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percy_sutherland · 12-13-2019, 12:50 PM

DID THE KINGS DRAW A ROYAL FLUSH?

Now that the dust has settled on the 1928 draft, I wanted to call attention to something that caught my eye. On the eve of the draft, the Brooklyn Kings surprised everyone by trading up to acquire the number one draft pick and the right to select Liberty College hurler Tommy Wilcox. There is a consensus building among the Federal scouts--Wilcox has a golden arm and the ceiling on his abilities is quite high.

The current Kings front office took over in October of 1925. The Kings had won a (surprising) pennant in 1923, but were coming off of back-to-back last place finishes. The Kings held the second selection in the 1925 draft and announced that the pick was for sale.

The Toronto Wolves took the bait. The Wolves held the 6th pick, but they wanted to move up to the 2nd. So they sent the Kings pitchers Cal Williams and Topsy Moran, the 6th pick and their 2nd round selection in exchange for the 2nd pick and a minor league outfielder named Howie Davidson. Toronto then used the 2nd overall pick on 18-year-old high school pitcher Eddie Quinn. Quinn had a decent season in 1927 pitching out of the bullpen for class A Des Moines (7-19, 6.45 with 122 strikeouts in 105 innings). But the 22-year-old struggled at class AAA Buffalo last season (4-3, 5.24, 19 strikeouts in 57 innings).

For Brooklyn the deal was a huge windfall. First they acquired 28-year-old Cal Williams, coming off a 10-13 season for the Wolves. Williams posted a record of 16-9 in 1926 followed by a career best 21-10 in the pennant winning season of 1927. Brooklyn also received a 25-year-old former 2nd round pick in Topsy Moran--who had just put up a 19-6, 3.38 season for class AAA Buffalo. Moran would debut with a 12-10 record in 1926 and--while he missed much of the 1927 season with an injury--he remains a key piece of the Kings roster.

And to rub salt into Toronto's wound, the Kings also selected pitcher Harvey Rodgers from them in the Rule 5 draft. The Kings had originally wanted Rodgers included in the deal, but Toronto refused. Rodgers was 24-years-old at the time and was coming off a 20-7 season at Buffalo. In 1927, Rodgers posted a 13-6, 3.08 record for the Kings and, like Moran, remains a key piece of the Brooklyn rotation.

In the Toronto deal, Brooklyn also received two picks in that 1925 draft--the 6th and 22nd overall selections. With the 6th, they landed what may turn out to be the top prize of a good draft class--outfielder Doug Lightbody. Lightbody, as any Federal League fan is well aware, bypassed the minors and went straight to Brooklyn, where he was hitting .356 before an arm injury ended his season in July. He came back with a vengeance in 1927, leading Brooklyn to a pennant and leading the Continental with a .384 batting average and 113 runs scored, winning the Whitney Award in the process.

So why am I bringing all of this up now? With the other pick Brooklyn received from Toronto--the 22nd overall selection--the Kings choose high school third baseman Dave Bristol. In 1928, for class B Tampa, the 21-year-old Bristol hit .328 with 49 doubles. Washington--who held the 1st overall selection in the 1928 draft--wanted Bristol as part of a package for that pick. The Kings ended up sending Bristol, along with the 10th and 14th overall picks, to Washington in exchange for the 1st pick.

So that December of 1925 deal that a new Kings front office struck with Toronto? As a direct, or indirect, result of that deal, the Kings are in possession of: Topsy Moran, Harvey Rodgers, Doug Lightbody, and Tommy Wilcox. That looks like a winning hand to me.

12-13-2019, 12:50 PM	#10
percy_sutherland Bat Boy Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 11	Saturday, February 16th, 1929: From the Desk of Percy Sutherland DID THE KINGS DRAW A ROYAL FLUSH? Now that the dust has settled on the 1928 draft, I wanted to call attention to something that caught my eye. On the eve of the draft, the Brooklyn Kings surprised everyone by trading up to acquire the number one draft pick and the right to select Liberty College hurler Tommy Wilcox. There is a consensus building among the Federal scouts--Wilcox has a golden arm and the ceiling on his abilities is quite high. The current Kings front office took over in October of 1925. The Kings had won a (surprising) pennant in 1923, but were coming off of back-to-back last place finishes. The Kings held the second selection in the 1925 draft and announced that the pick was for sale. The Toronto Wolves took the bait. The Wolves held the 6th pick, but they wanted to move up to the 2nd. So they sent the Kings pitchers Cal Williams and Topsy Moran, the 6th pick and their 2nd round selection in exchange for the 2nd pick and a minor league outfielder named Howie Davidson. Toronto then used the 2nd overall pick on 18-year-old high school pitcher Eddie Quinn. Quinn had a decent season in 1927 pitching out of the bullpen for class A Des Moines (7-19, 6.45 with 122 strikeouts in 105 innings). But the 22-year-old struggled at class AAA Buffalo last season (4-3, 5.24, 19 strikeouts in 57 innings). For Brooklyn the deal was a huge windfall. First they acquired 28-year-old Cal Williams, coming off a 10-13 season for the Wolves. Williams posted a record of 16-9 in 1926 followed by a career best 21-10 in the pennant winning season of 1927. Brooklyn also received a 25-year-old former 2nd round pick in Topsy Moran--who had just put up a 19-6, 3.38 season for class AAA Buffalo. Moran would debut with a 12-10 record in 1926 and--while he missed much of the 1927 season with an injury--he remains a key piece of the Kings roster. And to rub salt into Toronto's wound, the Kings also selected pitcher Harvey Rodgers from them in the Rule 5 draft. The Kings had originally wanted Rodgers included in the deal, but Toronto refused. Rodgers was 24-years-old at the time and was coming off a 20-7 season at Buffalo. In 1927, Rodgers posted a 13-6, 3.08 record for the Kings and, like Moran, remains a key piece of the Brooklyn rotation. In the Toronto deal, Brooklyn also received two picks in that 1925 draft--the 6th and 22nd overall selections. With the 6th, they landed what may turn out to be the top prize of a good draft class--outfielder Doug Lightbody. Lightbody, as any Federal League fan is well aware, bypassed the minors and went straight to Brooklyn, where he was hitting .356 before an arm injury ended his season in July. He came back with a vengeance in 1927, leading Brooklyn to a pennant and leading the Continental with a .384 batting average and 113 runs scored, winning the Whitney Award in the process. So why am I bringing all of this up now? With the other pick Brooklyn received from Toronto--the 22nd overall selection--the Kings choose high school third baseman Dave Bristol. In 1928, for class B Tampa, the 21-year-old Bristol hit .328 with 49 doubles. Washington--who held the 1st overall selection in the 1928 draft--wanted Bristol as part of a package for that pick. The Kings ended up sending Bristol, along with the 10th and 14th overall picks, to Washington in exchange for the 1st pick. So that December of 1925 deal that a new Kings front office struck with Toronto? As a direct, or indirect, result of that deal, the Kings are in possession of: Topsy Moran, Harvey Rodgers, Doug Lightbody, and Tommy Wilcox. That looks like a winning hand to me. Last edited by percy_sutherland; 12-13-2019 at 05:03 PM.