[ayaghmour2]

6th Round, 90th Overall: RHP Chet Peacock
School: Lynn HS Legends
Career (FABL): 0-0, SV, 3 G, 11 IP, 8.18 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, 7 BB, 1 K, 48 ERA+, -0.5 WAR
Career (AAA): 50-52, 7 SV, 1,002 IP, 3.65 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 201 BB, 288 K, 113 ERA+, 10.7 WAR
Career (AA): 36-22, 560.1 IP, 3.55 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 119 BB, 124 K, 121 ERA+, 8.8 WAR

Despite being a 6th Rounder, Chet Peacock was the type of guy who was usually featured at the back end of prospect lists, never a highly touted pitcher, but someone exciting enough that there were usually innings for him to get. It all started in La Crosse, where he made 22 of his 31 appearances in year one. Starting all but one of those outings, Peacock was an even 7-7 with a 3.73 ERA (101 ERA+), 1.44 WHIP, 44 walks, and 69 strikeouts. He then went on to San Jose, struggling post-callup and for the next two full seasons before he finally conquered Class B. In one of his best stints as a pro, he made 11 starts there in 1934, finishing 3-1 with a 3.42 ERA (146 ERA+), 1.32 WHIP, 16 walks, and 32 strikeouts.

Again after promotion, Peacock ran into some issues, struggling in his first 13 starts with Lincoln before a rough 1935 that saw him post ERAs above 5 in San Jose (2.2 IP), Lincoln (56.1), and Mobile (106.1), with 8 of his 31 appearances coming out of the pen. Despite the overall struggles, Peacock returned to Mobile in 1936, where he secured a rotation spot and took full advantage of it. In 12 starts he was 7-5 with a 3.02 ERA (152 ERA+), 1.31 WHIP, 24 walks, and 21 strikeouts. As you might expect, he earned a promotion to Milwaukee, and as expected, he did not find much success. He set a career worse with a 7.01 ERA (63 ERA+) in his final 60.1 innings, though at least he struck out 17 with just 10 walks.

After the poor performance, it was no surprise Peacock found himself back in AA, though he was inspired to put up his best production. Now 25, Peacock made 13 starts for the Commodores, working to an impressive 1.93 ERA (165 ERA+) and 1.06 WHIP. Peacock finished 8-3, striking out 19 while walking 24 before a return to Milwaukee. This time he was far more effective, with a lower 1.02 WHIP and respectable 3.15 ERA (106 ERA+) in 71.1 innings. Peacock once more split time between AA and AAA in 1938, though his season for once did not end when the minor leagues finished play. As a member of one of just two Cougar teams since 1937 that didn't win at least 80 games, Peacock was already on our 40 in September, and earned himself what proved to be his only taste of major league action. He pitched 11 innings, allowing 12 hits, 10 runs, and 7 walks with just a single strikeout. As poor as that looks, he actually didn't pitch too bad, as he had an impressive 7.2 innings of mop up work after Milt Fritz left a game with poor performance in the first. Peacock allowed just 2 runs off 7 hits and 2 walks with a strikeout in an admirable mop-up outing.

Still, I wanted one more look at Peacock as a starter, so he was in AA for the 1939 season to do so. That alone should have been a sign that his time was up, and he eventually lost his rotation role, starting 15 of his 22 outings. The 4.11 ERA (113 ERA+) and 1.30 WHIP were nice, but at 27 more is expected against that level of competition. He spent 1940 in the Blues pen, effective in his 37 innings, but he did not receive a callup. Then in July of 1940, after 25.2 innings with the Blues (3.51 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 9 Ks), he was released from the organization. He quickly caught on with the Portland Green Sox, spending the rest of the year in their pen before moving to a rotation role in 1942. He made 19 or more starts and 26 or more appearances in each of the next four years, even winning the Great Western League in 1945.

That was the last season prior to the GWL's attempt at a major league, and with the new league, almost 34-year-old pitchers were not in high demand. The Green Sox hurler was cut before the spring, finishing his career there 43-40 with a 3.52 ERA and 219 strikeouts. His best season was his last, where he was 12-6 with a 3.53 ERA (113 ERA+) and 1.32 WHIP. He walked 36 and struck out 47 in 176 innings, putting up 2.5 or more WAR for the second consecutive season. With no offers after that showing, Peacock hung up the cleats after the 1946 season, though even with his FABL cup of coffee, I'm sure he wishes he could have stuck with Portland while they tried to make things work in the GWL.

8th Round, 122nd Overall: RHP Ken Grosvenor
School: Lubbock State Hawks
Career (AA): 14-17, SV, 303.1 IP, 5.46 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, 93 BB, 90 K, 82 ERA+, 2.7 WAR
Career (A): 12-10, 2 SV, 200.2 IP, 4.31 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 67 BB, 78 K, 107 ERA+, 2.5 WAR

While Peacock and Grosvenor weren't taken in consecutive rounds, 7th Rounder Max Fox never signed, it's back-to-back righties here. Unlike Chet Peacock, Ken Grosvenor did not get a cop of coffee for us, never even reaching Milwaukee in his time with us. It did start out well, as he posted ERAs of 3.02 (125 ERA+) and 3.06 (136 ERA) in La Crosse and San Jose.

Despite the lower ERA+, he was much more dominant in La Crosse, as he struck out 60 and walked just 25 in 59.2 innings pitched. His 2.23 FIP (59 FIP-) is one of the lowest I've seen, and he was more then ready for the eventual promotion. Even with the Cougars, Grosvenor struck out way more hitters (60) then he walked (25), and it feels weird that his 2.4 K/BB was a 50% drop. The then 22-year-old returned next season for his first 20 starts, and they where again quite impressive. An unlucky 5-6, he had a 3.33 ERA (124 ERA+) and 2.89 FIP (69 FIP-), striking out 114 in 94.2 innings. He walked just 22 batters, leading to an outstanding 1.09 WHIP. When we made our callups, he was one of the lucky guys to get a late season promotion, finishing his season with 4 starts in Lincoln. He was 1-1, throwing 19 innings with 8 hits, 6 runs, 10 walks, and 13 strikeouts.

In 1933, Grosvenor dealt with a herniated disc, costing him over three months with the inclusion of a setback. He was limited to just 8 starts, 3 in San Jose and 5 in Lincoln. He didn't look quite back after injury, and that continued through the 1934 season. At both Lincoln and Mobile, he was walking more guys then he struck out, something that would have seen almost impossible in his prior seasons. He did work around it in Lincoln, finishing 7-3 with a 3.28 ERA (142 ERA+) and 1.19 WHIP. The issues came when he found himself in the Dixie League, as despite the 5-4 record, he had a bloated 6.16 ERA (74 ERA+) and 1.61 WHIP.

Looking to put that behind him, he was given a full season in the Commodores rotation, throwing 181.2 innings across 28 starts. He earned a 9-11 record, providing a 4.90 ERA (93 ERA+) and 1.60 WHIP, with again, more walks (57) then strikeouts (54). Now 26, Grosvenor was getting passed over by guys like Harry Parker, Karl Wallace, and Pug Bryan, and was sent to the Legislators pen for the 1936 season. He covered just 16 innings, allowing 13 hits, 6 runs, and 4 walks with 7 strikeouts. He was cut before the 1937 season, pitching for five different independent teams across the next three seasons. The only stint that had any resemblance of success was in 1938, where he was 4-1 with a 3.22 ERA (131 ERA+) and 1.40 WHIP. That came in 36.1 innings for the AAA Sacramento Governors, who were at the time employing 5th Rounder Fred Collins. He did not join Collins for the 1939 season, instead signing with the Oklahoma City Chiefs, and after no deal for 1940 he retired a month before he turned 31.

9th Round, 138th Overall: 2B Tom Handy
School: Mobile HS Commodores
Career (A): .290/.330/.408, 362 G, 475 PA, 13 2B, 7 3B, 8 HR, 54 RBI, SB, 90 WRC+, 4.4 WAR
Career (C): .284/.338/.435, 201 G, 400 PA, 16 2B, 3 3B, 11 HR, 55 RBI, 2 SB, 118 WRC+, 2.7 WAR

As the name might suggest, Tom Handy was a skilled defender, coming off back-to-back 1.100 efficiency seasons at short at Mobile HS, who like our former affiliate, go by the Commodores. The classic "organizational depth" type player, Tom Handy started more then 40 games on just one occasion, where he started 53 of his 69 appearances in his first pro season. The Lions shortstop hit .296/.349/.439 (128 OPS+) with 13 doubles, 5 homers, and 30 RBIs. He spent the next two seasons in La C rose as well, but then bounced from San Jose to Mobile from 1934 to 1935. AA would be his ceiling, just 8 games where he hit .174/.174/.304, and he spent the entirety of the next five seasons on the Legislators roster. He only made 6 appearances in 1937, but there were 56 in 1936 and 62 or 63 the three seasons after. He was cut following the 1940 season, retiring just a week and a half after at 28.

11th Round, 170th Overall: CF Fred Lafferty
School: Sacramento HS Governors
Career (A): .215/.277/.319, 109 G, 430 PA, 16 2B, 6 3B, 4 HR, 42 RBI, 27 SB, 64 WRC+, 1.0 WAR
Career (B): .233/.310/.342, 156 G, 498 PA, 14 2B, 5 3B, 8 HR, 37 RBI, 8 SB, 70 WRC+, 3.4 WAR
Career (C): .229/.302/.309, 175 G, 431 PA, 8 2B, 3B, 7 HR, 37 RBI, 31 SB, 70 WRC+, 2.2 WAR

Despite being an 11th Round Pick, Fred Lafferty was given a starting job his first season in La Crosse, though it did not go well for the 18-year-old. Lafferty hit just .196/.262/.250 (49 OPS+) with 4 doubles, 3 homers, 17 RBIs, and 10 steals in 306 trips to the plate. A skilled defender, he started 82 games out in center, accumulating a 15.1 zone rating (1.108) that made up for a portion of his 47 WRC+. That excellent range helped him stick around for a bit, and he even got another chance to start in 1934. He hit much better, a modest .257/.343/.399 (89 OPS+), and with stellar defense in center (11.5, 1.090), he was even worth a win and a half above replacement. Unfortunately for Lafferty, a starting spot in 1935 was nowhere to be found, and he was cut prior to the 1936 season.

Lafferty spent that season in Independent ball, with most of his time coming with the Pueblo Mountaineers. The then 23-year-old hit a pitiful .212/.277/.307 (61 OPS+), though it did come with 14 doubles, 6 triples, 3 homers, 38 RBIs, and 27 steals. Still, he was cut in August, later signing with the Amarillo Stars where he started the final three games of the season (3-14, 2 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI). This led to what would be a very busy offseason for the gloveman, cut by the Stars in November. In the next eight months, he was signed and released by twelve teams, and since he didn't field an inning with any of them, he retired after three months of no offers.

12th Round, 186th Overall: C Rusty Stanley
School: Sacramento HS Governors
Career (C): .175/.217/.421, 60 PA, 5 2B, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 81 WRC+, 0.1 WAR

"He had an awful junior year and my scout grabbed him. He was decent last year, so he'll get a shot. But be on a very short leash."

That's all Rusty Stanley got.

To be fair, there was actually a time I was precise and didn't churn out long blocks of text, and that's similar to other picks around him, but Stanley was one of the funky guys the feeders produced that would get drafted. He hit .133/.235/.133 (-2 OPS+) in 34 PAs as a junior, which was somehow good enough for whoever our scout was at the time. Can't remember who came before Marv Branson.

It was quite accurate, as the leash was short. Stanley was pretty poor in 1931, producing a 61 WRC+ in 54 trips to the plate. He did go 2-for-6 with a double the next season, but I cut him twice in two months, and he retired after remaining a free agent the remainder of the season.