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ayaghmour2 · 07-25-2023, 01:07 PM

The Rule-5 Draft is upon us, and we made a few minor transactions ahead of time. The first was a trade, acquiring a player I tried to trade for a few deadlines ago, Jim Kenny. To bring him to Chicago, we sent 19-year-old Fred McHenry, an outfielder we took in the 20th Round of the most recent draft. Kenny, now 27, was a 2nd Round Pick of the Kings back in 1939, and he was a frequent member of the top 100 prospect lists before debuting in the 1943 season as a 22-year-old. He had an excellent season, going 12-10 with a 3.01 ERA (112 ERA+) and 1.24 WHIP. It wasn't without it's faults, as Kenny walked 57 hitters and struck out just 16 in 26 starts.

The next season was his breakout, starting in a Continental Association high 37 games for the 1944 Kings. Kenny was an impressive 18-14 with a 2.99 ERA (121 ERA+) and 1.30 WHIP. He had similar walk numbers, with 88 in 268.1 innings, but he struck out a similar 74 hitters. His 3.18 FIP (88 FIP-) was close to his ERA, and the then 23-year-old was worth 5.2 WAR. He was in line to become an anchor of the Kings rebuilt rotation, but was enlisted into the Army and missed all of 1945. When he returned, there wasn't a spot for him under the new regime, as Kenny played sparingly between the minors and majors. He made 18 appearances (3 starts) in Brooklyn and 11 (8 starts) in Jersey City, but the overall numbers weren't great. He went 2-6 with an inflated 6.46 ERA (56 ERA+) and 1.82 WHIP in 39 innings pitched, while walking (23) twice as many hitters as he struck out (11). With that poor performance, it makes sense that Kenny spent all of this season in Jersey City, but he looked much better in a swingman/stopper role. Kenny finished 10-4 with 7 saves with a 2.93 ERA (137 ERA+) and 2.99 FIP (74 FIP-). He struck out 36 and walked 20 while sporting a 1.25 WHIP in 104.1 innings pitched.

The lefty is definitely intriguing, as he keeps the ball on the ground and can eat innings. None of his pitches are straight, and while none of his slider, cutter, or change are dominant, they all feature a ton of break. He has the stamina and pitch mix to start games and even if his best years came in the war, you can't completely luck your way into a two year stretch like his. I don't expect Kenny to start any games for us, but we have an open stopper role that Kenny, Harry Parker, and Ken Matson will all be competing for. Another member joining the mix is Frank Sartori, who we claimed off waivers from the Sailors. A 25-year-old southpaw, Sartori stands at 6'4''and debuted for the Sailors last season. The former 11th Round Pick surprised, going 9-5 with a 2.63 ERA (138 ERA+) and 1.29 WHIP. He made 16 starts and 8 relief appearances, striking out 67 and walking 57 in 133.2 innings pitched.

Things didn't go too well for Sartori this season, as he was hit hard in 15 appearances (7 starts). He had an elevated 6.57 ERA (61 ERA+) and 1.95 WHIP with a 2-4 record. He struck out (34) an impressive 14.5% of the hitters he faced, but that came with 28 walks in just 49.1 innings pitched. FIP believes he was unlucky, as his 3.93 FIP was two points above average. The hard worker is a longshot to make the active roster as he can be optioned two more times, but we have some space on the 40 and there's really only one guy I'm interested in taking in the Rule-5 draft. Milwaukee's rotation was a bit weak this season, and I imagine Sartori will be one of the top performers.

C Pat Brown Jr. (Not Ranked)
Acquired: Via Draft: 9th Round, 141st Overall (1941)
AA: .265/.339/.419 (95 OPS+), 389 PA, 24 2B, 5 3B, 6 HR, 56 RBI, SB
A: .267/.267/.267 (43 OPS+), 15 PA, 2 RBI
CWL: .280/.357/.480 (120 OPS+), 28 PA, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI

Unfortunately, the Cougar prospects on the Stallions are not doing all that well. Schmelz and Hairston cooled off after a blistering first week and despite winning one, Dick Garcia's two starts have not been any good (13 ER, 11.2 IP). Pat Brown Jr. is one of the few to do decent both weeks, as the catcher hit .231/.333/.538 (127 OPS+) this week and is hitting .280/.357/.480 (120 OPS+) in his seven games. Last week was about the contact, this week the power, as Brown hit his first homer of the winter in a 4-3 loss. It was the third loss of their five game losing streak, as the Stallions went from first to last in just one week. They'll need more from guys like Brown to reverse course, and this has worked as a minor audition for the young backstop as well. He's available for the Rule-5 draft now, and while he may not be selected, a strong Winter could encourage teams to go for him next season. We have plenty of catching depth, so I don't see him getting protected, but he's athletic and works the count well. He may be a bubble guy now, but he's just 24 and still has some time to develop.

07-25-2023, 01:07 PM	#1165
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,010	Cuban Winter League: Week 2 The Rule-5 Draft is upon us, and we made a few minor transactions ahead of time. The first was a trade, acquiring a player I tried to trade for a few deadlines ago, Jim Kenny. To bring him to Chicago, we sent 19-year-old Fred McHenry, an outfielder we took in the 20th Round of the most recent draft. Kenny, now 27, was a 2nd Round Pick of the Kings back in 1939, and he was a frequent member of the top 100 prospect lists before debuting in the 1943 season as a 22-year-old. He had an excellent season, going 12-10 with a 3.01 ERA (112 ERA+) and 1.24 WHIP. It wasn't without it's faults, as Kenny walked 57 hitters and struck out just 16 in 26 starts. The next season was his breakout, starting in a Continental Association high 37 games for the 1944 Kings. Kenny was an impressive 18-14 with a 2.99 ERA (121 ERA+) and 1.30 WHIP. He had similar walk numbers, with 88 in 268.1 innings, but he struck out a similar 74 hitters. His 3.18 FIP (88 FIP-) was close to his ERA, and the then 23-year-old was worth 5.2 WAR. He was in line to become an anchor of the Kings rebuilt rotation, but was enlisted into the Army and missed all of 1945. When he returned, there wasn't a spot for him under the new regime, as Kenny played sparingly between the minors and majors. He made 18 appearances (3 starts) in Brooklyn and 11 (8 starts) in Jersey City, but the overall numbers weren't great. He went 2-6 with an inflated 6.46 ERA (56 ERA+) and 1.82 WHIP in 39 innings pitched, while walking (23) twice as many hitters as he struck out (11). With that poor performance, it makes sense that Kenny spent all of this season in Jersey City, but he looked much better in a swingman/stopper role. Kenny finished 10-4 with 7 saves with a 2.93 ERA (137 ERA+) and 2.99 FIP (74 FIP-). He struck out 36 and walked 20 while sporting a 1.25 WHIP in 104.1 innings pitched. The lefty is definitely intriguing, as he keeps the ball on the ground and can eat innings. None of his pitches are straight, and while none of his slider, cutter, or change are dominant, they all feature a ton of break. He has the stamina and pitch mix to start games and even if his best years came in the war, you can't completely luck your way into a two year stretch like his. I don't expect Kenny to start any games for us, but we have an open stopper role that Kenny, Harry Parker, and Ken Matson will all be competing for. Another member joining the mix is Frank Sartori, who we claimed off waivers from the Sailors. A 25-year-old southpaw, Sartori stands at 6'4''and debuted for the Sailors last season. The former 11th Round Pick surprised, going 9-5 with a 2.63 ERA (138 ERA+) and 1.29 WHIP. He made 16 starts and 8 relief appearances, striking out 67 and walking 57 in 133.2 innings pitched. Things didn't go too well for Sartori this season, as he was hit hard in 15 appearances (7 starts). He had an elevated 6.57 ERA (61 ERA+) and 1.95 WHIP with a 2-4 record. He struck out (34) an impressive 14.5% of the hitters he faced, but that came with 28 walks in just 49.1 innings pitched. FIP believes he was unlucky, as his 3.93 FIP was two points above average. The hard worker is a longshot to make the active roster as he can be optioned two more times, but we have some space on the 40 and there's really only one guy I'm interested in taking in the Rule-5 draft. Milwaukee's rotation was a bit weak this season, and I imagine Sartori will be one of the top performers. C Pat Brown Jr. (Not Ranked) Acquired: Via Draft: 9th Round, 141st Overall (1941) AA: .265/.339/.419 (95 OPS+), 389 PA, 24 2B, 5 3B, 6 HR, 56 RBI, SB A: .267/.267/.267 (43 OPS+), 15 PA, 2 RBI CWL: .280/.357/.480 (120 OPS+), 28 PA, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI Unfortunately, the Cougar prospects on the Stallions are not doing all that well. Schmelz and Hairston cooled off after a blistering first week and despite winning one, Dick Garcia's two starts have not been any good (13 ER, 11.2 IP). Pat Brown Jr. is one of the few to do decent both weeks, as the catcher hit .231/.333/.538 (127 OPS+) this week and is hitting .280/.357/.480 (120 OPS+) in his seven games. Last week was about the contact, this week the power, as Brown hit his first homer of the winter in a 4-3 loss. It was the third loss of their five game losing streak, as the Stallions went from first to last in just one week. They'll need more from guys like Brown to reverse course, and this has worked as a minor audition for the young backstop as well. He's available for the Rule-5 draft now, and while he may not be selected, a strong Winter could encourage teams to go for him next season. We have plenty of catching depth, so I don't see him getting protected, but he's athletic and works the count well. He may be a bubble guy now, but he's just 24 and still has some time to develop.