[ayaghmour2]

The Cannons were on the brink of elimination, surprisingly down 3-0, as the offense couldn't get anything going. Down, but not out, they won a crazy double play filled extra inning game to at least avoid the sweep. They then took it another step, as the bats came to play in game five, beating down the visitors 8-4 to force a return to the City of Brotherly Love. Game six might happen tonight, but even if we declare a winner, it may be a bit before the offseason starts. Our commish is going to be on vacation, so we may be on hiatus all of next week. That could leave plenty of time for trading, but it will be a very long week. To help a bit, I've broken up my project into six parts. To be fair, if it was just three, each post would be very long, as for some prospects I did a ton of writing, and I wanted to copy in the original writings. The next six posts (unless a major trade interrupts) will take a look at something I wrote about a year and a half ago, covering our top 30 prospects from the 1935 season.

1935 was a far different time then now, although one thing is the same, the Chicago Cougars had five championships. That fifth came four years prior, which started what some thought would be a run of success. The Cougars then won 97 games in each of the next two seasons, but fell two short to a John Lawson led Stars team for the '32 pennant. That season had plenty of heartbreak, as deadline acquisition Tommy Wilcox was awful while Tom Barrell was dominating for the Kings. Wilcox proved it was a fluke, and helped lead the Cougars to a commanding pennant in '33. Up 2-0 in against the Keystones, things looked great, but that's when it all started to fall apart. Head Sports Writer at The Figment Sporting Journal published an article titled "Cougars Maul Opponents on the Field and the Trade Table" which had quotes such as the Cougars "are on the verge on winning their second World Championship Series in 3 years" and when talking about the Wilcox-Barrell trade "the Kings will quite possibly look back at this day as a franchise altering moment that cost them the opportunity to win several pennants - pennants that it appears will reside in Chicago quite regularly over the next few years." Of course, we all know what happened, and the Cougars blew their commanding league going into the Windy City, and the championships never came to town. After this devastation, the Cougars fell apart, sitting below .500 in July and double digits games out of first. As if that wasn't bad enough, the Iron Man Tommy Wilcox, who never missed a start, ruptured his UCL after manager Dick Pozza overworked the reigning Allen Winner. At the time of the injury, Wilcox held a 2.93 ERA (144 ERA+) and 1.19 WHIP in 153.2 innings pitched. The Cougars managed to finish the season above .500, but for the first time in a while their was an air of concern in Chicago.

This was the season it really hurt, but it started full with optimism. Wilcox was recovering well, and in May I even thought "he's going to be okay!" after receiving a scouting report on him. Unfortunately, the team was struggling and so was Tommy, and he dealt with four injuries from June on. Wilcox finished the season with an ERA near 5, and the depleted Cougars roster ended up as a seller in July. Tom Taylor, Lou Kelly, and John Kincaid. The Cougars finished the season below .500 for the first time since 1929, and Cougars fans were already getting anxious. Even though things looked bleak at the time, there was a ton of talent just waiting for a chance. The system was filled with talent, producing multiple starters for us while others were used to bring in top quality talent, and ten years later eight of the players are still in the organization.

Below are the totals from this talent filled class:

FABL Totals
Big League Debuts: 27
Parts of 5 Seasons: 22
Parts of 9 Seasons: 7
All-Star Appearances: 17
4 WAR Seasons: 25
Total WAR: 302

Hitters
500 Games: 11
1,000 Games: 4
500 PA Seasons: 45
1,000 Career PAs: 12
2,500 Career PAs: 9
5,000 Career PAs: 3

Pitchers
100 Inning Seasons: 28
250 Inning Seasons: 6
500 Career Innings: 5
1,000 Career Innings: 3
1,500 Career Innings: 2
10 Win Seasons: 17
20 Win Seasons: 2
50 Career Wins: 2
100 Career Wins: 1

What really stands out is the total WAR. 302! That means in the past 10 seasons, each member of our top 30 was worth 1 WAR each season for the past ten years. That's a crazy amount of value from a team's top prospects, and sure some of these guys fizzled out, there are plenty that have multiple seasons of productivity left, especially the top five on that list. Let's see how many of them I projected relatively well:

2B Ray Ford (8th Overall)
Acquired: Via Trade with Chicago (7-16-1934)
Drafted: 14th Round, 217th Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Coastal Carolina Dolphins

"He may have dropped a few spots in the rankings, but that doesn't mean I like Ford any less. In fact, I actually like him more now then before. Now that I know that he could potentially play left field, it gives me a few more options to use the 24-year-old. He's not Rule-5 eligible yet, but that won't stop him from trying to earn an Opening Day roster spot. He'll be getting reps at second and will compete against Bill Ashbaugh, as with Doc Love still in Chicago left field isn't open. Ford even started the season in A ball, but spent about half the season in AAA. It was the "worst" showing for him, hitting just .365/.458/.582 (151 OPS+) with 12 homers and 63 RBI's in one plate appearance shy of 300. Ford has always shown the ability to hit well, but defense will always be a struggled for him. He was passable in 62 AAA games in left, but I tried to play him at third in Mobile and it did not work at all. He's been awful at second too, but he's got the potential to be one of the games best hitters. The sky is truly the limit for Ford, and I'm really hoping he plays well enough to spend his entire 1936 in Chicago."

That darn war... The sky really was the limit for Ray Ford, who was one of the most consistent and talented hitters in the Continental Association. Debuting in 1946, Ford seized the starting first base job, and hit .319/.371/.430 (112 OPS+) with 38 doubles, 7 triples, 5 homers, and 87 RBIs. The power came later, as the only subsequent season he didn't reach double digit homers was 1941, where injuries held him to a then career low 441 PAs. Before enlisting into the Air Force, Ford was on a string of seven consecutive seasons with an OPS+ and WRC+ above 100, including five seasons with a 125 or better WRC+. Now 34, Ford played 927 games in his aged 24 to 30 seasons, slashing a robust .305/.361/.449 (123 OPS+) with 202 doubles, 84 homers, and 528 RBIs. Considering all it costed was Johnny Cox, any big league production from Ford would have been a win, but how many hitters have 300 or more strikeouts with less then 100 walks? There's 5! Bonus point if you can guess the current Cougar who also shares that distinction?

1B Leo Mitchell (12th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 2nd Round, 28th Overall (1931)
Alma Mater: Atlanta HS Peaches

"He's a big leaguer now! He started the season in AAA and hit an impressive .348/.423/.524 (129 OPS+) batting line with 11 homers and 70 RBI's in 407 trips to the plate. I decided that it would be time for the 22-year-old to start his Cougar career, and he managed a slightly above league average .316/.376/.399 (101 OPS+) line with 4 homers and 18 RBI's in 250 trips to the plate. Mitchell was extremely adept with the glove too, tallying an impressive +4.4 zone rating and 1.085 efficiency at first. Unless something crazy happens, we'll see Mitchell manning first base most of 1936. He's got significant contact potential and leadership well beyond his years. He currently ranks as the 15th best first basemen in the league, but I wouldn't be surprised if that jumps up to top 5 by this time next year.
"

I'm not sure if Mitchell ever reached top 5 first basemen status, but there were times he was the #1 left fielder and still ranks 5th despite not making a single trip to the plate this season. It's crazy to think that Mitchell went from the guy I took because he played high school ball with Harry Barrell to my favorite position player on the team. Mitchell was already a big leaguer at this time, but didn't become a fulltime starter until the 1937 season. It was a huge breakout for Mitchell, who split time between first (60), left (20), and right (35), hitting .327/.393/.429 (130 OPS+) with 20 doubles, 2 triples, 6 homers, 5 steals, and 41 RBIs. Mitchell didn't become an every day Left Fielder until his first All-Star appearance in 1939, and he finished with an outstanding .352/.397/.466 (130 OPS+) line with 39 doubles, 10 homers, and 86 RBIs. From then on out, he's pretty much played every game out in left, never missing more then a week of gametime.

Robbed of the Whitney Award last season, Mitchell has been selected to 5-All Star games and won back-to-back batting titles. The most consistent hitter in baseball, Mitchell put up an OPS+ of either 130, 131, 132, or 135 in each season from 1937 to 1943. Mitchell has never hit below .310/.350/.395 since debuting in 1935, and the 32-year-old outfielder owns a .336/.380/.445 (132 OPS+) batting line in 1,261 career games as a Cougar. Strikeouts have always been a semi-issue for Mitchell, who surpassed 100 three times and has been set down exactly 800 times in his career. He's tallied 226 doubles, 95 homers, and 632 RBIs, and his name is all over the Cougar record books. Of course, no Cougar has struck out more then Mitchell, but he also ranks top 10 in average (4th), OBP (6th), slugging (10), OPS (9th, .826), games (10th), at-bats (7th, 4,910), runs (7th, 754), hits (4th, 1,650), total bases (6th, 2,187), singles (4th, 1,316), doubles (9th), and homers (5th). The Cougars consistently have top three offenses with him, and the first season without him we're not even top half. I can't wait for him to come home, as he continues to move up in our team bests.

SS Billy Hunter (13th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 1st Round, 14th Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Cincinnati HS Tigers

"Sure Ford and Mitchell are ranked higher, but Billy Hunter is the one I'm much more excited for. He turns 21 in November, but Hunter was very effective with Lincoln this year. He hit .323/.388/.501 (112 OPS+) with 11 homers, 9 steals, and 79 RBI's in 526 plate appearances. My scout thinks he's going to be a great defensive shortstop, and he did look good there this season. He did get some reps at second, but that's just because teammate Freddie Bennett is an extremely gifted shortstop. Hunter has a higher upside then even Ollie Page, but he's still got a long way to go. He's got strong footspeed, makes consistent contact, and has shown decent power. I'm expecting him to start next season in AA, but I imagine Hunter is still a year or two away from his debut. I have no need to rush him with Page at short and Ford lined up for second, but eventually I imagine Page and Hunter forming a really strong double play combo."

If only he could stay healthy...

I was right about a few things, Hunter needed a bit more time, his upside is far higher then Ollie Page, and they did for a strong double play duo. Since debuting in 1937, Hunter appeared in 130 games just twice, with less then 60 in five of the other six. When healthy he's great, with an above average OPS+ and WRC+ in each season, and while his defense at short wasn't great, he's well above average at second. The bat more then makes up for it, as he hit .298/.356/.430 (126 OPS+) before being drafted into the Army. His .300/.354/.432 (120 OPS+) career line is similar, and Hunter has hit 135 doubles, 42 triples, 28 homers, and 291 RBIs while walking (201) far more often then he strikes out (70). Hunter will be 31 when he returns, but he's one of the games best middle infielders and he ranked in the top 20 for parts of this season and last. Him, Clark Car, and Hank Barnett will all be vying for playing time. There's plenty of at bats to go around, as he'll need days off to stay healthy, and Barnett will be 36 on Opening Day.

RF Rich Langton (33rd Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 3rd Round, 46th Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Detroit City College Knights

"It feels weird still calling him a prospect, but Langton has less then 75 days of major league service. In his 70 days, he hit an outstanding .344/.384/.576 (146 OPS+) with 11 homers and 45 RBI's and he gave the league a glimpse of the future star power in Chicago. He was working out in right with Love still in left, but I do think Langton will be excellent in whichever corner he ends up. Still, the real appeal is the hit, and even though he's just 5'9'', this kid has elite contact tools and well above average power. In Chicago, he could potentially hit 30 homers a season and he's got the speed to swipe 20 bases as well. With him, Mitchell, and Love in the middle of the order next year, I'm expecting a lot of homers and a lot of runs scored."

Ha! 30 homers... Another guy with injury problems, Langton topped out with 14 homers, but he was a doubles machine, hitting 40 of them in his 1939 season. I was hoping Langton would be a huge part of our offense this season, but the now 34-year-old hit just .267/.333/.346 (95 OPS+) with 21 doubles, 5 triples, 3 homers, 57 RBIs, and 13 steals. Langton owns a career 119 WRC+ and has never had a season with less then 90, and his 100 this season was the 9th average or better WRC+ in his ten FABL seasons. He generally puts the ball in play with regularity and will walk far more then he'll strike out. In 1,209 career games, Langton has hit 211 doubles, 83 triples, and 76 homers with 376 walks and 583 RBIs. The former 3rd Rounder has been a fixture on our roster, but he could be approaching the end of his career. He's not in danger of losing a roster spot, but it will be tougher for him to get at bats. He's behind Mitchell, Lee, Moss, and Montes, and I think Fred Vargas will replace Cliff Moss once he's ready to call it quits. Langton was defintley a productive big leaguer, but I thought things would have turned out a bit differently for him.

C Harry Mead (38th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 58th Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Memphis HS Pharaohs

"It's looking more and more likely that the Chicago Cougars will have a lefty catcher! It's probably a few years out, but the Harvey, Illinois native has really started to blossom into an excellent catcher behind the plate and he's held his own at the plate. In likely his only season in San Jose, Mead hit .280/.348/.394 (97 OPS+) with 6 homers and 74 RBI's in 541 trips to the plate. He should eventually hit for a high average, but his eye has really started to develop well. He walked five more times (49) then he struck out (54) and this trend should continue as he gets older. Mike Taylor seems to have fallen off a cliff, so there may be a little rush to get Mead up, but for now I plan on him spending the season in Lincoln."

Mead debuted two seasons later, but didn't really get significant time until the following season. It did not go well, as the lefty catcher hit just .204/.273/.250 (48 OPS+) in 67 games. That was a low for the 23-year-old, who's never hit that poorly again. He alternated between seasons with a WRC+ in the 90d and seasons with one above 115. A 2-Time All Star, Mead has produced a pair of 5+ WAR seasons with a WRC+ above 140. This season didn't go so well, as his 94 WRC+ was 50 points lower then last season. Even when he doesn't hit much, Mead has always been an outstanding catcher. He's been a gift for the pitching staff, and Mead owns an impressive .268/.339/.383 (107 OPS+) career line with 177 doubles, 44 homers, and 397 RBIs. A consistent top five catcher, his bat comes and goes, but the rare lefty throw ing catcher has lived up to his high prospect ranking.