[ayaghmour2]

All our coaching spots in the organization are full! The biggest signing being the acquisition of Mahlon Strong, the former 1st Overall Pick and Hall-of-Fame level talent who may be the only guys with a larger injury history then Billy Hunter. Strong, 42, spent the past two seasons as Manager of the Portland Green Sox, but he was just 103-181 and was let go. A base coach job may be better for him, as our new third base coach will be able to focus more on improving our players then trying to decide who gets used when. He played exactly 1,900 games from 1931 to 1949, but never played more then 150 games and had just three season above 135. He had ten season with less then 100 games played, but until his swan song with the Gothams at 40, he only had above average OPS+ and WRC+ and ends his career with an excellent .315/.376/.508 (141 OPS+) career line.

Now a coach, we're hoping he can stay healthy for a full season, and have already taken precautions to ensure he isn't doing any running himself, and that his third base box is nice and cushioned. Despite never being a good defender of base runner, he's actually a really good coach, "Excellent" for running and "Legendary" for outfield. He'll handle both those duties in Chicago, and he's a "Good" in game runner too. He'd be "Excellent" for infield defense, I'm sure the end of his career at first helped him understand that, and even though he won't have a direct impact on the hitters, it can't hurt to have a guy with 404 doubles, 279 homers, 1,161 runs, 1,326 RBIs, and 2,242 hits as a major leaguer.

And while I don't usually comment on our minor league coaches, it's worth noting that former Cougar Andy Chastain took over as the Lincoln Legislator's pitching coach. A former 5th Rounder of the then Baltimore Clippers, Chastain debuted for the Saints in 1926 and threw four games out of the pen. His next three seasons were in Chicago, where he went 3-9 with a 5.80 ERA (72 ERA+) and 1.69 WHIP in 44 games (12 starts). He spent a few seasons in AAA after, but this job will be his first with a FABL organization since his retirement.

Oh yeah, and our system is back to 1, Bob Allen is back to 12th, and we're 15 strong in the top 100. Love all this movement!

CF Herm Kocher (79th Overall)
Acquired: Via Trade with Saints (1951)
Drafted: 1st Round, 12th Overall (1947)
Alma Mater: Bremen Blue Devils

Twice traded in 1951, Kocher was taken 12th Overall by the Keystones and spent his first five seasons in their system before being moved in January to the Saints with Ken Crossley for Andy Lyon. Kocher reported to Class A for the first time this year, but he hit just .262/.304/.331 (76 OPS+) with 6 doubles, 3 triples, 4 homers, 27 RBIs, and 15 steals. Nicknamed "Southern Comfort," Kocher then came to Chicago in the Sal Pestilli trade with Pug White, and even with the struggles we kept him in the Heartland League. It may not have been the right call, however, as the now 22-year-old hit a woeful .198/.268/.253 (47 OPS+) with an elevated 22.3 K% and just four extra base hits in 179 trips to the plate. Obviously concerning, Kocher seems to be way underdeveloped for someone who's Rule-5 eligible, but with his legitimate upside I was forced to use our 40th spot (plenty of guys I can DFA if I choose and I made more changes later) on the 40 to ensure he returns to Lincoln next year. He at least played elite defense, a 2.3 zone rating (1.085 efficiency) with Lincoln and 10.0 (1.062 efficiency) in Evansville, and scouts rave about his contact potential. It's funny considering how much he whiffs, but he's a guy who hit over .570 in high school. Why he hasn't hit above .300 in the minors yet? I don't know... But with all our outfield depth we can take our time, and hopefully end up with a batting title contender who has legit big league power due to his excellent bat speed. Aside from the stats, everything says Kocher will be a star center fielder, but if you can't put it all together, what good is all the talent in the world?

RHP Jimmy Isgro (90th Overall)
Acquired: Via Trade with Kings (1951)
Drafted: 1st Round, 12th Overall (1948)
Alma Mater: Austin Blue Devils

Taken with the exact same pick as Herm Kocher out of a high school with the nickname "Blue Devils", just a full season later, we picked up Jimmy Isgro a few weeks before the Saints traded for Kocher in the five player trade centered around George Oddo. Last season Isgro was in A ball, but the results were poor, as he worked to a 6.49 ERA (60 ERA+) and 1.81 WHIP with more walks (88) then strikeouts (73) in 127.2 innings of work. Due to those struggles, I decided to take it slow with him, sending him to San Jose to begin his campaign. The results were excellent, as in 14 starts he was 7-5 with a 2.52 ERA (154 ERA+), 1.35 WHIP, and more strikeouts (73) then walks (64). The best part was his 3.33 FIP (85 FIP-) was very impressive, and he allowed just 4 homers in 110.2 innings pitched. This got him a promotion to Lincoln, where he got another chance at Heartland League pitchers. This time the 21-year-old (22 in September) was much more prepared, as even though his 1-4 record looked like his 3-17 from the prior year, it was a lot of poor luck. In 9 starts he had just a 2.60 ERA (132 ERA+) with a much more palatable 1.44 WHIP. He did walk (37) three more guys then he struck out (34), but he did not looked overmatched and he improved on his BB% and K% from last season. A four pitch pitcher, Isgro's 89-91 MPH sinker has really turned into a weapon, and it's allowed him to limit home runs. The stuff makes up for the poor command, which is surprising considering he has three fastballs. The lone off-speed pitch is a splitter, which might be the worst pitch, but he uses his cutter effectively inside to generate weak contact. If we can keep him out of the center of the zone, he'll be a big league pitcher, but he's an unpolished arm who needs another good season to solidify himself as a legit pitching prospect.

CF Ike Soeur (100th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 62nd Overall (1950)
Alma Mater: Walla Walla Warriors

Checking in at an even 100, Ike Soeur did not have a very good first full season as a professional. Between a pair of injuries, his .203/.364/.329 (58 OPS+) batting line, and twice as many strikeouts (32) as hits (16), it's hard to find much that went well for the Canadian teenager. To be fair, his 99 PAs is a miniscule sample, but and he had a great 19.2 BB%, but I'd like to see more out of our recent 4th Rounder. A natural centerfielder, a little more then a third of his time came there, but more of his time was in left where he was a bit above average. He's quick -- a perfect 3-for-3 on steals -- but it doesn't seem to be a testament to his outfield range. He might be better suited for a corner, and while it may not look like it now, he does have the bat to survive in right, or ideally, left. He may not develop into a .300 hitter, but he'll hit around .290, and he projects to have above average power potential. With quick hands and a smooth swing, he'll hit the ball hard and often, and with an average eye I don't envision him having trouble with strikeouts. There's a lot to like here, but he's far from the majors, and may take as long as Herm Kocher will to get up to the majors.

RHP Harry Rollins (103rd Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 3rd Round, 39th Overall (19510)
Alma Mater: Newtown Pioneers

Maybe the most frustrating arm in the system, Harry Rollins keeps oscillating between a future starter and reliever, and I'm just not sure why it happens. He also bounces around the prospect list a ton, up to 80th as of today, so it's been hard to get a good grip on what the hardworking righty can be. A towering 6'4'' hurler, he's got a deep five pitch mix, and considering he threw 144 pitches in a game he didn't exit the sixth in, you have to imagine he's got the stamina to start. That start was actually the only one in the UMVA he allowed more then 4 runs, which is like a thousand times more impressive then it sounds. In 8 starts and 54 innings he had what looks like a middling 4.17 ERA (146 ERA+), but that's almost 50 times better then the average pitcher at his level. He struck out 70 with a 1.80 WHIP, also pretty solid. The craziest part, however, is the fact that during the day (or maybe I'm remembering yesterday) he went from "Bullpen" to "Starter" and that could account for his jump in the rankings. As an extreme groundballer, he'll always be able to find a spot on our staff, but the value is so much greater as a starter. He gives off some Harry Parker vibes without the homers, and if we can get him in the 90s the stuff will play well. We're working on his secondary pitches in the offseason, hopefully leading to a more consistent starter role, but as long as he keeps pitching well we'll keep giving him opportunities to throw well over 100 pitches.

He's a starter in my book! No one can take that away from me!

LHP Pug White (109th Overall)
Acquired: Via Trade with Saints (1951)
Drafted: 5th Round, 66th Overall (1948)
Alma Mater: Monterey Torreadores

The other guy acquired in the Sal Pestilli deal, Pug White was a 5th Round pick of the Saints in 1948, and ever since I've regretted not taking him myself. To be fair, there were really no misses before him, as we started with the current 19th ranked prospect, Amos Peterson, and followed that up with legit prospects in Bob Allie, Jeff King, Elmer Grace, and Dixie Gaines, and now we get to have White too! Sure, I'd love to have him over eventual 5th Rounder John Kerr, but our '48 class looks pretty deep at this point in time.

Back to White, he obviously started the season in the Saints organization, and was pretty good in the Southeastern League with their Class B affiliate. Pug was an unlucky 5-7, working to a 3.62 ERA (122 ERA+) and 376 FIP (85 FIP-) in 117 innings. He had a nice 1.51 WHIP with 67 walks and 82 strikeouts, and while I toyed with sending him to Lincoln after the trade, he just turned 21 and the rotation there was crowded. Now in the C-O-W League, he again won 5 games, but it came with just 2 losses in half the starts. His 3.29 ERA (118 ERA+) was almost identical, but his 2.97 FIP (76 FIP-) was nothing short of elite. He dropped his WHIP a few points to 1.48 and after 10 homers in Mobile, he didn't allow a single one in 65.2 innings pitched. That's a skill that could make him lethal at Cougars Park, but he's a soft-tosser not a groundballer. He does feature a mid 80s sinker, pairing it with a fastball and change, and the young lefty is always working on improving himself. He'll never really dominate, but if he's got the command working his stuff looks way better then it does. Even though you don't like guys who nibble, he does it well, and there's a good chance he'll fill the middle or back of a FABL rotation. He's currently the 22nd best pitching prospect, giving us 6 of the top 25, and if we need to add an impact player he should be able to entice teams to part with their current talent.