[ayaghmour2]

We dropped down to 5th in the prospect rankings, with a few guys graduating and what I felt was a weak draft class. We lack a top guy, but have a bunch in the 25-65 range. I feel like our farm is better then it is ranked, but my guess is that is how everyone except Baltimore (who is 1) feels. The game is very variable (with it being stats only) and the current #1 prospect, RF Mahlon Strong, was an 8th Round pick in the previous draft. He also hit .229/.271/.360 with 7 homers and 43 RBI's, which doesn't quite scream #1 overall prospect, however we can't see his ratings (and my scout absolutely loves him) so his mediocre high school stats look more like an 8th Rounder then the best youngster in the game. Anything in quotations will be in my scouts words, not mine. Anyways, without further adieu, here is the top 10 in the Cougars farm system!

3B Mack Deal (26th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 1st Round, 6th Overall (1924)
Alma Mater: Detroit HS Panthers
The goal is for Deal to spend the entire season in the majors, so he's likely going to graduate off the top prospect list in two months. Naturally a shortstop, Deal can also play second, third, and left, and the hot corner seems to be the spot for him. He's got elite speed and shapes up to be a "whiz-kid at third base" and he's able to "consistently put the barrel of the bat on the ball" which makes it seem like the 22-year-old can be a two way superstar. Deal's minor league career took off last season, where he jumped up from A Lincoln all the way to the big league Clubs. He hit .284/.294/.403 with a homer, 5 steals, and 3 RBI's in 16 games with the big league club last season, but tore apart Spring pitching, slashing .415/.500/.561. Deal's real weakness is his power, as the 8 he hit last year combined is the most in a full season. He's a triple machine, however, and our stadium doesn't play too well to that aspect despite the numbers Panko and Dibblee have put up in the past. If the glove continues to develop and Deal doesn't become a purely singles hitter, he's going to be a cornerstone to build around.

SP Ben Turner (29th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 9th Round, 131st Overall (1926)
Alma Mater: Scranton HS Miners
When I selected Turner in the 9th Round, he was maybe 23rd on my entire draft list. The fact that he fell this far (and that I got that many guys before him that aren't any better...), really surprised me as he was dominate his whole High School career. As a senior, he went 8-2 with a 1.63 ERA (265 ERA+), 1.03 WHIP, and 72 strikeouts in 78.1 innings and his career numbers were impressive as well. He was 15-8 with a 2.05 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 210 strikeouts in 219.2 innings. Scouts generally hate pitchers in this league, and "Turner's future lies in the rotation as a useful arm" is the equivalent to you have a budding young ace. He has "pinpoint control" and is playing against older competition. The 21-year-old will head back to Class A Lincoln where he went 11-7 with a 4.18 ERA and 1.35 WHIP where most people send their college draftees (like my #1 pick this year). If everything goes as planned and he keeps his clean injury history, Turner should be heading the Cougars rotation for years to come.

C Fred Barrell (31st Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 1st Round, 3rd Overall (1926)
Alma Mater: Georgia Baptist Gators
While Turner may be the best pitcher of mine from the 1926 class, Barrell is definitely the best hitter. Son of in universe celebrity Rufus Barrell (all his kids are good at sports like he was and I almost want to lose every game this season to draft his brother Tom), Fred is likely the best catching prospect in the game. He's "outstanding" behind the plate and "potentially one of the best at his position" and he has those intangibles you love to see in young players. He's flashed pop with 16 homers his first season in the minors, but just managed 3 in a much less hitter friendly AA level. The numbers were still great, as he hit .321/.378/.416 (111 OPS+) with 102 RBI's and more walks (44) then strikeouts (35). Barrell will get his first taste of AAA Milwaukee, and the major league job is his when he wants it. Just 23, he struggled a little in the spring, but with a little more seasoning with the Blues Barrell should form an elite battery with Ben Turner as tides begin to start changing in Chicago.

SP Heinie Bretz (49th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 51st Overall (1926)
Alma Mater: Wilkes-Barre HS Warrios
The 1926 Draft looks like a great class for the Cougars, as 4th Rounder Heinie Bretz is the third straight member to fill up the top of our prospect list. Like Turner, his senior year was dominate, as he went 7-6 with a 1.66 ERA (256 ERA+), 0.90 WHIP, and 104 strikeouts in 97.1 innings pitched. Last season with Class B San Jose, he went 10-4 with a 3.23 ERA (150 ERA+), 1.19 WHIP, and 81 strikeouts in 18 starts before a promotion to Class A Lincoln. He may have been over-matched there, as his 16 starts with the Legislators were much worse. He was just 4-7 with a 5.72 ERA (70 ERA+), 1.82 WHIP, and more walks (55) then strikeouts (20). He probably wan't quite ready (although I don't like demoting top prospects midseason unless it's for an injury), so I'll let him build his confidence back up with San Jose before giving him another shot in Class A. Bretz receives high praise from my scout, who views him as a "solid #3 starter or better" which is about as good of a compliment as you can get. He's a groundballer who does a good job of throwing strikes, as his 35 walks with San Jose in 128 innings is more realistic then the 55 in 102.1 with Lincoln. Bretz will likely check in right behind Turner in what looks to be a bright young rotation.

SP George DeForest (51st Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 6th Round, 83rd Overall (1927)
Alma Mater: San Antonio HS Warriors
Another guy acquired through the draft, George DeForest got his first taste of professional ball last season in Class B San Jose. The then 19-year-old held his own, going 16-9 with a 4.31 ERA (112 ERA), 1.30 WHIP, and 160 strikeouts in 208.2 innings. He did have his trouble with walks (92) and he'll head down to the newly created Class C La Crosse Lions. And like Bretz and Turner, DeForest was unhittable in High School. He finished his career with the Warriors 13-4 with a 1.83 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, and 230 strikeouts in 216.1 innings. And like Turner, I'm shocked he fell as far as he did. His control may be a problem, but he's great at striking hitters out with his four pitch mix featuring a 90-92 MPH fastball backed up by a curve, knuckle curve, and change. He has a lot of developing left to go, but he could find himself in Lincoln by the end of the season. We'll have to wait a little longer with him as opposed to Turner and Bretz, but DeForest could be a #2 if not #3 in any rotation in baseball.

2B Rabbit Forrest (55th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 7th Round, 100th Overall (1925)
Alma Mater: Cleveland HS Barons
The switch hitting Forrest was part of my first draft class, which has already seen 1st Rounder Bill Ashbaugh, 3rd Rounder Dick Fessell, and 5th Rounder Phil English debut in the FABL, so it seems fitting that the 7th Rounder with a real cool name would be the highest ranked prospect in our system from that class. Forrest is naturally a sescond basemen, I tried him out at third and I'm starting to give him reps at short with Ashbaugh locked in at the keystone and his bat as promising as it is. He isn't the greatest defender and he may end up at first base so Forrest may return there where he owns a career +20.3 ZR in 264 starts. He hit thorugh Class A Lincoln, slashing .376/.462/.512 (156 OPS+) with 5 steals and 25 RBI's in 213 at bats before earning a promotion to AA Mobile and finished the season there. Despite being just 20, he held his own, hitting .360/.397/.465 (128 OPS+) with 11 steals and 47 RBI's all while trying to learn third base. If he continues to mash like he did, Forrest may play himself into the starting lineup.

SP Dick Kadlec (61st Overall)
Acquired: Via Trade with Philadelphia (1926)
Drafted: 3rd Round, 35th Overall by Philadelphia (1922)
Alma Mater: Decatur HS Demons
The first top prospect I didn't draft! Originally a 3rd Round selection by the Keystones way back in 1922, I acquired the now 24-year-old and CF Dave Lappin for former ace Bill Ross and an 8th Round Pick in the offseason before the 1927 season. It panned out instantly for the Keystones, as Ross went 16-8 with a 3.44 ERA (123 ERA+), 1.43 WHIP, and 96 strikeouts in 32 starts on his way to a pennant. Kadlec features a splitter and a mid 90s fastball with his five pitch arsenal. A rough spring sent him down to AAA to start the year, but Kadlec held his own in a 3 start audition last September. The youngster went 1-2 with a 4.24 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. He should be back with the big league club soon, as he'll turn 25 at the end of May, but Kadlec still looks like a middle of the rotation starter. He may not be the ace we once though he'd develop into, but Ross will be in his mid-30s when we can likely compete for a CA pennant.

SS Clyde Hinzman (63rd Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 6th Round, 84th Overall (1925)
Alma Mater: Washington DC HS Senators
Another member of our first human draft class, Hinzman is a glove first middle infielder (my favorite kind!) who's already accumulated a +41.8 ZR in just under 4,000 innings at short. Almost 22, "there are few players better at turning a double play at shortstop" and "he makes good contact" that will give him value even if the power he once showed doesn't develop. He spent nearly all of last season with Class A Lincoln, hitting .274/.322/.376 with a homer and 47 RBI's, nothing like the 10 he hit in 1927 with San Jose. I'd move him up to Mobile, but with Forrest learning short, I wanted Hinzman to get everyday reps. If short proves to be too difficult for Forrest or his bat carries him up to AAA, Hinzman is the first guy to get the call. While I never expect him to be more then an average hitter, having an elite defender at short is always a plus for any team.

3B Harry Simmons (64th Overall)
Acquired: Via Rule-5 Draft from Detroit: (1928)
Drafted: 4th Round, 114th Overall by Detroit (1922) and 8th Round, 134th Overall by Detroit (1923)
Alma Mater: Syracuse HS Stars
I touched a little bit on his weird draft story on the infielders post, but 24-year-old Harry Simmons will get to start opening day as our shortstop, a position he is more then capable of. While the Dynamos moved him to third, he played short in High School and his first season in the minors before moving to the hot corner. He "is an elite defensive third basemen" and "runs well and aggressively" which makes me think he has the range for short. Of course, the time here may be short lived depending on how he hits, but he was great in AA Akron last year. He slashed .319/.369/.398 (122 OPS+) with 19 steals and 50 RBI's in 139 games. With Deal entrenched at third, Simmons may end up on the bench long-term, but a multi-positional infielder with speed is extremely valuable and he could result into interesting trade bait if he survives (which is likely) the season on the active roster.

SS Pat Schuring (72nd Overall)
Acquired: Via Trade with New York (1927)
Drafted: 2nd Round, 16th Overall by New York (1925)
Alma Mater: Dallas HS Rangers
Acquired with Bob McCarty in exchange for Phil English, Bert Houston, and Bob Worley during the 1927 offseason, the now 21-year-old Schuring started his Cougars career with San Jose last season. He hit .274/.361/.371 with 4 homers, 6 steals, and 64 RBI's in just under 500 at bats with an impressive +8.8 ZR at short. He's a patient hitter with pretty good gap to gap power and a little home run pop. His main asset is his glove, but unlike Hinzman, he may develop into a better then average hitter. With all the SS depth we have, he's waiting with Hinzman for the eventual Forrest return to 2B or promotion to AAA and will return to San Jose. He's actually part Italian, which is pretty cool, as nearly every player in the game is American (there's a few international guys on the independent minor league teams minor league complexes) and is a cool little story addition to the game if (when *fingers crossed*) he makes the majors.

11-20 will be next! I might try to get them in tonight, but they will definitely be up tomorrow.