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Jiggs McGee · 02-02-2022, 12:45 PM

DECEMBER 16, 1940

CHIEFS ADD VETERAN WATSON IN RULE FIVE DRAFT

The trend in the rule five draft has long been to select a minor leaguer, usually in his mid-twenties, that a team hopes is due for a breakout season. The Chicago Chiefs threw conventional thinking out the window in this year's rule five draft, going with a surprising, but quite possible key selection in grabbing 34 year old outfielder Jim Watson from the Montreal Saints. The Saints, in the midst of a youth movement having dealt star catcher Adam Mullins away, likely felt Watson did not fit into their future so they dropped him from their 40-man roster despite Watson's career .307 batting average. He might just be the perfect fit in Chicago where there were perhaps some worries on how the club would replace the traded Cliff Moss's bat in their outfield.

Watson, like Moss when he arrived in the Windy City, is not an unknown commodity to the Chiefs braintrust including manager Joe Ward. Many in Chicago's front office including their skipper have a connection to Quebec, having spent a number of years running the Saints, and over the years there has been a pipeline between the two cities. Moss and now Watson are just two players in a long list that also counts current Chiefs Tom Bird, Hank Barnett, Bill May, George Thomas and Frank Davis as former members of the Saints organization.

Watson is now 34 years old and coming off one of his poorer campaigns, although in his defense he was hurt early in the season and did not play much after his return, logging just 164 at bats. The Chiefs are counting on him perhaps having one or two more .300 plus seasons left in his bat and the move appears a stroke of genius, one that costs nothing yet has quite the upside assuming Watson still can contribute.

SAILORS ADD THREE
Watson was one of just three former first round picks to be taken in the rule five draft this year. The other two both went to the Philadelphia Sailors, who led all teams with 3 selections. The Sailors took 24 year old pitcher Hannibal Davis with their first choice. Davis was 11-9 each of the past two seasons at Class B and has never played above that level so it is difficult to imagine him sticking with the Sailors big league club. If he does not the former 14th round selection will have to be returned to Boston. The first rounders came with the Sailors next two selections and both arrived from the Cleveland organization. One is Charlie Nathan, a 25 year old outfielder who was a lottery selection back in 1937 (during the brief experiment with a different draft format) but has been under utilized at best and often ignored completely by the old management team in Cleveland. OSA sees him having the potential to be a starting outfielder in the big leagues but he has yet to play a game even at the AAA level.

The Sailors also went back to the Foresters for their third selection, taking another outfielder/first baseman in 26 year old Joseph Mills, who spent most of last season in AA but did start a dozen games at the AAA level. Originally drafted 11th overall by the Foresters out of Carolina Poly in 1937, OSA feels he could provide a reliable big league bat.

NUMBER ONE PICK
With the first pick in the draft the Foresters eased the loss of their two outfielders to the Sailors organization as they tabbed former Brooklyn Kings prospect Bob Mullins with the first overall selection. The 25 year old Brooklyn native was a third round pick of the Kings way back in 1934 and did appear in 3 games for his hometown club in 1939 but spent last season primarily at AA Knoxville where he hit .342 with 14 homers in 93 games. OSA feels he can develop into an average power hitter and could be a middle of the road big league player so he seems like a pretty good bet to last the entire season in Cleveland.

Code:

 	1940 RULE FIVE DRAFT RESULTS
		Round 1
 1 - Cleveland Foresters: LF Bob Mullins from the Brooklyn Kings.
 4 - Washington Eagles: CF Bill Morris from the St. Louis Pioneers.
 5 - Montreal Saints: C Charlie Logan from the Philadelphia Keystones.
 7 - Philadelphia Sailors: RP Hannibal Davis from the Boston Minutemen.
 9 - New York Stars: 1B Bud Kirby from the Philadelphia Sailors.
10 - Chicago Chiefs: LF Jim Watson from the Montreal Saints.
12 - Philadelphia Keystones: SP Connie Upchurch from the Cleveland Foresters.
13 - Chicago Cougars: 2B Ossie Grogan from the Philadelphia Sailors.
15 - Detroit Dynamos: 2B Orville Snodgrass from the Montreal Saints.
16 - Pittsburgh Miners: 3B Sonny O'Callaghan from the Cleveland Foresters.
		Round 2
 7 - Philadelphia Sailors: RF Charlie Nathan from the Cleveland Foresters.
 9 - New York Stars: 1B Cuno Myer from the Chicago Cougars.
		Round 3
 7 - Philadelphia Sailors: LF Joseph Mills from the Cleveland Foresters.

CANNONS MAKE A PAIR OF DEALS

The Cincinnati Cannons made a couple of trades that were announced immediately following the Rule Five draft roster freeze period. Cincinnati added some pitching depth with the addition of veteran Roger Perry from the Pittsburgh Miners in exchange for the club's 5th round draft pick but in taking on Perry's salary, as well as that of recent waiver wire pick-up Nick Wallace, the club need to save money elsewhere so 29 year old corner infielder Ken Mayhugh was dispatched to Detroit in exchange for minor league catcher Hughie Fletcher.

JIGGS MCGEE'S TAKE:Likely a good move for both players getting an opportunity in a new location. Perry (10-7, 4.36) seemed like the odd man out in Pittsburgh after Tom Barrell and George Phillips were brought in. The 33 year old lefthander has bounced around a bit in recent years but he has proven to be a steady rotation piece at times and with a 110-61 career mark he certainly has a habit of winning ball games. Perry's roster spot in Cincinnati is not assured as he will compete with Donie Scheuermann for the final spot on the staff but his ability to start games if needed certainly gives Perry the edge.

Mayhugh was primarily a financial decision for the cash conscience Cannons but he has been nothing but a disappointment since coming over from Boston prior to the 1938 campaign. Cincinnati decided he wasn't worth the investment in hopes he regains his all-star form from his Federal Association days and the Cannons had clearly moved on from Mahugh with news the picked up Nick Wallace off the waiver wire the previous week. A nice pickup for Detroit as they really lose nothing in a minor league catcher so it is well worth the risk to see if Mayhugh can thrive upon a return to the Fed.

LEAVES CINCINNATI BUT MAY BE THE REASON QUEEN CITY HAS A FABL TEAM

News that Ken Mayhugh is no longer a member of the Cannons organization comes as little surprise to those who watched games at Monarchs Park last season as the 29 year old rarely played and it was clear he did not fit in with the long term plans of the new regime. It is funny because not that long ago Mayhugh was being hailed as perhaps the player that could bring the Cannons organization back to a respectable level. This was back in the Baltimore days of course, that dark decade in Cannons history that saw them finish dead last in the Continental Association six straight years, before John Tice, George Theobald and crew rescued the team by liberating it from Maryland and the CA cellar.

During those bleak Baltimore summers the Cannons were often criticized for drafting and holding on to so many young pitchers will ignoring the offensive side of the game completely. They had opportunities to draft Red Johnson, Billy Woytek or several other high potential bats but continued to take and hold young arms despite season after season of failure. What is that they say about the definition of insanity? In the second half of the thirties it was simply watch the Baltimore Cannons front-office at work.

That was all supposed to change in November of 1937 when the Cannons finally pulled the trigger on a deal to send a pitcher away and add some offense. It seemed like a decent first step at the time as they sent John Edwards, a highly touted but still unproven prospect to Boston in exchange for Mayhugh, prospect Denny Andrews and minor league outfielder Ray White. While Andrews has evolved into a key player in Cincinnati at the time it was Mayhugh who was expected to change Baltimore's fortunes.

At the time TWIFB said "Mayhugh looks like a star already and Andrews seems to have loads of potential but the opportunity to land a pitcher with Edwards potential is too hard (for Boston) to pass up." Mayhugh did indeed seem to be a rising talent as he made his first and so-far only all-star appearance a few months before the deal, batting .299 with 17 homers for the Minutemen as a 25 year old in 1937. That would turn out to be the zenith of his career as Mayhugh's numbers tailed off his two seasons in Baltimore and he batted just .234 while being reduced to a spare part in Cincinnati this year. Now he has hit rock bottom, at least in the Cannons organization's mindset, with news he is being dealt for a washed up 34 year old catcher who was added strictly to fill a roster spot at AAA Indianapolis. Ridding themselves of Mayhugh's nearly $9,000 a year salary was more than return enough for the Cincinnati brass in this case.

So what happened? Mayhugh appeared to be the golden bat Baltimore needed. He was a 2nd round pick of the Brooklyn Kings out of Liberty College in 1932 and dealt to Boston while still a minor leaguer as the Kings added a veteran pitcher in an ill-fated attempt to catch Cleveland for the 1934 pennant. Mayhugh's career blossomed in Boston but was quickly extinguished in Baltimore. Did he simply get dragged down because of all of the losing and mediocrity in the Crab City or was it something else? I lean towards the latter as others who struggled in Baltimore, players like Deuce Barrell, Jim Hensley and Butch Smith prospered in Cincinnati but Mayhugh never did get untracked. Cincinnati was a fresh start for so many Cannons, but why not for Mayhugh? And will he ever recapture the form he showed early in his career?

The scouts still like him so perhaps a return to the Federal Association with Detroit is just what the doctor ordered. There is certainly no risk, outside of another contract to pay, on Detroit's side of ledger. Regardless of the cause of his lack of production after the trade, Ken Mayhugh likely deserves a huge thank you from baseball fans in Cincinnati because if his star had continued to rise he might have put the Baltimore club on the right track and pulled them out of that spiral of decay. Had that happened there quite possibly would not have been a return of major league baseball to the Queen City and we would still be talking about the AAA Steamers as the only game in town. So thank you Ken Mayhugh. You could not save baseball in Baltimore but you made a lot of ball fans in Cincinnati very happy. And for that we wish you well in the Motor City.

FORESTERS ADD PAIR IN TRADE

Cleveland's new management team pulled the trigger on it's first deal, announcing just after the Rule Five draft that they have acquired 21 year old middle infielder Wes Parks and a minor league pitcher from the Chicago Chiefs in exchange for veteran infielder Al Haynes.

Haynes will replace Andy Carter as the prime candidate to open the season at second base for the Chicago Chiefs, according to Chiefs bench boss Joe Ward. Bob Martin has been earmarked for second also, but Martin appeared in only 6 games in 1940--sandwiched between major injuries. He won't be back from his knee injury until June and there is no guarantee that he even remembers how to play second. Haynes is not unfamiliar to Chicago baseball fans as his college days were spent at nearby Whitney College before being a first round pick of the New York Stars in 1931. He made his big league debut with the Stars, playing briefly in 1936 but was traded to Cleveland that winter. After two seasons spent primarily in AAA Cincinnati, although each with a brief stint with the big club, Haynes has been a utility infielder for the Foresters each of the last two years and hit .418 last season, although in just 98 at bats. His career FABL numbers are very impressive slashing .371/.416/.468 but it is a small sample size as he only has 280 career at bats.

The 21 year old Parks is a Texas native selected out of high school as part of the 32 player lottery experiment in the 1937 draft. He made his big league debut last season as a September call-up and his first big league hit was a 3-run homer off the Pioneers Buddy Long. Power won't be his strong suit but OSA sees him as an average hitter with good speed and above average defensive value. So far the defense has not shown at second base, at least not in the minors, but Parks is young and ranked 71st in the latest OSA prospect pipeline.

Cleveland also adds a young arm in Jim Taylor, a 22 year old former 10th round pick who went 8-8, 5.03 at Class B last season. OSA does not predict much of a future for the Oklahoma native but he has had several velocity bumps over the past couple of seasons and now tops out at 90-92 mph.

JIGGS MCGEE's TAKE: Not a major deal by any stretch but a positive move for both clubs. Haynes has never been an everyday player but may get that chance in Chicago and we can all see if he actually is as good a hitter as he has shown to be as a part-time player. Likely not but good to see him get the opportunity. Parks is a nice pickup for the Foresters and perhaps can either apply some pressure on Brooks Meeks to pick his game up after a pair of down years, or perhaps even replace Meeks as the starter at second base. He instantly becomes Cleveland's best infield prospect either way. Taylor is just a throw in with not much upside according to OSA but repeated velocity bumps are an encouraging sign.

QUICK HITS

A total of 13 players were selected in the rule five draft this week, up two from last year's total but well shy of the 22 chosen in the 1938 edition.
From Montreal the Saints organization is wishing good luck to OF Jim Watson being picked by the Chicago Chiefs in the Rule5 draft. Watson wore the Montreal jersey since the 1932 season and request to be traded or released following the last season to help a contending team. The Saints are also welcoming their newcomer from the rule five draft, catcher Charlie Logan. It appears clear now, there will be a battle a spring camp for the catcher position. Ben Richardson has probably secured one of the two available spots. Then 3 players will be battling for the open position: Charlie Logan, Mike Jones and 24 years old Dixie Galloway could pretend to stay in Montreal for the coming season.
The Philadelphia Keystones lost Charlie Logan, who was part of the catching contingent at AAA Louisville, to Montreal in the Rule Five. Logan was fourth on the organizational depth chart behind two at the Major League level (Walt Potter, Carl Ames) and my AAA starter, Charlie Gump. With two catching prospects rising through the organization (Glen Sexton and Chet McCormick), 1941 will be a test of who deserves the next call-up.
Pitcher Connie Upchurch was the only selection for the Keys, although he split time between Class C and Class B last season. His numbers actually improved in Class B after his promotion and at the age of 22, he will be an available arm for the Keystones in the bullpen this season. We are hoping his development can continue at the major league level under the watchful eyes of pitching coach Ike Bell and manager Bill Libby.
The Pittsburgh Miners are cautiously optimistic about their Rule 5 pick, Sonny O'Callaghan. The Dublin native spent time between C and B level ball last year and had 27 starts on the mound (16-8, 3.26 ERA) and 76 starts in the field at 3rd and 1st. He batted .295/.411/.477 with 13 homers. Scouts think he probably doesn't have the power to stick as a corner, but new scout Fred Davis thinks he has mid-rotation capabilities on the mound. He'll get plenty of innings in spring training, and if he shows promise the Miners wouldn't mind stashing him as a 9th or possibly even 10th pitcher for the '41 campaign.
21 year old New York Stars 1937 17th round pick Babe Simmons somehow manages to tear his labrum in the off season and will miss 11 months after reportedly get hurt kicking a locker. Due to his poor judgement the front office gave him his release. When owner Al Mielke was informed of his termination Al replied, "Who?"

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 12/15/1940

Hitler tells Germany "we will defeat the entire world," painting Germany as the champion of labor and "the have-nots" in a war between "two worlds"; a battle between "the haves" among whom he placed 'rich America" and the "have-nots" between capital and labor.
Britain's longest assault by air - nearly 12 hours - inflicts heavy damage on Duesseldorf industrial areas. Nazi aircraft continued to pound London and the Berlin high command reports the city "blended into one sea of fire" as a result of one German attack in which between 80,000 and 100,000 bombs were showered on the British capital.
Nazi submarines continue to have great success disrupting British commerce, sinking as many as 17 merchant ships in a single day recently.
The war at sea is spreading to the Americas as a British merchant cruiser engaged with a German sea raider disguised as a merchant ship just outside the American safety zone off the coast of Brazil.
President Roosevelt has pledged US aid to Greece "which is defending itself so valiantly" against aggression.
After being pushed out of Greece, Italy's army is now fleeing Egypt after the British claim to have taken more than 20,000 prisoners in the Egyptian desert.
Pope Pius XII asked warring powers to observe a Christmas truce to keep "the clash of arms from drowning out the angel chorus of peace."

02-02-2022, 12:45 PM	#346
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	December 1940 - Rule 5 draft DECEMBER 16, 1940 CHIEFS ADD VETERAN WATSON IN RULE FIVE DRAFT The trend in the rule five draft has long been to select a minor leaguer, usually in his mid-twenties, that a team hopes is due for a breakout season. The Chicago Chiefs threw conventional thinking out the window in this year's rule five draft, going with a surprising, but quite possible key selection in grabbing 34 year old outfielder Jim Watson from the Montreal Saints. The Saints, in the midst of a youth movement having dealt star catcher Adam Mullins away, likely felt Watson did not fit into their future so they dropped him from their 40-man roster despite Watson's career .307 batting average. He might just be the perfect fit in Chicago where there were perhaps some worries on how the club would replace the traded Cliff Moss's bat in their outfield. Watson, like Moss when he arrived in the Windy City, is not an unknown commodity to the Chiefs braintrust including manager Joe Ward. Many in Chicago's front office including their skipper have a connection to Quebec, having spent a number of years running the Saints, and over the years there has been a pipeline between the two cities. Moss and now Watson are just two players in a long list that also counts current Chiefs Tom Bird, Hank Barnett, Bill May, George Thomas and Frank Davis as former members of the Saints organization. Watson is now 34 years old and coming off one of his poorer campaigns, although in his defense he was hurt early in the season and did not play much after his return, logging just 164 at bats. The Chiefs are counting on him perhaps having one or two more .300 plus seasons left in his bat and the move appears a stroke of genius, one that costs nothing yet has quite the upside assuming Watson still can contribute. SAILORS ADD THREE Watson was one of just three former first round picks to be taken in the rule five draft this year. The other two both went to the Philadelphia Sailors, who led all teams with 3 selections. The Sailors took 24 year old pitcher Hannibal Davis with their first choice. Davis was 11-9 each of the past two seasons at Class B and has never played above that level so it is difficult to imagine him sticking with the Sailors big league club. If he does not the former 14th round selection will have to be returned to Boston. The first rounders came with the Sailors next two selections and both arrived from the Cleveland organization. One is Charlie Nathan, a 25 year old outfielder who was a lottery selection back in 1937 (during the brief experiment with a different draft format) but has been under utilized at best and often ignored completely by the old management team in Cleveland. OSA sees him having the potential to be a starting outfielder in the big leagues but he has yet to play a game even at the AAA level. The Sailors also went back to the Foresters for their third selection, taking another outfielder/first baseman in 26 year old Joseph Mills, who spent most of last season in AA but did start a dozen games at the AAA level. Originally drafted 11th overall by the Foresters out of Carolina Poly in 1937, OSA feels he could provide a reliable big league bat. NUMBER ONE PICK With the first pick in the draft the Foresters eased the loss of their two outfielders to the Sailors organization as they tabbed former Brooklyn Kings prospect Bob Mullins with the first overall selection. The 25 year old Brooklyn native was a third round pick of the Kings way back in 1934 and did appear in 3 games for his hometown club in 1939 but spent last season primarily at AA Knoxville where he hit .342 with 14 homers in 93 games. OSA feels he can develop into an average power hitter and could be a middle of the road big league player so he seems like a pretty good bet to last the entire season in Cleveland. Code: 1940 RULE FIVE DRAFT RESULTS Round 1 1 - Cleveland Foresters: LF Bob Mullins from the Brooklyn Kings. 4 - Washington Eagles: CF Bill Morris from the St. Louis Pioneers. 5 - Montreal Saints: C Charlie Logan from the Philadelphia Keystones. 7 - Philadelphia Sailors: RP Hannibal Davis from the Boston Minutemen. 9 - New York Stars: 1B Bud Kirby from the Philadelphia Sailors. 10 - Chicago Chiefs: LF Jim Watson from the Montreal Saints. 12 - Philadelphia Keystones: SP Connie Upchurch from the Cleveland Foresters. 13 - Chicago Cougars: 2B Ossie Grogan from the Philadelphia Sailors. 15 - Detroit Dynamos: 2B Orville Snodgrass from the Montreal Saints. 16 - Pittsburgh Miners: 3B Sonny O'Callaghan from the Cleveland Foresters. Round 2 7 - Philadelphia Sailors: RF Charlie Nathan from the Cleveland Foresters. 9 - New York Stars: 1B Cuno Myer from the Chicago Cougars. Round 3 7 - Philadelphia Sailors: LF Joseph Mills from the Cleveland Foresters. CANNONS MAKE A PAIR OF DEALS The Cincinnati Cannons made a couple of trades that were announced immediately following the Rule Five draft roster freeze period. Cincinnati added some pitching depth with the addition of veteran Roger Perry from the Pittsburgh Miners in exchange for the club's 5th round draft pick but in taking on Perry's salary, as well as that of recent waiver wire pick-up Nick Wallace, the club need to save money elsewhere so 29 year old corner infielder Ken Mayhugh was dispatched to Detroit in exchange for minor league catcher Hughie Fletcher. JIGGS MCGEE'S TAKE:Likely a good move for both players getting an opportunity in a new location. Perry (10-7, 4.36) seemed like the odd man out in Pittsburgh after Tom Barrell and George Phillips were brought in. The 33 year old lefthander has bounced around a bit in recent years but he has proven to be a steady rotation piece at times and with a 110-61 career mark he certainly has a habit of winning ball games. Perry's roster spot in Cincinnati is not assured as he will compete with Donie Scheuermann for the final spot on the staff but his ability to start games if needed certainly gives Perry the edge. Mayhugh was primarily a financial decision for the cash conscience Cannons but he has been nothing but a disappointment since coming over from Boston prior to the 1938 campaign. Cincinnati decided he wasn't worth the investment in hopes he regains his all-star form from his Federal Association days and the Cannons had clearly moved on from Mahugh with news the picked up Nick Wallace off the waiver wire the previous week. A nice pickup for Detroit as they really lose nothing in a minor league catcher so it is well worth the risk to see if Mayhugh can thrive upon a return to the Fed. LEAVES CINCINNATI BUT MAY BE THE REASON QUEEN CITY HAS A FABL TEAM News that Ken Mayhugh is no longer a member of the Cannons organization comes as little surprise to those who watched games at Monarchs Park last season as the 29 year old rarely played and it was clear he did not fit in with the long term plans of the new regime. It is funny because not that long ago Mayhugh was being hailed as perhaps the player that could bring the Cannons organization back to a respectable level. This was back in the Baltimore days of course, that dark decade in Cannons history that saw them finish dead last in the Continental Association six straight years, before John Tice, George Theobald and crew rescued the team by liberating it from Maryland and the CA cellar. During those bleak Baltimore summers the Cannons were often criticized for drafting and holding on to so many young pitchers will ignoring the offensive side of the game completely. They had opportunities to draft Red Johnson, Billy Woytek or several other high potential bats but continued to take and hold young arms despite season after season of failure. What is that they say about the definition of insanity? In the second half of the thirties it was simply watch the Baltimore Cannons front-office at work. That was all supposed to change in November of 1937 when the Cannons finally pulled the trigger on a deal to send a pitcher away and add some offense. It seemed like a decent first step at the time as they sent John Edwards, a highly touted but still unproven prospect to Boston in exchange for Mayhugh, prospect Denny Andrews and minor league outfielder Ray White. While Andrews has evolved into a key player in Cincinnati at the time it was Mayhugh who was expected to change Baltimore's fortunes. At the time TWIFB said "Mayhugh looks like a star already and Andrews seems to have loads of potential but the opportunity to land a pitcher with Edwards potential is too hard (for Boston) to pass up." Mayhugh did indeed seem to be a rising talent as he made his first and so-far only all-star appearance a few months before the deal, batting .299 with 17 homers for the Minutemen as a 25 year old in 1937. That would turn out to be the zenith of his career as Mayhugh's numbers tailed off his two seasons in Baltimore and he batted just .234 while being reduced to a spare part in Cincinnati this year. Now he has hit rock bottom, at least in the Cannons organization's mindset, with news he is being dealt for a washed up 34 year old catcher who was added strictly to fill a roster spot at AAA Indianapolis. Ridding themselves of Mayhugh's nearly $9,000 a year salary was more than return enough for the Cincinnati brass in this case. So what happened? Mayhugh appeared to be the golden bat Baltimore needed. He was a 2nd round pick of the Brooklyn Kings out of Liberty College in 1932 and dealt to Boston while still a minor leaguer as the Kings added a veteran pitcher in an ill-fated attempt to catch Cleveland for the 1934 pennant. Mayhugh's career blossomed in Boston but was quickly extinguished in Baltimore. Did he simply get dragged down because of all of the losing and mediocrity in the Crab City or was it something else? I lean towards the latter as others who struggled in Baltimore, players like Deuce Barrell, Jim Hensley and Butch Smith prospered in Cincinnati but Mayhugh never did get untracked. Cincinnati was a fresh start for so many Cannons, but why not for Mayhugh? And will he ever recapture the form he showed early in his career? The scouts still like him so perhaps a return to the Federal Association with Detroit is just what the doctor ordered. There is certainly no risk, outside of another contract to pay, on Detroit's side of ledger. Regardless of the cause of his lack of production after the trade, Ken Mayhugh likely deserves a huge thank you from baseball fans in Cincinnati because if his star had continued to rise he might have put the Baltimore club on the right track and pulled them out of that spiral of decay. Had that happened there quite possibly would not have been a return of major league baseball to the Queen City and we would still be talking about the AAA Steamers as the only game in town. So thank you Ken Mayhugh. You could not save baseball in Baltimore but you made a lot of ball fans in Cincinnati very happy. And for that we wish you well in the Motor City. FORESTERS ADD PAIR IN TRADE Cleveland's new management team pulled the trigger on it's first deal, announcing just after the Rule Five draft that they have acquired 21 year old middle infielder Wes Parks and a minor league pitcher from the Chicago Chiefs in exchange for veteran infielder Al Haynes. Haynes will replace Andy Carter as the prime candidate to open the season at second base for the Chicago Chiefs, according to Chiefs bench boss Joe Ward. Bob Martin has been earmarked for second also, but Martin appeared in only 6 games in 1940--sandwiched between major injuries. He won't be back from his knee injury until June and there is no guarantee that he even remembers how to play second. Haynes is not unfamiliar to Chicago baseball fans as his college days were spent at nearby Whitney College before being a first round pick of the New York Stars in 1931. He made his big league debut with the Stars, playing briefly in 1936 but was traded to Cleveland that winter. After two seasons spent primarily in AAA Cincinnati, although each with a brief stint with the big club, Haynes has been a utility infielder for the Foresters each of the last two years and hit .418 last season, although in just 98 at bats. His career FABL numbers are very impressive slashing .371/.416/.468 but it is a small sample size as he only has 280 career at bats. The 21 year old Parks is a Texas native selected out of high school as part of the 32 player lottery experiment in the 1937 draft. He made his big league debut last season as a September call-up and his first big league hit was a 3-run homer off the Pioneers Buddy Long. Power won't be his strong suit but OSA sees him as an average hitter with good speed and above average defensive value. So far the defense has not shown at second base, at least not in the minors, but Parks is young and ranked 71st in the latest OSA prospect pipeline. Cleveland also adds a young arm in Jim Taylor, a 22 year old former 10th round pick who went 8-8, 5.03 at Class B last season. OSA does not predict much of a future for the Oklahoma native but he has had several velocity bumps over the past couple of seasons and now tops out at 90-92 mph. JIGGS MCGEE's TAKE: Not a major deal by any stretch but a positive move for both clubs. Haynes has never been an everyday player but may get that chance in Chicago and we can all see if he actually is as good a hitter as he has shown to be as a part-time player. Likely not but good to see him get the opportunity. Parks is a nice pickup for the Foresters and perhaps can either apply some pressure on Brooks Meeks to pick his game up after a pair of down years, or perhaps even replace Meeks as the starter at second base. He instantly becomes Cleveland's best infield prospect either way. Taylor is just a throw in with not much upside according to OSA but repeated velocity bumps are an encouraging sign. QUICK HITS A total of 13 players were selected in the rule five draft this week, up two from last year's total but well shy of the 22 chosen in the 1938 edition. From Montreal the Saints organization is wishing good luck to OF Jim Watson being picked by the Chicago Chiefs in the Rule5 draft. Watson wore the Montreal jersey since the 1932 season and request to be traded or released following the last season to help a contending team. The Saints are also welcoming their newcomer from the rule five draft, catcher Charlie Logan. It appears clear now, there will be a battle a spring camp for the catcher position. Ben Richardson has probably secured one of the two available spots. Then 3 players will be battling for the open position: Charlie Logan, Mike Jones and 24 years old Dixie Galloway could pretend to stay in Montreal for the coming season. The Philadelphia Keystones lost Charlie Logan, who was part of the catching contingent at AAA Louisville, to Montreal in the Rule Five. Logan was fourth on the organizational depth chart behind two at the Major League level (Walt Potter, Carl Ames) and my AAA starter, Charlie Gump. With two catching prospects rising through the organization (Glen Sexton and Chet McCormick), 1941 will be a test of who deserves the next call-up. Pitcher Connie Upchurch was the only selection for the Keys, although he split time between Class C and Class B last season. His numbers actually improved in Class B after his promotion and at the age of 22, he will be an available arm for the Keystones in the bullpen this season. We are hoping his development can continue at the major league level under the watchful eyes of pitching coach Ike Bell and manager Bill Libby. The Pittsburgh Miners are cautiously optimistic about their Rule 5 pick, Sonny O'Callaghan. The Dublin native spent time between C and B level ball last year and had 27 starts on the mound (16-8, 3.26 ERA) and 76 starts in the field at 3rd and 1st. He batted .295/.411/.477 with 13 homers. Scouts think he probably doesn't have the power to stick as a corner, but new scout Fred Davis thinks he has mid-rotation capabilities on the mound. He'll get plenty of innings in spring training, and if he shows promise the Miners wouldn't mind stashing him as a 9th or possibly even 10th pitcher for the '41 campaign. 21 year old New York Stars 1937 17th round pick Babe Simmons somehow manages to tear his labrum in the off season and will miss 11 months after reportedly get hurt kicking a locker. Due to his poor judgement the front office gave him his release. When owner Al Mielke was informed of his termination Al replied, "Who?" The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 12/15/1940 Hitler tells Germany "we will defeat the entire world," painting Germany as the champion of labor and "the have-nots" in a war between "two worlds"; a battle between "the haves" among whom he placed 'rich America" and the "have-nots" between capital and labor. Britain's longest assault by air - nearly 12 hours - inflicts heavy damage on Duesseldorf industrial areas. Nazi aircraft continued to pound London and the Berlin high command reports the city "blended into one sea of fire" as a result of one German attack in which between 80,000 and 100,000 bombs were showered on the British capital. Nazi submarines continue to have great success disrupting British commerce, sinking as many as 17 merchant ships in a single day recently. The war at sea is spreading to the Americas as a British merchant cruiser engaged with a German sea raider disguised as a merchant ship just outside the American safety zone off the coast of Brazil. President Roosevelt has pledged US aid to Greece "which is defending itself so valiantly" against aggression. After being pushed out of Greece, Italy's army is now fleeing Egypt after the British claim to have taken more than 20,000 prisoners in the Egyptian desert. Pope Pius XII asked warring powers to observe a Christmas truce to keep "the clash of arms from drowning out the angel chorus of peace." __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports Last edited by Jiggs McGee; 02-02-2022 at 01:23 PM.