[ayaghmour2]

SP Dean Astle (75th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 9th Round, 131st Overall (1927)
Alma Mater: Berkley Bears (HS)
He starts a run of three consecutive prospects ranked 75, 76, and 77, although it's rather shocking to see Astle ranked this highly. The recent 9th Rounder suffered through an awful season with Class B San Jose. He was 7-13 with a 7.14 ERA (68 ERA+), 1.89 WHIP, and 91 walks with just 22 strikeouts. This doesn't really look like top prospect material, but OSA sees something in the 19-year-old that we can't. That's not to say he isn't talented, as he went 6-1 with a 2.35 ERA (226 ERA+), 1.15 WHIP, and 54 strikeouts in 65 innings his senior year of high school and a domiante sophomore season where he was 4-1 with a 1.91 ERA (232 ERA+), 0.86 WHIP, and 79 strikeouts in 80 innings pitched. He doesn't throw very hard, sitting in the mid to upper 80s, but he prefers his change-up to his cutter. He's an extreme groundballer as well, but his HR/9 rate spiked last season in San Jose. The addition of Class C will benefit Astle, as he'll look to regain form there for the time being. I'm hoping last season was just early career jitters, and the lefty can reach the lofty potential my scout and OSA sees.

SS Slim Bloom (76th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 13th Round, 219th Overall (1923)
Alma Mater: New York HS Eagles
He might have been the hardest roster cut to make, and despite an excellent spring, I sent him down to Milwaukee to start the season as he's yet to reach AAA. Originally a third basemen, I decided to move him to short instead and he absolutely flourished. His +2.7 ZR at third (850.2 innings) pales in comparison to his +13.3 ZR at short (1,798.1 innings) including an impressive +10.2 in his first full season up the middle. Despite his dominance in the Spring (.392/.446/.529), he hit .311/.369/.407 (106 OPS+) with 9 steals and 69 RBI's in 112 games with the AA Mobile Commodores. This doesn't scream MLB ready, but he'll get his shot to prove himself a level up in Milwaukee. And while he "could be a decent contact hitter" he should "be penciled for a lion's share of starts" at the big league level. Bloom is the next man up when it comes to reserves in the minors, and he may hit his way in the lineup if Sanders/Simmons can't hold the short stop job. Already a steal for a late rounder, Bloom may not have star potential, but you can't build a team with only star players.

RF Vince York (77th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 2nd Round, 25th Overall (1924)
Alma Mater: Wichita HS Jayhawks
If you saw Jiggs' comment before this post, then you know one thing about Vince York. This. Dude. Rakes. It's as simple as that. And to top things off, he hits from both sides of the plate. Sure, the AI in 1925 didn't let him start a single game despite being a 2nd Round Pick and sure he hit just .223 (albeit with 19 homers and 90 RBI's) in his first year as a starter, but once the calendar turned over to 1927, York decided that no minor league pitcher was going to get in his way. In 131 games with Class A Lincoln, he put his name back on the map, hitting .317/.348/.578 (148 OPS+) with 34 homers and 156 RBI's. 156!!! And while the power dropped off a bit last season (not sure if it's all A leagues, or just the Heartland League, but homers are much more prevalent there then any other level), he took to the promotion to AA as well as anyone could have even dreamed. In 527 plate appearances, he hit an insane .407/.449/.599 (177 OPS+) with 6 homers and 81 RBI's before getting promoted to AAA in September (the outfield situation was crowded with Fessell, Jordan, and Johnson all starting). He'll be back in Milwaukee to start the season after hitting .321/.345/.476 (137 OPS+) in his quick audition with the Blues. A right fielder by trade, we've worked him out in left with Johnny Johnson in right. Both aren't very good defenders, but York has prior experience in left while Johnson has never left right. He may not be like any of the other prospects in my system (or any in baseball for that matter), but the 22-year-old looks to be an absolute force on offense in the majors, especially with our super short lines and his pull hitting flyball tendencies.

CF George Jordan (97th Overall)
Acquired: Via Trade with Brooklyn (1926)
Drafted: 1st Round, 17th Overall by Brooklyn (1923)
Alma Mater: Sacramento HS Governors
In 1922, no high schooler had a better life then George Jordan. Not only did he hit .351/.426/.578 (200 OPS+) with 9 triples and 36 RBI's in 40 games, he was named HS MVP and won a championship for the Governors. While impossible to replicate that as a senior, Jordan hit a still impressive .354/.404/.551 with 4 homers, 18 steals, and 26 RBI's as a senior before the Brooklyn Kings selected the switch hitter 17th overall. We got him in the 1926 off-season for 2B Rocky Edwards and a 7th Round pick in one of the few trades that I can say I convincingly won. Even though Jordan has only tallied 49 major league at bats, Edwards went from a dependable starter who hit .308/.358/.385 with 35 steals and 55 RBI's in his final season in Chicago to a pitiful 8-for-45 run with the Kings before being sent down to the minors and eventually cast away. He's already bounced form Montreal to Philadelphia off waivers. Jordan has been inconsistent and a little of his prospect shine has clouded. With the Cougars he hit just .245/.309/.367 (82 OPS+) in 49 at bats and with the Blues he was at par at .247/.290/.340 (83 OPS+) in 312 at bats after a stronger showing with the Commodores. His defense really started to take off in Milwaukee, as his +6.1 ZR was the best of his career. Jordan has shown promise with the bat, but the soon to be 24 year old may have just been over-matched last season. He'll return to AAA to start the season and is stuck behind out "best" healthy player Bob McCarty. If Jordan starts to hit again, expect him or McCarty to end up in left with the other in center before the year ends.

SP Lou Gaffin (116th Overall)
Acquired: Via Minor League Free Agent Signing (1925)
Drafted: 15th Round, 230th Overall by Philadelphia (1922) and 14th Round, 224th Overall by Boston (1923)
Alma Mater: Pittsburgh HS Panthers and Holyoke HS Oaks
He took the long way to the 40-Man roster (protected before the last Rule-5 Draft) and was released instantly by both teams that drafted him. They may regret that, as even with a year off, Gaffin eventually caught on with the Cougars. As you may expect, he was awful after the year off, but he really started to find himself during the 1927 minor league season. He spent time at three levels last season, and did his best work with AA Mobile. He was 5-1 with a 2.70 ERA (155 ERA+) and 1.17 WHIP in 7 starts before getting the promotion to AAA Milwaukee. He more then held his own, going 6-5 with a 3.00 ERA (121 ERA+) and 1.21 WHIP in 14 starts with the Blues. He'll return to AAA with fellow top prospects Dick Kadlec and Ben Curtin.

SP Ben Curtin (141st Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 2nd Round, 34th Overall (1924)
Alma Mater: Omaha HS Plainsman
Curtin was initially selected by the Baltimore Clippers in the 3rd Round of the 1923 draft, but was then allowed to stay in HS for another season. In '23 he went 4-4 with a 1.75 ERA (257 ERA+), 0.96 WHIP, and 67 strikeouts before going 3-3 with a 1.71 ERA (250 ERA+), 1.10 WHIP, and 73 strikeouts his final season of high school. He was awful his first pro season, but bounced back in a big way in 1927. After 4 solid starts with Class B San Jose, he was excellent in 182.2 innings with the Legislators. He was 12-7 with a 2.22 ERA (204 ERA+), 1.16 WHIP, and 190 strikeouts while winning the 1927 Heartland League championship. He was bumped up to Mobile the next season, and he proved to be more then ready. He was 20-5 with a 2.84 ERA (148 ERA+), 1.28 WHIP, and 91 strikeouts in 269.2 innings with the Commodores. I added him to the 40-Man roster in the offseason to protect him from the Rule-5 Draft and he is expected to lead the rotation. He has a nice sinker with excellent downward movement which leads to a lot of groundouts and like Kadlec and Gaffin, might find himself in the Cougars rotation by the end of the year.

1B Jim Fisher (160th Overall)
Acquired: Via Minor League Free Agency (1925)
Alma Mater: Atlanta HS Peaches
Undrafted out of Atlanta HS, I actually signed Jim Fisher myself as we had to fill out our minor league rosters. Did I think he'd eventually be a top 200 prospect? No. But I did like that he hit .310/.369/.600 (155 OPS+) with 7 homers and 19 RBI's in 100 at bats as a senior. He hasn't been overly productive in three seasons with Class B San Jose, but the 21-year-old "projects to hit for a .350 batting average" which likely isn't going to come true. He has a little pop, but he's a huge liability in the field. I think he's ranked much higher then he should, as there are a bunch of prospects I would rank far ahead of him.

RP Ed Woodward (165th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 15th Round, 245th Overall (1922)
Alma Mater: Milwaukee HS Maroons
I'm absolutely stunned that Woodward was a 15th Round Pick as he was instantly ranked the 88th best prospect and then 44th the following season. To top that off, his high school numbers are absolutely insane. In his career, he went 19-3 with a 1.75 ERA (253 ERA+), 0.93 WHIP, and 189 strikeouts in 226 innings and owns the 8th best HS ERA ever to go with the 5th most shutouts (5, and four guys are tied for first) and 3rd most (3, two tied at four) in a season. Now 26, Woodward has been above average at every minor league level since 1925 and he made his big league debut last season. It was rough, as he was shelled for 26 hits and 13 runs in 15.1 innings out of the pen. It was his first relief action since a really weird 1923 season with Lincoln where he went 6-29 with 15 saves with a 7.35 ERA and 1.78 WHIP to go with 106 walks and 153 strikeouts in 177.2 innings out of the pen. I've decided to convert him to a reliever full time, so he may end up reinventing himself as a full time reliever.

CF Mike Smith (178th Overall)
Acquired: Via Rule-5 Draft from Chicago
Drafted: 14th Round, 236th Overall by Brooklyn (1923) and 3rd Round, 46th Overall by Chicago (1924)
Alma Mater: Nashville HS Hawks and Pittsburgh HS Pipers
Our second of six rule 5 picks, Mike Smith came over from our crosstown rival Chiefs. The 23-year-old hit an impressive .339/.406/.506 (143 OPS+) in 354 at bats with 10 homers and 39 RBI's. And while he's not terrible in center, I expect him to eventually end up in a corner. My scout is a fan, praising his "smooth swing with quick hands" and "good pitch recognition" and he will more or less have infinite job security due to the power potential most of my outfield prospects lack. He may be a little overmatched at first, with so little upper minors experience, but he hit a nice .333/.467/.417 off the bench in the Spring.

LF Earl Johnson
Acquired: Via Draft: 12th Round, 180th Overall (1925)
Alma Mater: Chicago HS Wildcats
I love drafting guys out of Illinois schools (and they are 11-2 this year!) so Earl Johnson was an easy pick in the later rounds. He's not the greatest defender, but he hit 14 homers and drove in 92 runs back in 1927 with San Jose which put him on the prospect map. After dominating Lincoln in a quick 19 game stop, Johnson continued that run in the Dixie League with Mobile, hitting .353/.415/.517 (147 OPS+) with 3 homers and 53 RBI's in 410 plate appearances. While the power did drop off, he looks to have "above average power in the future" and "he could hit for a .360 batting average" which can make up for his middling play on the other side of the field. He'll return to AA as the AAA outfield is entirely accounted for, although a slump from lesser ranked prospect Johnny Johnson could push him up to Milwaukee and shift York back to right. I think Johnson has really found his stride, and he could turn a few more heads next season.

I'll finish the rest of the Top 30 prospects tomorrow!