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ayaghmour2 · 07-20-2023, 09:20 PM

RHP Jim Williams (321st Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 8th Round, 123rd Overall (1945)
Alma Mater: Chicopee Pacers

It was a rough season for Jim Williams, who did not find much success in his 9 starts with the Cougars. The 21-year-old went 3-4 with a 5.29 ERA (72 ERA+), 1.59 WHIP, 24 walks, and 29 strikeouts. The poor results came after two excellent starts with the Lions, as he allowed 10 hits, 2 walks, and a run with 9 strikeouts in 15 innings. The 6'4'' righty hasn't gotten off the ground running, as this is his third season in our organization. The former 8th Rounder struggled with his command, which should be one of his stronger tools. He has a good sinker that can keep the ball on the dirt, and he leans heavily on it when in a jam. He doesn't get many whiffs and his off-speed stuff gets hit hard. That resulted in 8 homers in just 62.2 innings, after just 7 since he started high school. I'm hoping he can prove this year is an outlier, as he's a lanky 6'4'' righty that follows the "no pain, no gain" motto better then most. His velocity has been on a steady increase, and if he can sit in the 90s he could be a very useful sinker baller. The question is whether it would be as a starter or reliever.

LHP Dutch Yoak (329th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 2nd Round, 19th Overall (1945)
Alma Mater: La Porte Renegades

I know what the prospect rankings and the scouting reports say, but I believe in Dick Yoak. A high school standout who went 35-0 in his final three years of high school, Yoak was coming off a rough stint in San Jose where he finished 1-5 with a 7.51 ERA (53) in 38.1 innings pitched. Not used to losing, Yoak had a much better 6-7 record in 15 starts with a poor Cougars team. He had an above average 3.72 ERA (102 ERA+) in 106.1 innings pitched with 48 strikeouts and a 1.55 WHIP. This performance earned him a late season promotion to Lincoln where the Legislators were in a pennant race. Yoak rose to the competition, going 4-1 in his 6 starts. The no decision? Just 5 hits and 2 runs (1 earned) through 7.1, but the Lincoln didn't put up much of a fight until a 5-run ninth. Yoak did walks (19) more hitters (17) then he struck out, but he finished with an impressive 2.64 ERA (160 ERA+). He doesn't turn 21 until May 1st, which really exemplifies how advanced he is for his age. A towering 6'4'' southpaw, Yoak allows too many flyballs now, and until his stuff develops he's going to allow a lot of home runs. His fastball needs more life, just hanging out in the high 80s instead of the 90s. I have faith that he'll add velocity, which should help him miss more bats. His curve isn't there yet, but it projects to be a wipeout pitch, and his change should be above average as well. It's a stretch to think he'll ever throw 95, but even in the low-to-mid 90s Yoak could be a big strikeout pitcher. He had a 4.1 K/9 in Class B this season and that curve is going to be very good. He may take time, but he'll put in the hours and I'm betting on him reaching or even exceeding his potential.

RHP Jim N Smith (341st Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 7th Round, 107th Overall (1945)
Alma Mater: Georgia Baptist Gators

Despite turning 24 in August, "Noodles" didn't do too well with San Jose or Lincoln. The starts were spread almost equally, but he was 3-4 in 10 starts with San Jose and 4-2 in 11 starts with Lincoln. The other numbers weren't pretty, as he had a 4.10 (92 ERA+) and 5.07 (83 ERA+) ERA in San Jose and Lincoln respectively along with WHIPs of 1.47 and 1.62. On the plus side, he did strike out 82 hitters in 139 innings pitched, and it came with just 60 walks. If he can limit hard contact there's a good chance the run numbers will improve, but as a soft tosser the way to do this is command. He's a kitchen sink type five pitch pitcher who gets outs by deception as opposed to power. Nothing really stands out but his change could end up the best pitch. Working against him is his personality, is he's an outspoken fellow who won't hold back after a tough loss. If he causes trouble, he could end up cut or shipped out, as we don't want any malcontents in our clubhouse.

RHP Bill Ballantine (351st Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 6th Round, 91st Overall (1941)
Alma Mater: Fenger Titans

No debut for "The Windy City Whip" but Bill Ballantine will keep his 40-man spot and could be a dark horse candidate for the pen. This season he started all 22 appearances for the Blues, going 8-6 with a 4.84 ERA (96 ERA+) and 1.70 WHIP. He had major control issues, walking 78 hitters while striking out just 36. This is a first for Ballantine, who has never walked more hitters then he struck out. In fact, in 68.1 inning with San Jose back in 1944, he had a 3.3 K/BB. My first instinct is that the competition got the best of him, and another go at things could turn things around. Otherwise, we can prep him for a pen role, as I think that's his future on the big league club. We don't really have any dominant stoppers, and a guy who can hit 95 is a nice tool late in a game. And in a smaller sample, he has less time for command lapses, and can instead go all out at the end of a game. He has two option years to earn a pen spot, but I find it hard to believe the Chicago native will ever be DFA'd. Next year may be too soon, but I could see him in camp the following season with his eye on the stopper role.

LF Bob Rogers (355th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 6th Round, 93rd Overall (1943)
Alma Mater: Newman Norseman

Bob Rogers is running out of time, as the 22-year-old is now Rule-5 eligible and I have no intention of protecting him. I doubt anyone will take him, but he did hit .353/.425/.479 (141 OPS+) in 33 Single-A games. That's a 134 PA sample, but it came without a single home run. That's a death sentence for a corner bat, especially an egotistical one who isn't very fast. He's a contact oriented hitter who hits a lot of singles, and he walked (31) more then he struck out (28) in his time with the Cougars and Legislators. If Rogers was in the Winter League, he could have been showcased to one of the other teams, but I doubt he'd hit enough to warrant a selection. He could be the type of guy to thrive in the GWL, as power isn't much of a thing out west. Next season will be big, as if he doesn't hit, he could be relegated to a bench role in favor of one of our more exciting prospects.

07-20-2023, 09:20 PM	#1162
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,010	Top Prospects: 31-35 RHP Jim Williams (321st Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 8th Round, 123rd Overall (1945) Alma Mater: Chicopee Pacers It was a rough season for Jim Williams, who did not find much success in his 9 starts with the Cougars. The 21-year-old went 3-4 with a 5.29 ERA (72 ERA+), 1.59 WHIP, 24 walks, and 29 strikeouts. The poor results came after two excellent starts with the Lions, as he allowed 10 hits, 2 walks, and a run with 9 strikeouts in 15 innings. The 6'4'' righty hasn't gotten off the ground running, as this is his third season in our organization. The former 8th Rounder struggled with his command, which should be one of his stronger tools. He has a good sinker that can keep the ball on the dirt, and he leans heavily on it when in a jam. He doesn't get many whiffs and his off-speed stuff gets hit hard. That resulted in 8 homers in just 62.2 innings, after just 7 since he started high school. I'm hoping he can prove this year is an outlier, as he's a lanky 6'4'' righty that follows the "no pain, no gain" motto better then most. His velocity has been on a steady increase, and if he can sit in the 90s he could be a very useful sinker baller. The question is whether it would be as a starter or reliever. LHP Dutch Yoak (329th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 2nd Round, 19th Overall (1945) Alma Mater: La Porte Renegades I know what the prospect rankings and the scouting reports say, but I believe in Dick Yoak. A high school standout who went 35-0 in his final three years of high school, Yoak was coming off a rough stint in San Jose where he finished 1-5 with a 7.51 ERA (53) in 38.1 innings pitched. Not used to losing, Yoak had a much better 6-7 record in 15 starts with a poor Cougars team. He had an above average 3.72 ERA (102 ERA+) in 106.1 innings pitched with 48 strikeouts and a 1.55 WHIP. This performance earned him a late season promotion to Lincoln where the Legislators were in a pennant race. Yoak rose to the competition, going 4-1 in his 6 starts. The no decision? Just 5 hits and 2 runs (1 earned) through 7.1, but the Lincoln didn't put up much of a fight until a 5-run ninth. Yoak did walks (19) more hitters (17) then he struck out, but he finished with an impressive 2.64 ERA (160 ERA+). He doesn't turn 21 until May 1st, which really exemplifies how advanced he is for his age. A towering 6'4'' southpaw, Yoak allows too many flyballs now, and until his stuff develops he's going to allow a lot of home runs. His fastball needs more life, just hanging out in the high 80s instead of the 90s. I have faith that he'll add velocity, which should help him miss more bats. His curve isn't there yet, but it projects to be a wipeout pitch, and his change should be above average as well. It's a stretch to think he'll ever throw 95, but even in the low-to-mid 90s Yoak could be a big strikeout pitcher. He had a 4.1 K/9 in Class B this season and that curve is going to be very good. He may take time, but he'll put in the hours and I'm betting on him reaching or even exceeding his potential. RHP Jim N Smith (341st Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 7th Round, 107th Overall (1945) Alma Mater: Georgia Baptist Gators Despite turning 24 in August, "Noodles" didn't do too well with San Jose or Lincoln. The starts were spread almost equally, but he was 3-4 in 10 starts with San Jose and 4-2 in 11 starts with Lincoln. The other numbers weren't pretty, as he had a 4.10 (92 ERA+) and 5.07 (83 ERA+) ERA in San Jose and Lincoln respectively along with WHIPs of 1.47 and 1.62. On the plus side, he did strike out 82 hitters in 139 innings pitched, and it came with just 60 walks. If he can limit hard contact there's a good chance the run numbers will improve, but as a soft tosser the way to do this is command. He's a kitchen sink type five pitch pitcher who gets outs by deception as opposed to power. Nothing really stands out but his change could end up the best pitch. Working against him is his personality, is he's an outspoken fellow who won't hold back after a tough loss. If he causes trouble, he could end up cut or shipped out, as we don't want any malcontents in our clubhouse. RHP Bill Ballantine (351st Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 6th Round, 91st Overall (1941) Alma Mater: Fenger Titans No debut for "The Windy City Whip" but Bill Ballantine will keep his 40-man spot and could be a dark horse candidate for the pen. This season he started all 22 appearances for the Blues, going 8-6 with a 4.84 ERA (96 ERA+) and 1.70 WHIP. He had major control issues, walking 78 hitters while striking out just 36. This is a first for Ballantine, who has never walked more hitters then he struck out. In fact, in 68.1 inning with San Jose back in 1944, he had a 3.3 K/BB. My first instinct is that the competition got the best of him, and another go at things could turn things around. Otherwise, we can prep him for a pen role, as I think that's his future on the big league club. We don't really have any dominant stoppers, and a guy who can hit 95 is a nice tool late in a game. And in a smaller sample, he has less time for command lapses, and can instead go all out at the end of a game. He has two option years to earn a pen spot, but I find it hard to believe the Chicago native will ever be DFA'd. Next year may be too soon, but I could see him in camp the following season with his eye on the stopper role. LF Bob Rogers (355th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 6th Round, 93rd Overall (1943) Alma Mater: Newman Norseman Bob Rogers is running out of time, as the 22-year-old is now Rule-5 eligible and I have no intention of protecting him. I doubt anyone will take him, but he did hit .353/.425/.479 (141 OPS+) in 33 Single-A games. That's a 134 PA sample, but it came without a single home run. That's a death sentence for a corner bat, especially an egotistical one who isn't very fast. He's a contact oriented hitter who hits a lot of singles, and he walked (31) more then he struck out (28) in his time with the Cougars and Legislators. If Rogers was in the Winter League, he could have been showcased to one of the other teams, but I doubt he'd hit enough to warrant a selection. He could be the type of guy to thrive in the GWL, as power isn't much of a thing out west. Next season will be big, as if he doesn't hit, he could be relegated to a bench role in favor of one of our more exciting prospects.