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ayaghmour2 · 05-12-2024, 03:42 PM

LHP Ray Paulson (366th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 70th Overall (1947)
Alma Mater: Forest Park Foresters

An on again, off again top 500 prospect, Ray Paulson is up to 366 after the 1950 season, though I'm not too sure why. He threw just 23.1 innings, his second lowest total so far, and his 9.64 ERA (58 ERA+) gave him his third consecutive season with an ERA+ of 75 or lower. This was also the first season he didn't pitch strictly out of the rotation, as only 4 of his 9 appearances came out of the rotation. He allowed 33 hits, 25 runs, and 18 walks, striking out 29. Lucky for him, he has great leadership traits, and his teammates really respect him. This should keep him at least in a pen role, though I think his future is still in the rotation. The issue is that his stuff isn't too great right now, so he's really getting hit hard. He can't blow people away, sitting in the 84-86 range, so when he makes a mistake, you can crush it. It may be tough for "Half-Pint" to find a rotation spot, at least at the start, but I'm not ready to give up on the young southpaw just yet.

RHP Hal Lewis (366th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 78th Overall (1950)
Alma Mater: Tallmadge State Terriers

Pretty much every pitcher in the UMVA struggled this season. Hal Lewis was not one of them.

Taken out of Tallmadge State in the 5th Round of the most recent draft, I needed someone to give the Lions good starts, and I was hoping as a college kid Lewis would be the one. Despite the 4-3 record, his numbers were nothing short of elite, working to a 2.54 ERA (220 ERA+) and 3.26 FIP (58 FIP-) in 63.2 innings. He had a 1.12 WHIP, 30 walks, and 81 strikeouts, leading the Lions in pretty much every pitching category you want to be ahead in. A five pitch pitcher, Lewis really worked on polishing his stuff in La Crosse, and he's already upped his velo to 87-89 in the offseason. That's going to make his effective change even better, as it's probably his best pitch both now and in the future. The rest of the pitches are harder, with a slider and three fastballs (sinker, fastball, cutter), so the velocity is big for him. He just turned 22 (Happy Birthday!), so there could be a few bumps left. If he's more comfortable in the 90s, it won't matter how his control looks. It's the one thing that can hold him back, but we'll test him to start next season in San Jose. He could be a quicker riser, but with a lot of arms ahead of him, a more gradual approach seems likely.

RHP Walt Cooper (399th Overall)
Acquired: Via Trade with Chiefs (1949)
Drafted: 2nd Round, 17th Overall (1948)
Alma Mater: Grand Rapids Raiders

If it wasn't for a torn elbow ligament, Walt Cooper would be a top 150 prospect. Maybe even 100, as he opened the season at 82. Instead, now we'll be lucky if he can start in AA one day.

It happened in just his second start with the Lions, and the 19-year-old righty still has five full months of rehab ahead of him. It's a crushing injury that has seemingly already derailed such a promising FABL career. A fastball, sinker, slider pitcher formerly known for his pinpoint command, Dixie now thinks he's going to develop issues there, as well as eventual home run issues. This is a recipe for disaster, but I'm hoping with his sinker being a decent pitch it'll keep the ball in the park. It tops out at 87, and with the major injury I don't think that will go any higher, which really limits his eventual effectiveness. Plus his stuff was pretty solid before hand too, striking out 24 in just 15 innings. I really want to hope that he's going to be okay, but unfortunately it's looking like the Walt Pack trade will be a loss for us.

LF Doc Zimmerman (404th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 68th Overall (1948)
Alma Mater: Bryan Rams

Doc Zimmerman found out quickly that Class B pitching is quite different from Class C pitching. See, in 248 PAs, including 35 this season, he's hit almost .400 -- .399/.452/.547 (172 OPS+) with 17 doubles, 5 triples, 2 homers, 10 steals, and 37 RBIs. But in 179 PAs with San Jose this season? That line drooped to .261/.352/.268 (64 OPS+), as he had just one extra base hit. It was nice that he drew 19 walks, but just one extra base hit?!?!?! How is he supposed to provide for his family like that!?!?!?

Great defense would be the answer, but he struggled both in center and left. He is just 19, 20 in February, but he never quite projected as much of an asset with the glove. I think his time is done in center, likely sticking him in left most of the time, so one extra base hit is the way to get yourself on the bench. Unless it's just a sample of one game .Lucky for him, Dixie thinks this is a fluke, as he projects average power and a good swing that allows him to drive the ball. He hits a lot of line drives, a big plus for someone with speed, so perhaps the lack of extra base hits was bad luck. San Jose has awful metrics for doubles (.892) and triples (.850), which could contribute to it as well, so I'd say hold your horses on giving up on the doctor. Perhaps the Cougars clubhouse provided him with too many apples, keeping the power away. He's a useful enough fourth outfielder, with starting potential if the extra base hits come, so with another go there he could show noticeable improvements.

RHP Jim Williams (415th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 8th Round, 123rd Overall (1945)
Alma Mater: Chicopee Pacers

If the prospect pickers cared more about stats, Jim Williams would be at least in the top half of the prospect list. Instead, the now 24-year-old sits closer to being unranked, then 250. I'm not sure what more he can do, because if 16-6 with a 2.33 ERA (172 ERA+), 1.34 WHIP, and 75 strikeouts isn't enough to impress you, then I'm not sure what is. Sure, 97 walks and a 11.1 BB% is an area of improvement, but this is the type of pitcher who generates soft contact and has a knack for getting out of trouble. It's really hard to clear the fences with him on the mound, as he allowed just 23 homers since his La Crosse debut in 1945, and he's allowed four or fewer in five of his six seasons of domestic ball. With the CWL this year, he's allowed one, giving him five in 215 innings, but I'm not going to count the elevated home run environment against him. He's going to get to showcase his skills the rest of the winter, and if there was more activity on the trade market, I imagine he'd be a common interest for a team who's not quite there that needs young arms. I'm more then happy keeping him, you can never have too much pitching depth, but it's a shame that he has little to no chance of making a FABL start next season.

05-12-2024, 03:42 PM	#1414
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,010	Top Prospects: 31-35 LHP Ray Paulson (366th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 70th Overall (1947) Alma Mater: Forest Park Foresters An on again, off again top 500 prospect, Ray Paulson is up to 366 after the 1950 season, though I'm not too sure why. He threw just 23.1 innings, his second lowest total so far, and his 9.64 ERA (58 ERA+) gave him his third consecutive season with an ERA+ of 75 or lower. This was also the first season he didn't pitch strictly out of the rotation, as only 4 of his 9 appearances came out of the rotation. He allowed 33 hits, 25 runs, and 18 walks, striking out 29. Lucky for him, he has great leadership traits, and his teammates really respect him. This should keep him at least in a pen role, though I think his future is still in the rotation. The issue is that his stuff isn't too great right now, so he's really getting hit hard. He can't blow people away, sitting in the 84-86 range, so when he makes a mistake, you can crush it. It may be tough for "Half-Pint" to find a rotation spot, at least at the start, but I'm not ready to give up on the young southpaw just yet. RHP Hal Lewis (366th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 78th Overall (1950) Alma Mater: Tallmadge State Terriers Pretty much every pitcher in the UMVA struggled this season. Hal Lewis was not one of them. Taken out of Tallmadge State in the 5th Round of the most recent draft, I needed someone to give the Lions good starts, and I was hoping as a college kid Lewis would be the one. Despite the 4-3 record, his numbers were nothing short of elite, working to a 2.54 ERA (220 ERA+) and 3.26 FIP (58 FIP-) in 63.2 innings. He had a 1.12 WHIP, 30 walks, and 81 strikeouts, leading the Lions in pretty much every pitching category you want to be ahead in. A five pitch pitcher, Lewis really worked on polishing his stuff in La Crosse, and he's already upped his velo to 87-89 in the offseason. That's going to make his effective change even better, as it's probably his best pitch both now and in the future. The rest of the pitches are harder, with a slider and three fastballs (sinker, fastball, cutter), so the velocity is big for him. He just turned 22 (Happy Birthday!), so there could be a few bumps left. If he's more comfortable in the 90s, it won't matter how his control looks. It's the one thing that can hold him back, but we'll test him to start next season in San Jose. He could be a quicker riser, but with a lot of arms ahead of him, a more gradual approach seems likely. RHP Walt Cooper (399th Overall) Acquired: Via Trade with Chiefs (1949) Drafted: 2nd Round, 17th Overall (1948) Alma Mater: Grand Rapids Raiders If it wasn't for a torn elbow ligament, Walt Cooper would be a top 150 prospect. Maybe even 100, as he opened the season at 82. Instead, now we'll be lucky if he can start in AA one day. It happened in just his second start with the Lions, and the 19-year-old righty still has five full months of rehab ahead of him. It's a crushing injury that has seemingly already derailed such a promising FABL career. A fastball, sinker, slider pitcher formerly known for his pinpoint command, Dixie now thinks he's going to develop issues there, as well as eventual home run issues. This is a recipe for disaster, but I'm hoping with his sinker being a decent pitch it'll keep the ball in the park. It tops out at 87, and with the major injury I don't think that will go any higher, which really limits his eventual effectiveness. Plus his stuff was pretty solid before hand too, striking out 24 in just 15 innings. I really want to hope that he's going to be okay, but unfortunately it's looking like the Walt Pack trade will be a loss for us. LF Doc Zimmerman (404th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 68th Overall (1948) Alma Mater: Bryan Rams Doc Zimmerman found out quickly that Class B pitching is quite different from Class C pitching. See, in 248 PAs, including 35 this season, he's hit almost .400 -- .399/.452/.547 (172 OPS+) with 17 doubles, 5 triples, 2 homers, 10 steals, and 37 RBIs. But in 179 PAs with San Jose this season? That line drooped to .261/.352/.268 (64 OPS+), as he had just one extra base hit. It was nice that he drew 19 walks, but just one extra base hit?!?!?! How is he supposed to provide for his family like that!?!?!? Great defense would be the answer, but he struggled both in center and left. He is just 19, 20 in February, but he never quite projected as much of an asset with the glove. I think his time is done in center, likely sticking him in left most of the time, so one extra base hit is the way to get yourself on the bench. Unless it's just a sample of one game .Lucky for him, Dixie thinks this is a fluke, as he projects average power and a good swing that allows him to drive the ball. He hits a lot of line drives, a big plus for someone with speed, so perhaps the lack of extra base hits was bad luck. San Jose has awful metrics for doubles (.892) and triples (.850), which could contribute to it as well, so I'd say hold your horses on giving up on the doctor. Perhaps the Cougars clubhouse provided him with too many apples, keeping the power away. He's a useful enough fourth outfielder, with starting potential if the extra base hits come, so with another go there he could show noticeable improvements. RHP Jim Williams (415th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 8th Round, 123rd Overall (1945) Alma Mater: Chicopee Pacers If the prospect pickers cared more about stats, Jim Williams would be at least in the top half of the prospect list. Instead, the now 24-year-old sits closer to being unranked, then 250. I'm not sure what more he can do, because if 16-6 with a 2.33 ERA (172 ERA+), 1.34 WHIP, and 75 strikeouts isn't enough to impress you, then I'm not sure what is. Sure, 97 walks and a 11.1 BB% is an area of improvement, but this is the type of pitcher who generates soft contact and has a knack for getting out of trouble. It's really hard to clear the fences with him on the mound, as he allowed just 23 homers since his La Crosse debut in 1945, and he's allowed four or fewer in five of his six seasons of domestic ball. With the CWL this year, he's allowed one, giving him five in 215 innings, but I'm not going to count the elevated home run environment against him. He's going to get to showcase his skills the rest of the winter, and if there was more activity on the trade market, I imagine he'd be a common interest for a team who's not quite there that needs young arms. I'm more then happy keeping him, you can never have too much pitching depth, but it's a shame that he has little to no chance of making a FABL start next season.