Top Prospects: 11-15
3B Hank Stratton (73rd Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 78th Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Chicago HS Wildcats
Third base is wide open right now, but Hank Stratton will have to fend off the middle infielders in the organization as well if he wants to be the Cougars third basemen of the future. He put together a strong season in Lincoln, batting .333/.366/.515 (109 OPS+) with 11 homers and 115 RBI's. "Jitters" also got some time at first when Phil McKenna was there with him, but he has looked okay so far at third. The most impressive part, however, were the 64 doubles! It was close to one every other game and he does an excellent job spraying the ball around the field. He hits well to all fields and continuously hits line drives in stead of flyballs. His spray charts are truly beautiful, and I think he's going to be a really excellent big league hitter.
RHP Stumpy Beaman (95th Overall)
Acquired: Via Trade with the Sailors (1935)
Drafted: 7th Round, 104th Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Austin HS Senators
The big pull in the John Kincaid trade, Stumpy Beaman spent his time with the Sailors in C ball, but I brought him up to San Jose for 8 starts to end the season. He looked excellent, working to a 3.18 ERA (143 ERA+) and 1.18 WHIP with 17 walks and 23 strikeouts in 56.2 innings pitched. He'll turn 22 at the end of April, so I might be moving him up to Lincoln to start next season. He is a "stumpy" little guy, but the ball is always on the ground and he comfortably sits in the upper 80s with his fastball and sinker. I love his command, and if he can polish his slider out as an out pitch he should be able to keep up his strong strikeout numbers. I think he's loaded with potential and should be one of the more reliable big league arms in the league.
LF Bobby Mills (99th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 6th Round, 90th Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: San Antonio HS Warriors
I feel like I spend more time trying to trade Mills then mentioning how good he is, but Mills has always hit. After a quick trip in San Jose, he spent 62 games with Lincoln and 52 with Mobile. With Lincoln he hit .380/.416/.616 (145 OPS+) with 14 homers and 64 RBI's in 279 trips to the plate. He didn't quite keep that up with Mobile, but still hit .342/.366/.462 (114 OPS+) with 2 homers and 38 RBI's. I was sad to see the power drop, but 14 in 62 games is really impressive. I'm not sure if the power is going to stay, I still see him as a Vince York type player not Doc Love, but for now there's no room for Mills on our big league roster. I think I'll give him a run back for AA next season,
RHP Frank Gordon (121st Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 18th Round, 287th Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Trenton HS Titans
I can thank my scout and development team for Frank Gordon. I didn't even think about of picking him, but to be fair, he wasn't that good when we got him. Since the draft, Gordon's fastball velocity has gone from 84-86 to 91-93 and he's developed excellent groundball tendencies already. He started the season in San Jose, got a demotion for a few starts to get back on track, and then finished back with the Cougars. He made 17 starts, going 6-4 with a 5.42 ERA (84 ERA+), 1.51 WHIP, 35 walks, and 38 strikeouts. He'll return to San Jose next season as he continues to polish his skills. He did have a little bit of a statistical setback, but he continues to see his speed climb and my scout likes him more and more with each report.
RHP Joe Foote (122nd Overall)
Acquired: Via Trade with Montreal (1934)
Draft: 6th Round, 84th Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Greensboro HS Giants
Acquired in the Bobby Sprague deal with Woody Armstrong, the 21-year-old Foote spent the entire season in Lincoln. He made 24 starts and was 9-7 with a 4.95 ERA (111 ERA+), 1.43 WHIP, 31 walks, and 44 strikeouts in 134.2 innings pitched. Foote is a three pitch pitcher, with a really nice mid 90s sinker, a nice slider, and a decent curveball. He can throw them all for strikes in any count and he does an excellent job keeping the ball on the ground. He's pretty developed for someone his age, and I could potentially see him joining our staff sooner then expected. My scout is a huge fan and I think he's going to be an excellent big league starter.
Last edited by ayaghmour2; 01-22-2023 at 09:22 PM.
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