[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 4-3
Seasonal Record: 53-27 (1st, 3 GA)
Stars of the Week
Leo Mitchell : 24 AB, 8 H, 2 HR, 9 RBI, .333 AVG, 1.054 OPS
Ray Ford : 26 AB, 8 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, .308 AVG, .729 OPS
Carlos Montes : 28 AB, 8 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, .286 AVG, .655 OPS

Schedule
6-30: Win vs Stars (2-4)
7-1: Win vs Stars (2-3): 10 innings
7-2: Loss vs Stars (7-1)
7-4: Win vs Saints (2-7)
7-4: Win vs Saints (2-4)
7-5: Loss vs Kings (5-3)
7-6: Loss vs Kings (8-5): 14 innings

Recap
And the lead expands to three! It all honesty, it should have been more, but we just cannot beat the Kings. They won our last two games of the second half, and have now beat us in four consecutive games. They're now just six games out of first, and we're helping them get back in the playoff race. We did take two out of three from the Stars, which helped give us the separation, and we finished June an elite 21-7, winning 75% of the games we played. At 53-27, we are the only FABL team with 50 or more wins at the break, and obviously, we hold the best record. We did get a little bit of bad news, with Cliff Moss out for about three weeks with a herniated disc in his back. It's a tough loss, as Moss was hitting .282/.354/.464 (120 OPS+) with 12 doubles, 5 triples, 8 homers, and 39 RBIs in his first 285 PAs as a Cougar. Lucky for us, Rich Langton is still a Cougar, and he's hitting like the pre-1940 Rich Langton. In his 121 PAs he's slashing .321/.364/.491 (130 OPS+) with 8 doubles, 4 triples, a homer, and 25 RBIs. It will also give more time for Dick Walker and Ray Ford, as Ford can play a little in left with Mitchell moving to right.

We had five Cougars heading to the All Star game, led by who should have been the unanimous starter at third John Lawson, and the unanimous starter for the CA Pete Papenfus. Lawson is in the midst of another excellent season, slashing .328/.383/.518 (142 OPS+) with 21 doubles, a triple, 13 homers, and 63 RBIs. He won't repeat as the Whitney Winner, but Lawson has been excellent yet again. Papenfus is having his best season, 12-4 with a 2.95 ERA (134 ERA+), 1.32 WHIP, 76 walks, and 126 strikeouts in 18 stellar starts. He also won June Pitcher of the Month, finishing 6-0 with a 2.50 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 24 walks, and 41 strikeouts. We had there others; Leo Mitchell, Skipper Schneider, and Harry Parker, but none of them will be starting. In May, if you told me Leo Mitchell would be an All-Star, I'd laugh it off, but after a .455/.522/.644 June, Mitchell blazed his way to the All Star game. His season line now is .341/.394/.477 (135 OPS+) and he's added 12 doubles, a triple, 8 homers, and 53 RBIs. Skipper only got in because there were next to zero quality shortstops in the CA, and the 20-year-old has hit .287/.330/.366 (88 OPS+) with 10 doubles, a triple, 3 homers, and 37 RBIs with a 20-to-3 walk-to-strikeout ratio. Add in the 12.2 zone rating and 1.089 efficiency, and he is the third most productive shortstop in the CA. I was upset Harry Parker wasn't one of the choices for the All Star game, I would have voted for him, but he still got in. It's the first trip for the 26-year-old, who is 10-6 with a 3.38 ERA (117 ERA+), 1.25 WHIP, 42 walks, and 60 strikeouts. I missed it initially, but Ray Ford was also elected to the All Star game. He has made just 224 trips to the plate, but has an outstanding .368/.417/.544 (159 OPS+) triple slash with 16 doubles, 6 homers, and 31 RBIs. Like Parker, Ford wasn't on the ballot, so even if I wanted to vote for him (I still would've voted Trowbridge), I couldn't have. We led the way with six All Stars, and I can see all of these guys repeating in the future, and for Parker, Papenfus, and Skipper, it should be the first of many.

Looking back at the week, we had a lot of good pitching outings. One pitcher who didn't was new All-Star Harry Parker, who allowed 14 hits, 6 runs, and 4 walks with just 2 strikeouts in 7.2 innings pitched. Pug Bryan also struggled out of the pen, 4 hits, 3 runs, and 2 walks with 5 strikeouts in 4.1 innings across two outings. Peter the Heater was stuck with two no decisions, but went 17.2 innings with 17 hits, 7 runs (6 earned), and 11 walks with 9 strikeouts. Jim Lonardo picked up a win and a loss, but allowed just two earned runs in each start. Sure, his loss had three that were unearned, but he allowed 17 hits and 4 walks with 2 strikeouts in a pair of complete games. Dick Lyons has continued to heat up, 7 hits, 2 runs, and 3 strikeouts in a complete game win. Milt Fritz had a nice start himself, 4 hits, 2 runs, and 6 walks with a strikeout in 8 good enough innings. Our pitching continues to be the best in the league, and we finished the first half allowing the fewest runs in baseball, despite four more games then the Stars, who are second.

Leo Mitchell continues his tear, 8-for-24 with a double, triple, 2 homers, 4 runs, and 9 RBIs. He didn't have too much help, but Mike Taylor had a big partial week, 4-for-8 with a double, run, and 2 walks. Same for Dick Walker, who was 4-for-13, and Rich Langton, who was 3-for-9. Both doubled and drove in a run, while Langton scored twice and Walker scored just once. Mitchell was the only full time player with an above average week, while our other two All-Star bats Skipper and Lawson both hit below .200. They combined to go just 9-for-54, although most of their hits were of the extra base variety. Lawson doubled and homered twice while Skipper tripled and homered. We're lucky to win as many games as we did this week, but the offense has been great most of the time, as we finished the first half with the second most runs scored.

Lastly, all our draftees I plan on signing have signed, so not only do we now have the best record in the FABL, but now also have the top farm system! I was very shocked, but we have jumped over the Saints, as our 183 points are just above their 175. Leading the way is Donnie Jones, who checks in at 6th on the midseason rank. He's one of four in the top 25, followed by Johnnie Jones (13th), Duke Bybee (17th), and Solly Skidmore (22nd). Our first two picks Otto Christian (41st) and Eddie Howard (27th) join them in the top 50, giving us 8 top 100 prospects. We also have 21 in the top 250 and 44 in the top 500. Only the Sailors (51) have more ranked prospects then us, but even with 11 in the top 100 they rank 4th overall. Of the 1941 class, 2nd Rounder Leo Hayden (119th), 5th Rounder Jack Houston (123rd), 3rd Rounder Jim Dickinson (155th), 7th Rounder Dan Collins (306th), 6th Rounder Joe Dackett (341st), 4th Rounder Huck Hanes (407th), 8th Rounder Skippy Ellis (441st), 7th Rounder Joe Swank (459th), and 6th Rounder Bill Ballantine (483rd) all rank in the top 500.

Looking Ahead
The All-Star games is on Tuesday, and we don't play until Thursday, but I couldn't be happier with our start to the second half. We start at home, hosting the Foresters for three games. Cleveland is 29-51, and 24 games behind us, so we should be able to start the second half on the right foot. They've scored the fewest runs and allowed the most, and haven't gotten any consistency from their starting. Four of their five starters have ERAs in the 4s, and the 5th isn't in the 3s, it's Johnny Slaney's 6.59 (62 ERA+). The 25-year-old is having a very rough season, 0-5 with a 1.84 ERA, 33 walks, and 23 strikeouts in 8 starts and 4 relief outings. Dean Astle's ERA is close to 5, and he's 4-9 with a 4.95 ERA (83 ERA+), 1.62 WHIP, 44 walks, and 35 strikeouts. Rankin and Turner both have 9 losses as well, and I don't think we'll have trouble scoring on them. Strikeout machine Lou Balk is probably their most dangerous hitter right now, and he's slashing .306/.366/.491 (121 OPS+) with 18 doubles, 2 triples, 7 homers, and 35 RBIs. He was the closest they had to an All Star, but no Foresters will be at the game. These should be easy wins for us, but you can't count your chickens before they hatch.

We finish the week with two of four against the 40-38 Canons. We'll have a double header in Chicago on Sunday, and while we may not get him this week, we'll likely have to face second time All Star Butch Smith. The 29-year-old is having another great season, 9-4 with a 2.96 ERA (136 ERA+), 1.47 WHIP, 56 walks, and 67 strikeouts. He'll be joined on the team by Roger Perry, who is 6-5 with a 3.09 ERA (130 ERA+), 1.08 WHIP, 27 walks, and 41 strikeouts in a breakout at 34. They had a few other All Stars, including second basemen Charley McCullough, who hit .322/.422/.371 (112 OPS+) with 10 doubles, a homer, triple, 9 steals, and 45 RBIs. He'll be joined with Fred Galloway, who is making his third consecutive appearance. The Mouse is just 25, and with a bit of a down month, he's hitting .291/.372/.403 (105 OPS+) with 10 doubles, 9 triples, 3 homers, and 34 RBIs. Their 5th All Star is a bit of shock, not because of performance, but because he played just 35 games. It's his 5th selection, and it's star catcher Adam Mullins. The 28-year-old represented Montreal the first four times, and has hit .385/.475/.526 (165 OPS+) as a Cannon with 13 doubles, 2 homers, and 19 RBIs. I expect a tough series, but we are unbeatable at home when we don't play Brooklyn, and the Cannons are basically the Foresters on the road.

Minor League Report
RF Fred Vargas (AAA Milwaukee Blues): I was all ready to call Orlin Yates up from AAA to replace Cliff Moss, but after the month Fred Vargas had, I couldn't leave him in Milwaukee. He won't be an every day player for us, as Langton is set to get most of the games, but I will give Vargas the start against some right handed pitchers. The 22-year-old got on base in over half of his plate appearances, slashing .360/.521/.517 with 8 doubles, 2 homers, 16 RBIs, and 30 walks. For the season, he's hitting an outstanding .298/.452/.421 (143 OPS+) with 18 doubles, a triple, 3 homers, and 36 RBIs with an outstanding 67-to-27 walk-to-strikeout ratio. His prospect rank dropped a bit with the new draftees, but he still checks in at 8th in our system and 73rd overall. He's slowly becoming a better defender in right, and while not great, his .977 efficiency and -3.4 zone rating are at least passable for a productive hitter. His eye is elite, and while he does strike out at times, he is arguably the best walk drawer in baseball, projecting to potentially hit triple digits in a full season. He's already done that in the minors with 129 in 1939, and if the rest of his offensive game reaches his potential, 100 shouldn't be out of the question. He doesn't have the power you like to see in a corner bat, but getting on base every other trip is better then 20 or so homers in a season. Vargas has the potential to develop into an impact big leaguer, and at just 22, he's already looking like a mature hitter wise beyond his years.

CF Don Lee (B San Jose Cougars): I was a little worried that Class B may be a little too tough for a teenager, but Don Lee has erased any doubt. He won't turn 20 until January, and he managed to hit over .700 in a week. Lee was 10-for-14 with 2 homers and 8 RBIs and is now hitting .407/.510/.651 (208 OPS+) in just over 100 plate appearances. Combined with his time in La Cross, the former 2nd Rounder has 13 doubles, 8 triples, 10 homers, 14 steals, and 53 RBIs with 59 walks and just 18 strikeouts. The hardworking center fielder has great speed, leading to excellent outfield range and a knack for stealing bases. He makes a lot of hard contact, as he lays off bad pitches, and any time he puts the ball in play he has a chance to wreck havoc on the bases. I can't check if any of his homers are inside the parkers, but it wouldn't be surprising with his speed. He won't be a reliable double digit homer hitter in the majors, but he should end up with a lot of extra base hits. Lee now ranks 15th and 141st in the prospect rankings, but OSA and Tom Weinstock thinks he'll be a big league starter, with Tom having a more glowing report of "penciled in for a lion's share of starts". I think he has the future to be a great big league outfielder, and when you consider his stellar work ethic, he can push past his current peaks.

RHP Ron Sexton (C La Crosse Lions): On the one year anniversary of his torn UCL, Ron Sexton threw a 4-hit shutout of the Dubuque Dukes. It was his fifth start back, and he walked just one and struck out two to improve to 2-2 in five starts. The 20-year-old has a 2.95 ERA (142 ERA+), 1.32 WHIP, 8 walks, and 21 strikeouts in 39.2 innings pitched, and with all the new arms joining from the draft, I'm going to be moving him up to San Jose. He still ranks in the top 500, but he dropped down to 382nd in the league and out of our top 30 to 382. The 6'2'' righty is throwing a bit harder this year, with his fastball sitting at 91-93, so he didn't lose any speed with the early career injury. It will affect his stuff long term, as it looks to be just average now, but he's managed to maintain his 4.8 K/9 from last season. He has, however, seen his BB/9 plummet, but it is a little to early to claim his walk issues are gone. I'm excited to see how he does against tough competition, and even if he does perform well, I'm not sure I want to rush him up. He'll likely spend the rest of the season with San Jose, as we have a lot of capable starters in the upper minors.

C Lew Lord (C La Crosse Lions): One of the guys at risk of losing playing time, Lew Lord has been spending time at first. It's helped, as now that Eddie Howard has signed, there wouldn't have been any room at catcher anyways for Lord. Lord had a great week for the Lions, going 9-for-17 with 4 doubles, 4 runs, a homer, and 8 RBIs. Last year's 8th Rounder is now hitting .350/.456/.650 (188 OPS+) with 12 doubles, 2 triples, 5 homers, and 23 RBIs. He's probably still best suited for catching duties, but he's 6'2'', which makes him at least passable for first. He's shown a bit of power this year, but his poor discipline holds him backs at time. With all the new young catchers, I may be moving him up to San Jose, but for now he'll likely see more time at first then behind the plate.