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ayaghmour2 · 07-14-2021, 03:09 PM

RHP/CF Juan Pomales (55th Overall)
Acquired: Via Trade with Detroit (1937)
Alma Mater: St. Francis Bobcats

No team was hit harder then the Cougars after the first lottery portion of the draft, but despite the failures there, I had to go out and get Juan Pomales. With a regular draft, Pomales likely would have been taken 5th Overall, and I'd still have Karl Wallace and Stumpy Beaman. And if I still had Karl Wallace, then maybe Hank Barnett would be a Cougar instead of a Dynamo. But, the lottery happened, I had to trade for Pomales, and it's looking like it's going to be a long and boring offseason for the Cougs. Enough whining, let's talk about "El Conejo" who just celebrated his 23rd birthday. Surprisingly, the two-way start actually pitched better then he hit, going 5-3 with a 3.97 ERA (114 ERA+), 1.25 WHIP, 25 walks, and 24 strikeouts in 81.2 innings. He hit a basically average .299/.339/.436 (99 OPS+) with 14 doubles, 4 triples, 2 homers, 15 steals, and 39 RBI's in 220 trips to the plate. All his time came in Lincoln, with 11 games on the mound, 14 in left, 16 in center, and 14 in right. His defense was above average at all spots, with a nice 1.104 efficiency out in right, likely due to his cannon of an arm. It doesn't really translate to velocity, just 84-86 with his fastball, but it's the worst of his three pitches. He features a great curve and decent sinker with good command and the ability to keep the ball in the park. Both Marv and OSA agree on him being a middle of the rotation starter, and with his work ethic, I expect him to exceed those expectations. He's probably better with the bat, with elite speed and an elite hit tool, plus the potentially elite capabilities out in the field. He does pull the ball a lot, but with his speed he can stretch singles into doubles. The plate discipline wasn't great to start, 11 walks and 23 strikeouts, but that'll improve with experience. He's older then most prospects, but as a two-way player he will have a slower ascent. I'm thinking he could be ready for Mobile next season, but I haven't yet decided where he'll begin the campaign.

RHP Cy Sullivan (57th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 60th Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Austin HS Senators

He technically is a major leaguer, but in his seven days in the bigs he didn't get an outing. That would have been his third level of stats this year, starting the season with a truly elite 13 game stint in Mobile. The towering righty was 7-5 with a 1.83 ERA (173 ERA+), 1.04 WHIP, 18 walks, and 22 strikeouts in 113 innings pitched. He then got the call to Milwaukee, and the 23-year-old put up his best strikeout numbers yet. He stuck out 46 (3.9 K/9) and walked 19 with a 3.21 ERA (105 ERA+) and 1.04 WHIP in 106.2 innings pitched. Cy succeeds best when guys are hitting the ball in play, but if he can maintain this newfound strikeout rate, he could become a truly dominating force. His command is quite impressive and he upped his velo this year to 89-90 for the first time since 1934. My scout doesn't quite think he can anchor a rotation, but views him as a #2 with pinpoint command that makes up for his non-dominant stuff. He's still polishing his four pitch mix, but his slider is really the only reliable out pitch. He'll be 24 next May, and Cy will definitely be in camp looking to secure a roster spot or even a rotation spot.

RHP Joe Brown (57th Overall)
Acquired: Via Trade with Detroit (1936)
Drafted: 9th Round, 141st Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Reading HS Reds

Acquired in a trade for Hank Spencer last spring, no Cougar prospect has had as meteoric of a rise as Joe Brown. The Berwyn kid spent all of 1936 in San Jose before making his debut in Chicago this September. It wasn't perfect, 2 games with 5 innings, 7 hits, 4 runs, 4 walks, and 2 strikeouts, but it was after just 14 starts in Mobile and not a single start in Milwaukee. He was 10-3 with a 2.79 ERA (114 ERA+), 1.09 WHIP, 27 walks, and 39 strikeouts in 119.1 innings pitched. A clubhouse leader and a fan favorite, Brown added a knuckle curve in July and now his worm killing sinker registers between 96 and 98 miles per hour on a regular basis. He's an extreme groundballer with a nice splitter, a change, and curve to fill out his now five pitch mix. Marv says he's ready to start now, and he now lists him as our #2 starter (behind Pete, of course) in terms of potential. Brown does a great job keeping the ball on the corners and OSA views his command as elite. This kid has continuously surprised me as he's matured in our system, so I have no set "cap" on what he could turn out to. His speed will always work into his favor, and combine that with his clubhouse presence and Brown seems like a favorite to hold at least a pen spot in the 1938 season. If not, it'll likely be his first taste of AAA.

SS Hal Wood (78th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 1st Round, 8th Overall (1935)
Alma Mater: Smithfield College Bulldogs

It was a bit of an up and down season for Wood, about two thirds of the season in San Jose and about a third in Lincoln. They are two completely different offensive environments, however, so his .254/.355/.340 (101 OPS+) line in San Jose was very similar to the his .305/.344/.425 (98 OPS+) line in Lincoln. He combined for 31 doubles, 6 homers, 15 steals, and 74 RBI's in 590 trips to the plate. The 23-year-old is a decent defender at short, combining for a 4.0 zone rating and 1.021 efficiency in almost 1,200 innings at short. Now 23, Wood projects to be a solid contact hitter with a nice swing and good eye. He should be an above average defender and projects as a prototypical leadoff hitter. He's a line drive spray hitter who can hit to all fields and he's the perfect captain out in the field. He always has his teammates backs and the players on the team look up to him. It's been a bit of a slower trip up the system for our former 1st Rounder, but now that Hunter graduated, he's the top shortstop prospect in our system. He's penciled in as a future shortstop and despite being older then Billy Hunter, they could eventually make up a nice double play duo.

2B/SS Tommy Wilson (85th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 2nd Round, 31st Overall (1933)
Alma Mater: Elmira HS Emeralds

While the 1932 draft class was absolutely stacked, the 1933 draft was as bear as it gets. But still, we selected one of the few big leaguers from that class (John Barnard) and a pair of top 100 prospects in Wilson and Scott. A natural shortstop, "Weed" Wilson spent most of his season up in Mobile, batting .223/.304/.301 (86 OPS+) with 17 doubles, 3 triples, 3 homers, and 31 RBI's. He spent time at the three main infield spots, 43 times at second, 26 at third, and 78 at short. He's probably best suited for second, but he can handle short and should be above average at third. He has a good quick bat and high end speed, but sometimes he has trouble with off-speed pitches. Him and Ducky Jordan will compete for the future second base job, as I expect Ollie Page to move to third once John Lawson has decided to call it quits.

07-14-2021, 03:09 PM	#545
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,010	Top Prospects: 6-10 RHP/CF Juan Pomales (55th Overall) Acquired: Via Trade with Detroit (1937) Alma Mater: St. Francis Bobcats No team was hit harder then the Cougars after the first lottery portion of the draft, but despite the failures there, I had to go out and get Juan Pomales. With a regular draft, Pomales likely would have been taken 5th Overall, and I'd still have Karl Wallace and Stumpy Beaman. And if I still had Karl Wallace, then maybe Hank Barnett would be a Cougar instead of a Dynamo. But, the lottery happened, I had to trade for Pomales, and it's looking like it's going to be a long and boring offseason for the Cougs. Enough whining, let's talk about "El Conejo" who just celebrated his 23rd birthday. Surprisingly, the two-way start actually pitched better then he hit, going 5-3 with a 3.97 ERA (114 ERA+), 1.25 WHIP, 25 walks, and 24 strikeouts in 81.2 innings. He hit a basically average .299/.339/.436 (99 OPS+) with 14 doubles, 4 triples, 2 homers, 15 steals, and 39 RBI's in 220 trips to the plate. All his time came in Lincoln, with 11 games on the mound, 14 in left, 16 in center, and 14 in right. His defense was above average at all spots, with a nice 1.104 efficiency out in right, likely due to his cannon of an arm. It doesn't really translate to velocity, just 84-86 with his fastball, but it's the worst of his three pitches. He features a great curve and decent sinker with good command and the ability to keep the ball in the park. Both Marv and OSA agree on him being a middle of the rotation starter, and with his work ethic, I expect him to exceed those expectations. He's probably better with the bat, with elite speed and an elite hit tool, plus the potentially elite capabilities out in the field. He does pull the ball a lot, but with his speed he can stretch singles into doubles. The plate discipline wasn't great to start, 11 walks and 23 strikeouts, but that'll improve with experience. He's older then most prospects, but as a two-way player he will have a slower ascent. I'm thinking he could be ready for Mobile next season, but I haven't yet decided where he'll begin the campaign. RHP Cy Sullivan (57th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 60th Overall (1932) Alma Mater: Austin HS Senators He technically is a major leaguer, but in his seven days in the bigs he didn't get an outing. That would have been his third level of stats this year, starting the season with a truly elite 13 game stint in Mobile. The towering righty was 7-5 with a 1.83 ERA (173 ERA+), 1.04 WHIP, 18 walks, and 22 strikeouts in 113 innings pitched. He then got the call to Milwaukee, and the 23-year-old put up his best strikeout numbers yet. He stuck out 46 (3.9 K/9) and walked 19 with a 3.21 ERA (105 ERA+) and 1.04 WHIP in 106.2 innings pitched. Cy succeeds best when guys are hitting the ball in play, but if he can maintain this newfound strikeout rate, he could become a truly dominating force. His command is quite impressive and he upped his velo this year to 89-90 for the first time since 1934. My scout doesn't quite think he can anchor a rotation, but views him as a #2 with pinpoint command that makes up for his non-dominant stuff. He's still polishing his four pitch mix, but his slider is really the only reliable out pitch. He'll be 24 next May, and Cy will definitely be in camp looking to secure a roster spot or even a rotation spot. RHP Joe Brown (57th Overall) Acquired: Via Trade with Detroit (1936) Drafted: 9th Round, 141st Overall (1932) Alma Mater: Reading HS Reds Acquired in a trade for Hank Spencer last spring, no Cougar prospect has had as meteoric of a rise as Joe Brown. The Berwyn kid spent all of 1936 in San Jose before making his debut in Chicago this September. It wasn't perfect, 2 games with 5 innings, 7 hits, 4 runs, 4 walks, and 2 strikeouts, but it was after just 14 starts in Mobile and not a single start in Milwaukee. He was 10-3 with a 2.79 ERA (114 ERA+), 1.09 WHIP, 27 walks, and 39 strikeouts in 119.1 innings pitched. A clubhouse leader and a fan favorite, Brown added a knuckle curve in July and now his worm killing sinker registers between 96 and 98 miles per hour on a regular basis. He's an extreme groundballer with a nice splitter, a change, and curve to fill out his now five pitch mix. Marv says he's ready to start now, and he now lists him as our #2 starter (behind Pete, of course) in terms of potential. Brown does a great job keeping the ball on the corners and OSA views his command as elite. This kid has continuously surprised me as he's matured in our system, so I have no set "cap" on what he could turn out to. His speed will always work into his favor, and combine that with his clubhouse presence and Brown seems like a favorite to hold at least a pen spot in the 1938 season. If not, it'll likely be his first taste of AAA. SS Hal Wood (78th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 1st Round, 8th Overall (1935) Alma Mater: Smithfield College Bulldogs It was a bit of an up and down season for Wood, about two thirds of the season in San Jose and about a third in Lincoln. They are two completely different offensive environments, however, so his .254/.355/.340 (101 OPS+) line in San Jose was very similar to the his .305/.344/.425 (98 OPS+) line in Lincoln. He combined for 31 doubles, 6 homers, 15 steals, and 74 RBI's in 590 trips to the plate. The 23-year-old is a decent defender at short, combining for a 4.0 zone rating and 1.021 efficiency in almost 1,200 innings at short. Now 23, Wood projects to be a solid contact hitter with a nice swing and good eye. He should be an above average defender and projects as a prototypical leadoff hitter. He's a line drive spray hitter who can hit to all fields and he's the perfect captain out in the field. He always has his teammates backs and the players on the team look up to him. It's been a bit of a slower trip up the system for our former 1st Rounder, but now that Hunter graduated, he's the top shortstop prospect in our system. He's penciled in as a future shortstop and despite being older then Billy Hunter, they could eventually make up a nice double play duo. 2B/SS Tommy Wilson (85th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 2nd Round, 31st Overall (1933) Alma Mater: Elmira HS Emeralds While the 1932 draft class was absolutely stacked, the 1933 draft was as bear as it gets. But still, we selected one of the few big leaguers from that class (John Barnard) and a pair of top 100 prospects in Wilson and Scott. A natural shortstop, "Weed" Wilson spent most of his season up in Mobile, batting .223/.304/.301 (86 OPS+) with 17 doubles, 3 triples, 3 homers, and 31 RBI's. He spent time at the three main infield spots, 43 times at second, 26 at third, and 78 at short. He's probably best suited for second, but he can handle short and should be above average at third. He has a good quick bat and high end speed, but sometimes he has trouble with off-speed pitches. Him and Ducky Jordan will compete for the future second base job, as I expect Ollie Page to move to third once John Lawson has decided to call it quits.