[ayaghmour2]

1st Round, 5th Overall: CF Jerry Smith
School: Jackson Generals
1946: .524/.588/1.107, 102 PA, 14 2B, 4 3B, 9 HR, 31 RBI, 20 SB
Career: .524/.585/1.112, 207 PA, 25 2B, 9 3B, 19 HR, 67 RBI, 38 SB

Just uhh, asking for a "friend"... Can you have too many center fielders?

That's something the Chicago Cougars will be having to debate, as we have two very talented big league center fielders in Carlos Montes and Don Lee, but in the last three drafts, we have now selected four center fielders in the first two rounds. 1945's 3rd Overall Pick Johnny Peters, who ranks 35th in the top 100, last year's 2nd Rounder Frank Reece, who's a few spots lower at 38, and 1945 2nd Rounder Carl Clark is towards the back at 95th. In fact, after the Riley trade, five of our top fifteen prospects (all top 150!) are center fielders. The newest addition, Jerry Smith, may actually be the best of them.

Yes, I know we don't need any center fielders, but Irv Clifford went #2, and if Dixie Marsh had his way, he'd go with Smith two. Plus, as a Rick and Morty fan, how can I pass up on the Matriarch of the Smith family! (There's actually a Morty in last year's class I may have to go trade for...). And center fielders... They can play the a corner too!!!

Okay, enough about that nonsense! The numbers hear speak for themselves:

The Hartford native didn't play as a freshman, as his small Connecticut school didn't have a baseball team, so the travel ball standout instead crossed state to spend his weekends taking BP off St. Pancras College hurlers. The rest of his free time was spent in his schools weight room, as he developed tremendous strength for his size. After seeing him clear the fences of a college park, his parents decided to take advantage of his talent, and moved him to the queens to play for the Jackson Generals. Smith did not disappoint, and slashed an astronomical .523/.581/1.116 with 11 doubles, 5 triples, 10 homers, and 36 RBIs.

Yes, you are reading that right. A .528 batting average. A 1.116 slugging percentage. 10 homers. In high school! Smith was one of six prep players to hit double digit homers that season, and while he was tied for fourth behind Dick Steel (13, 14th Overall 1946), Danny Taylor (12, 7th Overall 1946), and Dudley Sapp (11, eligible this year). Of these six sluggers, no one else hit better then Smith, with next best Taylor 13 points lower.

Smith didn't follow that up with double digits as a junior, but he still slugged nine with an impressive .524/.588/1.107. line. His 1.107 slugging percentage and his 1.699 OPS were best of draft eligible players. Same goes for career going into this season, as his 1.112 slugging and 1.696 OPS are the highest as well. The power is obvious and his raw power is tantalizing. His consistent workout routine keeps him in the best of shape, and despite being 6'1', he weights just 160 pounds at 18. He can add plenty of muscle to get the most out of this raw power. Both Dixie and OSA think he'll have the added benefit of hitting .330, giving Leo Mitchell type vibes just with the added speed. I'm not sure if he has what it takes to stick in center, but he's fast and has spent most of his time their so far. Smith also walked 28 times while striking out just 10 times, which should translate to at least an average eye at the plate. The sky is truly the limit, something I feel like I've been saying too often about players, but there's no other way to describe him. If he reaches his potential, he'll have a Skipper Schneider like streak of All-Star appearances, and despite his basic name, he will make an impact on FABL fans across the country.

Even though Smith could be ready for Class B, I expect the young outfielder will man center in La Crosse all season. Carl Clark and Frank Reece may spend sometime there, but by time the draft rolls around they should be playing every day in San Jose. That will give Smith consistent playing time as he adapts to the professional game. Depending on who shares the roster with him, he may get a few games in left or right, but I want him to spend a majority of his time out in center. If he can be at least average there defensively, he could develop into the player some thought rookie year Sal Pestilli would be. Obviously that's very high praise, as the Gothams superstar is one of the game's finest players, but I am very excited to add Smith to our system, even if he wasn't my top target. That worked very well last year, when we got Bob Allen when I wanted Yank Taylor, but even if he's a Johnny Peters level prospect it's far better then what we would have got at 13. There are a lot of really good bats, five of the first six have been position players, so it was very tough trying to pick the best of them. With all this depth, I'm looking to jump back into the first, but if no trades are made our next pick is at 21. Then there's a very long gap with our next pick at 45. That's the 13th pick of the third round, and we hold 13 in each of the remaining rounds. We picked up three picks in rounds 4 through 8 with trades with the Eagles (4.16), Dynamos (5.6), and Kings (8.3). Like last year, I expect plenty of interesting players left for the AI portion, as this another deep class.