1930 DRAFT PREVIEW
At the beginning of last season I released a preview of who I felt the top candidates for the 1930 draft were. It was obviously a very rough guess as all of these players still had two years to play before their draft came around. At that time I thought we would have a banner crop of pitching but now, with just a few months left to impress FABL scouts, the 1930 draft pool is looking pretty weak, at least in comparison to the top end talent available the last couple of seasons. Here is a peak at some players who might make an impact on FABL in the coming years.
CATCHER- This looks like a very good class for catchers after a couple of lean years. I have been a huge fan of Lubbock State's Jack Flint for 2 years now. A two-time first team all-american, Flint is looking even better this year then he did in his first two seasons. A lifetime .371 college hitter with 17 homers in 127 games makes him seem like a future starting catcher in the big leagues. Chicago Poly's Jim Wright is another player to keep an eye on. He was a second team All-American as a freshman and is hitting at a .327 clip this season now that he is back behind the plate after a year at first base for the Panthers. Going into last season I also like high school Clem Bliss after the Syracuse Star hit .359 in his first season. Bliss was very good last year as well but his stock has dropped this season as he is struggling at the plate. One to keep an eye on is Nashville HS catcher James Demastus, who is having a huge year after looking well below average his first two prep seasons.
FIRST BASE - It seems like a real down season for first base talent. No one stands out as the power hitting player teams look for at the position. I don't see anyone worthy of a first round pick at this position with the closest perhaps being Opelika State's Jack Burr. The 21 year old is batting .315 this season but has just 7 extra base hits in 116 plate appearances.
SECOND BASE - Heinie Dunn of Elmira HS is listed as a second baseman but has seen much more time in center field for the Emeralds. Either way, his work at the plate has been stellar this season, hititing .375 and looking like he could be a solid lead-off man one day. Dunn has 19 stolen bases in 63 career high school games. I also really like Travis College's Doc Littlefield. He looks a lot more polished the Dunn, with a .307 career average in 117 college games and some outstanding work with the leather. Wichita HS product Hiram Martin is another defensive wizard who has been very consistent at the plate the past two seasons.
SHORTSTOP - Last year I felt there were a lot of good high school shortstops in this class and I feel that is still the case. I really love what Lee Porter is doing for Nashville HS. He has put up some tremendous defensive numbers and his pretty solid at the plate, hitting .347. He won't provide much in the way of power but does look to have some real speed on the base paths, swiping 20 in his first year of prep ball and on pace for another 13 this season. Chick Caruthers of Somerville HS and Otto Deal of Meridian HS are two others who play solid defense. They may not hit for average as well as Porter but do have a little more pop in each of their bats. Jim Beard of Lynn HS is another one worth keeping an eye on. The college crop is much thinner with George Fox's Joe Nelson as perhaps the only one worthy of consideration in the first couple of rounds. Nelson's defense is very good but his .289/.363/.390 career college slash line does not stand out.
THIRD BASE - Johnny Turner and Ike Briggs are a pair of college third baseman that stand out. Both have shifted from other positions with Turner a former 2B and Briggs had played 1B. Turner hit .416 a year ago for George Fox and is close to the pace again this year while Briggs, who may end up as an outfielder, is a .325 career hitter with Grafton College. Briggs had double-digit homerun totals each of his first two seasons but the numbers are down a fair bit so far this year. None of the high school players really stand out. Perhaps a team might take a chance on Elias Bradley from High Point HS. He had a huge 16 year old season with 12 homers and a .345 average but really dropped off a year ago and is not a lot better this season. Nashville HS's Jack White is in a similar situation, with great numbers as a 16 year old before a slump last season. Finally, I mentioned Red Eggleton a year ago as one to watch. The two-way player hasn't come close to duplicating his .417 average as a freshman but the New Orleans High Schooler has looked pretty good on the mound, fashioning a 2.34 era in 5 starts with a very good ERA+
OUTFIELD - There is some outfield talent available. At the collegiate level we have Rip Curry, a corner outfielder from George Fox who is hitting .426 this season. Al Horton of College of San Diego had a 5-hit game earlier this season and is batting .333 on the year. He did not play as a freshman but hit over .400 a season ago. Neither have shown much power however. Another college outfielder to consider is Liberty centerfielder Chris Thompson. He doesn't have power but can certainly get on base with a .375/.393/.443 slash line. For power the best bet is likely Jim Dorsey. The Boulder State CF-1B hit 12 homers a year ago and has 8 at the mid-season mark this time around. A dark horse might be Ellery Bruin corner outfielder Harry Buckley, who has 36 homers in 127 career college games but just a .236 batting average.
Among the high school outfielders one that stands out is Joe Goodwin. The Memphis HS corner outfielder had a big rookie season before slumping last year. He seems to have regained his form this time around and is slashing .303/.381/.685 with 10 homers through 23 games. Others of note include RF Stan Ware from Wilkes-Barre HS and centerfielders Phil Dawson of Los Angeles HS and Jack Grant from Omaha HS.
PITCHING- Two seasons ago I felt the top end of this pitching class would have some outstanding high school arms. However, most of them have not lived up to the promise they showed as 16 year old's. Mel Ennis from San Antonio HS went 8-0, 0.59 as a 16 year old. He still hasn't lost a game in his prep career but his era and his WHIP have both risen considerably so I have my doubts about him right now. Frank Kelly was the other guy I really loved after his 1928 season as a 16 year old going 8-2 with a 1.41 era and a 14.9 k/9 ratio. He did not pitch at all in 1929 and has been bad this season so I now question if Kelly will even get drafted, never mind at the top of the first round.
One that has lived up to expectations is Asheville High School's George Jacobs. He was 9-2, 2.95 as a 16 year old, struggled a bit last year but is looking very good this season with improvements in his ERA+, WHIP and homers allowed.
Alan Oliver of Birmingham HS is putting up some nice numbers this year but he did not play either of his first two seasons. A safer bet might be Austin HS's Jud Bobbitt. He had a bad freshman year but was very good last season and is 4-1, 1.76 with a 9.1 k/9 ratio this season.
There are a bunch of decent looking college arms such as Irv Thompson of Georgia Baptist, Ernie Scott of Chicago Poly and Billy Lebeau from Boulder State. However, this draft lacks a high end pitcher or that screams can't miss star like we have seen each of the past two years.
OVERALL ASSESSMENT - I would say this overall is a very weak draft class, at least as far as top end talent is concerned. There are pitchers but no standouts and, aside from shortstop and catcher, the position player class seems poor. I find myself look ahead to the next year and second baseman Freddie Jones, who looks like a generational talent. There are gems to be found in this class, but if you want a can't miss superstar you won't find him in this group.