[ayaghmour2]

A little news first. We won't have a sim tomorrow and there won't be as many as usual in the coming weeks, but a lot of changes going on. There will be a few GMs switching around, with Montreal's GM going to Japan, the replacement for the Stars, and a few other GMs moving around. More on that later when it is official, but we could see new Forester, Eagle, Star, and Saint GMs. Awards will be released on Wednesday, hopefully one going to Dick Lyons, and then we'll have a run of drafts before reaching the Spring.

I also made a small trade, with a few more hopefully in the works, as I work with my 40 man roster issues. I sent Sam Hodge to the Gothams for Willie Gonzalez Jr. A target of mine in the 1937 draft, the now 19-year-old was taken 6th Overall, but this was technically the third round due to the lottery. He made just one start this year, an out shy of six innings before leaving with shoulder soreness. It turned out to be a torn rotator cuff, and he's actually still five months away from throwing again. I trust my medical staff to make sure his arm is okay, as I do think he has what it takes to be a solid big league arm. His fastball sits in the 91-93 range and he should have average control of his curve, cutter, and change as well. Like Billy Jordan, Gonzalez's dad was also a Cougar, making 6 starts in 1917 and 5 more in 1918 before eventually pitching in our system until retiring in 1923. He also had four starts with Detroit in 1915, but I'll take the over on Junior's big league starts. He currently ranks 394th in the league, which would be 28th in our system, just like he was in theirs.

Hodge, 25, was our 6th Rounder in 1934. I didn't necessarily want to get rid of him, but we have a full 40 and Hodge needed a spot. The Gothams are in need of big league pitching, and he'll jump right into the mix. I think he's got stuff to start, but Marv thinks his future lies in the pen. The soft tossing 6'4'' righty has a nice curve and slider, but he still has yet to add much velocity to his fastball and cutter. He was elite in 6 AA starts, but Hodge was very effective with the Blues. He finished 5-5 with a 3.98 ERA (113 ERA+), 1.45 WHIP, 17 walks, and 28 strikeouts across 13 starts. Hodge is also a native New Yorker, and will have a much easier job securing innings for his hometown team. He'll join former Cougar Oscar Morse on the staff, as well as fellow Cougar draftees Ed Reyes and Dave Haight.

RHP/CF Juan Pomales (75th Overall)
Acquired: Via Trade with Detroit (1937)
Alma Mater: St. Francis Bobcats

Like Carlos Montes, Juan Pomales was born in Cuba, but unlike Montes, Pomales was able to skip the draft. He was one of the lottery players in the first of the two classes, and I entered his group in hopes of acquiring him. I missed, so I then went to send Karl Wallace and Stumpy Beaman to the Dynamos to acquire Pomales and Burnes, who ranks right behind him. I've raved about Pomales' skill very frequently, and I love that he looks like a legit two-way player. Now our highest ranked pitching prospect, the sidewinding righty made 21 starts for the Commodores and finished 13-8 with a 2.91 ERA (135 ERA+), 1.21 WHIP, 52 walks, and 65 strikeouts. He's still polishing his fastball and curve, but his sinker is a great pitch that continues to roll up groundball outs. His curveball is a nice strikeout pitch, but it tends to escape him in some outings. He's a serviceable back of the rotation arm with upside to front one, but with all the talent in ours it's more then okay if he's more of a 5 then a 2. "El Conejo's" greatest asset may be his speed, 19 triples, 12 steals, and efficiencies above 1 at all three outfield spots. He looked great with the bat too, batting an effective .305/.370/.490 (129 OPS+) with 24 doubles, 5 homers, and 60 RBIs. The kid has plus-plus contact ability with a very smooth swing, but he's also able to draw a walk if needed. He walked 45 times with just 33 strikeouts in 483 plate appearances this season, and I think he'll strike out more batters on the mound then he'll strike out when up to bat. Next year he'll get Milwaukee, maybe a Chicago cameo at the end, but my guess is Pomales will be on our 1940 roster and he'll probably pitch every sixth game while also getting a start or two at each outfield spot.

RHP Del Burns (79th Overall)
Acquired: Via Trade with Detroit (1937)
Drafted: 1st Round, 3rd Overall (1934)
Alma Mater: Houston Coyotes

While nearly every high pick from the 1934 draft is doing something in the big leagues, Del Burnes is finally establishing himself in the top 100. The 22-year-old reached AAA for the first time, and the fireballer didn't find the same success he did in AA. Burnes made nine starts and was 2-2 with a 5.06 ERA (89 ERA+), 1.69 WHIP, 20 walks, and 29 strikeouts in 48 innings pitched. I wasn't too worried, as the previous 123.1 frames saw a 2.99 ERA (131 ERA+) and 1.36 WHIP with actually less strikeouts and the same amount of walks per nine. He has the stuff to start, and now that we added Freddie Jones in our big move, Burnes is likely safe to stay in Chicago. Burns gets a ton of movement on his pitches, leading to a lot of groundballs, but his cutter and slider get tremendous horizontal movement and are very tough pitches to hit. He also has a fastball, forkball, and change, but my guess is at least one of those (likely the forkball) won't ever amount to much. Burns is from the state of Wyoming and likely set to be the first player from Green River to debut, but I think he'll have to wait until 1940 as we have a lot of other arms already on the 40 in case of injury.

RF Tony Mullis (111th Overall)
Acquired: Via Trade with Philadelphia (1937)
Drafted: 5th Round, 78th Overall (1936)
Alma Mater: Redford Trojans

We usually have at least ten top 100 prospects, but to be fair, I did just trade two of them before the list was published. A Sailor pick in the 1936 draft, Mullis was one of the guys I had my eye on that I wasn't able to select. I eventually picked him up for Marty Roberts, and Mullis' prospect status has shot up. Tony started the season as a center fielder down in San Jose, but with a poor -10.5 zone rating and .909 efficiency out in center, after he hit his way to a promotion, I moved him to a corner. He made 11 starts in left and 21 in right while hitting .333/.411/.510 (152 OPS+) with 22 doubles, 12 triples, and 54 RBIs. He did still make 34 starts in center, and did have a more respectable -4.3 and .940 in each metric, but I think Mullis is best suited for left. This is a little unfortunate for him as he doesn't have the power for a corner. He has just one professional homer and it came this year in San Jose, and I can't imagine he'll hit that many more. Lucky for him, he might not need too, as he has blazing speed and consistently puts the ball in play. He almost never strikes out (or walk, for that matter) and he has the speed to beat out infield grounders and stretch singles into doubles. He's not much of a base stealer, but he does find himself on base a lot and will not clog the bases. Marv thinks he'll be a solid starter, but unless he improves his range and can move back to center, I think he may not be able to start for a team with their mind set on a championship.

RHP Art Saunders (134th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 9th Round, 133rd Overall (1935)
Alma Mater: Manning Bulldogs

After five injuries ranging from 2 day to 3 weeks last season, Saunders just needed one DL trip lasting a week this year. It's no surprise this year was his best season too, as he was basically flawless in 20 starts for the Lions. Saunders was 9-4 with a 3.01 ERA (152 ERA+), 1.15 WHIP, 28 walks, and 62 strikeouts. It earned him a late season promotion to San Jose, and he was more then up for the task. It was just 4 starts and 23.1 innings, but he worked to a 0.77 ERA (559 ERA+) and 1.11 WHIP with 3 walks and 14 strikeouts. Somehow he won two and lost two, but Saunders really looked ready for the challenge. The 21-year-old is now throwing 90-92 with his fastball and sinker, and his curve and change are filling in nicely. His stuff projects to be above average, and Marv think's he'll "boast good strikeout, walk, and home run totals as he matures." Still, Saunders is a raw prospect with injury concerns, so there is a lot of risk involved. The Omaha kid is very bright, and mulled pursuing prestigious academic scholarships instead of baseball before I threw 20 grand at him, and I think he made the right decision as Art seems destined to throw quality big league innings.

CF Harry Carr (156th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 10th Round, 156th Overall (1938)
Alma Mater: Buchtel Griffins

One of the more shocking rankings, our 10th Rounder in the June Draft Harry Carr checks in at 10th in our system and ahead of every one else in his class except Skidmore. Like Saunders, he debated college, but Carr only cost be $5.5k and hasn't spent most of it on medical bills. Very versatile, Carr can play second and short as well as all three outfield spots, but spent most of his time in La Crosse out in right. He made good contact at the plate, hitting .349/.376/.437 (104 OPS+) with 7 doubles, 4 triples, 3 homers, 8 steals, and 38 RBIs. Unfortunately, Carr doesn't walk all that much yet, and that's the only thing keeping his contact potential down. It could be elite, as he's shown he can hit for a high average, but his pitch selection may limit his output. OSA and Marv both love his defense, so maybe I should have him in center, fellow draftee Max Rucker looked much better out in the field. Carr may force his way into a lineup, but for that to happen he'll have to either master center field, improve his plate discipline, or add a little pop.