[ayaghmour2]

Milwaukee Blues
44-26, .629, - GB, 1st
Century League (AAA)

It's been an excellent season so far for Milwaukee who paces the century league this season. We don't have a lot of prospects in our highest level, but our #4 prospect Rich Langton hits fourth for the Blues. Ranked 46th in baseball, he's got into 20 games and hit .308/.365/.359 (91 OPS+) in 85 trips to the plate. The 22-year-old slashed an impressive .397/.440/.570 (167 OPS+) before the promotion so I'm not too worried about the average start. Most AAA guys have big league performance, so for someone who was in college two seasons ago he's way advanced for his age.

The pitching staff has really been the strength for Milwaukee. The top three of Stewart-Black-Walker has been amazing and we rank 1st in ERA, starter's ERA, runs, hits, and BABIP. Stewart is 12-2 with a 2.93 ERA (145 ERA+), 1.15 WHIP, 30 walks, and 28 strikeouts in 126 innings so far. If the four man rotation doesn't work out as planned, Stewart will rejoin the big league club. I used the Rule-5 pick out of the pen last season, but I still think his future is in the rotation. He's fully stretched out and has given us excellent results so far. I gave Walker the call first, as his 10 starts were better (at the time of the callup), going 4-3 with a 2.99 ERA (142 ERA+), 1.18 WHIP, 21 walks, and 29 strikeouts. Both guys are having excellent seasons, and even Walker's callup (1-2, 4.97 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 15 BB, 14 K) wasn't all that bad. Art Black has looked okay, but he may not have what it takes to start. He's thrown just 83.2 innings in 15 starts, but he's 4-2 with a 3.55 ERA (120 ERA+), 1.41 WHIP, 45 walks, and 17 strikeouts.

Mobile Commodores
41-29, .586, 4 GB, 2nd
Dixie League (AA)

Headlined by our top prospect Leo Mitchell, Mobile is has some of our better prospects as well as some filler guys that are holding lineup spots while other prospects are making their way up. Mitchell has been amazing this year, hitting .377/.425/.498 (145 OPS+) with 4 homers and 49 RBI's. The lefty is just 21, and while he could rake in AAA if he wants to, I'm probably going to let him hang out here for the rest of the season Mitchell has spent a full season in C ball and A ball, so it's only fitting he spends the season in AA.

The outfield is really strong, with interesting prospects in Johnny Waters, Roy Moore, and Marty Roberts. I'm a big fan of Roberts who's an excellent defender with a strong hit tool. The 1932 2nd Rounder is 7th in our system and just got the callup after his A hit streak ended. He's made 54 trips to the plate and hit .354/.446/.521 (156 OPS+) with a steal and 11 RBI's. Waters, a former 15th Rounder, ranks 24th in our system and he's just hit at every level so far. He conquered A and B ball last season and is slashing .335/.361/.475 (121 OPS+) with 58 RBI's. I wish he had some pop, just a single homer on the year, but he's more of a high contact low power corner outfielder. Moore is the vet of the team, as unlike the other three he was a 1931 draftee not 1932. Moore is a really good center fielder, but I'm giving him reps in left now that Roberts is here. He hasn't hit much, but his +5.4 zone rating and 1.023 efficiency in center are very strong. He ranks 13th in our system, but his AA line this year is worse then last season. He's hitting just .312/.346/.359 (88 OPS+) with 2 steals and 36 RBI's in 70 games this season.

Pete Carey was supposed to be the star of the staff, as I love the 24-year-old fireballer. Unfortunately, a herniated disc is costing him a few months, but his 10 starts before were very strong. The 1927 17th Rounder was 5-4 with a 3.20 ERA (138 ERA+), 1.22 WHIP, 20 walks, and 38 strikeouts. The rest of the rotation is a collection of failed/failing prospects like Bobby Love, Joe King, and Gordie Thompson.

Lincoln Legislators
35-35, .500, 8 GB, 5th
Heartland League (A)

There's a lot of movement in the low minors, so I'm not too shocked Lincoln is just .500 on the year. The quality of the prospects at this level aren't as good, but Lou Roach, Johnny Cox, and Chet Peacock all rank in the 20-30 range. I think Cox is really good, but he just does not have that much stamina. He's excelled since the Minutemen trade, 3-1 with a 2.95 ERA (155 ERA+), 1.41 WHIP, 8 walks, and 14 strikeouts in his four starts. He's got four good pitches and keeps the ball on the ground, but I am a little worried that he can't get out of the 6th. Roach is a 23-year-old outfielder from Park Ridge, Illinois and he's hit a strong .313/.364/.480 (121 OPS+) with 4 homers and 38 RBI's. He's a natural centerfielder destined for a corner, but he's got decent pop and a nice bat. He's stuck with a full AA outfield, but he may end up making his way up later in the season. Peacock just got the callup, but he was 3-1 with a 3.42 ERA (145 ERA+), 1.32 WHIP, 16 walks, and 23 strikeouts in 11 starts. He was our 6th Rounder in 1930.

Our middle infield ranks better, with Ducky Jordan and Homer Ray ranked 10th and 11th in our system. The 20-yearold Jordan has spent less then half the season with Lincoln, but he's hit .277/.348/.475 (115 OPS+) with 2 homers, a steal, and 16 RBI's. The Hot Springs Hotshot is a strong defender and hitter with excellent speed and he's got big league talent. A year older and drafted a year before, Homer Ray has spent a season at La Crosse and San Jose before reaching Lincoln this year. Ray's saw his power disappear, going from 7 to 5 to none. He's hitting a league average .292/.328/.435 with 46 RBI's. He's a very surehanded defender at second, but he's as bout as light of a hitter as it gets.

San Jose Cougars
31-39, .443, 11 GB, 6th
C-O-W League (B)

Even though the baby Cougars are doing as poorly as the big boys, four of our top ten prospects call San Jose home. When healthy (I'm afraid he's Russ Combs 2.0), former 1st Rounder Billy Hunter has looked really good. He's hit .307/.329/.493 (106 OPS+) with 2 homers and 15 RBI's in 79 trips to the plate. He's developing his glove, but he's filled to the brim with defensive and offensive potential. He's really smart, handles the bat well, and will steal a few bases. At just 19, he has so much room to grow and in a draft filled with talent 1932), it's nice seeing your first rounder in the top 25 in the two years after being selected. 5th and 6th Rounders Hank Stratton and Bobby Mills are also on the team, with both ranked at the bottom of the top 100. Stratton demolished the ball in LaCrosse and has hit an equally impressive .340/.386/.466 (130 OPS+) in 14 games since the promotion. He's an outstanding defensive infielder with plus contact and developing power. He hit 9 homers in C ball before the promotion, but still has yet to hit one in San Jose. Mills is hitting a slightly below average .324/.345/.432 (96 OPS+) with 3 homers and 36 RBI's in exactly 200 plate appearances. They're okay numbers for the 20-year-old. but "Nutball" has the chance to challenge for batting titles. He hit 10 homers as a senior in high school and seven his first two seasons, but he's managed just 7 in his 400+ minor league PA's. He won't do much in the field or on the bases, so a little power would be really nice.

San Jose is also home to a few of our new acquisitions. Both Karl Wallace and Joe Foote are now part of the Cougars rotation. As a team, San Jose hasn't pitched well with a 5.15 ERA (5th). Our starter's are actually 2nd (4.87), but they haven't got enough run support in the high scoring league. Wallace has made 4 starts, 0-3 with a 5.40 ERA (92 ERA+), 1.72 WHIP, 5 walks, and 12 strikeouts. Foote, on the other hand, will be set to make his San Jose debut this week.

La Crosse Lions
53-34, .609, 5 GB, 2nd
Upper Mississippi Valley Association

What a difference a year makes! La Crosse was awful last season and this year they find themselves just five games after first with a win percentage above .600. There's a lot of power in this lineup with Freddie Bennett and Dave Haight both past 10 homers on the season. The left fielder Haight ranks 16th and has hit 10 homers and drove in 61 runs. The Alaska native is a strong defender in left and he's swiped 17 bases and tripled seven times. Bennett ranks 22nd, and he's hit 16 homers and drove in 73 runs while adding 12 steals. He's a really good defender and he can play all over the infield. The biggest surprise has been recent 10th Rounder Nat Doane who's slashing .341/.382/.659 (148 OPS+) with 6 homers and 16 RBI's in 89 trips to the plate.

The pitching has had some success, but our #3 prospect Cy Sullivan has not looked like the talented pitcher he is. He's 4-3 with a 5.85 ERA (88 ERA+), 1.93 WHIP, 44 walks, and 26 strikeouts. He's just 20 and he added two miles to his fastball this month, and his potential keeps on growing. I'd love to see more on field results, but most high school pitchers struggle in La Crosse. That hasn't been the case for Frank Gordon, who's 3-1 with a 4.00 ERA (129 ERA+), 1.35 WHIP, 24 walks, and 34 strikeouts in 69.2 innings pitched. A former 18th Rounder, Gordon has added a lot of speed to his fastball and he continues to generate a ton of groundballs. 11th Rounder El Long has started to heat up and he's 5-2 with a 3.78 ERA (137 ERA+), 1.42 WHIP, 29 walks, and 31 strikeouts. All three arms were from the 1932 draft.