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reds1 · 11-02-2017, 01:25 PM

September 1, 1947

1947 Off-Season

The United Leagues entered Spring Training coming off perhaps the quietest offseason in its young history. No internal crisis, no external threats imposed themselves onto the Leagues or the individual clubs. Thus, the Leagues could focus on the Hall of Fame festivities and gear up for their 11th campaign without distractions. But that doesn’t mean there were no surprises. A couple of clubs saw some shakeups in management and a few interesting trades were consummated heading into the September Coconut Leagues.

A few of the noteworthy developments are noted below:

April 21 – New Owner in Brunswick

In an unanticipated move, majority owner Brendan Kelloway sold his shares in the Brunswick Legends to local entrepreneur and Legends’ minority shareholder Glen Crowe. The 57-year old Crowe now owns 62% of the team and becomes the President and Chief Executive Officer. He is considered demanding, but is expected to take a charitable approach to payroll matters. Despite the change in ownership, it is not expected to affect the jobs of General Manager Reomel Buesa or Field Manager Finlay Fay, at least not in the immediate future. Buesa has been the only GM in the Legends’ 10-year existence and has two years remaining on his contract. Fay is embarking on his second year as the Brunswick skipper and is signed for a further three years.

Shortly after the sale was completed, it was announced that the 59-year old Mr. Kelloway joined the Commissioner’s Office to serve in a new post, as the Commissioner’s Chief Communications Officer.

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April 30 – Stratford Cleans House

In a move that shocked many within the ULB, the Stratford Barons gave long-time manager Bill Quinn his walking papers, just one season after leading the Barons to their second United Cup Championship. Quinn had managed the Barons since their inaugural season, and leads all ULB managers in victories (847). He guided Stratford to three playoff appearances and two United Cups. He also won three Manager of the Year Awards. However, the Barons fell to 5th place last season, with a 74-80 record and obviously Stratford felt it was time for a change. But Quinn, who has an excellent reputation and favors the smallball, should find himself employed once again in the not-to-distant future. I’m quite surprised he remains unemployed heading into Spring Training. The move occurred on the same day as GM Gabriel Cockburn’s decision to retire. Cockburn had the Barons GM since Day 1 as well.

The next day, Stratford hired 46-year old Robin Ash to be their new GM. It’s his first time as a GM at any level. A few days later, on May 5, the Barons hired 50-year old Zachary Smith to be their new field manager. Smith previously managed the Pullbery Trolleys for two undistinguished seasons.

Also, two-time Manger of the Year Award winner Bradley Balmforth opted to retire as the Sherburn Tigers’ manager at the end of last season. 58-year old Lewis Trueman, who had been the Tigers’ bench coach the last four seasons, was promoted to the Manager’s role. It’s his first manager’s job in the ULB. He had previously served as a bench coach for the Downie Chiefs and Embro Suns before joining the Tigers.

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April 26:

The Queensland Eagles acquired 28-year old 3B Ramiro Urbina (65/68) from the Downie Chiefs.

In return, the Chiefs received 24-year old minor leaguer CF Brian Wearmouth (22/22).

Knee-jerk reaction: Not sure what either team is thinking here. Urbina is an above-average hitter albeit with low plate discipline and decent defense. He just won a Top Fielder Award at 1B, but the Eagles have opted to play him at 3B, in place of 22-year old Alexander Crutcher, who didn’t set the world on fire in his rookie campaign. But Crutcher, taken 11th overall back in 1945-46, is the more promising player going forward in my view. Urbina would be a better fit remaining at 1B.

As for Downie, they essentially give away a decent player for free, as Wearmouth is NOT a future major league player. And Downie does not have a top-ranked 1B to take over from Urbina. Sigh.

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May 1:

The Brunswick Legends traded for 30-year old RF Ron Westmacott (46/46) along with $1,700 from the Fort Richmond Generals. The Generals in return receive 24-year old minor leaguer 3B Kevin Wigley (23/23).

Knee-jerk reaction: Westmacott’s best days are clearly behind him, so it’s not really known why Brunswick felt the need to acquire him. But with the decline of 38-year old RF Mark Elston well underway, it appears Brunswick viewed Westmacott as his replacement. That is, until their June 4 trade for Marcus Peyto. As a result, Westmacott will once again be an afterthought.

Westmacott was clearly not in the Generals’ future, and Fort Richmond essentially gave him away. In fact, Wigley was flipped to the Hespeler Stars in a minor deal just two days later.

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May 9:

The Wolseley Unions sent 26-year old 2B Neil Boyle (37/48) and $10,400 in cash to the Cambria Cannons.

In return, the Unions received 31-year old LHP Gavin Hewat (34/34) and 23-year old minor league C Nathan Montgomerie (23/42).

Knee-jerk reaction: Hewat is an inconsistent pitcher whose best days were back in the early 40’s with the Hespeler Stars. Nevertheless, he had a nice bounce-back season as Cambria’s No. 2 starter last year (12-15, 3.28 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 102 ERA+). He becomes Wolseley’s No. 5 starter, replacing Ross New, and gives the Unions a LHP in the rotation. Montgomerie is a defense-first catcher whose needs to sharpen his offensive skills if he wants to stick at the major league level.

Boyle was a back-up with Wolseley and will remain as such with the Cannons. He is a versatile, solid defender, with two Top Fielder Awards at 2B. Offensively, he is not the player he once was when he toiled for the Fort Richmond Generals a few years ago. So, I don’t see this trade as doing anything for the Cannons, other than watering down their rotation even more.

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June 1:

The Braeland City Monarchs received 26-year old SS Simon Flatt (57/60) from the Cobourg Red Stockings.

In return, the Red Stockings acquired 37-year old RHP Lenny Freke (68/68).

Knee-jerk reaction: The first of two trades that Cobourg made for a pitcher. Lenny Freke is not the pitcher he once was; his stuff has diminished. But despite a rough season (13-13, 4.21 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 81 ERA+) where he was eventually relegated to Braeland City’s No. 5 starter, he enters Spring Training pegged as Cobourg’s Opening Day starter. He has been an absolute workhorse for the Monarchs since Season 1 and is a very intelligent pitcher. It will be interesting to see if Cobourg’s faith in Freke is rewarded.

Flatt meanwhile, was a 4th overall pick for the Red Stockings back in 1940-41. He has some contact skills, good hands and excellent speed. But his ratings are not that much better than the man he will be replacing in the lineup, 24-year old Luwen Rodenburg, who won a Top Fielder Award last season. So, it will be interesting to see how Flatt makes out in the Nation’s capital.

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June 4:

26-year old RF Marcus Peyto (78/78) is heading to the Brunswick Legends in a trade with the Hespeler Stars.

In return, the Stars received 4 minor leaguers:

19-year old 1B John Fennell (21/42)
20-year old RHP Dominic Whitmore (20/76)
18-year old SS Kai Ensor (21/74)
19-year old C Harley Creswell (20/23)

Knee-jerk reaction: Now here’s a trade you can sink your teeth into. The Legends acquire their present and future rightfielder, as Peyto is rated No. 1 among rightfielders and No. 10 among position players overall. The 2nd overall pick from 1941-42 is coming off his best season and was a strong candidate for the All-Braeland Team this past season. He is penciled in as Brunswick’s clean-up hitter.

But Hespeler received some intriguing prospects in return, but still a little light for a player like Peyto, methinks. The most promising is Whitmore, an 11th overall pick from last season. The young pitcher is no longer considered a prospect, but if he gets a couple of developmental boosts in stuff (35/45) and control (30/45), Hespeler could have a very good pitcher on their hands. Fennell and Ensor were both selected in the later rounds of last year’s draft (3rd & 5th rounds respectively), but like Whitmore, a couple of developmental boosts could be make them very useful offensive players for the Stars. We’ll shall have to wait and see.

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July 18:

The Balmoral Giants shipped 26-year old RHP Ramón Ortíz (73/77) and $5,500 to the Cobourg Red Stockings.

In return, the Giants received 3 minor leaguers:

22-year old SS Joshua Huxtable (22/25)
23-year old SS Félix Coloa (23/28)
23-year old C José Valdés (22/24)

Knee-jerk reaction: Cobourg’s GM Denzel Seamon continues his novel method of attempting to upgrade the Red Stockings’ starting rotation. After acquiring 37-year old Lenny Freke, Seamon went after Balmoral’s top relief pitcher in Ortíz. He is considered a borderline starter with a good fastball (50) and sinker (55), but a lousy changeup (25). His stuff is pedestrian (40), but he has excellent movement (70) and control (60). Also, his stamina will be a concern (35). Nevertheless, he is pegged as Cobourg’s No. 2 starter, behind Freke.

None of the minor league players the Giants received in return are expected to make much noise, but Huxtable and Coloa have shown flashes of offensive ability in the minors and possess decent defense.

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The War Gained chart below reflects the moves Brunswick and Wolseley made in acquiring Marcus Peyto and Gavin Hewat respectively. Two teams, the Kingston Pelicans and Pulberry Trolleys, have not made any player movements whatsoever heading into Spring Training.

11-02-2017, 01:25 PM	#363
reds1 Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2002 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 3,924	September 1, 1947 1947 Off-Season The United Leagues entered Spring Training coming off perhaps the quietest offseason in its young history. No internal crisis, no external threats imposed themselves onto the Leagues or the individual clubs. Thus, the Leagues could focus on the Hall of Fame festivities and gear up for their 11th campaign without distractions. But that doesn’t mean there were no surprises. A couple of clubs saw some shakeups in management and a few interesting trades were consummated heading into the September Coconut Leagues. A few of the noteworthy developments are noted below: April 21 – New Owner in Brunswick In an unanticipated move, majority owner Brendan Kelloway sold his shares in the Brunswick Legends to local entrepreneur and Legends’ minority shareholder Glen Crowe. The 57-year old Crowe now owns 62% of the team and becomes the President and Chief Executive Officer. He is considered demanding, but is expected to take a charitable approach to payroll matters. Despite the change in ownership, it is not expected to affect the jobs of General Manager Reomel Buesa or Field Manager Finlay Fay, at least not in the immediate future. Buesa has been the only GM in the Legends’ 10-year existence and has two years remaining on his contract. Fay is embarking on his second year as the Brunswick skipper and is signed for a further three years. Shortly after the sale was completed, it was announced that the 59-year old Mr. Kelloway joined the Commissioner’s Office to serve in a new post, as the Commissioner’s Chief Communications Officer. ----------- April 30 – Stratford Cleans House In a move that shocked many within the ULB, the Stratford Barons gave long-time manager Bill Quinn his walking papers, just one season after leading the Barons to their second United Cup Championship. Quinn had managed the Barons since their inaugural season, and leads all ULB managers in victories (847). He guided Stratford to three playoff appearances and two United Cups. He also won three Manager of the Year Awards. However, the Barons fell to 5th place last season, with a 74-80 record and obviously Stratford felt it was time for a change. But Quinn, who has an excellent reputation and favors the smallball, should find himself employed once again in the not-to-distant future. I’m quite surprised he remains unemployed heading into Spring Training. The move occurred on the same day as GM Gabriel Cockburn’s decision to retire. Cockburn had the Barons GM since Day 1 as well. The next day, Stratford hired 46-year old Robin Ash to be their new GM. It’s his first time as a GM at any level. A few days later, on May 5, the Barons hired 50-year old Zachary Smith to be their new field manager. Smith previously managed the Pullbery Trolleys for two undistinguished seasons. Also, two-time Manger of the Year Award winner Bradley Balmforth opted to retire as the Sherburn Tigers’ manager at the end of last season. 58-year old Lewis Trueman, who had been the Tigers’ bench coach the last four seasons, was promoted to the Manager’s role. It’s his first manager’s job in the ULB. He had previously served as a bench coach for the Downie Chiefs and Embro Suns before joining the Tigers. ----------- April 26: The Queensland Eagles acquired 28-year old 3B Ramiro Urbina (65/68) from the Downie Chiefs. In return, the Chiefs received 24-year old minor leaguer CF Brian Wearmouth (22/22). *Knee-jerk reaction:* Not sure what either team is thinking here. Urbina is an above-average hitter albeit with low plate discipline and decent defense. He just won a Top Fielder Award at 1B, but the Eagles have opted to play him at 3B, in place of 22-year old Alexander Crutcher, who didn’t set the world on fire in his rookie campaign. But Crutcher, taken 11th overall back in 1945-46, is the more promising player going forward in my view. Urbina would be a better fit remaining at 1B. As for Downie, they essentially give away a decent player for free, as Wearmouth is NOT a future major league player. And Downie does not have a top-ranked 1B to take over from Urbina. Sigh. ----------- May 1: The Brunswick Legends traded for 30-year old RF Ron Westmacott (46/46) along with $1,700 from the Fort Richmond Generals. The Generals in return receive 24-year old minor leaguer 3B Kevin Wigley (23/23). *Knee-jerk reaction:* Westmacott’s best days are clearly behind him, so it’s not really known why Brunswick felt the need to acquire him. But with the decline of 38-year old RF Mark Elston well underway, it appears Brunswick viewed Westmacott as his replacement. That is, until their June 4 trade for Marcus Peyto. As a result, Westmacott will once again be an afterthought. Westmacott was clearly not in the Generals’ future, and Fort Richmond essentially gave him away. In fact, Wigley was flipped to the Hespeler Stars in a minor deal just two days later. ----------- May 9: The Wolseley Unions sent 26-year old 2B Neil Boyle (37/48) and $10,400 in cash to the Cambria Cannons. In return, the Unions received 31-year old LHP Gavin Hewat (34/34) and 23-year old minor league C Nathan Montgomerie (23/42). *Knee-jerk reaction:* Hewat is an inconsistent pitcher whose best days were back in the early 40’s with the Hespeler Stars. Nevertheless, he had a nice bounce-back season as Cambria’s No. 2 starter last year (12-15, 3.28 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 102 ERA+). He becomes Wolseley’s No. 5 starter, replacing Ross New, and gives the Unions a LHP in the rotation. Montgomerie is a defense-first catcher whose needs to sharpen his offensive skills if he wants to stick at the major league level. Boyle was a back-up with Wolseley and will remain as such with the Cannons. He is a versatile, solid defender, with two Top Fielder Awards at 2B. Offensively, he is not the player he once was when he toiled for the Fort Richmond Generals a few years ago. So, I don’t see this trade as doing anything for the Cannons, other than watering down their rotation even more. ----------- June 1: The Braeland City Monarchs received 26-year old SS Simon Flatt (57/60) from the Cobourg Red Stockings. In return, the Red Stockings acquired 37-year old RHP Lenny Freke (68/68). *Knee-jerk reaction:* The first of two trades that Cobourg made for a pitcher. Lenny Freke is not the pitcher he once was; his stuff has diminished. But despite a rough season (13-13, 4.21 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 81 ERA+) where he was eventually relegated to Braeland City’s No. 5 starter, he enters Spring Training pegged as Cobourg’s Opening Day starter. He has been an absolute workhorse for the Monarchs since Season 1 and is a very intelligent pitcher. It will be interesting to see if Cobourg’s faith in Freke is rewarded. Flatt meanwhile, was a 4th overall pick for the Red Stockings back in 1940-41. He has some contact skills, good hands and excellent speed. But his ratings are not that much better than the man he will be replacing in the lineup, 24-year old Luwen Rodenburg, who won a Top Fielder Award last season. So, it will be interesting to see how Flatt makes out in the Nation’s capital. ----------- June 4: 26-year old RF Marcus Peyto (78/78) is heading to the Brunswick Legends in a trade with the Hespeler Stars. In return, the Stars received 4 minor leaguers: 19-year old 1B John Fennell (21/42) 20-year old RHP Dominic Whitmore (20/76) 18-year old SS Kai Ensor (21/74) 19-year old C Harley Creswell (20/23) *Knee-jerk reaction:* Now here’s a trade you can sink your teeth into. The Legends acquire their present and future rightfielder, as Peyto is rated No. 1 among rightfielders and No. 10 among position players overall. The 2nd overall pick from 1941-42 is coming off his best season and was a strong candidate for the All-Braeland Team this past season. He is penciled in as Brunswick’s clean-up hitter. But Hespeler received some intriguing prospects in return, but still a little light for a player like Peyto, methinks. The most promising is Whitmore, an 11th overall pick from last season. The young pitcher is no longer considered a prospect, but if he gets a couple of developmental boosts in stuff (35/45) and control (30/45), Hespeler could have a very good pitcher on their hands. Fennell and Ensor were both selected in the later rounds of last year’s draft (3rd & 5th rounds respectively), but like Whitmore, a couple of developmental boosts could be make them very useful offensive players for the Stars. We’ll shall have to wait and see. ----------- July 18: The Balmoral Giants shipped 26-year old RHP Ramón Ortíz (73/77) and $5,500 to the Cobourg Red Stockings. In return, the Giants received 3 minor leaguers: 22-year old SS Joshua Huxtable (22/25) 23-year old SS Félix Coloa (23/28) 23-year old C José Valdés (22/24) *Knee-jerk reaction:* Cobourg’s GM Denzel Seamon continues his novel method of attempting to upgrade the Red Stockings’ starting rotation. After acquiring 37-year old Lenny Freke, Seamon went after Balmoral’s top relief pitcher in Ortíz. He is considered a borderline starter with a good fastball (50) and sinker (55), but a lousy changeup (25). His stuff is pedestrian (40), but he has excellent movement (70) and control (60). Also, his stamina will be a concern (35). Nevertheless, he is pegged as Cobourg’s No. 2 starter, behind Freke. None of the minor league players the Giants received in return are expected to make much noise, but Huxtable and Coloa have shown flashes of offensive ability in the minors and possess decent defense. ----------- The War Gained chart below reflects the moves Brunswick and Wolseley made in acquiring Marcus Peyto and Gavin Hewat respectively. Two teams, the Kingston Pelicans and Pulberry Trolleys, have not made any player movements whatsoever heading into Spring Training. __________________ United Leagues of Braeland