[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 2-3
Seasonal Record: 85-68 (2nd, 2 GB)
Stars of the Week
Skipper Schneider : 17 AB, 7 H, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .412 AVG, 1.009 OPS
Sal Pestilli : 20 AB, 4 H, 3 HR, 6 RBI, .200 AVG, .900 OPS
Leo Mitchell : 19 AB, 6 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .316 AVG, .771 OPS

Schedule
9-28: Loss vs Kings (11-1)
9-29: Win vs Kings (2-9)
9-30: Loss vs Kings (3-2)
10-2: Win vs Stars (3-4)
10-3: Loss vs Stars (3-1)

Recap
Well, I was right. To have a chance, I said we'd have to go at least 4-1, and obviously we failed to do so. That would have been enough, the Sailors went 2-3, so if we went 4-1, we would've forced a game 155. I won't dwell on it too much, but my rotation order didn't work, Pap got absolutely annihilated by the Kings, and six of our last eight losses came by just a single run. Classic Cougars!

Tom Taylor's Continental Association home run record stood another year, but "The Canadian Club" is no longer the Cougars single season home run leader. Sal Pestilli clubbed more homers then we won games, finishing his 1948 with 33 homers, appearing in all but one of our games this season. It was an excellent bounce back for the 7-Time All-Star, who led the CA with 19 triples and his 73 extra base hits matched the Kings' Ralph Johnson (.302, 30, 104, 5). It wasn't quite prime Pestilli, but the soon-to-be 33-year-old hit .254/.324/.522 (123 OPS+) with more walks (64) then strikeouts (36). He swiped a personal best 27 bases, and was caught just 7 times. He posted a 131 WRC+ and accumulated a 16.5 zone rating (1.029 EFF) while worth 6.5 wins above replacement. I'm excited to see how he follows it up. He did cool down a bit in the final month, but Pestilli has positioned himself as the star of the team, and we'll look to him to lead us next season as we once again look to snap our franchise long title drought.

George Oddo was supposed to pitch this week, but for some reason his start went to Johnnie Jones. Granted, Jones was great (8 IP, 6 H, 2 R, ER, BB, 3 K), but I wanted to give Oddo a 28th start. Instead, he'll finish 10-9 with a 3.09 ERA (127 ERA+) and 1.17 WHIP in 200.2 innings. He walked 64 and struck out 116, finishing second in the CA in both K/BB (1.8) and K/9 (5.2). Neither of the two leaders placed top five in the other category, and Oddo even ranks 5th in WHIP, just thousandths of a point below Peter the Heater. 26 in November, it was a great return to the rotation for the former 8th Rounder, and his grasp on a rotation spot is extremely secure. We do have some excellent prospects, but only Ron Berry may be ready next season and it's not going to be by Opening Day. Berry will be protected in the offseason and in camp next Spring, but he won't get a crack at the rotation until pitching some in AAA. There's always the risk of injury, but as long as Oddo can stay healthy and effective he's going to be in our rotation for a very long time.

Looking Ahead
To the offseason we go! There are a few holes to fill, but the most important one and easiest to fill would be left field. Leo Mitchell (.288, 4, 45) came close to a 100 WRC+ (98), but that's not good enough if you can't provide any defensive value. There's always a lot of corner bats available and a few I have my eyes on, but there still may not be many sellers on the market. Other areas of need include second and catcher, but there aren't many guys better then Harry Mead. Ideally Eddie Howard hits better, eventually erasing that need completely, and the Clark Car/Billy Hunter platoon is pretty solid. A lot of the better players are on teams that want to compete, so it could be tough to fill. I'm going to try my best to improve the team enough to get over the hump, and with a top five farm system, we have the ammo to make a major addition.

The next few days I'll still have some posts, with the No Trade Team and a wrap up on our Minor League teams incoming. I might get started on the look back at the 1928 draft as well, but I also want to take a deeper look at our history with one-run losses. Since 1942, we've underperformed our expected record by an average five wins a season, with the -4 this year actually the second best showing. It's almost laughable how consistently we fail to win one-run games and I'm almost begging for next year to be the year it finally comes to an end.

Minor League Report
1B Billy Biggar (AA Mobile Commodores): As expected, Dixie League Champion Billy Biggar took home the final Player of the Month, slashing .456/.511/.608 (186 OPS+) with 6 doubles, 2 homers, and 16 RBIs. The 24-year-old posted an elite .396/.449/.546 (154 OPS+) in 138 games, hitting 52 doubles, 10 triples, 5 homers, and 109 RBIs while accumulating a 6.1 WAR with a 163 WRC+. Currently not ranked as one of our top 40 prospects, Biggar has positioned himself for an opportunity elsewhere, as he'll be available in the Rule-5 Draft again. I don't envision anyone taking him, which is good because I like him as first base depth. He's not a flashy prospect, but he can hit a ton and should continue to walk (54) more then he strikes out (32). The lack of power keeps his overall value down, but Red Bond is old and Biggar could step in if he sticks around. There's competition with Bob Schmelz already on the 40, but he hits from the right side of the plate and Biggar could platoon with him if Schmelz can't quite hit like he did in AAA. As a former 10th Rounder, Biggar has already exceeded expectations just by lasting this long. A callup is in reach, but the deck is still stacked against him and he'll need to work hard to make his childhood dream come true.

RF Harry Austin (Lincoln Legislators): Another Cougar took home a Player of the Month in September, as 22-year-old Harry Austin earned the accolade in the Heartland League. Austin hit an impressive .405/.470/.689 (207 OPS+) with 5 doubles, 2 triples, 4 homers, 9 walks, and 16 RBIs. Those four homers accounted for more then a third of his 11 homers, and the New Athens native hit an impressive .319/.383/.452 (122 OPS+) in his first 138 games up in A ball. A former regional pick, it was Austin's first season where he appeared in more then 80 games, and his 133 WRC+ was a personal high. A former regional pick, Austin returned to the top prospects list, and will rank around our top 30 in the offseason rankings. As a corner player, Austin's value is linked to his bat, and Dixie Marsh believes he'll become "an elite hitter," despite not having much else to say about him. He puts the ball in play consistently and almost never whiffs, and he should be able to hit towards the top of a lineup. Unfortunately, he's not the greatest worker, and he may not be able to live up to that lofty potential. Like Biggar, he's Rule-5 eligible this offseason, but I don't expect either to leave the organization, and they may get a promotion before the year begins.

Cougars in the GWL
Luis Sandoval (Houston Bulls): The shutout machine did it again! If it wasn't for his 4-hit shutout of the Knights, the Bulls wouldn't be facing the Grays in the Bigsby Cup. Sandoval struck out 6 in the win, finishing his season 13-14 with a 2.65 ERA (120 ERA+), 1.23 WHIP, 50 walks, and 120 strikeouts in 33 starts. Sandoval then got the call in game two of the Cup, and he could have given the Bulls a 2-0 lead heading back to Houston. Instead, he was hit hard early and often, allowing 8 hits and 6 runs in just an inning and two thirds. At least in this game their was a reason to pull the effective starter early, but Sandoval will be hoping for a chance for revenge when his number comes up again.

Cy Sullivan (Oakland Grays): The pitcher who beat Sandoval? That would be Cy Sullivan! The rubbered arm vet was outstanding, allowing just 2 hits and striking out 4 in the 8-0 victory. It was another excellent outing for the former Cougar, who finished the regular season 16-8 with a 2.98 ERA (110 ERA+) for the best team in the GWL. Sullivan had a stellar 1.16 WHIP and allowed just 5 homers in 232.1 innings. He doesn't walk (50, 5.2%) or strikeout (57, 6.0%) many hitters, but he does a great job generating week contact and he lives on the edges of the zone to compensate for the lack of wipeout stuff. In what has been an even series so far, he could help the Grays repeat just like their former affiliate, the St. Louis Pioneers, are trying to do now.