Weekly Record: 3-4
Seasonal Record: 32-35 (5th, 13 GB)
Stars of the Week
John Lawson : 32 AB, 10 H, 2 HR, 8 RBI, .312 AVG, .938 OPS
Rich Langton : 23 AB, 10 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .435 AVG, 1.134 OPS
Dick Lyons : 2 Wins, 14.0 IP, 4 BB, 3 K, 1.93 ERA
Schedule
6-20: Loss at Kings (1-11)
6-21: Win at Stars (2-1)
6-22: Win at Stars (9-6)
6-23: Loss at Stars (3-14)
6-24: Loss at Saints (4-5)
6-25: Loss at Saints (5-9)
6-26: Win vs Saints (8-4)
Recap
Okay, enough is enough. This was a boring and bad week, so let's talk about basically the only bright spot in this season; Dick Lyons. I'll be honest, 13 starts into the season I would've expected Lyons to be wallowing away in the pen with Parker or Papenfus taking his starts. Parker will be starting (more on that later), but all Lyons has done is been absolutely dominant. Lyons made two more excellent starts this week, a pair of wins across 14 innings with 15 hits, 4 runs (3 earned), 4 walks, and 3 strikeouts. Lyons is now 8-4 with a 3.11 ERA (132 ERA+), 1.22 WHIP, 17 walks, and 20 strikeouts in 107 innings already. He's now on pace to throw 246 innings, which would be his most since he threw 248.1 in 1933. And in terms of ERA+, his 132 this year would be the best of his career, even higher then the 126 figure from 1933, where he was 17-11 with a 2.83 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 37 walks, and 63 strikeouts. In a season where nothing makes sense, I guess it would make sense that Lyons would have an improbable breakout. Taking a deeper look at things, he's striking out far less hitters and walking a few less then his career average, but his BABIP (.273) is almost identical to his mark last season (.270) where he was a slightly above average pitcher. Lyons is the only Cougar that I inherited that is still in the organization, and he's in the pitching leaderboards for a bunch of categories. He's fourth in wins (157), 3rd in WAR (45.9), 5th in games (362), 4th in starts (342), 4th in innings (2,566.1), 6th in BB/9 (2), 6th in strikeouts (757), and 4th in rWAR (34.4). I've never even considered trading, optioning, or waiving Lyons, so it's extremely convenient that he's befuddling hitters on a daily basis.
Unfortunately, Pug Bryan hasn't had near the success of Lyons, and after a pair of disappointing starts this week, he'll be off to Milwaukee. After a great rookie year, Bryan is just 3-8 with a 5.75 ERA (71 ERA+), 1.73 WHIP, 40 walks, and 33 strikeouts in 76.2 poor innings. He'll be replaced in the rotation by the 23-year-old and former 7th Round selection Harry Parker. An imposing 6'6'' righty, Parker currently ranks 3rd in our system and 32nd in the league, and has looked really strong in 14 starts for the Blues. He's 7-5 with a 3.79 ERA (126 ERA+), 1.21 WHIP, 24 walks, and 57 strikeouts. The concerning thing is the homers, already 10 in an out less then 100 innings, but as a flyballer it has to be expected. That may make it hard for him to pitch in Chicago, so I'll try to get him more outings on the road. Parker profiles as an ace, OSA says "front of the potation potential" while Marv says "potential to anchor a rotation," so I don't even have to split the difference on the ratings. Parker has a very polished six pitch repertoire with excellent command of all the offerings. He's able to rack up strikeouts, and he attacks batters with his low 90s fastball and cutter. If it wasn't for Peter the Heater, Parker would easily be my favorite prospect. As I said when I drafted him, there was something special about this kid the scouts weren't able to see;
Quote:
Originally Posted by ayaghmour2
At 19 my scout actually thinks he can start in the big leagues right now. I'm not going to let him test that theory out, but man I am excited. He's a big guy, standing 6'6'' with an impressive six pitch arsenal. He sits in the 90-92 mile per hour range with his fastball and cutter while also boasting a curveball, slider, changeup, and splitter. I like everything about this kid, and he struck out 111 hitters in 100.1 innings. My scout isn't the biggest fan, but I'm trusting my evaluations here.
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It was another tough week for the bats, with Mitchell, Ford, and Hunter all having awful weeks. Luckily for them, Rich Langton, Mike Taylor, and John Lawson were outstanding enough to steal a few wins. Langton was outstanding, 10-for-23 with 3 doubles, a triple, a steal, 3 walks, 3 RBIs, and 5 runs scored. Taylor didn't get as many PAs, but was still a strong 7-for-17 with a double, homer, 3 runs, and 4 RBIs. His catching partner Harry Mead was also great in his two games, 3-for-6 with a run scored, driven in, an intentional walk, and an unintentional walk. John Lawson showcased the power, 10-for-32 with 4 doubles, 2 homers, 5 runs, and 8 RBIs. He also struck out 5 times, which ruined his walk-strikeout ratio to a now even 20-20 split. Aart MacDonald didn't have the most inspiring first week, 3-for-17 with 4 runs, 3 walks, and an RBI. Interesting enough, all three hits were doubles, so at least that is kind of cool.
Looking Ahead
Well, at least we're off after a rough 5-8 road trip. We'll only be home for a quick three game set to finish June against the second place Wolves. At 37-28, Toronto is off to an excellent start despite sitting seven games out of first place. Ace Joe Hancock has been outstanding, 14-1 on the season, and owns an impressive 2.95 ERA (144 ERA+), 1.25 WHIP, 35 walks, and 68 strikeouts in 125 innings pitched. He's on pace to throw 285.1 innings pitched with an unheard of 32-2 record. The Wolves haven't gotten the same success from 1936 16th Overall Pick and personal favorite of mine Jim Morrison. He may not quite be ready for FABL hitters, as the extremely talented lefty is just 2-6 with a 6.41 ERA (66 ERA+), 1.69 WHIP, 22 walks, and 23 strikeouts. Another favorite of mine, Bernie Johnson, is having a little resurgence at 28. Mostly a pen arm the past two seasons, Johnson has gotten six starts and two relief outings and has pitched rather well. He's 2-3 with a 3.62 ERA (117 ERA+), 1.29 WHIP, 14 walks, and 22 strikeouts. They also have the top two batting average leaders in the CA, superstar Fred McCormick (.387) and breakout third basemen Nick Wallace (.389). McCormick has 8 homers and 40 RBIs while Wallace has 4 and 47. They've also gotten a lot of help from former Cougar prospect Reginald Westfall, who has maintained his hot start. He's hitting .321/.408/.511 (136 OPS+) with 3 homers and 30 RBIs to go with an 18-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Toronto is vastly improved and their offense, even if a bit top heavy, has led them to victory after victory.
We start July on the road, with a three game set in Cleveland. At 35-31, they're now up in third and nine and a half out of first. Dean Astle is having another Astle like season, 8-7 with a 2.84 ERA (149 ERA+), 1.26 WHIP, 40 walks, and 32 strikeouts in 126.2 innings pitched. Lou Martino his having an excellent season as well, 4-4 with a 2.13 ERA (200 ERA+), 1.18 WHIP, 21 walks, and 24 strikeouts, albeit in about half the innings (67.2) that Astle has pitched. They will now be without 37-year-old vet Lee Drouillard, who is set to miss the next 3 months with an ulnar nerve entrapment. This might be the end of a 13 season career for Drouillard, who spent his first nine seasons out of the pen before transitioning into a full time starter. Drouillard is 77-70 with 69 saves, a 3.69 ERA (117 ERA+), 1.38 WHIP, 326 walks, and 385 strikeouts in 1,138 innings pitched. The relief outings all came with Baltimore, while all but two starts came in Cleveland. Another vet, 39-year-old Charlie Barry, has really had a rough season. He's been a big leaguer since 1924 and full time regular since 1927, he's having only his second (other being '27) above average offensive season. Barry is hitting an Ollie Page-esque .242/.280/.309 (52 OPS+) with 10 doubles, 2 homers, and 33 RBIs in 250 PAs. And unfortunately for them, top prospect and former Cougar Hank Stratton hasn't been any better, batting just .091/.189/.310 (-18 OPS+) in 38 trips to the plate. He might have some early career "Jitters" but Stratton should be an outstanding third sacker for the Foresters. There best hitter in the early goings has actually been new starter Lou Balk. The 26-year-old is in his third big league season, and after a great performance last year, he's hitting a strong .290/.343/.500 (115 OPS+) with 12 doubles, 5 triples, 4 homers, and 19 RBIs in 175 trips to the plate. He's a natural center fielder, so he's been outstanding out in right field, and looks to have secured the job formerly held by Fred Quinn. The All Star game is the week after, so voting is due this week. Not sure we'll have many representatives, but Dick Lyons deserves it for sure.
Minor League Report
RHP Sam Hodge (AA Mobile Commodores): He missed a little time with injury, but his last three starts have been increasingly impressive. His first start back he allowed two runs, the second he allowed just one, and the third he tossed a 6-hit, 6 strikeout, 2 walk shutout in Chattanooga. He's a perfect 4-0 with a 0.84 ERA (468 ERA+), 0.96 WHIP, 11 walks, and 12 strikeouts in 32.1 innings pitched. The soft tossing righty may be 6'4'', but he's not an arm to blow by hitters, and despite a spike in walks this season, he generally has pinpoint control. Marv and OSA think he has frontline starter potential, but the prospect rankings leave him out of the top 500 in the league and 50 in our system. He'll be getting a few more starts in Mobile, but my guess is Hodge will be pitching for the Blues the last few months of the season.
1B Cuno Myer (A Lincoln Legislators): Now 24, the switch hitting first basemen is back to raking. Add in a 5-hit game and Myer is now slashing an astronomical .374/.456/.472 (157 OPS+) with 12 doubles, 3 homers, and 33 RBIs. The power drop is a little concerning, as Myer usually hits double digits in a full season, but the no glove first basemen always puts the ball in play. He's struck out just 3 times in his 57 games, and since 1936, has walked more then he's struck out at each stop. If he ever gets a shot in the majors, he should be able to hit well over .300 with 50 or so walks and hopefully 15-20 homers. If he never reaches that threshold for homers, it will really decrease his value. He was unselected in last years Rule 5 draft, and I'd imagine the same in this offseason, but if we ever need a bench bat that can hit, I won't have to look much further then Myer. He even took home Player of the Week this week, 15-for-28 with a homer, 9 RBIs, and 6 runs scored.
CF Ray Powell (C La Crosse Lions): I'm not quite sure if I can call him a center fielder, but last year's second lottery selection Ray Powell has played center in La Crosse this year, and while he hasn't been great, he's still passable. He likely ends up in a corner, but Marv calls him a center fielder so he's got to have at least average range. What's better is the bat, and Powell was 5-for-5 in a recent 11-3 win over the Dubuque Dukes. Powell has just hit the 200 PA mark, and is hitting an impressive .339/.407/.483 (124 OPS+) with 11 doubles, 3 triples, 3 homers, and 27 RBIs. With the addition of a few more center fielders, Powell will shift over to right in La Crosse for now, but I imagine he'll see himself up in San Jose in a few weeks.
Amateur Report
The rest of the draft picks have been added to the system, and I have a few days to make cuts. I have to sign all our players selected in the first five rounds, as well as 10th Rounder Harry Carr. I also have a 17th, 20th, 23rd, and 24th Round Pick with the "Impossible" signing difficulty, and I will let all of them go to college. We don't have any new additions to our top 30 prospect list, but 8th Rounder Jim Madsen checks in at 437 and 7th Rounder Max Rucker checks in at 480. I'm hoping a few of the earlier picks check in much higher, but at current count we have 45 of the top 500 prospects.