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F.A.B.L Top Hitters under 27 years of age

Catcher:
In the discussion: (Career Numbers)

Bobby Gentry 25 yrs., Boston: 379 hits; 63 2B, .308/.339/.413, 7.5 WAR
Clarence Howerton 25 yrs., St. Louis: 301 Hits, 27 3B, .275/.336/.387, 6.0 WAR
George Cleaves 20 yrs., Pittsburgh: 164 hits, 42 2B, .293/.337/.384, 3.3 WAR
John Wicklund 25 yrs., New York (FA): 140 hits, 13 HR, .301/.366/.458, 4.6 WAR

This is really a case of established guys vs. newcomers. Both Gentry and Howerton have over 300 games under their belts. In that time both players have established themselves as solid everyday catching options. Both guys were selected in the 1927 draft with Gentry going in the 7th round and Howerton going in the 14th. Great late draft value here.

Then you have the cases of Cleaves and Wicklund who have played in just under half as many games but have put up some eye popping numbers. Cleaves was the 4th overall pick in the 1931 draft and in 146 games has already 164 hits with 42 doubles and a 3.3 WAR. Cleaves looks like he is on his way to stardom. Wicklund was another late round pick going in the 15th round of the same 1927 draft that Gentry and Howerton were a part of. Wicklund has only played in 125 games but he already has 140 hits and 13 homers which is tied with Gentry for the most out of the 4 players in discussion. Similar to Cleaves, the entirety of Wicklund’s success can be traced to last season’s performance. The question will be if their breakout seasons are repeatable or not.

First Base:
In the discussion: (Career numbers)

Fred McCormick 25 yrs., St. Louis: 799 hits, 152 2B, 68 3B, 43 HR, .343/.408/.522, 17.7 WAR
Vic Crawford 26 years., Montreal: 398 hits, 108 2B, 18 HR, .295/.351/.427, 6.9 WAR

There really is no discussion here. McCormick is not only the best first baseman in the league under the age of 27 he is one of the top 10 hitters in the league regardless of position and age. Originally drafted by the Gothams in the 11th round of the 1927 draft McCormick quickly rocketed up prospect boards settling at #5 when he became the main piece in the deal that sent Max Morris to New York. The very next season McCormick earned a starting spot in the Pioneer lineup and he hasn’t looked back since. Having just turned 25 after the 1934 season McCormick looks like he can be an all-time great.

A distant second on this list would be the 3rd overall pick from the 1929 draft Vic Crawford. Crawford is a fine up and coming player in his own right, he has logged a combined 6.1 WAR over the last two seasons and is a doubles machine leading the the CA in that category in 1933. With two consecutive solid offensive seasons under his belt it is easy to predict great things from Crawford moving forward.

Second Base:
In the discussion: (Career Numbers)

Jake Shadoan 26 yrs., Brooklyn: 934 hits, 134 2B, 37 HR, .339/.376/.448, 15.1 WAR
Sam Orr 26 yrs., Toronto: 726 hits: 119 2B, 36 3B, .296/.339/.389, 14.0 WAR
Freddie Jones 24 yrs., St. Louis: 590 hits, 200 more BB than K’s, .361/.352/.441, 19.0 WAR

Second Base is loaded with young talent. Left off the discussion list were Brooks Meeks of Cleveland, Henry Clayton of Pittsburgh and Jack Winston of New York (FA). All three players have done some nice things in the league but they simply fail in comparison to the big three at the top of the list.

Drafted 7th overall in the 1929 draft by Brooklyn, Jake Shadoan was always expected to be a fine hitter. He cracked into the FABL during his age 22 season and has never logged a season where his batting average has been under .300. In 3 of his 5 FABL seasons Shadoan has logged over 200 hits in a season. He has led the CA in the hits category for the last 2 seasons. Shadoan is definitely a main component of the offensive attack in Brooklyn.

Sam Orr was drafted two spots ahead of Shadoan by Toronto in 1929. Orr earned his starting spot at the beginning of the 1931 season and promptly logged career highs in hits (199) doubles (34) and stolen bases (18). Orr has been a very productive regular for the Wolves and a bright part of their future.

As good as Shadoan and Orr are they may be tier 1B players next to Freddie Jones of St. Louis. In 3 FABL seasons Jones has demonstrated that if he doesn’t swing at a pitch then it is not a strike. Blessed with an impeccable to work the count in his favor, Jones has decreased his total strikeouts and increased his walks in each successive season. Currently he has 200 more career walks than strikeouts. The former 2nd overall pick (1931) owns a career .361 batting average and a WAR of 19.0 making him one of the best, exciting hitters in the league.

Third Base:
In the discussion: (Career Numbers)

Ed Stewart 26 yrs., Pittsburgh: 701 hits, 15 3B, 86 HR, .289/.338/.434, 17.9 WAR
Hank Barnett 25 yrs., Montreal: 566 hits, 89 2B, 57 Hr, .274/.345/.417, 13.0 WAR
Johnny McDowell 26 yrs., New York (FA): 323 Hits, 38 2B, 22 3B, .306/.345/..386 4.1 WAR
John Langille 23 yrs., Brooklyn: 197 Hits, 57 2B, 11 HR, .352/.397/.530, 6.1 WAR

The third base crop is much like the catchers group. You have the established steady players vs. the one year breakout guys. Steady Eddie Stewart heads the established guys with 4 full seasons under his belt. In that time he has compiled over 700 hits and has hit over 15 homers in each of those seasons. Stewart’s WAR puts him in the same category as Shadoan and McCormick but this is more of a function to his solid defense as he is not in the same offensive category of those players. Stiil, really good value for an 11th round draft pick.

Hank Barnett saw his first action as a 20 year old. The 6th round pick in the ‘27 draft hit .305 in 54 games for the Saints. He has been a rollercoaster ever since. From .305 his average dipped to .251 and then back up to .284 as a full time regular. In his 23 year old season it dropped once again to .247 and was back up to .286 last season. His 57 career home runs in 556 games still makes him a player that you want to continue to give opportunities to.

Then there are the breakouts. The 26 year old McDowell, who plays for the Gothams, doesn’t have the power usually associated with a corner position. What Johnny does have though is gap to gap power combined with good speed. Mc Dowell does not yet have the body of work that Stewart and Barnett have but he is on his way.

John Langlille was one of the pieces in the deal that sent Milt Fritz to Montreal. At the time of the deal Langille was the #51 ranked prospect in the FABL and the lowest ranked one in that particular deal. After a 25 game cup of coffee to finish out the 1933 season, Langille really made his mark in 1934 leading the FABL in doubles on his way to posting a 5.3 WAR for the season. While Langille may not have the body of work as the 3 other players in discussion his star may be the brightest out of all of them.

Shortstop:

Harry Barrell 20 yrs., Brooklyn: 372 hits, 71 2B, 76/24 BB/K, .333/.373/.426, 17.3 WAR
George Dawson 23 yrs., Cleveland: 334 hits, 34 2B, 40 SB, .297/.342/.361, 11.2 WAR
Ray Russell 26 yrs., St. Louis: 393 hits, 66 2B, 14 3B, 24 HR, .306/.369/.435 7.3 WAR

Much like the first base discussion there is the clear top player followed by a couple of players that are really good but can’t offer any real comparison. The top dog here is the young SS from Brooklyn, Harry Barrell. Making his debut as a 19 year old the former 1st overall pick (Cleveland, 1931) took the league by storm. Almost a full quarter of his hits were for extra bases as he raced out to a 8.5 WAR, good for 3rd in the FABL. His sophomore season was even better as Barrell increased his production in every offensive category solidifying himself as one of the most dangerous hitters in the FABL. In just 273 career games Harry has already compiled a combined WAR of 17.3. If Harry can stay healthy and continue to produce at his current rate he could go down and find himself mentioned as one of the greatest to ever play the SS position.

George Dawson was drafted in the 2nd round of the 1929 draft by Cleveland, and like Barrell, has just completed his second season. The numbers in comparison are respectable. Dawson has been able to exhibit some gap power and has been able to use his speed to provide some added value. Obviously everyone in comparison to Barrell are going to be found wanting but many teams would be more than happy with Dawson playing SS for their respective club. The other 1B player on the list would be the often injured Ray Russell of the St. Louis Pioneers. Russell was a 4th round selection of the Pioneers in 1929 and made his FABL debut in 1931. Simply put when he is on the field he is an offensive asset that likes to hit ‘em in the gaps. Unfortunately, Russell has had all manner of injuries that have kept him from the lineup for significant amounts of time.

Left Field:
In the discussion: (Career Numbers)

Leon Drake 25 yrs., Cleveland: 355 hits, 65 2B, 40 3B 38 HR, .253/.335/.438, 9.7 WAR
Pete Day 23 yrs., Boston: 212 hits, 39 2B, 77/37 BB/K, .344/.416/.498, 7.3 WAR
Al Horton 25 yrs, Baltimore: 221 hits, 37 2B, .311/.363/.432, 4.5 WAR
Rip Curry 25 yrs., Philadelphia (FA): 164 hits, 27 2B, .337/.391/.424, 3.3 WAR
Joe Owens 22 yrs., Pittsburgh: 223 hits, 30 2B, 12 3B, .299/.380/.375, 3.3 WAR

Not a lot of run away candidates with the LF group. If you are looking for power at the sake of average then Cleveland’s Leon Drake is your man. Drake was a Rule V pick plucked from the Chiefs organization that has found a nice home in the Cleveland outfield. Although Drake doesn’t exhibit any stolen base speed he is a very smart baserunner that knows when to turn a double into a triple as he logged 40 of them in his young career. The real number though is the 21 homers Drake hit in 1934. In his previous 4 seasons he had a combined 17 long balls so this was definitely a breakout year that Drake would love to repeat.

Boston’s Pete Day came to the club in a deal that sent Dan Fowler to the Foresters near the 1931 trade deadline. Day earned the opportunity to fill the LF void in Boston the very next season and did not disappoint. 212 hits with a 7.3 WAR in his rookie season is a fantastic start to what could be a fabulous career if he can repeat it.

Horton, Curry and Owens all have similar stats and career WAR numbers that will inevitably draw comparisons to each other. Owns is the youngest of the bunch at 22 so would probably be viewed as the player with the best upside. All three though are solid additions to their teams respective outfields.

Center Field:

In the discussion: (Career Numbers)

Dan Fowler 26 yrs., Cleveland: 471 hits, 60 2B, 74 HR, .279/.379/.461, 14.9 WAR
Bob Worley 26 yrs., Montreal: 369 hits, 32 2B, 35 HR, .245/.310/.348, 8.1 WAR
Chick Donnelly 23 yrs., Boston: 241 hits, 47 2B, .364/.406/.474, 7.7 WAR


Out of the CF group Dan Fowler who Cleveland picked up at the trade deadline in 1933 from Boston leads this group in the power department. In 5 FABL seasons Fowler has hit over 20 homers 3 different seasons. Fowler also has a very good eye and has twice logged over 100 walks in a season and has never struck out more than he has walked at the end of any season. Fowler looks to be a player that can make a run at hitting over 300 home runs in his career.

Worley split his time between CF and RF in 1934 but he has played more in CF overall so we will put him here. You aren’t going to get an extremely high average with Worley but the power is developing. In his last two seasons Worley has hit a combined 30 home runs. Worley found himself in Montreal via a trade with the Stars for SP Charlie Stedman. At 26 years of age the time for Worley to solidify himself is probably fast approaching.

Chick Donnelly was the 11th round surprise for the Minutemen. Drafted out of high school Donnelly spent 4 years in the minors before earning the starting spot in CF the season after the club dealt Fowler to Cleveland. In his rookie season Donnely recorded a franchise record 241 hits and led the FA in doubles for the 1934 season with 49. Like many players on this list the challenge will be to repeat the performance.

Right Field:
In the discussion: (Career Numbers)

Al Wheeler 26 yrs., Detroit: 1336 hits, 169 2B, 78 3B, 199 HR, .326/.408/.552, 42.4 WAR
Bobby Barrell 24 yrs., Philadelphia (FA): 862 hits, 156 2B, 96 HR, .342/.390/.551, 28.3 WAR

No offense to the Gotham's Mahlon Strong who spent a billion years as the #1 prospect in the FABL or Washington’s Larry Vestal as they are both strong players. Strong has especially shown some nice things and could be a star if he can stay as healthy as he did in 1934. However, this is all about Wheeler and a bit about Barrell.

OSA ranks Bobby as the second best player in the FABL and Wheeler as the 9th best player. Looking at the stats however, it is clear that both players are among the best hitters in the league regardless of age or position. Wheeler was the top overall selection by Detroit in the 1925 draft out of high school. He made his debut as a 20 year old in 1928 and immediately began putting up solid consistent numbers. In 7 seasons Wheeler has only hit under 20 doubles once. He has hit over 10 triples 5 times, He has had double digit home runs each season and he is yet another player that has never struck out more than he has walked in a season. Wheeler has been the model of consistency and has a real shot at hitting over 400 home runs for his career.

Then you have the Georgia Jolter, who was drafted 6th overall in the 1928 draft by the Philadelphia Keystones. Bobby Barrell has already amassed 862 hits in his 4 FABL seasons. 96 of those hits have landed in the seats. Bobby is another player who has a fantastic feel of the strike zone and not even struck out 100 times in his young career. With his advanced feel of the strike zone and his ability to put the ball in play it would not be a surprise to see Bobby eclipse 3000 hit plateau in his career.