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ayaghmour2 · 11-27-2022, 05:20 PM

RHP Joe Swank (159th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 7th Round, 107th Overall (1941)
Alma Mater: Rhodes Rams

Despite being 21 all season long, Joe Swank more then held his won up in AA, going 16-10 in 26 starts with a 3.26 ERA (122 ERA+) and 1.34 WHIP. His 76 FIP- was just slightly higher then Harry Parker's, and swank struck out 109 with 58 walks in 215.2 innings behind George Oddo in the Commodores rotation. Swank tallied an impressive 5.7 WAR as well, and the former 7th Rounder is looking closer and closer to being a big league starter. He's got three solid pitches, with his circle change the bread and butter pitch. His fastball sits in the high 80s and his curve gets good movement, and its tough for opposing hitters to elevate any of his offerings. Expected to be a backend arm, Swank could probably make the jump to Milwaukee next season, but I'm leaning on leaving him in Mobile to start the year. The prospect people think Swank will be big league ready next season, but I'd be surprised to see him in a Cougar uniform next year. He's pretty advanced for someone his age, but he's also not too far from his ceiling.

LHP Lefty Jones (160th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 207th Overall (1943)
Alma Mater: Wilsonville Wildcats

Our 5th Rounder last season, Lefty Jones looked good in his first full season, actually pitching better in his 13 starts in San Jose opposed to the 8 prior in La Crosse. Jones went 8-5 with a 2.96 ERA (118 ERA+), 1.37 WHIP, 53 walks, and 71 strikeouts in 103.1 innings pitched. The 20-year-old has flashed excellent stuff, but he's unable to hone in his control at times. A tall, lefty sidewinder, Jones has a very good slider and his high 80s cutter has a lot of late life. Righties tend to match up against him better, but if he can polish up his change, he'll have a way to miss their bats too. Right now it's not much of an offering, but it should be an average pitch once fully developed. That will determine if he can start in the big leagues or not, as his other pitches are pretty solid. If that doesn't pan out, he could be a very intriguing back of the pen arm, getting tough lefties out with ease.

RHP Tommy Seymour (178th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 1st Round, 13th Overall (1943)
Alma Mater: Olathe Pioneers

After an awful debut season, Tommy Seymour wasn't much better this season, getting roughed up in 21 starts for the Lions. Last year's first rounder went 7-6, but with a 4.75 ERA (74 ERA+), 1.71 WHIP, 79 walks, and 45 strikeouts. An extremely raw pitching prospect, Seymour will likely need another full season at La Crosse, but he's entered the top 200 now and still looks like a future big league starter. This season wasn't perfect, as his strikeout rate plummeted, but he cut his walks nearly in half and his HR/9 fell from 2.4 to a dominant 0.2. A soft tosser, Seymour's fastball sits in the 83-85 range, but I'm sure he'll find ways to add velocity. Until then, his strikeouts will remain low, but he has a decent splitter and a plus-plus change. The harder his fastball gets, the more effective his off-speed offerings will be, and it will help him move up the rotation. I'd like to see him do a better job keeping runs off the board next season, but it will start with forcing weaker contact. I'm not sure he'll develop into a #1 or #2 like I once thought, but he's got all the tools to develop into a middle of the rotation arm, he just has a lot of room to grow.

SS Al Clement (202nd Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 2nd Round, 29th Overall (1943)
Alma Mater: De Pere Redbirds

After being taken right after Tommy Seymour last year, Al Clement now ranks right after Seymour in the prospect ranks. It was a tough season for Clement, who was playing up a level in San Jose due to a thin infield picture above. The biggest issue for Clement was the strikeouts, as he was set down 109 times in 120 games. Strikeouts aren't supposed be an issue for the 19-year-old, as he has strong pitch recognition skills and a plus hit tool. Last season he walked (43) about as much as he struck out (53), but his triple slash dropped way down to .267/.321/.309 (80 OPS+) in San Jose. Clement had only 11 extra base hits this season after 13 homers alone in just 61 games in C ball. I knew he couldn't sustain the power, but I thought a lot of those homers would turn into doubles instead of flyouts. With his speed, if he can hit line drives he'll end up with a lot of extra base hits, and he had an impressive 14-for-17 stolen base success rate. His speed is his calling card and should help develop him into a top level player if it can translate into excellent range at short , and if the bat comes together, he could be a productive regular.

RHP Mike Thorpe (221st Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 60th Overall (1944)
Alma Mater: Americus University Hurricanes

The scouts say Mike Thorpe is already a mid rotation level starter, and after a slow start in Mobile, he went on an absolute tear. In 9 starts with the Commodores he finished 5-4 with a 3.24 ERA (123 ERA+) and 1.33 WHIP with 23 walks and 26 strikeouts before a promotion up to Milwaukee. I debated letting him spend September with the big league squad, but I was very happy with his 4 starts with the Blues, allowing runs in just one of his four starts. Thorpe went 3-1 with a 1.57 ERA (227 ERA+), 0.87 WHIP, 11 walks, and 12 strikeouts. In total, Thorpe tossed 106.1 innings pitched, and even tossed the 130 pitch mark three times this season. Already near his ceiling, Thorpe will be in camp to start next season, and with all the question marks in the back of our rotation, he could conceivably earn a spot. Right now Clyde Meyer wants Angel Lopez to man the four spot, so he's likely Thorpe's main competition, as Lyons, Murphy, and Petrick won't have to worry about being optioned to AAA. Even if he doesn't break camp with the big league squad, I expect him to debut during the season, and he could be the first man up in case of injury. He could end up as trade bait if needed, but I'm not sure how comfortable I feel giving a ready made starter to a competitor. He's no Duke Bybee, but Thorpe should be more then capable of mowing through FABL lineups once he's given the chance.

11-27-2022, 05:20 PM	#952
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,130	Top Prospects: 11-15 RHP Joe Swank (159th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 7th Round, 107th Overall (1941) Alma Mater: Rhodes Rams Despite being 21 all season long, Joe Swank more then held his won up in AA, going 16-10 in 26 starts with a 3.26 ERA (122 ERA+) and 1.34 WHIP. His 76 FIP- was just slightly higher then Harry Parker's, and swank struck out 109 with 58 walks in 215.2 innings behind George Oddo in the Commodores rotation. Swank tallied an impressive 5.7 WAR as well, and the former 7th Rounder is looking closer and closer to being a big league starter. He's got three solid pitches, with his circle change the bread and butter pitch. His fastball sits in the high 80s and his curve gets good movement, and its tough for opposing hitters to elevate any of his offerings. Expected to be a backend arm, Swank could probably make the jump to Milwaukee next season, but I'm leaning on leaving him in Mobile to start the year. The prospect people think Swank will be big league ready next season, but I'd be surprised to see him in a Cougar uniform next year. He's pretty advanced for someone his age, but he's also not too far from his ceiling. LHP Lefty Jones (160th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 207th Overall (1943) Alma Mater: Wilsonville Wildcats Our 5th Rounder last season, Lefty Jones looked good in his first full season, actually pitching better in his 13 starts in San Jose opposed to the 8 prior in La Crosse. Jones went 8-5 with a 2.96 ERA (118 ERA+), 1.37 WHIP, 53 walks, and 71 strikeouts in 103.1 innings pitched. The 20-year-old has flashed excellent stuff, but he's unable to hone in his control at times. A tall, lefty sidewinder, Jones has a very good slider and his high 80s cutter has a lot of late life. Righties tend to match up against him better, but if he can polish up his change, he'll have a way to miss their bats too. Right now it's not much of an offering, but it should be an average pitch once fully developed. That will determine if he can start in the big leagues or not, as his other pitches are pretty solid. If that doesn't pan out, he could be a very intriguing back of the pen arm, getting tough lefties out with ease. RHP Tommy Seymour (178th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 1st Round, 13th Overall (1943) Alma Mater: Olathe Pioneers After an awful debut season, Tommy Seymour wasn't much better this season, getting roughed up in 21 starts for the Lions. Last year's first rounder went 7-6, but with a 4.75 ERA (74 ERA+), 1.71 WHIP, 79 walks, and 45 strikeouts. An extremely raw pitching prospect, Seymour will likely need another full season at La Crosse, but he's entered the top 200 now and still looks like a future big league starter. This season wasn't perfect, as his strikeout rate plummeted, but he cut his walks nearly in half and his HR/9 fell from 2.4 to a dominant 0.2. A soft tosser, Seymour's fastball sits in the 83-85 range, but I'm sure he'll find ways to add velocity. Until then, his strikeouts will remain low, but he has a decent splitter and a plus-plus change. The harder his fastball gets, the more effective his off-speed offerings will be, and it will help him move up the rotation. I'd like to see him do a better job keeping runs off the board next season, but it will start with forcing weaker contact. I'm not sure he'll develop into a #1 or #2 like I once thought, but he's got all the tools to develop into a middle of the rotation arm, he just has a lot of room to grow. SS Al Clement (202nd Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 2nd Round, 29th Overall (1943) Alma Mater: De Pere Redbirds After being taken right after Tommy Seymour last year, Al Clement now ranks right after Seymour in the prospect ranks. It was a tough season for Clement, who was playing up a level in San Jose due to a thin infield picture above. The biggest issue for Clement was the strikeouts, as he was set down 109 times in 120 games. Strikeouts aren't supposed be an issue for the 19-year-old, as he has strong pitch recognition skills and a plus hit tool. Last season he walked (43) about as much as he struck out (53), but his triple slash dropped way down to .267/.321/.309 (80 OPS+) in San Jose. Clement had only 11 extra base hits this season after 13 homers alone in just 61 games in C ball. I knew he couldn't sustain the power, but I thought a lot of those homers would turn into doubles instead of flyouts. With his speed, if he can hit line drives he'll end up with a lot of extra base hits, and he had an impressive 14-for-17 stolen base success rate. His speed is his calling card and should help develop him into a top level player if it can translate into excellent range at short , and if the bat comes together, he could be a productive regular. RHP Mike Thorpe (221st Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 60th Overall (1944) Alma Mater: Americus University Hurricanes The scouts say Mike Thorpe is already a mid rotation level starter, and after a slow start in Mobile, he went on an absolute tear. In 9 starts with the Commodores he finished 5-4 with a 3.24 ERA (123 ERA+) and 1.33 WHIP with 23 walks and 26 strikeouts before a promotion up to Milwaukee. I debated letting him spend September with the big league squad, but I was very happy with his 4 starts with the Blues, allowing runs in just one of his four starts. Thorpe went 3-1 with a 1.57 ERA (227 ERA+), 0.87 WHIP, 11 walks, and 12 strikeouts. In total, Thorpe tossed 106.1 innings pitched, and even tossed the 130 pitch mark three times this season. Already near his ceiling, Thorpe will be in camp to start next season, and with all the question marks in the back of our rotation, he could conceivably earn a spot. Right now Clyde Meyer wants Angel Lopez to man the four spot, so he's likely Thorpe's main competition, as Lyons, Murphy, and Petrick won't have to worry about being optioned to AAA. Even if he doesn't break camp with the big league squad, I expect him to debut during the season, and he could be the first man up in case of injury. He could end up as trade bait if needed, but I'm not sure how comfortable I feel giving a ready made starter to a competitor. He's no Duke Bybee, but Thorpe should be more then capable of mowing through FABL lineups once he's given the chance.