1935 DRAFT PREVIEW
OVER A BARRELL?
By Jiggs McGee
It is still only May and the full draft class and 1935 High School/College stats have yet to be released (they will come some time next week) but don't be surprised if the top three picks in the draft are Rufus Barrell II, George Garrison and Leon Cavasos. Now Barrell going first overall seems like it has been a foregone conclusion since his debut in the feeder leagues a couple of seasons ago but someone must have forgot to tell that to George Garrison as he may just be able to overtake Rufus for top spot. It will take a big season at Carthage High School in Illinois for Garrison to surpass the grandson of OSA scouting guru Rufus Barrell but from the scouting reports below and the stats each put up as a junior Garrison just might have a chance.
Here are the 1934 stats for Barrell, Garrison and Leon Cavasos and a pair of OSA scouting reports on each of them. The first is from the winter and the second one was just released this week. The first official OSA Mock Draft is expected to drop in just over two weeks so it will be interesting to see where the 3 fit in.
Let's take a closer look at each of them.
A member of the first family of sports, Rufus II is the grandson of scouting legend Rufus Barrell and the nephew of 5 FABL players in Bobby Barrell of the Philadelphia Keystones and Dan, Fred, Harry and Tom Barrell who all play for the Brooklyn Kings. Only Tom is a pitcher so Rufus has been drawing comparisons to his Allen Award winning uncle for a couple of years although Rufus, unlike Tom, is a lefthander. Tom was selected 1st overall in 1929 and Harry also went first overall two years later. Fred was a third overall pick and Bobby was taken 4th overall in his draft year while the eldest Dan did not get selected until the 16th round but the fact that he was playing football, and not baseball, at the time for gridiron power Chicago Poly was likely a factor.
As for Rufus, or 'Deuce' as he is known, he was a High School All-American his junior season with a perfect 12-0 record after going 6-3 as a sophomore in the final season of the feeder leagues. He led all high school pitchers in his draft class in pretty much every category a year ago but George Garrison was right behind him in most of them.
Garrison was an honorable mention on the High School All-American team a year ago and scouts love his 6 pitch repertoire and outstanding control. He was born in Arkansas but now lives and attends school in Carthage, Illinois. He presently does not have the velocity of Barrell (Rufus tops out at 94 MPH while Garrison peaks at 90) but like Barrell, Garrison has a good frame and should increase his velocity as he matures - and actually has reportedly already added a bit to his fastball over the winter. It will take a big high school season for Garrison to overtake Barrell, but I wonder if it wasn't for his last name would the choice between the two of them be almost even?
Leon Cavasos is another pitcher with huge upside but he is clearly number 3 at this point. The 17 year old plays for St Edmund Prep in Brooklyn after growing up in Newark, New Jersey. Diminutive, at just 5'10" and 145 pounds, Cavasos relies much more on his off-speed stuff and his ability to induce ground balls. Like Barrell he is a lefthander but he started just 9 games last season. The upside potential is certainly there and he is expected to be a very durable pitcher without the stress throwing a 90+ mph fastball might put on the arms of Barrell and Garrison.
There is still a full season of college/High School ball to come and another 140-odd draft eligible players to be added into the pool but those are three names you want to remember as each could enjoy a very productive FABL career. I would not be surprised if Barrell, Garrison and Cavasos go 1-2-3 in December.