can happen.

During the week I didn't post, legendary outfielder John Dibblee announced he was retiring at the end of the season. After an above average offensive season in every year of his career, he's hitting just .250/.295/.323 (58 OPS+) in limited playing time. I can't see him really getting into anymore games, so he'll likely end his career with 3,911 career hits. The only FABL hitter with more career hits is the legendary Powell Slocum who hit 4,144 from 1905-1925. Dibblee has some records of his own, including at bats (11,323), runs (1,938), and total bases (5,760). Of course, when you look at Cougar specific records, Dibblee's name appears as often as you'd expect. In addition to numerous single season records, he's our all time leader for batting average (.345), OBP (.425), OPS (.933), WAR (177.5), games (3,007), hits (3,911), doubles (560), triples (517), steals (752), and walks (1,535). He's not just the best Cougar of all time, but one of the best baseball players our game has ever seen. And after the 1931 season, no Cougar will ever wear the number 19 ever again. I'm just hoping we can have a nice jersey retirement ceremony after celebrating a ring presenting ceremony.

Lastly, Russ Combs is on his way back! He's hurt for three more days, but I'm activating him now so he'll be ready for the Kings series. He's not going to be playing every day, but getting him back for any amount of time is going to be great, assuming no setbacks in the next three days.

Week 23: September 14th-September 20th
 

September 14th, 1931
Baltimore Cannons (80-63): 6
Chicago Cougars (83-61): 7

W: Claude Purvis (4-3)
L: Paul Vandenberg (2-3)

Up 6-2 to start the 8th, the Cannons rallied for four to tie the game. Fast forward to the ninth, and Vince York was up with runners on first and second. He singled to right, sending Bill Ashbaugh around third and an errant throw by right fielder Doc Cleveland allowed him to score, and we survived with a 7-6 walk off victory. Steve Castellini had a solid start, 7 innings with 10 hits, 2 runs, and 2 strikeouts. Chick Meehan was roughed up for 4 runs off 5 hits while getting just one out. Cy Bryant was a perfect 4-for-4 with a walk, triple, run, and 2 RBI's. York was 3-for-5 with a run scored and 2 RBI's. Ashbaugh was 1-for-3 with a double, 2 walks, and 2 runs. John Kincaid was 1-for-4 with a triple, run scored, and RBI. John Dibblee had a pinch hit RBI double and later scored.

September 15th, 1931
Baltimore Cannons (80-64): 5
Chicago Cougars (84-61): 7

W: Gus Cain (2-0)
L: Dutch Leverett (17-14)
SV: Mike Murphy (1)

We did it! It's not a sweep, there is still one more game, but after a 7-5 win, it looks like the division is ours! We got a little injury scare, as Max Wilder left in the second, but he won't miss any time. Gus Cain came in long relief, 3.2 innings with 5 hits, 3 runs (2 earned), a walk, and 2 strikeouts. Mike Murphy picked up his first big league save, pitching 4 innings with 5 hits, a run, and a strike out. Cy Bryant was 4-for-4 again with a walk, 2 runs, and an RBI. Vince York was 3-for-5 with a double, triple, run, and RBI. Fred Barrell was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Tom Taylor was 1-for-3 with a solo homer and two sac-flies.

September 16th, 1931
Baltimore Cannons (81-64): 4
Chicago Cougars (84-62): 2

W: Rabbit Day (18-14)
L: Dick Lyons (16-7)

We couldn't finish off the sweep, as the Cannons took the finale 4-2. Dick Lyons allowed 11 hits and 4 runs with a walk and strikeout in the complete game loss. Cy Bryant and Tom Taylor were both 2-for-4. Slim Bloom was 1-for-4 with a triple, run scored, and RBI.

September 17th, 1931
Brooklyn Kings (79-67): 1
Chicago Cougars (85-62): 2

W: Jim Crawford (17-11)
L: Mickey Beavers (2-3)

We welcomed the Kings to town for a three game set, and Jim Crawford was as excellent as usual. He allowed just one run in nine innings with 8 hits and 4 strikeouts. At the plate, he was 1-for-3 with a run scored. Tom Taylor was 2-for-3 with a walk and solo homer, as he reached 100 RBI's on the season. Harry Simmons was 1-for-3 with a steal.

September 18th, 1931
Brooklyn Kings (80-67): 7
Chicago Cougars (85-63): 5

W: Milt Fritz (23-15)
L: Dick Leudtke (14-11)
SV: Del Lyons (6)

The Kings evened the series as Milt Fritz picked up his league best 23rd win in a 7-5 victory. Vince York was 3-for-5 with a solo homer and two runs scored. Bill Ashbaugh was 3-for-5 with a steal, run scored, and two driven in. Harry Simmons was 2-for-4 with a steal and run scored. John Kincaid was 1-for-4 with a walk and run scored. Starter Dick Leudtke was 2-for-3 with an RBI. On the mound he tossed 6.1 innings with 13 hits, 7 runs, 2 walks, and 4 strikeouts.

September 19th, 1931
Brooklyn Kings (80-68): 7
Chicago Cougars (86-63): 3

W: Steve Castellini (10-14)
L: Lyman Weigel (19-17)
SV: Chick Meehan (4)

The pitching recovered with Castellini on the mound, and we took the finale 7-3. He pitched well, 6 innings with 9 hits, 3 runs, 3 walks, and 3 strikeouts. Chick Meehan recorded a three inning save with a hit, walk, and 2 strikeouts. John Kincaid was 3-for-4 with a steal, walk, run scored, and RBI. Tom Taylor was 2-for-2 with 2 walks, a steal, and run scored. With that steal, he now has our first 20/20 season. Harry Simmons was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Bill Ashbaugh was 1-for-3 with a sac-fly, run scored, steal, and 3 RBI's. Fred Barrell was 1-for-4 with a double.

September 20th, 1931
Montreal Saints (65-85): 2
Chicago Cougars (86-63): 14

W: Max Wilder (16-13)
L: Dave Paynter (11-17)

Our next opponent was the Saints, and we absolutely destroyed them in the opener. We put up 23 hits and scored 14 runs to take the finale 14-2. Tom Taylor was 4-for-6 with a homer, steal, 2 runs, and 2 RBI's. Fred Barrell was 3-for-4 with a walk and run scored. Bill Ashbaugh was 2-for-4 with a double and solo homer. Cy Bryant was 2-for-2 with a walk, double, RBI, and two runs scored. Harry Simmons was 2-for-4 with a double, steal, and run scored. John Kincaid was 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI's. Starter Max Wilder was 2-for-3 with a double, 2 sac-bunts, run scored, and 3 RBI's. He also went all nine with just 5 hits, 2 runs (1 earned), 3 walks, and 4 strikeouts.

Stars of the Week
Tom Taylor : 26 AB, 11 H, 3 HR, 6 RBI, .423 AVG, 1.238 OPS
Cy Bryant : 26 AB, 12 H, 0 HR, 4 RBI, .462 AVG, 1.094 OPS
Vince York : 31 AB, 11 H, 1 HR, 6 RBI, .355 AVG, .892 OPS

Awards
Player of the Week: RF Tom Taylor

Weekly Summary
1

That's it!

That's our magic number!

Pop the champagne!!!

With just four games left in the season, we hold a 4.5 game lead over the Cannons (82-67) and New York (81-67) is half a game behind while both Brooklyn (81-68) and Philly (79-70) were eliminated from the postseason this week. It's all but certain we'll face the New York Gothams (90-58) who have a four and a half game lead of their own, but a magic number of three. It's a long time coming, but this ended up being a great year, and now we have a chance to write our name in history.

Even with the ups and downs he had this season, we don't make the playoffs if it wasn't for Tom Taylor. As useless as WAR is, his 6.3 is second best in the CA, just 0.1 behind the Stars star third basemen John Lawson, who actually used to be a Cougar prospect that I let get away in the Johnny Douglas trade. Taylor has had an excellent season, hitting .289/.352/.472 (110 OPS+) with 28 homers, 102 RBI's, and 21 steals in 664 trips to the plate and an amazing +25.6 ZR out in right. Those aren't MVP numbers by any means, but he's easily our most valuable hitter this season . He took home another Player of the Week award, and he really turned things up a notch in September.

There's not much more I can say about this season. This is the first time we don't stop playing once the postseason starts. I'm excited for the World Series, and it should be an awesome match up against the New York Gothams. They won the FA last year, but it was just two years ago that we both finished last place in our respective divisions. Both teams are built for the future, and this might not be the last time we see each other in the postseason.

Week 24: September 21st-September 27th
 

September 21st, 1931
Montreal Saints (65-86): 7
Chicago Cougars (87-63): 14

W: Dick Lyons (17-7)
L: Rich Fisher (13-10)

Clinched!

We scored 14 runs again, and officially clinched the 1931 Continental Association Pennant. We will represent the CA, and take on the reigning FA pennant winners, the New York Gothams. John Kincaid was 5-for-6 with a triple and three runs scored. Cy Bryant was 3-for-5 with a triple, walk, 3 runs, and 3 RBI's. Tom Taylor was 2-for-5 with a homer, walk, 2 runs, and 3 RBI's. Vince York was 2-for-4 with a walk, 2 runs, and 2 RBI's. Fred Barrell was 2-for-3 with a double, 2 walks, 2 runs, and an RBI. Harry Simmons was 2-for-4 with a walk and 2 RBI's. Starter Dick Lyons was 1-for-4 with a run scored and driven in. He tossed 7 innings, but with 14 hits, 7 runs, a walk, and three strikeouts in his last regular season start of the season.

September 21st, 1931
Montreal Saints (65-87): 2
Chicago Cougars (89-63): 6

W: Jim Crawford (18-11)
L: Johnny Douglas (5-2)

Each extra win now doesn't really do anything, but we finished off a sweep with a 6-2 win against former Cougar Johnny Douglas. Jim Crawford went all nine, allowing 12 hits, 2 runs, and 2 walks with 3 strikeouts. Bill Ashbaugh was 2-for-3 with a double, walk, run, and 3 RBI's. Vince York was 2-for-4 with a double, RBI, and two runs scored. Harry Simmons was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Ross Combs and John Kincaid were both 1-for-4 with a run scored.

September 26th, 1931
Montreal Saints (80-73): 7
Chicago Cougars (90-63): 8

W: Ace McSherry (3-0)
L: Herb Lowman (13-13)

We got four days off before finishing the season with two games against the Philadelphia Sailors, who will not get a chance to defend their title. Down 7-4 in the 8th, we rallied for four, capped off by a three run homer by Harry Simmons. We held them in the 9th, and picked up our 90th win of the season. Simmons was 2-for-4 with a walk, 2 runs, and 4 RBI's, and the homer was the only one he hit all year. Tom Taylor was 1-for-4 with a run and 2 RBI's. Fred Barrell was 1-for-3 with a walk and RBI. John Kincaid was 1-for-3 with a walk and run scored. Max Wilder made the start, but he allowed 10 hits and 7 runs (5 earned) with 5 walks and 4 strikeouts. Ace McSherry picked up the win, allowing just one hit while striking out three in 2 innings.

September 28th, 1931
Montreal Saints (80-74): 5
Chicago Cougars (91-63): 8

W: Dick Leudtke (15-11)
L: William Jones (19-12)

We had another 4 run 8th, as we took a 8-3 lead to the ninth. The Sailors did rally for two, but we managed to limit the damage and finish the regular season with an 8-5 win. Dick Leudtke almost went the distance, 8.1 innings with 14 hits, 5 runs, 3 walks, and 4 strikeouts. Fred Barrell was 3-for-4 with a double, run, and 4 RBI's. Harry Simmons was 2-for-4 with a triple, RBI, steal, and two runs. Tom Taylor was 2-for-3 with a walk, double, and two runs scored. Cy Bryant was 1-for-3 with a double, walk, run, and RBI. Bill Ashbaugh was 1-for-3 with a walk and a pair of runs scored.

Stars of the Week
Harry Simmons : 15 AB, 8 H, 1 HR, 8 RBI, .533 AVG, 1.455 OPS
Fred Barrell : 14 AB, 7 H, 0 HR, 7 RBI, .500 AVG, 1.231 OPS
Tom Taylor : 15 AB, 5 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .333 AVG, 1.044 OPS

Weekly Summary
After the postseason I'll do a much more in-depth seasonal recap, but a perfect 4-0 week and 18-4 month ended a great regular season We will now represent the Continental Association in the World Series. We will face the New York Gothams (93-61) who fell just short of winning last year, dropping a tough game seven to the Sailors.

Looking to the leader boards, Tom Taylor finished 2nd in both homers (29) and WAR (6.5), tied for 4th in steals (21), and 5th in WPA (3.65), walks (63), RBI's (107) and runs scored (105). Vince York finished 3rd in WPA (3.81), 4th in batting average (.348) and runs scored (108), and 3rd in hits (211). John Kincaid finished 5th in batting average (.339) and 2nd in hits (214). Jim Crawford was tied for 4th in complete games (21) and BB/9 (2.1) and 5th in ERA (3.15), ERA+ (135), and WAR (5.5). Dick Lyons was tied for 1st in BB/9 (1.7) was 2nd in K/BB (1.9). Max Wilder was 4th in K/9 (4.0). Steve Castellini was tied for 1st in BB/9 (1.7).

As a team, we ranked 1st in batting average (.301), on base percentage (.353), steals (104), and walks for pitchers (374). We finished 2nd in slugging (.409), OPS (.762), wOBA (.341), runs scored (809), hits (1,671), and pitcher WAR (21.9). We were 3rd in batters WAR (28.2), Starter's ERA (3.71), and zone rating (+43.9).

I'm going to try to a championship preview on the Gothams tomorrow morning before we start the postseason

World Series Preview
 

Preview
The New York Gothams were the class of the Federal Association for the second year in a row and the team is really well rounded. They finished in the top half of the Fed in every statistical category except base running. They scored the 2nd most runs and allowed the 2nd least amount of runs, and they finished one or two in nearly every category. They only had just one month where they weren't over .500, finishing 13-13 in July. There wasn't much difference between their home (48-29) and road (45-32) record, so they are a tough match up wherever they play.

The Chicago Cougars are representing the Continental Association as they returned to the World Series for the first time since 1922. It was an up and down season for Chicago, but a strong 18-4 September helped them pull away from the pack, finishing the season six games above Baltimore. The Cougars are a pretty balanced team as well, but they played in a more top heavy CA. There isn't much power in the lineup, but the team ranks towards the top of the league in categories like batting average, on base percentage, and steals. The top of the rotation is strong and the staff nearly never walks anyone. Home field definitely makes a difference, as the Cougars are much better in Chicago (50-27) then they are anywhere else (41-36).

Positional Breakdown

Catcher

Gothams: Red Jackson (5th)
Just 25, the former 14th Overall Pick Red Jackson had an excellent first full season in the FABL. In 488 trips to the plate, he hit .336/.386/.416 (117 OPS+) with a homer and 45 RBI's. He had an excellent 55.8 caught stealing percentage and 1.081 efficiency with a +2.9 zone rating. Jackson is filled with talent, with excellent strike zone recognition and a consistent hit tool. The power isn't there, but he's really hard to get out. Pair that with pretty good defensive skills, and Jackson looks like a solid second tier catcher with the upside to become a top starter.

Cougars: Fred Barrell (4th)
He missed some time this season, but Fred Barrell had another solid year as the Cougars backstop. The power wasn't there, he hit just one homer in just under 400 at bats, but his .321/.385/.424 (108 OPS+) line was nearly the same as last season's .324/.376/.469 (109 OPS+) line. The power drop was concerning none the less, as he hit 10 homers and drove in 101 runs last year, but I think the power drop was a fluke. He did this before in the minors, hitting 16 in 1927 before dropping to 3 in 1928, but that wasn't due to injury. The injury also effected his play behind the plate, as his caught stealing, zone rating, and efficiency all dropped significantly during this season. When healthy, the former 3rd Overall pick is one of the best catchers in the game, and he has tremendous offensive and defensive talent.

Advantage: Tie
If Barrell stayed healthy all season, I'd give him the edge, but both catchers had very similar seasons. Neither showed much power, but both are competent defenders and hitters who provide above average production behind the plate. Considering both guys are young as well, they could be two of the top catchers for years to come.

First Base

Gothams: Max Morris (2nd)
Acquired in the offseason from the St. Louis Pioneers, Max Morris is one of the greatest hitters of all time. Now 36, he's a 7-Time MVP with 555 career homers, more then twice as many as any other FABL hitter. It was another dominant season for the big lefty slugger, hitting .331/.420/.606 (174 OPS+) with 34 homers and 105 RBI's. There's really not much more you can say about Morris other then he's the greatest hitter to play the game. No one can come close to his power, as he has five seasons with 50 or more homers, including 60 in 1923.

Cougars: Bill Ashbaugh (8th)
I'm actually a little shocked with how low he's ranked, because back when he was a second basemen he constantly ranked in the top 3 at the position. The former 4th Overall pick, Ashbaugh is already the Cougars all time home run leader with 90 in five seasons. At 27, he's also one of the oldest starting position players on the Cougars. He had a down year, hitting just .326/.383/.452 (114 OPS+) with 11 homers, 14 steals, and 95 RBI's. The steals was a career best, but his .320/.390/.513 (131 OPS+) career line is much better then this years, and his former career low for homers was 15, which he hit in 78 games. Ashbaugh has adjusted well defensively, transforming from one of the worst second basemen to one of the best first basemen, but it seems like he has sacrificed some of the bat for the glove. Ashbaugh is an extremely talented hitter with great speed and nice power. First base is a position filled with talent, but I really don't think there are seven first basemen better then him.

Advantage: Gothams
This one isn't even close. Morris is probably the best player in the entire series, and even at his age he's one of the best players in the game. Sure, he sucks at defense, but who cares when you hit the ball like he does.

Second Base

Gothams: Mose Christopher (3rd)
The 26-year-old Mose Christopher was taken in the 6th Round back in 1926, and he's developed into a dependable big league second basemen. He hit .285/.343/.427 (107 OPS+) with 23 homers, 24 steals, and 91 RBI's. He joined Tom Taylor as one of the few FABL players this season to record a 20/20 season, and it was the second for him in his second full season. Christopher is also a dependable defender, putting up plus numbers in terms of range, zone rating, and efficiency. He has a great combination of speed and power mixed with an excellent approach at the plate. There are very few middle infielders with the tools Christopher has, and any team would benefit from his presence.

Cougars: Harry Simmons (7th)
After an excellent season last year, the former Rule-5 Pick slumped a bit in 1931, hitting just .296/.350/.374 (86 OPS+) with a homer, 11 steals, and 72 RBI's. Not only that, his defense slumped as well, with a 0.0 zone rating. A light hitting lefty, he's got good speed and usually plays good defense, but he doesn't really have anything that sets him apart from most middle infielders. If there's any position I'd look to upgrade, second base is probably the first I'd consider.

Advantage: Gothams
Harry Simmons is a solid player, but Christopher has the advantage in nearly every category. Not only that, he's got way more power and a lot more upside.

Third Base

Gothams: Don Ward (3rd)
After trading John Kincaid to us, the Gothams picked up Don Ward from the Foresters. It seemed to be a smart move, as he broke out last season and had an even better 1931. He hit .322/.383/.433 (120 OPS+) with 7 homers and 90 RBI's. He's also one of the best defenders at third, with an amazing +10.2 zone rating and 1.049 efficiency at the hot corner. He consistently hits lasers to all parts of the field and he can draw a ton of walks. He's one of the best players on the Gothams, probably more valuable then everyone except Morris and ace Jim Lonardo.

Cougars: John Kincaid (6th)
One of the three former Gothams, John Kincaid came over in the 1929 offseason. He's always hit for a high average, this year hitting .339/.382/.420 (106 OPS+) with 20 steals and 61 RBI's. It was the first season he didn't hit a homer, but he's never hit more then 5 in a season. Like Ward, he is one of the best defenders at third, with an excellent +6.1 zone rating and 1.041 efficiency. The 26-year-old Kincaid has a beautiful swing and he usually piles up extra base hits. It was a bit of a down season for Kincaid, but he's still extremely talented at both sides of the field, even if he never will hit for much power. He's a perfect leadoff hitter or #2 in the lineup.

Advantage: Gothams
Again, the Gothams have another positional advantage. Ward is one of the better players in the league, and unlike Kincaid, he's trending upward instead of downward. Kincaid is still an above average starter, but there are very few third basemen better then Ward.

Shortstop

Gothams: Ollie Clark (4th)
A former 2nd Round Pick, Ollie Clark played just 91 games for the Gothams this year. He hit .299/.342/.475 (119 OPS+) with 11 homers and 58 RBI's. He's not the best defender, however, putting up a negative zone rating and a poor .972 efficiency. He makes the routine plays consistently, but he doesn't have the ideal range for short. He could be a great defensive second basemen, but with Christopher there, the Gothams have had to use Clark. Regardless, he's got a lot of pop for a shortstop and is a really good offensive player.

Cougars: Russ Combs (3rd)
It was an injury shortened season for Combs, who hit just .337/.358/.418 (99 OPS+) with 2 homers, 11 steals, and 35 RBI's in 293 plate appearances. Not only was his offensive line down, he had an awful -7.4 zone rating and .910 efficiency in 523.1 innings. This is not the normal Combs, who had a +5.8 zone rating and 1.029 efficiency in a full season. Combs is an extremely talented player who has nice power and the ability to hit for a high average. He's got speed both in the field and on the basepaths, but he just had an uncharacteristic seasons. Injuries are common, so it's a little worrying for the future, but when healthy, Combs is the best shortstop in the league.

Advantage: Tie
Again, injuries prevent me from giving us the edge as Russ Combs would have the advantage if he didn't spend most of the season on the DL or playing injured. Clark as a lot of power and is a great hitter, and because Combs was terrible defensively this year, it'd be hard to give Combs the edge this year.

Left Field

Gothams: Joe Perret (1st)
Acquired in the offseason from the Foresters, Perrett was actually a target of ours, and two of the three prospects in the package (Ben Turner and Dean Astle) were former Cougars. He's out for the season, so Dick Dickey will start in left for the Gothams. He did not replicate Perett's performance, hitting just .249/.291/.383 (81 OPS+) with 7 homers and 36 RBI's in just under 300 plate appearances. Dickey has actually had a solid career, hitting .296/.343/.452 (111 OPS+) with 31 homers, 36 steals, and 263 RBI's in 591 games with the Gothams. We are lucky Perrett isn't playing, as his .322/.377/.524 (141 OPS+) line is far superior, and even his 14 homers, 19 steals, and 54 RBI's in 94 games are much better then Dickey's production.

Cougars: Vince York (4th)
The best home grown Cougar, Vince York's second season was just as good as his rookie year. He's not much of a defender, but he hit an impressive .348/.392/.502 (128 OPS+) with 11 homers and 104 RBI's in 663 trips to the plate. York is a switch hitter with an excellent pure hit tool, and he'll constantly approach the top of the batting average leaderboards. As mentioned, he's not much of a defender, but he doesn't really need to be. Cy Bryant and Tom Taylor are two of the best defenders in the league, and the more then make up for York's lack of range. Having those two makes it easy to keep York's bat in the lineup. He's one of the most consistent hitters in the league, and he 25-year-old will fill the middle of our order for years to come.

Advantage: Cougars
This is the only position where one team has the clear advantage, but that's just because of Perret's injury. York is one of the better players in the league, and Dickey is easily the Gothams worst starter. Of course, a healthy Perret is better then York, but we luckily won't have to face him.

Center Field

Gothams: Bobby Sprague (2nd)
When I traded for Cy Bryant, I first considered Sprague, but I thought the Gothams wouldn't really want to move him. The 24-year-old didn't match his rookie year performance, but he hit .306/.361/.398 (105 OPS+) with homers, 22 steals, and 62 RBI's. Sprague does have the range and speed for center, but he had a really weird season in the outfield grass. After a +12.1 ZR last year, he was just barely over zero at +0.3 this season. It could be a fluke, as his minor league numbers are closer to his 1930 season then the 1931 season, so it's safe to say that Sprague is still a dependable defender.

Cougars: Cy Bryant (3rd)
Acquired in the offseason from Toronto for top 100 prospect Clyde Hinzman, Cy Bryant had a solid first full season as a starer. The 25-year-old hit a decent .308/.360/.402 (95 OPS+) with a homer, 13 steals, and 58 RBI's in 613 trips to the plate. His true value is on defense, with an elite +18.2 ZR and 1.055 defensive efficiency. Bryant is quite possible the best defensive center fielder in the game, and having him in patrolling center instead of the Bob McCarthy/George Jordan platoon really benefited our pitching staff. Bryant can track down anything hit in the outfield, and he's saved more runs then we can count due to his defensive ability.

Advantage: Cougars
This one was really close. I'd call it a draw if Sprague had a normal defensive season, but the difference between him and Bryant defensively this year was more then enough to make up for Sprague's slight edge offensively. Both players are very similar and are on a class of their own at a weak position. There are very few quality starting center fielders, and there is a reason both World Series teams have two of the top three in the league.

Right Field

Gothams: Bud Jameson (7th)
Formerly the Gothams first basemen, Jameson was converted to right field when the team added Max Morris. Taken one pick before Bill Ashbaugh in 1925, Jameson was coming off a season where he hit .381/.446/.668 (190 OPS+) with 32 homers and 114 RBI's. This year, he only played in 53 games before a torn back muscle ended his season. In his absence, former #1 prospect Mahlon Strong took the starting job and hit an impressive .277/.341/.475 (119 OPS+) with 8 homers and 46 RBI's. Filled with potential, Strong has a chance to be one of the best hitters in all of baseball. He's not the greatest defender in right, but he can definitely hold his own. We're lucky we have to deal with a 22-year-old version of him, as he could easily surpass or at least match some of the numbers Tom Taylor put up early in his career.

Cougars: Tom Taylor (6th)
I can't believe how low Taylor is ranked, but he's not just our best player, but easily one of the most valuable players in all of baseball. His 6.5 WAR was the second best in the CA, and with how amazing his September was, it may help him win his 3rd MVP award. He hit much better this year then last, but his .290/.355/.475 (111 OPS+) batting line was nothing like his first two big league seasons with OPS+ north of 190. He also slugged 29 homers and drove in 107 runs with 21 steals. Those 29 homers were the most ever hit in a season by a Cougar, and it's only a matter of time before he passes Bill Ashbaugh and sets his own Cougar career home run record. Not only is he an excellent hitter, he's probably the best defender in the game. When he filled in at center he was excellent, but his +26.2 zone rating and 1.116 efficiency are extremely impressive. It's truly impossible to accurately measure how valuable Taylor is to the team, and I don't think we'd be here without him.

Advantage: Cougars
I firmly believe that no player effects the game as much as Tom Taylor, and as talented as Strong is, he's not on Taylor's level yet. Taylor can change the game with a swing of the bat or a sliding catch, and he's just filled with talent. He has his flaws, but he's a one of a kind superstar.

Rotation

Gothams: Jim Lonardo (3rd)
Jim Lonardo leads a very impressive Gothams rotation that constantly churns out good pitchers. He went 20-9 with a 3.18 ERA (127 ERA+), 1.10 WHIP, and 125 strikeouts in 277.1 innings pitched. His wins, strikeouts, and WHIP all led the FA, and the 27-year-old is one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. They're a little weaker behind him, as #2 Walker Murphy suffered a sophomore slump of sorts where he was just 14-13 with a 3.86 ERA (105 ERA+), 1.33 WHIP, and 106 strikeouts in 249.2 innings pitched. 24-year-old rookie Hardin Bates had a nice 18 start season, going 10-6 with a 3.38 ERA (119 ERA+), 1.29 WHIP, and 56 strikeouts, but they lack a dependable 4th starter. They may go to a three man rotation, or use one of Bill Ketterman or Al Allen for a single start.

Cougars: Jim Crawford (6th)
It was a breakout season for the 25-year-old Jim Crawford, who finished 18-11 with a 3.15 ERA (135 ERA+), 1.35 WHIP, and 80 strikeouts in 254.1 innings as he established himself as one of the best pitchers in the Continental Association. He leads a strong group of veterans including Max Wilder, Dick Lyons, and former Gotham arms Dick Leudtke and Steve Castellini. Wilder matched Crawford's success, going 16-13 with a 3.24 ERA (131 ERA+), 1.32 WHIP, and 111 strikeouts in 250 innings pitched. Lyons was an excellent #3, finishing 17-7 with a 3.68 ERA (115 ERA+), 1.38 WHIP, and 86 strikeouts. And while Castellini had his struggles, Leudtke was one of the best #4's in the game, going 15-11 with a 4.10 ERA (104 ERA+), 1.33 WHIP, and 83 strikeouts in 241.2 innings pitched. The rotation was extremely dependable all season, and this could be crucial in the playoffs.

Advantage: Cougars
Top to bottom, the Cougars rotation is very deep and while Lonardo is one of the best in the game, he doesn't have a co-ace like Crawford has with Wilder. The #4 spot is a little uncertain for the Gothams, as perhaps they could have used an arm like Leudtke or Castellini.

Bullpen

Gothams: Charlie Johnson (6th)
Possibly the best stopper in the league, Charlie Johnson had a tiny 1.84 ERA (219 ERA+) with a 1.18 WHIP, 38 strikeouts, and a league leading 14 saves in 63.2 innings out of the pen. He does have a little help with George Johnson, who looked good in a 21.1 inning sample size. He had a nice 3.38 ERA (119 ERA+) and 1.13 WHIP with 13 strikeouts. You don't really need a strong bullpen in the playoffs, so Charlie Johnson is probably the arm they'd use.

Cougars: Chick Meehan (1st)
Chicago ranked 7th in bullpen ERA, but a lot of that was the performance of Taylor Collins and Dick Kadlec, both who haven't pitched in months. Rookie Claude Purvis eventually took the stopper job, and was very effective in 34 innings. He had a 2.38 ERA (178 ERA+), 1.09 WHIP, and 9 strikeouts with 5 saves. Ace McSherry was excellent since he received a callup, working to a 2.41 ERA (176 ERA+), 1.23 WHIP, and 9 strikeouts in 18.2 innigns pitched. Fellow southpaw Bill Kline pitched in 16 innings across 9 games and had a tiny 1.69 ERA (252 ERA+) while Chick Meehan pitched to an average 3.93 ERA (108 ERA+), 1.37 WHIP, and 16 strikeouts in 34.1 innings.

Advantage: Tie
Our bullpen is deeper, but with two excellent teams, I can't see anyone except the stoppers being involved much. Charlie Johnson is just flat out dominant, but the Cougars pen doesn't have a weakness. It's a battle of quality vs. quantity here.

1931 World Series: Game 1 and 2
 

Game 1
Chicago Cougars (0-1): 3
New York Gothams (1-0): 4

W: Jim Lonardo (1-0)
L: Jim Crawford (0-1)

Our best pitchers were on the mound for the opener, and it was a pretty good pitcher's duel. It was John Kincaid's first game back at the Bigsby Oval, and perhaps the fans got to him. An error in the 5th caused two unearned runs, and the Gothams took game 1 4-3. Jim Crawford pitched all nine, allowing 8 hits, 4 runs (2 earned), and 2 walks with 2 strikeouts. He was also 1-for-2 with a sac-bunt and run scored. Harry Simmons was 3-for-4 with a double and run scored. Fred Barrell was 2-for-4 with a double, run scored, and RBI.

Game 2
Chicago Cougars (1-1): 11
New York Gothams (1-1): 3

W: Max Wilder (1-0)
L: Walker Murphy (0-1)

Game two was much different, and we crushed our hosts 11-3 to split the first two games in New York before heading back home to Chicago. Cy Bryant had an excellent game, 2-for-5 with a homer, double, 2 runs, and 5 RBI's. Harry Simmons was 3-for-4 with a steal, double, walk, and three runs scored. Fred Barrell was 3-for-4 with a walk, 3 runs, and 2 RBI's. John Kincaid was 2-for-5 with a triple and run scored. Bill Ashbaugh was 2-for-5 with 2 runs scored. Max Wilder pitched well, throwing a complete game with 7 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts.

*A little news as well, as Tom Taylor was officially named September Batter of the Month. During our 18-4 month he hit .358 with 7 homers, 20 RBI's, and 18 runs scored. He didn't do much in either World Series game, however, going 0-for-8 with a sac-fly.

1931 World Series: Game 3 and 4
 

Game 3
Chicago Cougars (2-1): 4
New York Gothams (1-2): 3

W: Dick Lyons (1-0)
L: Hardin Bates (0-1)
SV: Claude Purvis (1)

Our first home game of the series started off well, and we scored three runs in the first to take a quick lead. The Gothams even outhit us, but we managed to edge them 4-3 to take a 2-1 series lead. Tom Taylor looked like his September self, 2-for-4 with a homer, steal, 2 runs, and 2 RBI's. John Kincaid was 2-for-4 with a double and run scored. Russ Combs was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Bill Ashbaugh was 1-for-3 with a double, walk, and steal. Dick Lyons went 8.1 innings with 12 hits, 3 runs (2 earned), 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts. When he ran into trouble in the 9th, Claude Purvis shut the door and recorded the final two outs.

Game 4
Chicago Cougars (2-2): 3
New York Gothams (2-2): 9

W: Jim Lonardo (2-0)
L: Dick Leudtke (0-1)

Three is truly an unlucky number. Each losing team has scored just three runs, as the Gothams evened the series with a 9-3 win. Former Gotham Dick Leudtke helped out his old team, allowing 13 hits and 6 runs with a walk and a strikeout. Not sure why Claude Purvis pitched in this one, and he allowed 4 hits and 3 runs with a walk and strikeout in the 9th. Vince York was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Harry Simmons was 1-for-4 with a solo homer. John Kincaid was 1-for-4 with a double, run scored, and RBI.

1931 World Series: Game 5 and 6
 

Game 5
Chicago Cougars (3-2): 4
New York Gothams (2-3): 0

W: Jim Crawford (1-1)
L: Al Allen (0-1)

What a gem! We take two of the three in Chicago and head to New York with the momentum of a dominant shutout by ace Jim Crawford. After losing game four, I kind of had regrets not pitching him on short rest to take on New York's ace Jim Lonardo, but I guess it's good I didn't.

Crawford allowed just four hits and three walks with four strikeouts in a dominant performance. He single handedly won the game, going 2-for-4 with a double, run scored, and RBI. That's not to say the offense didn't help, as they piled on 15 hits and scored 4 runs. Fred Barrell was 3-for-4 with a run scored and driven in. Tom Taylor was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Vince York was 2-for-5 with an RBI. John Kincaid was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Russ Combs was 2-for-5 with an RBI.

Game 6
Chicago Cougars (4-2): 2
New York Gothams (2-4): 1

W: Max Wilder (2-0)
L: Hardin Bates (0-2)
SV: Claude Purvis (2)

THERE WILL BE NO GAME SEVEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WE DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE CHICAGO COUGARS ARE THE 1931 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our co-aces were dominant in game five and six, and we secured my first title in Figment, and the team with the highest all time win percentage (.563) won their 5th FABL title. That's tied for second most with the Detroit Dynamos and Philadelphia Keystones. Only the New York Stars have won more, going six for seven in the World Series. This was our 8th attempt at a championship, tied for the most with Boston, who won half of their eight appearances.

Max Wilder put together eight excellent innings with 7 hits, a run, 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts. Rookie stopper Claude Purvis was unphased by the pressure, allowing just one hit in a scoreless ninth. Fred Barrell was 3-for-4. Russ Combs was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Cy Bryant and Tom Taylor were both 1-for-3 with a walk and RBI. Harry Simmons was 1-for-4 with a steal and a run scored.

Fred Barrell was named World Series MVP. He hit an astronomical .609/.625/.652 with a double and 4 RBI's. He had three hits in three of the games and didn't go hitless in any of the six games.

We took the holiday weekend off, but have started the draft today! I originally planned to do a review of the OSA mock draft for at least the first round, but two picks have already been made. Later today I'll review the prospects selected and then review the top remaining mock draft prospects to fill up the first round.

***Edit: We already are half way through the first round and I wont be able to post for at least three more hours, so I'm scrapping this. I'll do an in depth analysis of my pick, but instead compare the mock draft to the actual draft and write a little on each selection (at least for the first round)

1931 Draft: Round 1
 

1st Round, 1st Overall: Cleveland Foresters select SS Harry Barrell
The sixth son of OSA co-founder Rufus Barrell and the sixth son to get drafted, Harry Barrell becomes the second Barrell to be selected 1st Overall and 4th Barrell to be a first round pick. The wide consensus was that there was a 1a and 1b, and Barrell is the one with the most upside. The almost 18-year-old Barrell played for one of the top high school's in the nation, Atlanta HS, and had an impressive .352/.430/.472 (157 OPS+) line with 7 homers, 7 steals, and 54 RBI's in 572 trips to the plate. His real specialty is the glove, and he has an otherworldly +43.6 ZR at short. Barrell is a very raw prospect due to his age and being out of high school, but he's got Hall of Fame talent written all over him.

1st Round, 2nd Overall: St. Louis Pioneers select 2B Freddie Jones
And the 1B went next... I tried to acquire the first pick, but tried even higher to get the second pick. The best part of this league is there is no inter league play, so I had no shame in basically giving the St. Louis GM the keys to the car in a possible trade opportunity because I'd never have to play the prospects I gave away besides the 1/8 chance of us meeting in the World Series if (hopefully win) we ever return to the World Series. They went with Central Ohio superstar Freddie Jones. He's had one of the most prestigious college careers, hitting .425/.550/.601 (210 OPS+) with 16 homers, 22 steals, and 102 RBI's. What's even crazier is his 19 strikeouts compared to 149 walks! He's a plug and play guy who could start the season in St. Louis and bypass the minors. Like Barrell, he's a Hall of Fame talent, but while Barrell tops him in upside, Jones has little to no risk, and may even be a top 5 second basemen already.

1st Round, 3rd Overall: Toronto Wolves select SP Bernie Johnson
He only pitcher in two of his three college seasons, but Bernie Johnson was by far the best pitcher in a class with pitching depth that is no where near what we will see next year. He was flat out dominant, going 17-3 for North California with a 2.83 ERA (174 ERA+), 1.17 WHIP, and 146 strikeouts in 216 innings pitched. The lefty is an extreme groundballer who sits comfortably in the 91-93 MPH range with his sinker that is flat out nasty. He's got a really good sweeping slider, but he's got to polish his straight or circle change to become an effective starter. He's filled with potential, but if he reaches it he's going to top the Wolves rotation.

1st Round, 4th Overall: Pittsburgh Miners select C George Cleaves
I'd argue that this draft had a 1c too, and that would be George Cleaves. Brother of Sailors second basemen Jack Cleaves, "King George The Third" was arguably the best high school prospect when the season started. After absolutely crushing the competition for New York HS, a down senior year dropped his career line to .341/.458/.508 (182 OPS+) in 520 trips to the plate. He launched 16 homers and drove in 75 runs as well while providing excellent defense behind the plate. He's got an excellent eye and has the hit tools to be one of the best catchers in the game.

1st Round, 5th Overall: Montreal Saints select CF Bill May
Another high school player was taken early, and it was the best outfield prospect in the draft. Like Cleaves, he had a down senior year, but he still boasts a healthy.360/.432/.520 (184 OPS+) batting line with 9 homers, 61 steals, and 58 RBI's in 564 trips to the plate. What's so impressive about his line is the 61 steals came in just 120 games, basically getting a steal every other game. As you'd expect, he's a great defender in the outfield with excellent range up the middle. He reminds me a lot of Joe Johnson, with an elite hit tool, speed, and defense.

1st Round, 6th Overall: Washington Eagles select RF Sam Brown
Washington is the only open team in the league, but the auto pick turned out pretty well for them. After the best high school outfield prospect was taken, the best college outfield prospect was taken. Sam Brown hit over .400 his freshman and sophomore year, but like a lot of the guys before him, he suffered from a rough season this year. His .384/.435/.643 (188 OPS+) career line is still amazing, and he hit 37 homers and drove in 115 runs in 655 plate appearances for the Pierpont Purple. He's got a cannon in the outfield and is a plus right fielder, but he doesn't have the best range. He's a pure hitter with an elite hit tool and he's shown power potential as well.

1st Round, 7th Overall: Philadelphia Sailors select 3B Marion Boismenu
One of the most consistent prospects in the draft, the Canadian high schooler had three seasons almost identical to his .335/.404/.479 (152 OPS+) career line. He also recorded 5 homers, 67 RBI's, and 35 steals in 551 trips to the plate. He's a really good defender as well, and seems to project similarly to John Kincaid. Neither guy has much power, but they have a ton of speed, hit for a high average, and play above average defense. Boismenu will draw more walks then Kincaid, but if he develops anything like Kincaid did, the Sailors should be pretty happy with what he becomes.

1st Round, 8th Overall: Chicago Chiefs select SP Joe Hunt
After a mediocre sophomore and junior season, Joe Hunt absolutely broke up as a senior for Detroit HS. He was a perfect 7-0 with a 1.06 ERA (331 ERA+), 0.81 WHIP, and 86 strikeouts in 68 innings. I'm not sure it's a fluke either, as he added a few miles to his fastball over the offseason and he's lowered his walk rate each season. Hunt does a good job keeping the ball on the ground, and the future looks bright for him.

1st Round, 9th Overall: Brooklyn Kings select SP Dixie Lee
Another high school arm went off the board early, with Little Rock righty Dixie Lee going to Brooklyn. He only pitched as a junior and senior, but he looked pretty good both seasons. He was 9-6 with a 2.58 ERA (149 ERA+), 1.09 WHIP, and 175 strikeouts in 143 innings pitched. He's not a very hard thrower, averaging in the 86-88 MPH range with his fastball, but he makes up for it with pinpoint command as he prioritizes finesse over power. He's got a four pitch arsenal with a curve, slider, and change as well. He's got a high ceiling just like Hunt, but as with any high school arm, they're extremely risky.

1st Round, 10th Overall: Boston Minutemen select SP Jim Taylor
It's very rare when a team has two first round selection, but Central Ohio got 2nd Overall pick Freddie Jones and 10th Overall Pick Jim Taylor. He had a subpar junior year, but finished with a respectable 17-11 record, 3.22 ERA (145 ERA+), and 1.20 WHIP with 253 strikeouts in 279.1 innings pitched. His strikeouts rate has fallen a lot since a dominant freshman year, but Taylor is an extremely talented arm. The sinkerballer generates a ton of groundballs and he's filled with talent. He's a lot safer then the high school arms, but I don't think he has quite the upside of Hunt and Lee. Regardless, Taylor is pretty polished and should be able to rise up the ladder rather quickly.

1st Round, 11th Overall: New York Stars select 2B Al Haynes
This pick shocked me a bit, not because of Haynes himself, but because the Stars have the best second basemen in the league Pete Layton. He's 31, 10 years older then the Whitney College Graduate, but I still think Layton has a lot of good years ahead of him. Haynes had a rough season, hitting just .311/.374/.437 (101 OPS+) with 2 homers, 16 steals, and 24 RBI's in 230 trips to the plate. The switch hitter boasts loud tools with top of the order contact, solid speed, and great defense at the keystone.

1st Round, 12th Overall: Detroit Dynamos select SP Joe Stevens
I thought a pair of teammates in the first round was rare enough, but the Aviators have three! Joining Jones and Taylor is co-ace Joe Stevens. The tall and lanky righty has a dominant fastball that sits comftorably in the mid 90s. He finished his college career 21-11 with a 3.33 ERA (141 ERA+), 1.19 WHIP, and 274 strikeouts in 284 innings pitched. Stevens can really blow by hitters and projects to be a high strikeout starter who can fit comfortably in a big league rotation.

1st Round, 13th Overall: Baltimore Cannons select SP Ben Watkins
The CA runner ups decided to go with a college arm that could help them quick in Ben Watkins. Watkins marks the fifth starting pitcher in the last six picks, and it's a little bit of a homecoming for him. He showed talent at New Orleans HS, but the results weren't there. Even then, Baltimore made him a 10th Round pick, but he decided to try his luck going to college and he attended St. Patrick's. It proved to be a great choice, as Watkins' developed into a top draft prospect after a breakout sophomore year. He was 4-2 with a 2.00 ERA (231 ERA+), 1.07 WHIP, and 98 strikeouts in 81 innings pitched. The lefty had a nice growth spurt too, as he now stands 6'5'' and he's added 6 miles to his fastball since 1927. He's a sidearmer with a really deceptive motion that makes him really hard to hit when his stuff is on. He doesn't have as many innings as most college arms, but Watkins has shown great growth in the past which projects for great upside. I'd say now he looks like a middle of the rotation arm, but he has the ceiling of an ace.

1st Round, 14th Overall: Philadelphia Keystones select CF Bob Land
The FA runner ups decided to pick one of the coolest nicknamed players, Bob "Zombie" Land, who I will now refer to only as Zombie Land. Zombie Land is a teammate of fellow first rounder Dixie Lee at Little Rock HS, marking the second group of first round teammates. Zombie Land had a tough injury shortened season, but his sophomore year was extremely impressive. He hit .417/.459/.518 (191 OPS+) in 185 trips to the plate. The lefty swinger doesn't have much power, but he'll hit for a high average. He's not the best defender out there, likely best suited for a corner spot, but he should become a pretty solid left fielder. He's got a lot of potential, but he could decide to go to Henry Hudson to join a roster stacked with elite pitching talent.

1st Round, 15th Overall: Chicago Cougars select LF Ed Reyes
Barrell who? Jones who? Everyone knows the first rounder who's going to be the best is Ed Reyes!

Wait, that's who I took?

Huh...

In all seriousness, I actually broke an unwritten rule of mine, taking a corner outfielder in the first round. I did everything I could to get one of Barrell or Jones, but I had no luck in that endevaor. Instead, I made the third trio of teammates selected in the first round, grabbing Barrell's teammate Ed Reyes. I've wrote a few writeups in the past on Reyes:

December 26th, 2019: LF Ed Reyes (Atlanta HS Peaches): The same day DeYoung was shutting out the Eagles, Peaches LF Ed Reyes went 5-for-6 in a 12-8 win over the Lynn HS Legends. Like DeYoung, Reyes is also in his first HS season, and the lefty is slashing .458/.511/.602 (218 OPS+) with a homer and 11 RBI's in just under 100 plate appearances. Scouts haven't seen much in him yet, but if he hits like this, there's no reason he won't jump up draft lists.

May 20th, 2020: LF Ed Reyes (Atlanta HS Peaches): One of the top prep players available in this year's draft, the senior Ed Reyes has also gotten off to a decent start. He's 6-for-20 with a homer and 3 RBI's in the first 5 games of the season. Reyes is a returning member of the dominant 31-9 Atlanta HS Peaches team last year that features top prospects like Harry Barrell, Leo Mitchell, and Loren Conover. Reyes doesn't have the most power for a corner outfielder, with just 5 career homers in just over 400 trips to the plate, but he has extra base power and a nice contact tool. A strong senior season will be important for Reyes if he wants to be a 1st Round selection with a nice big bonus.

Reyes trended in the wrong direction in college, but he was absolutely dominant as a freshman. The Cuban from New York hit an astronomical .465/.513/.594 (226 OPS+) batting line with a homer and 19 RBI's in 187 trips to the plate. He never came quite close to that production, but he finished with a really impressive .388/.442/.514 (174 OPS+) line with 10 homers and 62 RBI's in 556 trips to the plate. He actually did develop more power as he got older, as he hit 6 longballs as a senior. My scout actually isn't that big of a fan of his, but after the first five or so picks, the talent really fell off. He still has an elite contact tool, but he doesn't have the power desired for a corner outfielder who can't really play defense. He kind of reminds me of Vince York, who's been our most valuable player over the past two seasons. Regardless, his bat is amazing enough to carry himself to the majors. I'm hoping he can be a nice addition to a rather weak farm system, as I expect him to rank in the top 50 or top 100 in the league so I could use him as a trade piece as I look to make upgrades in the offseason or during the regular season.

1st Round, 16th Overall: New York Gothams select SP Don Filipski
The FA pennant winners decided to take a college arm, adding Indiana A&M righty Don Filipski. He only made 5 starts as a junior, but finished his college career 11-11 with a 3.16 ERA (149 ERA+), 1.20 WHIP, and 212 strikeouts in 236.1 innings pitched. He's got a nice fastball sitting in the low 90s, leading his five pitch arsenal. He also throws a curve, slider, change, and forkball, but he needs to work on polishing at least two of them to become plus major league pitches if he wants to be a big league starter. He's got the talent to do it, especially if he can pitches like he did as a freshman.

OSA Mock Draft
1.1: 2B Freddie Jones (selected 2nd Overall)
1.2: SS Harry Barrell (selected 1st Overall)
1.3: CF Bill May (selected 5th Overall)
1.4 C George Cleaves (selected 4th Overall)
1.5 RF Sam Brown (selected 6th Overall)
1.6 SP Bernie Johnson (selected 3rd Overall)
1.7 2B Al Haynes (selected 11th Overall)
1.8 LF Lee Schofield
1.9 SP Dixie Lee (selected 9th Overall)
1.10 SP Jim Taylor (selected 10th Overall)
1.11 CF Hal Roberts
1.12 LF Red Bond
1.13 LF Ed Reyes (selected 15th Overall)
1.14 3B Marion Boismenu (selected 7th Overall)
1.15 1B Frankie Cohen
1.16 SP Ben Watkins (selected 13th Overall)

I have to say, this has been the most impressive first round of a draft I've ever seen. I've gone through hundreds of drafts, but nothing quite like this one. With no timer, we still managed to complete the entire first round in one day. I've been in leagues where the first pick, not even the first round, takes multiple days. It really shows what a great group of guys we have in the league that every one is committed enough to make picks in a timely fashion. It's the little things like this that make this league so enjoyable.

For the rest of the draft, however, I will just cover our picks. We pick 15th in every round, and also own the 13th Pick of the 2nd and 6th Round because we acquired them from Detroit for Milt Nelson and Cotton Taylor.

Really nice recap of the 1st round

Yes, really good stuff.

And as an aside, Washington is still open. If anyone reading would like to join us.

1931 Draft: Round 2
 

2nd Round, 28th Overall: 1B Leo Mitchell
There were a pair of center fielders I really wanted with this pick, but Paddy Smith went 24th to the Chiefs and then Hal Roberts went to the Stars the pick before mine. I really didn't no who to take with this, but I had a very sound strategy. "If you can't get Harry Barrell, why not get all his friends!"

It's been a very weird draft for me, grabbing back to back corner players with my first two picks. Teammate of Barrell and our 1st Rounder Ed Reyes, Leo Mitchell is a slugging lefty, something we don't have much of in our system. His best season was as a sophomore, where he hit .378/.432/.669 (205 OPS+) with 11 homers and 51 RBI's in 190 trips to the plate. And in 552 career high school plate appearances he hit an extremely impressive .359/.400/.566 (174 OPS+) with 18 homers and 111 RBI's. The power hasn't been there his entire career, just one homer as a sophomore, but he's really started to add pop to his bat. He's not very big, just about 160 pounds, but as he gets older he has time to add more weight.

I'm not thrilled with this pick, but Mitchell is an extremely gifted hitter. There isn't a direct path for him to the majors, with Ashbaugh entrenched as the starter, a dependable backup in Phil Vaughan, and our 7th best prospect Jim Hatfield is a first basemen. I'm a big fan of taking whoever the best available is, and Mitchell was the best available for the pick.He's committed to Central Ohio, the school Freddie Jones went to, but I think I'll be able to convince him to sign with us instead.

2nd Round, 31st Overall: SP John Hartz
Up next is what seems to be the obligatory prep arm in the second round. It was Bobby Love in 1927, Ike Quinn in 1928, Roy Byrd in 1929, #57 prospect in all of baseball Mel Leonard last year, and now joining them is Denver HS ace John Hartz. He's a two way-player as well, getting a little time at first and left in high school. I don't plan on using him as a hitter, but he's got a pretty solid batting line regardless. He hit .351/.398/.419 (144 OPS+) in just 74 at bats.

His real gift is on the mound. He's a tall skinny righty with an absolutely devastating curveball. He doesn't throw too hard, relying on finesse and mixing up his pitches rather then overpowering hitters. He has a four pitch arsenal with the curve, a fastball, slider, and changeup that all project to be big league pitches. He was dominant as a senior despite going just 3-4, as he worked to a 1.88 ERA (183 ERA+), 1.00 WHIP, and 62 strikeouts in 72 innings pitched. It was only the second season he pitched, finishing his prep career 6-7 with a 2.38 ERA (157 ERA+), 1.01 WHIP, and 119 strikeouts in 128.1 innings pitched. He's a high risk, high reward type pick, but with having two seconds, I'm more then okay with taking a risk here.

1931 Draft: Round 3-5
 

3rd Round, 47th Overall: 2B Homer Ray
The next couple of picks were a lot harder to make then usual 3rd through 5th round picks. Usually I can find a few guys that my scout likes, the stats like, and I like. I really couldn't find anyone that checked all three boxes, but San Antonio HS second basemen Homer Ray could almost check all three. I don't think I've taken four straight high schoolers in any draft in this league so far. Ray had an interesting high school career, bursting onto the scene as a sophomore hitting .376/.418/.465 (183 OPS+) with no homers and just 10 RBI's. Ray completely lacks power, and you'd think he'd be a speedster, but he never stole a single base in his three years. For his career, he only drove in 30 runs, didn't hit a single homer, but managed a still decent .329/.375/.405 (140 OPS+) batting line. He's the definition of a light hitter with a really weird profile. He doesn't walk, sometimes he strikes out a lot, and he's really just an enigma of a player. The one thing I like about him is he's got a great glove and solid range and second base is probably are weakest position. I don't think Ray will ever develop into a great starter, and even above average is pushing it, but he's one of those guys who just gets hits. It's another risky pick, but I feel like there wasn't really anyone else I liked more then him and just one guy I liked about as much of him.

4th Round, 63rd Overall: CF Roy Moore
And this is the other guy I liked as much as him! 16 picks later I went with yet another high schooler, Hartford HS alum Roy Moore. So why do I like him? Is it because he hit .150/.190/.250 (23 OPS+) with 1 homer, 1 steal, and 2 RBI's in 10 games as a junior? Yeah... Maybe not... How about that he only had one full season in high school? Yeah... Probably not that either...

So why did I take him?

Well, as crazy as it seems, a .289/.350/.377 (110 OPS+) line with 2 homers, 16 steals, and 21 RBI's in 339 trips to the plate is one of the better career statlines out there and he can actually play center field. In a pool with almost no talent at short or center, I had to take a leap and trust a guy like Moore as the first SS/CF in this draft. Moore is a pretty toolsy pick with good speed, a reliable glove in center, and enough contact that he can actually put the ball in play. It's another really risky pick, but I think he's got a lot of upside and my scout seems to be a big fan. Injuries have been a problem early and he's a really small guy (5'7'', 135 pounds) so it could be a problem in the future. Interesting enough, this is also the fourth consecutive center fielder I've taken in the fourth round and fifth consecutive outfielder.

The last non-outfielder? 1926 selection Heinie Bretz who currently ranks as the 68th best prospect in baseball and debuted for the Kings this year. He's the only 4th rounder I've taken that has debuted, so maybe this outfield thing isn't such a good idea...

5th Round, 79th Overall: RF Ben McDonald
Guess what? Another high schooler! I gave my scout full priority on this pick, but Ben McDonald is a pretty decent prospect. A Canadian who attended Swoyersville HS, McDonald had a really good junior and senior year, hitting 28 homers and 64 RBI's between the two seasons. He's an all or nothing type hitter, and finished high school with a .213/.310/.483 (124 OPS+) line, but the numbers are dragged down by an awful sophomore year where he hit just .164/.255/.315 (68 OPS+). McDonald has crazy pop and if he adds on a little muscle he can really do some damage in the minors. He's also a very good defender in right and with a little work he can probably be passable out in left and center.

There was a Ben McDonald that was a top prospect and one of those college baseball greats. Unfortunately, he went to Baltimore where great pitchers go to die.

Hopefully your Ben can find the .250 line in his major league career.

1931 Draft: Round 6-10
 

6th Round, 92nd Overall: SP Joe Cotton
Our first of two 6th Rounders, this one originally belonging to the Detroit Dynamos. Even though it may not have seemed unintentional, Joe Cotton is another high school arm. Cotton is a St. Louis HS alum who had two excellent seasons and one poor season. All told, he finished a solid 12-8 with a 2.92 ERA (133 ERA+), 1.26 WHIP, and 165 strikeouts in 52.2 innings pitched. His two best seasons he had shiny ERA's of 2.10 (152 ERA+) and 2.22 (159 ERA+), the latter coming in his senior year. Cotton is a four pitch pitcher with a really nice fastball. He's added a couple miles to his fastball, going from 87-89 to 91-93 in the past two seasons. I'm hoping for more positive trends like that, but the next step for him is polishing up his control.

6th Round, 95th Overall: SS Duke Fowler
There are very few shortstops with any talent in this draft class, but I decided to go not too far from our home stadium to Calumet City, a suburb in Illinois. Fowler went to Dallas HS, and the switch hitter had a decent enough high school career, finishing with a .279/.343/.369 (107 OPS+) line with 2 homers, 18 steals, and 52 RBI's. In the past defense has been a problem, but he turned this around as a senior with a positive zone rating and efficiency. I love the speed and I love that he can hit for both sides, so I feel like he's definitely worth a lottery ticket.

7th Round, 111th Overall: SS Ramon Paschal
Our first college prospect! A junior from Lubbock State and another Cuban player born stateside, Ramon Paschal was a pinch hitter as a freshman, but started as a sophomore and junior. He's got some decent pop, hitting 13 homers and driving in 78 runs with a respectable .298/.378/.459 (109 OPS+) line in just under 500 trips to the plate. He's an extremely aggressive hitter who will strike out a bit, but his eye seems to be approving. I'm not sure if he can stick at short long term, so I might have to give him some reps at second or third.

8th Round, 127th Overall: SP Bill Lafleur
Another college player! This time it's a Canadian righty from Northern Mississippi. He's best known for his Freshman year where he was 4-5, but with a 2.50 ERA (185 ERA+), 1.06 WHIP, and 112 strikeouts in 104.1 innings pitched. He had a huge sophomore slump, but rebounded a little as a junior. He did see his walks skyrocket and his strikeouts drop, so it's a bit concerning, but he finished 9-1 and goes deep into most games. He's a groundballer with a four pitch arsenal, headlined by a cutter that sits in the upper 80s and low 90s. He's got really good movement on his pitches, but his command sometimes deserts him.

9th Round, 143rd Overall: LF Bud Taylor
I went back to the high school ranks to add a lefty slugger from Niagara Falls HS. In 120 prep games, Taylor hit .286/.370/.500 (149 OPS+) with 25 homers and 89 RBI's while recording an OPS+ above 150 as a sophomore and junior. He's also a very competent defender, which makes him even more valuable. I'm a little shocked he fell to the 9th, especially since he's a very athletic player sitting 6'2'', 185. Granted, there are a lot of other slugging corner outfielders out there, but I think this might be a nice pick for us. I've actually had a few successes in the 9th round, going back to back with Ben Turner and Dean Astle in 1926 and 1927. Both are now with the Foresters (I actually traded both to the Gothams in seperate deals, and then they went over in the Joe Perrett deal) and both currently rank in the top 100 in all of baseball.

10th Round, 159th Overall: SP Roxy Smith
For the last pick of the human draft, I decided to go back to the college ranks, grabbing Commonwealth Catholic southpaw Roxy Smith. He's been above average all three seasons, and finished his college career 11-8 with a 3.65 ERA (129 ERA+), 1.30 WHIP, and 182 strikeouts in 197.1 innings pitched. He's a bit older then most juniors, will be 22 in March, but he's one of those picks you make strictly on profile. He's 6'5'', 200 pounds and while he doesn't throw too hard, he gets a lot of downward movement on his pitches and he generates a lot of groundballs. If he can get his fastball to at least the low 90s, I think Smith could develop into a really good pen arm if the rotation doesn't work for him.

Pre-Rule 5 Draft
 

We finished the draft in game, and once I sign all my picks, I'll do a little recap on the remaining guys and make a few cuts. First, however, I have the Rule-5 Draft to prepare for, as I purchased some contracts and designated some others.

Purchased the Contract of 1B Jim Fisher and SP Ed Stevens. Designated SP Mickey Williams, SS Tom Rogers, CF Mickey Crawford, and C Herman Racheford for assignment