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RHP Harry Stewart (173rd Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 69th Overall (1940)
Alma Mater: Bell Academy Big Red

The first three pitchers we selected in the 1940 draft were all high school arms, and all three rank inside the top 200. Haynes and Bybee are in the top 100, but Stewart is over 100 ranks below them. Our 5th Round Selection, the 18-year-old spent his first partial pro season in La Crosse, where he went 7-1 with a 4.67 ERA (96 ERA+), 1.51 WHIP, 20 walks, and 48 strikeouts. He struck out a lot of batters, didn't walk too many, and allowed just a single homer, but Stewart allowed a lot of batters to reach base via the base hit. He did add a little velocity towards the end of the season, and it showed in his final start, as he allowed just 5 hits, 3 runs (2 earned), and 2 walks with 8 strikeouts in a complete game victory. He did win most of his starts, including one with 6, 7, and 8 runs allowed. He does have a decent four pitch mix, featuring a 91-93 fastball, tough change, and average splitter, with his curve a lesser offering. When Stewart is on he's unhittable, but he'll have a few bad innings (or outings) when his command starts to desert him. The more consistent he becomes, the further up in the rotation he'll move, and I think he could develop into a decent back end starter. He has a lot of upside and a long way to go, but there is a lot to like about the skinny righty and he's seen velocity boosts in each of the last three seasons.

R1B Hod Seagroves (182nd Overall)
Acquired: Via Trade with Detroit (1937)
Drafted: 3rd Round, 45th Overall (1936)
Alma Mater: Lake Park Panthers

The Chicago native may have been drafted by the Dynamos, but all 505 of his professional games have come in our organization. Soon to be 23, Seagroves got nice news when he found out Bill Dambreville had been traded, and he now ranks not only as our top second base prospect, but also our top first basemen. He doesn't have much power for a first basemen, so he may end up best suited for second, but he put together an excellent offensive season with San Jose and Lincoln. With the Cougars, Hod hit .383/.443/.522 (146 OPS+) in 310 PAs, and then in about 20 less with Lincoln he hit a still solid .311/.397/.409 (120 OPS+). Combined he had 32 doubles, 8 triples, 5 homers, and 81 RBIs in his fourth season as a Cougar. His size helps him at first, but he was an outstanding defensive second basemen this season, with a 5.4 zone rating and 1.072 efficiency in 503.1 innings at the keystone. His time at first isn't because of his glove, more as a way to get more players in the lineup as we tend to have a lot of shortstops floating around in the system. At the plate he projects to hit for a high average while also drawing 40 or so walks a season. He also nearly never strikes out, just 5 times in 607 plate appearances, truly elite numbers. Seagroves is one of those guys who will always give you a good at bat, and while he's far from a star, he looks to be a very capable big leaguer who gives you 100% day in and day out.

RHP Newt Jackson (196th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 2nd Round, 22nd Overall (1936)
Alma Mater: Darby Yellow Jackets

It's been a weird career for Newt Jackson, who has sling-shotted his way in and out of the top 200. Despite just one sim ago being ranked inside, he's now completely fallen out after being out before this season started. In fact, he didn't even start the season as a starter, with just 5 of his 21 appearances with San Jose being starts. He was pretty impressive, 4-3 with 7 saves, a 2.82 ERA (171 ERA+), 1.09 WHIP, 17 walks, and 19 strikeouts before a promotion up to Lincoln. He started all 11 of his games there, going 5-6 with a 3.48 ERA (115 ERA+), 1.11 WHIP, 11 walks, and 23 strikeouts. A former 2nd Rounder, Jackson once looked like one of the better pitching prospects as a high schooler out of Darby, but he partially tore his UCL in a nightmarish first season. It definitely looked like the injury ended his career early, as the 1938 season went very poorly, but he's seemed to make up for some of the lost progress. His pitches are much better and far more developed now, as he shook of the "borderline starter" projection for the "starter" projection, and he's throwing consistently in the 90s. His stuff is still rather ordinary, but his command is very impressive, and he shouldn't walk too many hitters. I'm hoping he can start next season in Mobile, and perhaps work his way up to Milwaukee once the season is over, but his future really is up in the air. He could develop into a decent rotation piece, or end up wallowing away in AAA, but one thing for sure is that he won't surpass the 1st Rounder form his draft class.

RHP Ira Hawker (221st Overall)
Acquired: Via Minor League Free Agency (1938)
Drafted: 16th Round, 252nd Overall (1937)
Alma Mater: Glasgow Greyhounds

This was the first full season as a pitcher for Ira Hawker, and while it wasn't great, it was better then most pitchers with just over 50 innings under their belt perform. He started the season in La Crosse, and went 4-6 with a 4.58 ERA (98 ERA+), 1.42 WHIP, 22 walks, and 32 strikeouts. When the draft came along, I decided to push him up to San Jose, and he had similar numbers in his 14 starts there. Hawker flipped his record, 6-4 with a 5.10 ERA (95 ERA+), 1.49 WHIP, 33 walks, and 26 strikeouts. The only issue there were the strikeouts, as his K/9 dropped from 3.8 to 2.3 with most other rate numbers rather consistent. He'll turn 22 in February, but I think he'll be best served by taking it slow, and returning to San Jose at least for the start of the season. His pitches are still very raw, and the groundballer sits in the mid 80s. His curve is his best pitch, while his fastball, slider, and change still have a lot of room to grow. His stuff doesn't overwhelm, so he'll need to harness his command to make it at the next level, and for now he projects just as a spot starter.

LF Harry Carr (229th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 10th Round, 156th Overall (1938)
Alma Mater: Buchtel Griffins

Like Hawker, Harry Carr split his time between San Jose and La Crosse, but he did not move up at the draft. He spent 70 games with the Lions, hitting .326/.369/.492 (117 OPS+) with 12 doubles, 7 triples, 8 homers, 4 steals, and 46 RBIs before securing a promotion to San Jose. He stayed in La Crosse a bit longer not because of his talent, but because we didn't really have many low minors outfielders, and at 20, there were a lot of older guys added to the system like Bill Rich and Cy Howard who went straight to San Jose. Carr didn't waste his opportunity, however, and hit an even better .362/.403/.525 (135 OPS+) with 16 doubles, 4 triples, 4 homers, 5 steals, and 31 RBIs in 237 trips to the plate. A natural center fielder, Carr got time at all three outfield spots, with 47, 50, and 36 games at each spot with efficiencies of 1.004, 1.050, and 1.056 left to right. He does have the speed and range for center, but his arm is strong enough that he may end up in right. His speed puts pressure on his opponents, and if he continues to walk more then he strikes out, he could make a career as a leadoff hitter. He has a nice smooth swing, solid pitch recognition skills, and he'll always look to take the extra base. Carr sort of reminds me of a right handed Orlin Yates. He has the tools to start, but the question will be if he can make the most of them or if he'll end up as one of the many 4th outfielders always champing at the bit until someone gets hurt.