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ayaghmour2 · 03-13-2020, 03:49 PM

The Chicago Cougars have agreed to send SP Lou Gaffin and LF Earl Johnson to the New York Gothams for SP Dick Leudtke. Despite being the two worst teams in baseball last year, the Cougars sit at 44-36 and 7 games out of first in the CA while the Gothams are 46-34 and 6 games out of first in the FA.

Leudtke, 28, is a late bloomer who my scout absolutely loves. He's split time in the Gothams rotation and bullpen, going 8-5 with a 3.18 ERA (143 ERA+), 1.07 WHIP, and 43 strikeouts in 119 innings pitched.This is his first extended stint in the FABL (pitched 33.1 innings last season) and while I'd be naive to think that he can keep up this impressive production, there are a lot of raw tools that inspire confidence in the future. The 6'2'' righty averages in the 93-95 MPH range with his cutter, one of his five pitches. He's got excellent command and of his 11 starts, only one saw him exit before the 8th inning. As a starter alone, he's 7-4 with a 3.41 ERA (133 ERA+), 1.08 WHIP, and 31 strikeouts in 92.1 innings and he'll check in right behind Max Wilder and Dick Lyons (for now) in the rotation.

This trade makes the future of Dick Kadlec in the rotation a little grim. I think with his velocity, Kadlec can be an excellent stopper and he can pitch multiple innings if we see ourselves in a close, high scoring affair in the 7th or 8th inning. Unless Jim Crawford has an awful 4th big league start, Kadlec's last start of the season will be the 9-6 10 inning loss against the Foresters. Since we don't need a 5th starter this week, he'll head to the bullpen early.

Both players I gave up, Earl Johnson and Lou Gaffin, have a few things in common. Both are big league ready, but stuck in a logjam of pitchers and outfielders that are in the upper minors. Moving them helps free up space for some of the younger guys that I feel have more upside.

Starting with the 25-year-old Gaffin, he's been pitching well in Milwaukee for the Blues. He's 7-1 with a 3.27 ERA (126 ERA+), 1.35 WHIP, and 83 strikeouts in 93.2 innings, but is behind the recently promoted Crawford, Milt Nelson, Gus Cain, and Cotton Taylor. He's looked fine since his arthritic elbow injury and setback, but we're a little concerned that he may not be able to start in the majors anymore. He still has a ton of potential and ranks as our current #10 prospect, but I'm comfortable sending him away before he runs out of options.

Johnson, 23, checks in at 28th in our top 30, and the former 12th Round Pick is hitting an impressive .318/.380/.524 (141 OPS+) with 8 homers and 37 RBI's in just under 300 plate appearances for the Blues. With John Dibblee not showing his age and both Art Panko and Dick Fessel on the big league roster, there just isn't room for another all bat, no glove corner outfielder on the bench. Johnson has a ton of speed, can work the pitcher, and make consistent contact at the plate, but he doesn't have the upside of some of our younger corner outfield prospects such as George Alt, Ed Rhoden, and Howard Moss.

03-13-2020, 03:49 PM	#77
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,010	Trade News! The Chicago Cougars have agreed to send SP Lou Gaffin and LF Earl Johnson to the New York Gothams for SP Dick Leudtke. Despite being the two worst teams in baseball last year, the Cougars sit at 44-36 and 7 games out of first in the CA while the Gothams are 46-34 and 6 games out of first in the FA. Leudtke, 28, is a late bloomer who my scout absolutely loves. He's split time in the Gothams rotation and bullpen, going 8-5 with a 3.18 ERA (143 ERA+), 1.07 WHIP, and 43 strikeouts in 119 innings pitched.This is his first extended stint in the FABL (pitched 33.1 innings last season) and while I'd be naive to think that he can keep up this impressive production, there are a lot of raw tools that inspire confidence in the future. The 6'2'' righty averages in the 93-95 MPH range with his cutter, one of his five pitches. He's got excellent command and of his 11 starts, only one saw him exit before the 8th inning. As a starter alone, he's 7-4 with a 3.41 ERA (133 ERA+), 1.08 WHIP, and 31 strikeouts in 92.1 innings and he'll check in right behind Max Wilder and Dick Lyons (for now) in the rotation. This trade makes the future of Dick Kadlec in the rotation a little grim. I think with his velocity, Kadlec can be an excellent stopper and he can pitch multiple innings if we see ourselves in a close, high scoring affair in the 7th or 8th inning. Unless Jim Crawford has an awful 4th big league start, Kadlec's last start of the season will be the 9-6 10 inning loss against the Foresters. Since we don't need a 5th starter this week, he'll head to the bullpen early. Both players I gave up, Earl Johnson and Lou Gaffin, have a few things in common. Both are big league ready, but stuck in a logjam of pitchers and outfielders that are in the upper minors. Moving them helps free up space for some of the younger guys that I feel have more upside. Starting with the 25-year-old Gaffin, he's been pitching well in Milwaukee for the Blues. He's 7-1 with a 3.27 ERA (126 ERA+), 1.35 WHIP, and 83 strikeouts in 93.2 innings, but is behind the recently promoted Crawford, Milt Nelson, Gus Cain, and Cotton Taylor. He's looked fine since his arthritic elbow injury and setback, but we're a little concerned that he may not be able to start in the majors anymore. He still has a ton of potential and ranks as our current #10 prospect, but I'm comfortable sending him away before he runs out of options. Johnson, 23, checks in at 28th in our top 30, and the former 12th Round Pick is hitting an impressive .318/.380/.524 (141 OPS+) with 8 homers and 37 RBI's in just under 300 plate appearances for the Blues. With John Dibblee not showing his age and both Art Panko and Dick Fessel on the big league roster, there just isn't room for another all bat, no glove corner outfielder on the bench. Johnson has a ton of speed, can work the pitcher, and make consistent contact at the plate, but he doesn't have the upside of some of our younger corner outfield prospects such as George Alt, Ed Rhoden, and Howard Moss.