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ayaghmour2 · 08-14-2023, 07:04 PM

It's about time! Spring Training is here! Sure, it's fun seeing the Packers and Panthers run away with their respective divisions, but nothing is as exciting as Cougars baseball! The vibe in camp is different this year, and I think it's for the better. Generally it's calm, and almost care-free, as year after year we come into camp off an 80+ win season with plenty of talent and a common team to pick for the season. That can allow a team to get complacent, which could be partially to blame for our collapse last season.

This year everything is different. There's finally a sense of urgency. 1947 was simply put an embarrassment, something these guys have never really had to deal with. Skipper was never on a team that didn't finish 10 games over .500. Leo Mitchell never finished below .500 as an everyday player. Pap, the Jones Brothers, Carlos Montes, Billy Hunter, and Harry Mead have only played on Cougars teams who won more games then they lost. Simply put, these guys aren't used to losing much, as aside from the embarrassment in the 1941 World Series and the tiebreaker to the Stars, our season usually ended with meaningless games post elimination. And who's better at winning meaningless games then us!

With not many battles in camp, the big focus is getting everyone ready for the start of the season. Considering we can't finish seasons strong, a hot start is a must, and with a new manager at the helm it can be easy to overreact. All I ask for in the spring is to stay healthy, as losing a key piece could really complicate things. The association is wide open, and all eight teams could conceivably make a run with no clearcut favorite. We just saw the Pioneers go worst to first last year, so who's to say Montreal can't? Or do the Foresters, with a healthy Jim Adams and a few well timed breakouts from their youngsters, hang around in the race until July before making a big move at the deadline?

The only sure thing right now is our opening roster for the Spring, as the 56 players below will be competing to secure one of the final 24 spots. As always, guys denoted with a * have their roster spot guaranteed, so long as they can stay healthy:

RHP Bill Ballantine
RHP Jimmy Ballard
RHP George K. Brooks
RHP Roscoe Brown
LHP Duke Bybee*
LHP Ed Fisler
RHP Jack Hale
LHP Bob Hobbs
RHP Donnie Jones*
LHP Johnnie Jones*
RHP Art Keeter
RHP Zane Kelley
RHP Charlie Kelsey
LHP Jim Kenny*
RHP Harry MacRae
RHP Ken Matson*
RHP George Oddo
RHP Pete Papenfus*
RHP Harry Parker*
RHP Paul Richardson
LHP Frank Sartori
RHP Babe Stinson
RHP Chet Williams
C Eddie Howard*
C Harry Mead*
C Bob Mundy
C Lee Tiede
1B Red Bond*
1B Ray Ford*
1B Bill Payne
1B Lou Thomas
2B Clark Car*
2B Vince D'Alessandro
2B Billy Hunter*
2B Bob Schmelz
2B Bob Smith
3B Leon Blackridge
3B Johnny Carlisle
3B Otto Christian*
3B Walt Pack*
SS Al Clement
SS Joe Dackett
SS Skipper Schneider*
SS George Sutterfield*
LF Don Jeppsen
LF Leo Mitchell*
LF Dick Pace
CF Don Lee*
CF Sal Pestilli*
CF Johnny Peters
CF Ray Struble
RF Ducky Cole
RF Jimmy Hairston
RF Carlos Montes*
RF Hal Sharp*
RF Reginald Westfall

The bullpen and bench are always up for grabs, but the only real interesting roster battle is for the 5th spot in the rotation. I'd love for that to be George Oddo, but Max Wilder would prefer Ken Matson or Harry Parker. Oddo does have an option year left, but he's 25 and an optional assignment in AAA didn't do much good last year. The towering righty hasn't quite lived up to his ace level billing, but I always expected a slower development path. The thinned out rosters from the war years made it look like Oddo was further along then he was, but I think this is his year. He's firmly a back-end pitcher now, but that's how Bybee was a year ago. Granted, Oddo's potential is now more of a #2, so don't get too excited, but if he can solve his home run issues, he could keep us in most games.

Even if Oddo secures the job like I want, that's not to say Matson and Parker won't start games this season. We have a lot more double headers this year, meaning there will be times a spot start will be needed. If Oddo is in AAA, that would guarantee starts for both guys. What's nice for us is both pitchers are different, as Matson keeps the ball on the ground and Parker generates easier to play flyballs. We can base it on the park or the lineup we're facing, something that we could do if all three guys have solid performances in the spring. With starters only going four, we can almost start two guys a game, as its common for the second pitcher of the game to pitch more then just an inning. That means even Charlie Kelsey, Paul Richardson, Frank Sartori, or even Zane Kelley could pitch their way into the mix. It will be interesting to see how the pitching holds up behind the front four, as we tend to struggle in close games.

08-14-2023, 07:04 PM	#1180
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,010	Start of Spring Training! It's about time! Spring Training is here! Sure, it's fun seeing the Packers and Panthers run away with their respective divisions, but nothing is as exciting as Cougars baseball! The vibe in camp is different this year, and I think it's for the better. Generally it's calm, and almost care-free, as year after year we come into camp off an 80+ win season with plenty of talent and a common team to pick for the season. That can allow a team to get complacent, which could be partially to blame for our collapse last season. This year everything is different. There's finally a sense of urgency. 1947 was simply put an embarrassment, something these guys have never really had to deal with. Skipper was never on a team that didn't finish 10 games over .500. Leo Mitchell never finished below .500 as an everyday player. Pap, the Jones Brothers, Carlos Montes, Billy Hunter, and Harry Mead have only played on Cougars teams who won more games then they lost. Simply put, these guys aren't used to losing much, as aside from the embarrassment in the 1941 World Series and the tiebreaker to the Stars, our season usually ended with meaningless games post elimination. And who's better at winning meaningless games then us! With not many battles in camp, the big focus is getting everyone ready for the start of the season. Considering we can't finish seasons strong, a hot start is a must, and with a new manager at the helm it can be easy to overreact. All I ask for in the spring is to stay healthy, as losing a key piece could really complicate things. The association is wide open, and all eight teams could conceivably make a run with no clearcut favorite. We just saw the Pioneers go worst to first last year, so who's to say Montreal can't? Or do the Foresters, with a healthy Jim Adams and a few well timed breakouts from their youngsters, hang around in the race until July before making a big move at the deadline? The only sure thing right now is our opening roster for the Spring, as the 56 players below will be competing to secure one of the final 24 spots. As always, guys denoted with a * have their roster spot guaranteed, so long as they can stay healthy: RHP Bill Ballantine RHP Jimmy Ballard RHP George K. Brooks RHP Roscoe Brown LHP Duke Bybee* LHP Ed Fisler RHP Jack Hale LHP Bob Hobbs RHP Donnie Jones* LHP Johnnie Jones* RHP Art Keeter RHP Zane Kelley RHP Charlie Kelsey LHP Jim Kenny* RHP Harry MacRae RHP Ken Matson* RHP George Oddo RHP Pete Papenfus* RHP Harry Parker* RHP Paul Richardson LHP Frank Sartori RHP Babe Stinson RHP Chet Williams C Eddie Howard* C Harry Mead* C Bob Mundy C Lee Tiede 1B Red Bond* 1B Ray Ford* 1B Bill Payne 1B Lou Thomas 2B Clark Car* 2B Vince D'Alessandro 2B Billy Hunter* 2B Bob Schmelz 2B Bob Smith 3B Leon Blackridge 3B Johnny Carlisle 3B Otto Christian* 3B Walt Pack* SS Al Clement SS Joe Dackett SS Skipper Schneider* SS George Sutterfield* LF Don Jeppsen LF Leo Mitchell* LF Dick Pace CF Don Lee* CF Sal Pestilli* CF Johnny Peters CF Ray Struble RF Ducky Cole RF Jimmy Hairston RF Carlos Montes* RF Hal Sharp* RF Reginald Westfall The bullpen and bench are always up for grabs, but the only real interesting roster battle is for the 5th spot in the rotation. I'd love for that to be George Oddo, but Max Wilder would prefer Ken Matson or Harry Parker. Oddo does have an option year left, but he's 25 and an optional assignment in AAA didn't do much good last year. The towering righty hasn't quite lived up to his ace level billing, but I always expected a slower development path. The thinned out rosters from the war years made it look like Oddo was further along then he was, but I think this is his year. He's firmly a back-end pitcher now, but that's how Bybee was a year ago. Granted, Oddo's potential is now more of a #2, so don't get too excited, but if he can solve his home run issues, he could keep us in most games. Even if Oddo secures the job like I want, that's not to say Matson and Parker won't start games this season. We have a lot more double headers this year, meaning there will be times a spot start will be needed. If Oddo is in AAA, that would guarantee starts for both guys. What's nice for us is both pitchers are different, as Matson keeps the ball on the ground and Parker generates easier to play flyballs. We can base it on the park or the lineup we're facing, something that we could do if all three guys have solid performances in the spring. With starters only going four, we can almost start two guys a game, as its common for the second pitcher of the game to pitch more then just an inning. That means even Charlie Kelsey, Paul Richardson, Frank Sartori, or even Zane Kelley could pitch their way into the mix. It will be interesting to see how the pitching holds up behind the front four, as we tend to struggle in close games.