[ayaghmour2]

Baseball is back! After another long winter, the Cougars are back in camp and hoping to return to the postseason as both BNN and Jiggs McGee are predicting. The roster is mainly set, but with a lot of possibilities in the pen and on the bench, 56 able bodies will report to camp in an effort to keep the starters healthy. A bad injury or two may be tough to overcome, as very few teams are selling, and some contenders may have to rely more on their internal depth which has taken a huge hit. Assuming a healthy Spring, the Cougars six man rotation and starting lineup is set, but there will be a few interesting camp battles to watch. Below is the very large roster to start the season:

RHP Bill Anderson
RHP Hooks Camp
LHP Harry Chamberlain
RHP Ben Curtin*
RHP Rube Finegan
LHP Ed Fisler
RHP Art Gilbert
RHP Jack Huston
RHP Charlie Kelsey
LHP Cal Knight
RHP Billy Lebeau
RHP Angel Lopez
LHP Dick Lyons*
RHP Harry MacRae
RHP Ken Matson*
LHP Mike Murphy*
RHP Harry Parker*
RHP Rusty Petrick*
LHP Johnny Ruby
RHP Merritt Thomas
RHP Lyn Trease
RHP Bill Tuttle
LHP Art White*
C Homer Guthrie
C Gene Lee
C Harry Mead*
C Buck Tabor
C Mike Taylor*
1B Cuno Myer
1B Chris Smith
1B Dick Walker*
2B Bill Dickens
2B Billy Hunter*
2B Jimmie James
2B Walt Layton
3B Hank Barnett*
3B Steve Jones
3B Ollie Page
SS Jim Dickinson
SS Bill Graham
SS Tip Harrison
SS Skipper Schneider
LF Huck Hanes
LF Billy Jordan Jr.
LF Don Lang
LF Leo Mitchell*
LF Bill Rich
CF Gus Byrd
CF Dan Fowler*
CF Don Lee
CF Hop Villers
CF Orlin Yates*
RF Chick Browning
RF Rich Langton*
RF Cliff Moss*
RF Bob Worley

*Denotes guaranteed roster spot

Camp Battles
Bullpen: 2 or 3
Inside Edge: Cal Knight
50/50: Angel Lopez, Bill Anderson, Merritt Thomas, Lynn Trease
Outside Looking In: Billy Lebeau, Harry Chamberlain, Rube Finegan, Harry MacRae, Hooks Camp

Generally I only carry nine pitchers, but it might be ten this season as I have a lot of options in Cal Knight, Merritt Thomas, Lynn Trease, and Bill Anderson and I can't keep them all in Chicago. Anderson can be optioned, as can Thomas, but Knight cannot and Trease is a Rule-5 guy. I really want an extended look at the youngster from Peoria ,as he lights up the radar gun and has an excellent makeup. He's a leader in the clubhouse, an extremely hard worker, and very intelligent. I don't want any of these guys starting games (although Anderson could if we were desperate), but they can all give us quality innings out of the pen on the off chance that they are needed.

Looking behind that group, we have a lot of other interesting arms like Rube Finegan (who I've called Finnegan likely every time) and Harry MacRae. I don't take too much stake in the position rankings for relievers, but Finegan is supposedly the third best in all of baseball. He's a bit too self-centered for my likings and he allowed 11 runs in 11 AAA innings, but he was dominant in Mobile last season and really good in Lincoln the year before. He doesn't throw too hard, and is wild at times, but he strikes out a ton of hitters and gets more then his share of groundball outs. MacRae has started his entire minor league career, but his future is likely in the pen where he could be one of the best stoppers in the game. Last season went very well for the 22-year-old, going 17-4 in 28 starts between Mobile and Lincoln. His ERA+ was 139 in 111 innings in A ball and 128 in 75.1 in AA. Curtin is probably the only member of the pen better then him, but MacRae is nowhere near his peak yet. Neither are on the 40, which will work against them, but both are big league ready and could develop into long term late inning guys.

Bench: 3 or 4
Inside Edge: Don Long
50/50: Jimmie James, Ollie Page, Tip Harrison
Outside Looking In: Cuno Myer, Chris Smith, Walt Layton, Steve Jones, Don Lee, Bob Worley, Gus Byrd

I'll be honest, I have absolutely no idea who I want to fill up the bench. And that's part of the reason I brought so many guys up. Our depth has been tested with all the enlistments, but we have a few veterans and minor league journeymen who could excel in a weaker environment. We all know Cuno Myer can hit, but former 4th Round pick and now 33-year-old Chris Smith owns a .295/.351/.455 (128 OPS+) AAA career batting line and has been a beloved member of whatever clubhouse he has bene in. Then you have Walt Layton, who played 905 games in a decade with the Kings. He was a capable defender with a matching 1.098 efficiency at both second and short. His versatility gives him an edge over first basemen like Myer and Smith, but at 35 he's not the same defender he once was, and we have younger better defenders in Bill Dickens, Steve Jones, and Bill Graham, who will all be fighting to make their big league debuts.

I did make my decision a bit easier, sending Dan Rogers to the Stars for the Cannons 7th Round Pick, as he was unfortunately out of options and I really like our new Rule-5 Picks in Don Long and Gus Byrd, both of which can play center. We only really have one open outfield spot, as Moss and Langton platoon in right while Dan Fowler will probably take some starts away from Orlin Yates. I think Don Lee is almost guaranteed one of the last spots, as the 24-year-old is already a leader and checks in at 18th in our system. He hit an impressive .326/.389/.426 (149 OPS+) in 109 AA games last year, and his athleticism allows him to cover all three outfield positions. He's better in the corners, but he has a really nice hit tool and could steal a few bases. Byrd is more of a longshot, as he's two years younger and was a bit below average in AA. He was 21 most of the time, so a 95 OPS+ is pretty respectable. He's a better center fielder then Long, although he's not all that great himself.

We have a few other players in the mix if I decide to keep an outfielder who isn't a Rule-5 guy, but seven outfielders might be tough. We have another former King, Bob Worley, although he's known much more for his time in Montreal. He has a lot of pop, but whiffs a ton, and didn't hit too well in AAA last season. A more exciting option would be Rap Lee, but I'd prefer for him to get everyday at bats. Lee had a 162 OPS+ in Lincoln and 148 in Mobile, and if Yates get hurts there's no reason why he can't be our Opening Day center fielder. Otherwise he'll man center in either AA or AAA, playing with other camp mates like Huck Hanes, Bill Rich, and Chick Browning. All could end up on the active roster, but I think they'll be best served playing every day in the minors. We have a lot of depth in the corners, but Leo Mitchell never misses time and we have plenty of guys on the active roster who can man the outfield.

One guy I really want to see make the team is the versatile Jimmie James. The former 4th Rounder went 6-for-12 with a double, 2 walks, and 4 RBIs in his first 3 big league games, and he's coming off a .276/.376/.410 (120 OPS+) season in AAA. With Billy Hunter's lengthy injury history, I'd love to have Jimmie James start every third game at second, and he's probably the best option at short or third if for some reason Skipper or Hank decide to take an off day. James is a switch hitter as well and can play all three outfield positions. He's not as good in the field as Tip Harrison, but he's a far better hitter and could easily cast Harrison off on waivers. Regardless of if he makes the team, he's Billy Hunter's replacement, as he's a capable big league starter. Unlike Ollie Page, who may be at the end of his days as a Cougar. He hit a pitiful .118/.262/.157 (27 OPS+) in 64 PAs and he'll be 34 come Opening Day. Expect a lot of movement after the second week, but I'm hoping a lot of these guys can get some games in.