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ayaghmour2 · 05-13-2024, 09:40 PM

Sox game got postponed today, so we will finish the Cougar prospects tonight after all!

RHP Fred Terry (418th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 8th Round, 115th Overall (1947)
Alma Mater: Yellowhammer State Panthers

An 8th Round pick in 1947, Fred Terry is the rare senior to be selected in the human portion of the draft, moving up a few rounds from when he was a 14th Round selection of the Eagles. Since then he's made his way from San Jose to Milwaukee, where he made 23 starts for us this season. They went pretty well, as he was 8-7 with a 3.62 ERA (98 ERA+) and 1.27 WHIP, walking 52 and striking out 59. Even with all that, I went against protecting him from the Rule-5 draft that will happen tomorrow, and I think there's a chance he gets selected. Probably ready for a shot in a FABL rotation, Terry has had green arrows as long as I remember, but we only have two open 40 spots and we have at least six durable pitchers in front of him, before even considering some of our pen guys, other AAA depth, and of course, the guy who will probably pass Dick Lyons for most mentions on this forum, Bob Allen. That makes it so I almost want him to be taken, just because he's probably as good as he'll get right now and he'll only improve with regular starts. He's going to get that if he stays in Milwaukee, but I see plenty of teams who could use someone like Terry in their fifth spot or in a swingman role. He eats a ton of innings, has a nice splitter, and sits in the 89-91 range. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to keep him as depth, but unfortunately guys like this get stuck in the minors now that we can't trade draft picks.

RF Frank Hernandez (432nd Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 7th Round, 110th Overall (1950)
Alma Mater: Houma Barons

Our 7th Round pick in the most recent draft, Frank Hernandez was one of the last guys to sign, but he did not let that limit his play. The 18-year-old hit an impressive .296/.397/.611 (140 OPS+), slugging 5 homers in just 63 trips to the plate. He had a near matching 141 WRC+, adding in 2 doubles, 8 walks, 15 runs, 16 RBIs, and a steal. That's about as good as it gets in such a small sample, as the young outfielder got instant results from his hard work. Even with the late start, he didn't let it phase him, continuing to show up early and put in extra hours as he fought to get whatever at bats he could. He'll be rewarded for that effort, penciled in as the starting right fielder for the Lions 1951 season. As a bat first guy, more at bats means more chances to hit your way up, and it's a lot harder to get a spot, then to keep it when you're a decently touted prospect. He's still going to have to keep hitting, but he's done enough to earn a full season unless something crazy happens.

LHP Bert Rogers (439th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 14th Round, 212th Overall (1948)
Alma Mater: Cowpens State Fighting Green

Bert Rogers? You mean former 1st Round pick Bert Rogers? He's a ranked prospect again?

The last time he was on a top 500 prospect list, it was when he was 76th in 1947, as since that high ranking he's completely fallen apart, now not even listed as a borderline starter. The guy Tom Weinstock once called a front of the rotation starter with his health, stuff, and effectiveness, Rogers has only managed to be healthy, as the stuff is bad, the effectiveness isn't there, and I don't even think he topped rotations in A ball, let alone FABL. Funny enough, he was actually decent enough last season, where he went 13-6 with a 3.32 ERA (121 ERA+) in 20 starts. Of course, the 4.23 FIP (105 FIP-) cast some doubt on that success, so I shouldn't be surprised that against tougher competition, he was hit hard. His ERA jumped to 4.45 (80 ERA+) and his WHIP to 1.62, as he walked 90 with just 76 strikeouts. His FIP-, however, was identical, so after getting all the luck in his favor, it went reverse this go about. Perhaps that means Rogers will be an average enough AAA pitcher next season, but at 24, he's running out of time to be an average FABL arm. Despite a lot of velo bumps, he never really had the drive to make himself a better pitcher. What's helped him stick around is the high pick and the ability to generate grounders, as there's still a chance he can be a Jim Kenny type lefty out of the pen. That's obviously not what you want out of first round pick, and he's the biggest risk of our run of what could be 18 consecutive first round picks to make a FABL debut. It may be a stretch to consider Biff Tiner and Andy Robinson locks, but there's no way Bob Allen and Jerry Smith aren't making it to Chicago, and I'm pretty sure Tommy Seymour will get a callup next season. Every other Cougar first round draftee from 1931 to now, and without patting my own back too hard, we've had just two first rounders retire on us without debuting [Can you guess who? Answer in the edit!], something I don't think many other teams can say. Rogers has to earn the call, I'm not giving it him just to have some cool fun fact, and honestly I think the deck is stacked against him. He's more likely to lose his rotation spot then pitch in Chicago this season, so he'll have to hope his name is called in one of the Rule-5 drafts. Since usually once you're released, you don't get another change.

1B Charlie Everitt (445th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 14th Round, 212th Overall (1948)
Alma Mater: Cowpens State Fighting Green

Despite a productive season at the plate, Charlie Everitt took a plunge on the prospect list, almost completely falling out of the top 500. Done about 100 spots to 445, he almost should be replaced with John Kerr, as hitting .324/.455/.494 (160 OPS+) in A ball, followed by .346/.528/.484 (169 OPS+) in AA. Most of his time came with Lincoln, with 117 of his 125 games at the lower level. He had more counting stats then you can count, accumulating 79 runs, 16 doubles, 5 triples, 14 homers, 78 RBIs, and 98 walks. Sure, he didn't have any steals, but he was worth 4.6 WAR as a first basemen, and his BB% (19.4) was almost twice as high as his K% (10.5). In AA, he improved on that, with a 20-to-6 walk-to-strikeout ratio which makes me think of a prime Ray Ford. This kid has great discipline and hits the ball hard, the two biggest things you look for in a first basemen, so it makes no sense why he's ranked so low. The former 14th Rounder deserves some respect, more then I can give him, but he should have a nice season in Little Rock as looks to move earn a promotion.

SS Archie Cunningham (462nd Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 8th Round, 116th Overall (1948)
Alma Mater: Carolina Poly Cardinals

And the biggest reason I have beef with the prospect lists. Generally speaking, when a shortstop puts up a 6.7 WAR season, they find themself moving up the prospect list. Instead, "A.C" almost fell out.

Our 8th Round selection in 1948, Archie Cunningham had an amazing season, hitting .283/.369/.390 (102 OPS+) with 91 runs, 23 triples, 10 doubles, 5 homers, 60 RBIs, 73 walks, and 44 steals. Combined with the 18.9 zone rating and 1.076 efficiency at short, it's hard to find a fault with the job Cunningham did, as he was the most valuable player on a team that ran away with their league. And even after all the good stats and extra stuff I added in, he's got exciting tools: athleticism, great defense, and the ability to hit from both sides of the plate. There are fewer guys better at stealing bases and he seems to have a knack for hitting the ball where guys aren't, and then running the bases until they can find the ball. I don't ever want to let him go, which may make it hard for him to start as a shortstop, as he's the best pinch runner/late game shortstop there is. Yes, Skipper never needs defensive help, but there will always be slow guys, and he can move to second, third, or even right if we need him to. Despite his low rank, he's one of the prospects in our system I like the most. And believe it or not, if I had to choose between trading A.C. and Cecil Burr -- I'd probably trade Burr. Or Marshall. Or Jenkins. Or- you get the point.

05-13-2024, 09:40 PM	#1416
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,010	Top Prospects: 36-40 Sox game got postponed today, so we will finish the Cougar prospects tonight after all! RHP Fred Terry (418th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 8th Round, 115th Overall (1947) Alma Mater: Yellowhammer State Panthers An 8th Round pick in 1947, Fred Terry is the rare senior to be selected in the human portion of the draft, moving up a few rounds from when he was a 14th Round selection of the Eagles. Since then he's made his way from San Jose to Milwaukee, where he made 23 starts for us this season. They went pretty well, as he was 8-7 with a 3.62 ERA (98 ERA+) and 1.27 WHIP, walking 52 and striking out 59. Even with all that, I went against protecting him from the Rule-5 draft that will happen tomorrow, and I think there's a chance he gets selected. Probably ready for a shot in a FABL rotation, Terry has had green arrows as long as I remember, but we only have two open 40 spots and we have at least six durable pitchers in front of him, before even considering some of our pen guys, other AAA depth, and of course, the guy who will probably pass Dick Lyons for most mentions on this forum, Bob Allen. That makes it so I almost want him to be taken, just because he's probably as good as he'll get right now and he'll only improve with regular starts. He's going to get that if he stays in Milwaukee, but I see plenty of teams who could use someone like Terry in their fifth spot or in a swingman role. He eats a ton of innings, has a nice splitter, and sits in the 89-91 range. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to keep him as depth, but unfortunately guys like this get stuck in the minors now that we can't trade draft picks. RF Frank Hernandez (432nd Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 7th Round, 110th Overall (1950) Alma Mater: Houma Barons Our 7th Round pick in the most recent draft, Frank Hernandez was one of the last guys to sign, but he did not let that limit his play. The 18-year-old hit an impressive .296/.397/.611 (140 OPS+), slugging 5 homers in just 63 trips to the plate. He had a near matching 141 WRC+, adding in 2 doubles, 8 walks, 15 runs, 16 RBIs, and a steal. That's about as good as it gets in such a small sample, as the young outfielder got instant results from his hard work. Even with the late start, he didn't let it phase him, continuing to show up early and put in extra hours as he fought to get whatever at bats he could. He'll be rewarded for that effort, penciled in as the starting right fielder for the Lions 1951 season. As a bat first guy, more at bats means more chances to hit your way up, and it's a lot harder to get a spot, then to keep it when you're a decently touted prospect. He's still going to have to keep hitting, but he's done enough to earn a full season unless something crazy happens. LHP Bert Rogers (439th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 14th Round, 212th Overall (1948) Alma Mater: Cowpens State Fighting Green Bert Rogers? You mean former 1st Round pick Bert Rogers? He's a ranked prospect again? The last time he was on a top 500 prospect list, it was when he was 76th in 1947, as since that high ranking he's completely fallen apart, now not even listed as a borderline starter. The guy Tom Weinstock once called a front of the rotation starter with his health, stuff, and effectiveness, Rogers has only managed to be healthy, as the stuff is bad, the effectiveness isn't there, and I don't even think he topped rotations in A ball, let alone FABL. Funny enough, he was actually decent enough last season, where he went 13-6 with a 3.32 ERA (121 ERA+) in 20 starts. Of course, the 4.23 FIP (105 FIP-) cast some doubt on that success, so I shouldn't be surprised that against tougher competition, he was hit hard. His ERA jumped to 4.45 (80 ERA+) and his WHIP to 1.62, as he walked 90 with just 76 strikeouts. His FIP-, however, was identical, so after getting all the luck in his favor, it went reverse this go about. Perhaps that means Rogers will be an average enough AAA pitcher next season, but at 24, he's running out of time to be an average FABL arm. Despite a lot of velo bumps, he never really had the drive to make himself a better pitcher. What's helped him stick around is the high pick and the ability to generate grounders, as there's still a chance he can be a Jim Kenny type lefty out of the pen. That's obviously not what you want out of first round pick, and he's the biggest risk of our run of what could be 18 consecutive first round picks to make a FABL debut. It may be a stretch to consider Biff Tiner and Andy Robinson locks, but there's no way Bob Allen and Jerry Smith aren't making it to Chicago, and I'm pretty sure Tommy Seymour will get a callup next season. Every other Cougar first round draftee from 1931 to now, and without patting my own back too hard, we've had just two first rounders retire on us without debuting [Can you guess who? Answer in the edit!], something I don't think many other teams can say. Rogers has to earn the call, I'm not giving it him just to have some cool fun fact, and honestly I think the deck is stacked against him. He's more likely to lose his rotation spot then pitch in Chicago this season, so he'll have to hope his name is called in one of the Rule-5 drafts. Since usually once you're released, you don't get another change. 1B Charlie Everitt (445th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 14th Round, 212th Overall (1948) Alma Mater: Cowpens State Fighting Green Despite a productive season at the plate, Charlie Everitt took a plunge on the prospect list, almost completely falling out of the top 500. Done about 100 spots to 445, he almost should be replaced with John Kerr, as hitting .324/.455/.494 (160 OPS+) in A ball, followed by .346/.528/.484 (169 OPS+) in AA. Most of his time came with Lincoln, with 117 of his 125 games at the lower level. He had more counting stats then you can count, accumulating 79 runs, 16 doubles, 5 triples, 14 homers, 78 RBIs, and 98 walks. Sure, he didn't have any steals, but he was worth 4.6 WAR as a first basemen, and his BB% (19.4) was almost twice as high as his K% (10.5). In AA, he improved on that, with a 20-to-6 walk-to-strikeout ratio which makes me think of a prime Ray Ford. This kid has great discipline and hits the ball hard, the two biggest things you look for in a first basemen, so it makes no sense why he's ranked so low. The former 14th Rounder deserves some respect, more then I can give him, but he should have a nice season in Little Rock as looks to move earn a promotion. SS Archie Cunningham (462nd Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 8th Round, 116th Overall (1948) Alma Mater: Carolina Poly Cardinals And the biggest reason I have beef with the prospect lists. Generally speaking, when a shortstop puts up a 6.7 WAR season, they find themself moving up the prospect list. Instead, "A.C" almost fell out. Our 8th Round selection in 1948, Archie Cunningham had an amazing season, hitting .283/.369/.390 (102 OPS+) with 91 runs, 23 triples, 10 doubles, 5 homers, 60 RBIs, 73 walks, and 44 steals. Combined with the 18.9 zone rating and 1.076 efficiency at short, it's hard to find a fault with the job Cunningham did, as he was the most valuable player on a team that ran away with their league. And even after all the good stats and extra stuff I added in, he's got exciting tools: athleticism, great defense, and the ability to hit from both sides of the plate. There are fewer guys better at stealing bases and he seems to have a knack for hitting the ball where guys aren't, and then running the bases until they can find the ball. I don't ever want to let him go, which may make it hard for him to start as a shortstop, as he's the best pinch runner/late game shortstop there is. Yes, Skipper never needs defensive help, but there will always be slow guys, and he can move to second, third, or even right if we need him to. Despite his low rank, he's one of the prospects in our system I like the most. And believe it or not, if I had to choose between trading A.C. and Cecil Burr -- I'd probably trade Burr. Or Marshall. Or Jenkins. Or- you get the point. Last edited by ayaghmour2; 05-18-2024 at 09:11 PM. Reason: Harry Humphrey (1927) and James Demastus (1930)!