[ayaghmour2]

5th Round, 72nd Overall: 3B Johnny Weaver
School: Cumberland University
1943: .271/.380/.376, 205 PA, 9 2B, 3 HR, 29 RBI, 7 SB
Career (HS): .432/.540/.651, 383 PA, 43 2B, 3B, 7 HR, 85 RBI, 9 SB
Career (COL) .282/.389/.402, 793 PA, 31 2B, 2 3B, 15 HR, 127 RBI, 26 SB

There was one guy I really wanted to fall, but I'm still very excited to have been able to add Johnny Weaver, who just celebrated his 21st birthday. A former 12th Round Pick by the Stars out of a high school in our next door neighbor of Indiana, we tapped into our region yet again with a guy who probably should have gone instead of Dick Garcia. Weaver burst onto the scene as a Freshman at Cumberland, hitting .291/.399/.435 with 10 doubles, a triple, 7 homers, 48 RBIs, and 10 steals. Unfortunately, he took steps back in each of the next two seasons, with his average, OBP, slugging, WAR, and homers all declined each year. That's a little concerning, along with his poor work ethic, but there is a lot to like about his tools. He should be capable at the hot corner, featuring one of the strongest arm of any eligible draftee which makes up for a lack of speed. He can also play first and left, and I'd assume right shouldn't be too tough with his arm. What I really want to see is power, and since he does a good job working the count, if he can punish mistakes with regularity, his value will be immense. We do have our top positional prospect Otto Christian penciled in as the third basemen of the future, but he's a year younger and serving in the Air Force. He might need more seasoning when he returns, and Weaver could keep the seat warm for him if Hank Barnett suffers a sharp decline. His added versatility is a huge plus as well, as we could shift him to another corner if he produces and Otto is ready to hit longballs at North Side Park. Tom thinks he'll be a quality everyday player, but OSA is enamored with the Danville native. They listed him as the #16 pick on the mock, and they believe he has obvious talent both in the field and at the plate. With Weaver selected with this pick, the official return for Freddie Jones is him, Bill Holloway, and Ed Fisler, a package I think should turn out fine for us even if Freddie continues to hit well as a Chief.

5th Round, 77th Overall: LHP Lefty Jones
School: Wilsonville
Commit School: Eastern State
1943: 9-3, 130.2 IP, 1.58 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 35 BB, 186 K
Career: 32-7, 420 IP, 1.69 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 120 BB, 562 K

I've already mentioned how our system is a bit thin when it comes to left handed pitching, so what better way to solve that then with a lefty named Lefty Jones! A four year starter at Wilsonville, Lefty was awful as a freshman, just 6-3 with a 3.09 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 38 walks, and 79 strikeouts. Lucky for him, he took a huge step forward as a sophomore, and then put together one of the best seasons of any high school arm in 1942. Jones went a perfect 9-0 with a 0.82 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, 18 walks, and 160 strikeouts. He couldn't replicate that dominance this year, but Jones did strike out nearly 13 per nine and set personal bests for innings, starts, and WAR (7.1) and ended up beating his career averages for ERA, WHIP, K/9, and FIP- in each of his last three seasons. A three pitch southpaw, Jones is a wiry 6'3'' sidewinder who should end up throwing faster then the 86-88 he currently sits at. He gets a ton of movement on his pitches, and projects to have an above average cutter and change. His third pitch is a slider, which does need some work, but should end up being devastating against fellow lefties. His control could use some work, but his pitches are hard to square up, which should lead to a lot of lazy fly balls instead of towering home runs. One downside is his limitations both mentally and physically, but he does have the tools to start games in the big leagues. Lefty also just turned 19, so he's a bit older then most of the high schoolers in the class, and he's demanding nearly $4k to forego his commitment to Eastern State. We won't have any issues matching that, and he should be starting games for us down in La Crosse post-draft.