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ayaghmour2 · 08-29-2023, 07:22 PM

Weekly Record: 4-2
Seasonal Record: 14-13 (t-4th, 1.5 GB)
Stars of the Week
Walt Pack : 19 AB, 7 H, 3 HR, 9 RBI, .368 AVG, 1.368 OPS
Pete Papenfus : 2 Wins, 18.0 IP, 4 BB, 12 K, 1.50 ERA
Sal Pestilli : 22 AB, 7 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .318 AVG, .923 OPS

Schedule
5-10: Win at Sailors (4-2)
5-12: Win at Foresters (10-2)
5-13: Win at Foresters (5-0)
5-14: Loss vs Kings (6-5)
5-15: Win vs Kings (1-3)
5-16: Loss vs Kings (9-2)

Recap
Hey now! A winning week! I can't remember the last time we had one of those for meaningful games! And we're back above .500? Isn't that fun!

(The last time was the last week of August last year!)

We made up just half a game on the first place Cannons, but if you ignore the Sunday game, it was a pretty strong week. Sure, we had yet another one run loss (already 5 of those in just 7 attempts!), but we pitched well, hit well, and won some baseball games! You can thank Peter the Heater for most of it, as despite no vintage double digit strikeout games, the fireballing veteran picked up complete game victories against the Sailors and Kings. The Sailors are one of the toughest teams to strike out, and Pap set them down six times, finishing with 6 hits, 2 runs, and 2 walks. He was even better against the Kings, and was the only Cougar that bested them this week. Again he walked 2 and struck out 6, but the now 30-year-old allowed just 3 hits and a run in the win. He's now 3-2 with a 3.19 ERA (116 ERA+) on the season, and his 31 strikeouts are tied with Bob Arman (3-3, 1.62, 31) for the CA lead. It's not quite vintage Papenfus yet, but his 1.04 WHIP and 6.3 BB% would be career bests. If we want to go far this season he's key to our success, and I'd love to see him put together another Allen quality year.

The offense showed out this week, with a big showing from slugger Walt Pack. Pack went 7-for-19 with 3 doubles, 3 homers, 6 runs, and 9 RBIs. He's been scorching CA pitching so far, now slashing .315/.371/.596 (162 OPS+) with 7 doubles, 6 homers, and 20 RBIs in 3 PAs shy of 100. Sal Pestilli had another nice week, going 7-for-22 with a double, homer, 4 walks, and 4 RBIs. He now has a 100 WRC+ in 26 games, which is the first time in his Cougar career he has not had a below average WRC+. Leo Mitchell and Hal Sharp both have below average ones, but each was effective this week, with the duo going 14-for-38 with a double and triple. Both are hitting below .300, but Sharp is just 5 points away and has improved vastly on his .212/.257/.273 (46 OPS+) April line. We also got quality production from our part-timers, with Montes, Ford, Hunter, and Christian combining to go 11-for-28 with 5 runs and 6 RBIs, with both Montes and Ford hitting balls out of the park. Even reliever Charlie Kelsey got in on the fun, going 1-for-2 in 4 mop up innings. With all the scoring, we're now tied for 2nd in runs scored, and the offense may be approaching the level they should be playing at.

Johnnie Jones continued his brilliant start to the season, as the 29-year-old veteran tossed our first shutout of the season. Jones allowed just 5 hits and a walk with 5 strikeouts in our 5-0 win over the Foresters. He's now 3-2 with a team low 2.14 ERA (173 ERA+) in 42 innings pitched. His 1.05 WHIP is impressive and he's finally walking (16) fewer batters then he's striking out (20). Our other hot starter, George Oddo, was cooled off by the Kings excellent offense, allowing 8 hits, 6 runs, and 2 walks with 3 strikeouts in 6 innings. Donnie struggled too, dropping to 1-4 after allowing 7 hits, 6 runs, and 4 walks in 7 innings. He did strike out 9, and has 24 in 50 innings, but his 4.32 ERA (86 ERA+) is uncharacteristically high. His ERA+ does match his FIP- (3.20 FIP), so positive regression can be expected, but for some reason Allen Awards cause our pitchers to collapse the following season. The last start went to Duke Bybee, who came an out away from a complete game win. He left after 127 pitches, finishing with 10 hits, 2 runs, a walk, and 2 strikeouts. Like Donnie, he's not off to the greatest start, but after three solid starts in a row his ERA is down to 3.89 (95 ERA+). His 1.41 WHIP is still elevated and he's walked (12) one more batter then he's struck out (11). The drop in K% has been significant, down four points from 11.3 to 7.3. It's far too early to be concerned, but our pitchers never seem to be good at the same time. At least two need to have issues!

Okay, that's enough doomer for this post. We actually had wins! I should be happy! Let's go Cougars!

Looking Ahead
Our homestand didn't get off to the greatest start, dropping two of three to the visiting Kings, but they were red hot and we played a lot of games on the road with very little rest. We get some to start the week, and then the Wolves come to town for three. They're off to a nice start this season, sitting half a game out of first at 14-11. Just like us, they're off on Monday, but it doesn't affect their rotation. Regardless, we would see the top three, led by ace George Garrison. He's been one of the best pitchers early on, 3-2 with a 1.67 ERA (229 ERA+), 1.01 WHIP, and 19 strikeouts in 5 starts. He's not going very deep into games, as he didn't get past the 7th in his first three starts. His most recent one saw him go all nine, needing just 104 pitches in the complete game win. It would be nice to chase him out early, as while they do have a 2.10 pen ERA (2nd in the CA), I'd much rather face Lou Jayson (4, 2.57, 1) and Cookie Myers (3-2, 1, 1.96, 4) then him. After Garrison it's Joe Hancock (2-0, 4.00, 10) and Jimmy Gibbs (1-2, 4.81, 17), but don't let the ERAs fool you. Gibbs has been crazy unlucky, as his 2.89 FIP (75 FIP-) is better then Garrison's (2.97, 77) and Hancock's (3.81, 99) is almost exactly average. These are three good pitchers that can keep us in check, so we'll have to do the same to their lineup. They haven't scored too much, just 6th (104) in the association, but former Cougar Hal Wood is on a 7 WAR pace. He's slashing .363/.434/.473 (140 OPS+) with 4 doubles, 2 homers, 15 RBIs, and a 156 WRC+. Of course, Fred McCormick (.297, 4, 21, 2) is killing it as always, Chink Stickels (.281, 5, 14, 5) still doesn't look like he's approaching 37 (3.1 ZR, 1.046 EFF in center!), and rookie Dom Tripp (.370, 10) has a 170 WRC+ in his first 18 games. We can't underestimate the Wolves as this is a big year for them. They're playing for manager Bob Call's job and trying to prove to the doubters that their window is not closed.

We'll do our best to emphatically shut it.

Our next two games come against the Sailors, who dropped out of first and are tied with us and the Saints for fourth. Win Lewis is off to a spectacular start, perhaps with a chip on his shoulder after falling short to Donnie in the Allen race last year. Lewis is 4-1 with a beautiful 1.62 ERA (237 ERA+) and 1.03 WHIP in 39 innings pitches. It continues to stay pretty, as his 2.34 FIP (60 FIP-) is impressive and his 22-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio is even better. That 4.4 K/BB would be his personal best, and is almost unheard of in this era. 2 is impressive enough, as even real life stars like Bob Feller and Hal Newhouser, never surpassed 3. In fact, Feller led one year with 2.21, basically half of Lewis' start. The back half of the rotation has struggled, so it's only fitting that we'll draw Lewis and Charlie Gordon (3-1, 2.89, 17) in the two game series. Combine that with the offense we're tied for 2nd with in runs scored and it's going to be tough. I'm still surprised we beat them in the finale, and Solly (.373, 1, 6), Marion Boismenu (.374, 7, 2), and Ed Reyes (.380, 1, 18) are all hitting above .370. I'm worried that home field advantage may not do us too well, but things would look much better if the rotation shaped out a little different.

We finish the week with the first of two against the Foresters. Cleveland is the only CA team with single digit wins, just 8-20 and 8 games out of first. I'll cover them a bit more tomorrow, but I was wrong about Ollie White (0-4, 5.67, 21) dominating us. He did go 8, but allowed 8 hits, 5 runs, and 6 walks with 5 strikeouts. The only rotation member that has done much is #5 Davey Morris, who not only has a 2.25 ERA (171 ERA+), but a 183 WRC+. He's actually had some minor league experience in right, and is hitting .412/.444/.529 (157 OPS+) in 18 trips to the plate. That's better then most of the lineup, with one of the lone exceptions Ivey Henley. Now moved to the leadoff spot, the recently turned 24-year-old is hitting an elite .374/.508/.538 (177 OPS+) with 6 doubles, 3 homers, and 15 RBIs. His 206 WRC+ is best among qualified CA hitters, and he's the Foresters only qualified hitter batting above .275. These are absolute must win games, and I know dropping either would do great harm to our playoff aspirations.

Minor League Report
RHP Harry Beardsley (AA Mobile Commodores): Johnnie Jones wasn't the only member of the organization to hurl a shutout, as former 10th Rounder Harry Beardsley allowed just 2 hits and struck out 2 in 10-0 shutout over the Birmingham Ironmen. The crazy thing is he didn't need the 3-for-5 outing from Billy Biggar (homer away from the cycle!) or Franklin Thomas, as Beardsley homered in one of his four plate appearances. It was the first longball of his minor league career, but it's not the first shutout, as he threw one in his sixth professional start. Currently ranked 10th in our organization and 93rd overall, the 23-year-old righty is off to a superb start to the season, allowing four or fewer runs in each of his four complete games. He's 3-1 with a excellent 1.75 ERA (244 ERA+) and 0.81 WHIP, walking 7 with 13 strikeouts. This comes after 11 starts with the Commodores last season, where he was a more pedestrian 5-6 with a 3.95 ERA (106 ERA+) and more walks (49) then strikeouts (40). Command will never be his strong suit, but he's always had tremendous stuff. All four of his pitches are weapons, from his excellent change up to his reliable sinker. Last July he started hitting 90, which was the fourth velocity boost in just two seasons for the young righty. I don't expect that trend to continue, but if he starts sitting in the mid 90s he's going to be dangerous. He's ranked as our third best pitching prospect, but with all the depth we have in the big leagues he doesn't crack the top five (and probably ten) in Dixie Marsh's potential ranks.

What's craziest is Bob Allen, who is ranked as the 11th best prospect in the league and 2nd among pitchers, checks in at number 4. I'm sure you can guess who the top three are, but number five? That would be George Oddo! That kid is going to be really good! Maybe it's good that no one wanted him when I was trying sell low...

1B Billy Biggar (AA Mobile Commodores): Not only was Billy Biggar just a homer away from the cycle, but Biggar took home Dixie League Player of the Week. And after going 0-for-3 with a pair of walks on Opening Day, he's recorded a hit in each of the next 21 games. During this time he's produced 10 multi-hit games, with three hits three times and four hits in a 7-6 win over the third place Memphis Excelsiors. I'll admit, I wasn't sure the 23-year-old could handle AA, but it's hard to find a fault with his AA debut. The Canadian is hitting a robust .420/.464/.568 (160 OPS+) with 6 doubles, 2 triples, a homer, steal, and 13 RBIs. He's struck out just once in 97 trips to the plate, but don't think that mean's he doesn't walk. He's drawn 8 already and is coming off a season where he walked (85) almost twice as often as he struck out (48). The additions of Dudley Sapp and Cal Rice have caused some uncertainty in Biggar's playing time, but if he keeps hitting like this we'll find somewhere to play him. His hit tool has always been great, and if he had any sort of power he'd be exactly the type of guy you want at first base. He excels at putting the ball in play and can contend for batting titles, and if he continues to walk more then he strikes out, he's got a chance to hit his way onto a big league roster. He gives me Ed Reyes vibes, which also means he'll likely have to wait a long time to earn a shot in the big leagues. We're at an interesting point in the franchise where we have plenty of first base prospect depth, or otherwise Biggar would be one of the more exciting ones, but instead the odds of him being a Cougar are pretty low. But with him being Rule-5 eligible, the door is open for a big league opportunity elsewhere.

RHP Barney Gunnels (A Lincoln Legislators): A few days after Beardsley's shutout, Barney Gunnels threw one of his own. He only struck out one, but survived that by allowing just one walk and four hits. He also improved to 3-1 on the season, with an impressive 2.23 ERA (186 ERA+) and 1.14 WHIP. The lack of strikeouts here is not normal, as Stinson struck out 6 in his last start and has 14 in 32.1 innings pitched. That's not to say he's a big strikeout arm, but does tend to rely on his defense more then his stuff. Another former 10th Rounder, Gunnels does not rank inside our top 40 prospects and has been with the organization since 1943. He's still just 23, so there could be some time to grow, although I wouldn't expect much give his work ethic. He hasn't worked much on his control, which has always been a problem of his. In each of the past two seasons he's walked at least 11% of the hitters he's faced and has walked (269) more hitters then he's struck out (258) since debuting for La Crosse as an 18-year-old. I'm hoping he can continue to strikeout more guys then he walks this season, but if his BB% (5.5) reverts closer to his career averages, he could find himself mopping up games by seasons end.

08-29-2023, 07:22 PM	#1193
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,010	Week 4: May 10th-May 16th Weekly Record: 4-2 Seasonal Record: 14-13 (t-4th, 1.5 GB) Stars of the Week Walt Pack : 19 AB, 7 H, 3 HR, 9 RBI, .368 AVG, 1.368 OPS Pete Papenfus : 2 Wins, 18.0 IP, 4 BB, 12 K, 1.50 ERA Sal Pestilli : 22 AB, 7 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .318 AVG, .923 OPS Schedule 5-10: Win at Sailors (4-2) 5-12: Win at Foresters (10-2) 5-13: Win at Foresters (5-0) 5-14: Loss vs Kings (6-5) 5-15: Win vs Kings (1-3) 5-16: Loss vs Kings (9-2) Recap Hey now! A winning week! I can't remember the last time we had one of those for meaningful games! And we're back above .500? Isn't that fun! (The last time was the last week of August last year!) We made up just half a game on the first place Cannons, but if you ignore the Sunday game, it was a pretty strong week. Sure, we had yet another one run loss (already 5 of those in just 7 attempts!), but we pitched well, hit well, and won some baseball games! You can thank Peter the Heater for most of it, as despite no vintage double digit strikeout games, the fireballing veteran picked up complete game victories against the Sailors and Kings. The Sailors are one of the toughest teams to strike out, and Pap set them down six times, finishing with 6 hits, 2 runs, and 2 walks. He was even better against the Kings, and was the only Cougar that bested them this week. Again he walked 2 and struck out 6, but the now 30-year-old allowed just 3 hits and a run in the win. He's now 3-2 with a 3.19 ERA (116 ERA+) on the season, and his 31 strikeouts are tied with Bob Arman (3-3, 1.62, 31) for the CA lead. It's not quite vintage Papenfus yet, but his 1.04 WHIP and 6.3 BB% would be career bests. If we want to go far this season he's key to our success, and I'd love to see him put together another Allen quality year. The offense showed out this week, with a big showing from slugger Walt Pack. Pack went 7-for-19 with 3 doubles, 3 homers, 6 runs, and 9 RBIs. He's been scorching CA pitching so far, now slashing .315/.371/.596 (162 OPS+) with 7 doubles, 6 homers, and 20 RBIs in 3 PAs shy of 100. Sal Pestilli had another nice week, going 7-for-22 with a double, homer, 4 walks, and 4 RBIs. He now has a 100 WRC+ in 26 games, which is the first time in his Cougar career he has not had a below average WRC+. Leo Mitchell and Hal Sharp both have below average ones, but each was effective this week, with the duo going 14-for-38 with a double and triple. Both are hitting below .300, but Sharp is just 5 points away and has improved vastly on his .212/.257/.273 (46 OPS+) April line. We also got quality production from our part-timers, with Montes, Ford, Hunter, and Christian combining to go 11-for-28 with 5 runs and 6 RBIs, with both Montes and Ford hitting balls out of the park. Even reliever Charlie Kelsey got in on the fun, going 1-for-2 in 4 mop up innings. With all the scoring, we're now tied for 2nd in runs scored, and the offense may be approaching the level they should be playing at. Johnnie Jones continued his brilliant start to the season, as the 29-year-old veteran tossed our first shutout of the season. Jones allowed just 5 hits and a walk with 5 strikeouts in our 5-0 win over the Foresters. He's now 3-2 with a team low 2.14 ERA (173 ERA+) in 42 innings pitched. His 1.05 WHIP is impressive and he's finally walking (16) fewer batters then he's striking out (20). Our other hot starter, George Oddo, was cooled off by the Kings excellent offense, allowing 8 hits, 6 runs, and 2 walks with 3 strikeouts in 6 innings. Donnie struggled too, dropping to 1-4 after allowing 7 hits, 6 runs, and 4 walks in 7 innings. He did strike out 9, and has 24 in 50 innings, but his 4.32 ERA (86 ERA+) is uncharacteristically high. His ERA+ does match his FIP- (3.20 FIP), so positive regression can be expected, but for some reason Allen Awards cause our pitchers to collapse the following season. The last start went to Duke Bybee, who came an out away from a complete game win. He left after 127 pitches, finishing with 10 hits, 2 runs, a walk, and 2 strikeouts. Like Donnie, he's not off to the greatest start, but after three solid starts in a row his ERA is down to 3.89 (95 ERA+). His 1.41 WHIP is still elevated and he's walked (12) one more batter then he's struck out (11). The drop in K% has been significant, down four points from 11.3 to 7.3. It's far too early to be concerned, but our pitchers never seem to be good at the same time. At least two need to have issues! Okay, that's enough doomer for this post. We actually had wins! I should be happy! Let's go Cougars! Looking Ahead Our homestand didn't get off to the greatest start, dropping two of three to the visiting Kings, but they were red hot and we played a lot of games on the road with very little rest. We get some to start the week, and then the Wolves come to town for three. They're off to a nice start this season, sitting half a game out of first at 14-11. Just like us, they're off on Monday, but it doesn't affect their rotation. Regardless, we would see the top three, led by ace George Garrison. He's been one of the best pitchers early on, 3-2 with a 1.67 ERA (229 ERA+), 1.01 WHIP, and 19 strikeouts in 5 starts. He's not going very deep into games, as he didn't get past the 7th in his first three starts. His most recent one saw him go all nine, needing just 104 pitches in the complete game win. It would be nice to chase him out early, as while they do have a 2.10 pen ERA (2nd in the CA), I'd much rather face Lou Jayson (4, 2.57, 1) and Cookie Myers (3-2, 1, 1.96, 4) then him. After Garrison it's Joe Hancock (2-0, 4.00, 10) and Jimmy Gibbs (1-2, 4.81, 17), but don't let the ERAs fool you. Gibbs has been crazy unlucky, as his 2.89 FIP (75 FIP-) is better then Garrison's (2.97, 77) and Hancock's (3.81, 99) is almost exactly average. These are three good pitchers that can keep us in check, so we'll have to do the same to their lineup. They haven't scored too much, just 6th (104) in the association, but former Cougar Hal Wood is on a 7 WAR pace. He's slashing .363/.434/.473 (140 OPS+) with 4 doubles, 2 homers, 15 RBIs, and a 156 WRC+. Of course, Fred McCormick (.297, 4, 21, 2) is killing it as always, Chink Stickels (.281, 5, 14, 5) still doesn't look like he's approaching 37 (3.1 ZR, 1.046 EFF in center!), and rookie Dom Tripp (.370, 10) has a 170 WRC+ in his first 18 games. We can't underestimate the Wolves as this is a big year for them. They're playing for manager Bob Call's job and trying to prove to the doubters that their window is not closed. We'll do our best to emphatically shut it. Our next two games come against the Sailors, who dropped out of first and are tied with us and the Saints for fourth. Win Lewis is off to a spectacular start, perhaps with a chip on his shoulder after falling short to Donnie in the Allen race last year. Lewis is 4-1 with a beautiful 1.62 ERA (237 ERA+) and 1.03 WHIP in 39 innings pitches. It continues to stay pretty, as his 2.34 FIP (60 FIP-) is impressive and his 22-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio is even better. That 4.4 K/BB would be his personal best, and is almost unheard of in this era. 2 is impressive enough, as even real life stars like Bob Feller and Hal Newhouser, never surpassed 3. In fact, Feller led one year with 2.21, basically half of Lewis' start. The back half of the rotation has struggled, so it's only fitting that we'll draw Lewis and Charlie Gordon (3-1, 2.89, 17) in the two game series. Combine that with the offense we're tied for 2nd with in runs scored and it's going to be tough. I'm still surprised we beat them in the finale, and Solly (.373, 1, 6), Marion Boismenu (.374, 7, 2), and Ed Reyes (.380, 1, 18) are all hitting above .370. I'm worried that home field advantage may not do us too well, but things would look much better if the rotation shaped out a little different. We finish the week with the first of two against the Foresters. Cleveland is the only CA team with single digit wins, just 8-20 and 8 games out of first. I'll cover them a bit more tomorrow, but I was wrong about Ollie White (0-4, 5.67, 21) dominating us. He did go 8, but allowed 8 hits, 5 runs, and 6 walks with 5 strikeouts. The only rotation member that has done much is #5 Davey Morris, who not only has a 2.25 ERA (171 ERA+), but a 183 WRC+. He's actually had some minor league experience in right, and is hitting .412/.444/.529 (157 OPS+) in 18 trips to the plate. That's better then most of the lineup, with one of the lone exceptions Ivey Henley. Now moved to the leadoff spot, the recently turned 24-year-old is hitting an elite .374/.508/.538 (177 OPS+) with 6 doubles, 3 homers, and 15 RBIs. His 206 WRC+ is best among qualified CA hitters, and he's the Foresters only qualified hitter batting above .275. These are absolute must win games, and I know dropping either would do great harm to our playoff aspirations. Minor League Report RHP Harry Beardsley (AA Mobile Commodores): Johnnie Jones wasn't the only member of the organization to hurl a shutout, as former 10th Rounder Harry Beardsley allowed just 2 hits and struck out 2 in 10-0 shutout over the Birmingham Ironmen. The crazy thing is he didn't need the 3-for-5 outing from Billy Biggar (homer away from the cycle!) or Franklin Thomas, as Beardsley homered in one of his four plate appearances. It was the first longball of his minor league career, but it's not the first shutout, as he threw one in his sixth professional start. Currently ranked 10th in our organization and 93rd overall, the 23-year-old righty is off to a superb start to the season, allowing four or fewer runs in each of his four complete games. He's 3-1 with a excellent 1.75 ERA (244 ERA+) and 0.81 WHIP, walking 7 with 13 strikeouts. This comes after 11 starts with the Commodores last season, where he was a more pedestrian 5-6 with a 3.95 ERA (106 ERA+) and more walks (49) then strikeouts (40). Command will never be his strong suit, but he's always had tremendous stuff. All four of his pitches are weapons, from his excellent change up to his reliable sinker. Last July he started hitting 90, which was the fourth velocity boost in just two seasons for the young righty. I don't expect that trend to continue, but if he starts sitting in the mid 90s he's going to be dangerous. He's ranked as our third best pitching prospect, but with all the depth we have in the big leagues he doesn't crack the top five (and probably ten) in Dixie Marsh's potential ranks. What's craziest is Bob Allen, who is ranked as the 11th best prospect in the league and 2nd among pitchers, checks in at number 4. I'm sure you can guess who the top three are, but number five? That would be George Oddo! That kid is going to be really good! Maybe it's good that no one wanted him when I was trying sell low... 1B Billy Biggar (AA Mobile Commodores): Not only was Billy Biggar just a homer away from the cycle, but Biggar took home Dixie League Player of the Week. And after going 0-for-3 with a pair of walks on Opening Day, he's recorded a hit in each of the next 21 games. During this time he's produced 10 multi-hit games, with three hits three times and four hits in a 7-6 win over the third place Memphis Excelsiors. I'll admit, I wasn't sure the 23-year-old could handle AA, but it's hard to find a fault with his AA debut. The Canadian is hitting a robust .420/.464/.568 (160 OPS+) with 6 doubles, 2 triples, a homer, steal, and 13 RBIs. He's struck out just once in 97 trips to the plate, but don't think that mean's he doesn't walk. He's drawn 8 already and is coming off a season where he walked (85) almost twice as often as he struck out (48). The additions of Dudley Sapp and Cal Rice have caused some uncertainty in Biggar's playing time, but if he keeps hitting like this we'll find somewhere to play him. His hit tool has always been great, and if he had any sort of power he'd be exactly the type of guy you want at first base. He excels at putting the ball in play and can contend for batting titles, and if he continues to walk more then he strikes out, he's got a chance to hit his way onto a big league roster. He gives me Ed Reyes vibes, which also means he'll likely have to wait a long time to earn a shot in the big leagues. We're at an interesting point in the franchise where we have plenty of first base prospect depth, or otherwise Biggar would be one of the more exciting ones, but instead the odds of him being a Cougar are pretty low. But with him being Rule-5 eligible, the door is open for a big league opportunity elsewhere. RHP Barney Gunnels (A Lincoln Legislators): A few days after Beardsley's shutout, Barney Gunnels threw one of his own. He only struck out one, but survived that by allowing just one walk and four hits. He also improved to 3-1 on the season, with an impressive 2.23 ERA (186 ERA+) and 1.14 WHIP. The lack of strikeouts here is not normal, as Stinson struck out 6 in his last start and has 14 in 32.1 innings pitched. That's not to say he's a big strikeout arm, but does tend to rely on his defense more then his stuff. Another former 10th Rounder, Gunnels does not rank inside our top 40 prospects and has been with the organization since 1943. He's still just 23, so there could be some time to grow, although I wouldn't expect much give his work ethic. He hasn't worked much on his control, which has always been a problem of his. In each of the past two seasons he's walked at least 11% of the hitters he's faced and has walked (269) more hitters then he's struck out (258) since debuting for La Crosse as an 18-year-old. I'm hoping he can continue to strikeout more guys then he walks this season, but if his BB% (5.5) reverts closer to his career averages, he could find himself mopping up games by seasons end.