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ayaghmour2 · 03-22-2021, 12:30 PM

As crazy as it sounds, we actually had more picks in the first ten rounds then we did in the last fifteen. Most of these guys signed, with just three from the 11th on needing bonuses. Interesting enough, 2nd Rounder Doc Smith did not need a bonus, a huge red flag of a reach pick. I knew I was reaching when I took him, but I was okay with it considering my scout thought the only pitchers better then him were Rufus Barrell and George Garrison. Even I did not share that sentiment (he was my second pitcher selected, and there were others I wanted), but I'm letting Marv earn his salary and trusting his gut. So far a few of the top 10 round guys check in the top 500, including Bill Seabolt (258th), Oscar Panduro (344th), and Izzy Sevilla (403rd) as well as 21st Rounder Sherman Ring (333rd).

I also found out Art Saunders is "impossible" to sign, so I threw 20 grand at him and hoped he'd bite. That's more then all my other picks, with 8th Overall selection Hal Wood receiving the $9,120 slot bonus, but other then him and Chubby Hall ($12k), no one wanted more then $4,000. I have a nice big $60,000 draft budget, but even if I go over that (I think I didn't), we are flush with cash. Here's the rest of the very large 1935 Chicago Cougars draft class:

3B Sonny O'Callaghan (11th Round, 165th Overall): Ahh, the always fun 11th Round. This is where all the players us human GM's missed are scooped up by our scouts. O'Callaghan will need to be signed, but I do plan on meeting his demands. I wouldn't have taken him personally, but my scout and OSA both view him as a productive bench bat. He got one season at Brighton and hit .452/.525/.615 with a homer and 27 RBI's. I usually like corner bats with pop, but Sonny is strictly a groundball hitter.

SP Bill Seawood (12th Round, 181st Overall): Seawood was actually someone I had my eye on, but what scared me away was the low velocity, three pitches, and borderline starter status. One of those is a changeup, which is even more scary. Still, I'll let him try to work his way up our ladder, as he did have a nice 2.18 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 28 walks, and 82 strikeouts in 10 starts and 6 relief appearances for Florence, a high school in Florence, Alabaman. He's just 18 and has a ton of time to develop, and he's basically the arm my scout thinks I should have grabbed in the first ten rounds.

LF Billy Jordan Jr. (13th Round, 197th Overall): I decided Jordan would be my 13th Round pick because his dad was a Cougar and had an excellent 1915. He was 17-9 with a 2.42 ERA (121 ERA+), 1.11 WHIP, 98 walks, and 144 strikeouts in 248.2 innings. He never matched that again, just 17 innings the next year before pitching in the minors from 1917-1922. In '17 he also had Billy Junior, who's committed to North Carolina Tech. Billy was born in Chicago, but went to high school out in Sacramento. As a senior he hit an okay .486/.548/.645 with a homer and 28 RBI's. I don't think Jordan will be a big leaguer, but with the double Chicago connection, I knew I needed him. Interesting enough, his father is actually the Pitching Coach for the Independent AAA Sacramento Governors, which is why Jordan is at school out there.

LHP Danny Hern (14th Round, 213th Overall): I accidentally had the six foot lefty on my 1934 draft shortlist, but the soon to be 19-year-old ended up as our 14th Round pick. As a senior at Morton, he was 7-3 with a 2.04 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 22 walks, and 92 strikeouts in 101.2 innings pitched. He has a mid 80s fastball, as well as a curve, slider, and change. None of the pitches are all that exciting now, but as he continues to grow and develop, I can see all four turning into big league caliber offerings. He will need to develop one of those into a strikeout pitch, as right now he relies strictly on location.

CF Red Barnett (15th Round, 229th Overall): Nothing too exciting here. Barnett is committed to Indianapolis Tech, and I'll probably let him go there. Hit .450/.507/.646 with a homer, 66 steals, and 51 RBI's in 222 trips to the plate at Germantown HS. Average defender with good speed and a decent eye.

CF Bus Harris (16th Round, 245th Overall): I think Harris is better then Barnett, but he's also demanding a bonus to overturn a commitment to the San Diego Maritime Academy. He has a similar .448/.525/.724 line, but the difference comes in the increase in homers to five and drop of steals to 43. Lefty swinger who profiles as a fourth outfielder.

RHP Clint Hamilton (17th Round, 261st Overall): This might turn out to be an alright pick. Hamilton just saw his fastball tick up to 86-88, and he pairs it with a reliable change up. He also features a slider and curve, and just needs one of them to develop. Looked strong in 139.2 innings, 8-4 with a 2.38 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 41 walks, and 115 strikeouts. He's young, turned 18 in September, and has a lot of upside. I like seeing his starts go from seven to ten this year while still putting together similar results.

RF Bob Mercer (18th Round, 277th Overall): Another high schooler, Mercer is a lefty corner outfielder who actually hit .531 as a Junior. His senior year was much worse, but his total .490/.526/.731 batting line is still pretty strong. He doesn't have much power, just 3 homers in 234 trips to the plate, which will likely make Mercer's stay in our organization short. I won't cut him yet, but come April he may be out of the organization.

RHP Pete Knight (19th Round, 293rd Overall): This is where I wish all players needed to be signed. Pete Knight was a junior at Wisconsin State, and was 5-9 with a 7.07 ERA, 1.92 WHIP, 79 walks, and 42 strikeouts. As a sophomore he was 4-7 with a 5.26 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, 46 walks, 47 strikeouts. This is a guy I never would have drafted and he will be released eventually.

LF Ray Renfro (20th Round, 309th Overall): In two seasons at Maryland State Renfro hit .266/.329/.437 with 15 homers and 73 RBI's. Not bad by any means, but nothing about Renfro really stands out. He might also need to find a new home.

LF Sherman Ring (21st Round, 325th Overall): I don't think he's all that good, but the senior from Campion hit .292/.381/.396 with 3 homers, 40 RBI's, and 26 steals in 236 trips to the plate. The eye is his calling card, with 29 walks compared to 13 strikeouts. He's old, 23 in February, but that means he may get to skip a couple of the lower levels. I'll keep an eye on him, but not expecting too much from Ring. This isn't Joe Rainbow 2.0, this is just a senior left fielder falling because, well, he's a senior left fielder.

LF Al Duarte (22nd Round, 341st Overall): Happy birthday Al! He turned 19 today, but don't expect him to see 20 in our organization. He hit .398 two seasons ago in high school, but unlike Steve Mountain, he's not an elite defensive catcher. He's a poor defensive corner player.

CF Charlie Gainey (23rd Round, 357th Overall): I was ready to write a similar line for Gainey, but hey, he's from Chicago! That's enough to stay in the organization! At St. Rita (who I've played against!) he hit .448/.509/.688 with 18 steals and 27 RBI's. Yeah, he's pretty bad, but you need bench players in La Crosse too, so Gainey probably spends most his minor league career there filling in.

C Abner Almond (24th Round, 373rd Overall): A lot of teams were talking about how they got a lot of catchers in the auto portion, but Almond is the first and only for us. I can't see double A staying, considering in high school he hit .386/.496/.624 with 6 homers and 52 RBI's. In the FABL this year, Freddie Jones hit .389/.511/.500 with 8 homers and 89 RBI's. Almond couldn't even really outhit Freddie...

RHP Ollie Farmer (25th Round, 389th Overall): Our last pick of the year, Farmer probably gets released as well. In high school he was 4-3 with a 3.56 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 37 walks, and 30 strikeouts. He's projected to be a strictly bullpen pitcher, despite five pitches, so Farmer probably really, really sucks.

I expect the rest of the offseason to be rather quiet. I'm usually too active in the Rule-5 draft, but this season my list only has two people on it right now. I may add more later, but I could have no Rule-5 Pick this season. I have one guy I really want in the independent league draft, so even though he might go before me, I'm still risking it. Other then that though, expect very little news out of Chicago, other then our draftees signing and the end of the top 30 prospects. Spring Training will be fun, and I'm already ready to start real fake baseball again.

03-22-2021, 12:30 PM	#393
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,010	1935 Draft: 11th Round-25th Round As crazy as it sounds, we actually had more picks in the first ten rounds then we did in the last fifteen. Most of these guys signed, with just three from the 11th on needing bonuses. Interesting enough, 2nd Rounder Doc Smith did not need a bonus, a huge red flag of a reach pick. I knew I was reaching when I took him, but I was okay with it considering my scout thought the only pitchers better then him were Rufus Barrell and George Garrison. Even I did not share that sentiment (he was my second pitcher selected, and there were others I wanted), but I'm letting Marv earn his salary and trusting his gut. So far a few of the top 10 round guys check in the top 500, including Bill Seabolt (258th), Oscar Panduro (344th), and Izzy Sevilla (403rd) as well as 21st Rounder Sherman Ring (333rd). I also found out Art Saunders is "impossible" to sign, so I threw 20 grand at him and hoped he'd bite. That's more then all my other picks, with 8th Overall selection Hal Wood receiving the $9,120 slot bonus, but other then him and Chubby Hall ($12k), no one wanted more then $4,000. I have a nice big $60,000 draft budget, but even if I go over that (I think I didn't), we are flush with cash. Here's the rest of the very large 1935 Chicago Cougars draft class: 3B Sonny O'Callaghan (11th Round, 165th Overall): Ahh, the always fun 11th Round. This is where all the players us human GM's missed are scooped up by our scouts. O'Callaghan will need to be signed, but I do plan on meeting his demands. I wouldn't have taken him personally, but my scout and OSA both view him as a productive bench bat. He got one season at Brighton and hit .452/.525/.615 with a homer and 27 RBI's. I usually like corner bats with pop, but Sonny is strictly a groundball hitter. SP Bill Seawood (12th Round, 181st Overall): Seawood was actually someone I had my eye on, but what scared me away was the low velocity, three pitches, and borderline starter status. One of those is a changeup, which is even more scary. Still, I'll let him try to work his way up our ladder, as he did have a nice 2.18 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 28 walks, and 82 strikeouts in 10 starts and 6 relief appearances for Florence, a high school in Florence, Alabaman. He's just 18 and has a ton of time to develop, and he's basically the arm my scout thinks I should have grabbed in the first ten rounds. LF Billy Jordan Jr. (13th Round, 197th Overall): I decided Jordan would be my 13th Round pick because his dad was a Cougar and had an excellent 1915. He was 17-9 with a 2.42 ERA (121 ERA+), 1.11 WHIP, 98 walks, and 144 strikeouts in 248.2 innings. He never matched that again, just 17 innings the next year before pitching in the minors from 1917-1922. In '17 he also had Billy Junior, who's committed to North Carolina Tech. Billy was born in Chicago, but went to high school out in Sacramento. As a senior he hit an okay .486/.548/.645 with a homer and 28 RBI's. I don't think Jordan will be a big leaguer, but with the double Chicago connection, I knew I needed him. Interesting enough, his father is actually the Pitching Coach for the Independent AAA Sacramento Governors, which is why Jordan is at school out there. LHP Danny Hern (14th Round, 213th Overall): I accidentally had the six foot lefty on my 1934 draft shortlist, but the soon to be 19-year-old ended up as our 14th Round pick. As a senior at Morton, he was 7-3 with a 2.04 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 22 walks, and 92 strikeouts in 101.2 innings pitched. He has a mid 80s fastball, as well as a curve, slider, and change. None of the pitches are all that exciting now, but as he continues to grow and develop, I can see all four turning into big league caliber offerings. He will need to develop one of those into a strikeout pitch, as right now he relies strictly on location. CF Red Barnett (15th Round, 229th Overall): Nothing too exciting here. Barnett is committed to Indianapolis Tech, and I'll probably let him go there. Hit .450/.507/.646 with a homer, 66 steals, and 51 RBI's in 222 trips to the plate at Germantown HS. Average defender with good speed and a decent eye. CF Bus Harris (16th Round, 245th Overall): I think Harris is better then Barnett, but he's also demanding a bonus to overturn a commitment to the San Diego Maritime Academy. He has a similar .448/.525/.724 line, but the difference comes in the increase in homers to five and drop of steals to 43. Lefty swinger who profiles as a fourth outfielder. RHP Clint Hamilton (17th Round, 261st Overall): This might turn out to be an alright pick. Hamilton just saw his fastball tick up to 86-88, and he pairs it with a reliable change up. He also features a slider and curve, and just needs one of them to develop. Looked strong in 139.2 innings, 8-4 with a 2.38 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 41 walks, and 115 strikeouts. He's young, turned 18 in September, and has a lot of upside. I like seeing his starts go from seven to ten this year while still putting together similar results. RF Bob Mercer (18th Round, 277th Overall): Another high schooler, Mercer is a lefty corner outfielder who actually hit .531 as a Junior. His senior year was much worse, but his total .490/.526/.731 batting line is still pretty strong. He doesn't have much power, just 3 homers in 234 trips to the plate, which will likely make Mercer's stay in our organization short. I won't cut him yet, but come April he may be out of the organization. RHP Pete Knight (19th Round, 293rd Overall): This is where I wish all players needed to be signed. Pete Knight was a junior at Wisconsin State, and was 5-9 with a 7.07 ERA, 1.92 WHIP, 79 walks, and 42 strikeouts. As a sophomore he was 4-7 with a 5.26 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, 46 walks, 47 strikeouts. This is a guy I never would have drafted and he will be released eventually. LF Ray Renfro (20th Round, 309th Overall): In two seasons at Maryland State Renfro hit .266/.329/.437 with 15 homers and 73 RBI's. Not bad by any means, but nothing about Renfro really stands out. He might also need to find a new home. LF Sherman Ring (21st Round, 325th Overall): I don't think he's all that good, but the senior from Campion hit .292/.381/.396 with 3 homers, 40 RBI's, and 26 steals in 236 trips to the plate. The eye is his calling card, with 29 walks compared to 13 strikeouts. He's old, 23 in February, but that means he may get to skip a couple of the lower levels. I'll keep an eye on him, but not expecting too much from Ring. This isn't Joe Rainbow 2.0, this is just a senior left fielder falling because, well, he's a senior left fielder. LF Al Duarte (22nd Round, 341st Overall): Happy birthday Al! He turned 19 today, but don't expect him to see 20 in our organization. He hit .398 two seasons ago in high school, but unlike Steve Mountain, he's not an elite defensive catcher. He's a poor defensive corner player. CF Charlie Gainey (23rd Round, 357th Overall): I was ready to write a similar line for Gainey, but hey, he's from Chicago! That's enough to stay in the organization! At St. Rita (who I've played against!) he hit .448/.509/.688 with 18 steals and 27 RBI's. Yeah, he's pretty bad, but you need bench players in La Crosse too, so Gainey probably spends most his minor league career there filling in. C Abner Almond (24th Round, 373rd Overall): A lot of teams were talking about how they got a lot of catchers in the auto portion, but Almond is the first and only for us. I can't see double A staying, considering in high school he hit .386/.496/.624 with 6 homers and 52 RBI's. In the FABL this year, Freddie Jones hit .389/.511/.500 with 8 homers and 89 RBI's. Almond couldn't even really outhit Freddie... RHP Ollie Farmer (25th Round, 389th Overall): Our last pick of the year, Farmer probably gets released as well. In high school he was 4-3 with a 3.56 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 37 walks, and 30 strikeouts. He's projected to be a strictly bullpen pitcher, despite five pitches, so Farmer probably really, really sucks. I expect the rest of the offseason to be rather quiet. I'm usually too active in the Rule-5 draft, but this season my list only has two people on it right now. I may add more later, but I could have no Rule-5 Pick this season. I have one guy I really want in the independent league draft, so even though he might go before me, I'm still risking it. Other then that though, expect very little news out of Chicago, other then our draftees signing and the end of the top 30 prospects. Spring Training will be fun, and I'm already ready to start real fake baseball again.