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A little news first. I should have mentioned that Eddie Quinn retired after spending most of the season in Milwaukee. We picked him up in the 1939 offseason, but he was injured 9 starts into his Cougar tenure, proving to be the nail in his coffin. He made 29 appearances with us, going 8-8 with a 4.75 ERA (81 ERA+), 1.60 WHIP, 64 walks, and 27 strikeouts. In total, the former 2nd Overall Pick pitched 2,330 innings at the highest level, finishing 127-130 with a 3.86 ERA (110 ERA+), 1.43 WHIP, 809 walks, and 865 strikeouts.

New Cougar Hank Barnett was also named the Whitney Winner in the Fed (5, 158), edging out George Cleaves (5, 154) with Bobby Barrell (4, 113) a close third. This is the first time a Fed winner won after a trade, second overall as it happened to Max Morris too. The CA awards weren't close, as expected, with sweeps from Rufus Barrell and Bill Barrett. A few Cougars picked up votes, with Mead (100) and Skipper (87) second and third in the Whitney Voting. Leo Mitchell (57) and Carlos Montes (16) picked up a few late votes, and Harry Parker (10) got a few in the Allen race.

LHP Johnnie Jones (12th Overall)
Acquired: Via Trade with Washington (1939)
Drafted: 1st Round, 4th Overall (1936)
Alma Mater: St. Paul Golden Bears

It must be tough for Johnnie Jones, a golden arm who's long been dubbed a future ace, yet he just hasn't been able to put things together. His walk issues have held him back, and watching his younger brother dominate in the Cougars rotation makes things even tougher. He did join Donnie in August, as the "Patron Saint of Groundballs" made 3 starts and 2 relief appearances, going 0-3 with a 3.28 ERA (103 ERA+) despite a 1.70 WHIP, 23 walks, and 12 strikeouts. Johnnie stills project as a top of the rotation arm, but he'll need to get his command straightened out. He has excellent stuff and gets great movement on his pitches. Jones has a nice four pitch arsenal, headed by a dominant mid 90s sinker that generates a ton of groundballs. His forkball is a really good #2 pitch, and his slider is really tough on lefties, but his change still needs some work. He won't need the change, the other pitches are good enough, but if he can't locate his offerings, it doesn't matter who hard to hit they are. We will have to deal with a lot of double headers next year, so even if he doesn't initially break the rotation, he should see a lot of innings. Him and Dick Lyons will likely share starts at the back of the rotation until (hopefully) Jones gets over his walk issues and surpasses Lyons in talent. Of course, the alternative could happen and Lyons could sink below him, but the now 42-year-old Lyons seems to have subscribed to the Dave Trowbridge school of holding off age. Johnnie still has a lot of development to do, and some pitchers will take longer to reach their peak, and if Jones does, we should have another tremendous young arm in what could be a star studded rotation.

LHP Duke Bybee (16th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 49th Overall (1940)
Alma Mater: Brooklyn Friends Quakers

Our highest ranked prospect to enlist, youngster Duke Bybee didn't throw a single pitch, but that's not to say the 20-year-old hasn't been working out and trying to improve. The skinny 6'4'' southpaw has seen a huge velocity boost, which I like to account to Marine Corps strength and conditioning and filling out his frame, with his fastball jumping from just 91-93 to 95-97. The four extra miles should help him take a huge step forward when he returns to service, and he'll be able to fast track his way up to Chicago. The kid has great stuff, and his strike throwing ability and movement on his pitches should allow him to strike out a lot of hitters and keep the ball in the park. Bybee has a deep Harry Parker-esque six pitch repertoire, and most of them can fool even the best FABL hitters. His change is great, and all pitches except his curve are decent or better offerings. Not getting stats for him for three years is tough, but with the huge steps forward he's already made, this at least prevents the talented youngster from getting a devastating arm injury. In most organizations he'd be a team's future ace, for us he's more of the 3 or 4 depending on what Johnnie Jones does, but he has all the tools to be a longtime big league starter, and he's an outstanding influence in the clubhouse.

3B Otto Christian (26th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 1st Round, 13th Overall (1941)
Alma Mater: Walla Walla Warriors

It was rumored that Otto Christian would be involved in the Hank Barnett trade, but there was never any intention in my mind to move Otto. I always thought he would succeed Lawson, who was coming off a Whitney quality campaign at 38, but his sudden decline this season caused me to pivot. Otto just turned 20 in September and got his first promotion midseason, so it would be a huge stretch to force him up. I still expect 2-3 seasons before the Walla Walla Walloper is walloping FABL pitchers, and Hank Barnett should be able to hit at an elite level until Otto is ready. Christian started the season in La Crosse, and hit an outstanding .307/.451/.514 (138 OPS+) with 16 doubles, 14 homers, and 84 RBIs in 366 trips to the plate. His 76-to-22 walk-to-strikeout ratio was impressive for someone with his power, and he more then earned his promotion to San Jose. He didn't hit nearly as well, and his power stroke slowed down, as Otto hit .254/.312/.328 (91 OPS+) in about 100 fewer PAs. He had just 6 doubles, a triple, and 3 homers with 33 RBIs, and he struck out (31) more then he walked (20). I'm not too worried, he was a teen at the time and dealing with a lot of pitchers far more experienced then him, and I expect a much better showing from him next season. Otto's power potential is well known, and he's arguably the best home run hitter in the minors, which is in part due to his aggression at the plate. Despite his tendency to swing, he does have good discipline, and it's more of a "he'll swing at all the close pitches, but takes the bad ones" approach where he does whatever he can to put hittable pitches over the fence. I'm really excited to watch him develop into a premier slugger, and he should be one of the most dangerous hitters in the big leagues if he reaches his power potential.

CF Bunny Hufford (67th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 57th Overall (1949)
Alma Mater: Chesapeake State Clippers

Like Johnnie Jones, Bunny Hufford finished his season in Chicago with the Cougars. He spent most of his season in Milwaukee, and had a very productive season for the Blues. Our former 4th Rounder hit .310/.389/.427 (126 OPS+) with 24 doubles, 5 triples, 8 homers, 9 steals, and 78 RBIs. He made 568 trips to the plate and had a nice 68-to-21 walk-to-strikeout ratio. Unfortunately, his defense in center field wasn't too great, with a .963 efficiency and -10.2 zone rating, meaning he may have to end up in a corner instead. Bunny got a few PAs in Chicago to end the year, 28 to be exact, and got more time with the Carlos Montes injury. Hufford went 7-for-25 with 2 doubles, 5 runs, and 5 RBIs with 2 walks and a strike out. 25 in just two days, Hufford will be back in camp this Spring, and will look to earn a roster spot, competing against guys like Orlin Yates, Aart MacDonald, and Cliff Moss. He'll be used more for his bat, featuring plus-plus contact ability with a very smooth swing. He has a good feel for the strike zone, which should lead to few strikeouts and a high average, and with his speed and plate discipline he's got everything you are looking for in a leadoff hitter. I don't envision him replacing Carlos Montes out in center, but he could step into the left side of our right field platoon shortly, sharing at bats with Rich Langton. Bunny doesn't project to be an elite big leaguer by any stretch of the imagination, but he should be a capable big league starter who can help a team score runs.

RHP/RF Danny Goff Jr. (77th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 2nd Round, 23rd Overall (1939)
Alma Mater: Hempstead Hawks

Goff also debuted with Hufford this September, and will look to compete with him next spring as well for the lefty side of right field. One benefit Goff has, of course, is he can also pitch, giving us an extra arm for the staff. Unlike Hufford, however, Goff spent most of his season in Mobile, where he really turned it up in the second half of the season. The 24-year-old made great strides on the mound, going 15-4 with a 3.79 ERA (116 ERA+), 1.50 WHIP, 70 walks, and 61 strikeouts in 178.1 innings pitched. He managed to hit even better, slashing .353/.435/.489 (139 OPS+) with 22 doubles, 6 triples, 5 homers, 5 steals, and 41 RBIs, with an elite 52-to-6 walk-to-strikeout ratio. His defense wasn't great, splitting time between first, center, and right, but I do think he'll develop into a really good right fielder. He has a great arm and great range, although not quite what I like out in center. OSA is a big fan of his pitching, thinking he can end up near the top of a big league rotation. I'm a little less excited about his pitching future, seeing him more of a solid back end guy as his flyball problems may hurt him in Chicago. He does have solid stuff and he can pitch deep into games, but I think he's going to be a better hitter. He has plus contact ability and should hit for a high average, plus he'll walk far more then he'll strike out. Of course, putting both of those together makes him extremely valuable, and the early returns with the Cougars were extremely impressive. Goff went 4-for-13 with 3 runs, 6 walks, and an RBI, and went 2-0 with a 1.90 ERA (178 ERA+), 0.97 WHIP, 9 walks, and 11 strikeouts in 23.2 innings. I can't see him starting him breaking camp with us, I'd like to get him more innings down in Milwaukee, but with the uncertainty the war brings, we may need him at some point in Chicago.