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reds1 · 04-30-2023, 06:32 PM

January 1, 1957

Looking Back: The 1946-47 Amateur Draft

The 1946-47 draft class did not have quite the star power as previous classes nor subsequent classes had. There were no slam dunk picks either as the top five players selected in the draft have not distinguished themselves in any significant way. But despite the lack of clear hall of fame players, some fine talent was still unearthed, nevertheless.

Below is a summary of the best players selected, an out-and-out bust and one late round standout:

Cream of the Crop:

1B Harry Doxey – 6th overall pick by the Cobourg Red Stockings/Redlegs

Career: .325/.375/.476, 1303 G, 5111 AB, 1659 H, 339-2B, 22-3B, 131 HR, 789 RBI, 694 R, 410 BB, 409 K, .852 OPS, 130 OPS+, 132 wRC+, 34.7 WAR
Fielding: .988 PCT, 8.94 RNG, +37.9 ZR, .971 EFF

Achievements:

• 7-time All-Star
• 3-time Ball Hawk Award winner
• 1952 EL Pennant Series MVP Award
• 1-time Batter of the Month
• 10-time Player of the Week
• 1-time EL Batting Title Crown winner
• 1 selection to the All-Braeland Team
• Hit for the Cycle

What the original scouting report said:

“Doxey should be an outstanding hitter with amazing contact and solid power. His defense is average and will not be looked upon to steal bases, but if his bat delivers as promised, those other skills will not be necessary.”

Comments: The first of two first basemen to appear on this list, Doxey’s bat did indeed deliver, but he also defied the scouts who felt he was un-coachable with a poor work ethic by becoming a steady, dependable award-winning defensive infielder. He entered the United Leagues 1947, just as was named the #9 overall prospect, and embarked on a solid career. His best year thus far was the 1953-54 season, when he won the EL Batting Title (.368, 148 OPS+, 155 wRC+, 6.2 WAR). Although he has never hit more than 18 home runs in a season, he has led the Eastern League in hits twice and doubles four times. He is an ‘iron man’, having missed just three days (stomach virus) last season in total. Although his defense has slipped a bit over the past couple of seasons, he remains an effective hitter hitting out of the No. 4 spot for the Redlegs. He is currently ranked No. 2 among first basemen in the United Leagues, behind only Kingston’s Ira Bannatyne. In his lone playoff appearance in 1952-53, Doxey batted .423/464/.558, 189, OPS+, 183 wRC+ in 13 games and won a playoff series MVP Award. With the Redlegs currently in first place in the East, Doxey may get another chance to shine in the playoffs before his career is over.

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1B Carlos Corea – 7th overall pick originally by the Cambria Cannons

Career: .311/.366/.500, 1066 G, 4180 AB, 1302 H, 255-2B, 24-3B, 162 HR, 662 RBI, 677 R, 321 BB, 225 K, 16 SB, 17 CS, .866 OPS, 142 OPS+, 150 wRC+, 24.3 WAR
Fielding: .992 PCT, 9.05 RNG, -94.9 ZR, .887 EFF

Achievements:

• 5-time All-Star
• 4-time Batter of the Month
• 8-time Player of the Week
• 1-time Rookie of the Month
• 2-time WL Batting Title Crown winner
• 1954-55 WL Pennant Series MVP Award
• Finished 2nd in 1954-55 WL Babe Ruth Award voting
• 1 selection to the All-Braeland Team
• Hit for the Cycle – twice
• One United Cup (1952-53)

What the original scouting report said:

“Like Doxey selected ahead of him, Corea’s calling card is his bat; he has plus contact potential with some power. Defense may be an issue and he is not a fluid baserunner.”

Comments: Selected immediately after Doxey, Corea has remained with the club that drafted him throughout his career as well. But unlike Doxey, the scouts nailed their initial appraisal of Corea – a talented hitter that looks lost on the field. The 30-year old from Mexico has made his mark in the United Leagues at the plate, perhaps the most gifted hitter available in this draft class. His best season was in 1954-55 (.352, 174 OPS+, 182 wRC+, 6.0 WAR) when he won his second WL batting title. A more prolific home run hitter than Doxey, Corea peaked at 30 home runs in 1953-54 and has hit 20 or more on four other occasions. That power has helped him lead the West in hits, total bases and RBIs twice and doubles three times. And like Doxey, Corea has shined in the post-season, batting .355/.392/.573, 177 OPS+, 185 wRC+ in 27 games over the course of two seasons. His efforts helped the Cannons win a United Cup in 1952-53. But he has never appeared in the Top 20 rankings for position players, no doubt due to his atrocious fielding, but the man sure can hit.

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SS Nobuyoshi Yoshida – 8th overall pick by the Fort Richmond Generals

Career: .302/.348/.427, 1124 G, 4347 AB, 1313 H, 246-2B, 41-3B, 71 HR, 541 RBI, 568 R, 299 BB, 220 K, 42 SB, 28 CS, .774 OPS, 116 OPS+, 120 wRC+, 39.5 WAR
Fielding, SS: 952 G, .964 PCT, 4.55 RNG, +58.3 ZR, 1.042 EFF
Fielding, 2B: 170 G, .981 PCT, 5.74 RNG, +15.6 ZR, 1.061 EFF

Achievements:

• 3-time All-Star
• 4-time Ball Hawk Award winner
• 1-time Batter of the Month
• 3-time Player of the Week
• 2-time Rookie of the Month
• 1-time WL Batting Title Crown winner
• 2 selections to the All-Braeland Team
• Finished 2nd in the 1947-48 WL Rookie of the Year voting
• Finished 2nd in the 1950-51 WL Babe Ruth Award voting
• One United Cup (1953-54)

What the original scouting report said:

“The Fort Richmond Generals pick up a defensively versatile player in Yoshida, who hails from Embro, Dunwich. Yoshida also has very good contact potential but is not a home run threat and won’t draw too many walks. But he is sure-handed and reliable in the field and will steal a few bases.”

Comments: Yoshida definitely turned out to be defensively versatile, as he won Ball Hawks for two positions (1 for 2B, 3 for SS) over his career thus far. But Yoshida proved to be no slouch at the plate either. While never becoming a home run threat (he peaked at 10 in 1950-51), his contact potential did develop, and he drew a decent number of walks over his career. His all-around play really stood out in the aforementioned 1950-51 season, when he batted .348/.399/.464, 140 OPS+, 153 wRC+, 8.1 WAR, winning a batting title and coming in 2nd in the WL Babe Ruth Award voting, behind teammate, C Louis Wearne. But injuries have plagued him ever since his major league career began and have really begun to affect his performance over the past two seasons. He has never suffered a season ending injury, but is the king of strains and muscle soreness, as he has lost almost a cumulative year to various ailments, not including the day-to-day variety. He can still hit, but his defense is starting to suffer as a result (.935 PCT, 4.49 RNG, -2.6 ZR, .970 EFF).

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RHP Stiofan Micklethwait – 9th overall pick by the Queensland Eagles

Career: 113-90, 3.12 ERA, 245 GS, 1909.2 IP, 809 BB, 1095 K, 86 CG, 20 SHO, 1.30 WHIP, .263 BABIP, 3.32 FIP, 44.4 WAR, 129 ERA+
Fielding: .941 PCT, 1.51 RNG, -1.5 ZR, .990 EFF

Achievements:

• 3-time All-Star
• 3-time Pitcher of the Month
• 2-time Player of the Week
• Finished 3rd in 1949-50 EL Rookie of the Year Award voting
• Finished 2nd in 1954-55 EL Satchel Paige Award voting
• Finished 3rd in 1953-54 and 1955-56 EL Satchel Paige Award voting

What the original scouting report said:

“The Eagles select the second pitcher taken in the draft, a native of St. Thomas, Oxford. Micklethwait projects to be a well-balanced pitcher with respectable stuff, top-notch movement and decent control. He has three main pitches: fastball (40/45), curveball (40/60) and slider (40/55). His changeup will need some work (20/30) however.”

Comments: Micklethwait never developed a serviceable changeup (25/25), but his other pitches have served him well as he is consistently ranked as one of the best pitchers in the United Leagues (4th overall). He would be considered the ace of the staff on nearly every other squad, but when the rotation also includes Logan Belsey (1st overall-ranked pitcher, 2-time Satchel Paige Award winner), Micklethwait is forced to settle as Queensland’s No. 2 hurler. Ranked as the 6th overall prospect as he entered the United Leagues full-time in 1949-50, Micklethwait has been a model of consistency with his last four seasons being his best. He has won 20 or more games each of the past two seasons with an ERA+ of 158 each year. There is not much else to say. He has come close to winning a Satchel Paige in his own right and he is still capable of finally getting the recognition he derserves.

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Biggest Draft Disappointments

The first and second rounds produced a bounty of players that have been productive and enjoyed staying power in the majors. However, one player taken high in the draft sticks out like a sore thumb:

OF Peter Diamond – 3rd overall pick originally by the Balmoral Giants

Career: 1 PA, 1 BA.

Minor League Achievements:

• 1-time All-Star
• 3-time Ball Hawk Award winner

What the original scouting report said:

“Diamond is not projected to be a high average or home run hitter, as his pitch recognition could use some work. But he has great patience at the plate and solid defense in the outfield as well as jaw-dropping speed. He should prove to be a nightmare for catchers and scouts noted his ability to read pitchers pick-off moves. Only his poor work ethic is a concern.”

Comments: Whether his poor work ethic ultimately did him in or not, suffice to say Diamond did not exactly shine when he briefly reached the majors. He excelled in Double-A, winning a championship with Balmoral’s farm club, the Georgetown Goldbugs while earned all-star honors and fielding awards. But by 1948, he was ranked only 90th overall among prospects. When he reached the big-league level in 1949, he appeared in all of 6 games – never as a starter and made one plate appearance. That was it. Returning to Triple-A for good, he won another minor league championship with Balmoral’s Canterbury Seals but was a marginal player at best. By April 1952 he was a free agent and bounced around the minor leagues with both the Hespeler Stars and Embro Suns organizations before retiring in April 1956.

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Later-Round Standout

The later rounds of this draft did not produce an abundance of come-out-of-nowhere players. In fact, it produced a grand total of one. But it was a pretty good one:

RHP Ben Buschlen – 88th overall pick (Round 6, Pick 8) originally by the Fort Richmond Generals.

Career: 100-84, 3.60 ERA, 221 GS, 1666.1 IP, 502 BB, 762 K, 69 CG, 7 SHO, 1.33 WHIP, .281 BABIP, 3.74 FIP, 26.1 WAR, 108 ERA+

Achievements:

• 2-time All-Star
• 2-time Pitcher of the Month
• Finished 3rd in 1954-55 WL Satchel Paige Award voting

Comments: Buschlen embarked on his baseball career in the United Leagues with low expectations, as his stuff (35/45) and control (25/40) were not that impressive, although he did have good movement (55/65) on his three-pitch arsenal. But in spite of his propensity for injuries, his ratings began to improve across the board allowing him to pick up a Triple-A Pitcher of the Month honor at one point. Things looked promising until the perennial playoff contending Fort Richmond Generals traded him to the lowly Sherburn Tigers in a 6-player deal back in April 1949. Buschlen was the key player the Tigers received for shipping Satchel Paige Award winner Roberto Taváres to the Generals. Taváres would win another Satchel Paige Award a few years later and help Fort Richmond win a United Cup in 1953-54 while Buschlen would toil with a Sherburn club that would finish in last place three times over the next six seasons. But instead of fading into obscurity, Buschlen thrived in pitching right behind staff ace Jesús Chapa, a three-time Satchel Paige Award winner in his own right. The Kingston-native continued to progress, seeing his stuff (50/50), movement (55/55) and control (70/70) advance enough to help him be named to two all-star games and to be ranked as high as No. 4 among all pitchers in the ULB back in July 1955. Today he pitches for a playoff caliber team once again although injuries continue to be a concern. If he can keep the serious injury bug at bay for just a little while longer, he just may get a chance to hoist a United Cup before too long.

04-30-2023, 06:32 PM	#781
reds1 Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2002 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 3,919	January 1, 1957 Looking Back: The 1946-47 Amateur Draft The 1946-47 draft class did not have quite the star power as previous classes nor subsequent classes had. There were no slam dunk picks either as the top five players selected in the draft have not distinguished themselves in any significant way. But despite the lack of clear hall of fame players, some fine talent was still unearthed, nevertheless. Below is a summary of the best players selected, an out-and-out bust and one late round standout: Cream of the Crop: 1B Harry Doxey – 6th overall pick by the Cobourg Red Stockings/Redlegs Career: .325/.375/.476, 1303 G, 5111 AB, 1659 H, 339-2B, 22-3B, 131 HR, 789 RBI, 694 R, 410 BB, 409 K, .852 OPS, 130 OPS+, 132 wRC+, 34.7 WAR Fielding: .988 PCT, 8.94 RNG, +37.9 ZR, .971 EFF *Achievements:* • 7-time All-Star • 3-time Ball Hawk Award winner • 1952 EL Pennant Series MVP Award • 1-time Batter of the Month • 10-time Player of the Week • 1-time EL Batting Title Crown winner • 1 selection to the All-Braeland Team • Hit for the Cycle What the original scouting report said: “Doxey should be an outstanding hitter with amazing contact and solid power. His defense is average and will not be looked upon to steal bases, but if his bat delivers as promised, those other skills will not be necessary.” *Comments:* The first of two first basemen to appear on this list, Doxey’s bat did indeed deliver, but he also defied the scouts who felt he was un-coachable with a poor work ethic by becoming a steady, dependable award-winning defensive infielder. He entered the United Leagues 1947, just as was named the #9 overall prospect, and embarked on a solid career. His best year thus far was the 1953-54 season, when he won the EL Batting Title (.368, 148 OPS+, 155 wRC+, 6.2 WAR). Although he has never hit more than 18 home runs in a season, he has led the Eastern League in hits twice and doubles four times. He is an ‘iron man’, having missed just three days (stomach virus) last season in total. Although his defense has slipped a bit over the past couple of seasons, he remains an effective hitter hitting out of the No. 4 spot for the Redlegs. He is currently ranked No. 2 among first basemen in the United Leagues, behind only Kingston’s Ira Bannatyne. In his lone playoff appearance in 1952-53, Doxey batted .423/464/.558, 189, OPS+, 183 wRC+ in 13 games and won a playoff series MVP Award. With the Redlegs currently in first place in the East, Doxey may get another chance to shine in the playoffs before his career is over. -------- 1B Carlos Corea – 7th overall pick originally by the Cambria Cannons Career: .311/.366/.500, 1066 G, 4180 AB, 1302 H, 255-2B, 24-3B, 162 HR, 662 RBI, 677 R, 321 BB, 225 K, 16 SB, 17 CS, .866 OPS, 142 OPS+, 150 wRC+, 24.3 WAR Fielding: .992 PCT, 9.05 RNG, -94.9 ZR, .887 EFF *Achievements:* • 5-time All-Star • 4-time Batter of the Month • 8-time Player of the Week • 1-time Rookie of the Month • 2-time WL Batting Title Crown winner • 1954-55 WL Pennant Series MVP Award • Finished 2nd in 1954-55 WL Babe Ruth Award voting • 1 selection to the All-Braeland Team • Hit for the Cycle – twice • One United Cup (1952-53) What the original scouting report said: “Like Doxey selected ahead of him, Corea’s calling card is his bat; he has plus contact potential with some power. Defense may be an issue and he is not a fluid baserunner.” *Comments:* Selected immediately after Doxey, Corea has remained with the club that drafted him throughout his career as well. But unlike Doxey, the scouts nailed their initial appraisal of Corea – a talented hitter that looks lost on the field. The 30-year old from Mexico has made his mark in the United Leagues at the plate, perhaps the most gifted hitter available in this draft class. His best season was in 1954-55 (.352, 174 OPS+, 182 wRC+, 6.0 WAR) when he won his second WL batting title. A more prolific home run hitter than Doxey, Corea peaked at 30 home runs in 1953-54 and has hit 20 or more on four other occasions. That power has helped him lead the West in hits, total bases and RBIs twice and doubles three times. And like Doxey, Corea has shined in the post-season, batting .355/.392/.573, 177 OPS+, 185 wRC+ in 27 games over the course of two seasons. His efforts helped the Cannons win a United Cup in 1952-53. But he has never appeared in the Top 20 rankings for position players, no doubt due to his atrocious fielding, but the man sure can hit. -------- SS Nobuyoshi Yoshida – 8th overall pick by the Fort Richmond Generals Career: .302/.348/.427, 1124 G, 4347 AB, 1313 H, 246-2B, 41-3B, 71 HR, 541 RBI, 568 R, 299 BB, 220 K, 42 SB, 28 CS, .774 OPS, 116 OPS+, 120 wRC+, 39.5 WAR Fielding, SS: 952 G, .964 PCT, 4.55 RNG, +58.3 ZR, 1.042 EFF Fielding, 2B: 170 G, .981 PCT, 5.74 RNG, +15.6 ZR, 1.061 EFF *Achievements:* • 3-time All-Star • 4-time Ball Hawk Award winner • 1-time Batter of the Month • 3-time Player of the Week • 2-time Rookie of the Month • 1-time WL Batting Title Crown winner • 2 selections to the All-Braeland Team • Finished 2nd in the 1947-48 WL Rookie of the Year voting • Finished 2nd in the 1950-51 WL Babe Ruth Award voting • One United Cup (1953-54) What the original scouting report said: “The Fort Richmond Generals pick up a defensively versatile player in Yoshida, who hails from Embro, Dunwich. Yoshida also has very good contact potential but is not a home run threat and won’t draw too many walks. But he is sure-handed and reliable in the field and will steal a few bases.” *Comments:* Yoshida definitely turned out to be defensively versatile, as he won Ball Hawks for two positions (1 for 2B, 3 for SS) over his career thus far. But Yoshida proved to be no slouch at the plate either. While never becoming a home run threat (he peaked at 10 in 1950-51), his contact potential did develop, and he drew a decent number of walks over his career. His all-around play really stood out in the aforementioned 1950-51 season, when he batted .348/.399/.464, 140 OPS+, 153 wRC+, 8.1 WAR, winning a batting title and coming in 2nd in the WL Babe Ruth Award voting, behind teammate, C Louis Wearne. But injuries have plagued him ever since his major league career began and have really begun to affect his performance over the past two seasons. He has never suffered a season ending injury, but is the king of strains and muscle soreness, as he has lost almost a cumulative year to various ailments, not including the day-to-day variety. He can still hit, but his defense is starting to suffer as a result (.935 PCT, 4.49 RNG, -2.6 ZR, .970 EFF). -------- RHP Stiofan Micklethwait – 9th overall pick by the Queensland Eagles Career: 113-90, 3.12 ERA, 245 GS, 1909.2 IP, 809 BB, 1095 K, 86 CG, 20 SHO, 1.30 WHIP, .263 BABIP, 3.32 FIP, 44.4 WAR, 129 ERA+ Fielding: .941 PCT, 1.51 RNG, -1.5 ZR, .990 EFF *Achievements:* • 3-time All-Star • 3-time Pitcher of the Month • 2-time Player of the Week • Finished 3rd in 1949-50 EL Rookie of the Year Award voting • Finished 2nd in 1954-55 EL Satchel Paige Award voting • Finished 3rd in 1953-54 and 1955-56 EL Satchel Paige Award voting What the original scouting report said: “The Eagles select the second pitcher taken in the draft, a native of St. Thomas, Oxford. Micklethwait projects to be a well-balanced pitcher with respectable stuff, top-notch movement and decent control. He has three main pitches: fastball (40/45), curveball (40/60) and slider (40/55). His changeup will need some work (20/30) however.” *Comments:* Micklethwait never developed a serviceable changeup (25/25), but his other pitches have served him well as he is consistently ranked as one of the best pitchers in the United Leagues (4th overall). He would be considered the ace of the staff on nearly every other squad, but when the rotation also includes Logan Belsey (1st overall-ranked pitcher, 2-time Satchel Paige Award winner), Micklethwait is forced to settle as Queensland’s No. 2 hurler. Ranked as the 6th overall prospect as he entered the United Leagues full-time in 1949-50, Micklethwait has been a model of consistency with his last four seasons being his best. He has won 20 or more games each of the past two seasons with an ERA+ of 158 each year. There is not much else to say. He has come close to winning a Satchel Paige in his own right and he is still capable of finally getting the recognition he derserves. -------- Biggest Draft Disappointments The first and second rounds produced a bounty of players that have been productive and enjoyed staying power in the majors. However, one player taken high in the draft sticks out like a sore thumb: OF Peter Diamond – 3rd overall pick originally by the Balmoral Giants Career: 1 PA, 1 BA. Minor League Achievements: • 1-time All-Star • 3-time Ball Hawk Award winner What the original scouting report said: “Diamond is not projected to be a high average or home run hitter, as his pitch recognition could use some work. But he has great patience at the plate and solid defense in the outfield as well as jaw-dropping speed. He should prove to be a nightmare for catchers and scouts noted his ability to read pitchers pick-off moves. Only his poor work ethic is a concern.” *Comments:* Whether his poor work ethic ultimately did him in or not, suffice to say Diamond did not exactly shine when he briefly reached the majors. He excelled in Double-A, winning a championship with Balmoral’s farm club, the Georgetown Goldbugs while earned all-star honors and fielding awards. But by 1948, he was ranked only 90th overall among prospects. When he reached the big-league level in 1949, he appeared in all of 6 games – never as a starter and made one plate appearance. That was it. Returning to Triple-A for good, he won another minor league championship with Balmoral’s Canterbury Seals but was a marginal player at best. By April 1952 he was a free agent and bounced around the minor leagues with both the Hespeler Stars and Embro Suns organizations before retiring in April 1956. -------- Later-Round Standout The later rounds of this draft did not produce an abundance of come-out-of-nowhere players. In fact, it produced a grand total of one. But it was a pretty good one: RHP Ben Buschlen – 88th overall pick (Round 6, Pick 8) originally by the Fort Richmond Generals. Career: 100-84, 3.60 ERA, 221 GS, 1666.1 IP, 502 BB, 762 K, 69 CG, 7 SHO, 1.33 WHIP, .281 BABIP, 3.74 FIP, 26.1 WAR, 108 ERA+ *Achievements:* • 2-time All-Star • 2-time Pitcher of the Month • Finished 3rd in 1954-55 WL Satchel Paige Award voting *Comments:* Buschlen embarked on his baseball career in the United Leagues with low expectations, as his stuff (35/45) and control (25/40) were not that impressive, although he did have good movement (55/65) on his three-pitch arsenal. But in spite of his propensity for injuries, his ratings began to improve across the board allowing him to pick up a Triple-A Pitcher of the Month honor at one point. Things looked promising until the perennial playoff contending Fort Richmond Generals traded him to the lowly Sherburn Tigers in a 6-player deal back in April 1949. Buschlen was the key player the Tigers received for shipping Satchel Paige Award winner Roberto Taváres to the Generals. Taváres would win another Satchel Paige Award a few years later and help Fort Richmond win a United Cup in 1953-54 while Buschlen would toil with a Sherburn club that would finish in last place three times over the next six seasons. But instead of fading into obscurity, Buschlen thrived in pitching right behind staff ace Jesús Chapa, a three-time Satchel Paige Award winner in his own right. The Kingston-native continued to progress, seeing his stuff (50/50), movement (55/55) and control (70/70) advance enough to help him be named to two all-star games and to be ranked as high as No. 4 among all pitchers in the ULB back in July 1955. Today he pitches for a playoff caliber team once again although injuries continue to be a concern. If he can keep the serious injury bug at bay for just a little while longer, he just may get a chance to hoist a United Cup before too long. __________________ United Leagues of Braeland