[dynaboyj]

Well, the playoffs are over. The Phoenix Bugles won the second championship in a row. The Chicago Slashers, Evans' and Thomas' team, came fifth in the Masters League, at 78-84.

Now, a recap of everyone's first year in the PROs (well, including the minors):

RF Dwight Evans was the first overall draft pick for 1901, and his first year went pretty well. Starting the year in Single-A for the Henderson Blue Oxen, he quickly moved to greater heights, called up to the Professional Baseball League after playing just two games in Double-A. He debuted on June 8 and got a double and a run on his only at-bat. He played 17 more games for them in the year, with 18 hits, 1 HR and 7 runs in 62 at bats, for an AVG of .290. Evans turns 20 in November and looks to stay in the bigs, ending the year with a seven-game hitting streak.

SP Moe Drabowsky was the third overall draft pick in 1901, and he's been doing okay. He started in the rookie league but moved up after only one game to A ball. He played for a while there and moved up to AA in September, and I don't think he'll be moving down, with some pretty good stats there. He's still got a long way to go. Combined in the minors, he has nine wins and seven losses, with a 2.71 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. Moe will turn 21 next July.

SP Donovan Osborne was the tenth pick of the second round, and while he's having a good career in the minors, he has a way to go. He started his year in AA ball, but moved around through periods of the year, finding himself in rookie ball for one game (which he won). He won Player of the Week award in Single-A one week, then hit the news again in Double-A with a shutout. Combined, Osborne has 16 wins and 12 losses, with a 2.04 ERA and an 0.91 WHIP. He turns 23 in June.

CF Frank Thomas was the first pick of the third round in the 1901 draft, and as the other major league debuter this year, he's done pretty well for himself. He started the year in AA ball, and played there for most of the year, but he finally got into the bigs in July. His first game was on July 5 as a pinch hitter and he struck out in one at-bat. He's definitely not a starter, having only played seven games since then, but he's certainly got potential. In the majors, he played in 8 games, with 3 hits, 1 HR and 1 run in 12 at-bats for a .250 AVG. Thomas turns 21 in June.

MR Rich Sauveur was our Mr. Irrelevant of the crop, and he should really feel lucky that he got drafted at all. The 21-year-old played--well, was on the roster--for two different rookie affiliates this year, and got to play in exactly one game. He had 0.2 IP that game, and was brought in during a blowout against their team, giving up one hit and recording one strikeout. Just for that game, he has a 13.51 ERA--not very fairly, I must admit--and a 3.00 WHIP. Currently his only claim to fame is playing on the same team as Babe Ruth, who is the ace of the Shreveport Hares and is probably erasing any probability of Sauveur even playing a game. I expect that Rich will be released during the offseason.

Final Standings:

Victory League

1. Philadelphia Suns 94-68
2. Boston Starships 91-71
3. New York Hawks 86-76
4. Tucson Tamarins 78-84
5. Cleveland Bronze 71-91
6. Los Angeles Slashers 66-96

Masters League

1. Phoenix Bugles 89-74
2. San Francisco Anteaters 88-75
3. Seattle Shiners 85-77
4. Detroit Skyline 83-79
5. Chicago Slashers 78-84
6. Dallas Powerhouse 64-98