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ayaghmour2 · 11-13-2020, 07:48 PM

3B Hank Stratton (115th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 78th Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Chicago HS Wildcats

Right after Moore in the rankings is Hank Stratton who spent his first pro season in La Crosse. He may have had some "jitters" as after a decent start he really stopped hitting the ball. After 513 plate appearances, he finished with just a .256/.283/.350 (66 OPS+) batting line with 4 homers and 49 RBI's. Stratton has never really dealt with strikeout problems, but struck out 56 times this year. He also is generally a capable defender, but he had some issues in the field too. I think it was just a tough first season for Stratton, and he'll recover for 1934. I'm expecting a lot more extra base hits next year and a lot more walks for him as he continues to grow and develop.

RF Reginald Westfall (117th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 7th Round, 110th Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Detroit HS Panthers

Injuries hurt Westfall in year one as he played in just 96 games. He hit just .254/.307/.325 (67 OPS+) with 2 homers and 32 RBI's. He'll be 20 in December, but he's likely set to return to La Crosse to at least start the season. Westfall projects to hit for a high average and he has a really good sense of the strike zone. Even this season, he really didn't strike out too much, with 33 compared to 24 walks. In high school he usually walked more, but these are still good numbers for a first year player. We've got a lot of young outfield prospects in the low minors, but Westfall should be able to separate himself from some of the other guys in the system.

1B Jim Hatfield (130th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 6th Round, 81st Overall (1929)
Alma Mater: Buffalo HS Bison

One of the few guys not from last year's class, Jim Hatfield went on to have a very impressive season. In his first taste of the upper minors, Hatfield hit .373/.404/.500 (135 OPS+) with 2 homers, 20 steals, and 80 RBI's in 632 trips to the plate with the AA Commodores. If WAR is your thing, the 22-year-old had a 5.9 WAR. For comparison sake, my first rounder this year John Barnard is exactly one year and nine days younger then Hatfield. He's likely set to start the season in San Jose or Lincoln at the same age Hatfield was this year. "The Bandit" is also a really strong defender and I have to think that he could possibly play a position other then first base. He's likely got the speed and range for the outfield, but I have a ton of guys fighting for spots there. I'm going to make sure Hatfield starts next year in AAA, even if it means he has to play shortstop (I'm joking, he's a lefty thrower).

RF Billy Marshall (143rd Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 10th Round, 145th Overall (1929)
Alma Mater: Birmingham HS Bulldogs

It's early, but it looks like we got a nice late round pick with former 10th Rounder Billy Marshall. He started the year with Hatfield in AA and he had just as much success. Marshall hit .351/.411/.473 (130 OPS+) with 7 homers, 14 steals, and 71 RBI's in 482 trips to the plate before a late season promotion to Milwaukee. In 34 games there he hit an extremely impressive .391/.426/.623 (163 OPS+) with 4 homers, 3 steals, and 38 RBI's. It was extremely impressive, but some of it could have done with September callups. Regardless, Marshall is really chomping at the bit to make his big league debut. The former center fielder has really done a good job adjusting to right field, and I think he can stay here long term. He's had experience at all three spots, but I really wouldn't like him playing much centerfield. If he does receive a callup, he'll be one of three Cougar picks from the 1929 class to debut. The other two are Tom Barrell (1st) and Joe Johnson (2nd), both who debuted in Chicago and are currently playing somewhere else. It's been a decent class so far, with Ken Allen (4th) spending his whole season in AAA and before injury, Gordie Thompson (5th) was on the fast track to become a big league starter. He did look really good this year, and I'm considering giving him a 40-Man roster spot as he's Rule-5 draft eligible. Hatfield was already mentioned, but Tom Spitzer (7th) and Elmer Hutchins (8th) are also top 200 prospects.

SS Freddie Bennett (145th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 12th Round, 191st Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: New York HS Eagles

I generally don't make my picks after the 10th Round, I give the reigns to my scout, but last year's class was so good that I actually included a list for the 10th round on. Bennett was one of those guys. He spent most of his time this season at short (61), but I'm working on turning Bennett into a utility type player. He saw time at first (46), second (16), and third (8) this year and I plan on continuing this rotation. He's generally a strong hitter, but hit just .215/.240/.377 (60 OPS+) with 14 homers, 10 steals, and 63 RBI's in La Crosse. He probably needs another season there, but there are so many other infielders at the bottom of our system. Regardless, his versatility is really going to help, and I'm looking forward to seeing what he'll turn into.

11-13-2020, 07:48 PM	#266
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,095	Top Prospects: 16-20 3B Hank Stratton (115th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 78th Overall (1932) Alma Mater: Chicago HS Wildcats Right after Moore in the rankings is Hank Stratton who spent his first pro season in La Crosse. He may have had some "jitters" as after a decent start he really stopped hitting the ball. After 513 plate appearances, he finished with just a .256/.283/.350 (66 OPS+) batting line with 4 homers and 49 RBI's. Stratton has never really dealt with strikeout problems, but struck out 56 times this year. He also is generally a capable defender, but he had some issues in the field too. I think it was just a tough first season for Stratton, and he'll recover for 1934. I'm expecting a lot more extra base hits next year and a lot more walks for him as he continues to grow and develop. RF Reginald Westfall (117th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 7th Round, 110th Overall (1932) Alma Mater: Detroit HS Panthers Injuries hurt Westfall in year one as he played in just 96 games. He hit just .254/.307/.325 (67 OPS+) with 2 homers and 32 RBI's. He'll be 20 in December, but he's likely set to return to La Crosse to at least start the season. Westfall projects to hit for a high average and he has a really good sense of the strike zone. Even this season, he really didn't strike out too much, with 33 compared to 24 walks. In high school he usually walked more, but these are still good numbers for a first year player. We've got a lot of young outfield prospects in the low minors, but Westfall should be able to separate himself from some of the other guys in the system. 1B Jim Hatfield (130th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 6th Round, 81st Overall (1929) Alma Mater: Buffalo HS Bison One of the few guys not from last year's class, Jim Hatfield went on to have a very impressive season. In his first taste of the upper minors, Hatfield hit .373/.404/.500 (135 OPS+) with 2 homers, 20 steals, and 80 RBI's in 632 trips to the plate with the AA Commodores. If WAR is your thing, the 22-year-old had a 5.9 WAR. For comparison sake, my first rounder this year John Barnard is exactly one year and nine days younger then Hatfield. He's likely set to start the season in San Jose or Lincoln at the same age Hatfield was this year. "The Bandit" is also a really strong defender and I have to think that he could possibly play a position other then first base. He's likely got the speed and range for the outfield, but I have a ton of guys fighting for spots there. I'm going to make sure Hatfield starts next year in AAA, even if it means he has to play shortstop (I'm joking, he's a lefty thrower). RF Billy Marshall (143rd Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 10th Round, 145th Overall (1929) Alma Mater: Birmingham HS Bulldogs It's early, but it looks like we got a nice late round pick with former 10th Rounder Billy Marshall. He started the year with Hatfield in AA and he had just as much success. Marshall hit .351/.411/.473 (130 OPS+) with 7 homers, 14 steals, and 71 RBI's in 482 trips to the plate before a late season promotion to Milwaukee. In 34 games there he hit an extremely impressive .391/.426/.623 (163 OPS+) with 4 homers, 3 steals, and 38 RBI's. It was extremely impressive, but some of it could have done with September callups. Regardless, Marshall is really chomping at the bit to make his big league debut. The former center fielder has really done a good job adjusting to right field, and I think he can stay here long term. He's had experience at all three spots, but I really wouldn't like him playing much centerfield. If he does receive a callup, he'll be one of three Cougar picks from the 1929 class to debut. The other two are Tom Barrell (1st) and Joe Johnson (2nd), both who debuted in Chicago and are currently playing somewhere else. It's been a decent class so far, with Ken Allen (4th) spending his whole season in AAA and before injury, Gordie Thompson (5th) was on the fast track to become a big league starter. He did look really good this year, and I'm considering giving him a 40-Man roster spot as he's Rule-5 draft eligible. Hatfield was already mentioned, but Tom Spitzer (7th) and Elmer Hutchins (8th) are also top 200 prospects. SS Freddie Bennett (145th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 12th Round, 191st Overall (1932) Alma Mater: New York HS Eagles I generally don't make my picks after the 10th Round, I give the reigns to my scout, but last year's class was so good that I actually included a list for the 10th round on. Bennett was one of those guys. He spent most of his time this season at short (61), but I'm working on turning Bennett into a utility type player. He saw time at first (46), second (16), and third (8) this year and I plan on continuing this rotation. He's generally a strong hitter, but hit just .215/.240/.377 (60 OPS+) with 14 homers, 10 steals, and 63 RBI's in La Crosse. He probably needs another season there, but there are so many other infielders at the bottom of our system. Regardless, his versatility is really going to help, and I'm looking forward to seeing what he'll turn into. Last edited by ayaghmour2; 11-13-2020 at 07:51 PM.