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2nd Round, 31st Overall: RHP John Hartz
School: Denver HS Mountaineers
1941 (NYG): 2-2, 23 G, 36.2 IP, 4.17 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 20 BB, 17 K, 96 ERA+, -0.3 WAR
1943 (NYG): 0-2, 20 G, 43 IP, 3.35 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 17 BB, 14 K, 106 ERA+, -0.0 WAR
Career (FABL): 3-4, SV, 65 G, 121.1 IP, 3.48 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 54 BB, 45 K, 106 ERA+, -0.5 WAR
Career (GWL): 0-0, 9 G, 16.2 IP, 2.16 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 3 BB, 8 K, 161 ERA+, 0.3 WAR
Career (AAA): 36-41, 4 SV, 133 G, 94 GS, 653.2 IP, 3.48 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 186 BB, 226 K, 112 ERA+, 8.0 WAR

The second round seems to be around where we leaning pitching, taking arms in each of the three most recent drafts (Wilson McKinney, Ernie Tisdale, Allie Eddy), and even back towards the beginning of the Modern Era we were taking a ton of pitchers. After grabbing Mitchell earlier in the round, we went to John Hartz here, a high school senior who went 3-4 with a 1.88 ERA (190 ERA+), 1.00 WHIP, and 62 strikeouts in 9 starts. It took him a few minor league seasons to get going, but he got off to a great start to his 1934 season. In 13 starts with La Crosse, Hartz went 7-3 with a 3.74 ERA (140 ERA+), 4.04 FIP (77 FIP-), 1.34 WHIP, 18 walks, and 34 strikeouts. He was never a big strikeout arm, demonstrated by a more middling 10.3 K%, but the 5.5 BB% was excellent. He was average (82.2 IP, 100 ERA, 103 FIP-) in a promotion to San Jose, but Hartz walked (32) more guys then he struck out (23), showing the first signs of command issues.

Still, Hartz continued to work his way up the system, and while it wasn't always pretty, things started to click in 1938. He made 5 quick starts in Mobile, 3-2 with a 3.25 ERA (121 ERA+) and 1.11 WHIP with 13 strikeouts and 6 walks. This got him a promotion to Milwaukee, where he functioned in a swingman role, starting 10 games and relieving 8. Hartz finished 6-3 with a save, working to a 3.84 ERA (116 ERA+), 1.24 WHIP, 14 walks, and 20 strikeouts. It was good enough to earn a late season callup, and Hartz gave us 7.1 scoreless innings out of the pen. It came in 4 outings, where he walked and struck out 3 with 3 hits.

Right at the start of 1939, we made a minor deal to clear up a 40 spot, shipping Hartz to the Gothams for Ray Wilcox and a 5th Round Pick. That 5th Round Pick turned into Jim McCarthy, who was used to bring Dick Walker to Chicago, as Hartz would continue his career in the Big Apple.

He bounced up and down a bit from the minors, appearing in New York for four of the next five seasons, even winning the 1942 Championship with the Gothams despite it being his shortest stint with them. It was just a 24.1 inning sample, but the first time up in '39 may have been Hartz's best with the team, working to a 3.70 ERA (113 ERA+), 0.99 WHIP, 8 walks, and 10 strikeouts. In total, he threw 114 innings, working to a 3.71 ERA (103 ERA+) and 1.39 WHIP with 51 walks and 42 strikeouts. The war helped him get a few of those innings, but when the Army took him after the '43 season, he likely knew his FABL career was over. The Gothams cut him when he returned, and Hartz was one of the many who flooded the GWL after the war. He caught on with the Oakland Grays organization, and made 9 appearances out of the pen in 1946. Hartz allowed 11 hits, 4 runs, and 3 walks with 8 strikeouts in 16.2 innings pitched. He was back in their system the next season, but he tore his UCL in May and was cut at the end of the year. He bounced around the GWL farm systems up until it's ending in 1949, where the then 37-year-old was retired for participating in the rebel league.

3rd Round, 34th Overall: 2B Homer Ray
School: San Antonio HS Warriors
Career (FABL): .236/.281/.292, 30 G, 114 PA, 6 2B, 6 RBI, 52 WRC+, -0.4 WAR
Career (AAA): .300/.342/.374, 988 G, 3,847 PA, 155 2B, 30 3B, 16 HR, 446 RBI, 2 SB, 98 WRC+, 15.5 WAR

Our 3rd Round Pick, Homer Ray had the perfect, gradual rise up our system that looks super pretty on the baseball card. In 1932, all 139 of his games were in La Crosse. In 1933, all 140 of his games were in San Jose. And in 1934, all 140 of his games were in Lincoln. If only it was 140 in La Crosse year one! The best of the three seasons was in San Jose, where he hit an impressive .355/.379/.469 (122 OPS+) with 33 doubles, 8 triples, 5 homers, and 89 RBIs. Ray was always skilled at putting the ball in play, something he probably could still do now, but without power or speed it seemed to limit his overall ceiling. But in a weak draft, a guy like Ray who could have been a useful starter even if he wasn't much better then average was one of the best options there was, and at this time he was right outside the league's top 100 prospects. He ranked 12th in our system and 109th overall once the '34 season ended, and even with a young Billy Hunter and Ducky Jordan ahead of him in the middle infield, he was starting to get attention.

1935 started just like the three previous seasons, starting a new level, and through 26 games he was hitting an outstanding .376/.422/.505 (148 OPS+) with 8 doubles, a triple, a homer, and 26 RBIs. No, it wasn't time for a promotion, but instead Ray was used in a since forgotten two-for-one trade that sent Ray and somewhat reliable reliever Chick Meehan to the Dynamos for Wayne Robinson. Robinson was awful for us, eventually relegated to the pen, as the 36-year-old finished his Cougar portion of the season 6-9 with a 5.85 ERA (75 ERA+), 1.74 WHIP, 34 walks, and 40 strikeouts in 26 appearances (15 starts). He was awful in almost strictly a pen role the following season, cut before the '37 season, and then retired after '38 with 3,293 FABL innings and a 194-172 record.

As I noted in the trade memo, the Dynamos system was much weaker then ours, and Ray was one of their best prospects. He ranked 4th in the system and was named the 98th ranked prospect at the end of the season, and then spent most of 1936 in AAA. With the Newark Aces Ray hit .339/.365/.418 (103 OPS+), supplying 19 doubles, 8 triples, 55 runs, and 56 RBIs. He didn't homer in 471 trips to the plate, but earned a late callup to Detroit at the end of the season. The 23-year-old played started all but one of his 25 outings, but his .235/.283/.286 (49 OPS+) line left a lot to be desired. This sent him back to the minors for 1937, and he stayed in Newark until the season ended. That offseason he actually made his way back into Chicago in a trade that brought current Chicago Daily News writer Tip Harrison to Chicago for a pair of outfielders in late round draftee Sherman Ring and once top-100 prospect Bert Wilson.

Ray picked off right where he left off, the AA Commodores roster, and he hit .329/.367/.416 (116 OPS+) before a September callup to the big league team. He didn't play much, 2-for-6 with a double, and he got another small cup the following season. This time he was 0-for-2, but at 26, he probably didn't think his professional career would end there. He spent 1940 in our system again, but was cut in August. This triggered the general independent league carousel, but lucky for Ray, he got off in 1941. He was able to catch on with the Syracuse Excelsiors, spending the next five seasons with their independent Union League team. Ray was below average the first three years, but he had a great 4.1 WAR season at 31. Ray slashed .343/.480/.434 (119 OPS+) with 26 doubles, 5 triples, 3 homers, and 69 RBIs. He followed that up with a .340/.382/.427 (126 OPS+) line, but unlike some of our other draftees, the formation of the GWL hurt Ray.

When the league separated from it's FABL affiliation, Syracuse was brought on as an affiliate, and the 33-year-old Ray was not a part of the future plans. He was cut in January of 1946, though he was lucky enough to get another chance. The Sailors gave him a $15,000 contract, but it led to just one game (1-4, 2B, R, 4 RBI) in AAA before his eventual release. Ray remained unsigned for the rest of the year, retiring in the offseason. His time with Syracuse likely would have continued had the GWL not came around, but instead he'll end with 628 games as an Excelsior. He hit .304/.347/.377 with 102 doubles, 245 runs, and 283 RBIs, spending a lot of time with an eventual GWL star Bob Land. It may not have been exactly what Ray envisioned when being a 3rd Round Pick, but considering only 12 draftees from that class had more then 5 WAR, it's hard to call Ray a failure. Just two players drafted after him make up that 12, including a former Cougar and a Cougar draftee you'll see in the final post. Bonus points if you can guess who they are!

4th Round, 63rd Overall: CF Roy Moore
School: Hartford HS Blue Sox
1936 (CHC): .309/.356/.350, 96 G, 375 PA, 6 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 43 RBI, 8 SB, 84 WRC+, 1.4 WAR
Career (FABL/GWL): .289/.334/.352, 389 G, 888 PA, 27 2B, 8 3B, 3 HR, 88 RBI, 14 SB, 90 WRC+, 3.1 WAR
Career (CHC): .290/.343/.347, 179 G, 522 PA, 13 2B, 4 3B, 2 HR, 57 RBI, 10 SB, 84 WRC+, 1.9 WAR
Career (SEA): .238/.319/.355, 182 G, 326 PA, 13 2B, 3 3B, HR, 28 RBI, 2 SB, 96 WRC+, 1.0 WAR
Career (AAA): .300/.354/.380, 590 G, 2,343 PA, 87 2B, 17 3B, 17 HR, 206 RBI, 100 SB, 102 WRC+, 10.7 WAR
Career (AA): .318/.367/.389, 592 G, 2,620 PA, 82 2B, 34 3B, 7 HR, 291 RBI, 109 SB, 113 WRC+, 16.9 WAR

I don't think there's a better way to truly represent the perceived talent of the draft class then the start of my Roy Moore writeup:

"And this is the other guy I liked as much as him! 16 picks later I went with yet another high schooler, Hartford HS alum Roy Moore. So why do I like him? Is it because he hit .150/.190/.250 (23 OPS+) with 1 homer, 1 steal, and 2 RBI's in 10 games as a junior? Yeah... Maybe not... How about that he only had one full season in high school? Yeah... Probably not that either...

So why did I take him?

Well, as crazy as it seems, a .289/.350/.377 (110 OPS+) line with 2 homers, 16 steals, and 21 RBI's in 339 trips to the plate is one of the better career statlines out there and he can actually play center field. In a pool with almost no talent at short or center, I had to take a leap and trust a guy like Moore as the first SS/CF in this draft."

Our 5th consecutive high school pick, Moore had pretty much a lost junior year, but he was quick and a good defender, and ended up carving out a respectable FABL career. Despite a poor high school showing and a .290/.334/.352 (89 OPS+) triple slash in 140 games with the Lions year one, he rose quickly in 1933. He started the year in San Jose and finished in Mobile, and in his 48 AA games he actually hit a strong .333/.364/.432 (114 OPS+) with 11 extra base hits, 4 steals, 31 RBIs, and 29 runs. He ended that season as our 26th ranked prospect and 171st overall, and with his seemingly advanced bat and superb defense (20.5 zone rating and 1.053 efficiency in 1,201.1 innings out in center), he was really starting to make a name for himself.

Moore returned to AA in 1934, playing all but 34 of his 140 games there, and then in 1935 he was a regular for the Blues. His .317/.380/.387 (93 OPS+) line was right below average, but with 30 steals, 22 extra base hits, 85 runs, 59 RBIs, and an 8.0 zone rating (1.054 EFF) in center he flashed tools of the prototypical leadoff hitter. This was enough to convince me to start him as our Opening Day center fielder in 1936, which was somewhat surprisingly the last season where I wasn't really trying to put together a competitive team. Titles or not, the Cougars do win games, as since Moore's lone season as our everyday center fielder, we have just one sub .500 finish.

The 23-year-old started 91 games for us in center, and one more in left and right, giving him the '36 spot in center on our positional starters list. The defense was in line with AAA, a 9.9 zone rating and 1.041 efficiency, but his .309/.356/.350 (88 OPS+) line was completely without power. He had just nine extra base hits in 374 PAs, which is actually a worse rate (0.024) then the careers of Donnie Jones (0.031), Johnnie Jones (0.030), and Pete Papenfus (0.026), who absolutely no one expects extra base hits from. The lack of power isn't the sole reason Moore didn't return to the lineup the following season, that was the debut year of "what-if" star Carlos Montes who actually retired this year after being cut by the Chiefs, but it seemed to cap Moore as a 4th outfielder. He went up and down to the minors across the next two seasons, appearing in 83 games with just 24 starts.

In January of 1939, we sent Moore to the Miners for a three piece package, though the deal didn't really go much for either team at the time. The pick didn't amount to anything, and neither of the prospects played in Chicago, with Jasper Wright actually returning to Pittsburgh to spend four seasons there. Moore got sparing time in '39 and '40, and then in '41 he spent all season in the minors, actually winning a Century League title with the St. Paul Disciples. He was waived around Opening Day in 1942, and the Detroit Dynamos gave him three months before cutting him and sending him on the independent carousel.

A then 29-year-old Moore then caught on with the Fort Worth Cattleman, spending the rest of '42 with them as well as each of the next three seasons. He was elite in 1944, slashing .369/.422/.452 (143 OPS+) with 23 doubles, 7 triples, 16 steals, 65 runs, and 57 RBIs. You'd think the power would be there, but no, just a single home run, but he hit two the next season with his .345/.413/.423 (127 OPS+) line. After the '45 season, the Seattle Thunderbirds absorbed the Cattleman, and Seattle's new ownership decided that Moore was good enough to hang on to. He returned to Fort Worth, which was upgraded from AA to AAA, but did not stay long. After just 12 games he spent the rest of the season with the GWL Thunderbirds, appearing in 55 games as a off-the-bench glove type. He did get the occasional start, hitting .240/.257/.270 (56 OPS+) in his 100 at bats.

Despite the poor performance, he was back for the bench on the '47 team. He rewarded his new organization for the faith, hitting .304/.356/.385 (122 OPS+) in 146 trips to the plate. He got 6 doubles, a triple, a homer, 9 RBIs, 11 walks, and 17 runs. He hit a similar .327/.351/.418 (128 OPS+) the following season, but it came in basically 90 fewer PAs. As a 36-year-old last year, he eventually lost his bench spot, spending 36 of his 54 games back in Fort Worth. That part was the better part, the eventual right fielder hit .316/.355/.404 (101 OPS+), finishing 7th in Cattlemen history with 583 base hits. Along with three championships in Fort Worth, he has his name all over the record books, ranked third among qualified hitters with his .315 batting average. Moore also ranks top ten in OBP (4th, .368), slugging (4th, .383), OPS (5th, .751), WAR (8th, 13.0), triples (6th, 23), and steals (2nd, 101) despite the 10th most at bats (1,852). The 52 bags he swiped in 1943 were the second most in a single season for the team. Forcibly retired for participating in the GWL, Moore probably wouldn't have came back anyways at 37, ending a baseball journey that started as a 16-year-old high schooler in 1929.

5th Round, 79th Overall: RF Ben McDonald
School: Swoyersville HS Kings
Career (B): .224/.318/.449, 71 G, 283 PA, 24 2B, 2 3B, 9 HR, 44 RBI, 94 WRC+, 0.1 WAR
Career (C): .251/.354/.491, 232 G, 672 PA, 34 2B, 4 3B, 32 HR, 101 RBI, SB, 113 WRC+, 1.7 WAR

Just like the first five picks, we went to the high school ranks, selecting slugging outfielder Ben McDonald who bashed 28 homers and drove in 64 RBIs in 80 games as an upperclassmen. Scouts weren't the biggest fan, but the only thing I cared about at this point was that he could hit home runs.

He did in the beginning, as McDonald hit 16 over the fence in 118 games with the Lions. The 19-year-old hit .246/.317/.450 with 20 doubles, 42 runs, and 48 RBIs with almost average (-1.7, .999) defense in right. The Canadian got most of the time the following season in San Jose, but it came in just 48 games. Part of me thinks this is the year Class C went back to being a short season league, as I vaguely remember him sitting on the La Crosse roster until an injury or draftee prompted a callup. He was again average, batting .229/.323/.470 (107 OPS+) with 17 doubles, 7 homers, and 29 RBIs. Little did he know, that would be most he'd play the rest of the day.

The way McDonald differentiates from the his predecessors is that he did not make it to the majors, never playing above the Class B level. In 1934 he split time between our two lower minor spots, but at 22 in 1935 he only played with La Crosse. It was his first season he made fewer starts then off the bench appearances and it was obvious the former 5th Rounder fell in the pecking order. It was so far in fact he was cut next May, and when no one signed him the rest of the season he retired at the offseason. It's a shame he saved his best season for last, but a 22-year-old hitting .306/.455/.676 (178 OPS+) in limited time in Class C doesn't make headlines. Even if it did come with 10 homers in just 143 PAs. That's 40 in 572, which would have lead either association and only one of the four leaders (three co-leaders in the CA) had fewer plate appearances. 13, to be exact, which shouldn't be enough time to make up the ten homer gap.

6th Round, 92nd Overall: RHP Joe Cotton
School: St. Louis HS Explorers
1945 (A): 15-7, 26 G, 25 GS, 2.68 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 68 BB, 165 K, 147 ERA+, 4.1 WAR
Career (FABL): G, IP, 27.00 ERA, 3.00 WHIP, BB, 15 ERA+, -0.2 WAR
Career (A): 62-56, 8 SV, 207 G, 142 GS, 969 IP, 3.99 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 472 BB, 734 K, 106 ERA+, 13.0 WAR

I totally forgot Joe Cotton pitched in the big leagues!

And man can I see why!

As far as debuts go, can't really do worse then a walk, a homer, another hit, three runs, and no strikeouts. He did get three outs, but that's the only time Cotton would pitch a FABL game, as the one-time Sailor never came back. I'd reckon his 27.00 ERA, 19.01 FIP, and 470 FIP- are near the top of he unqualified boards, but he was a fun fireballer who proved that pitchers don't stop adding velocity when they're drafted.

At one point in his prospect career he threw 87-89, but once he got to retirement Cotton was still sitting in the 96-98 range. On draft day it was 91-93 and all I wanted him to do was work on his control.

It was always an issue for Cotton, who despite big strikeout stuff often had more then his share of walks. It didn't surface right away, as an 18-year-old Cotton had a 2.1 K/BB in 24 starts with the Lyons. He went 7-9 with a 3.79 ERA (112 ERA+) and even lower 3.39 FIP (80 FIP-), striking out 133 batters in 142.2 innings pitched. He was worth 3.5 WAR and produced a 1.44 WHIP, giving us an early preview of what he could do at his best.

The best never really surfaced again, and on the eve of the 1935 season we used him to acquire the rights of Rule-5 pick Dick Reid from the Stars. Cotton reported to the Stars Class A club, where he spent most of the next three seasons. The third was actually his worst season, and my guess is he started the season in AA and struggled, then sent to A ball where he was even worse, before eventually being DFA'd. 24 in less then two weeks, he was claimed by the Sailors, and that's when he made his poorly pitched debut, He was DFA'd the following season, claimed by us before I guess I tried to sneak him through waivers. The Sailors wanted him back, though at a later point he was DFA'd and cleared. At that point he became an organizational fixture for the Sailors, pitching for all their affiliates except the AAA club, eating 840 innings for the club from 1938 to 1945.

The best of his seasons came in 1945, where he started 25 of his 26 outings for the Class A Peoria Pastimers as a 31-year-old. The fireballer went 15-7 with a 2.68 ERA (147 ERA+), 1.21 WHIP, 68 walks, and 165 strikeouts. The 188 innings were the most he ever through, but 1945 was also the final season of the war. With an influx of players returning, the Sailors finally cut bait after he won the Heartland League, and even though I'm sure someone would want someone who can sit in the high 90s, he decided to hang it up instead of finding a fourth home.

6th Round, 95th Overall: SS Duke Fowler
School: Dallas HS Rangers
Career (AA): .260/.318/.330, 776 G, 2,387 PA, 82 2B, 20 3B, 10 HR, 275 RBI, 18 SB, 84 WRC+, 10.2 WAR
Career (B): .256/.302/.328, 192 G, 788 PA, 32 2B, 3 3B, 5 HR, 77 RBI, 9 SB, 64 WRC+, -1.2 WAR

A long-time organizational piece with good speed and a capable glove, Duke Fowler just never hit enough to make it to the majors. That was evident in nearly every stint in his early career, but in 1935 Fowler was starting to look good. It started in Lincoln, where he hit a respectable .324/.367/.518 (114 OPS+) in 32 games before a promotion to Mobile. He had a matching OPS+ in 83 games there, slashing .307/.362/.438 as he rose his WRC+ from 109 to 111. Between the levels, Fowler hit 22 doubles, 7 triples, and 11 homers with 65 runs, 81 RBIs, and 38 walks. Unfortunately for Fowler that was the highlight of his career, though he did get a few chances in Milwaukee. Fowler's last year with the organization was 1940, where he hit .329/.382/.435 (114 OPS+) in 186 PAs for the Commodores. That came in 108 games, as he started just 15 times and didn't homer.

Fowler survived the offseason, but not the spring, cut in March before the beginning of the 1941 season. This started a two-year run with the now defunct Waco Wranglers of the Lone Star Association. Fowler didn't do much hitting, owning a .238/.287/.293 line in 277 games. He was cut before the 1943 season, but spent time in the Sailors and Dynamos organization before his retirement in 1946. He was a useful depth piece for Detroit particularly as they were weathering callups from the war, but 30-something-year-old infielders who can't hit or field much aren't the ones to keep roster spots for very long.