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ayaghmour2 · 09-08-2023, 03:29 PM

Weekly Record: 2-6
Seasonal Record: 43-38 (t-3rd, 7.5 GB)
Stars of the Week
Walt Pack : 19 AB, 10 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .526 AVG, 1.203 OPS
Harry Mead : 19 AB, 7 H, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .368 AVG, 1.244 OPS
Sal Pestilli : 26 AB, 6 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .231 AVG, .872 OPS

Schedule
7-5: Loss at Stars (10-15)
7-5: Lost at Stars (5-6)
7-6: Loss at Stars (2-7)
7-7: Loss vs Kings (5-4)
7-8: Loss vs Kings (11-2)
7-9: Loss at Saints (0-1)
7-10: Win at Saints (5-4)
7-11: Win at Saints (12-5)

Recap
This team is just so frustrating...

Everything went wrong this week, as we were swept by the Stars and Kings, and dropped to 43-38. We are now tied for third and trailing the first place Stars by 7.5 games at the half-way point. Despite the awful end to the first half, we still lead the CA with 5 All-Stars, as Duke Bybee (1st), Pete Papenfus (3rd), Red Bond (3rd), Skipper Schneider (7th), and Sal Pestilli (7th) will be representing us. We have just one starter, as Sal will man center for the CA team, but it's nice seeing Pap make it despite not being on the All-Star ballot. He would have gotten one of my three votes, and I was worried he may not have been recognized for an impressive first half.

I don't want to spend too much time on this awful week, so I'm not going to mention the pitching, as there is very little to mention. We did do plenty of hitting, and Harry Mead continues his red hot stretch. Our catcher went 7-for-19 with 2 doubles, 2 homer, 3 runs, 3 walks, and 6 RBIs. He's hitting a whopping .345/.441/.759 (216 OPS+) in 8 July games, and is now hitting a slightly above average .256/.325/.430 (101 OPS+) on the season. Pack and Bond didn't homer, but they combined to go 16-for-35 with 9 runs, 3 walks, 4 RBIs, and a triple a piece. Sal went just 6-for-26, but he hit a double, 2 triples, a homer, 2 steals, 3 runs, 4 walks, and 5 RBIs. Leo Mitchell really struggled, and he was 8-for-30 with 2 doubles, still without a homer. Luke Berry will join the roster, and Mitchell will now start to sit more often against lefties. Going down will be Otto Christian, as the slugger as hit just .162/.244/.270 (38 OPS+) with 2 homers, 8 RBIs, and 9 walks in 86 trips to the plate. George Sutterfield will see more time at third, taking over for Otto against lefties. He's cooled off from a quick start himself, but his .190/.292/.476 (103 OPS+) line is still better then average, and I'm hoping with more frequent playing time he can get into a grove.

More draftees are filing in, and the prospect rankings are ever changing. Amos Peterson (136th) and Doc Zimmerman (369th) both cracked the top 500. Rather surprisingly, Dick Cunningham is unranked, but I'm not surprised about Hal Carter, Joe Oates, and Gene Dibblee. We still need a lot of cuts, and I see at least seven more guys I will sign. I'm still shocked with where some of our prospects rank, as I was rather down on this class. This will be the last mega class, so I'm hoping we'll have a few nice gems to look back on a few decades from now.

Looking Ahead
Off until Thursday, where we play a three game set in Cleveland with the Foresters. At 31-51, they are 20 games out of first and 6 games behind the 7th place Cannons at the break. Cleveland has undergone a youth movement, with Bob Miller (.378, 6, 18), Chuck McHenry (.270, 3, 11), Tom Holmes Jr. (.318, 1, 11), Bill Sikorski (.347, 6, 30), Phil Ware (.212, 1, 1), Adrian Czerwinski (2-2, 5.83, 5), and Kirby Brewer (1-4, 8.49, 6) all taking more prominent roles. This has come at the expense of some talented players, including Ollie White (4-8, 2, 4.16, 72), Orie Martinez (.269, 7, 31), Paul Porter (.270, 2, 37, 3), and Lorenzo Samuels (.223, 5, 17). The Foresters have also brought up 20-year-old Sherry Doyal (.176, 1), but he's struggled a bit in a limited role. With the break here, they may decide to cycle in some new talent, but regardless of who the Foresters have out we need to win. We are already to far out to keep losing, and anything shy of a sweep hurts.

Our Sunday is then spent in Toronto for a double header with the Wolves. They are closer to last (7 GA) then first (13), and have dropped to 38-44. George Garrison (6-7, 3.42, 50) has allowed six or more runs in three of his last four starts, and Jim Carter (5-4, 1, 4.97, 25) has not been as sharp as he was out of the pen. They do have a legit All-Star in Hal Wood (.345, 2, 36), but very little has gone well for Toronto this season. These are two more important games for us, and if we have a losing week I'm really concerned about the chances of us playing meaningful games after August.

Minor League Report
1B Bill Payne (AAA Milwaukee Blues): The year of the first basemen continues with Bill Payne, who took home Century League Player of the Week. The 25-year-old lefty went 12-for-28 with 2 doubles, 3 homers, and 11 RBIs in an excellent showing. A bat only guy, the former outfielder really only plays first, and he's hit an impressive .346/.417/.488 (126 OPS+) with 20 doubles, 7 homers, and 41 RBIs through 76 games. He's drawn 38 walks with just 15 strikeouts, displaying excellent bat-to-ball skills. The power surge this week is nice, but Payne isn't one known for tape measure longballs. He does hit the ball in the air a lot, which is good for our park's shallow fences. Payne seems in line for an early September callup, as his bat would be excellent off the bench. He's in his last option year so once he's back in Chicago he can't go down, and if Ray Ford decides to come back for 1949, it may be hard to fit him and Payne on the roster.

2B Tom Brownleaf (AA Mobile Commodores): After putting up 2.1 WAR in just 39 games for the Commodores last year, Tom Brownleaf hasn't quite followed up that performance this year. The most recent week was an exception. Brownleaf went 12-for-22 with 4 doubles, 4 runs, 3 walks ,and 5 RBIs. The 23-year-old is now hitting a bit above average .318/.375/.432 (106 OPS+) with 16 doubles, 5 triples, 2 homers, 3 steals, and 42 RBIs. He's shown a keen eye, drawing 30 walks, and he's played very well at second and third this season. Right now he's playing more third, as Elmer Grace has move Al Clement from short to second. Brownleaf's best position may be second, but the switch hitter has a higher efficiency at third (1.044) then second (1.034) this season. Brownleaf isn't one of our highly touted prospects, but he's a high floor guys who could probably already make for a capable utility infielder at the big league level. His hard work rubs off on others and he's a good clubhouse guy, so he'll stick around until we are really in need of a cut. The AAA infield is very full, so unless we move someone there Brownleaf seems likely to finish the year in AA. I'm hoping this week can help him build some positive momentum, and he could put himself in line for a 40-man spot if he can provide with the bat.

09-08-2023, 03:29 PM	#1206
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,010	Week 12: July 5th-July 11th Weekly Record: 2-6 Seasonal Record: 43-38 (t-3rd, 7.5 GB) Stars of the Week Walt Pack : 19 AB, 10 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .526 AVG, 1.203 OPS Harry Mead : 19 AB, 7 H, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .368 AVG, 1.244 OPS Sal Pestilli : 26 AB, 6 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .231 AVG, .872 OPS Schedule 7-5: Loss at Stars (10-15) 7-5: Lost at Stars (5-6) 7-6: Loss at Stars (2-7) 7-7: Loss vs Kings (5-4) 7-8: Loss vs Kings (11-2) 7-9: Loss at Saints (0-1) 7-10: Win at Saints (5-4) 7-11: Win at Saints (12-5) Recap This team is just so frustrating... Everything went wrong this week, as we were swept by the Stars and Kings, and dropped to 43-38. We are now tied for third and trailing the first place Stars by 7.5 games at the half-way point. Despite the awful end to the first half, we still lead the CA with 5 All-Stars, as Duke Bybee (1st), Pete Papenfus (3rd), Red Bond (3rd), Skipper Schneider (7th), and Sal Pestilli (7th) will be representing us. We have just one starter, as Sal will man center for the CA team, but it's nice seeing Pap make it despite not being on the All-Star ballot. He would have gotten one of my three votes, and I was worried he may not have been recognized for an impressive first half. I don't want to spend too much time on this awful week, so I'm not going to mention the pitching, as there is very little to mention. We did do plenty of hitting, and Harry Mead continues his red hot stretch. Our catcher went 7-for-19 with 2 doubles, 2 homer, 3 runs, 3 walks, and 6 RBIs. He's hitting a whopping .345/.441/.759 (216 OPS+) in 8 July games, and is now hitting a slightly above average .256/.325/.430 (101 OPS+) on the season. Pack and Bond didn't homer, but they combined to go 16-for-35 with 9 runs, 3 walks, 4 RBIs, and a triple a piece. Sal went just 6-for-26, but he hit a double, 2 triples, a homer, 2 steals, 3 runs, 4 walks, and 5 RBIs. Leo Mitchell really struggled, and he was 8-for-30 with 2 doubles, still without a homer. Luke Berry will join the roster, and Mitchell will now start to sit more often against lefties. Going down will be Otto Christian, as the slugger as hit just .162/.244/.270 (38 OPS+) with 2 homers, 8 RBIs, and 9 walks in 86 trips to the plate. George Sutterfield will see more time at third, taking over for Otto against lefties. He's cooled off from a quick start himself, but his .190/.292/.476 (103 OPS+) line is still better then average, and I'm hoping with more frequent playing time he can get into a grove. More draftees are filing in, and the prospect rankings are ever changing. Amos Peterson (136th) and Doc Zimmerman (369th) both cracked the top 500. Rather surprisingly, Dick Cunningham is unranked, but I'm not surprised about Hal Carter, Joe Oates, and Gene Dibblee. We still need a lot of cuts, and I see at least seven more guys I will sign. I'm still shocked with where some of our prospects rank, as I was rather down on this class. This will be the last mega class, so I'm hoping we'll have a few nice gems to look back on a few decades from now. Looking Ahead Off until Thursday, where we play a three game set in Cleveland with the Foresters. At 31-51, they are 20 games out of first and 6 games behind the 7th place Cannons at the break. Cleveland has undergone a youth movement, with Bob Miller (.378, 6, 18), Chuck McHenry (.270, 3, 11), Tom Holmes Jr. (.318, 1, 11), Bill Sikorski (.347, 6, 30), Phil Ware (.212, 1, 1), Adrian Czerwinski (2-2, 5.83, 5), and Kirby Brewer (1-4, 8.49, 6) all taking more prominent roles. This has come at the expense of some talented players, including Ollie White (4-8, 2, 4.16, 72), Orie Martinez (.269, 7, 31), Paul Porter (.270, 2, 37, 3), and Lorenzo Samuels (.223, 5, 17). The Foresters have also brought up 20-year-old Sherry Doyal (.176, 1), but he's struggled a bit in a limited role. With the break here, they may decide to cycle in some new talent, but regardless of who the Foresters have out we need to win. We are already to far out to keep losing, and anything shy of a sweep hurts. Our Sunday is then spent in Toronto for a double header with the Wolves. They are closer to last (7 GA) then first (13), and have dropped to 38-44. George Garrison (6-7, 3.42, 50) has allowed six or more runs in three of his last four starts, and Jim Carter (5-4, 1, 4.97, 25) has not been as sharp as he was out of the pen. They do have a legit All-Star in Hal Wood (.345, 2, 36), but very little has gone well for Toronto this season. These are two more important games for us, and if we have a losing week I'm really concerned about the chances of us playing meaningful games after August. Minor League Report 1B Bill Payne (AAA Milwaukee Blues): The year of the first basemen continues with Bill Payne, who took home Century League Player of the Week. The 25-year-old lefty went 12-for-28 with 2 doubles, 3 homers, and 11 RBIs in an excellent showing. A bat only guy, the former outfielder really only plays first, and he's hit an impressive .346/.417/.488 (126 OPS+) with 20 doubles, 7 homers, and 41 RBIs through 76 games. He's drawn 38 walks with just 15 strikeouts, displaying excellent bat-to-ball skills. The power surge this week is nice, but Payne isn't one known for tape measure longballs. He does hit the ball in the air a lot, which is good for our park's shallow fences. Payne seems in line for an early September callup, as his bat would be excellent off the bench. He's in his last option year so once he's back in Chicago he can't go down, and if Ray Ford decides to come back for 1949, it may be hard to fit him and Payne on the roster. 2B Tom Brownleaf (AA Mobile Commodores): After putting up 2.1 WAR in just 39 games for the Commodores last year, Tom Brownleaf hasn't quite followed up that performance this year. The most recent week was an exception. Brownleaf went 12-for-22 with 4 doubles, 4 runs, 3 walks ,and 5 RBIs. The 23-year-old is now hitting a bit above average .318/.375/.432 (106 OPS+) with 16 doubles, 5 triples, 2 homers, 3 steals, and 42 RBIs. He's shown a keen eye, drawing 30 walks, and he's played very well at second and third this season. Right now he's playing more third, as Elmer Grace has move Al Clement from short to second. Brownleaf's best position may be second, but the switch hitter has a higher efficiency at third (1.044) then second (1.034) this season. Brownleaf isn't one of our highly touted prospects, but he's a high floor guys who could probably already make for a capable utility infielder at the big league level. His hard work rubs off on others and he's a good clubhouse guy, so he'll stick around until we are really in need of a cut. The AAA infield is very full, so unless we move someone there Brownleaf seems likely to finish the year in AA. I'm hoping this week can help him build some positive momentum, and he could put himself in line for a 40-man spot if he can provide with the bat. Last edited by ayaghmour2; 09-08-2023 at 07:15 PM.