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ayaghmour2 · 09-08-2022, 09:05 PM

RF Jimmy Hairston (112th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 61st Overall (1943)
Alma Mater: Bowman Mohawks

Our highest ranked prospect from the most recent draft, Jimmy Hairston checks just outside the top 100 after his first few months as a Cougar farmhand. It didn't go too well, as the young slugger hit .179/.330/.397 (75 OPS+) in just under 200 trips to the plate. He did manage to hit 10 longballs with 4 doubles, 24 RBIs, and 28 walks, but there is a lot of room for improvement for the corner bat. He was a bit unlucky, with not many balls falling in play, with just 14 singles. The 55 strikeouts were sign for concern as well, but he does do a good job managing the strike zone. He'll need to make more contact, and that's something Tom Weinstock thinks he can do. Of course, being 18 probably limited his production a bit this season, and he's projected to be a .270 hitter with impressive raw power. He's got a lot of work to do, but there is a lot of growing to do. If he can reach his lofty potential, he should be a reliable regular, but it should take him a while to get there. His defense in the corners isn't too bad either, but his bat is far more exciting. A full season in La Crosse should help him gain his footing, but I don't expect him to make his way up any time soon.

RHP Foster Smith (124th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 6th Round, 96th Overall (1942)
Alma Mater: Henderson Bulldogs

This was supposed to be a huge breakout season for Foster Smith, who leaped up our prospect ladder after a strong showing up in San Jose to finish last season. Instead, one of the in-game enlistments got him, and Smith took the year off to serve his country. He'll be back for next season, likely starting in San Jose and hopefully finishing up in Lincoln. The 19-year-old got a bit of a velocity boost, sitting at 86-88 with his fastball and sinker. The sinker is his best pitch, one he uses to keep the ball on the ground and induce a lot of weak contact. His change is a solid pitch too, and he's able to locate and command all three very well. He hasn't shown the ability to go deep into games, but I guess that should be expected when you are nicknamed "The Thin Man" and weight just 165 while standing 6'2''. With a bit more work he could develop into a solid middle of the rotation arm, but his stuff is already impressive and he could fall back as a reliable late inning arm.

LHP Bill Chapman (147th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 3rd Round, 48th Overall (1942)
Alma Mater: Edina Eagles

Despite only turning 20 on the 2nd of September, Bill Chapman had green arrows all season up to Chicago. He didn't quite pitch like that, and the walks really slowed him down. In 179 innings for the Commodores, he walked 106 batters with just 44 strikeouts. As you'd expect that means the overall results weren't great, as he was 8-16 with a 4.78 ERA (96 ERA+) and 1.68 WHIP in his 24 starts. A lot of this has to do with Chapman's pitches, as while he has six of them, none of them are that great yet. His fastball sits in the upper 80s and low 90s, which projects to be average at best. He's supposed to show strong control, but the results don't yet support that. Once he starts locating his pitches better, each one will be more effective, but I'd like to see his slider or curve turn into a put away pitch. He is very young, and has a lot of time to improve, so perhaps it's a good sign he could more-or-less hold his own all the way up in AA. He projects to be a decent back-end starter, and while he'll run it back in Mobile next season, he could work his way up to Milwaukee or even Chicago by this time next year.

3B Johnny Weaver (155th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 72nd Overall (1943)
Alma Mater: Cumberland University Explorers

One of our 5th Rounders this season, Johnny Weaver skipped La Crosse and made 66 appearances in San Jose. It went rather well for a first year player, hitting .228/.358/.333 (100 OPS+) with 8 doubles, 5 homers, and 33 RBIs. He didn't make much contact, not a lot of hits and over a strikeout a game, but Weaver is adept at drawing walks, 45 in 270 trips to the plate. It's easily his strongest tool, as his eye could be borderline elite and he'll eventually cut down on the strikeouts. OSA and Tom Weinstock are very high on Weaver's future, and at one point he ranked in the 1st Round of the mock draft. There are a few things that could hold him back, as he'll never hit for a high average and may not have more then 10 homer power. He's not the greatest defender, but he can handle third and has some experience in left and at first. I haven't decided where Weaver will start the season, but I'd love to have him get at least a taste of A ball next year. With Otto Christian at third, there's not an easy spot for him to secure, but with his discipline and potential power, we could find a way to squeeze him in.

SS Jim Dickinson (256th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 3rd Round, 45th Overall (1941)
Alma Mater: Calumet Catholic Missionaries

After a season and a half in Lincoln, Jim Dickinson went from awful to just below average, but I still decided to bring up the talented shortstop to Mobile. He rewarded my faith with a huge season, tallying 7.1 wins above replacement in 137 games. The Illinois native is an elite defender, recording a 24.3 zone rating and 1.093 efficiency at short. But even more impressive, Dickinson produced with the bat, slashing .285/.413/.382 (111 OPS+) with 24 doubles, 9 triples, 3 homers, 11 steals, and 67 RBIs. As you can tell by that OBP, his WRC+ (125) was far better then his OPS+, and he drew 115 walks and scored 119 times. Even my wildest projections for Dickinson wouldn't have surpassed how he actually performed, and he'll man short for the Blues next season. He'll be 25 next season and is likely ready for the big leagues, but when your big league shortstop is a year and a half younger, it's hard to work your way into your organization's future plans. This could make the former regional pick an enticing trade piece, as if this year is any indication of his future, he could be one of the better two way shortstops in the FABL. Just not quite Skipper Schneider...

09-08-2022, 09:05 PM	#895
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,012	Top Prospects: 6-10 RF Jimmy Hairston (112th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 61st Overall (1943) Alma Mater: Bowman Mohawks Our highest ranked prospect from the most recent draft, Jimmy Hairston checks just outside the top 100 after his first few months as a Cougar farmhand. It didn't go too well, as the young slugger hit .179/.330/.397 (75 OPS+) in just under 200 trips to the plate. He did manage to hit 10 longballs with 4 doubles, 24 RBIs, and 28 walks, but there is a lot of room for improvement for the corner bat. He was a bit unlucky, with not many balls falling in play, with just 14 singles. The 55 strikeouts were sign for concern as well, but he does do a good job managing the strike zone. He'll need to make more contact, and that's something Tom Weinstock thinks he can do. Of course, being 18 probably limited his production a bit this season, and he's projected to be a .270 hitter with impressive raw power. He's got a lot of work to do, but there is a lot of growing to do. If he can reach his lofty potential, he should be a reliable regular, but it should take him a while to get there. His defense in the corners isn't too bad either, but his bat is far more exciting. A full season in La Crosse should help him gain his footing, but I don't expect him to make his way up any time soon. RHP Foster Smith (124th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 6th Round, 96th Overall (1942) Alma Mater: Henderson Bulldogs This was supposed to be a huge breakout season for Foster Smith, who leaped up our prospect ladder after a strong showing up in San Jose to finish last season. Instead, one of the in-game enlistments got him, and Smith took the year off to serve his country. He'll be back for next season, likely starting in San Jose and hopefully finishing up in Lincoln. The 19-year-old got a bit of a velocity boost, sitting at 86-88 with his fastball and sinker. The sinker is his best pitch, one he uses to keep the ball on the ground and induce a lot of weak contact. His change is a solid pitch too, and he's able to locate and command all three very well. He hasn't shown the ability to go deep into games, but I guess that should be expected when you are nicknamed "The Thin Man" and weight just 165 while standing 6'2''. With a bit more work he could develop into a solid middle of the rotation arm, but his stuff is already impressive and he could fall back as a reliable late inning arm. LHP Bill Chapman (147th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 3rd Round, 48th Overall (1942) Alma Mater: Edina Eagles Despite only turning 20 on the 2nd of September, Bill Chapman had green arrows all season up to Chicago. He didn't quite pitch like that, and the walks really slowed him down. In 179 innings for the Commodores, he walked 106 batters with just 44 strikeouts. As you'd expect that means the overall results weren't great, as he was 8-16 with a 4.78 ERA (96 ERA+) and 1.68 WHIP in his 24 starts. A lot of this has to do with Chapman's pitches, as while he has six of them, none of them are that great yet. His fastball sits in the upper 80s and low 90s, which projects to be average at best. He's supposed to show strong control, but the results don't yet support that. Once he starts locating his pitches better, each one will be more effective, but I'd like to see his slider or curve turn into a put away pitch. He is very young, and has a lot of time to improve, so perhaps it's a good sign he could more-or-less hold his own all the way up in AA. He projects to be a decent back-end starter, and while he'll run it back in Mobile next season, he could work his way up to Milwaukee or even Chicago by this time next year. 3B Johnny Weaver (155th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 72nd Overall (1943) Alma Mater: Cumberland University Explorers One of our 5th Rounders this season, Johnny Weaver skipped La Crosse and made 66 appearances in San Jose. It went rather well for a first year player, hitting .228/.358/.333 (100 OPS+) with 8 doubles, 5 homers, and 33 RBIs. He didn't make much contact, not a lot of hits and over a strikeout a game, but Weaver is adept at drawing walks, 45 in 270 trips to the plate. It's easily his strongest tool, as his eye could be borderline elite and he'll eventually cut down on the strikeouts. OSA and Tom Weinstock are very high on Weaver's future, and at one point he ranked in the 1st Round of the mock draft. There are a few things that could hold him back, as he'll never hit for a high average and may not have more then 10 homer power. He's not the greatest defender, but he can handle third and has some experience in left and at first. I haven't decided where Weaver will start the season, but I'd love to have him get at least a taste of A ball next year. With Otto Christian at third, there's not an easy spot for him to secure, but with his discipline and potential power, we could find a way to squeeze him in. SS Jim Dickinson (256th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 3rd Round, 45th Overall (1941) Alma Mater: Calumet Catholic Missionaries After a season and a half in Lincoln, Jim Dickinson went from awful to just below average, but I still decided to bring up the talented shortstop to Mobile. He rewarded my faith with a huge season, tallying 7.1 wins above replacement in 137 games. The Illinois native is an elite defender, recording a 24.3 zone rating and 1.093 efficiency at short. But even more impressive, Dickinson produced with the bat, slashing .285/.413/.382 (111 OPS+) with 24 doubles, 9 triples, 3 homers, 11 steals, and 67 RBIs. As you can tell by that OBP, his WRC+ (125) was far better then his OPS+, and he drew 115 walks and scored 119 times. Even my wildest projections for Dickinson wouldn't have surpassed how he actually performed, and he'll man short for the Blues next season. He'll be 25 next season and is likely ready for the big leagues, but when your big league shortstop is a year and a half younger, it's hard to work your way into your organization's future plans. This could make the former regional pick an enticing trade piece, as if this year is any indication of his future, he could be one of the better two way shortstops in the FABL. Just not quite Skipper Schneider...