[ayaghmour2]

SP Milt Nelson (162nd Overall)
Acquired: Via Trade with the Brooklyn Kings (1928)
Drafted: 12th Round, 195th Overall by the Detroit Dynamos (1922) (released after) and 4th Round, 54th Overall by the Brooklyn Kings (1925)
Alma Mater: Louisville HS Titans and Bayou State Cougars
Last Year Rank: 22nd

Acquired in a trade a few seasons ago with Brooklyn for pitcher Buzz Hamm (who eventually won the ERA crown that season), Nelson was slightly below average in AA and AAA (99 and 95 ERA+) before making his big league debut. I needed to protect him in the Rule-5 Draft, so I gave him 2 starts in September that didn't got all too well. He allowed 18 hits and 13 runs with 13 walks and 6 strikeouts in 10.1 innings. The 25-year-old will likely start his season back in Milwaukee, but he will be given a few starts in the Spring. He has elite stuff and is a strikeout machine, who can throw mid to high 90s cutters past anyone at the plate. Control problems are the only thing preventing Nelson from being an ace, but he should still be a dependable starter in the rotation.

CF George Jordan (179th Overall)
Acquired: Via Trade with the Brooklyn Kings (1926)
Drafted: 1st Round, 17th Overall by the Brooklyn Kings (1923)
Alma Mater: Sacramento HS Governors
Last Year Rank: 14th

I can't believe how low Jordan is ranked, however, I still think he's going to be an Opening Day starter and one of the four outfielders in our starting rotation. I'm looking to give the 24-year-old switch hitter some reps in left and right as he is a much better defender then both John Dibblee and Vince York. As good as he is in center, Bob McCarty is likely to get most of the starts there, but Jordan is still likely to see starts in all three spots once the season is under way. With excellent speed and a powerful bat, he shined in 50 September plate appearances, going .422/.480/.600 (171 OPS+) with a homer, 2 steals, and 11 RBI's. Barring injury or a poor spring, Jordan should spend the rest of his time as a Cougar on the active roster.

SP Mickey Williams
Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 67th Overall (1926)
Alma Mater: Coastal California Dolphins
Last Year Rank: 21st

Our first non-top 200 prospect is former 5th Rounder Mickey Williams. The 25-year-old is going to be Rule-5 eligible at the end of the season, so I'm expecting him to make his debut in September. The lefty made 25 starts with AA Mobile, going 13-10 with a 4.04 ERA (110 ERA+), 1.46 WHIP, and 57 strikeouts in 216.1 innings. He then received a late call to Milwaukee, where he was 2-2 with a 3.86 ERA (108 ERA+), 1.61 WHIP, and 20 strikeouts in 37.1 innings. A groundballer who sits in the low 90s, Williams features a fastball, curve, slider, and change up. He's likely to be invited to Spring Training where he looks to continue on a really good season last year. Since debuting in professional ball in 1927, he has not had a below average season in terms of ERA+. He's not the shiniest prospect out there, but as we continue to look for starting pitching options, he's going to eventually get his shot to stick.

RP John Peterson
Acquired: Via Minor League Free Agent (1926)
Drafted: 6th Round, 99th Overall by the Detroit Dynamos (1922), undrafted in 1925
Alma Mater: Scranton HS Miners and Detroit City College Knights
Last Year Rank: Unranked

One thing about John Peterson is that he's always getting injured. Soon to be 26, he's already had 7 injuries lasting 4 weeks or more, and it's really taken a tole on him. Formerly a starter, Peterson is now looking to work strictly from the bullpen in an effort to save his arm. He's an extreme flyball pitcher who's a side-winding righty from Chicago, Illinois. His best pitching last season came in the pen for Lincoln, where he was 1-3 with 5 saves, a 2.63 ERA (167 ERA+), 1.22 WHIP, and 16 strikeouts in 41 innings pitched. I don't think there's much here, but he's going to be a filler pen arm wherever an arm is needed in our system.

SP Bill Kline
Acquired: Via Draft: 2nd Round, 19th Overall (1926)
Alma Mater: Birmingham HS Bulldogs
Last Year Rank: Unranked

A former 2nd Round selection of ours, the lefty Bill Kline has finally surfaced on prospect lists. My scout has changed his opinion on him, as the one projected starter now looks like "he'll be on the shortlist for best relievers in the league" which isn't all too helpful in a league set in 1930. Regardless, we will continue to work Kline as a SP. He reached AA last season, likely where he will start, going 7-6 with a 4.41 ERA (101 ERA+), 1.45 WHIP, and 22 strikeouts in 118.1 innings across 14 starts. A groundballer who lives in the low 90s, Kline does a great job generating double play balls when needed and he has pinpoint control. His cutter is his best pitch and I still think the 24-year-old has what it takes to start in an FABL rotation.