[ayaghmour2]

While there is technically just one game left in the minor league season, so things could change, but the only Cougar affiliate to not win their league was the AA Mobile Commodores. At 83-56, they sit 4 games behind the Nashville Chieftains, but as long as the Chicago Cougars win five of their remaining seven, all Cougar affiliates will have won 80 or more games this season. La Crosse is tied with Marshalltown for first, but Milwaukee, Lincoln, and San Jose all took home championships this year. I was a little surprised, as I continued to push prospects up, and towards the end we were working with a total of 16 influential minor leaguers spending time in Chicago for at least a month of the season. Here is a closer look at each team:

AAA Milwaukee Blues (Century League): 83-57 (.593)
The highest level in our system, the Blues have been a historically good team, finishing .500 or better every year since 1930, as well as four previous pennants. It was a great rebound from a 70-70 finish last year, but the most impressive thing was just how many players suited up in Milwaukee. We went through so many pitchers that not a single one qualified for the team leading ERA. Milwaukee saw excellent performances from Pete Papenfus, Harry Parker, Cy Sullivan, Joe Brown, Cal Knight, and Pug Bryan, all guys who ended the year in Chicago. 22-year-old Del Burns finished the year in Milwaukee, who after dominating with Mobile was roughed up in 9 starts. Burns was just 2-2 with a 5.06 ERA (89 ERA+), 1.69 WHIP, 20 walks, and 29 strikeouts in just 48 innings. The biggest reinforcement was Clarence Crane's demotion, who went 8-2 with a 3.50 ERA (128 ERA+), 1.26 WHIP, 29 walks, and 27 strikeouts in his 10 starts. Sam Hodge looked good in his first taste of AAA, 5-5 with a 3.98 ERA (113 ERA+), 1.45 WHIP, 17 walks, and 28 strikeouts.

At the plate, there was a lot more consistency, as I kept the starting lineup almost the exact same in Chicago. Outfielder Henry Cox would be considered the team MVP, as the 22-year-old hit an impressive .278/.340/.545 (125 OPS+) with 33 homers and 99 RBIs. Interesting enough, Cox's gap power was almost non-existent, just 7 doubles and 3 triples in 462 PAs. He was one of the few guys who spent the entire year in Milwaukee, while fellow outfielders Aart MacDonald and Elias Canady both got around 80 games in Milwaukee with 20 more in Chicago. The team didn't hit all that well, with important pieces like Ducky Jordan and Freddie Bennett having below average seasons with the bat (both excellent with the glove), but former 6th Rounder Bobby Mills looked great in almost a full season. Mills hit .314/.405/.412 (111 OPS+) with 26 doubles, 5 homers, and 54 RBIs in 114 pre-promotion games. I was hoping for a better year from top prospect Tommy Wilson, but the soon-to-be 23-year-old is hitting just .273/.358/.397 (94 OPS+) with 25 doubles, 9 homers, 11 steals, and 62 driven in. He currently checks in at 7th in our system and 61st in the big leagues, and will be competing with Jordan and Ollie Page for the second base job next year. We had a lot of depth in Milwaukee, and they'll see a lot of the same faces next year as we project to have a very crowded big league roster picture.

AA Mobile Commodores (Dixie League): 83-56 (.597)
We may as well have called Mobile the Pomales', because the two-way star led the team in both ERA and batting average. "El Conejo" made 21 starts, finishing 13-8 with a 2.91 ERA (134 ERA+), 1.21 WHIP, 52 walks, and 65 strikeouts in 185.1 innings pitched. Still no velocity bumps, hanging out in the 84-86 range, but obviously it is good enough to trick AA hitters. His fastball/sinker combo has worked really well, with just 2 homers all season, and he improved his ERA, WHIP, BB/9, and K/9 while doubling his innings pitched. At the plate he improved all facets of his triple slash, batting .305/.370/.490 (129 OPS+) with 24 doubles, 19 triples, 5 homers, 12 steals, and 60 RBIs. Those numbers alone are cause for celebration, but considering his 1.034, 1.014, and 1.110 efficiency in left, center, and right, Pomales literally did everything average or better. I think he's always going to be underrated in the prospect rankings, I feel like the game only takes in his pitching or hitting, not both, as he checks in at 71st in baseball.

And as good as Pomales pitched, the best arm on the staff was one that started the season in Mobile, Jim Miller. Just 11 starts to Miller's credit, but the southpaw was 6-4 with a 2.62 ERA (150 ERA+), 1.24 WHIP, 27 walks, and 27 strikeouts in 96.1 innings pitched. Another reliable arm was Dan Everett, but unfortunately for us, the borderline top 100 prospect (113th) partially tore his labrum in his last start of the season. The former Forester farmhand finished 9-3 with a 3.24 ERA (121 ERA+), 1.28 WHIP, 45 walks, and 56 strikeouts in 114 innings pitched. Everett walked a ton of hitters, but allowed just one homer (it was in Lincoln) all season with a K/9 above 4. The diagnosis is just 5-6 weeks, so he'll be ready for next Spring, but injuries are starting to be a common place for the soon-to-be 23-year-old. He didn't end the season in Mobile, but 1934 13th Rounder Rusty Watts was worth almost 4 wins above replacement in his 20 starts. The fireballer with a high 90s fastball went 11-6 with a 3.04 ERA (129 ERA+), 1.25 WHIP, 36 walks, and 68 strikeouts as he did all he could to secure a 40-man roster spot.

On the offensive side, 26-year-old Chicagoan Red Looney kept up his "rake everything in sight" strategy, slashing .302/.374/.508 (135 OPS+) with 15 doubles, 10 triples, 11 homers, 15 steals, and 65 RBIs before a much deserved callup to the Blues. Looney definitely has big league talent, but like a majority of the players in our system, is stuck in a very crowded position group. Former 3rd Rounder Ivan Cameron spent the entire season in Mobile, but the glove first shortstop hit a slightly below average .303/.346/.379 (94 OPS+) with 19 doubles, 3 triples, 2 homers, and 57 RBIs. None of that compares to his +17.7 zone rating and 1.110 efficiency, Harry Barrell/George Dawson type fielding numbers, which should propel him into a big league spot. He's got another year before he needs to be on the 40, but even if the bat never develops, he's going to be a crucial defensive replacement.

A Lincoln Legislators (Heartland League): 92-47 (.662)
In terms of record and win percentage, the Lincoln Legislators were the best Cougar affiliate this season. I'm thanking the leadership of former 1st Rounder and shortstop Hal Wood, who hit .317/.393/.432 (127 OPS+) with 24 doubles, 15 triples, 2 homers, 3 steals, and 62 RBIs. Love the extra base pop, love the glove, and love the player, but the 24-year-old does have a lot of developing left, and his overall batting line is aided immensely by his outstanding September. Lincoln also saw a Harry Peterson breakout, as the 22-year-old hit .341/.384/.439 (126 OPS+) with 22 doubles, 8 triples, 2 homers, and 63 RBIs before a promotion to Mobile where he spent the last month of the season. Peterson is one of those guys who always puts the ball in play, just 32 walks and 4 strikeouts in 488 trips to the plate. He struck out just 6 times all season, but has never struck out more then 15 times in a season. He's a prankster who keeps his teammates happy, and despite not ranking as one of our top prospects, could turn into a multiple time .300 hitter. Another guy who joined Peterson in Mobile for the last month was 22nd Rounder Cuno Myer, as the all bat no glove first basemen hit .338/.418/.441 (136 OPS+) with 27 doubles, 6 homers, and 69 RBIs, while sporting a 67-to-7 walk-to-strikeout ratio. Lincoln was also the final stop for #1 prospect Chubby Hall and #11 prospect Tony Mullis, who ended the season in left and right for the Legislators. Hall ranks 23rd in the league while Mullis is just outside the top 100 at 104. Hall saw a drop in power after 12 homers in San Jose, but still hit a remarkable .319/.387/.447 (129 OPS+) with 27 doubles and 54 RBIs. Mullis never showed power at any level, but his .339/.416/.518 (156 OPS+) line with 22 doubles and 12 triples is respectable for a natural center fielder. Sure, the glove isn't all that great, but that can easily change with more playing time.

Roy Carey pitched like the Legislators ace, with 19 of his 23 starts this year coming in A ball. Carey was 12-2 with a 2.48 ERA (158 ERA+), 1.19 WHIP, 35 walks, and 30 strikeouts in 141.1 ace-quality innings. Marv doesn't like any of the soft tossing righties pitches, but Carey was next to unhittable this season. Bill Seabolt spent half his time in Lincoln, and finished an impressive 8-2 with a 2.86 ERA (137 ERA+), 1.25 WHIP, 38 walks, and 40 strikeouts, slightly better then his time with the Cougars. I mentioned Jim Miller already, but in Lincoln he was even better, 3-1 with a 2.21 ERA (178 ERA+), 1.00 WHIP, 11 walks, and 19 strikeouts in 53 innings pitched. He didn't pitch very deep into games there, just 5.3 innings per start, but he went much deeper with the Commodores. 1937 First Rounder Preacher Pietsch was also unhittable, 6-4 with a 2.20 ERA (179 ERA+), 1.19 WHIP, 19 walks, and 50 strikeouts before a midseason promotion. 2nd Rounder Grover Donahue also earned a midseason promotion after going 6-5 with a 3.13 ERA (125 ERA+), 1.20 WHIP, 30 walks, and 28 strikeouts in 97.2 innings pitched. Scouts have soured a bit on Donahue, as despite his six pitches, they think he'll end up a pen arm. I had high hopes for the Indiana A&M product, but the recently turned 24-year-old is absent from the top 500.

B San Jose Cougars (California-Oregon-Washington League): 88-51 (.633)
Like Milwaukee, San Jose saw a lot of pitchers, with not a single arm qualifying for the team ERA lead. That's not saying there were no good arms, as former 10th Rounder Harl Haines spun together 13 dominant starts. He was 9-3 with a 2.41 ERA (179 ERA+), 1.06 WHIP, 15 walks, and 61 strikeouts, but he went up and down between here and Lincoln. They also got the first half of our new top pitching prospect Danny Hern's season, as he made up for a slow start by finishing 7-4 in his 15 starts. Hern worked to a 3.58 ERA (120 ERA+) and 1.19 WHIP with 33 walks and 62 strikeouts as he established himself as a future big league starter. Now inside the top 50 at 47, Hern added an extra mile to his fastball in August as he approaches 90. The lefty from Morton, PA has four big league pitches, and looks to be the next exciting Cougar pitching prospect. Our 4th Rounder this year Ed Wilkinson spent most of his time in San Jose (11 of 13 starts), and he looked more then ready. The lefty was 6-3 with a 3.18 ERA (136 ERA+), 1.27 WHIP, 29 walks, and 38 strikeouts and was able to throw well over 100 pitches in each start excluding a 3.1 inning outing where he was tagged with 10 hits and 7 runs. Last year's 5th Rounder John Little earned a late promotion after finishing 10-5 with a 3.90 ERA (111 ERA+), 1.35 WHIP, 47 walks, and 81 strikeouts, but he left his first start in Lincoln with a sore shoulder that cost him about 4 starts.

1935 6th Rounder Jocko Pollard put up MVP numbers, batting .309/.361/.547 (141 OPS+) with 25 doubles, 25 homers, and 105 RBIs in an outstanding season. A natural third basemen, Pollard has spent most of his time at first, and the Rhode Island kid has looked solid with the glove. The power looks legit right now, and he had double digits his first two seasons as well. We have very few corner bats in the system, so Pollard doesn't have too much competition, and the 21-year-old will get his first taste of the upper minors next season. This year's 4th Rounder Sammy Dillon excelled, slashing .275/.404/.473 (135 OPS+) with 16 doubles, 6 homers, and 24 RBIs in his first 59 pro games. The corner outfielder ranks just outside our top 30 and the leagues top 300, at 32 and 342 respectively, but I imagine as he develops he'll rise rather quickly. The kid has legit power and a great eye, but faces an uphill climb in the system. Another corner outfielder, Chick Browning, was outstanding in La Crosse before crushing the ball the same up here. He got time at first, left, and right, hitting an impressive .298/.384/.515 (140 OPS+) with 14 doubles, 16 homers, and 70 RBIs. The Chicagoan was supposedly not ready for San Jose (red arrow), but was a critical run producer for the Cougs he just snuck in to our top 50. Harry Avery was a mainstay in the lineup, hitting an average .274/.350/.399 (101 OPS+) while offering quality defense at third and short while getting accustomed to second. He added 21 doubles, 6 triples, 8 homers, 9 steals, and 59 RBIs in 524 trips to the plate.

C La Crosse Lions (Upper Mississippi Valley Association): 80-59 (.576)
La Crosse hosts the Waterloo Chiefs for game 140, with former 2nd Rounder and team win leader Newt Jackson taking the mound for the Lions. He partially tore his UCL last season, a huge blow for us, but he did improve off a terrible 1937. Jackson wasn't great, 10-5 with a 4.73 ERA (97 ERA+), 1.54 WHIP, 64 walks, and 48 strikeouts, but the 20-year-old is starting to get some prospect love. The most recent ranks have him 25th and 283rd, right ahead of teammate Oliver Allen. Jackson added velocity post surgery, from 86-88 to now 89-91, has his cutter improves as a reliable pitch to lean on. Speaking of Allen, the recent 4th Rounder had an average start to his pro career, 4-6 with a 4.58 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, 32 walks and 32 strikeouts. La Crosse also saw 20 excellent starts from the oft-injured Art Saunders, going 9-4 with a 3.01 ERA (152 ERA+), 1.15 WHIP, 28 walks, and 62 strikeouts in 113.2 really good innings. He made 3 starts with San Jose, and is projected to finish the season for them on Monday. Now 21, the former 9th Rounder ranks 13th in our system and 131st in the league, but the only reason he wasn't a top 3 round selection was due to his signing demands (he was "impossible") and injury concerns (rightfully so).

Offense wasn't always easy to come by for the Lions, but part of that had to do with guys like Browning and Ray Powell getting called up. The former lottery selection hit .348/.415/.509 (132 OPS+) with 11 doubles, 5 triples, 5 homers, and 31 RBIs in 253 trips to the plate. A lot of the new draftees entered the starting lineup and excelled, including top prospect and only good Cougar lottery selection Solly Skidmore. He hit .329/.402/.405 (104 OPS+) with 7 doubles, 3 homers, and 37 RBIs. The only downside from Solly was the lack of power, but he's a young 18 and won't turn 19 until May 29th. This kid could be a top 5 catcher, currently ranked as the second best catching prospect (behind Pete Casstevens) in all of baseball and Marv raves about his bat and his eventual power to all fields. He's an imposing 6'2'' and while he may never be a great defensive catcher, he'll more then make up for it with the bat. 10th Rounder Harry Carr cracked .350, slashing .356/.382/.437 (106 OPS+) with 7 doubles, 4 triples, 2 homers, 8 steals, and 36 RBIs. A natural center fielder, Carr spent most his time in right. Carr also slipped due to a sizeable bonus demand, and recently shot up the prospect ladder. When signed (while still better prospect left unsigned), he checked in at 227. Now he's 15th in our system and 160th in baseball, and Marv thinks of our prospect outfielders, just Hall, Pomales, and Mullis have higher upside. The reason he is in right is 7th Rounder Max Rucker, who hit an even better .332/.392/.462 (115 OPS+) with 14 doubles, 6 homers, and 34 RBIs. He's not nearly as highly rated, but the 21-year-old still checks in towards the back of the top 500. Lastly, one of the few players to hit well and spend most of the season in La Crosse was the 21-year-old Billy Jordan Jr., who ranks 37th in our system and 434th in the league. He finally reached the 100 game mark in year three, and hit a respectable .323/.387/.429 (106 OPS+) with 21 doubles, 6 homers, and 61 RBIs while finally walking (39) more then he struck out (22). I'm not sure how long we'll be able to maintain such a deep system, but our 48 top 500 prospects is best in the league, with only Montreal (42), the Sailors (44), and the Keystones (44). Like us, the Sailors and Keystones always have really deep systems, but it's nice to see Montreal on the upward trend as their 4th system is right behind the Keystones, and Montreal hasn't had a lot of young talent in a while.