[ayaghmour2]

Let's start with the minor piece: the independent draft. I was almost 99% certain that when I targeted veteran second basemen Bots Shearer of the Portland Green Sox that Gene Evans would end up being the return. And I was right. We'll ship out the 23-year-old who does sit in the top 500 known for an okay bat and awful glove. His playing time was running out, so I'm glad he'll get a legit shot with the Green Sox. Coming back to us is the 32-year-old Shearer who was taken in the 16th Round way back in 1926 by the Cannons. He got into 19 games between 33 and 34, but hit just .189/.189/.297 (40 OPS+) with a homer and 3 RBI's. From 1935-1937 he was with Portland, and hit .244/.358/.429 (113 OPS+) this year with 24 homers and 70 RBI's. The power is what attracted me to Bots, 181 professional homers in total, and our second base job is sort of up in the air right now. He's got a good glove too and could earn himself a roster spot. It was also announced (as expected) that John Dibblee would be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

We have also now reached 1938, so the calendar has turned around and all player ratings and rankings are all thrown out of wack. The positional ratings have all shuffled seeing most of our guys drop a spot or two. John Lawson (12th) is our only top player while we maintained the #5 system in the FABL despite a huge blow; no more Bill Scott. No, I did not trade Scott. And I really wish I did... But the 6'0'' top 50 prospect and future top of the rotation arm who loves to flirt with triple digits decided that maybe it was a good idea to throw the last four years in the trash and pursue basketball instead... This definitely throws a wrench in our plans, but luckily we still have four (five if you count Pomales) pitchers in the top 100 with guys like Del Burns, Art Saunders, Joe Crosby, and Danny Hern all taking steps forward. It's definitely a huge blow to our potential star studded rotation, but this will make things easier for guys like Joe Brown and Cy Sullivan who won't have to worry as much about being passed up. After the loss of Scott, we're down to 11 top 100 prospects, 19 top 200, and 37 top 500. Hopefully there will be no more casualties to the organization as we approach Opening Day in what will be our last season in the North Side Grounds.

EDIT: We ended up making a trade, sending Bert Wilson and minor league outfielder Sherman Ring to the Dynamos for a potentially new AAA double play duo in Homer Ray and Tip Harrison. Ray's name may be familiar to some as he was our 3rd Round selection in 1931. We sent him to Detroit in 1935 for Wayne Robinson and he debuted for the Dynamos last season. Wasn't the best, he hit just .235/.283/.286 (49 OPS+), but the 24-year-old is a reliable defender and a solid contact hitter. OSA thinks elite contact, that's definitely a stretch, but Ray should be able to maintain a .300 FABL average with a little more seasoning. Harrison is actually a bit older at 26, but unlike Ray, he doesn't require a 40 man spot and was a 2nd Rounder in 1934. The former King draftee was a target of mine and even though his ceiling has dropped a lot, he's still been a continuous target of mine. He spent most of his season in AA this year, batting a respectable .273/.328/.454 (94 OPS+) with 12 doubles, 3 triples, 13 homers, 43 RBI's, and 27 steals. He's a strong defensive shortstop with the ability to fill in at second, third, and center and he's an excellent base runner and stealer. He won't hit for a very high average, but the power surge is very intriguing. Neither are impact players, but the added depth will help, especially with a few injury prone infielders like Hunter and Page, and we are pretty full of outfielders. Wilson was a really reliable fourth outfielder, but with guys like Roy Moore, Orlin Yates, and Aart MacDonald all better defenders plus the addition of Ernie Carson, Wilson was expendable.