[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 2-2
Seasonal Record: 44-40 (4th, 4.5 GB)
Stars of the Week
None this Week

Schedule
7-10: Loss vs Cannons (3-2): 13 innings
7-11: Win vs Cannons (1-2)
7-12: Win vs Cannons (2-3)
7-13: Loss vs Foresters (0-4)

Recap
While the Cougars offense continues to be very bad at baseball, the Cougars All-Stars were crucial for the Continental Association, as they edged the Fed 5-4 in extra innings. Donnie Jones wasn't at his best, allowing 3 hits and 3 runs (two homers!) with a strikeout in 2.2 innings, but Cougars almost accounted for every single run. Walt Pack was named MVP, as "The Wolf" started the scoring in the 4th with a two-run pinch hit double, scoring Skipper and former Cougar Freddie Jones (.279, 4, 36) to cut the Fed's lead to one. Pack then tied it in the 7th with a solo shot off Chiefs Ace Al Miller (10-8, 3.16, 62). The Fed tied it up in the ninth, but with one out Skipper tripled, to again bring Pack up. Pack didn't get his third hit in as many trips, but a sac-fly did the trick, as he once again tied the game. After allowing the run in the top half, Davey Morris (3-5, 2, 3.24, 41) managed to keep the Fed off the board, which allowed the fourth Cougar All-Star, Hal Sharp, the opportunity to walk it off with a homer. You would think with all that scoring, we'd have done well after the break, but no... That would be too easy! Instead, we scored just 7 runs in 34 innings, playing three one run games against the Cannons (we were actually 2-1!) before getting shut out by the Foresters.

Ugh, this could be a long second half...

Sal Pestilli may have sent the game to extras in his Cougar debut, but that's about all he did, as the RBI single was about all the value he provided. Sure, he stole a base earlier in the game, but the 6-Time All-Star was 1-for-7, and finished the week 2-for-10 with a double. A sprained knee and the break meant he had 11 day of rest, so a little rust could have been a factor. We need him to heat up as soon as possible, as Leo Mitchell left his bat in 1946, and started the second half 0-for-11 with 4 strikeouts. Not a single Cougar had an above average week (if you discount their All-Star performances, which should be the case), and check out some of these OPS+. Mitchell, -55. Sutterfield, -39. Pestilli, 11. Mead, 16. Hunter, 16. Lee, 18. Ford, 36. Howard, 47. Dick Walker's 81 looks like a superstar! For some reason I can't use "Regular Season" as a split, but with no turf fields, "Grass" works just as well, to reveal the 37 from Pack, 72 from Skipper, and 59 from Sharp.

HOW CAN WE BE THIS BAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But hey, at least Clark Car was 1-for-1!

Oh wait, what's this here? There's some 29-year-old guy named Jones who hit his first career home run? We have a Jones who doesn't pitch?

No, that's good ole' Johnnie, who's offensive production is the only reason he won his start this week!

Good thing we can pitch!

Donnie Jones was far better in Chicago then he was in Philadelphia, and while he was only able to go 99 pitches, he finished 8 innings with just 5 hits and a run. He didn't walk anyone and struck out 5 in a no decision. The win went to Ken Matson, who struck out a pair in a perfect ninth. He pitched a day earlier in the double header as well, striking out two in two perfect frames. After a shaky start, he's actually been a great stopper for us, saving 6 games and working to a 2.49 ERA (155 ERA+) with 21 strikeouts in 25.1 innings pitched. The start went to Pete Papenfus, who deserved a win, going nine with 5 hits, 2 runs, 5 walks, and 6 strikeouts. Harry MacRae was charged with the loss, allowing 3 hits, a run, and a walk with 2 strikeouts in his 2 innings. MacRae is likely the odd man out once Harry Parker, who's made two rehab starts, is ready to come back. Our closer last year, MacRae has been far less effective in year two, now 1-5 with a 4.82 ERA (80 ERA+) and 1.71 WHIP in his 14 appearances. I should also mention Johnnie Jones' start, as he picked up a complete game victory. It was a weird start, as while the single walk was amazing, the single strikeout dampened the excitement. Still, 7 hits and just 2 runs is excellent, and he's won four straight starts and has gone two months without allowing a homer.

More draftees have signed, as all of our picks in the first five rounds have agreed to bonuses. That includes first rounder Jerry Smith, who ranks just outside the top 10 at #11. With all first rounders, and most second rounders, signed, I think he'll stay in that area, and he's joined in the top 100 by Garland Phelps (3rd, 33rd) and Dudley Sapp (8th, 69th). We have 11 prospects in the top 100, and our system actually returned to #1, with the Miners just three points behind. 5th Rounder Buddy Jenkins came close, checking it at 118th as our highest non-top 100 prospect. I was surprised when 4th Rounder Mike Emerson (213th) was ranked higher then fellow 4th Rounder Roy Gass (378th), as I figured Gass would be top 250 and was somewhat worried Emerson wouldn't be ranked at all. Other signed guys in the top 500 include 11th Rounder Bill Nash (321st) and 5th Rounder Ray Paulson (346th), with 8th Rounder Johnny Dickinson just missing the cutoff. Still plenty of guys to sign, as I currently have offers out on all of our players selected in the first 10 rounds. Once they are all in, we can work on the rest of the class, but I'd expect 7 or more guys to remain unsigned.

Looking Ahead
We'll look to avoid the sweep at the hands of the 37-49 Foresters, who tapped into their pitching depth to add some serious talent in the field. Even though they parted with former #1 pick Hiram Steinberg (10-4, 3.55, 40), who tossed a shutout in his Pioneers debut, they received the Pioneers first and the 8th Ranked prospect in the league, Sherry Doyal, who was the 15th selection in last year's draft. He's spent all season in AA, and held his own despite being 19. While it's tough to imagine the Pioneers parting with an elite prospect some have compared to Sal Pestilli, they just drafted 18-year-old George Atkins, a center fielder who ranks as the 18th best prospect. If the Pioneers win the pennant, it's a huge pickup for them, but that pick could be very valuable for Cleveland if they do not. They are almost guaranteed three balls in the lottery as they should easily lap their 64 wins from last season, giving the Foresters multiple shots at the #1 pick. Considering #5 Ollie White (5-3, 6, 2.20, 47) can shut us out and they've scored fewer runs then we have this season, adding a bat like Doyal is a huge win for them. Looking at the finale, we'll have to face their All-Star Davey Morris (3-5, 2, 3.24, 41), who became the second consecutive Forester pitcher (Richie Hughes last season) to win the All-Star game. He'll face highly touted rookie Duke Bybee (7-7, 3.60, 58) in a must win game. You could argue the Foresters' three best hitters are lefties, which is a good matchup for our young southpaw, although he's been so good it may not matter. One of his three shutouts came against the Foresters (the other two the Stars!), so I think this we have a very good chance if we can get a few runs.

As if wins weren't already important, they are moreso useful when you consider the Philadelphia Sailors are up next. 50-38 and just a half game out, the Sailors +78 run differential is best in either association, and they're 9-3 in July. David Molina (6-3, 16, 1.75, 59) proves that stoppers can be useful, as his 227 ERA+, 1.9 WAR, 2.48 FIP (62 FIP-), and 2.0 K/BB are all outstanding. The Illinois native has been so dominant, that OSA has gone ahead and named him the #1 pitcher in all of baseball, even if we all know that Peter the Heater is still the greatest. He's part of the reason the Sailors have allowed the fewest runs, as even without the injured Charlie Gordon (2-6, 3.13, 24), they have an impressive front three of Win Lewis (11-6, 2.60, 53), Al Duster (7-6, 3.03, 68), and Slick Wesolowski (10-6, 3.06, 53). Lucky for us, Win might have to pitch the finale of the Saints series, but if they opt for a spot starter instead, we'll get the pleasure of seeing their three best. Just what a struggling offense needs! Not only will the scoring for us be tough, but preventing runs will be a challenge even with our top three, as Bobby Boone (.326, 1, 22, 3), Ed Reyes (.321, 3, 34), and Cotton Dillon (.290, 5, 52) are all formidable forces. The home fans may give us a slight edge, but will it be enough to overcome such a good team? My gut says no...

We then finish the week with three against the Wolves, who are 40-45 and nine games out of first. There are rumblings that the Wolves want to buy, as they don't want to waste a Whitney caliber season from 8-Time All Star Fred McCormick. The talented veteran is 37, but slashing a powerful .321/.407/.560 (153 OPS+) with 15 doubles, 15 homers, and 53 RBIs. He can't do it all by himself, but Charlie Artuso (.262, 1, 40, 7) is scuffling through his worst offensive season as a big leaguer and Hal Wood (.276, 5, 48) has had a rough second half. Really just Chink Stickels (.278, 3, 33, 10) is hitting much, as everything has gone wrong for Hank Giordano (.241, 2, 29, 3) and neither Frank Frady (.241, 17) nor John Fast (.245, 1, 8) has had much success in year one. Even worse, Joe Hancock (5-6, 3.94, 30) and Jerry York (4-6, 3.93, 44) have blown up, which completely offsets George Garrison (5-6, 2.65, 57) pitching like Joe and Jerry were to start the season. The Wolves will be an interesting team to watch as the deadline approaches, as a good showing against us could convince them to make a run for it.

Minor League Report
RHP Dick Garcia (AA Mobile Commodores): On May 31st, Dick Garcia had a 7.58 ERA after 7 starts. On July 10th, he lowered that to 4.70 (95 ERA+) after completing a 2-ht shutout over the New Orleans Showboats. That was his fifth start in six attempts where he allowed two or fewer earned runs, and he's now 4-8 after dropping his first six decisions. He's thrown just shut of 100 innings (97.2), but he's walked 33 hitters and struck out just 19, leading to a 1.57 WHIP. And as good as he's been in his last six starts, he's walked 17 and struck out just 5. At 22, he still has time to improve, but we have a lot of good young pitchers in the system. His starts may be numbered, but this hot start could help him keep pitching in the organization, giving him the change to debut in the big leagues.

C Garland Phelps (B San Jose): It's hard to have a better debut week then Garland Phelps, who despite being short of his 18th birthday, was named Player of the Week in the California-Oregon-Washington League. Very few players have been very effective for the 27-39 Cougars, but Phelps reached base at least twice in each of his six appearances, including an impressive 4-for-6 in start two where he both scored and drove in two. as the Cougars still fell short in a 14-13 loss in Spokane. Currently ranked as the 33th best prospect in the league, and is even ahead of Eddie Howard (36th) who made his big league debut this season. Harry Mead (.212, 4, 28) has had an awful start to the season, and while I still believe he's good enough to be a big league starter, his seat is getting warmer. Now 33, Mead still owns a 105 career WRC+ in over 1,000 big league games, including two seasons with a WRC+ above 140. Dixie Marsh thinks Phelps will be even better.

The new catcher of the future, BNN believes Phelps will be ready by 1949, but don't expect Phelps to make an at bat before the end of the decade. Nicknamed "Einstein" for his brilliance both on and off the field, if you were speaking to Phelps you'd have no idea that the young man was actually a teen, as you can tell how gifted he is. Even though his baseball talent more then speaks for itself, he won't let you hear the end of it, and we're hoping we can keep him a little under control. That may be the only thing to stand in his way, as he has already shown tremendous power at the plate and it's only going to improve as he fills out. He swings hard and fast, which while it produces a ton of hard hits, he may whiff a bit like Leo Mitchell. Luckily he has a really good eye, so he's not going to chase, and he's the type of guy to remember every little detail of every pitcher he faced. If someone got him a lot, he'd figure out why, and if he was a modern player I'm sure he'd be in the film room or on the iPad whenever he had the time. That also helps his pitchers, as he uses his knowledge of the zone to the benefit of his pitchers as well. If they can tolerate all his quirks, they'll love throwing to him, as he will do all the thinking and really help them thrive. If this first week is indictive of anything, it's that if Garland lives up to his potential, we may not have to worry about catcher for a very long time.

Sorry Eddie Howard -- take advantage of your six year head start!

1B Dudley Sapp (C La Crosse Lions): Literally any other week ever, Dudley Sapp would have had the best professional debut week. But instead, he decided to debut the same week as Garland Phelps. Selected one round later, Sapp had an excellent debut week in La Crosse, hitting a picturesque.435/.519/.652 (221 OPS+). And while he didn't get on base twice in all his games, he drew 4 walks, tripled, and hit a homer. 19 in September, Sapp is a bit on the older side for a high school prospect, but that doesn't mean that I want to rush him. Cal Rice is a decent first basemen, and at 19 himself, I don't think he's ready for Lincoln yet. For now I want both playing everyday, so it's better to keep them both playing everyday. Sapp is clearly the better prospect, with an excellent hit tool and well above average power, and he plays his position very well. He has the size to be a legit big league slugger, and it's a breath of fresh air having a potential elite home run hitting first basemen. Otto is great, but he's still not there yet, and his hit tool doesn't compare to Sapp's. If both reach their potential, they could be a dynamic duo, but with the age difference they may not spend too much time bopping together.

And he didn't even win Player of the Week!

RF Zeke Johnson (C La Crosse Lions): This is the reason why Dudley Sapp didn't win Player of the Week. His own teammate! A 9th Round Pick last season, Zeke Johnson managed to outhit Sapp, going 12-for-26 with a triple, 2 homers, 2 walks, and 12 RBIs. The 20-year-old has been red hot to start his season, slashing .400/.434/.560 (172 OPS+) -- a noticeable improvement over his .248/.327/.333 (84 OPS+) line in 45 games for the Lions last season. Even with all the new additions, the 19-year-old will not need to worry about losing at bats. Ranked as the 273rd prospect in the league and 21st in our system, and has always projected to be a good hitter. He has above average contact potential and his bat could be as good as anyone. He may not have the power you want in a corner bat, but he has a strong handle over the strike zone and should be able to hold a high on base percentage instead of slugging. As a bat first guy, his defense has always come second, and a final position for him is unknown. He hasn't looked good in right, and will need to be at least passable in a corner if he can't hit like a Hal Sharp. He's a longshot to reach his potential, but it's hard not to get excited about how well he's started.