[ayaghmour2]

The 1929 draft was the first draft class I had on the dynasty report. 1925 was my first draft class (and it turned out pretty solid), but I don't have any written reports on that year. I do, however, have one for all my 1929 picks. We were real bad in 1929, and even though we didn't have the worst record in baseball (second worst), the CA got the first pick this year (1928 we had the worst record and would have got Wilcox if the FA didn't get the pick). I used that pick on Tom Barrell, who I knew I would take #1 overall pretty much the entire season. This is all I wrote on draft day:

"We were picking first, and we went with what we felt was the obvious choice in P/1B Tom Barrell out of Georgia Baptist. Somewhat of a legend in the Figment realm, the younger brother of current Cougar C Fred Barrell was a rare four year college player who holds numerous records for counting stats both at Georgia Baptist and in the entire AIAA. On the mound, he finished 34-8 with a 2.54 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and 489 strikeouts in 425 innings. He also owned a solid batting line (especially his senior season) and is a potential two-way superstar. He slashed .355/.401/.585 (151 OPS+) with 11 homers and 50 RBI's as a Senior and he can play a little of first and left. On the mound he throws in the high 90s with a fastball, slider, and change. At the plate, he's a disciplined hitter with average power and he can field his position. The 21-year-old is extremely developed and could be on a fast track to the Cougar rotation." (Start of the 1929 Offseason).

Yeah, so really don't too interesting, but Barrell is probably the best NAIA player of all time. His 34 wins are the most all time and his 15.81 WAR is the best. You could argue Wilcox was better in college, but Barrell pitched an extra season and was also a really good hitter. Here are some of the things I wrote during the year:

"In a 5-0 shutout over the Cumberland Explorers, the brother of Cougar farmhand Fred Barrell, the righty struck out 11 and allowed just 4 hits while also going 2-for-4 with an RBI. It's been a great season all around for the senior, who's 6-2 with a 2.13 ERA (224 ERA+), 0.82 WHIP, and 103 strikeouts in 76 innings. He's also hitting .357/.431/.591 (158 OPS+) with 7 homers and 30 RBI's as a first basemen. The scouts loves Barrell (maybe because his dad is one of them?) and his velocity has reached the high 90s. He looks like a future ace and cleanup hitter and is the early favorite to be taken #1 overall by whichever CA team has the worst record." (May 6th, 1929)

"A rare four year player, Tom Barrell finished his college career 34-8 with a 2.54 ERA (186 ERA+), 0.97 WHIP, and 489 strikeouts in 425 innings pitched. No college player has more wins, innings pitched, or accumulated WAR then Barrell, who also hit .263/.342/.539 (125 OPS+) with 26 homers and 86 RBI's." (September 30th, 1929)

Now 26, Tom has 373 FABL innings under his belt, most of those coming with the Brooklyn Kings. He's 23-19 with a 3.43 ERA (120 ERA+), 1.26 WHIP, 116 walks, and 190 strikeouts in 47 starts. He's still young, but it appears that Barrell should be a really dependable big league arm for Brooklyn, who's taken most of the Barrell population. He didn't do two-way for very long (that's on me), but my scout thinks Barrell is an ace who will anchor Brooklyn's rotation for years to come. Of course, he was part of the cost for Tommy Wilcox, so I can't be too upset he's gone, but there is a good chance Barrell may be my most successful draft pick once it is all said and done.

"2nd Round, 17th Overall: CF Joe Johnson (Central Ohio Aviators): I was hoping that SS Joe Foy would fall to this pick, but when he didn't, I was debating really hard between Johnson and high school CF Gail Gifford, but I decided to trust my scout and take the college guy. He has had some injury trouble in college, but he finished his three year career a .342/.438/.581 (183 OPS+) hitter with 22 homers, 37 steals, and 114 RBI's in 525 plate appearances. His junior season was his best, as he slashed .384/.463/.717 (210 OPS+) with 10 homers, 11 steals, and 58 RBI's. The 21-year-old is a speedy switch hitter who projects to hit for high contact from both sides of the plate with decent power as well. He's got good range, but not elite and while he looks like he can stick in center he may eventually have to move to a corner. He looks to have the tools to become a premier center fielder."

"2nd Round, 28th Overall: SP Roy Byrd (Omaha HS Plainsman): Since I had two second round picks due to the Johnny Douglas trade I decided to take a risk on the 18-year-old righty who burst on to the scene this season in Roy Byrd. He was an average pitcher as a sophomore and junior, but was nearly unhittable this season. He went 5-1 with a 0.82 ERA (404! ERA+), 0.65 WHIP, and 60 strikeouts in 55 innings pitched. My scout isn't the biggest fan, but anyone who puts together a season like that has to have some sort of talent. He throws in the 90s and has a fastball, change, and slider. We are going to take it slow with him, but I have high hopes for the righty that he could anchor a rotation one day."

A pair of second rounders who brought various levels of success. Bryd really sucks, but I knew there was a risk. He just looked so good as a senior that I thought there had to be something there. Unfortuately, he never really caught on. He was okay in his first pro year, but he got his first taste of Class B in 1932 and it was awful. He did almost as bad this year in LaCrosse, going 2-7 with a 5.57 ERA (75 ERA+), 1.74 WHIP, 35 walks, and 32 strikeouts in just 84 innings. Byrd will likely toil around in our system for a bit, but I doubt he'll ever be more then filler.

Johnson, however, was a much better pick. He was instantly ranked high in the league, never being ranked below 30. He was part of the Bobby Sprague trade, sent to the Gothams after debuting in 1932. He had an okay rookie season in New York, hitting .251/.309/.355 (89 OPS+) with 4 homers, 13 steals, and 50 RBI's in 435 trips to the plate. I guess I was unsure of his range (that changed quickly), but he's more the capable out in center. The bat hasn't quite matured, but there is still a lot of time for Johnson to settle in to a role. I'm still high on him, and it would appear the Gothams are too.

"3rd Round, 33rd Overall: LF Jim Mason (Ellery Bruins): I usually avoid corner outfielders (especially this high), but Jim Mason is an excellent hitter who flat out hits. He's got elite contact and power potential which makes up for his below average defense out in left. He was just a two year player in college, but hit .382/.443/.582 (171 OPS+) with 18 homers, 11 steals, and 91 RBI's in 469 plate appearances. Mason reminds me a lot of Vince York, but with a little more speed. He looks to be pretty well developed, and should be able to fast track his way to the big leagues."

"4th Round, 49th Overall: CF Ken Allen (St. Matthews College Senators): The problem with lists is sometimes you get a lot of the same position. This is what happened as I got a third outfielder in Ken Allen with my 4th Round Pick. It was a down year for Allen, but he finished his college career with a .353/.414/.595 (162 OPS+) line with 30 homers, 23 steals, and 109 RBI's in 663 trips to the plate for St. Matthews. He's a dependable defender who projects to hit for a high average and good eye. He looks to be a decent defender, but shapes up as a well above average future center fielder. My scout is a big fan, and I'm willing to bet that his 111 OPS+ this year was a fluke and the 195 and 184 the last two years are closer to the real him."

"5th Round, 65th Overall: SP Gordie Thompson (Wisconsin State Brewers): When you look at his stats, Gordie Thompson doesn't look too impressive. He was 9-13 with a 4.28 ERA (112 ERA+), 1.35 WHIP, and 218 strikeouts 235.1 innings pitched for Wisconsin State. He does have a nice four pitch arsenal and he lives in the low 90s, but that's not why I picked him. I took a leap of faith on him because OSA considers him to be the #4 draft eligible pitcher out of college. 5th Round Picks are the last round pick you have to offer a signing bonus to, and Thompson is asking for slot. Its a risky gamble selecting someone like him (especially since I can't see his ratings), but I think this might be a steal if my hunch on his actual talent is correct."

Finishing off the picks that signed, two of the guys are still in the organization while the other never even showed up in our organization. That would be Jim Mason, who was just part of the huge blockbuster Rabbit Day trade. Currently one of the best prospects in baseball, I'll confess I didn't sign him because I thought we'd get a compensation pick (this league does not have any). He hit well, but I never thought he'd be much of a defender. That more or less has been the case, but he just flat out hits. He's ranked the 20th best prospect in the league as a 25-year-old, and I expect him to be up in Baltimore soon. I'll regret letting him good, not considering how poor Allen and Thompson turned out. Both guys are in big league camp, and could be useful bench/relief guys, but I'm not expecting much value from them.

And here our the rest of the reports:

"6th Round, 81st Overall: 1B Jim Hatfield (Buffalo HS Bisons): It was an excellent senior season for Jim Hatfield who slashed .374/.428/.589 (191 OPS+) to finish his high school career. In three years as the starter, he hit .355/.407/.560 (160 OPS+) with 11 homers, 30 steals, and 68 RBI's. He's got excellent speed and is a great defender at first. It makes me think he may be able to handle a position other then first, but for now, the 18-year-old will spend his time there. "The Bandit" doesn't quite have the power you expect in a first basemen, but he's definitely no slouch. He's got an excellent work ethic, and I can see Hatfield developing into a dependable big leaguer."

"7th Round, 97th Overall: SS Tom Spitzer (Houston HS Hurricanes): I may have reached with this pick, but Spitzer has solid pop as a shortstop and he should develop into a passable defender at short. He only started for a year and a half in high school, but hit .323/.361/.500 (154 OPS+) with 8 homers, 7 steals, and 47 RBI's in 266 trips to the plate. A bat like his is hard to find at second, although third base may end up being where he calls home. He's definitely going to be given the shot to stick it up the middle and I think he'll evolve into at least an average defender."

"8th Round, 113th Overall: 2B Elmer Hutchins (Portland HS Lumberjacks): We continued the shift to high school prospects with a middle infielder from Portland HS. Hutchins best year was as a junior, but his .340/.396/.569 (154 OPS+) is extremely impressive. He hit 14 homers and drove in 86 runs in just over 100 high school games. He's not the greatest defender, but he's a good hitter who will make up for the mistakes he may make in the field. He's a low floor, high upside pick, but is of good value in the 8th round."

"8th Round, 115th Overall: SP George Deemer (Washington DC High School Senators): This pick belonged to the Foresters, but we acquired it in the Barney Green trade. I used it to take a southpaw in George Deemer who seems pretty intent on going to college. I'm willing to persuade him not to, as he was an extremely consistent and dependable starter in high school. He finished his career 12-5 with a 2.88 ERA (152 ERA+), 1.21 WHIP, and 221 strikeouts in 169 innings pitched. He saw his velocity tick up 7 points this season and he hovers just under 90. He has a four pitch arsenal composed of a fastball, slider, change, and forkball. I'm giving him a lot of money to convince him to join our organization instead of testing the waters in college."

"9th Round, 129th Overall: SP Phil Clarke (Dallas HS Rangers): He's a groundballer who doesn't throw all that hard, but Phil Clarke has the potential to pitch in a big league rotation. He was 11-8 with a 3.59 ERA (127 ERA+) and 1.44 WHIP to go with 124 strikeouts in 155.1 innings pitched. There's rumors that he developed a new pitch (knuckleball?) in August to go with his fastball, change, and, knuckle curve. If Clarke does develop the knuckle, his value could be on the rise."

"10th Round, 145th Overall: CF Billy Marshall (Birmingham HS Bulldogs): After a rough junior year, the center fielder rallied with a dominant senior season that saw him hit .391/.419/.503 (178 OPS+) with a homer, 10 steals, and 32 RBI's. This was much more in line with his sophomore season (161 OPS+) then his junior year (72 OPS+) and Marshall regained some of his prospect shine. He's likely not going to stick in center, but my scout thinks he's going to flourish in the big leagues. So much so that I almost considered taking him as early as the 4th Round, although I am extremely glad I waited until Round 10. He should hit for a high average, and his 10 homers as a sophomore shows he may have a ton of raw power potential."

Interesting enough, Deemer is the only one really not to do anything. He did not sign, but was a 6th Round Pick of Detroit in 1932. He really struggled in his first go at pro ball last year, but he's got a chance to turn into a decent pitcher.

Hatfield and Marshall are both out of the organization, but frequently ranked in our top 30. Hatfield was used to trade for Lou Kelly while Marshall was lost in the Minor League Rule-5 (he shouldn't have been available, but while he is pretty good, it's not the end of the world) to the Gothams. He's actually teammates with Hatfield now, as Marshall was part of the Day trade. Hatfield ranks 100th and Marshall 175th in baseball. Hutchins Spitzer and Clarke are all Cougars, but rank outside the top 200 prospects in baseball.

Looking at the actual reports, it looks like I got a steal with Billy Marshall. I won't get to reap the benefits of it, but I was defintely on top of him. I'm not going to say he'll "flourish," but this kid has a lot of talent and will get a shot to stick with the Cannons. Same goes for Hatfield, who has overachieved for a 6th Rounder. Now technically a top 100 prospect, Hatfield should be a reliable starter at first base.

While I was right that Spitzer would call third home and he's been at least passable, he doesn't seem likely to make much of an impact. Same with Hutchnis, who I expected to hit much better in proball. Both guys still have time to work their way up, but it's going to be hard for these guys to see much time. Phil Clarke never added that knuckleball, and he never did much in the minors. I cut him last season as he really never did much of anything.

I wouldn't call this a great class, but we hit on two of our top three picks and added a lot of value in the 6th through 10th Rounds. Looking back to that draft, there have been a lot of quality players from that draft. There's too many hits to name, as so many of the top draftees are either top prospects or strong big leaguers. On the pitching side, however, Barrell is one of the few to debut and most top pitchers haven't done much of anything. It used to be color coded to show who made the majors and who didn't, but since it is not it made searching through a little too hard to target all who debuted. I recognize almost none of the pitchers, and the ones I do are from their prospect days not big league days.