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A Look Back at the 1928 Draft: Part 3
11th Round, 162nd Overall: RHP Jim Dyer
School: Liberty College Bells
Career (B): 18-17, 40 G, 316 IP, 3.67 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 83 BB, 233 K, 127 ERA+, 6.4 WAR
Career (C): 24-15, 8 SV, 55 G, 330 IP, 3.08 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 61 BB, 255 K, 118 ERA+, 6.4 WAR
A teammate of Tommy Wilcox at Liberty College, Jim Dwyer also pitched in that impressive rotation, going 4-6 with a 3.47 ERA (123 ERA+) and 1.12 WHIP with 87 strikeouts and just 25 walks. He spent a good chunk of his first pro season in the pen, starting 8 of his 20 appearances. He looked impressive in both roles, going 7-1 with 6 saves, a 2.81 ERA, 0.98 WHIP,16 walks, and 58 strikeouts. That earned him a promotion to San Jose and a full-time starting spot, going 12-8 with a 4.05 ERA (125 ERA+) and 1.36 WHIP with 45 walks and 130 strikeouts. Despite those pretty impressive numbers, I decided to release him, and he caught on a month later with the Gothams. They sent him down to Class C Rhode Island, and he went 14-13 with a 3.36 ERA (112 ERA+) and 1.16 WHIP with 45 walks and 167 strikeouts. He later made ten starts between Class A and B, going 4-6.
Dyer started the 1932 season in A-ball, but he went 1-5 with an elevated 7.46 ERA (62 ERA+) and 1.73 WHIP with 14 walks and 17 strikeouts. They sent him back down to Fresno, and his 9 starts there were much better. The 25-year-old was just 2-4, but he had a decent 4.02 ERA (103 ERA+) and an even better 3.33 FIP (80 FIP-) with 56 strikeouts and just 12 walks. But with his age he ended up a roster casualty. He spent a day with the Austin Violets, and then spent the rest of his season in the Foresters organization. They assigned him to Class C, where he made three starts and three relief appearances. He was an out shy of 30 innings, charged with 26 hits and 6 runs. What was most impressive was he didn't walk a single hitter, striking out 30 and posting a 1.82 ERA (233 ERA+) and 0.88. Again his time was short, as after the year ended, he was released for the third time that year.
In 1933 he bounced around the Independent circuit, but didn't play a game for any of the 11 teams that signed him. Finally we ended his misery, bringing him back to Chicago and assigning him to Class-A Lincoln. He went 2-2 in 8 outings (3 starts), working to a 4.72 ERA (86 ERA+) and 1.43 WHIP with even walks (13) and strikeouts (13). For some reason he started 11 of his 12 games with the Legislators next season, going 4-4 with a 4.93 ERA (95 ERA+) and 1.61 WHIP with 34 walks and 18 strikeouts. He then earned a promotion to Mobile, starting 4 of his 11 outings while finishing 3-2 with a 4.19 ERA (106 ERA+) and 1.68 WHIP, again with more walks (24) then strikeouts (19). He was back at both levels in 1935, but allowed 77 hits and 45 runs in just 52.2 innings pitched, and his 17-to-9 walk-to-strikeout was poor. He was cut that August, and then was signed and released by seven teams before retiring at the end of the season.
13th Round, 194th Overall: C Billy Wiseman
School: Elmira HS Emeralds
Career (B): .257/.328/.453, 187 G, 759 PA, 29 2B, 5 3B, 31 HR, 126 RBI, SB, 110 WRC+, 5.1 WAR
Career (C): .341/.408/.674, 96 G, 294 PA, 19 2B, 2 3B, 21 HR, 79 RBI, 3 SB, 167 WRC+, 4.0 WAR
Billy Wiseman had a pretty simple career. He bounced up and down between La Crosse and San Jose, making appearances at both levels in each season of his career excluding his 7 game debut with the Lions in 1929. He had some pretty solid tints with the Lions, posting WRC+ of 190, 146, and 143 in '30, '31. and '32. The largest sample was 193 PAs for the 190, as he hit 16 doubles and 16 homers in just 43 games. All things considered, he probably deserved a more serious look, but my guess is the scouts were never a fan and he probably wasn't a good defender. He was cut in September of 1933, and remained a free agent for almost four months. He signed with the Denver Plainsmen of the WBL but they cut him a few days later. He remained a free agent all of 1934, eventually retiring when he realized he'd never get another chance.
14th Round, 210th Overall: RHP Sam Bigras
School: Liberty College Bells
Career (B): 7-11, 36 G, 143.1 IP, 7.66 ERA, 2.09 WHIP, 107 BB, 88 K, 64 ERA+, 0.1 WAR
Career (C):11-1, 14 G, 109 IP, 2.15 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 48 BB, 95 K, 150 ERA+, 2.4 WAR
I vaguely remember Sam Bigras as being a pitcher I liked. Maybe it's because he went 11-1 with a 2.15 ERA (150 ERA+) in his debut with the Lions. Or maybe it was the nickname "Twinkletoes". But for one reason or another, I have fond memories of the Canadian native. He proved to be a half season wonder, as he finished his season in San Jose, and went 4-6 with a 8.81 ERA (54 ERA+) and 2.26 WHIP, walking 49 while striking out just 21. He returned to San Jose for his aged 22 season, but didn't not make any noticeable improvements. After starting 11 of 12 games the season before, Bigras started 10 of 24, and was tagged for a 6.78 ERA (75 ERA+) and 1.95 WHIP. He did strike out (67) more hitters then he walked (58), but he allowed 8 homers in 81 innings, and was released the following January. He didn't sign anywhere, and hung up the cleats that October.
15th Round, 226th Overall: CF/LHP Eddie Simpson
School: Memphis HS Pharaohs
Career (AAA): .200/.200/.600, 5 G, 11 PA, 2B, HR, RBI, 87 WRC+, 0.1 WAR
Career (AAA): 1-1, 4 G, 29.1 IP, 3.07 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 17 BB, 10 K, 134 ERA+, 0.4 WAR
Eddie Simpson didn't play a single game at Memphis HS, so it's no surprise he was released after the draft. The surprise was that the natural outfielder signed with the Syracuse Excelsiors of the Union League, and they had him make four starts on the mound. He held his own, allowing 25 hits, 10 runs, and 17 walks with 10 strikeouts in 29.1 innings pitched. He had an above average ERA+ (134) and OPS+ (105), but at 18 he was probably not nearly as good as those metrics would suggest. That is supported by him being released in the offseason and never signing again, retiring in 1931.
16th Round, 242nd Overall: 3B Gordon Stroud
School: Brooklyn HS Trojan
Career (C): .375/.444/.375, 11 G, 9 PA, 166 WRC+, 0.1 WAR
Gordon Stroud's professional career consisted of just 12 games -- 11 for the La Crosse Lions in 1929, and 1 with the Pueblo Mountaineers in 1930. He went 3-for-9, with all three hits coming in La Crosse, where he also drew a walk and struck out three times. He did win a 1933 Championship while on the Davenport Duster's roster before retiring in 1935.
17th Round, 258th Overall: 3B Tex Young
School: Lynn HS Legends
Career (A): .269/.325/.398, 212 G, 859 PA, 46 2B, 11 3B, 11 HR, 111 RBI, 7 SB, 2.7 WAR
Career (B): .291/.352/.442, 268 G, 1,088 PA, 60 2B, 13 3B, 20 HR, 189 RBI, 14 SB, 113 WRC+, 6.0 WAR
Drafted as a catcher, Tex Young had one of the longer careers for the guys that didn't make the majors, and spent most of his career at the hot corner in the Eagles organization. Young spent just one season in our system, playing 83 of his 93 games with the Lions. He had a tremendous year at the plate, slashing .293/.387/.436 (154 OPS+) with 19 doubles, 5 triples, 4 homers, 37 RBIs, and 3 steals. He drew one more walk (45) then strike out, and then went 7-for-27 in San Jose.
The 1929 offseason was when we started making moves to compete, and Tex went to the Eagles with Gene Ross to acquire Tommy Russel. At the time, Russel was 27 and coming off three average seasons (ERA+ of 100, 103, 101), but what attracted me to him was his ability to eat innings. Russel threw a career high 275.1 innings in 1928, and was just four outs away from his third consecutive 200 inning season. He had a pretty good first season for us in 1930, going 13-11 with a 4.26 ERA (111 ERA+) and 1.43 WHIP in 221.2 innings, starting 27 of his 28 appearances. Another thing he was known for was his durability, as he had just one injury of more then three days that dated back to his college days, but shoulder inflammation held him to just 15.2 innings late in the season out of the pen. It didn't matter too much, as '31 was the year we won it all.
We returned him to the rotation in 1932, but he was no longer the same pitcher he once was (3-2, 5.49, 9), and his season was again interrupted by shoulder inflammation. At the same time, Young was toiling around in the Eagles system, and in 1933 it looked like he was no longer considered a useful prospect. The then 24-year-old was given one last chance to start in Class B Everett, and he hit an impressive .325/.383/.491 (122 OPS+) with 32 doubles, 10 triples, 7 homers, 104 RBIs, and more walks (48) then strikeouts (21). He posted an even 100 WRC+ in 128 games in Class A Trenton in '35, and he was then promoted to AA, where he hit a solid .286/.323/.455 (110 OPS+) with 34 doubles, 17 triples, 7 homers, and 87 RBIs. The extra base hits were what kept him in the lineup, but when he was promoted to AAA in 1937, that disappeared, and his triple slash slumped to .236/.274/.323 (86 OPS+) with 17 doubles, 3 triples, a homer, and 35 RBIs. He spent 1938 on Kansas City's bench and was demoted to Atlanta the next year, and was cut in August. He spent the rest of the season as a free agent, and then retired when the offseason began.
18th Round, 274th Overall: 2B Billy Morgan
School: College of San Diego Friars
Career (B): .333/.364/.426, 79 G, 155 PA, 4 2B, 3 HR, 22 RBI, 10 SB, 105 WRC+, 0.3 WAR
Billy Morgan lasted three seasons, but 109 of his 181 PAs came in 40 games with San Jose in 1929. He hit a respectable .343/.371/.434 (104 OPS+) for with 3 doubles, 2 homers, 16 RBIs, and 8 steals. We cut him in October of 1932, but he waited until October of 1933 before retiring.
19th Round, 290th Overall: 3B Sam Crum
School: Lynn HS Legends
Career (C): .256/.331/.362, 230 G, 783 PA, 21 2B, 6 3B, 13 HR, 80 RBI, 68 SB, 91 WRC+, 2.3 WAR
A speedy infielder from Harristown, Illinois, Crum sat on the bench for most of 1929, but he played fairly regularly in 1930. He started 80 of his 110 appearances, and hit .282/.345/.391 (87 OPS+) with 15 doubles, 3 triples, 6 homers, 48 RBIs, and 26 steals. He ran wild the next year, swiping 33 bases in just 65 games. Even more impressive, he was caught just 4 times, and he hit .247/.345/.358 (104 OPS+) with 6 homers and 21 RBIs. This earned him a promotion to San Jose, but his production plummeted. His .198/.290/.224 (46 OPS+) batting average was more then twice as bad as the average C-O-W hitter, and he was just 6-for-10 on steals. He got another chance at 21 in 1932, and was off to a nice start through 23. He hit .265/.326/.422 (1110 OPS+) with 4 homers, 3 steals, and 17 RBIs, but he suffered a severe hip strain and missed the rest of the season. He survived the offseason, but was cut in late May before appearing in a game. No one gave him a minor league deal, and he retired following the conclusion of the 1933 season.
20th Round, 306th Overall: CF Curt Jeffrey
School: New Orleans HS Cavaliers
Career (A): .168/.230/.283, 66 G, 199 PA, 5 2B, 3 3B, 3 HR, 27 RBI, 2 SB, 33 WRC+, -1.0 WAR
"Chatterbox" didn't start a single game in high school, so out of a principle he was an instant release. Despite that, a lot of independent teams were interested, and he played with seven separate organizations from 1929 to 1934. Most were small samples, but he made 132 trips to the plate for the Amarillo Stars of the Western Baseball League. He didn't hit too well, posting a miniscule .195/.262/.310 (51 OPS+) batting line with 3 double, 2 triples, 2 homers, and 24 RBIs. That was his second to last season, and he retired following an 0-for-7 showing with the Denver Bears.
I might be busy tomorrow, so the finale may or may not come tomorrow. I'll cover the last five guys selected, and will include the disappointing FABL totals. I'll write a little summary too, but with so little success coming from this class, there's not going to be too much to mention.
Last edited by ayaghmour2; 10-11-2023 at 07:02 PM.
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