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ayaghmour2 · 07-27-2024, 09:25 PM

1B John Kerr (213th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 65th Overall (1948)
Alma Mater: Chicopee Pacers

It's really a sad thing when you realize that first basemen John Kerr's 61 WRC+ in the C-O-W League is actually higher then he posted in his three seasons in the UMVA. Recently 22, Kerr hit a way below average .250/.303/.333 (71 OPS+) in 251 trips to the plate, and it just baffles me that he's a ranked prospect, let alone int he top 250. A strong, 6'4'' "slugger" Kerr only hit 4 homers with 7 doubles, 12 runs, and 31 RBIs, and was worth a full win below replacement. In his four seasons he's been just shy of four wins below replacement. Yes. A tenth shy of a -4.0 WAR.

So what to do here? Well... I'm not sure. He's supposed to be a decent contact hitter with legit pop and average strike zone recognition, but I truly don't think I've ever seen someone hit this poorly. It's looking like a wasted 5th Round Pick, but with all the previously mentioned talent from the 1948 draft taken before (and even after) him, it's oaky if he never becomes anything more then a bench guy or filler player.

2B Joe Dorch (253rd Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 6th Round, 87th Overall (1952)
Alma Mater: Frankfort College Thoroughbreds

When Joe Dorch was selected in the most recent draft, he didn't have any playing time to look at, but I loved the versatility that came with his solid skills. A high contact hitter with an excellent eye, Dorch was sent to San Jose for his first taste of minor league ball, and the early results were good. Dorch hit a solid .263/.388/.430 (120 OPS+) with a matching 120 WRC+ in 227 post-draft PAs. The best part was his 13.7 BB% and 31-to-10 walk-to-strikeout ratio, as Dorch excelled at getting the bat to the ball. Not much of a power hitter, he did have a ton of extra base hits, adding 14 doubles, 4 triples, and 3 homers with 30 runs and 25 RBIs. He spent most of his time at second, but the versatile righty got innings at first, third, left, and right too, and he has past experience at short. A prototypical utility man, Dorch could be a quick riser, but don't expect him playing regularly for a FABL team unless he makes great strides with the bat.

CF Harley Dollar (253rd Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 7th Round, 131st Overall (1947)
Alma Mater: Nutley Maroon Raiders

One of this coolest named players in our system, Harley Dollar built off his excellent final two months in Lincoln when he returned. Last season Dollar slashed .320/.448/.456 (151 OPS+) with 11 extra base hits and a 29-to-8 walk-to-strikeout ratio, and he managed to improve on pretty much everything except his batting average. In 92 games, Dollar drew 92 walks, slashing a robust .311/.471/.487 (170 OPS+) with a 180 WRC+, 28 doubles, 6 triples, 5 homers, and 40 RBIs. This got him a late season promotion to Little Rock, I actually think to replace Henry Norman, and he kept up the trend of Little Rock outfielders absolutely crushing the ball. It wasn't quite as good as he was with Lincoln, but he still crushed hit, batting .375/.476/.474 (147 OPS+) with 10 doubles, a triple, a homer, 31 runs, and 27 RBIs. Between the two levels, he was worth an impressive 5.8 WAR, and he did more then enough to earn himself a 40-man roster spot to keep him from the Rule-5 draft. I'd argue "Easy Money" is way better then a lot of the guys ranked above him, as his ability to take a walk is huge. Unfortunately, I didn't realize just how bad his center field defense is (-18.7, .877 in Lincoln) and even in the corners he's a negative defender. That could effect his FABL potential, but if I remember I'll work on his outfield defense this offseason. If we can get him at least average there, it could really tie things together, and the 23-year-old could spend a few seasons as a FABL starter.

SS Joe Marshall (257th Overall)
Acquired: Via Trade with Kings (1950)
Drafted: 6th Round, 92nd Overall (1948)
Alma Mater: Pascagoula Bluejays

Joe Marshall had a season similar to Clyde Skinner, as he was great at one level and awful at the next. For Marshall it was La Crosse and San Jose, and he's one of the few guys who has an OPS+ and WRC+ half as good. Focusing on the good, he actually launched ten homers in 127 PAs with the Lions, batting .305/.409/.619 (130 OPS+) with 3 doubles, 18 walks, 20 runs, and 28 RBIs. The defense was good at short too, though that didn't go away in San Jose, "Muddy" seemed ready to return to Class B where he was with the Kings organization the season before we traded him. He hit a little better then he did there, but his .222/.290/.317 (63 OPS+) line was tough to look at, and he didn't hit a single longball in 69 not-so-nice trips to the plate. There were two doubles and triples, but that's not nearly enough to salvage it. 21 this August, he's still a raw prospect, and he has a lot of work to do before making strides. I want him to run it back in San Jose and actually hold his own, but if he struggles a few months in I'll send him back to La Crosse and try one of our other young infielders before the draftees come in.

LHP Buster Clark (270th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 61st Overall (1949)
Alma Mater: Santa Cruz Pirates

Our 4th Round Pick in 1949, Buster Clark is one of the rare members of our organization with a poor work ethic. Despite that, he improved in each of his seasons, putting together his best work with the Lions in year three. 21 in November, the southpaw threw a career high 79.1 innings, going an even 5-5 in his 11 starts. The 5.11 ERA (120 ERA+) and 5.27 FIP (86 FIP-) may not look pretty, but both are comfortably above average in the high run environment of the UMVA. An extreme groundballer, what did work for him this year was t he strikeout, as he set down 122 batters on strikes and upped his K% by over 10% from his previous two seasons. The 18 homers make no sense, but that's not something we'll have to worry about in later years. The stuff is raw and the command needs to improve, but both are expected to be plus tools. He throws five pitches, the change likely the best, and his sinker can roll up plenty of double plays for the infield behind him. At this time he projects more as a temporary rotation option, but the stuff is exciting. He may be stuck in the high 80s, but he's still one of the top 100 pitching prospects and there's a ton of upside to excavate as we continue working on his repertoire.

07-27-2024, 09:25 PM	#1493
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,010	Top Prospects: 26-30 1B John Kerr (213th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 65th Overall (1948) Alma Mater: Chicopee Pacers It's really a sad thing when you realize that first basemen John Kerr's 61 WRC+ in the C-O-W League is actually higher then he posted in his three seasons in the UMVA. Recently 22, Kerr hit a way below average .250/.303/.333 (71 OPS+) in 251 trips to the plate, and it just baffles me that he's a ranked prospect, let alone int he top 250. A strong, 6'4'' "slugger" Kerr only hit 4 homers with 7 doubles, 12 runs, and 31 RBIs, and was worth a full win below replacement. In his four seasons he's been just shy of four wins below replacement. Yes. A tenth shy of a -4.0 WAR. So what to do here? Well... I'm not sure. He's supposed to be a decent contact hitter with legit pop and average strike zone recognition, but I truly don't think I've ever seen someone hit this poorly. It's looking like a wasted 5th Round Pick, but with all the previously mentioned talent from the 1948 draft taken before (and even after) him, it's oaky if he never becomes anything more then a bench guy or filler player. 2B Joe Dorch (253rd Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 6th Round, 87th Overall (1952) Alma Mater: Frankfort College Thoroughbreds When Joe Dorch was selected in the most recent draft, he didn't have any playing time to look at, but I loved the versatility that came with his solid skills. A high contact hitter with an excellent eye, Dorch was sent to San Jose for his first taste of minor league ball, and the early results were good. Dorch hit a solid .263/.388/.430 (120 OPS+) with a matching 120 WRC+ in 227 post-draft PAs. The best part was his 13.7 BB% and 31-to-10 walk-to-strikeout ratio, as Dorch excelled at getting the bat to the ball. Not much of a power hitter, he did have a ton of extra base hits, adding 14 doubles, 4 triples, and 3 homers with 30 runs and 25 RBIs. He spent most of his time at second, but the versatile righty got innings at first, third, left, and right too, and he has past experience at short. A prototypical utility man, Dorch could be a quick riser, but don't expect him playing regularly for a FABL team unless he makes great strides with the bat. CF Harley Dollar (253rd Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 7th Round, 131st Overall (1947) Alma Mater: Nutley Maroon Raiders One of this coolest named players in our system, Harley Dollar built off his excellent final two months in Lincoln when he returned. Last season Dollar slashed .320/.448/.456 (151 OPS+) with 11 extra base hits and a 29-to-8 walk-to-strikeout ratio, and he managed to improve on pretty much everything except his batting average. In 92 games, Dollar drew 92 walks, slashing a robust .311/.471/.487 (170 OPS+) with a 180 WRC+, 28 doubles, 6 triples, 5 homers, and 40 RBIs. This got him a late season promotion to Little Rock, I actually think to replace Henry Norman, and he kept up the trend of Little Rock outfielders absolutely crushing the ball. It wasn't quite as good as he was with Lincoln, but he still crushed hit, batting .375/.476/.474 (147 OPS+) with 10 doubles, a triple, a homer, 31 runs, and 27 RBIs. Between the two levels, he was worth an impressive 5.8 WAR, and he did more then enough to earn himself a 40-man roster spot to keep him from the Rule-5 draft. I'd argue "Easy Money" is way better then a lot of the guys ranked above him, as his ability to take a walk is huge. Unfortunately, I didn't realize just how bad his center field defense is (-18.7, .877 in Lincoln) and even in the corners he's a negative defender. That could effect his FABL potential, but if I remember I'll work on his outfield defense this offseason. If we can get him at least average there, it could really tie things together, and the 23-year-old could spend a few seasons as a FABL starter. SS Joe Marshall (257th Overall) Acquired: Via Trade with Kings (1950) Drafted: 6th Round, 92nd Overall (1948) Alma Mater: Pascagoula Bluejays Joe Marshall had a season similar to Clyde Skinner, as he was great at one level and awful at the next. For Marshall it was La Crosse and San Jose, and he's one of the few guys who has an OPS+ and WRC+ half as good. Focusing on the good, he actually launched ten homers in 127 PAs with the Lions, batting .305/.409/.619 (130 OPS+) with 3 doubles, 18 walks, 20 runs, and 28 RBIs. The defense was good at short too, though that didn't go away in San Jose, "Muddy" seemed ready to return to Class B where he was with the Kings organization the season before we traded him. He hit a little better then he did there, but his .222/.290/.317 (63 OPS+) line was tough to look at, and he didn't hit a single longball in 69 not-so-nice trips to the plate. There were two doubles and triples, but that's not nearly enough to salvage it. 21 this August, he's still a raw prospect, and he has a lot of work to do before making strides. I want him to run it back in San Jose and actually hold his own, but if he struggles a few months in I'll send him back to La Crosse and try one of our other young infielders before the draftees come in. LHP Buster Clark (270th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 61st Overall (1949) Alma Mater: Santa Cruz Pirates Our 4th Round Pick in 1949, Buster Clark is one of the rare members of our organization with a poor work ethic. Despite that, he improved in each of his seasons, putting together his best work with the Lions in year three. 21 in November, the southpaw threw a career high 79.1 innings, going an even 5-5 in his 11 starts. The 5.11 ERA (120 ERA+) and 5.27 FIP (86 FIP-) may not look pretty, but both are comfortably above average in the high run environment of the UMVA. An extreme groundballer, what did work for him this year was t he strikeout, as he set down 122 batters on strikes and upped his K% by over 10% from his previous two seasons. The 18 homers make no sense, but that's not something we'll have to worry about in later years. The stuff is raw and the command needs to improve, but both are expected to be plus tools. He throws five pitches, the change likely the best, and his sinker can roll up plenty of double plays for the infield behind him. At this time he projects more as a temporary rotation option, but the stuff is exciting. He may be stuck in the high 80s, but he's still one of the top 100 pitching prospects and there's a ton of upside to excavate as we continue working on his repertoire.