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ayaghmour2 · 04-13-2024, 05:14 PM

13th Round, 202nd Overall: RHP Earl Drake
School: Whitney College Engineers
Career (AA): 19-14, 302 IP, 3.99 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 126 BB, 108 K, 115 ERA+, 3.3 WAR
Career (A): 16-16, 9 SV, 311 IP, 5.15 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 143 BB, 174 K, 89 ERA+, 2.0 WAR

A graduate of nearby Whitney College, Earl Drake was a decent swingman in college, and he continued that role in our organization. In each of his three seasons with us, he made four or more starts and relief appearances, but until 1933 he didn't have much success on the mound. Ironically, that was his last season in the organization, as he didn't make it to 1934. He bounced around between more organizations then I can count, before finally finding a home with the Sailors. He pitched a lot down the stretch for the Peoria Pastimers, going 3-2 with 2 saves, a 2.62 ERA (178 ERA+), 1.52 WHIP, 19 walks, and 9 strikeouts in 48 innings.

He even helped them win a championship, and returned to the rotation for the 1935 season. It went well, as the 26-year-old went 10-5 with a 5.04 ERA (110 ERA+) and 1.57 WHIP. He struck out 68 and walked 64 in his 26 starts, though the 4.66 FIP (83 FIP-) was quite impressive. That earned him a promotion to Providence for the 1936 season, where he had the best season of his pro career. The 27-year-old was 13-5 with a 2.95 ERA and 1.20 WHIP, throwing a career high 161.2 innings. Regrettably, things turned bad for Drake, as in his return he allowed the same amount of home runs (20) that he did in past four seasons combined. His ERA skyrocketed to 5.63 (86 ERA+), and by the end of the season he was in the pen. The following season he was bumped back down to Peoria, where he struggled (1-0, 1, 5.70, 13) out of the pen. He was released in August, again going through the independent league carousel, before retiring at 29 when the offseason began.

15th Round, 234th Overall: C Neal Evans
School: Whitney College Engineers
Career (B): .175/.2266/.316, 41 G, 65 PA, 2 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 62 WRC+, 0.1 WAR

A teammate of Earl Drake at Whitney College, Neal Evans was the Engineer's everyday catcher, but a .167/.340/.267 (65 OPS+) batting line pushed him to the bench for his junior year. That was actually his best season, as he hit .346/.438/.654 (170 OPS+) with 2 homers and 12 RBIs in limited time. Shockingly, those RBIs were and remained a career best, despite not even reaching a third of his PAs in his two seasons as a starer. He never hit enough in our system to deserve regular playing time, appearing in just 47 games in his three seasons in our organization. The most of his time came in 1933 with San Jose, where he started 9 of his 14 appearances. Both stats and appearances were level stint highs, but he hit a pathetic .121/.216/.182 (6 OPS+) in 38 trips to the plate. He was cut in March of 1934, and after receiving no offers through the fall, the Chicago native retired a few weeks after his 25th birthday.

16th Round, 250th Overall: LHP Howie Swan
School: Baltimore HS Terrapins
Career (GWL): 0-0, SV, 42.1 IP, 2.76 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 11 BB, 14 K, 118 ERA+, -0.3 WAR
Career (AAA): 18-17, 18 SV, 422.2 IP, 5.41 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 124 BB, 163 K, 88 ERA+, -0.5 WAR
Career (AA): 54-47, 62 SV, 841 IP, 3.25 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 264 BB, 401 K, 118 ERA+, 9.0 WAR

He's-- still going..?

Really???

Who's this Howie Swan guy?

One of the few players I don't recognize, Howie Swan was our 16th Round pick after a pretty successful three year prep career. Swan went 7-8 with a 3.17 ERA (122 ERA+) and 1.29 WHIP. He started all but one of his 22 appearances, striking out 67 and walking 22 in 130.2 innings. Despite his career as a starter, Swan worked strictly as a reliever, throwing twelve innings in back-to-back seasons with the Lions. The second also had 4.1 in San Jose, but he allowed 6 hits and 5 runs with 2 walks and strikeouts. At that point he was cut, getting locked into a continuous churn between independent teams. He didn't play again until 1934, where the Sailors managed to wrestle him away from the many clubs that were signing and releasing him.

He relieved for 46 innings in Class C Gulfport, finishing 7-3 with 2 saves, a 5.48 ERA (96 ERA+), and a sturdy 34-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio. That wasn't enough to impress Philly, and they cut bait with him before the 1935 season. He still bounced around some, but this time he got almost a full season in the Charleston Blue Legs pen. He probably wasn't ready for AAA hitters at 22, as he allowed more hits (192) and earned runs (129) then innings pitched (126.2), while Union League hitters took him deep 29 times in 53 appearances. His 9.17 ERA (58 ERA+) and 1.89 WHIP were atrocious, but in his defense, he had fewer then five innings above C ball and none above A ball.

Swan continued to swap organizations, though again in 1936 he found a job for a significant role. 59 of his 61.1 innings came with the Hollywood Heroes, where he looked much better. Stationed in the Great Western League, he picked up a pair of saves with his 4.42 ERA (105 ERA+), 1.37 WHIP, 13 walks, and 18 strikeouts. The Heroes weren't convinced that he could be a long-term role, and in 1937 he shuttled between four teams, throwing 5 to 12.1 innings per stop. He was best with the Amarillo Stars of the Western Baseball League, a Class A affiliate. The 24-year-old was hit for three solo homers, but that was pretty much the only blemish in his 9.1 innings. 1938 he spent his entire season with the Houston Buffaloes, earning an excellent 2.22 ERA (167 ERA+) in 44.2 innings pitched. He struck out 24 and walked just 11, and his overall work was supported by an impressive 2.93 FIP (79 FIP-) and reliable 1.34 WHIP.

Even though that wasn't enough to stay in Houston, Swan finally did enough to convince a team to give him a chance. Finally finding a home, Swan was picked up by the Waco Wranglers, who competed against Houston in the Lone Star Association. He wasn't as dominant as he was with the Buffaloes, but Swan threw 90.1 innings in 55 games, going 5-6 with 6 saves, a 3.69 ERA (122 ERA+), 1.23 WHIP, and 49 strikeouts. This was the first of five consecutive seasons with an ERA+ above 100, and overall he did it six times in seven seasons with the Wranglers. In 1940 he had a tidy 2.00 ERA (162 ERA+), though the 67.2 innings were the lowest in his time with the Wranglers. He was over 100 innings for each of the next five seasons, pitching in a David Molina type role. He went 41-29 with 46 saves, even worth 2.4 WAR in 129 innings during the 1943 season.

1946 was the start of the Great Western League's attempt to be a major one, so Swan and his Wranglers were absorbed by the Portland Green Sox. He never went back to Waco, finishing his Wrangler career with 726.2 innings in 428 appearances. If the GWL never absorbed the LSA, Swan would have a chance to set the record for most appearances as a Wrangler, falling just short of Ernie Warner's 468. Swan totaled a 8.1 WAR to go with his 3.24 ERA and 341 strikeouts. He got 60.2 innings in 1946, which would have been enough for the Wrangler record. In an A ball equivalent, he went 3-5 with 4 saves, a 4.01 ERA (112 ERA+), 1.45 WHIP, 17 walks, and 34 strikeouts.

The biggest surprise is where his 1947 innings came, as the Green Sox actually used him in their pen! He picked up a save, throwing 42.1 innings in 22 appearances, working to a 2.76 ERA (118 ERA+), 1.39 WHIP, and 14 strikeouts. That was all he got in Portland, spending the next two seasons in AA Oklahoma City. They cut him on the last day of February this season, and it's taking all the effort inside of me to not offer the current free agent a minor league deal. 38 in November, I can't imagine him sticking around for 1951, even if his scouting report is better then some FABL relievers. The command is still good and he can eat innings, but the stuff was never overly impressive. I'm sure he could handle minor league hitters fine, but with just over $35,000 in career earnings, I doubt he's too angry he never really got a chance at a FABL contract.

17th Round, 266th Overall: CF Kent Clark
School: Cincinnati HS Tigers
Career (C): .147/.230/.294, 70 G, 114 PA, 3 2B, 4 HR, 5 RBI, 4 SB, 51 WRC+, 0.1 WAR

When you don't hit over .200 in high school, you don't deserve to get drafted, but sure enough 17th Rounder Kent Clark pulled it off. He played in three seasons with the Lions, though the coolest part had to be his 1932 season. He was just 6-for-28, but two of them were doubles and three solo home runs. His .607 slugging was almost three times as high as his .214 average, and he actually had well above average OPS+ (131) and WRC+ (125). He made three starts early on in the 1933 season, but was cut after goin 0-for-9 with a walk and four strikeouts. He remained unsigned during the season, retiring at 21 when the season ended.

18th Round, 282nd Overall: 2B Tom Dodson
School: Omaha HS Plainsmen
Career (B): .277/.362/.532, 55 G, 163 PA, 10 2B, 4 3B, 6 HR, 30 RBI, 3 SB, 115 WRC+, 1.2 WAR
Career (C): .256/.345/.361, 97 G, 206 PA, 4 2B, 5 HR, 24 RBI, 2 SB, 90 WRC+, 0.6 WAR

A switch hitting second basemen, Tom Dodson got a short chance with La Crosse after he was drafted, starting 22 of his 41 appearances as a Lion. The issue was with the results, as he hit just .190/.250/.238 (32 OPS+) with a double, homer, and 10 RBIs. He spent the next three seasons on the Lions and Cougars bench, but was released prior to the 1935 seasons. He spent three months as a free agent until the New York Stars offered him a minor league deal. It was a bench role with the Class C Alexandria Generals, and Dodson hit an adjusted league average .296/.412/.370 (100 OPS+) in 97 trips to the plate. As a 23-year-old he was promoted to Class B Salem and he finished his season in Class A Scranton. Dodson was much better in Salem, with superior OPS+ (122 to 79) and WRC+ (122 to 93). With the Warriors he had 9 doubles, 4 triples, 6 homers, and 28 RBIs, even drawing two more walks (17) then strikeouts (15).

In 1937 he returned to Scranton, where he opened the season with the Silver Stars. Now 24, he was the everyday second basemen, but he hit a woeful .143/.203/.218 (14 OPS+) in 60 trips to the plate. Aside from the two triples, there wasn't much to like, The more he struggled, the less he played, and eventually the one time 18th Rounder was cut towards the end of June. He remained unsigned through the season, and retired at the start of the offseason.

04-13-2024, 05:14 PM	#1394
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,012	A Look Back at the 1930 Draft: Part 4 13th Round, 202nd Overall: RHP Earl Drake School: Whitney College Engineers Career (AA): 19-14, 302 IP, 3.99 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 126 BB, 108 K, 115 ERA+, 3.3 WAR Career (A): 16-16, 9 SV, 311 IP, 5.15 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 143 BB, 174 K, 89 ERA+, 2.0 WAR A graduate of nearby Whitney College, Earl Drake was a decent swingman in college, and he continued that role in our organization. In each of his three seasons with us, he made four or more starts and relief appearances, but until 1933 he didn't have much success on the mound. Ironically, that was his last season in the organization, as he didn't make it to 1934. He bounced around between more organizations then I can count, before finally finding a home with the Sailors. He pitched a lot down the stretch for the Peoria Pastimers, going 3-2 with 2 saves, a 2.62 ERA (178 ERA+), 1.52 WHIP, 19 walks, and 9 strikeouts in 48 innings. He even helped them win a championship, and returned to the rotation for the 1935 season. It went well, as the 26-year-old went 10-5 with a 5.04 ERA (110 ERA+) and 1.57 WHIP. He struck out 68 and walked 64 in his 26 starts, though the 4.66 FIP (83 FIP-) was quite impressive. That earned him a promotion to Providence for the 1936 season, where he had the best season of his pro career. The 27-year-old was 13-5 with a 2.95 ERA and 1.20 WHIP, throwing a career high 161.2 innings. Regrettably, things turned bad for Drake, as in his return he allowed the same amount of home runs (20) that he did in past four seasons combined. His ERA skyrocketed to 5.63 (86 ERA+), and by the end of the season he was in the pen. The following season he was bumped back down to Peoria, where he struggled (1-0, 1, 5.70, 13) out of the pen. He was released in August, again going through the independent league carousel, before retiring at 29 when the offseason began. 15th Round, 234th Overall: C Neal Evans School: Whitney College Engineers Career (B): .175/.2266/.316, 41 G, 65 PA, 2 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 62 WRC+, 0.1 WAR A teammate of Earl Drake at Whitney College, Neal Evans was the Engineer's everyday catcher, but a .167/.340/.267 (65 OPS+) batting line pushed him to the bench for his junior year. That was actually his best season, as he hit .346/.438/.654 (170 OPS+) with 2 homers and 12 RBIs in limited time. Shockingly, those RBIs were and remained a career best, despite not even reaching a third of his PAs in his two seasons as a starer. He never hit enough in our system to deserve regular playing time, appearing in just 47 games in his three seasons in our organization. The most of his time came in 1933 with San Jose, where he started 9 of his 14 appearances. Both stats and appearances were level stint highs, but he hit a pathetic .121/.216/.182 (6 OPS+) in 38 trips to the plate. He was cut in March of 1934, and after receiving no offers through the fall, the Chicago native retired a few weeks after his 25th birthday. 16th Round, 250th Overall: LHP Howie Swan School: Baltimore HS Terrapins Career (GWL): 0-0, SV, 42.1 IP, 2.76 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 11 BB, 14 K, 118 ERA+, -0.3 WAR Career (AAA): 18-17, 18 SV, 422.2 IP, 5.41 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 124 BB, 163 K, 88 ERA+, -0.5 WAR Career (AA): 54-47, 62 SV, 841 IP, 3.25 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 264 BB, 401 K, 118 ERA+, 9.0 WAR He's-- still going..? Really??? Who's this Howie Swan guy? One of the few players I don't recognize, Howie Swan was our 16th Round pick after a pretty successful three year prep career. Swan went 7-8 with a 3.17 ERA (122 ERA+) and 1.29 WHIP. He started all but one of his 22 appearances, striking out 67 and walking 22 in 130.2 innings. Despite his career as a starter, Swan worked strictly as a reliever, throwing twelve innings in back-to-back seasons with the Lions. The second also had 4.1 in San Jose, but he allowed 6 hits and 5 runs with 2 walks and strikeouts. At that point he was cut, getting locked into a continuous churn between independent teams. He didn't play again until 1934, where the Sailors managed to wrestle him away from the many clubs that were signing and releasing him. He relieved for 46 innings in Class C Gulfport, finishing 7-3 with 2 saves, a 5.48 ERA (96 ERA+), and a sturdy 34-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio. That wasn't enough to impress Philly, and they cut bait with him before the 1935 season. He still bounced around some, but this time he got almost a full season in the Charleston Blue Legs pen. He probably wasn't ready for AAA hitters at 22, as he allowed more hits (192) and earned runs (129) then innings pitched (126.2), while Union League hitters took him deep 29 times in 53 appearances. His 9.17 ERA (58 ERA+) and 1.89 WHIP were atrocious, but in his defense, he had fewer then five innings above C ball and none above A ball. Swan continued to swap organizations, though again in 1936 he found a job for a significant role. 59 of his 61.1 innings came with the Hollywood Heroes, where he looked much better. Stationed in the Great Western League, he picked up a pair of saves with his 4.42 ERA (105 ERA+), 1.37 WHIP, 13 walks, and 18 strikeouts. The Heroes weren't convinced that he could be a long-term role, and in 1937 he shuttled between four teams, throwing 5 to 12.1 innings per stop. He was best with the Amarillo Stars of the Western Baseball League, a Class A affiliate. The 24-year-old was hit for three solo homers, but that was pretty much the only blemish in his 9.1 innings. 1938 he spent his entire season with the Houston Buffaloes, earning an excellent 2.22 ERA (167 ERA+) in 44.2 innings pitched. He struck out 24 and walked just 11, and his overall work was supported by an impressive 2.93 FIP (79 FIP-) and reliable 1.34 WHIP. Even though that wasn't enough to stay in Houston, Swan finally did enough to convince a team to give him a chance. Finally finding a home, Swan was picked up by the Waco Wranglers, who competed against Houston in the Lone Star Association. He wasn't as dominant as he was with the Buffaloes, but Swan threw 90.1 innings in 55 games, going 5-6 with 6 saves, a 3.69 ERA (122 ERA+), 1.23 WHIP, and 49 strikeouts. This was the first of five consecutive seasons with an ERA+ above 100, and overall he did it six times in seven seasons with the Wranglers. In 1940 he had a tidy 2.00 ERA (162 ERA+), though the 67.2 innings were the lowest in his time with the Wranglers. He was over 100 innings for each of the next five seasons, pitching in a David Molina type role. He went 41-29 with 46 saves, even worth 2.4 WAR in 129 innings during the 1943 season. 1946 was the start of the Great Western League's attempt to be a major one, so Swan and his Wranglers were absorbed by the Portland Green Sox. He never went back to Waco, finishing his Wrangler career with 726.2 innings in 428 appearances. If the GWL never absorbed the LSA, Swan would have a chance to set the record for most appearances as a Wrangler, falling just short of Ernie Warner's 468. Swan totaled a 8.1 WAR to go with his 3.24 ERA and 341 strikeouts. He got 60.2 innings in 1946, which would have been enough for the Wrangler record. In an A ball equivalent, he went 3-5 with 4 saves, a 4.01 ERA (112 ERA+), 1.45 WHIP, 17 walks, and 34 strikeouts. The biggest surprise is where his 1947 innings came, as the Green Sox actually used him in their pen! He picked up a save, throwing 42.1 innings in 22 appearances, working to a 2.76 ERA (118 ERA+), 1.39 WHIP, and 14 strikeouts. That was all he got in Portland, spending the next two seasons in AA Oklahoma City. They cut him on the last day of February this season, and it's taking all the effort inside of me to not offer the current free agent a minor league deal. 38 in November, I can't imagine him sticking around for 1951, even if his scouting report is better then some FABL relievers. The command is still good and he can eat innings, but the stuff was never overly impressive. I'm sure he could handle minor league hitters fine, but with just over $35,000 in career earnings, I doubt he's too angry he never really got a chance at a FABL contract. 17th Round, 266th Overall: CF Kent Clark School: Cincinnati HS Tigers Career (C): .147/.230/.294, 70 G, 114 PA, 3 2B, 4 HR, 5 RBI, 4 SB, 51 WRC+, 0.1 WAR When you don't hit over .200 in high school, you don't deserve to get drafted, but sure enough 17th Rounder Kent Clark pulled it off. He played in three seasons with the Lions, though the coolest part had to be his 1932 season. He was just 6-for-28, but two of them were doubles and three solo home runs. His .607 slugging was almost three times as high as his .214 average, and he actually had well above average OPS+ (131) and WRC+ (125). He made three starts early on in the 1933 season, but was cut after goin 0-for-9 with a walk and four strikeouts. He remained unsigned during the season, retiring at 21 when the season ended. 18th Round, 282nd Overall: 2B Tom Dodson School: Omaha HS Plainsmen Career (B): .277/.362/.532, 55 G, 163 PA, 10 2B, 4 3B, 6 HR, 30 RBI, 3 SB, 115 WRC+, 1.2 WAR Career (C): .256/.345/.361, 97 G, 206 PA, 4 2B, 5 HR, 24 RBI, 2 SB, 90 WRC+, 0.6 WAR A switch hitting second basemen, Tom Dodson got a short chance with La Crosse after he was drafted, starting 22 of his 41 appearances as a Lion. The issue was with the results, as he hit just .190/.250/.238 (32 OPS+) with a double, homer, and 10 RBIs. He spent the next three seasons on the Lions and Cougars bench, but was released prior to the 1935 seasons. He spent three months as a free agent until the New York Stars offered him a minor league deal. It was a bench role with the Class C Alexandria Generals, and Dodson hit an adjusted league average .296/.412/.370 (100 OPS+) in 97 trips to the plate. As a 23-year-old he was promoted to Class B Salem and he finished his season in Class A Scranton. Dodson was much better in Salem, with superior OPS+ (122 to 79) and WRC+ (122 to 93). With the Warriors he had 9 doubles, 4 triples, 6 homers, and 28 RBIs, even drawing two more walks (17) then strikeouts (15). In 1937 he returned to Scranton, where he opened the season with the Silver Stars. Now 24, he was the everyday second basemen, but he hit a woeful .143/.203/.218 (14 OPS+) in 60 trips to the plate. Aside from the two triples, there wasn't much to like, The more he struggled, the less he played, and eventually the one time 18th Rounder was cut towards the end of June. He remained unsigned through the season, and retired at the start of the offseason.