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ayaghmour2 · 11-20-2021, 04:53 PM

Somewhat shockingly, the New York Stars swept the heavily favored Pittsburgh Miners in the World Championship Series, as Dave Trowbridge hit .600 against the team that once traded him to New York. This means the offseason will commence on Monday, and we will reach closer to the December Draft, much quicker then expected.

C Tucker Ness
School: Boston State
1939: .292/.412/.404, 201 PA, 9 2B, 3 HR, 31 RBI, 2 SB
Career (HS): .411/.481/.598, 428 PA, 39 2B, 5 3B, 6 HR, 91 RBI, 15 SB
Career (COL): .301/.413/.411, 18 2B, 6 HR, 62 RBI, 5 SB

A four year starter in high school, Tucker Ness was one of the impossibles that I decided to let go to college, and he now sends me thank you notes weekly for letting him pursue his education and secure a much higher draft selection. A 14th Rounder back in 1937, Ness was recently ranked 10th in the TWIFB Mock Draft, and I would not be surprised if he is not only a first round pick, but the first catcher selected. Ness has a great feel for the strike zone at the plate, consistently drawing walks and avoiding pitcher's out pitches when they want him to chase. He pairs that with above average contact potential, but there isn't much power yet, gap or home run. He does profile as an above average defender behind the plate as well, and he adapts well in any situation. Ness won't be a target of mine, I like our catching depth as is, but he has all the tools to develop into a top big league catcher.

CF John Graves
School: Detroit City College
1939: .267/.405/.492, 237 PA, 8 2B, 4 3B, 9 HR, 39 RBI, 35 SB
Career (HS): .423/.508/.662, 376 PA, 37 2B, 12 3B, 4 HR, 77 RBI, 69 SB
Career (COL): .279/.409/.480, 494 PA, 17 2B, 8 3B, 16 HR, 84 RBI, 73 SB

Another 14th Round Pick, it was the Keystones who decided to let Graves go to college, and like Ness, their GM gets the thank you notes weekly. Graves ranks a spot above Ness in the TWIFB Mock Draft, and was taken with the pick directly after Ness in 1937. In one of the toughest college leagues, Graves has put up back-to-back .400 OBP seasons and was just a homer shy of 10 as a sophomore. A standout defender out in center, Graves' speed allows him to make most plays on the grass, and he definitely has the talent to stick out in center. He does a great job working the count, and he had an outstanding 44-to-9 walk-to-strikeout ratio this season. He didn't hit for that high of an average this season, but I think with a little work, his hit tool should be well above average as well, and I've liked what he's shown with his power. He seems to have it all, and if the power he's shown in college is legit, Graves should be able to flourish in the big leagues for years to come.

RHP Bill Sohl
School: Lane State
1939: 7-5, 114.2 IP, 3.06 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 40 BB, 96 K
Career: 14-8, 95 IP, 3.00 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 71 BB, 173 K

Leading the Lane State rotation for the past two seasons was Billy Sohl, a rather soft tossing righty who can still rack up the strikeouts. He has been rather consistent, putting together similar ERAs, WHIPs, K/9, BB/9, HR/9, and WAR with the Emeralds, and he's shown a rather polished repertoire. His best pitch is a changeup, with OSA remarks as elite, and it pairs really well with his mid 80s fastball. The forkball is probably his second best pitch, but his fourth, a slider, is really just there for show. Still, his top three pitches are really good, and enough to have him start in the big leagues, that he won't have to rely on his slider much at all. He gets plenty of movement and at times shows pinpoint control, giving him average or better in all three important pitching ratings. The stuff is the weak point of the three, but the harder he gets his fastball going, the better the rest of his pitches are. Right now he'll have to rely heavily on that changeup, but I can only imagine how effective it could be if he was throwing in the 90s. OSA thinks he'll be an impact starter, I'm not that sold yet, but he's got a future at least in the middle of a rotation, and with how developed he is, a team desperate for pitching could fast track him to the show.

RHP Tommy Anderson
School: Chesapeake State
1939: 8-3, 102 IP, 2.91 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 44 BB, 91 K
Career: 17-8, 230.2 IP, 2.77 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 81 BB, 207 K

"Tidewater Tommy" has managed to keep his ERA below 3 in his first two seasons, including a 2.66 mark as a Freshman where he struck out 116 batters in just shy of 130 innings pitched. He won't turn 21 until July, but the lanky 6'4'' groundballer already projects to be a really talented big league player. Like Sohl, he doesn't throw very hard, sitting in the 84-86 range, but his four pitches aren't as polished. He can be dominant when he is on, but currently, only his changeup is a reliable pitch. It has huge upside, along with his fastball, cutter, and forkball, and due to his height, I expect he'll start throwing his pitches much harder as he continues to develop. His cutter gets nice bite, and his changeup drops a lot, but he's still yet to master his control over those pitches. This year especially, he had issues with command, walking nearly 4 per 9 in a bit of a down season compared to when he was a Freshman. Regardless, the results were still better then most college arms, and it was against great competition at Chesapeake State. As a league, we like to reach on pitchers, so I can see Anderson being taken a bit earlier then he should, but he's very raw and a rare high ceiling, low floor college arm with a lot more boom-or-bust potential then most.

11-20-2021, 04:53 PM	#660
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,133	Amateur Report: College Somewhat shockingly, the New York Stars swept the heavily favored Pittsburgh Miners in the World Championship Series, as Dave Trowbridge hit .600 against the team that once traded him to New York. This means the offseason will commence on Monday, and we will reach closer to the December Draft, much quicker then expected. C Tucker Ness School: Boston State 1939: .292/.412/.404, 201 PA, 9 2B, 3 HR, 31 RBI, 2 SB Career (HS): .411/.481/.598, 428 PA, 39 2B, 5 3B, 6 HR, 91 RBI, 15 SB Career (COL): .301/.413/.411, 18 2B, 6 HR, 62 RBI, 5 SB A four year starter in high school, Tucker Ness was one of the impossibles that I decided to let go to college, and he now sends me thank you notes weekly for letting him pursue his education and secure a much higher draft selection. A 14th Rounder back in 1937, Ness was recently ranked 10th in the TWIFB Mock Draft, and I would not be surprised if he is not only a first round pick, but the first catcher selected. Ness has a great feel for the strike zone at the plate, consistently drawing walks and avoiding pitcher's out pitches when they want him to chase. He pairs that with above average contact potential, but there isn't much power yet, gap or home run. He does profile as an above average defender behind the plate as well, and he adapts well in any situation. Ness won't be a target of mine, I like our catching depth as is, but he has all the tools to develop into a top big league catcher. CF John Graves School: Detroit City College 1939: .267/.405/.492, 237 PA, 8 2B, 4 3B, 9 HR, 39 RBI, 35 SB Career (HS): .423/.508/.662, 376 PA, 37 2B, 12 3B, 4 HR, 77 RBI, 69 SB Career (COL): .279/.409/.480, 494 PA, 17 2B, 8 3B, 16 HR, 84 RBI, 73 SB Another 14th Round Pick, it was the Keystones who decided to let Graves go to college, and like Ness, their GM gets the thank you notes weekly. Graves ranks a spot above Ness in the TWIFB Mock Draft, and was taken with the pick directly after Ness in 1937. In one of the toughest college leagues, Graves has put up back-to-back .400 OBP seasons and was just a homer shy of 10 as a sophomore. A standout defender out in center, Graves' speed allows him to make most plays on the grass, and he definitely has the talent to stick out in center. He does a great job working the count, and he had an outstanding 44-to-9 walk-to-strikeout ratio this season. He didn't hit for that high of an average this season, but I think with a little work, his hit tool should be well above average as well, and I've liked what he's shown with his power. He seems to have it all, and if the power he's shown in college is legit, Graves should be able to flourish in the big leagues for years to come. RHP Bill Sohl School: Lane State 1939: 7-5, 114.2 IP, 3.06 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 40 BB, 96 K Career: 14-8, 95 IP, 3.00 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 71 BB, 173 K Leading the Lane State rotation for the past two seasons was Billy Sohl, a rather soft tossing righty who can still rack up the strikeouts. He has been rather consistent, putting together similar ERAs, WHIPs, K/9, BB/9, HR/9, and WAR with the Emeralds, and he's shown a rather polished repertoire. His best pitch is a changeup, with OSA remarks as elite, and it pairs really well with his mid 80s fastball. The forkball is probably his second best pitch, but his fourth, a slider, is really just there for show. Still, his top three pitches are really good, and enough to have him start in the big leagues, that he won't have to rely on his slider much at all. He gets plenty of movement and at times shows pinpoint control, giving him average or better in all three important pitching ratings. The stuff is the weak point of the three, but the harder he gets his fastball going, the better the rest of his pitches are. Right now he'll have to rely heavily on that changeup, but I can only imagine how effective it could be if he was throwing in the 90s. OSA thinks he'll be an impact starter, I'm not that sold yet, but he's got a future at least in the middle of a rotation, and with how developed he is, a team desperate for pitching could fast track him to the show. RHP Tommy Anderson School: Chesapeake State 1939: 8-3, 102 IP, 2.91 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 44 BB, 91 K Career: 17-8, 230.2 IP, 2.77 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 81 BB, 207 K "Tidewater Tommy" has managed to keep his ERA below 3 in his first two seasons, including a 2.66 mark as a Freshman where he struck out 116 batters in just shy of 130 innings pitched. He won't turn 21 until July, but the lanky 6'4'' groundballer already projects to be a really talented big league player. Like Sohl, he doesn't throw very hard, sitting in the 84-86 range, but his four pitches aren't as polished. He can be dominant when he is on, but currently, only his changeup is a reliable pitch. It has huge upside, along with his fastball, cutter, and forkball, and due to his height, I expect he'll start throwing his pitches much harder as he continues to develop. His cutter gets nice bite, and his changeup drops a lot, but he's still yet to master his control over those pitches. This year especially, he had issues with command, walking nearly 4 per 9 in a bit of a down season compared to when he was a Freshman. Regardless, the results were still better then most college arms, and it was against great competition at Chesapeake State. As a league, we like to reach on pitchers, so I can see Anderson being taken a bit earlier then he should, but he's very raw and a rare high ceiling, low floor college arm with a lot more boom-or-bust potential then most.