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RF Lou Roach (160th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 62nd Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Mississippi A&M Generals

While most of our prospects trended up this season, Lou Roach's stock fell a bit. He dropped 10 spots in our system and fell out of the top 100, down almost 80 spots. Still, it was a decent season for the 23-year-old who spent most of his 1934 in Lincoln. He hit .320/.367/.491 (121 OPS+) with 12 homers and 80 RBI's in 590 trips to the plate before a late season callup to Mobile. Originally a center fielder, Roach has looked a little lost out there so far and looks more like a corner outfielder. The early returns are at least average in both left and right, but he's got under 100 starts at each corner position. The Park Ridge, Illinois native projects to have okay range and decent power, and should be a strong doubles hitter. One of the older prospects in our system, Roach should be able to make an impact in the FABL in the next couple of seasons. I'd love for him to show a little more with the bat as he was a dominant hitter in college, especially since it doesn't look like he can do much out in center.

RF Dick Earl (166th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 17th Round, 271st Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Meridian HS Rebels

He didn't see much playing time in 1933, but he got 161 plate appearances in La Crosse and 199 in San Jose this season. The 20-year-old corner outfielder looked better with the Lions where he hit 4 homers and drove in 18 RBI's with a .293/.383/.468 (103 OPS+) batting line. To the promotion to San Jose didn't go as well, with just a homer and 34 RBI's to go with a .275/.307/.418 (82 OPS+) line. Earl is passable out in the corners, but if he wants to be a big leaguer he's going to have to hit is way onto a big league roster. He has a nice swing that consistently gets the barrel onto the ball, but he doesn't always hit it that hard. He did double 34 times, pretty impressive numbers for limited time, but he doesn't have the best on base tools. I think he's a bench player at best, but he's got a lot of time to prove me wrong.

1B Cuno Myer (196th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 22nd Round, 351st Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Norfolk HS Navigators

Previously unranked, it was a great season for the switch hitting first basemen Cuno Myer. He struggled in a small sample down in La Crosse last year, but he was hitting everything in site this time around. He finished with a .360/.406/.534 (123 OPS+) batting line in 323 trips to the plate. He added 7 homers and 51 RBI's, but he was a beyond awful defender. His -15.0 zone rating and .750 efficiency at first base are very concerning considering first base is usually the best position to hide a poor defender. Myer is a bat, nothing more, which will limit his value. When he's hot, he's hitting everything in sight and he managed to strikeout (23) just as much as he walked. I hope he can eventually be average at first, but his bat is enough to keep me interested. He's just 20, so there is a lot of time for defensive growth, but it will likely be a slow climb up the system for the switch hitter.

RF Johnny Waters (230th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 15th Round, 239th Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Lincoln Presidents

The switch hitter just turned 23, but already has a full season at AA Mobile under his belt. He hit an impressive .332/.359/.469 (119 OPS+) with 33 doubles, 10 triples, 3 homers, and 94 RBI's in 479 trips to the plate. He missed some time with injury, but when healthy, Waters managed to make a ton of contact. He had just 11 strikeouts and 22 walks, consistently lining the ball in play. He's not a home run hitter, but he should hit a ton of extra base hits which makes up for not being able to walk much. He's awful defensively in right at the moment, and shares a lot of similarities with former Cougar Vince York. York managed to hit a few homers too, something I don't see Waters ever doing.

CF Elias Canady (236th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 8th Round, 126th Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Portland HS Lumberjacks

There was once a time I thought Elias Canady would be a top pick. After a sophomore and junior year of high school with OPS+'s of 210 and 195, he looked like one of the best prep hitters there was. After an awful senior season where he hit .185/.247/.284 (38 OPS+), he dropped down on draft boards and we managed to get him in the 8th round. Last season was tough on him, but this year in La Crosse his .286/.366/.429 (90 OPS+) batting line was more respectable and he added 7 homers and 73 RBI's in 423 trips to the plate. He's just 19, so very young and raw, but unfortunately he has yet to show the promise he did those two years in high school. The defense is a huge plus, and his +14.4 zone rating and 1.073 efficiency are excellent numbers for a youngster. He's got great work ethic and continues to work on getting better, so I'm hoping Canady can correct whatever issue that has plagued him since his senior year. The glove will always keep him in an FABL organization, but I'm hoping he can hit better then a Cy Bryant type.

3B Tom Spitzer (251st Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 7th Round, 97th Overall (1929)
Alma Mater: Houston HS Hurricanes

This was year five for Spitzer in our organization, and it was the second one he spent in Mobile. He hit .303/.349/.422 (104 OPS+) with 3 homers and 55 RBI's while spending most of his time at second. He made 100 starts this year and will be eligible for the Rule-5 draft for the first time this season. I'd imagine that I'll protect him as I have a few open spots and not too many worthy prospects in need of protection. Spitzer projects to be an above average contact hitter who should be a decent defender at either second or third. He used to be a shortstop and has a lot of glove skills, but he doesn't quite have the range for the position. He could be an intriguing bench piece, and will get a shot to earn a bench position next spring. If not, he'll probably be handy depth in Milwaukee in case of injury or an underperformer on the big league squad.

SP Art Black (314th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 67th Overall (1927)
Alma Mater: Cincinnati HS Tigers

Our only top 30 prospect with big league experience, Art Black made his FABL debut this season. He made three starts in year one, but it did not go so well. The former 5th Rounder was 1-1 with a 5.59 ERA (81 ERA+), 2.17 WHIP, 15 walks, and 6 strikeouts in 19.1 innings. Most of his year was spent in Milwaukee where he was an effective 12-5 with a 3.65 ERA (126 ERA+), 1.38 WHIP, 75 walks, and 39 strikeouts in 150.1 innings. As you can see, Black will walk a ton of hitters and won't strike too many out. The 25-year-old sits in the 92-94 range with his fastball and cutter, but he'll need to rely on his defense for a lot of outs. He throws three offspeed pitches, a curve, slider, and change, but none look like a reliable out pitch yet. We don't have much rotation depth at the moment, so hopefully with a strong offseason Black can crack the big league rotation. Behind Lyons, Luedtke, and Rankin there isn't much else, so with two spots open in the rotation Black will hope for a strong spring.

SP Chet Peacock (337th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 6th Round, 90th Overall (1930)
Alma Mater: Lynn HS Legends

The 22-year-old Chet Peacock hasn't had too much minor league success yet, but his 11 starts in San Jose this year were very encouraging. He was 3-1, but with a 3.42 ERA (144 ERA+), 1.32 WHIP, 16 walks, and 32 strikeouts. After those 79 innings, he made 13 starts across 86.2 innings with the Lincoln Legislators. That did not go as well, as he was just 1-5 with a 5.71 ERA (81 ERA+), 1.78 WHIP, 38 walks, and 30 strikeouts. He'll get another shot at Lincoln next season, but I was hoping Peacock would have had better success in A ball. He's got a nice 90ish mile per hour fastball with an effective curve and slider, but he's really taken his time polishing his stuff. This was his fourth year, so just one more before he's Rule-5 eligible, and Peacock will need a strong 1935 to warrant protection.

SP Neal Wilkinson (348th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 16th Round, 255th Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Brooklyn HS Trojans

After just 15 innings in 1933, Neal Wilkinson was a much more important member of the La Crosse staff this year. He made 24 starts and went 8-6 with a 4.92 ERA (109 ERA+), 1.67 WHIP, 47 walks, and 67 strikeouts. This was a very strong showing from the 20-year-old righty who has shown great improvement in his young career. He's got a nice four pitch arsenal headlined by an 89-91 MPH fastball. He does a good job keeping the ball on the ground, and his curveball should develop into an excellent strikeout pitch. His stuff isn't all that great, but with his ability to rack up double plays he should do well if runners get on base against him. I plan on taking it slow with him, as it can take a few years before a high school pitcher really breaks out. He's slated to start next season in LaCrosse, but I'd be surprised if he doesn't end up in San Jose.

SP John Hartz (350th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 2nd Round, 31st Overall (1931)
Alma Mater: Denver HS Mountaineers

A 2nd Round Pick in the 1931 draft, John Hartz rounds out our top 30 for the 1935 season. I may have taken him a bit too early, as Hartz is not one of our more highly touted prospects. He started this season in La Crosse, and the 21-year-old was 7-3 with a 3.74 ERA (144 ERA+), 1.34 WHIP, 18 walks, and 34 strikeouts in 77 innings. This was a really strong performance, so I gave him another shot at Class B San Jose, where he struggled in 1933. It was a bit better, as Hartz was 5-8 with a 5.01 ERA (98 ERA+), 1.55 WHIP, 32 walks, and 23 strikeouts across 82.2 innings. He'll be 22 shortly, and it's clear Hartz hasn't quite developed how we wanted him to. I doubt he'll ever end up a middle of the rotation arm, but he does have the tools t start big league games. His future may be as a spot starter/swingman and if he adds more to his fastball he could transition well into the pen. The top five in the 1931 class has had some mixed results, with fellow 2nd Rounder Leo Mitchell ranked 2nd in our system and 10th in all of baseball. Ed Reyes was our 1st Rounder and ranks 60th in baseball and 6th in the Cheifs organization. Both 3rd and 4th Rounder Homer Ray and Roy Moore rank in our top 30 while 5th Rounder Ben McDonald is unranked. And at least at this time, the 6th-25th rounders don't look all that exciting.