[ayaghmour2]

RHP Sam Hess (182nd Overall)
Draft: 10th Round, 145th Overall (1942)
Alma Mater: Athens Eagles

Despite lasting all the way until the 10th Round of the most recent draft, Sam Hess is ranked as one of the top 200 prospects in the FABL. A now 19-year-old righty, Hess made 11 of his 12 starts in San Jose, and more then held his own as a teen. He went just 3-5, but with a 2.85 ERA (114 ERA+) and 1.22 WHIP in 79 innings pitched. The 33 walks to just 12 strike outs definitely brings up some concern, but for an 18-year-old not pitching in La Crosse, he did really well in his first taste of professional hitters. Hess could develop into a really good pitcher, as even as a soft tosser who sits in the mid 80s, scouts seem to think he could fill a big league rotation. His stuff isn't great, but his cutter is a strong offering that will only improve with more velocity. His curve and change aren't strike out pitches yet, but he's able to keep them down in the zone, which leads to more groundballs then flyballs or line drives. He's already surpassed my expectations, as most 10th Rounder never rank as a top 500 prospect, let alone 200, and we might be able to develop him into a nice young pitcher with big league upside.

2B Jimmie James (195th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 53rd Overall (1940)
Alma Mater: Lane State Emeralds

It was a bit of a weird season for Jimmie James, who split time between two levels and six positions this season. He's already had experience at short, second, third, left, and right, but even got some time in center as we have more infield prospects then outfield prospects in our system. A natural shortstop, James didn't spend much time there, with most of his games coming at second. He looks to be really good there, but we're hoping to see more from his bat. He looked good with the Legislators, however, hitting .275/.358/.413 (113 OPS+) with 4 doubles, 5 triples, 4 homers, and 26 RBIs in 218 trips to the plate. This earned him a promotion up to Mobile, where WRC+ (104) liked him and OPS+ (88) thought he was a bit below average. James hit .248/.386/.338 with 15 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, and 42 RBIs. The on base percentage was extremely impressive, as James walked 69 times in 87 games, while striking out just 39 times. He tends to have more or less equal walks and strikeouts, so this was a marked improvement on his production at the past two levels. His pitch recognition has improved greatly since we selected him in the 4th Round of the 1940 draft, and he does a great job making contact. He seemed to be a bit unlucky in Mobile as a lot of his hits were gobbled up by opposing defenders, and he probably deserved a higher batting average. His versatility is a huge plus, as he's at least secured a depth role when we have to protect him from the Rule-5 draft. With Ossie Grogan now set to start games for the Chiefs, James is our second base prospect, and I think he could be a useful starter there if needed.

CF Ed Neal (208th Overall)
Draft: 5th Round, 80th Overall (1942)
Alma Mater: St. Blane College Fighting Saints

Another member of our 1942 draft class, we grabbed Boston native Ed Neal in the 5th Round. He did miss almost a month with a rotator cuff strain, but when healthy, Neal looked pretty good. He did a good job out in center, going 80-for-80 on balls he made a play on, with an also impressive 4.2 zone rating and 1.075 efficiency. He spent a little time in left too when 2nd Rounder Henry DeVeaux joined him, but it does look like Neal has the range for center. He has good speed and good range, with the speed translating to production at the plate too. He had just one steal, but hit .257/.328/.381 (112 OPS+) with 6 triples, a double, and 7 RBIs. No homers, although he had just 8 of those in three seasons at St. Blane, but the 21-year-old is already looking like a triples machine. He'll draw his share of walks too, which I hope eventually means he'll turn some of those walks into "doubles" with steals, and he projects to hit around .290 in the big leagues. He could be a quick riser in our system, and I'm ready to send him to Lincoln after just 33 games in San Jose. He may not be a great big league player, but he's more then serviceable, and I think he could be a right handed version of Orlin Yates, who my managers love to try starting over guys like Leo Mitchell, Rich Langton, and Cliff Moss.

CF Harry Carr (209th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 10th Round, 156th Overall (1938)
Alma Mater: Buchtel Griffins

Our 10th Rounder back in 1938, Harry Carr spent his entire season with the Commodores, and did a very good job at the plate. The 22-year-old hit a strong .323/.366/.485 (134 OPS+) with 12 doubles, 10 triples, 5 homers, 13 steals, and 36 RBIs. He was worth near 4 WAR due to great defense as well, with an 11.2 zone rating and 1.074 efficiency. Al this came in just 70 games, as bone chips in his elbow and a high ankle sprain cost him a lot of time. These are really the first two injuries of Carr's young career, as he has only had one other absence of more then four days. This likely cost him time in Mobile, but we're expecting the young outfielder to report there next year, with the chance to finish the season in Milwaukee or even Chicago. He has great speed and is strong despite his size, and he's got an excellent contact tool that should allow him to maintain averages over .300. He won't walk very much, but he'll keep his strikeouts down too. Carr may not develop into a longtime big league starter, but he's got everything you look for in a fourth outfielder, just with more upside. He may be a season or two from being big league ready, but with all the enlistments ahead, a spot could open up for a player like him, and I think he'd be able to take advantage of it.

RHP Harry Stewart (216th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 69th Overall (1940)
Alma Mater: Bell Academy Big Red

I was really excited for Harry Stewart, who last season dominated in Class C before holding his own in San Jose as a teen, but instead of getting another season of quality pitching, he was drafted into the Air Force. A tall and lean righty, Stewart hasn't gotten the velocity boosts that Duke Bybee and Leo Hayden received, but he is throwing a bit harder, with his fastball now sitting in the 92-94 range. It's one of his four pitches, and a nice 1-2 with his great change. His splitter is decent too while his curve needs some work, but he does have the skeleton of a strong four pitch repertoire. He has work to do on his command, but his isn't as bad as some of our other young arms. With that under control, his stuff and movement can help him pitch deep into games, and he should be able to fill out the back of a rotation. We don't quite know how he's going to look when he comes back, and I think he's less along then Bybee and Hayden, but he's a quality young arm with a lot of upside, and someone definitely worth following as he ages.