OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post

ayaghmour2 · 06-23-2022, 02:15 PM

Big news on the callup front, as not only are we down John Lawson, but talented young righty Donnie Jones was drafted into the Army. This is a huge loss for us, as Jones was 15-13 with a 2.48 ERA (137 ERA+), 1.15 WHIP, 92 walks, and 122 strikeouts in 243.1 innings as a rookie. With him in the military, we now will have competition for the 5 spot in the rotation between his brother Johnnie, Ed Wilkinson, Ken Matson, Danny Goff Jr., and any other number of young arms and veteran journeymen. Of course, there is always the chance of a trade acquisition, but I do think we have enough internal options if we can't find one to our liking. Our #3 prospect Otto Christian announced last sim he too was drafted into the Air Force with Ray Ford, so now 2 of our top 3 prospects are out of the organization. He wasn't likely to be a factor in the big leagues before 1946 anyways so it's not the biggest lost, but we will anxiously wait for the young sluggers return.

LHP Oliver Allen (282nd Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 60th Overall (1938)
Alma Mater: Layton Lancers

The 22-year-old southpaw had a very split season, dominating a Class A Lincoln while getting his brains beat out at AA Mobile. Allen made 14 of his 22 starts with the Legislators, an impressive 7-1 with a 1.70 ERA (228 ERA+), 1.21 WHIP, 38 walks, and 51 strikeouts. His luck quickly soured, as he was just 1-5 with a 10.15 ERA (43 ERA+) and 2.10 WHIP with the Commodores, while walking (30) three times as many hitters as he struck out (10). His BB/9 jumped 2.3 points while his K/9 plummeted from an elite 6.2 to a pedestrian 2.3. This was Allen's first stint of any length where he had a below average ERA+, so it seems like if he's going to do something wrong, he's going to do it in extraordinary fashion. A strong second half of the season could have earned him a 40-man roster spot, but instead he'll be left unprotected, as his stock has dropped significantly. He now ranks as a bullpen pitcher instead of a starter, although he is throwing harder and can graze triple digits. If the walk rise was a temporary blip, he could end up a decent pen arm, as he can blow by hitters and should be a big time strike out arm. Once one of our more exciting prospects, Allen is more just filler, and his lack of attention may have hurt his personality a bit, as he's turned into a rather selfish pitcher who always puts himself first.

RF Harry Harris (293rd Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 7th Round, 108th Overall (1939)
Alma Mater: DuPont Manual Crimsons

No baseball for Harry Harris this year, as the now 22-year-old corner player was busy serving his country in the Army. Before this season, the 3B/RF spent two and a half seasons with La Crosse, hitting a respectable .304/.388/.418 (111 OPS+) with 68 doubles, 8 triples, 11 homers, 8 steals, and 167 RBIs. He was never much above average, but he always hit better then the average C ball hitter, and started to see his homer total tick up. He was ticketed for a chance in San Jose this season, but instead the switch hitter will look to break back in at the upper minors. He looks like a bench bat now, and the loss of playing time may detail his young career before it got off the ground.

RF Ducky Cole (295th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 7th Round, 97th Overall (1942)
Alma Mater: Long Beach Jaguars

Our 7th Round pick in the most recent draft, Ducky Cole got into just 26 games for the Lions as a pair of sprains (groin and ankle) cost him about two months of the season. When healthy, however, the hard working lefty was extremely effective, slashing .404/.450/.535 (143 OPS+) with 6 doubles, 2 triples, a homer, and 19 RBIs. High averages should be expected for the 18-year-old, who twice passed .500 at Long Beach and his high school low for average was .476 as a sophomore. A natural center fielder, we gave Ducky most of defensive time in right, where the early returns were not great. It's just a 154.2 inning sample, but his -3.2 zone rating and .890 efficiency left a lot to be desired. His bat is his calling card, as he projects to be an elite hitter, albeit with no power. He has quick hands and a smooth swing, and excels at swinging at the right pitches. He'll lay off the hard pitches and offer at those he knows he can do something with, and Cole will consistently put the ball in play. One of the hardest workers in the organization, I'd bet on Ducky exceeding most scouts expectations, and with a bat like him, it'll be hard to keep him from an eventual big league debut.

LHP Ed Wilkinson (319th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 55th Overall (1938)
Alma Mater: CC Los Angeles Coyotes

One of the few players who was probably happy when they heard the news about Donnie Jones being drafted was the soon-to-be 26-year-old Ed Wilkinson, who realized he now had a shot of cracking the Cougars Opening Day rotation. Clyde Meyer would give the five spot to him, despite just 1 big league inning last year. He was impressive in 24 starts with Milwaukee, going 16-6 with a 3.14 ERA (120 ERA+), 1.29 WHIP, 53 walks, and 109 strikeouts. A talented five pitch pitcher, Wilkinson has solid stuff and a low 90s fastball he's gotten really good at locating. His control is very reliable, which should help limit free passes, and his stuff and movement are both average. All three combined give him the makeup of a low upside back end starter, and Tom thinks he's reached that ceiling already. I'd say the former 4th Rounder is the odds on favorite for the final rotation spot, although I can see him and Johnnie Jones splitting starts until one of them takes the job and runs with it. Wilkinson is one of those reliable innings eater that can really make a managers job easier, and he'd probably have a rotation spot secured on a team that needed pitching.

RHP Bill Ballantine (323rd Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 6th Round, 91st Overall (1941)
Alma Mater: Fenger Titans

Nicknamed the "Windy City Whip," Bill Ballantine seems destined to have a career closing out games for the Cougars, and the young righty checks in as our 30th ranked prospect to start the offseason. A 20-year-old from Chicago, Ballantine was a reliever all of last season, but half of his 22 appearances for the Lions this year saw him start the game. The slender righty was extremely effective, a perfect 6-0 with 3 saves, a 2.43 ERA (216 ERA+), 1.24 WHIP, 18 walks, and 32 strikeouts in 66.2 innings pitched. Ballantine doesn't have much stamina, topping out at 89 pitches and failing to pitch more then 7 at one time, but with all the players away from the organization, he's going to be one of our better options to start games. Ballantine doesn't throw as hard as you might think, but he upped his velo to 92-94, and both his fastball and slider are really good pitches. He gets good movement, although sometimes fails to located his pitches, which in time will turn into a lot of homers. Flyballs are a problem for the Windy City Whip, as he'll occasionally hang a pitch he shouldn't, but in small samples it shouldn't hurt him too much. I think expecting him to be a starter is just wishful thinking, but even in an era where back end relievers aren't all that important, I can see Ballantine being one of the first truly dominant closers, likely surpassing former stopper Bill Mendine's team record of 137 saves.

06-23-2022, 02:15 PM	#842
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,086	Top Prospects: 26-30 Big news on the callup front, as not only are we down John Lawson, but talented young righty Donnie Jones was drafted into the Army. This is a huge loss for us, as Jones was 15-13 with a 2.48 ERA (137 ERA+), 1.15 WHIP, 92 walks, and 122 strikeouts in 243.1 innings as a rookie. With him in the military, we now will have competition for the 5 spot in the rotation between his brother Johnnie, Ed Wilkinson, Ken Matson, Danny Goff Jr., and any other number of young arms and veteran journeymen. Of course, there is always the chance of a trade acquisition, but I do think we have enough internal options if we can't find one to our liking. Our #3 prospect Otto Christian announced last sim he too was drafted into the Air Force with Ray Ford, so now 2 of our top 3 prospects are out of the organization. He wasn't likely to be a factor in the big leagues before 1946 anyways so it's not the biggest lost, but we will anxiously wait for the young sluggers return. LHP Oliver Allen (282nd Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 60th Overall (1938) Alma Mater: Layton Lancers The 22-year-old southpaw had a very split season, dominating a Class A Lincoln while getting his brains beat out at AA Mobile. Allen made 14 of his 22 starts with the Legislators, an impressive 7-1 with a 1.70 ERA (228 ERA+), 1.21 WHIP, 38 walks, and 51 strikeouts. His luck quickly soured, as he was just 1-5 with a 10.15 ERA (43 ERA+) and 2.10 WHIP with the Commodores, while walking (30) three times as many hitters as he struck out (10). His BB/9 jumped 2.3 points while his K/9 plummeted from an elite 6.2 to a pedestrian 2.3. This was Allen's first stint of any length where he had a below average ERA+, so it seems like if he's going to do something wrong, he's going to do it in extraordinary fashion. A strong second half of the season could have earned him a 40-man roster spot, but instead he'll be left unprotected, as his stock has dropped significantly. He now ranks as a bullpen pitcher instead of a starter, although he is throwing harder and can graze triple digits. If the walk rise was a temporary blip, he could end up a decent pen arm, as he can blow by hitters and should be a big time strike out arm. Once one of our more exciting prospects, Allen is more just filler, and his lack of attention may have hurt his personality a bit, as he's turned into a rather selfish pitcher who always puts himself first. RF Harry Harris (293rd Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 7th Round, 108th Overall (1939) Alma Mater: DuPont Manual Crimsons No baseball for Harry Harris this year, as the now 22-year-old corner player was busy serving his country in the Army. Before this season, the 3B/RF spent two and a half seasons with La Crosse, hitting a respectable .304/.388/.418 (111 OPS+) with 68 doubles, 8 triples, 11 homers, 8 steals, and 167 RBIs. He was never much above average, but he always hit better then the average C ball hitter, and started to see his homer total tick up. He was ticketed for a chance in San Jose this season, but instead the switch hitter will look to break back in at the upper minors. He looks like a bench bat now, and the loss of playing time may detail his young career before it got off the ground. RF Ducky Cole (295th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 7th Round, 97th Overall (1942) Alma Mater: Long Beach Jaguars Our 7th Round pick in the most recent draft, Ducky Cole got into just 26 games for the Lions as a pair of sprains (groin and ankle) cost him about two months of the season. When healthy, however, the hard working lefty was extremely effective, slashing .404/.450/.535 (143 OPS+) with 6 doubles, 2 triples, a homer, and 19 RBIs. High averages should be expected for the 18-year-old, who twice passed .500 at Long Beach and his high school low for average was .476 as a sophomore. A natural center fielder, we gave Ducky most of defensive time in right, where the early returns were not great. It's just a 154.2 inning sample, but his -3.2 zone rating and .890 efficiency left a lot to be desired. His bat is his calling card, as he projects to be an elite hitter, albeit with no power. He has quick hands and a smooth swing, and excels at swinging at the right pitches. He'll lay off the hard pitches and offer at those he knows he can do something with, and Cole will consistently put the ball in play. One of the hardest workers in the organization, I'd bet on Ducky exceeding most scouts expectations, and with a bat like him, it'll be hard to keep him from an eventual big league debut. LHP Ed Wilkinson (319th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 55th Overall (1938) Alma Mater: CC Los Angeles Coyotes One of the few players who was probably happy when they heard the news about Donnie Jones being drafted was the soon-to-be 26-year-old Ed Wilkinson, who realized he now had a shot of cracking the Cougars Opening Day rotation. Clyde Meyer would give the five spot to him, despite just 1 big league inning last year. He was impressive in 24 starts with Milwaukee, going 16-6 with a 3.14 ERA (120 ERA+), 1.29 WHIP, 53 walks, and 109 strikeouts. A talented five pitch pitcher, Wilkinson has solid stuff and a low 90s fastball he's gotten really good at locating. His control is very reliable, which should help limit free passes, and his stuff and movement are both average. All three combined give him the makeup of a low upside back end starter, and Tom thinks he's reached that ceiling already. I'd say the former 4th Rounder is the odds on favorite for the final rotation spot, although I can see him and Johnnie Jones splitting starts until one of them takes the job and runs with it. Wilkinson is one of those reliable innings eater that can really make a managers job easier, and he'd probably have a rotation spot secured on a team that needed pitching. RHP Bill Ballantine (323rd Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 6th Round, 91st Overall (1941) Alma Mater: Fenger Titans Nicknamed the "Windy City Whip," Bill Ballantine seems destined to have a career closing out games for the Cougars, and the young righty checks in as our 30th ranked prospect to start the offseason. A 20-year-old from Chicago, Ballantine was a reliever all of last season, but half of his 22 appearances for the Lions this year saw him start the game. The slender righty was extremely effective, a perfect 6-0 with 3 saves, a 2.43 ERA (216 ERA+), 1.24 WHIP, 18 walks, and 32 strikeouts in 66.2 innings pitched. Ballantine doesn't have much stamina, topping out at 89 pitches and failing to pitch more then 7 at one time, but with all the players away from the organization, he's going to be one of our better options to start games. Ballantine doesn't throw as hard as you might think, but he upped his velo to 92-94, and both his fastball and slider are really good pitches. He gets good movement, although sometimes fails to located his pitches, which in time will turn into a lot of homers. Flyballs are a problem for the Windy City Whip, as he'll occasionally hang a pitch he shouldn't, but in small samples it shouldn't hurt him too much. I think expecting him to be a starter is just wishful thinking, but even in an era where back end relievers aren't all that important, I can see Ballantine being one of the first truly dominant closers, likely surpassing former stopper Bill Mendine's team record of 137 saves.