[ayaghmour2]

5th Round, 76th Overall: RHP Lonnie Sis
School: Winnebago
Commit School: President's College
1944: 8-2, 95.2 IP, 1.32 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 24 BB, 134 K
Career: 12-2, SV, 145 IP, 1.30 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 40 BB, 203 K

When your dad plays major league baseball, you can almost assume you'll get drafted. But when your dad wins nearly 400 FABL games, you're going to be a highly touted prospect no matter how good you throw the ball. Lonnie Sis is no exception, as "The Sizzler" was taken with our 5th Round pick. His dad, Charlie, was a legend with the Wolves, pitching in a whopping 710 games between 1904 and 1921. From 1904 to 1905 he was a Pioneer, and despite a league best 32 wins and 1.48 ERA (169 ERA+), he didn't surface in the majors again until 1909 with Toronto. That's when the St. James Sizzler really made his mark, starting a 9 year run with 44 or more starts. In his 15 year career, the elder Sis led the league in wins four times, ERA four times, games three times, starts five times, innings five times, strikeouts three times, WHIP three times, and WAR four times. All told, Sis went 395-248 with a 2.29 ERA (133 ERA+) and 1.09 WHIP while striking out an FABL best 3,462 batters in 6,031 innings pitched. All time, he ranks 9th in ERA, second in wins, 5th in games (710), 3rd in starts (686), first in shutouts (94), second in innings, and second in WAR (146.36). I'd be very surprised if anyone comes close to any of those ranks other then strikeouts, as a healthy Peter the Heater striking out 250 batters for 14 seasons seems very doable.

Of course, it would be unfair to expect anything close to legendary from Lonnie, and we don't need him to fill in his dad's shoes. We just want him to do what he does best, improve his craft. The soon-to-be 18-year-old from St. James, Minnesota grew up about an hour and a half away from potential future rotation mates Johnny and Donnie Jones, and he put together two solid seasons of high school ball. After splitting time between the pen and rotation last year, Sis started all 13 of his appearances, and maintained his impressive 12.6 K/9 while actually dropping his BB/9 over half a point. His ERA was a bit higher, but he lowered his WHIP and flashed a ton of promise for a young arm. An extremely dedicated worker, Sis' coaches love his work ethic, and they say you wouldn't know his dad was a Hall of Famer by his effort level, as he takes nothing for granted and works tirelessly to improve each day. He's already upped his velocity to the low 90s, and with a few more years I can see him sitting comfortably in the mid-to-high 90s. His stuff is raw, but once fully developed he should feature a whiff inducing change up, knee-buckling curve, and biting cutter that he can attack hitters with up in the zone. He's got to hone in on his command, but his pitches all have a lot of late life, and it's hard to make good contact on his offerings. Right now he profiles more as a back of the rotation arm, but I'm betting on his baseball blood and stellar work ethic, which can be the perfect combination for success in the highest levels.

6th Round, 92nd Overall: CF Dick Pace
School: Greenwood College
1944: .283/.370/.389, 284 PA, 10 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 40 RBI, 36 SB
Career: .300/.385/.389, 778 PA, 26 2B, 5 3B, 8 HR, 121 RBI, 110 SB

A three year starter at Greenwood College, Dick Pace had a rather successful college career. In terms of average and OBP, his junior year was the first season below .300/.390, but he matched his freshman personal bests for doubles, triples, and homers. A bit on the older side, Pace is already 22, and will be 23 in December. This could lead to a quick rise up the system, and he likely skips a few minor league levels once he signs. I'm not sure if Pace can stick in center, but we do really like his bat. He can barrel up the ball consistently, and with his speed you can expect a lot of extra base hits. He's got a good eye too, walking far more the he struck out at Greenwood, but I expect these to level out a bit against tougher competitions. Pace should be able to draw a lot of walks, and his speed will help turn those into doubles, making him a very useful table setter. OSA is a huge fan, thinking he's an above average everyday player, while Tom leans towards more average. Unlike some of our earlier picks, I don't expect much growth, as Pace doesn't show the same drive as some of his new teammates. I'm not too worried, as he's a high floor, low ceiling type player, so we don't need him to grow too much.