[ayaghmour2]

We made a minor trade to free up a roster spot, sending Eddie Curtis to the Gothams for a 7th Round Pick. Curtis filled our bench for most of the season after hitting .453/.482/.625 (208 OPS+) in 32 games with the Blues. He is 26 in less then a month and can play a few positions, but he's out of options and we'll have a huge logjam for the bench next season. I want to give our switch hitter Jimmie James a more extended look, and this will make it easier for him to break camp. He'll still have to deal with guys like Ollie Page and Tip Harrison, but I think the three can find a way to co-exist.

RHP Harry MacRae (249th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 7th Round, 112th Overall (1942)
Alma Mater: Topeka State Braves

Being a two pitch pitcher hasn't stopped up Harry MacRae yet, who's first full season went pretty well. The 22-year-old righty started his season as a 21-year-old in A ball, going an impressive 11-3 with a 3.41 ERA (139 ERA+), 1.41 WHIP, 44 walks, and 45 strikeouts in 111 innings pitched. He then made 9 starts in Mobile to finish the season, and he was just as reliable. MacRae went 6-1 with a 3.58 ERA (128 ERA+), 1.17 WHIP, 23 walks, and 28 strikeouts. It was nice to see him walk fewer hitters with similar strikeout numbers, but the righty had a shaky end to the season with 4 or more runs in 4 of his last 5 starts. He might have ran out of gas at the end, another sign that he's probably best suited for the pen. He commands his low 90s fastball well, locating it on the black with very few mistake pitches, and his curve can get swings and misses. I'm still banking on him picking up a third pitch, as it will be tough for him without it to have a regular role on our staff. He may end up developing into a really good stopper, which wouldn't be the worst case for us as we tend to lack talented back of the pen arms.

CF Ed Neal (276th Overall)
Draft: 5th Round, 80th Overall (1942)
Alma Mater: St. Blane College Fighting Saints

After spending his first partial season in San Jose, Ed Neal played all 140 of his games this season a level higher up in Lincoln. Neal had an issue with strikeouts, picking up 115 of them in 618 trips to the plate, which lowered his batting line to a just below average .238/.347/.411 (95 OPS+) with 19 doubles, 9 triples, 18 homers, 28 steals, and 64 RBIs. The home run and stolen base numbers are really encouraging, as were his 86 walks, but Neal does not make consistent enough contact yet. The soon-to-be 23-year-old does not have a strong hit tool, but he has really good pitch recognition skills and his speed is off the charts. He does look to have good outfield range, with an impressive 16.9 zone rating and 1.100 efficiency out in left, and he should be able to handle center. He didn't play out there as another excellent gloveman Leo Davis patrolled the middle of the outfield, but I will look to give Neal some reps in center next season. Neal isn't one of our more exciting prospects, but his glove and speed give him a lot of value as a fourth outfielder, and if the power sticks he could force his way into a lineup. I wouldn't bet on it, so he'll instead have to put the ball in play more to develop into a useful piece for a contender.

RHP Babe Stinson (282nd Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 64th Overall (1942)
Alma Mater: Louisville Coyotes

Despite not turning 19 until August 26th, Babe Stinson spent his entire season in San Jose, and pitched relatively effective in 26 starts. Stinson threw 125.1 innings pitched, going 10-7 with a 3.88 ERA (98 ERA+), 1.36 WHIP, 68 walks, and 50 strikeouts. In a normal season, Babe would have likely been in La Crosse at least to start, if not also finish, the season, but with a lot of enlisted pitchers he was forced to fill in for the Cougars. OSA is a fan of the soft tossing former 4th Rounder, thinking he could eventually develop into a back of the rotation starter. He has a lot of work to get there, as he's a pretty raw talent. His best pitch is his change, but his cutter, splitter, and forkball are all solid offerings. His pitches get plenty of movement, which leads to a lot of weak contact and groundballs, while doing a great job keeping the ball in the par. With some more velocity on his cutter he should be able to work his way up our prospect ladder, and he's got a lot of way to go before developing into an effective big leaguer.


RHP Joe Swank (305th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 7th Round, 107th Overall (1941)
Alma Mater: Rhodes Rams

Despite not a single inning above C ball before this season, Joe Swank skipped Class B completely, and even made 2 starts up in AA. The 20-year-old was really good down in Lincoln despite his 10-14 record in 27 starts. Swank worked to a 3.75 ERA (126 ERA+) and 1.27 WHIP with 76 walks and 94 strikeouts. The walks were a bit high, but still well below his strikeouts, and a lot of young guys deal with some sort of control problems. A three pitch pitcher, Swank doesn't light up the radar gun, but he gets good movement on his pitches and he keeps the ball on the ground. His fastball isn't great, just 85-87 and it won't generate a lot of whiffs, but his curve and circle change are very tough to square up. His stuff overall isn't great, but I think that's more because there isn't much separation between his fastball and his offspeed stuff. This could be tough for him to overcome once he faces better hitters, but the skinny six foot righty did throw two miles per hour faster this year compared to last. If we can get him throwing 90-92 I think he could be a really good pitcher, but he'll have to spend time bulking up to get there.


RHP Jimmy Ballard (311th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 64th Overall (1942)
Alma Mater: Donora Bombers

It's been a rocky career for the 21-year-old Jimmy Ballard, who seems to deal with injuries every season. This year it was recurring back spasms, that cost the 6'4'' righty a month and a half of his season. This prevented him from reaching the 100 inning total for the second time in his career, as he managed 78 innings in San Jose and 18.2 more in La Crosse. Ballard was average for the Cougars, going 7-5 with a 3.58 ERA (106 ERA+), 1.27 WHIP, 34 walks, and 71 strikeouts. The strikeout numbers were huge, which was nice as he had a small drop last season in San Jose, elevating the mark from 3.7 to 8.2. He's always had issues with free passes, but if he can strike out more then twice as many guys as he walks, we can live with it. The sidearmer also added some velocity for the first time since the 1940 offseason, now sitting at 91-93 with his fastball. He's done a good job polishing his slider and change as well, and I think the improved effectiveness in the slider is what allowed him to strike out a lot more hitters. Injuries have taken a toll on him, and taken out a lot of the intrigue that we saw of him as a 6'4'' high schooler who is now already eligible for the Rule-5 draft. I can't imagine someone taking him, but it will be very tough for Ballard to work his way up to a 40-man roster spot.