[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 4-2
Seasonal Record: 70-57 (2nd, 3.5 GB)
Stars of the Week
Jim Lonardo : 2 Wins, 18.0 IP, 1 BB, 5 K, 0.50 ERA
Ray Ford : 26 AB, 8 H, 3 HR, 7 RBI, .308 AVG, 1.038 OPS
Leo Mitchell : 26 AB, 10 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .385 AVG, .907 OPS

Schedule
8-26: Win at Sailors (3-1)
8-27: Loss at Sailors (4-5)
8-28: Win at Foresters (10-6)
8-29: Loss at Foresters (6-8)
8-31: Win vs Saints (6-9)
9-1: Win vs Saints (4-0)

Recap
Well, on the field we did good. We split the final two in Philly, winning that series, before unfortunately splitting in Cleveland. The off day did rejuvenate us, and then back at home, we swept the Saints out of Cougars Park. But despite all that fun, and the jump in the standings back to second, and a game cut out of the deficit, this was a very somber week for the Chicago Cougars. We will now be without one of the most effective pitchers in baseball for the rest of the season. After leaving his start in the 6th against the Saints, the worst part of Milt Fritz's night was not the 11 hits, 5 runs, and walk; it was the tearing of his rotator cuff. The very durable veteran has 2,877.1 career FABL innings and 3,382 in total if you include high school and his season in the minors, Fritz has only three previous injuries on his record. Two of those were less then a week and the last was less then a month, but this one will keep Fritz out of action for about 7 months, meaning he's almost guaranteed to miss part of next season as well. This was easily Fritz's best season as a Cougar, and perhaps his best since he took home the 1931 Allen Award. The 30-year-old was 18-7 with a 2.84 ERA (134 ERA+), 1.33 WHIP, 87 walks, and 52 strikeouts in 26 starts and 212.2 innings pitched. It was his fifth 200 inning season with us and 11 of his 12 seasons have seen him throw 200 or more FABL innings. The only one that wasn't was the year I let him work things out in Milwaukee after an awful start to the season with the Gothams. In total, Fritz is 178-141 with a 3.68 ERA (115 ERA+), 1.40 WHIP, 1,021 walks, and 1,016 strikeouts.

Losing Fritz is a huge blow, but at least Jim Lonardo has has really turned things around. On the same day he won CA Pitcher of the Month, he tossed a 4-hit, 3-strikeout shutout of the Saints to improve to 10-11 on the season. It was his second complete game victory of the week, the other was just as good, 3 hits, a run, walk, and 2 strikeouts. Since July, Lonardo is 6-1 with a 1.76 ERA and 0.84 WHIP. This is the Lonardo I was looking for at the beginning of the season, and he's improved his ERA to 3.42 (111 ERA+) and WHIP to 1.17 with 31 walks and 62 strikeouts. I plan to use a loose four man rotation, so I can see us leaning on Lonardo heavily. Unfortunately, the rest of our rotation really struggled this week. Dick Lyons got a win, but allowed 11 hits, 6 runs, and a strikeout in 8 innings. Harry Parker picked up a loss, and shockingly didn't get a complete game, charged with 11 hits, 5 runs, and 2 walks with 4 strikeouts in 7 innings. Pete Papenfus fell apart after the 7th again, with 6 of his 7 runs allowed after the 7th. One of the run was unearned, and he went 8.2 with 12 hits, 5 walks, and 12 strikeouts. Despite only 16 starts, his 115 strikeouts are more then every CA pitcher except Rufus Barrell, but he has thrown nearly 100 more innings with just 6 more strikeouts. Allen Purvis got an outing, a 3.2 inning save relieving Fritz with 3 hits, a run, walk, and strikeout.

Last week I was complaining about Ray Ford and Carlos Montes, and now they both excited with great weeks. Ford was swinging for the fences, 8-for-26 with 2 doubles, 3 homers, 7 RBIs, and 5 runs scored. Now 11 homers for the season, it's four straight with double digits, but he's still ways away from the 16 he hit in each of the past two seasons. Montes is likely looking at his first season with fewer then double digit homers, but he did have a nice 9-for-25 week with 2 doubles, a triple, 5 runs, 4 RBIs, and 3 steals. They didn't have too much help, but the reliable Leo Mitchell and John Lawson both did well. Mitchell was 10-for-26 with a homer and 4 RBIs while Lawson was 9-for-29 with 2 doubles, a homer, and 10 RBIs. Harry Mead looked good in his three games, 4-for-9 with a homer and 3 RBIs. Ollie Page filled in well, 4-for-8 with a double and 3 walks. It's a little surprising we won four games this week despite overall poor hitting and poor pitching, and with heading back on the road, we'll need better performances on both sides of the field.

We do have a need for another starter, so getting the occasional starts will be 26-year-old Joe Brown, who has been tremendous out of the pen. He is just 2-4, but with 5 saves, a 2.66 ERA (143 ERA+), 1.35 WHIP, 15 walks, and 22 strikeouts in 47.1 innings pitched. Only 4 of his 65 FABL appearances have been starts, but he did make 14 in Milwaukee last year and 12 the year before. Roster expansion also makes thing easier on us, and replacing Brown in the stopper role is a former Cougar prospect. Taken in the second round the year before the first human draft, Ben Curtin was a top 100 prospect as a starter and one of the three prospects involved in the John Kincaid deal back in 1929 offseason. He did debut that season, going 3-4 with a 4.95 ERA (89 ERA+), 1.90 WHIP, 42 walks, and 13 strikeouts in 9 starts. That wasn't the only major trade he was a part of, as the next season he was off to St. Louis in the blockbuster Max Morris trade. Both times he wasn't the top piece, first it was Dean Astle then Fred McCormick, but Curtin has put together a decent career. He's appeared in the big leagues every season since, but only made four more big league starts. He turned into a decent reliever, and was a member of the 1933 All Star Game. The then Pioneer was 7-6 with a 4.46 ERA (94 ERA+), 1.56 WHIP, 38 walks, and 45 strikeouts with a league high 21 saves and 69 appearances. In total, he's appeared in 374 big league games across 642 innings and recorded a 4.37 ERA (103 ERA+), 1.55 WHIP, 283 walks, and 240 strikeouts. Before this season, he pitched 40 or more innings in each season, but he only got one out with the Dynamos back on the 20th of April and has remained a free agent until I gave him $7,700 to help improve our leadership. He's 35 and I do prefer a lot of our younger arms for net season, so his stay in our organization may be short.

We're also down Billy Hunter, again, this time due to a hamstring strain that hopefully has him back in two or three sims. That's his fourth injury of the season and eighth in the past three, but after 133 and 146 games in 1938 and 1938, he'll be lucky to reach 60 this season. He's made just 180 trips to the plate, but hit a nice .301/.344/.458 (119 OPS+) with 11 doubles, 6 triples, a homer, and 22 RBIs. His power has really dropped since he debuted with 6 homers in 51 games as a rookie, with just 7 in '39 and 4 in '40. When healthy, he's one of the best middle infielders in the game, but he just has not been able to stay on the field this season. We will have Freddie Jones back to step into the second base role, and thanks to an 11-for-21 week, his .261/.395/.333 (94 OPS+) line with the Blues doesn't look too awful. He was play first, and wasn't terrible, but I'm hoping he can carry out the momentum from his last week in the minors to improve his career worst .258/.343/.284 (74 OPS+). Barring a miracle where he hits like he did from 1932-1937 and carries us to the playoffs, this will likely be his first season with a below average OPS+. Jones is a career .339/.438/.436 (129 OPS+) hitter who never spent a game in the minors until this rehab assignment.

Of course, with rosters expanding, we'll have a lot of new faces on the roster, but I'm not quite ready to fill up all 35 spots. As usual, I'll bring up a third catcher, and Johnnie Williamson will return to Chicago. This may be his last trip with us, as he's out of options and not as good as Mead or Taylor. I do think he could be a decent enough starter in the FABL, but he didn't set the world on fire in Milwaukee this season. He dealt with an injury which limited to 73 games while hitting just .302/.366/.342 (87 OPS+) with 11 doubles, 27 RBIs, and 29 walks. The former 8th Rounder has a strong .295/.367/.364 (114 OPS+) career line in the big leagues, but it's just 50 PAs and 47 of them came in 1937. Another bench spot will be filled by the super utility man Tip Harrison, who appeared in 5 games at every position this season except catcher and pitcher. He didn't get much time at second or third, but appeared in 20 or more games at first, short, left, center, and right. He turned 29 today, and hit .274/.348/.392 (92 OPS+) with 19 doubles, 5 triples, 6 homers, 9 steals, and 46 RBIs in 466 plate appearances with the Blues. The last position player joining this week will be Tommy Sandstorm, our Rule-5 pick from last season. He didn't get too much playing time in Milwaukee, mostly functioning off the bench, but he hit a strong .255/.362/.433 (109 OPS+) with 13 doubles, 3 triples, 3 homers, and 18 RBIs. The Blues do have two weeks left to go, and even though they are 13.5 games out of first, I do have a lot of guys I want to keep getting every day at bats. I imagine that outfielders John Johnson and Fred Vargas will join after, but I have a lot of non-roster guys I might want to shield in the upcoming draft who have a few more weeks to impress. That includes infielders Cuno Myer, Stu Johnson, Bill Dickens, and Jimmy Bach, as well as outfielder Oscar Panduro. I also added Nick Wallace on a minor league deal, but he hasn't played since June and I'm hoping he can get a few at bats with the Blues first.

On the pitching side, I want Harl Haines and Johnny Ruby to continue making starts, so they'll have to wait until the Blues season ends before I consider calling them up. With the Fritz injury I could use an extra arm, so the no-hit star Dick Strunk will get his first shot to pitch as a Cougar. The 26-year-old joined off waivers in the offseason, and was 14-8 with a 3.90 ERA (104 ERA+), 1.32 WHIP, 50 walks, and 63 strikeouts. There is still room for another arm, so he will be joined by southpaw Cal Knight. The former 2nd Rounder was great out of the pen for us, but he took his lumps with the Blues. He started 19 of his 20 appearances, but went 9-10 with a 4.21 ERA (96 ERA+), 1.55 WHIP, 73 walks, and 43 strikeouts. This gives us 29 of the 35 spots filled, plus one that will remain empty for Billy Hunter. I only have 36 people on my 40 after sending Fritz to the 60-Day DL, so I have a lot of flexibility with who I decided to bring up. Of course, there is always the chance of injury, but along with Vargas and Johnson, I think I'd like to get a look at Haines, leaving two spots undecided. One will definitely be an infielder, but I still have time to decide exactly who will get the call. Plus, there is always the waiver wire, as some teams may have to DFA guys to bring up a non roster player they want to take a look at.

Looking Ahead
Right back on the road as all 29 Cougars prepare for a double header against the Brooklyn Kings. At 65-63, the Kings are back over .500 and single digits (albeit, 9) games out of first place. Art White has hit a bit of a rough patch, 4 or more runs allowed in each of his last five starts, including one where he allowed 7 against us on the 9th. White is still having a tremendous year, 13-9 with a 3.22 ERA (122 ERA+), 1.25 WHIP, 58 walks, and 64 strikeouts, and the fully rested 29-year-old will be on the bump in one of the games. Based on rest status, we'll also get Jack Goff who is 3-6 with an adjusted league average 3.94 ERA. Danny's big brother has made 12 starts in his 19 games and tallied 109.2 innings with a 1.38 WHIP, 35 walks, and 40 strikeouts. These two lefties are probably the best the Kings have to offer, with Crawford and Cummings sporting ERAs above 4 and Tom Barrell's somehow still above 5. Even if we don't score too much, we should be able to keep their hitters off base, and hopefully when Al Wheeler is up. Sure he's hitting just .264/.341/.432 (104 OPS+), but he has 20 doubles, a triple, 18 homers, and 65 RBIs in what should end up his 11th 20 or more homer season. He was so close last season with 19, breaking his 10 season streak. His fellow corner outfielder Joe Herman has came back to earth a bit, but the breakout 24-year-old is still hitting a well above average .327/.368/.533 (137 OPS+) with 21 doubles, 3 triples, 13 homers, 5 steals, and 61 RBIs. Between those two is Tiny Tim, who is now hitting a strong .274/.353/.487 (121 OPS+) with 14 doubles, 12 homers, and 39 RBIs. As you can see from this 3-4-5, a lot of homers, but not many RBIs. The Kings rank 8th in OBP, OPS, and wOBA, but lead the CA with 86 home runs. Another home run hitter to watch out for is Rats McGonigle, who is hitting an average .268/.309/.459 (102 OPS+), but with 27 doubles, 19 triples, 12 homers, 10 steals, and 51 RBIs in a pretty well rounded season. As long as we make sure their homers happen with the bases empty, I foresee a double header sweep for the 2nd Place Cougars.

An annoying series with the Stars follows, as we're off, on, off again, and then on again for two games in four days. The Stars had a rough week, going 1-6 while winning just three of their last ten. Now 67-60, they're 6.5 games out of first and in fifth place. Dave Trowbridge is challenging John Lawson for the batting title, and the ageless wonder is hitting a remarkable .350/.409/.488 (141 OPS+) with 36 doubles, a triple, 8 homers, and 47 RBIs. It's a little surprising he's driven in so few runs, considering the two hitters above him are Joe Angevine and Chink Stickels, and those two have 72 and 89 RBIs while Bill Barrett behind him as 80. Barrett is doing the best of the trio, and the 20-year-old is hitting .315/.375/.478 (128 OPS+) with 29 doubles, 10 triples, 9 homers, and 80 RBIs while walking (44) almost five times as much as he strikes out (7). On the mound, Lou Robertson has drifted back towards the mean, but he's still 9-4 with a 2.77 ERA (140 ERA+), 1.35 WHIP, 47 walks, and 42 strikeouts in his 15 starts. I'd much rather see Chris Clarke then him, as his 3.90 ERA (100 ERA+) is the worst on the team. He's started 8 of his 13 games and gone 4-3 with a 1.46 WHIP, 22 walks, and 21 strikeouts. Each of their top three has lost 11 games on the season, but Phillips, Riley, and Cole make up a strong top of the rotation. With Fritz now injured, they may have the best 1 through 5 in the CA, but we may have caught them at the right time and we could capitalize off their recent poor play.

Next stop is Montreal, where we play one on Saturday and two on Sunday before finishing off the series on Monday. We just swept the Saints in Chicago after they swept the Cannons (and won one against the Wolves) as they have really helped our playoff chances. I'm hoping for more of that this week, and while we all know about Bond and Mullins, one bat to watch out for is Bert Lass. The other "Red" started his season with a .195/.283/.220 line in April, but has hit over .350 since July. The 26-year-old now has a much improved .306/.361/.455 (115 OPS+) line with 31 doubles, 4 triples, 6 homers, and 61 RBIs. They've also gotten good production at the plate out of shortstop Jake Hughes, but his -4.7 zone rating and .861 efficiency in the field show he may be better suited for third (-2.1, .950). Still, the 24-year-old has hit a respectable .304/.364/.419 (107 OPS+), rather similar to Frank Davis who they shipped out at the deadline. Hughes has also added 13 doubles, 3 triples, a homer, 8 steals, and 17 RBIs. The pitching has really hurt the Saints, but Ed Baker has matched his 14-12 record from last season. He has an almost identical 1.45 WHIP, 65 walks, and 69 strikeouts in 230.1 innings compared to 1.43, 69, and 68 in 228.2 innings last year, but his 4.65 ERA (85 ERA+) is almost a point higher. The Saints were expecting a lot more from him when they sent away highly touted youngster Hank McKay, who has done well with the Keystones. Sure, he's no Red Bond, but the 24-year-old right fielder has hit an adjusted league average .258/.335/.388 with 14 doubles, 13 triples, 7 homers, 21 steals, and 44 RBIs as the Keystones have shaken off a pair of 60 win seasons with a 73-56 record. These are crucial must win games for us, as this week could really help us make up ground against Toronto. The Wolves have to face the Foresters, Cannons, and Sailors, and while they should have no problem in Cleveland, the other two series will be tough at home. With a magic number of 24, a lot can still happen, but it is worth noting their playoff percentage is 77.1% compared to just 13.2% for us. We have a slightly tougher schedule (.488 to .480), but 17 of our 27 games are at home while they only have 11 of 25 in Toronto. We only play them once more this season, a midweek series between our last two off-days on the 17th and 18th.

Minor League Report
RHP Donnie Jones (AA Mobile Commodores): He has taken his lumps in the minors, but that is expected when a 20-year-old is pitching in AA and the only team better then the Commodores has 13 players over 26 and all 21 can walk in a bar and buy a beer. What isn't expected is when a 20-year-old tosses a shutout against a team with an average age of 28. "Mole Killer" Donnie Jones allowed just 6 hits and struck out 6 Excelsiors in a 7-0 Commodores victory. It was his 11th complete game in 21 starts, and he improved to 10-9 with a 4.38 ERA (104 ERA+), 1.59 WHIP, 84 walks, and 88 strikeouts. Donnie was a dominant high school pitcher and has long been considered an elite talent. Tom thinks he'll be a #1 and I think he'll be one of the best pitchers in the game. The 6'2'' righty has a dominant mid 90s sinker that generates a ton of groundballs. It's not even his best pitch, that's his potentially elite curve, and he also has a good fastball and change. His stuff is big league ready, but he does have to get his command straightened out. He's excellent in the clubhouse, constantly complimenting his teammates while leading players much older then him in the locker room. The sky really is the limit for him, and while he did drop out of the top 10 for prospects, Jones is still a top of the line arm who projects to have an outstanding career.

LHP Johnnie Jones (AA Mobile Commodores): Since I brought up Donnie, I might as well talk about Johnnie. The 22-year-old is also in Mobile and ranks 4 spots behind his younger brother in the top 100 list. He missed a little time this season, but the skinny 6'4'' southpaw has looked much better this season then last. "The Patron Saint of Groundballs" is 8-9 in 19 starts with a 4.50 ERA (102 ERA+), 1.79 WHIP, 76 walks, and 46 strikeouts. He's walking too many hitters, 5.0 per nine, but lucky for him, he is excellent at erasing runners with a double play. He has very polished stuff, featuring an excellent mid 90s sinker, equally impressive forkball, decent slider, and developing change. He also gets a ton of movement on all four pitches, which is what really makes him dangerous on the mound. If he polishes up his control, Jones will be dominant, and he could win a few Allen Awards. He may never be an ace because he's going to be playing with Donnie and Pete Papenfus, but he's bound to be one of the most talented arms in the league. I think he may be a bit of a slow developer, which is okay, and I could see it taking him a few seasons once he's in the big leagues before he really gets a hang of things. Johnnie is an extremely talented arm and I can't wait to see the type of pitcher he will become.

RHP Roy Carey (AA Mobile Commodores): It hasn't been the smoothest of sailing for the former 2nd Round Pick, as he's been bounced between Mobile and Lincoln the past three years. Now 25, a demotion to A ball might end his dream of pitching in a big league rotation. He's doing his best to earn a promotion instead, and after suffering through four of five starts with 7 or more runs allowed, he his five game losing streak with a dominant performance over the Memphis Excelsiors. He allowed just 3 hits with a walk and 2 strikeouts to improve to 6-7 on the season. Carey has had walk issues, 37 in 112 innings, but he has a respectable 4.26 ERA (108 ERA+) and 1.55 WHIP with just 16 strikeouts. He does have good pitches, including a decent change, but he's a soft tosser and none of his other five pitches inspire too much confidence. It is a littler surprising he hasn't gotten a velocity boost, but Carey also hasn't gotten injured. He is now Rule-5 Draft eligible, but I don't think I'm going to end up protecting him. He has a lot of improving to do before being considered a big league pitcher, but I wouldn't mind if a struggling team gave him a chance. He's shown the ability to eat a lot of innings as he will can pitch deep into games, and when it comes with durability as well, he could be a useful depth piece.

2B Eddie Curtis (A Lincoln Legislators): He's caught fire recently, and on the 29th 22-year-old Eddie Curtis had an impressive 5-for-5 night in our 10-2 win over Evansville. Curtis also walked, drove in two, and scored four times. This was just one of many good games, as Curtis was also named the Heartland League Batter of the Month. He hit .419 with 30 runs scored and 18 driven in, plus he walked 15 times and hit 5 doubles and 6 triples. He hasn't done the best in the field, but he's hit a strong .325/.376/.401 (113 OPS+) for the season with 9 doubles, 9 triples, a homer, 16 steals, and 35 RBIs. He's a discipline hitter, double the walks (31) to strikeouts (15) in 435 plate appearances with the Legislators. A versatile player, he's actually a natural shortstop and has spent most of his time there. He can also man third, left, and right, allowing him to play five different positions. The glove isn't great, but he has excellent speed and range and should at least be average at second if not short. He doesn't project to be an outstanding hitter, but he could hit .300 a few times with limited power and a lot of steals. His future likely lies as a bench bat, but I think the former 7th Rounder has a shot to be a big league player.

CF Bunny Hufford (A Lincoln Legislators): It was an excellent week for our top outfield prospect Bunny Hufford. Currently ranked 8th in our system and 80th overall, Bunny went 13-for-30 and drove in 8 to improve his Lincoln line to .292/.369/.437 (120 OPS+). The 22-year-old added in 16 doubles, 10 triples, 3 homers, and 41 RBIs in 353 trips to the plate. He hasn't looked the greatest out in center, a -3.6 zone rating and .955 efficiency, but in left he has a 4.6 and 1.041 with a 2.9 and 1.061 for San Jose out in right. The former 4th Rounder is a lean and athletic lefty who projects to hit over .330 and his patient approach at the plate should allow him to reach base with frequency. He has the profile of a leadoff hitter, but he doesn't steal many bases. He does run them well, and he is always looking to take the extra base. Bunny is a good influence in the clubhouse, constantly challenging his teammates in drills and pushing them and himself to the limit. I think he has the tools to be a big league starter, and I expect him to start the season up in Mobile next year.

SS Jimmie James (B San Jose Cougars): Taken in the 4th Round of this recent draft, Jimmie James skipped La Crosse and started up in San Jose. The switch hitter had an outstanding week, going 10-for-19 with 2 homers, 6 runs, and 7 RBIs. Of course he hasn't done this all season, but he's done a great job at the plate, slashing .349/.412/.493 (132 OPS+) with 7 doubles, 3 triples, 3 homers, and 27 RBIs. A versatile defender, he's split his time pretty evenly between third and short. He also has the ability to fill in at second, left, center, and right. He's been great at short, recording a 3.0 zone rating and 1.051 efficiency, but right now Connie Wright is getting time at short and I wanted to see how James could do at the hot corner. He hasn't done that well in limited time, but I do think he could eventually be average or better there, but I think his future will be at short. He has to develop his bat, but he does have good discipline and should find himself on base frequently. He leads our second tier of prospects, the first one outside the top 100 at 143rd and 10th in our system. It will be tough with Skipper Schneider and Billy Hunter in the middle infield, and John Lawson isn't showing any signs of slowing down, giving him no direct route to the majors. I can take my time with him, but he may end up just a useful utility player.

RHP Mel Haynes (C La Crosse Lions): Our first round selection this January, Mel Haynes was firing on all cylinders against the Rock Island Steamboats. The 18-year-old righty allowed just 3 hits with 6 strikeouts in a complete game victory. This improved him to 5-2 in 7 starts with a 2.70 ERA (167 ERA+), 1.22 WHIP, 13 walks, and 28 strikeouts. It's a nice start to hopefully a long career for Haynes, who currently ranks 7th in our system and 78th overall. He's also gotten a little time out at first, and while his defense has been awful, he's hitting a strong .358/.414/.434 (115 OPS+) with 4 doubles and 7 RBIs. His future is definitely on the mound, but if injuries ever strike, he at least has something to fall back on. Haynes doesn't throw the hardest, sitting at 88-86, but he's a huge 6'2'' unit who could add velocity as he ages. He does a good job keeping the ball on the ground and at his peak he should have decent stuff too. His change should be his best pitch, while his sinker, slider, and forkball are all decent offerings as well. Tom thinks he could develop walk problems, but so far he's done a good job limiting them. He's also done an outstanding job pitching deep into games, with six of his seven starts complete games and despite the most recent being just 98 pitches, all seven he's gone past the century mark, and he's been able to reach 140 as well. I think he has a future at the top of a rotation, OSA thinks middle, and Tom thinks back, so I imagine one of the three of us will be right. Haynes has a ton of upside, so it may be tough for him to reach that lofty upside, but while it may be a long and winding road to reach it, he's got the tools needed to make it work the effort.

RF Ray Powell (C La Crosse Lions): One of the first two lottery picks for us, Ray Powell was a disappointment since day one. Sure he won Batter of the Month for August, but it's in C ball because he has a red arrow when I wanted him in San Jose. He's not an every day player, and 20 of his 28 appearances this month came off the bench, but the 22-year-old did hit .462/.508/.904 with 5 doubles, 3 triples, 4 homers, and 16 RBIs. This was a truly remarkable month, and he increased his season line way up to .303/.376/.544 (130 OPS+) with 22 doubles, 9 triples, 13 homers, 7 steals, and 60 RBIs. These are pretty good numbers, and he's been about average out in right while not quite used to left. He could end up a fourth outfielder, as he does have decent hands in the outfield and the ability to draw a lot of walks. Still, it did hurt getting him instead of making a choice for the 2nd Round, as he never really profiled as anything special. Powell has sparingly ranked in the top 500, and he's not even on our team top 100 while neither my scouts or OSA have been much of a fan. He's going to be Rule-5 eligible soon, but my guess is he has a better chance of being cut then making a big league roster.

RF Leo Davis (C La Crosse Lions): Our 8th Rounder this draft, Leo Davis had a week to remember, 15-for-22 with 2 homers and 6 RBIs. That increased his batting line to an impressive .345/.424/.534 (142 OPS+) with 13 doubles, 4 triples, 4 homers, and 22 RBIs. The 21-year-old is a natural center fielder and has made 16 appearances in the middle with 32 more in right. He's done outstanding, a 1.150 and 1.158 efficiency in center and right, and should be an excellent defensive outfielder when he's fully developed. That should help him move up the system, but I'm not sure if his bat is enough to get him frequent playing time at the top level. He may have issues with striking out as he sometimes isn't able to get the bat on the ball.