[ayaghmour2]

In my solo leagues, I like to look back at my old draft classes after 20 years have passed to judge how successful (or unsuccessful) the specific class was. Generally, 20 years after draft day, all the players are retired and you have their whole careers to judge. Even if they aren't (looking at you 1921 draftee Dick Lyons), there is still plenty to go off of, and you can tell quite easily if they were a bust or steal.

The FABL draft has gone through plenty of changes, but we are now 20 years from the first ever human draft. There are plenty of differences, starting with the simple fact that it was just 15 rounds. Not only that, but all 15 rounds were done in December, we had feeder leagues, and I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. Not only was this my first ever stats-only draft, but I had very little experience playing without ratings. I really wish I had reports back then (not that they would have been any good) to compare what I predicted their careers would end up to be, as opposed to how they actually were. Despite that, we had a decent amount of big leaguers come out of the class, even if the only notable one was the one who came first.

1st Round, 4th Overall: 2B Bill Ashbaugh
School: Washington Huskies
1928 (CHC): .287/.358/.483, 153 G, 679 PA, 13 2B, 13 3B, 25 HR, 101 RBI, 9 SB, 2.9 WAR
1929 (CHC): .346/.399/.577, 124 G, 541 PA, 22 2B, 10 3B, 23 HR, 101 RBI, 13 SB, 150 WRC+, 3.9 WAR
1930 (CHC): .321/.414/.531, 152 G, 657 PA, 21 2B, 24 3B, 16 HR, 131 RBI, 13 SB, 137 WRC+, 5.7 WAR
1931 (CHC): .326/.383/.452, 151 G, 665 PA, 27 2B, 8 3B, 11 HR, 95 RBI, 14 SB, 137 WRC+, 4.6 WAR
1932 (CHC): .319/.384/.470, 153 G, 658 PA, 24 2B, 13 3B, 13 HR, 93 RBI, 9 SB, 138 WRC+, 4.9 WAR
1933 (CHC): .291/.344/.453, 137 G, 585 PA, 24 2B, 15 3B, 11 HR, 75 TBI, 6 SB, 135 WRC+, 3.7 WAR
Career (FABL): .307/.373/.485, 1,242 G, 5,232 PA, 185 2B, 113 3B, 136 HR, 814 RBI, 86 SB, 132 WRC+, 32.6 WAR

Clearly the class of our class, Bill Ashbaugh was one of the most talented bats available in the class, and arguably the best and closest to big league ready. Ashbaugh spent just over a year and a half in the minors, but quickly debuted at 23 during the 1927 season. The talented slugger burst on to the scene, appearing in 78 games and hitting .330/.402/.560 (161 OPS+) with 10 doubles, 7 triples, 15 homers, 55 RBIs, and 8 stolen bases. Ashbaugh seized his lineup spot, whether that meant at second or first, and was a big part of the Cougars lineup from 1928 to 1933. In that period, he had an OPS+ and WRC+ of at least 130, tallying 131 doubles, 83 triples, 99 homers, and 596 RBIs. In '28, '29, and '30, he had 100 or more RBIs, led the league in walks in 1930 with 91, and then was a huge part of the 1931 Cougars team that won the World Championship Series. Unfortunately for Ashbaugh, injuries started to take a tole on him during the '33 season, and after that year he only appeared in 80 or more games once before just 29 games total in '37 and '38. Ashbaugh was eventually cut during the 1939 season, and while he did get 30 games in AAA with the Dynamos affiliate, he called it career at 35 after the '39 season. I've always wanted to know what could have been had Ashbaugh stayed healthy, as he finished his career with a robust 132 WRC+ in over 1,200 big league games, and had 100 or more of each type of extra base hit. He was a very successful first ever Figment pick, and one of the most popular Cougars of his time. Would have loved to hire him as a manager for our system, but the now 40-year-old Ashbaugh has instead decided to enjoy retirement.

2nd Round, 20th Overall: SS Hank Mitchell
School: California Golden Bears
Career (AA): .267/.341/.346, 434 G, 1,577 PA, 72 2B, 7 3B, 1 HR, 163 RBI, 15 SB, 88 WRC+, 3.5 WAR
Career (FABL): .000/.000/.000, 3 G, 8 PA, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0 SB

Inexperience strikes! I took the safe pick with Ashbaugh in the 1st, but got a little more creative in the 2nd Round, grabbing my favorite type of player; a versatile and athletic switch hitting shortstop. My scout at the time also really liked him, thinking he could be an every day big leaguer, but Mitchell never ended up ranking high on the prospect rankings, and got just a handful of big league games. Mitchell's value came in his versatility, and he played plenty 40 or more games at every position except pitcher and catcher, while appearing in 300 or more at both middle infield spots. Mitchell was an obvious miss, but the second Mitchell we picked up in the 2nd Round? I heard he's pretty good!

3rd Round, 36th Overall: LF Dick Fessel
School: Ole Miss Rebels
1929 (CHC): .306/.365/.394, 108 G, 359 PA, 14 2B, 4 3B, 2 HR, 40 RBI, 13 SB, 94 WRC+, 0.3 WAR
Career (FABL): .296/.363/.389, 261 G, 793 PA, 29 2B, 9 3B, 6 HR, 78 RBI, 22 SB, 102 WRC+, 2.0 WAR

Well if you measure success as playing in the big leagues, we're three-for-three! Yes, Ashbaugh is the only "hit", but Fessel did play for three seasons in the big leagues, including one year with 108 games played. Despite being a third rounder, Fessel didn't start regularly in '26 or '27 (inexperience, yay!), but 1928 was a huge season. He hit well in AA and AAA, and got to debut later that season. Fessel started all 77 of his appearances, and hit a respectable .273/.357/.349 (97 OPS+) with 8 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, 25 RBIs, and 8 steals. He got a full season of starts in '29, but it was his last opportunity, as the Cougars started getting good and Fessel was past up by plenty of better players. We cut him in '31, and he bounced around the minors a bit, but he finished his career with an even 100 OPS+, better then most hitters can say.

4th Round, 52nd Overall: C Ken Wyatt
School: Sacramento HS Governors
Career (AAA): .262/.323/.370, 521 G, 1,670 PA, 122 2B, 4 3B, 10 HR, 238 RBI, 1 SB, 81 WRC+, 3.8 WAR
Career (FABL): .167/.286/.167, 6 G, 8 PA, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB, 20 WRC+, -0.0 WAR

Four-for-four! Yes, another lame one, as Ken Wyatt played just 6 big league games, all coming off the bench. Wyatt was a minor league lifer, spending all but 8 of his professional games in the minors. After debuting with San Jose in 1926, he managed to play a game in each season until 1941, and his entire career was spent in our organization. Wyatt always had a decent glove, but just couldn't hit. We needed him once as a last resort, but he could never quite grasp and keep a chance.

5th Round, 68th Overall: LHP Phil English
School: Penn State Nittany Lions
1929 (NYS): 11-6, 19 SV, 55 G, 8 GS, 123.2 IP, 3.06 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 38 BB, 58 K, 146 ERA+, 1.2 WAR
1932 (NYS): 1-5, 7 SV, 38 G, 79.1 IP, 3.18 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 27 BB, 39 K, 131 ERA+, 1.1 WAR
1937 (TOR): 2-2, 14 SV, 47 G, 55.1 IP, 1.46 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 23 BB, 33 K, 276 ERA+, 0.9 WAR
Career (NYS): 26-25, 44 SV, 214 G, 8 GS, 423.2 IP, 4.33 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 180 BB, 202 K, 95 ERA+, 1.7 WAR
Career (TOR): 28-21, 53 SV, 294 G, 423.2 IP, 3.08 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 138 BB, 153 K, 133 ERA+, 3.9 WAR
Career (FABL): 54-46, 97 SV, 508 G, 8 GS, 777 IP, 3.76 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 318 BB, 355 K, 110 ERA+, 5.6 WAR

The first pitcher we took also happens to be the only player still active, as a 40-year-old Phil English is still alive and kicking for the Toronto Wolves. The tiny 5'5'' hurler didn't spend too much time in our organization, as he was part of a five player trade with the Stars that brought us Bob McCarty and Pat Schuring. English debuted during the next season, tossing 40.2 innings for the Stars. It didn't go great, but he took it to the next step as a sophomore, tossing 123.2 innings, with 47 of his 55 appearances coming out of the pen. He led the league with 19 saves, and finished 11-6 with a 3.06 ERA (146 ERA+), 1.20 WHIP, 38 walks, and 58 strikeouts. He took a step back the next two seasons, but turned things right back around in 1932 for the Champion Stars. He threw 79.1 innings pitched with a 3.18 ERA (131 ERA+) and 1.31 WHIP with 27 walks and 39 strikeouts. Unfortunately for English, the next two seasons didn't go well, and it looked like the 30-year-old relievers career was coming to a close. The Stars waived him in the offseason, but the Wolves took a chance on him, claiming and keeping a roster spot for the righty.

English revived himself as a Wolf, going 3-4 with 7 saves in 40.2 innings for the Wolves in 1935. He had a nice 3.76 ERA (116 ERA+) and 1.52 WHIP with 14 walks and 23 strikeouts. English improved in '36, saving 11 games with a 3.64 ERA (125 ERA+) and 1.49 WHIP before taking a huge leap forward. English had one of the best seasons for a reliever in the modern era, going 2-2 with 14 saves, a 1.46 ERA (276 ERA+), 1.17 WHIP, 23 walks, and 33 strikeouts in 55.1 innings pitched. For the next four seasons, he's alternated good and bad years, but the veteran has been excellent in the war years. It's came in limited innings, just 16.2, 28.2, and 26.1, but those samples have came with ERA+s of 203, 361, and 130. He'll be 41 to start next season, and it seems he'll still get a chance to pitch a few innings out of the Wolves pen. He'll look to add to his 777 FABL inning total. His 110 ERA+ is a bit above average, but at times English has been a lockdown pen arm. Ashbaugh has been far more successful, but it's tough to beat English's longevity. He was a huge success, even if it didn't come with us, and a pretty nice find in the 5th Round.

6th Round, 84th Overall: SS Clyde Hinzman
School: Washington DC HS Senators
Career (AAA): .286/.356/.403, 638 G, 2,372 PA, 121 2B, 18 3B, 29 HR, 323 RBI, 39 SB, 109 WRC+, 15.5 WAR
Career (TOR): .257/.337/.360, 183 G, 670 PA, 28 2B, 9 3B, 5 HR, 50 RBI, 3 SB, 100 WRC+, 3.0 WAR
Career (FABL): .250/.327/.342, 283 G, 1,039 PA, 44 2B, 10 3B, 7 HR, 97 RBI, 3 SB, 88 WRC+, 2.7 WAR

Despite lasting until the 6th Round, Clyde Hinzman ended up being a rather well regarded prospect, cracking the top 100 in 1928, topping out at 64 while maintaining the top 100 rank until he aged out. Hinzman did debut with us, making 4 appearances in 1930 before we sent him to the Wolves in the offseason for Cy Bryant, who was instrumental in our 1931 Championship. He spent the next three seasons split between the farm and Toronto, before we picked him up in May of 1934 as we were desperate for shortstops. The cost ended up being higher then I expected, as we sent away Reginald Westfall, who still plays for the Wolves now. Hinzman made 68 starts in 80 appearances, slashing just .230/.310/.302 (68 OPS+) before eventually losing the starting job. He got into 1 game the next season for us and 15 more in '36, which ended up being his last appearance in the big leagues. He spent '37 in Milwaukee before we cut him, and he then bounced around team to team until '41 when he eventually retired. Hinzman profiled as an big league regular, and while he never got many shots to play every day, he tended to struggle when he did. Still, most 6th Rounders don't even get a cup of coffee, and Hinzman got the equivalent of two FABL seasons split between seven seasons.

7th Round, 100th Overall: 2B Rabbit Forrest
School: Cleveland HS Barons
1930 (PHI): .342/.388/.422, 147 G, 649 PA, 29 2B, 9 3B, 0 HR, 94 RBI, 3 SB, 114 WRC+, 3.7 WAR
1931 (PHI): .308/.355/.405, 154 G, 695 PA, 28 2B, 17 3B, 0 HR, 85 RBI, 3 SB, 106 WRC+, 3.3 WAR
1933 (PHI): .331/.385/.406, 107 G, 486 PA, 15 2B, 9 3B, 0 HR, 45 RBI, 6 SB, 121 WRC+, 3.8 WAR
Career (AAA): .274/.351/.372, 474 G, 2,039 PA, 75 2B, 43 3B, 5 HR, 168 RBI, 31 SB, 107 WRC+, 11.6 WAR
Career (PHI): .298/.356/.388, 989 G, 3,890 PA, 145 2B, 84 3B, 1 HR, 419 RBI, 36 SB, 101 WRC+, 16.7 WAR
Career (FABL): .296/.355/.386, 1,026 G, 4,017 PA, 150 2B, 85 3B, 1 HR, 429 RBI, 36 SB, 100 WRC+, 17.1 WAR

While technically active, Rabbit Forrest had a major concussion this August, and likely won't get another shot to play in the big leagues. The 100th pick in the 1925 draft, Forrest has appeared in 1,026 FABL games, with all but 37 of them coming with the Keystones. Never known for hitting for power, he hit just one homer in 4,017 FABL PAs, and my guess is that lone homer was of the inside the park variety. Forrest never played in the big leagues for us, as we traded him the summer before his debut. Him and Johnny Douglas went to the Keystones for Joe King and a 2nd Rounder, that ended up being Mel Leonard. On the surface, we probably lost that trade, but Leonard ended up getting us Bobby Sprague, coming back with Orlin Yates and Milt Fritz, and then finally getting us George K. Brooks, who was part of the John Lawson deal.

Forrest had plenty of success with the Keystones, and was a member of the 1933 team who topped us in the finals. His rookie season was arguably the best of the bunch, as he hit .342/.388/.422 (109 OPS+) with 29 doubles, 9 triples, and 94 RBIs. He didn't have a sophomore slump, hitting a similar .308/.355/.405 (103 OPS+) in a career high 695 trips to the plate. Those two years accounted for 2/3rds of his seasons with 100+ games started, with the other coming in '33, where he missed about a month and a half with injury. His 120 OPS+ was the best of his career, and he had only one above average showing in the seasons following. He only had one other stop with more then 400 PAs, transitioning into a mainly bench player who got starts if a spot in the lineup opened up. He finished his Keystone career with a slightly above average 101 WRC+ in 989 games played from 1930-1939. He then took a few years off from the FABL, but surfaced in 1942 with the Dynamos. He hit just .226/.325/.292 (80 OPS+) in 127 PAs, and spent the last two seasons in AAA St. Paul. At 37, he likely won't have much of a market, but an independent team could potentially scoop him up once healthy.

8th Round, 116th Overall: RF Ralph Collier
School: Philadelphia HS Patriots
Career (A): .286/.356/.366, 322 G, 822 PA, 24 2B, 5 3B, 8 HR, 80 RBI, 30 SB, 93 WRC+, 1.7 WAR

The first of our picks to fail to reach the big leagues, Ralph Collier didn't get much playing time, but filled our system from 1926-1934. He spent most of his time in A ball, where he played 322 games. A lot of them came after his time with the Cougars, as he spent time with the Independent Denver Plainsman, Des Moines Bears, and Tulsa Roughnecks. Not much special about Collier, but you can't hit on all your picks.

9th Round, 132nd Overall: RHP Dan Smith
School: North Carolina Tar Heels
Career (A): 37-17, 10 SV, 143 G, 55 GS, 566.2 IP, 2.89 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 235 BB, 465 K, 152 ERA+, 11.3 WAR

After an excellent three year run at North Carolina, Chicagoan Dan Smith was the second pitcher taken by the Cougars in the inaugural human draft. The numbers were great, as he went 12-11 with a 2.49 ERA (174 ERA+) and 1.22 WHIP with 122 walks and 244 strikeouts in 278 innings pitched. He got off to a great start in Lincoln, going 15-7 with a 3.65 ERA (121 ERA+) in 219.2 innings pitched, but the success was short lived. He ended up going on waivers, moving to the Cleveland system, where he spent a pair of seasons in AA before heading to the Gothams system. He threw a no-hitter during the 1930 season, but that was the last highlight for Smith, who retired in 1935 with just 30.2 innings at the AAA level.

10th Round, 148th Overall: LF Curt Ross
School: Los Angeles HS Leopards
Career (AA): .313/.381/.415, 537 G, 2,121 PA, 91 2B, 29 3B, 14 HR, 190 RBI, 150 SB, 111 WRC+, 9.4 WAR
Career (FABL): .000/.000/.000, 2 G, 4 PA, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB, -129 WRC+, -0.1 WAR

I totally forgot that it happened, but 10th Rounder Curt Ross did play for the Cougars, making a start and pinch hit appearance in 1933. He went just 0-for-4, and was then DFA'd in the offseason. He was claimed by the Kings, and played 53 games for their AA affiliate, before being cut by the Kings. He spent three and a half seasons with San Antonio of the Lone Star Association and then a final year in El Paso before calling it quits. The speedy outfielder didn't have too much success, but his 1936 season with the Missions was very impressive. Ross hit .356/.420/.460 (136 OPS+) with 19 doubles, 30 steals, 31 walks, and 26 RBIs in 331 trips to the plate.

11th Round, 164th Overall: 1B Luke Nixon
School: Indiana Hoosiers
Career (A): .313/.402/.495, 676 G, 2,693 PA, 129 2B, 31 3B, 75 HR, 385 RBI, 104 SB, 141 WRC+, 19.7 WAR
1929 (CHC): .328/.375/.467, 88 G, 367, 17 2B, 7 3B, 5 HR, 51 RBI, 11 SB, 120 WRC+, 1.5 WAR
Career (CLE): .286/.344/.416, 149 G, 430 PA, 22 2B, 8 3B, 4 HR, 38 RBI, 8 SB, 103 WRC+, 1.7 WAR
Career (FABL): .305/.357/.438, 240 G, 804 PA, 30 2B, 15 3B, 9 HR, 91 RBI, 19 SB, 110 WRC+, 3.2 WAR

Taken in the 11th Round, Luke Nixon spent his first full seasons in Lincoln, recording OPS+ of 101, 152, and 155 before making the jump to AAA at 24 in 1929. Despite the big jump, Nixon didn't have any trouble, slashing .382/.456/.541 (167 OPS+) with 10 doubles, 3 triples, 3 homers, 7 steals, and 27 RBIs in 37 games. His mix of speed and power from the first base position was pretty impressive, and it earned him a callup to Chicago to be our everyday first basemen. Nixon had an impressive rookie season, hitting an impressive .328/.375/.467 (117 OPS+) with 17 doubles, 7 triples, 5 homers, 11 steals, and 51 RBIs in 88 games to finish the season. Nixon's time in Chicago was short-lived, as he was part of a very important trade. We sent Nixon, Harry Parker, Pat Schuring (part of the Forrest trade), and Ben Richardson to the Foresters for Max Wilder and Russ Combs, which helped us win a pair of pennants in '31 and '33. Nixon was given a roster spot for the Foresters, but hit just .276 in 50 games the following season with a 87 WRC+ and just a single homer. His playing time was sporadic the next few seasons, before they waived him an we claimed him. Nixon made 7 PAs in '33, which was the last of his big league experience, but most of that season and the two that followed came in Milwaukee. We cut him before the '36 season, which he sat out, before spending two and a half seasons with the Tulsa Roughnecks of the Western Baseball League. His '37 season was one to remember for Roughnecks fans, as he hit an elite .316/.410/.580 (172 OPS+) with 29 doubles, 27 homers, 86 RBIs, and 34 steals. Nixon was always a talented hitter, but his lack of defensive talent made it hard for him to secure regular playing time.

12th Round, 180th Overall: LF Earl Johnson
School: Chicago HS Wildcats
Career (AAA): .300/.368/.489, 710 G, 3,008 PA, 148 2B, 57 3B, 81 HR, 403 RBI, 188 SB, 126 WRC+, 14.9 WAR
Career (FABL): .222/.311/.315, 40 G, 61 PA, 3 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 2 SB, 83 WRC+, 0.1 WAR

Another draftee with just a small cup of coffee, Earl Johnson grew up in the Chicagoland area, and was known more for who he was traded for, then himself. The speedy outfielder quickly worked his way up our system, reaching AAA in 1929 after an elite 147 OPS+ in parts of two seasons with the Commodores. He upped that to 148 in 69 games with the Blues the following season, before getting sent to the Gothams with Lou Gaffin for 28-year-old swingman Dick Leudtke. Leudtke was average for us to finish the season, with more of the same in our championship year, but Leudtke broke out in '32. He led the league in wins (19), ERA (2.79), WHIP (1.15), and BABIP (.257) in an Allen worthy season. Unfortunately for Luedtke, that was his peak, but he had a 2.87 ERA (126 ERA+) and 1.22 WHIP the following season as we returned to the World Championship series. It was his last above average season, but Johnson helped us net a pitcher who finished his career with 104 FABL victories and a 23.8 WAR in 1,740 innings pitched.

Johnson, on the other hand, debuted for the Gothams during Luedtke's dominant 1932 season, going 3-for-5 with a double, walk, 2 RBIs, and 2 steals. It was easily the best sample of his career, as he struggled in 33 games for the Gothams the following season. He hit just .184/.259/.265 (46 OPS+) with 2 doubles, a triple, and 3 RBIs. He did put up impressive AAA numbers that season and the two following, but Johnson never got another chance in the big leagues. He was cut after the '35 season, and bounced around a bit before retiring after the '38 season. He had a nice two-year run for the Galveston Gunners, and Johnson was the classic AAAA type player who could succeed in the farm, but not at the games highest level.

13th Round, 196th Overall: RF Ed Rhoden
School: Chicago HS Wildcats
Career (AA): .307/.369/.437, 1,545 G, 6,622 PA, 316 2B, 108 3B, 78 HR, 785 RBI, 252 SB, 122 WRC+, 39.5 WAR
Career (FABL): .169/.268/.211, 25 G, 82 PA, 3 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 3 SB, 33 WRC+, -0/4 WAR

Speaking of the Galveston Gunners, Ed Rhoden is a living legend for them, appearing in a team high 1,426 games with a team best 1,663 career hits. Rhoden has played 11 seasons for the Gunners, and is ready for a 12th at 37, hitting .304/.367/.429 with 285 doubles, 94 triples, 72 homers, 247 steals, and 720 RBIs while worth an impressive 36.5 wins above replacement. Rhoden is all over the Gunners leaderboard, ranked 4th in average, OBP, and slugging, 1st in WAR, at bats (5,478), runs (858), total bases (2,352), triples, and walks (568), while 2nd in doubles, RBIs, and homers. From '34 to '44, he's had an OPS+ above 100, and is coming off a season he hit .326/.396/.382 (109 OPS+) with 9 doubles, 4 triples, a homer, and 43 RBIs in 403 trips to the plate.

Before he was a Gunners legend, however, Rhoden was a Cougar prospect who worked his way up to Chicago. After splitting his 1930 season between Mobile and Milwaukee, Rhoden got the call to Chicago, earning a cup of coffee in September. He was 2-for-12 with a double, 5 walks, and an RBI, and he got another small sample the next year. It was just 7 PAs, but he doubled, walked twice, and drove in two. Rhoden was back in Milwaukee for the '32 season, but we needed an injury replacement for Russ Combs, so Rhoden was sent to Brooklyn for Arnold Bower. Rhoden was hitting .368/.433/.624 (180 OPS+) at the time of the trade, but slumped to a more average .281/.324/.434 (104 OPS+) in 70 games with AAA Rochester. The Kings still wanted to see what they had, so Rhoden came up later in the season, but he couldn't get it going in Brooklyn. Rhoden got into 16 games, starting all but two, but the 25-year-old hit a rather pitiful .148/.190/.167 (-2 OPS+). He was banished to the farm for the '33 season, and eventually cut Opening Day in 1934. That's when his career took off for the Gunners, and Rhoden has been content mashing in Texas the rest of the way.

14th Round, 212nd Overall: CF Sam Reeves
School: Baltimore HS Terrapins
Career (B): .320/.389/.461, 291 G, 1,076 PA, 71 2B, 21 3B, 7 HR, 133 RBI, 53 SB, 123 WRC+, 5.2 WAR
Career (AA): .292/.330/.431, 326 G, 1,208 PA, 89 2B, 24 3B, 6 HR, 180 RBI, 23 SB, 103 WRC+, 4.6 WAR

A versatile youngster, Reeves got time at first, third, left, center, and right, which helped him spend 11 seasons in the Cougars organization. He was more of a roster filler then an everyday guy, but he made 100 appearances in '29, '31, and '32 before hanging up the cleats after not playing a game during the 1937 season. Reeves got just 14 games in AAA, spending most of his time in San Jose or Mobile.

15th Round, 228th Overall: 3B Frank Johnson
School: Spartanburg HS Spartans
Career (B): .259/.347/.348, 287 G, 717 PA, 35 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 79 RBI, 0 SB, 96 WRC+, 3.0 WAR
Career (AA): .281/.344/.374, 233 G, 951 PA, 43 2B, 4 3B, 9 HR, 129 RBI, 1 SB, 83 WRC+, 1.8 WAR

Wrapping up the class was Frank Johnson, who was a 15th Rounder of the Dynamos in 1924 as well. It was hard for Johnson to get much playing time in our system, appearing in 100 games just once back in 1930, where 109 of his 119 games came with the Legislators. He was cut during the '33 season, but then bounced around the independent circuit. Before retiring in 1937, he appeared in games with the Pueblo Mountaineers, Waco Wranglers, Fort Worth Cattlemen, and Denver Plainsman.

Summary
Despite just one star, and an expected one at that with a 4th Overall Pick, the 1925 Cougars draft class was pretty solid. Bill Ashbaugh was an impact player for nine seasons before injuries started to take their toll. Phil English and Rabbit Forrest were both suitable role players and both Dick Fessel and Luke Nixon had solid seasons for some real bad teams, while Nixon and Earl Johnson helped net some really good players. The pitching was weak, but English has been a dependable back-end pen arm and we only selected two pitchers in the first ten rounds. The class could have been better, but all things considered, the '25 class exceeded my expectations.

FABL Totals
Big League Debuts: 10 (of 15)
Parts of 5 Seasons: 5
Parts of 10 Seasons: 3
Parts of 15 Seasons: 1
500 Games: 3
1,000 Games: 2
500 PA Seasons: 9
1,000 Career PAs: 2
2,500 Career PAs: 2
5,000 Career PAs: 1
100 Inning Seasons: 1
500 Career Innings: 1
10 Win Seasons: 1
50 Career Wins: 1
50 Career Saves: 1
4 WAR Seasons: 3
Total WAR: 62.5