[ayaghmour2]

We had a sim today, so a little news first! The Cougars now have three Allen Award Winners on their 40-man roster: Milt Fritz, Tommy Wilcox, and Dick Lyons! The 38-year-old becomes the oldest first time award winner and the oldest pitcher to ever win an Allen Award. It was the closest award race, but Lyons (9, 82) topped the Wolves Joe Hancock (5, 67) to become the second Cougar to win the award named after the former Cougar. I also made another trade, sending CF Elias Canady to the Chiefs for teenager Bill Graham. The reigning champs have been long looking for a righty for their outfield, and Canady fits the bill. I really like him and think he can become a quality outfielder, but we have 40-man issues to deal with and I always prefer something to nothing. Since Canady was our 19th ranked prospect, instead of covering him, I'll cover Graham, who actually would 11th in our system in the 16-20 post.

RHP Joe Crosby (153rd Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 53rd Overall (1937)
Alma Mater: St. Peter's Spartans

"Boney Joe" Crosby had a great 10 start sample last season, but he did not have nearly as much luck in La Crosse this season. Crosby made 24 starts and was just 6-7 with a 5.46 ERA (84 ERA+), 1.75 WHIP, 62 walks, and 36 strikeouts. The walks are very concerning, as Crosby had a 1.7 BB/9 last year before it exploded to 4.6. He also allowed far more hits then last season, and after a homerless season, he allowed 6 (still solid, however) this season in 120.1 innings pitched. If you're wondering how he gets his nickname, Crosby weights just 135 pounds while standing an above average 5'10''. For comparison, our top prospect Chubby Hall is three inches shorter and 60 pounds heavier and even tiny second basemen Ducky Jordan is 5'7'' 155. Obviously, I'd love more meat on his bones, but he added another mile to is quality fastball, sitting 87-89 while also offering a plus curve and average slider. His pitches have great movement, but as a finesse pitcher, he does not have nearly enough control of his repertoire yet. I think even with control problems he can slot into the 5 spot of a rotation, but if he pitches more consistently and finds the strike zone more frequently, he can pitch his way up to the middle. He ranks as our 4th best pitching prospect now, and I think we'll be able to polish him into a refined starting pitcher.

LHP Harl Haines (175th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 10th Round, 149th Overall (1935)
Alma Mater: Niagara Falls Big Red

Another 10th Round selection inside baseball's top 200, southpaws Harl Haines split his time between San Jose and Lincoln, and he continued to defy logic with his mid-90s submarine fastball and cutter. To make things even weirder, he has a devastating screwball that he pairs with the classic sweeping lefty slider. He turned 21 on the 4th, and the 6'3'' lefty combined to finish 15-4 in 23 starts. The best results came in San Jose, where he worked to a 2.41 ERA (179 ERA+) and 1.06 WHIP with 15 walks and 61 strikeouts. Haines really buttoned down his command, going from BB/9s of 4.1 in 1936 and 3.4 in 1937 to 6.1 in San Jose and 4.8 in Lincoln. Like Harry Parker, Haines' pitches have developed very quickly and he projects to be able to maintain the large gap between his walks and strikeouts. Marv thinks he now has "advanced command" and while his "ultimate upside isn't great" he can "pitch his way into a back-end" opportunity. I think that is underselling his talent a bit, but he's an extremely hard worker who continues to improve. He finished his season strong, winning his last six starts, and I think he'll build off that momentum next year and he could work his way into the league top 100 by season end.

2B Homer Ray (180th Overall)
Acquired: Via Trade with Detroit (1938)
Drafted: 3rd Round, 47th Overall (1931)
Alma Mater: San Antonio HS Warriors

It was a long time ago, but former Cougar 3rd Rounder Homer Ray found his way back to the system this Spring. We sent him to Detroit back in 1935 in Wayne Robinson deal which didn't work out all that well for us. Now 25, I sent Ray to Mobile to work on his positional versatility. Basically a second basemen only before this season, I gave Ray a little time at first and left despite most of his time coming at the keystone. A singles hitter who should maintain a high average, Ray hit .329/.367/.416 (109 OPS+) with 16 doubles, a homer, and 43 RBIs. He tries to keep his strikeouts down, but Ray will almost never walk. He is a very advanced hitter, however, with plenty of bat speed. Marv says he squares up the ball a lot, but it hasn't really translate to many extra base hits. He's a reliable defender as well, but I think his value is more as an off the bench player then an everyday starter. Of course, "Frederick the Great" should spent at least the next five seasons manning second, Ray's best shot for every day play would be somewhere other then Chicago.

RHP George Sacchetti (185th Overall)
Acquired: Via Trade with Cleveland (1938)
Drafted: 4th Round, 58th Overall (1938)
Alma Mater: Redwood University Mammoths

A bit of a late riser as the draft approached, Sacchetti was originally not even someone I was looking at before Marv sent me his report on Sacchetti after he was already drafted. He keeps bouncing between "Strictly Bullpen" and "Starter" for his projected role, but along with a draft pick, he was part of the Dave Rankin deadline deal. The groundballer wasn't great in his 13 starts with the Lions, 3-4 with a 4.85 ERA (95 ERA+), 1.42 WHIP, 22 walks, and 21 strikeouts, but he showed a lot of positive signs. He has a decent changeup that he pairs with his mid-to-high 80s fastball, but he must turn his slider or curveball into a reliable third offering. He did have a lot of issues with his command, something I hope he can fix up, but he does an excellent job keeping the ball in the park, and he shouldn't allow many flyballs at all. A bit older for a C ball pitcher, Sacchetti turned 22 in August and came out of college very underdeveloped. I'm hoping to start him in San Jose next season, but I can't imagine he'll finish next year down in La Crosse.

RHP Dan Everett (200th Overall)
Acquired: Via Trade with Cleveland (1936)
Drafted: 5th Round, 79th Overall (1933)
Alma Mater: San Francisco HS Navigators

Everything was looking great for former Forester draftee Dan Everett, until he partially tore his labrum in his 14th and final start for the Commodores. It ruined an outstanding season where the now 23-year-old finished 9-3 with a 3.24 ERA (121 ERA+), 1.28 WHIP, 45 walks, and 56 strikeouts in 114 innings pitched. He seemed like a lock to get his contract purchased in preparation for the Rule-5 Draft, but the injury tanked his prospect ranking and he still has a week left of recovery. Regardless, I'm a big fan of his stuff, and as long as he returns to relative form, I still believe in his ability to start big league games. He has a sharp curve and hard breaking change, both quality pitches, and his fastball sits in the 90-92 range. Like a lot of our arms, he does a great job keeping the ball on the ground, and while he may walk more then his share of hitters, he does a great job stranding runners or forcing double plays. He would potentially be a passable spot starter right now, but with a little more polish, he can be a reliable back of the rotation arm. He does seem to get hurt a fair bit, but when healthy, he has looked pretty good.