[ayaghmour2]

AAA Milwaukee Blues (Century League): 70-70, 5th, 22 GB: After winning four consecutive Century League titles, the Milwaukee Blues had a miserable season in 1947. Like the Cougars, they had a long stretch of over .500 seasons, but unlike us, they at least finished even at 70-70. They did that in 1937 as well, with their last sub .500 season coming all the way back in 1929 when they finished 68-72 and in 5th place. The Blues actually finished the season well, as after a 14-23 start, they finished above .500 in each of the last four months of the season.

The pitching staff was hit hard most of the season, with the surprising struggle of George Oddo (7-11, 4.99, 95) really holding the team back. The rotation was young, and guys like Roscoe Brown (7-12, 6.90, 70), Ed Fisler (5-5, 6.94, 44), and Bill Ballantine (8-6, 4.84, 36) all had tough seasons. Even Charlie Kelsey (3-5, 5.92, 44) was hit hard in his ten starts with the Blues, and while Babe Stinson (9-4, 4.46, 56) had a good record and above average ERA+ (104), he walked 105 hitters in 127 innings. One of the few bright spots though was veteran stopper Art Keeter, who went 9-4 with 18 saves, a 3.44 ERA (135 ERA+), 1.34 WHIP, and 64 strikeouts in 136 innings. He was worth nearly 2 WAR (1.9) out of the pen and the 38-year-old has had somewhat of a resurgence in the Blues pen. He hasn't played in the big leagues since 1939, but with an excellent season he may be able to force his way into the Cougars pen next year.

The offense was one of the better ones in the Century League, and one of the only reasons we would win games aside from a strong finish from Keeter. Former 3rd Overall Pick Johnny Peters could be considered the heart of the lineup, and the 23-year-old hit an impressive .289/.390/.456 (115 OPS+) with 28 doubles, 9 triples, 16 homers, 10 steals, and 77 RBIs in 676 trips to the plate. The defense wasn't terrible either (-1.6, .990), and Peters was worth an impressive 4 WAR in 139 games. I'd love to see him strike out less then 117 times, but the 95 walks were impressive enough to make up for it. He's going to be in camp next season, but with Sal Pestilli and Carlos Montes, I can't really see him breaking the Opening Day roster. Elsewhere the Blues got good production from current Cougars Bill Payne (.309, 10, 60), Homer Guthrie (.293, 5, 30), Eddie Howard (.347, 1, 20), and Bob Schmelz (.271, 11, 58). All four of these guys will be fighting for a roster spot, but it's possible just one of Guthrie or Howard don't return to Milwaukee. It's weird seeing the Blues struggle to the level they did this year, and with a lot of their top producers returning, they could make a quick recovery.

AA Mobile Commodores (Dixie League): 69-71, 4th, 18 GB: It's now back-to-back sub .500 seasons for the Commodores, who haven't done that since the 1923 and 1924 seasons, which predates my time with the Cougars. Granted, it was just two games below and they improved two games in record and three in games back, and a 13-7 September gives reason for excitement next season. Mobile was a middle of the pack team, 4th in runs allowed and tied for 4th in runs scored, so a basically .500 season isn't too surprising. On the mound, Hank Beardsley (5-6, 3.95, 40), Zane Kelley (11-12, 3.97, 63), Dick Garcia (7-16, 3.58, 48), Bob Petty (11-5, 3.66, 68), and Bob Hobbs (6-5, 3.44, 50) were all effective, but neither stood out and dominated. Jimmy Ballard (12-9, 4.68, 92) won games despite his walk issues (116 in 182.2), and was one of the few rotation members with an ERA+ below 100. He's probably not returning, and Kelley may be moved up to AAA, but Beardsley and Garcia should make up a solid 1-2 punch.

The lineup had a lot of moving parts, with very few players spending all of their time in AA. One who came close was Jimmy Hairston, as our 12th ranked prospect played 120 of his 137 games with the Commodores. They were good ones too, as the 22-year-old outfielder slashed .318/.386/.441 (113 OPS+), which was good for a 121 WRC+. He hit 32 doubles, 4 triples, and 6 homers with 63 RBIs and 55 walks, spending most of his time in the three hole. He had some support with Rupert Abbott (.305, 2, 31, 4), who was part of the Billy Riley trade, Norm Anderson (.312, 3, 45), Israel Holmes (.272, 9, 50), and Tom Brownleaf (.326, 3, 24), who somehow accumulated 2.1 WAR in just 39 games. Al Clement (.270, 4, 22, 13) was much better in Lincoln, but did a great job leading off the order. Hairston could be ready for Milwaukee, but with his age, he could at least start the season anchoring the Commodores lineup again. Brownleaf, Clement, Abbott, and former 6th Rounder Bob Stout (.265, 5, 41) should all be back next season, and I think this lineup could really make some noise next year.

A Lincoln Legislators (Heartland League): 79-61, 1st, 3 GA: The only affiliate this year to secure a title, the Lincoln Legislators edged out the Peoria Pastimers (76-64) by three games, securing their first title since 1938. It was on the strength of their pitching, as the lineup really wasn't that great, posting just the 6th most runs scored, although they made up for it somewhat with the defense. Billy Biggar had a huge year for the Legislators, as the Canadian first basemen hit .336/.390/.473 (130 OPS+) with 44 doubles, 7 triples, 4 homers, and 71 RBIs, while walking 46 times compared to just 25 strikeouts. Catcher Mike Bordes (.250, 10, 67) and outfielder Franklin Thomas (.254, 9, 40, 13) supplied the power, but both had below average OPS+ with a slightly above average WRC+. Some of the best production came from guys with limited time, as Bill Cook (.302, 2, 27), Bill Martin (.343, 1, 12), and Bob Rogers (.353, 15) all impressed in limited time while Al Clemet (.342, 1, 30, 8) and Rupert Abbott (.305, 2, 31, 4) both excelled before earning promotions up to Mobile. There are a lot of question marks for next year, as Thomas and Biggar may not return, opening the door for some of the younger players to secure regular playing time.

The pitching had a lot of churning, with just reliever Johnny Romberg (11-3, 1.80, 75) and former first rounder Tommy Seymour (6-14, 5.63, 58) qualifying for rate stats. Top 100 prospect Harry Beardsley (8-3, 3.50, 56) was excellent prior to promotion while Dutch Yoak (4-1, 2.64, 17) and this year's 8th Rounder Fred Terry (4-2, 2.98, 34) were outstanding after coming up from San Jose. Beardsley wasn't the only top 100 prospect either, as Ron Berry (4-5, 4.13, 42) and Bert Rogers (5-3, 4.26, 27) both made double digit starts in Lincoln. In terms of prospect status, the rotation looks to be stacked, with the top five containing the 54th, 73rd, 193rd, 326th, and 433rd ranked prospects. In terms of pitchers in our system, that's 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 10th, and, 14th, and there's a chance that our top ranked and the #6 ranked prospect overall Bob Allen joins them at sometime next season. Of course, they had Beardsley who's 75th overall and our 4th ranked pitcher, and 373rd ranked prospect Jim N Smith (4-2, 5.07, 41) is likely set in the 6th spot. His struggles may prevent him from starting in AA, but at 24 he may be pushed up. The Legislators were one of the lone bright spots in the system this year, and we're hoping for more of the same next season.

B San Jose Cougars (California-Oregon-Washington League): 55-65, 6th, 20 GB: Overall it was a tough season for Cougar fans in San Jose, but the second half was much better then the first. Not only did they finish the season 21-17, but they got to watch 57 games of Garland Phelps. The highest ranked catching prospect (21st) in any system, Phelps turned 18 on the 22nd of August, and hit .324/.370/.475 (136 OPS+) in 257 PAs. He produced a near elite 144 WRC+ with 9 doubles, 6 triples, 5 homers, and 46 RBIs. He was supported by fellow top 100 prospect and 2nd Rounder Frank Reece (.245, 9, 34, 19), another teenager who held his own against older competition. The same can be said of this years 9th Rounder Harley Dollar (.237, 5, 27) and his 110 WRC+ and the 109 this years 5th Rounder and current 100th ranked prospect Buddy Jenkins (.262, 1, 17, 9) posted. In fact, most of the ending lineup came from this year's class, with Billy Nash (.261, 4, 12), a college guy who excelled, and Willie Watson (.151, 1, 7), a high schooler who, well... Didn't... Cal Rice (.281, 5, 48), Bob Rogers (.353, 15), and Harry Austin (.281, 3, 16) are all holdovers who had some success, but I think all three won't return.

The pitching staff had crazy churning, with just Dutch Yoak (6-7, 3.72, 48), who ended the season in Lincoln, qualifying for rate stats. In total, 14 pitchers made starts, ranging from Yoak's 15 to Fred Terry (1-1, 1.93, 13) and Russ Cushing's (2-0, 1, 1.88, 33) two. Bert Rogers had a really nice stretch, going 8-5 with a 3.19 ERA (119 ERA+) and 50 strikeouts in 13 starts. Cliff Wallace (3-3, 3.90, 27), Max Tanner (2-3, 1, 2.53, 15), Wally Eversole (3-1, 2.97, 22) and Billy Stoddard (3-1, 2.61, 28), but none from this group made more then ten starts. Our top ranked prospect Bob Allen finished the season in San Jose, going 5-1 in 8 starts with a 3.62 ERA (105 ERA+) and 28 strikeouts at a 19-year-old. Allen should lead the rotation again next year, but there's going to be plenty of young hurlers moving up and down as the Cougars look to snap a three year stretch with 55 or fewer victories.

C La Crosse Lions (Upper Mississippi Valley Association): 41-22, 2nd, 1 GB: Oh so close... It was the shortest UMVA season yet, just 62 games. Or at least it would have been had the Lions not tied the Burlington Bears. It was a tough loss to end it, as Andy Felton (1-1, 4.08, 26) allowed 6 hits and runs in 3.1 innings, as we eventually fell 7-5, extending the pennant drought to six seasons.

Just like in San Jose, there were a ton of arms to make starts, and no Lion made more then the 9 from Lee Parker (5-4, 3.71, 40), a former 15th Rounder who has shot up the prospect rankings to 268th after not cracking our top 40 last year. He was one of the many young pitchers who produced an above average ERA+, joined by 1947 draftees Mike Emerson (6-2, 3.71, 46), Ray Paulson (2-2, 3.57, 54), Marty Czyzewski (2-3, 2.55, 45), and Jackie Reynolds (2-1, 3.60, 16), as well as Bob Allen (4-0, 0.53, 46), Morty Smith (3-2, 1, 2.09, 44), Wally Eversole (2-0, 2.38, 24), Billy Stoddard (4-1, 1, 2.70, 41), and Lonnie Sis (2-1, 2.86, 34). Even former 17th Rounder Art Whisenant (0-0, 0.00, 15) threw 13 scoreless innings out of the pen!

The offense scored plenty of runs too, but the most exciting Lion was Jerry Smith, our 5th overall selection and the 11th ranked prospect Jerry Smith. Smith produced a 118 WRC+ with a .284/.329/.413 (106 OPS+) line. He hit 10 doubles, a triple, 5 homers, 28 RBIs, and 20 steals in his first 51 games as a professional ballplayer. Injuries ended 3rd Rounder Dudley Sapp's (.271, 2, 13) season early, and the teen cooled off after a slow start. Phil Boyes (.309, 4, 32, 9) improved his WRC+ from 84 to 129 this year while Roy Gass (.265, 4, 16, 4), Roxy Hilts (.301, 3, 26, 9), John Price (.248, 3, 13, 2), Hank Smithers (.338, 1, 6, 2) and Ernie Frost (.297, 2, 20) were all very productive. Most of these guys will be back for next season, but I expect a few to move up and down between La Crosse and San Jose before the draft. The Lions roster was as deep as any in our system, and while at times it was tough to find enough playing time for everyone, we had plenty of exciting players that I want to get longer looks at.