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ayaghmour2 · 09-14-2021, 04:27 PM

I was a little disappointed in the final result, but I have no one to blame but myself. If I just was willing to part with Harry Parker in a Fred McCormick package, I'd wager the Cougars would be facing the Chiefs in a nice crosstown classic. But, my obsession with Parker made that impossible, and him, along with numerous other top 50 prospects suited up for either the first time in Chicago or got their first real taste of big league baseball. Let's take a look at some of those youngsters:

RHP Joe Brown: 49 IP, 4-3, 7 SV, 5.14 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 19 BB, 17 K
RHP Pete Papenfus: 123.1 IP, 8-6, 4.52 ERA, 1.78 WHIP, 117 BB, 103 K
RHP Harry Parker: 130.2 IP, 7-8, 3.99 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 29 BB, 69 K
RHP Cy Sullivan: 128.1 IP, 5-7, 3 SV, 4.21 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 37 BB, 27 K
C Harry Mead: 238 PA, .204/.273/.250, 10 2B, 20 RBI
2B Ducky Jordan: 53 PA, .306/.358/.449, 5 2B, 3B, 7 RBI
CF Aart MacDonald: 89 PA, .151/.292/.260, 6 2B, 3B, 3 RBI

Let's be honest, that doesn't look all that inspiring...

None the less, it's pretty obvious that most players don't come out of the gates as superstars, but considering we finished the season a bit over .500 despite nearly every one of our youngsters underperforming, that's something to celebrate. Pitchers tend to develop really slow, and of the four (who are likely set to make up our 1938 rotation) Brown and Cy are the oldest at just 24. In Rabbit Day's season where he finished the year at 24, he was 16-13 with a 4.23 ERA (94 ERA+), 1.43 WHIP, 98 walks, and 105 strikeouts in over 250 innings pitched. Jim Lonardo was 13-14 with a 4.90 ERA (90 ERA+), 1.56 WHIP, 88 walks, and 91 strikeouts in a few less innings. "Big Bad Billy" Ketterman started 16 of his 30 appearances, and was 4-12 with a 4.36 ERA (102 ERA+), 1.46 WHIP, 48 walks, and 57 strikeouts in just under 150. Joe Shaffner hadn't even debuted yet. Dean Astle and Mike Murphy, while dominant, didn't pitch the first half of the season. No-hit Newell was 9-14 with a 4.67 ERA (92 ERA+), 1.41 WHIP, 77 walks, and 98 strikeouts. Point being, even the top of the baseball food chain didn't necessarily pitch like themselves at 24, and don't forget a certain fireballer won't be able to drink any fireball until next April.

I've talked more then enough about Dick Lyons, but he wasn't the only veteran to pitch well this year. Allen Purvis was lights out in the pen, but the unlucky Milt Fritz put together a great season of his own. He was just 12-12 with a team high 254 innings pitched, and he had a respectable 3.54 ERA (115 ERA+) and 1.37 WHIP with 96 walks and 69 strikeouts. Nice. Double nice! This year definitely hurt his chase for 300, as he now has 147 career wins as he turned 29 today. Happy Birthday Milt! He is now 43-44 with the Cougars, but he has more innings with us (811.2) in three years then he has at any other stop. He'll get at least next year in our rotation, but the oft-traveled Fritz may end up in a six home come 1940. And while not a veteran, I was a little sad with Pug Bryan's sophomore slump, as he finished 4-9 with a 5.03 ERA (81 ERA+), 1.61 WHIP, 46 walks, and 39 strikeouts in a disappointing 93 inning sample. He may get passed over in the future rotation now, but I think Pug will turn into an excellent stopper. He did end the season strong, allowing just one run in his last 7 appearances, including three hitless outings to end the season. He's currently the #7 starter, and I may have an adjusted 6 man rotation next year until the good pitchers start to separate themselves.

The offense felt disappointing, but a lot of our hitters had good seasons. Leo Mitchell looked great, and while his .337/.380/.462 (125 OPS+) batting line was technically a little worse then last season, he added 30 doubles, 12 homers, 9 steals, and 80 RBIs in two shy of 600 plate appearances. Mitchell made 40 starts at first, 86 in left, and even 13 in right, but while he was excellent at first, he's not quite a reliable outfielder yet. He's just 25, and still has time to develop into a star, but he currently ranks as the #4 left fielder and I'm hoping he can develop into the .350 hitter I hope he can be. The other three corners all played well, with Ford, Lawson, and Langton all having double digit homer seasons with above average OPS+'s. Starting with the veteran Lawson, year 11 saw a career low .302/.355/.461 (117 OPS+) batting line, but he was still worth over 4 WAR despite not having the greatest season with the glove. He did drive in 108 and homered 16 times with 43 doubles. He still hit .300 to keep up the streak of consecutive .300 or higher seasons. Langton and Ford also slashed above .300, with both making up for their gloves. Langton hit .311/.374/.452 (121 OPS+) with 28 doubles, 10 triples, 10 homers, 12 steals, and 63 RBIs in 617 trips to the plate. Ford missed some time with injury, but hit a slightly more impressive .313/.375/.483 (129 OPS+) with 25 doubles, 16 homers, and 72 driven in while maintaining an awesome 47-to-11 walk-to-strikeout ratio. Each have put together their third consecutive season with an above average OPS+ and I'd imagine 1939 will be year four.

The biggest disappointments of the season came from the injured yet now healthy sophomores Billy Hunter and Carlos Montes. Hunter will turn 24 in November, and after setting the world on fire last year, he hit an average .291/.333/.429 (103 OPS+) with 31 doubles, 9 triples, 7 homers, and 65 RBI's in a slightly shortened 133 game season. The big issue was the glove, a 46-error season with a -5.2 zone rating and .971 efficiency. In about a third of the time last year, he had a +4.3 zone rating with a 1.039 efficiency. A sprained knee did end his season on September 8th, and now he's strained both his right and left knees. Let's hope this doesn't develop into something serious, but shortstops tend to get injured frequently. He did have an outstanding June that earned him an All-Start trip, where he hit .343/.386/.476 with 2 doubles, 2 homers, 3 triples, and 8 RBIs. I'm expecting a bounce back season from him, and I'm hoping the same for Montes. He'll be 23 the day after Christmas, but his 100 games this year were much different then last year. Last season he hit .292/.365/.453 (129 OPS+) with 19 doubles, 9 triples, 9 steals, 10 homers, and 55 RBIs. This year he slumped to .243/.317/.412 (94 OPS+) with 14 doubles, 7 triples, 10 homers, 5 steals, and 40 RBIs. He did still look good in center, with a +9.2 zone rating and 1.028 efficiency. Aart MacDonald is another top prospect with big league talent, but he squandered his opportunities this season. He hit just .151/.292/.260 (49 OPS+) with 6 doubles, a triple, 3 steals, and 3 RBIs. The 26-year-old Aruban did look great in center too, a +3.1 zone rating and 1.067 efficiency in 24 games. Aart is a lefty and Carlos a righty, so he may be able to steal some starts from Montes next season, but I still view Montes as the center fielder of the future.

Our catching tandem was a little interesting, with the exact opposite results as expected. Mike Taylor had an unexpected breakout, hitting an average enough .271/.324/.439 (103 OPS+) with 19 doubles, 12 homers, and 48 RBIs in one PA shy of 400. Taylor was floated around at the deadline and could potentially end up somewhere else in the offseason. I'd be more comfortable moving him if Harry Mead had any sort of luck putting bat on ball. The Harvey native hit a pitcher like .204/.273/.250 (41 OPS+) with 10 doubles and 20 RBIs. Not a single ball left the stands, he'll be looking for his first career home next season. Luckily, Marv says he's an elite defensive catcher, but he has gotten a little less optimistic on his future. I'm not worried, a lot is probably because of the awful season this year, and I still think he'll end up being a quality big league hitter. Lucky for us we were gifted Solly Skidmore from the lottery and Mead could potentially see some competition in three to six years. There is also Johnnie Williamson, who hit .306/.378/.375 (94 OPS+) with 21 doubles, 2 homers, and 56 RBIs in 520 Milwaukee plate appearances. He's probably more of a backup anyways, but Mead and him may share time next year if a Taylor move develops.

Looking ahead to the offseason, I'd love to grab a big bat. A second basemen or shortstop would be ideal, but I could try to get creative and move Ray Ford to second base. Catcher is another option as well, as I can skip the waiting for Mead and try to add a big thumper right away. I'm finally comfortable trading anyone (well, but Pomales) in my farm system, now that Pete and Parker are up, so that at least can't hold me back like it did last offseason. The hardest part is there are no obvious sellers, so I may have to work some magic. I don't want to wait around, hoping for the youngsters to develop well, but it may be tough to find many trading partners. I'm hoping I've got something up my sleeve to make the Cougars better for our new stadium. Even without a big move, I like our chances for next season, but if someone else drops a big domino, it might be tough for me not to force a move.

09-14-2021, 04:27 PM	#601
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,010	End of Season Review I was a little disappointed in the final result, but I have no one to blame but myself. If I just was willing to part with Harry Parker in a Fred McCormick package, I'd wager the Cougars would be facing the Chiefs in a nice crosstown classic. But, my obsession with Parker made that impossible, and him, along with numerous other top 50 prospects suited up for either the first time in Chicago or got their first real taste of big league baseball. Let's take a look at some of those youngsters: RHP Joe Brown: 49 IP, 4-3, 7 SV, 5.14 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 19 BB, 17 K RHP Pete Papenfus: 123.1 IP, 8-6, 4.52 ERA, 1.78 WHIP, 117 BB, 103 K RHP Harry Parker: 130.2 IP, 7-8, 3.99 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 29 BB, 69 K RHP Cy Sullivan: 128.1 IP, 5-7, 3 SV, 4.21 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 37 BB, 27 K C Harry Mead: 238 PA, .204/.273/.250, 10 2B, 20 RBI 2B Ducky Jordan: 53 PA, .306/.358/.449, 5 2B, 3B, 7 RBI CF Aart MacDonald: 89 PA, .151/.292/.260, 6 2B, 3B, 3 RBI Let's be honest, that doesn't look all that inspiring... None the less, it's pretty obvious that most players don't come out of the gates as superstars, but considering we finished the season a bit over .500 despite nearly every one of our youngsters underperforming, that's something to celebrate. Pitchers tend to develop really slow, and of the four (who are likely set to make up our 1938 rotation) Brown and Cy are the oldest at just 24. In Rabbit Day's season where he finished the year at 24, he was 16-13 with a 4.23 ERA (94 ERA+), 1.43 WHIP, 98 walks, and 105 strikeouts in over 250 innings pitched. Jim Lonardo was 13-14 with a 4.90 ERA (90 ERA+), 1.56 WHIP, 88 walks, and 91 strikeouts in a few less innings. "Big Bad Billy" Ketterman started 16 of his 30 appearances, and was 4-12 with a 4.36 ERA (102 ERA+), 1.46 WHIP, 48 walks, and 57 strikeouts in just under 150. Joe Shaffner hadn't even debuted yet. Dean Astle and Mike Murphy, while dominant, didn't pitch the first half of the season. No-hit Newell was 9-14 with a 4.67 ERA (92 ERA+), 1.41 WHIP, 77 walks, and 98 strikeouts. Point being, even the top of the baseball food chain didn't necessarily pitch like themselves at 24, and don't forget a certain fireballer won't be able to drink any fireball until next April. I've talked more then enough about Dick Lyons, but he wasn't the only veteran to pitch well this year. Allen Purvis was lights out in the pen, but the unlucky Milt Fritz put together a great season of his own. He was just 12-12 with a team high 254 innings pitched, and he had a respectable 3.54 ERA (115 ERA+) and 1.37 WHIP with 96 walks and 69 strikeouts. Nice. Double nice! This year definitely hurt his chase for 300, as he now has 147 career wins as he turned 29 today. Happy Birthday Milt! He is now 43-44 with the Cougars, but he has more innings with us (811.2) in three years then he has at any other stop. He'll get at least next year in our rotation, but the oft-traveled Fritz may end up in a six home come 1940. And while not a veteran, I was a little sad with Pug Bryan's sophomore slump, as he finished 4-9 with a 5.03 ERA (81 ERA+), 1.61 WHIP, 46 walks, and 39 strikeouts in a disappointing 93 inning sample. He may get passed over in the future rotation now, but I think Pug will turn into an excellent stopper. He did end the season strong, allowing just one run in his last 7 appearances, including three hitless outings to end the season. He's currently the #7 starter, and I may have an adjusted 6 man rotation next year until the good pitchers start to separate themselves. The offense felt disappointing, but a lot of our hitters had good seasons. Leo Mitchell looked great, and while his .337/.380/.462 (125 OPS+) batting line was technically a little worse then last season, he added 30 doubles, 12 homers, 9 steals, and 80 RBIs in two shy of 600 plate appearances. Mitchell made 40 starts at first, 86 in left, and even 13 in right, but while he was excellent at first, he's not quite a reliable outfielder yet. He's just 25, and still has time to develop into a star, but he currently ranks as the #4 left fielder and I'm hoping he can develop into the .350 hitter I hope he can be. The other three corners all played well, with Ford, Lawson, and Langton all having double digit homer seasons with above average OPS+'s. Starting with the veteran Lawson, year 11 saw a career low .302/.355/.461 (117 OPS+) batting line, but he was still worth over 4 WAR despite not having the greatest season with the glove. He did drive in 108 and homered 16 times with 43 doubles. He still hit .300 to keep up the streak of consecutive .300 or higher seasons. Langton and Ford also slashed above .300, with both making up for their gloves. Langton hit .311/.374/.452 (121 OPS+) with 28 doubles, 10 triples, 10 homers, 12 steals, and 63 RBIs in 617 trips to the plate. Ford missed some time with injury, but hit a slightly more impressive .313/.375/.483 (129 OPS+) with 25 doubles, 16 homers, and 72 driven in while maintaining an awesome 47-to-11 walk-to-strikeout ratio. Each have put together their third consecutive season with an above average OPS+ and I'd imagine 1939 will be year four. The biggest disappointments of the season came from the injured yet now healthy sophomores Billy Hunter and Carlos Montes. Hunter will turn 24 in November, and after setting the world on fire last year, he hit an average .291/.333/.429 (103 OPS+) with 31 doubles, 9 triples, 7 homers, and 65 RBI's in a slightly shortened 133 game season. The big issue was the glove, a 46-error season with a -5.2 zone rating and .971 efficiency. In about a third of the time last year, he had a +4.3 zone rating with a 1.039 efficiency. A sprained knee did end his season on September 8th, and now he's strained both his right and left knees. Let's hope this doesn't develop into something serious, but shortstops tend to get injured frequently. He did have an outstanding June that earned him an All-Start trip, where he hit .343/.386/.476 with 2 doubles, 2 homers, 3 triples, and 8 RBIs. I'm expecting a bounce back season from him, and I'm hoping the same for Montes. He'll be 23 the day after Christmas, but his 100 games this year were much different then last year. Last season he hit .292/.365/.453 (129 OPS+) with 19 doubles, 9 triples, 9 steals, 10 homers, and 55 RBIs. This year he slumped to .243/.317/.412 (94 OPS+) with 14 doubles, 7 triples, 10 homers, 5 steals, and 40 RBIs. He did still look good in center, with a +9.2 zone rating and 1.028 efficiency. Aart MacDonald is another top prospect with big league talent, but he squandered his opportunities this season. He hit just .151/.292/.260 (49 OPS+) with 6 doubles, a triple, 3 steals, and 3 RBIs. The 26-year-old Aruban did look great in center too, a +3.1 zone rating and 1.067 efficiency in 24 games. Aart is a lefty and Carlos a righty, so he may be able to steal some starts from Montes next season, but I still view Montes as the center fielder of the future. Our catching tandem was a little interesting, with the exact opposite results as expected. Mike Taylor had an unexpected breakout, hitting an average enough .271/.324/.439 (103 OPS+) with 19 doubles, 12 homers, and 48 RBIs in one PA shy of 400. Taylor was floated around at the deadline and could potentially end up somewhere else in the offseason. I'd be more comfortable moving him if Harry Mead had any sort of luck putting bat on ball. The Harvey native hit a pitcher like .204/.273/.250 (41 OPS+) with 10 doubles and 20 RBIs. Not a single ball left the stands, he'll be looking for his first career home next season. Luckily, Marv says he's an elite defensive catcher, but he has gotten a little less optimistic on his future. I'm not worried, a lot is probably because of the awful season this year, and I still think he'll end up being a quality big league hitter. Lucky for us we were gifted Solly Skidmore from the lottery and Mead could potentially see some competition in three to six years. There is also Johnnie Williamson, who hit .306/.378/.375 (94 OPS+) with 21 doubles, 2 homers, and 56 RBIs in 520 Milwaukee plate appearances. He's probably more of a backup anyways, but Mead and him may share time next year if a Taylor move develops. Looking ahead to the offseason, I'd love to grab a big bat. A second basemen or shortstop would be ideal, but I could try to get creative and move Ray Ford to second base. Catcher is another option as well, as I can skip the waiting for Mead and try to add a big thumper right away. I'm finally comfortable trading anyone (well, but Pomales) in my farm system, now that Pete and Parker are up, so that at least can't hold me back like it did last offseason. The hardest part is there are no obvious sellers, so I may have to work some magic. I don't want to wait around, hoping for the youngsters to develop well, but it may be tough to find many trading partners. I'm hoping I've got something up my sleeve to make the Cougars better for our new stadium. Even without a big move, I like our chances for next season, but if someone else drops a big domino, it might be tough for me not to force a move.