Each year just before the FABL draft I have been doing annual recaps where I look back at the draft class from 10 years prior but last fall I neglected the 1925 crop so here it is. 1925 is a special draft in Figment baseball, not only for the immense quality of talent the first round produced but also due to the fact that was the moment the league became active as an online league and human GM's assumed the reigns. So looking back a decade (well 11 seasons) later, how did we do with the first draft pick each of us made?
A LOOK BACK AT THE 1925 FABL DRAFT
As it turned out the top of the 1925 draft produced five players that have already surpassed the 1,000 games played plateau but, like every draft there were some busts as well.
1- AL WHEELER: DETROIT DYNAMOS
It seemed nearly all surveyed were in agreement that the 18 year old outfielder from Decatur (IL) HS should be the number one pick and 11 years later few would dispute the choice. It took him longer to reach the majors then the other top prospects, but he was the only high schooler among their ranks, but when he did Wheeler took FABL by storm. Debuting in 1928 at the age of 20, Wheeler hit .306 with 18 homers and went only up from there. 3 Whitney Awards, a 1929 World Championship with Detroit, a triple crown last season after his trade to Brooklyn and at age 28 Wheeler has already hit 244 homers and 1,586 hits.
2- EDDIE QUINN: TORONTO WOLVES
While Quinn has developed into a decent pitcher lately, at the time his selection was deemed a reach, and even more so when you consider Toronto parted with 2 decent FABL ready arms and a couple of draft picks to move up four slots in the draft to select him when, as it turned out he almost assuredly would have still been available when the Wolves were originally slotted to pick at #6. Quinn eventually made his FABL debut in 1930 at the age of 23 and after struggling initially he has been pretty good the past couple of seasons. That was with Cleveland, as both Quinn and the GM that selected him in Toronto were long gone from the league by the time Quinn helped the Foresters win back to back Continental Association pennants and a World Championship Series in 1934.
3- BUD JAMESON: NEW YORK GOTHAMS
After a standout college career at St. Patrick's, Jameson was in the major leagues by the middle of 1926. He has been a fixture in the Gothams lineup ever since although injuries have certainly taking their toll costing him much of the 1931 season and 5 weeks two years later. Despite the injuries Jameson is a .334 career hitter with 1,534 hits to date in 1,193 career games.
4- BILL ASHBAUGH: CHICAGO COUGARS
Like Jameson in New York, Ashbaugh had been a fixture in the Cougars lineup for nearly a decade but has lost his starting second base job, at least temporarily this season with the emergence of a hotshot rookie named Ray Ford. There should still be life in Ashbaugh's bat but it has slowed in recent years. The former Rainier College star does have 1,365 career big league hits and a .310 lifetime batting average.
5- EDDIE WILSON: PITTSBURGH MINERS
The first bust of the draft but no one knows what happened to Eddie Wilson. His time at Grafton came before the AIAA All-American teams were being named but his work in leading the Scholars to the national finals was outstanding, a .374 batting average with a .464 OBP so he seemed like a sound pick at the time. Wilson put up a couple of decent seasons in the minors but as a corner outfielder, a role in great supply over the years, he never got much of a chance in Pittsburgh. Wilson appeared in just 32 games for the Miners over 3 seasons before being released prior to the 1933 season. He has spent the last 3+ years in the Lone Star Association and is one of the best players in that loop but Wilson never achieved the success reached by many of his draft class peers.
6- DOUG LIGHTBODY: BROOKLYN KINGS
The Kings had their sights set on the outfielder from Mississippi A&M right from the get go but traded down from #2 to 6th because the Wolves offer for the second pick was too overwhelming to ignore. As fate would have it Lightbody was still available at 6 and went right from the college campus to the big leagues without playing a minor league game. He was contending for the Continental Association batting title and helping the Kings be in a pennant race that would ultimately fall short because in no small part to a season ending injury Lightbody suffered on July 4th that year. High batting averages and injuries would be the story of Lightbody's career but despite missing almost 2 seasons worth of games through the years Lightbody has collected 1,658 career hits - most among his draft class at this point in time - and a .357 lifetime batting average that included a pair of CA batting titles and a Whitney Award in 1927.
7- CHICK DYER: BOSTON MINUTEMEN
The 31 year old outfielder from Pierpont College was recently released by the Minutemen after a career that saw him play 575 games for the club and post a .308 lifetime batting average. He had 3 solid season with the Minutemen highlighted by a .331,11,104 1930 campaign but the glut of corner outfielders in the league has left him jobless and the fact he can't even seem to catch on with an indy team does not bode well for Dyer's future in the sport.
8- EARLE CHARLTON: BALTIMORE CANNONS
There has been a long history in FABL of GM's reaching to select pitchers higher than perhaps they should have but with what the entire league felt was a shortage of arms at the time it is hard to find great fault in the Cannons selection. He was 12-11 with a 3.21 era at Lincoln College when Baltimore selected him and he did debut as the 70th ranked prospect in the sport. He had a decent start to his career in AA and showed some promise in AAA but could never make the jump successfully to the big leagues despite Baltimore giving Charlton a taste of the CA over 6 different seasons. Montreal claimed him on waivers in 1932 and he pitched what likely was the final 2 of his 46 career FABL appearances for the Saints. His final record in FABL was 8-16 before Montreal parted ways with him and Charlton signed with independent Sacramento of the Great Western League in 1932. He has settled in quite nicely with the Governors but a return to FABL appears very unlikely.
9- BRAD CRAWFORD: ST LOUIS PIONEERS
Crawford was another corner outfielder who didn't make it. In his case he never got the opportunity as after a decade in the Pioneers organization he was released and signed with independent Seattle having never played a FABL game. He put up some solid numbers in 4 seasons with Elmira (NY) HS but with Max Morris and Art Charles as the Pioneers corner outfielders at the time there really never was an opportunity early for Crawford. As power became more important, Crawford's lack of it sealed his fate and he stalled at AAA before his release a few months ago.
10- JACK CLEAVES: PHILADELPHIA SAILORS
Obviously there are a few FABL clubs wishing they took a chance on Cleaves as the second baseman out of Louisville (KY) HS has put together a very solid big league career and helped the Sailors win a pair of World Championship Series. He has not yet reached his 29th birthday but already has 1,404 hits under his belt in 1,204 career games with the Sailors. Cleaves younger brother George would be a first round pick 6 years later and is also enjoying a solid career and their grandfather George Theobald is the winningest manager in FABL history and spent over a decade in the major leagues as a player.
11- ART MYERS: PHILADELPHIA KEYSTONES
Like Quinn, Art Myers was a high school pitcher so it took him a few years to develop but after a few seasons split between Philadelphia and AAA Louisville, Myers became a full-time member of the Keystones rotation in 1933. Last year at the age of 29 he enjoyed his best season to date, going 18-10 with a 3.14 era and while he is off to a slow start this season, just like most of the Keystones team, Myers looks like a dependable mid-rotation piece. His FABL record to date is 55-40 in 137 appearances, 109 as a starter.
12- GEORGE X JOHNSON: MONTREAL SAINTS
The third baseman out of Knoxville HS is now playing indy ball in San Diego after not making much of an impression in Montreal. He played just 49 big league games and hit .227, getting his release following a 1934 season spent almost entirely on the bench with the Saints.
13- FRED NADER: CHICAGO CHIEFS
Just like Johnson, Nader was a high school third baseman that, at least so far has failed to pan out. After six seasons in the Chiefs system that saw him play just 20 games at the AAA level, Nader was selected by the Philadelphia Sailors in the 1932 Rule V draft. He appeared in just 24 games for the Sailors that season, hitting .267 before being sent down to AAA San Francisco in 1933. He has been with the Sailors AAA affiliate ever since and while he is still in a big league organization, the chances of the now 28 year old ever contributing at the FABL level appear slim.
14- ALEX THOMPSON: CLEVELAND FORESTERS
Another high school player that did not accomplish much, at least so far in his career. Just turned 29, Thompson played 27 games for Cleveland in 1932 and hit .350 before being part of the mega deal that brought Max Morris home to Cleveland. Since then he has been a bench player for the New York Gothams, and has appeared in 186 games with a .315 career batting average. He has been stuck behind the #3 pick in this draft as Bud Jameson's backup before recently being demoted to AAA. A decent contact hitter, Thompson lacks the power needed to be an everyday first baseman in the big leagues.
15- LEO GORSKI: WASHINGTON EAGLES
Gorski is a very interesting pick. He he helped lead Omaha (NE) HS to a National Championship in 1918 but went undrafted in the 1921 rookie draft. From there he played a couple of seasons in the Great Western League with indy teams before enrolling at Sadler University in 1924. He had a decent year for the Bluecoats in his only season of college ball and apparently the Cleveland Foresters saw enough to draft the 23 year old shortstop with their 10th round pick. He failed to sign with Cleveland and spent the entire 1925 season playing semi-pro ball but for some reason the Eagles felt he was a first round talent and they drafted him 15th overall. So finally after being drafted 3 times, Gorski joined a FABL organization for the 1926 season. He progressed very slowly through the Eagles system but did have a solid season in AA as a 27 year old. By the end of 1933 Gorski had still only played a handful of games at the AAA level so the Eagles released the now 31 year old. He is still kicking around professional baseball, playing for San Antonio of the Lone Star Association but his selection as a first rounder in 1925 still remains a head scratcher.
16- LOU MARTINO: NEW YORK STARS
As it turns out Martino, at least at this state, is the most successful of the pitchers taken in the first round of the 1925 draft. He is 72-49 after breaking into the Stars rotation in 1929 and remains a key piece of the club. Like Quinn and Myers, Martino was a high school pitcher so he has yet to turn 30 years of age.
SUMMARY
When we talk about the great talent of the 1925 draft it is clear what people are referring to is the five hitters (Wheeler, Jameson, Ashbaugh, Lightbody and Cleaves) but also a large number of solid major leaguers who were selected later in the draft such as Bob Martin, Speed Davis, Abel Man, Moxie Pidgeon (a 12th round pick) and Hank Jones (15th round) but also pitchers like William Jones (3rd round), Walter Murphy (5th round), Joe Dosainvil (6th round) and possibly best of all Jim Lonardo, who was not picked until the 10th round.
I will look back at the 1926 draft as we move closer to preparing for the 1936 edition.