[ayaghmour2]

LF Clyde Parker (186th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 7th Round, 103rd Overall (1945)
Alma Mater: Liberty Bluejays

Despite making it on the 40-man roster, Clyde Parker didn't get a call to the big league roster, but he'll be in camp to defy the odds and earn a bench spot. More likely then not, his second option will be used, and he'll return to the place where he made 140 appearances in 1950. They went well, as he hit a solid .279/.356/.406 (111 OPS+) in his aged 23 season. He came a homer short of double digits, clubbing 28 doubles with 68 runs, 56 RBIs, and 54 walks. As a corner bat, he's going to have to hit a bit more then that, but at least as a lefty he'll generally have the platoon advantage. Leo Mitchell and Red Bond aren't getting any younger, and while I don't want it to happen, one or both of those guys could decline quickly. This would allow Parker to sneak in, and replacing Mitchell would be somewhat ironic as I always viewed Parker as a Mitchell-lite. He's got a good hit tool but scouts have soured a bit on him, seeing him drop from a potential .330 hitter to even under .300. What helped Mitchell succeed was the later development in power, something Parker is now around the age to start building. 15-20 homers from Parker in Milwaukee next season would be a nice sign for his future, but if the bat doesn't get much better, a role on a FABL team may be tough to claw out.

LF Charlie Harvey (200th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 11th Round, 172nd Overall (1946)
Alma Mater: LaSalle Cavaliers

Another corner bat, Charlie Harvey is a few levels down, coming off an excellent season with the Legislators that found him a tenth of a win short of 4 WAR in 123 games. Harvey it a pretty .300/.408/.461 (138 OPS+) with 27 doubles, 5 triples, 11 homers, 64 RBIs, 65 runs, and 75 walks. This came in a 515 plate appearances, the same he had last season in San Jose, where he had a 144 WRC+ as opposed to the 145 from this season. It's nice to see him do so well against tougher competition, but he may be stuck in Lincoln. It's looking very likely that we'll have a Reece-Smith-Norman outfield in Little Rock, at least to start, leaving Harvey here to keep mashing. As a Chicagoan, a big league debut seems almost automatic, but I'm really happy with the discipline he's been showing. The power is nice too, and should be above average in the future, but Harvey has generally come with warnings on his strikeout tendencies. If he can stay in the zone, his hit tool is good enough to make an impact, but it's yet to be seem if he'll be able to keep up with tougher pitchers.

LHP Buster Clark (208th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 61st Overall (1949)
Alma Mater: Santa Cruz Pirates

I think if we were still in 24, Buster Clark would be ranked in the 100-125 range instead of just outside the top 200. A soon-to-be 20-year-old southpaw with another five pitch mix, Clark was our 4th Round pick last season, and he had a decent 10 start season in the wonky UMVA. His 5.90 ERA (95 ERA+) is just five percent below average, and I think a 2.00 WHIP isn't too bad. What's nice is Clark struck out 71 hitters in 61 innings, and as an extreme groundballer he's not going to give up 8 homers in 10 starts very often. That's all thanks to his sinker, which grazes 90 but sits more comfortably in the high 80s. It's his most advanced pitch now, though its on the back end of an arsenal of average or better pitches. The change is expected to be the best pitch, and when he has a feel for it, it is a lethal weapon. Though I think the best of his pitches will be his sweeping curve, which can get knee-buckling swings when located well. Until he locates these second offerings, he's going to have to rely more on his fastball and sinker, both of which are hittable pitches. The improvement of his secondaries are crucial to his success as a big league starter, and it may be worth giving him early starts in San Jose. There's always a logjam in La Crosse, and as one of our higher priority prospects, I'm willing to get him out of the mess early, even if it means he spends more time in San Jose.

CF Harley Dollar (209th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 7th Round, 131st Overall (1947)
Alma Mater: Nutley Maroon Raiders

One of our many center field prospects, Harley Dollar had an excellent season, starting with his 91 games with San Jose. Dollar made 387 trips to the plate, hitting .301/.452/.384 (122 OPS+) with 8 doubles, 5 homers, 5 steals, and 42 RBIs with an absurd 83-to-35 walk-to-strikeout rate. The 83 walks corresponds to a 21.4 BB%, which sits almost equidistant between Bill Barrett's 1946 (20.6) and 1942 (22.4) season. Now in no way am I comparing the two, but I just have to point out how impressive a BB% above 20 is. What he did next impresses as well, as in his 39 games with the Legislators he hit an even better .320/.448/.456 (148 OPS+), increasing his WRC+ from 131 to 151. His walk percentage dipped to 18.8, but considering he cut his strikeout rate almost in half to 5.2, leading to a superb 29-to-8 ratio. Dollar's always drawn his share of walks, but he's never had a K% below 10 in any of his minor league stints. This is a huge development for Dollar, who may not be the best best defensive outfielder out there. He's starting to remind be a lot of Don Lee, and as we've seen, when he's hot he's really good. A top notch fourth outfielder who can fill in anywhere and hit average or better is great value out of a 7th Rounder, but unfortunately for him he doesn't have anywhere near the leadership abilities as Lee. His personality will work against him, so continued discipline and hard hit balls will be what leads him to the big leagues.

1B John Kerr (219th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 65th Overall (1948)
Alma Mater: Chicopee Pacers

So what do you do with a first basemen who has WRC+ of 34, 21, and 42 in C ball?

I have no idea...

In 371 trips to the plate, John Kerr has hit just .190/.278/.284 (40 OPS+) in the past two and a half seasons. Is he a pitcher?

In real life, I can't imagine a guy like this ever being a ranked prospect, let alone inside the top 250, but that's where we are today. The former 5th Rounder looks like a slugging first basemen, so maybe the projectable scouts would bump him up their lists. Along with a good eye, he's got a nice hit tool and of course major power, but so far he's slugged just 8 homers in what's basically a full season equivalent. To make matters worse, the UMVA is extremely hitter friendly, so recent 5th Rounder Hal Lewis, a pitcher, and son of Harry Carter, Hal, another pitcher, had WRC+ of 71 and 48. Higher then Kerr. Lucky for him, he gets one more chance in La Crosse, but if we add enough intriguing corner bats there's a chance he gets pushed out of the lineup. Quite a drop for such a highly touted prospects.