[ayaghmour2]

It's that time of year again! Baseball is back! On the one day sim this morning, the Cannons returned Reginald Westfall, but I still had three cuts to make. Believe it or not, I figured it out while I was trying to go to sleep last night!

The first, unfortunately is Zane Kelley, who might be the best pitcher ever. But we don't have a rotation spot and I don't think there are enough opportunities for him in the pen. Despite belonging in the majors, he's heading to Milwaukee, as there just aren't enough roster spots and too many guys I don't want to lose. Next up is Harry Carter, who at 38, just isn't worth betting on over 20-somethings like Kenny and Kelsey, and I'm not ready to option Ken Matson. He's just been so good for us. Carter does have options, but he doesn't want to go down, so he'll be DFA'd. Lastly, as expected, George Sutterfield will head to Milwaukee for the first time since 1946. He hasn't hit, and we can improve his versatility in case second base isn't working out, or Otto Christian can't start at third. I don't love it, but that's what we have to do. Too many good players can be a problem, I guess.

Anyways, here's the 24 "best" players while Billy Hunter continues to not be healthy:

LHP Duke Bybee
RHP Donnie Jones
LHP Johnnie Jones
RHP Charlie Kelsey
RHP Jim Kenny
RHP Harry MacRae
RHP Ken Matson
RHP George Oddo
RHP Pete Papenfus
C Eddie Howard
C Harry Mead
1B Red Bond
1B Ray Ford
2B Clark Car
3B Otto Christian
3B Walt Pack
SS George Dawson
SS Skipper Schneider
LF Luke Berry
LF Chubby Hall
LF Leo Mitchell
LF Hal Sharp
CF Sal Pestilli
RF Carlos Montes

For once, the preseason predictions are somewhat realistic. They don't have us first! Instead, the Stars (87-67) and Kings (86-68) will duel for first, with us (83-71) a few games back. What adds to the realism is they expect all our players to do well, especially the rotation. OSA expects our three-headed monster to duel for the Allen Award, with the top three pitchers Pap (21-12, 2.50, 175), Donnie (19-12, 2.77, 132), and Duke (18-11, 2.51, 104). They also expect big seasons from Red Bond (.287, 28, 70) and Sal Pestilli (.262, 23, 93, 21), but surprisingly they have us just tied for 5th in runs scored. That would be annoying, but as always, no one will allow fewer runs then us.

The farm system is as good as ever, ranked behind just the Brooklyn Kings. We have 174 points to there 185, led by the #7 prospect Bob Allen. Joining him in the top 20 is not only Jerry Smith (14th), but last year's 4th Rounder Dixie Gaines (19th), who's rise up the prospect ladder has been astronomical. We have two more in the top 50, 10 in the top 100, 25 in the top 250, and an even 50 in the top 500. Yes, at literally every big round number, we have exactly 1/10th of the samples. Isn't that something! Crazy enough, none are on the big league roster. Johnny Peters (78th) and Zane Kelley (301st) had a chance, but both open in Milwaukee.

We open in Chicago, hosting the Saints for three on a quick homestand. They'll start with Wally Reif (16-10, 3.73, 101), as Pat Weakly (13-12, 3.59, 98) sprained his elbow and may miss a month, with Bert Cupid (16-14, 2.69, 100) and Wally Doyle (11-18, 3.59, 130) rounding things out. Their rotation should be a strength, and the lineup may be improved as well, as 23-year-old Otis O'Keefe has been getting attention all across the league, and it's very well deserved. He may be ranked 34th in the prospect list, but the 1947 3rd Rounder tore up AA and AAA before hitting .324/.445/.568 (156 OPS+) in Cuba with 11 homers and 30 RBIs. The towering 6'4'' outfielder from Bluegrass State may not ever play defense, but the bat is exciting. He hits the ball to all fields and with plenty of pop, enough to even clear the cavernous Parc Cartier. 20 homers may be tough, just because of the park, but if he was in Chicago (especially with the Chiefs) a 40-homer rookie season wouldn't be out of the question. He'll bat third ahead of fellow lefties Maurice Carter (.286, 24, 82) and Bill Greene (.260, 12, 63, 23), which may make things tough for our staff. Granted, our rotation top three is elite, and hey, I think we'll fair well!

Quickly on the road for the weekend, getting four games in three days with the Stars. Even though our staff is beloved by OSA, New York's isn't too far back, as they have the 5th, 6th, and 7th guy. Obviously Eli Panneton (17-14, 3.84, 112) is great, and I get Vern Hubbard (12-12, 3.86, 81), but Jack Wood (1-0, 1, 4.27, 29)? You gotta be kidding me! He didn't even make a start last year! Regardless, the pitching isn't what makes the Stars scary. It's the lineup. More specifically, superstar Bill Barrett (.300, 43, 130) who would look absolutely fabulous in Grey and Red. Him, Jack Welch (.267, 30, 88), and new first basemen Mack Sutton (.248, 31, 104) could all lead the league in homers. Sutton moving to first is a little confusing, considering how much I love Bill Barnett (.307, 16, 40), but it opens third for 22-year-old Paul Watson (.298, 3, 23, 2). The former top-25 prospect made 214 trips to the plate last year, but 56 of his 66 games came at short. He'll eventually replace Joe Angevine (.217, 1, 26, 18), but for now "Mr. Contact" with be "Mr. Hot Corner" as the Stars look to return to the postseason.