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ayaghmour2 · 08-09-2024, 07:25 PM

We've gotten to make our first and second round picks already, but we'll cover the Cuba stuff first, because if we knock out this draft by Monday I'll be able to have all ten picks in a row without interruptions. A nice temporary intermission in Cienfuegos' miserable season. It's all because of the Opening Week injuries, and the season will likely end with less the half the games started by Jerry Smith and Roxy Hilts. Obviously, Smith is the bigger talent loss, but the Chiefs have good outfield depth so his production isn't missed as much. With Hilts, my new nemesis Pat Kisiel hitting leadoff with a 51 WRC+ that looks even better then his -3.7 zone rating (.797 EFF). His 27 games are far past Roxy's 17 (Smith only has 14!). At 14-17, they're close to being eliminated from the playoffs, as the first place Havana Sharks (20-11) hold a six game lead over Cienfuegos. The lead over second place Matanzas (19-12) is much slimmer, just a single game between the two teams who might be duking it out the last three weeks of the season.

C Garland Phelps (#28 Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 2nd Round, 21st Overall (1947)
AA: .314/.366/.468 (122 OPS+), 522 PA, 42 2B, 7 3B, 11 HR, 153 RBI, 2 SB
CWL: .284/.360/.373 (88 OPS+), 114 PA, 6 2B, HR, 10 RBI

Once recent #1 pick Stan Czerwinski signs with the Chicago Chiefs, Garland Phelps will lose his title as the top catching prospect, something he's held for as long as I can remember. The second round pick in what could be a 1947 draft class that is as top heavy as the 1931. One of the only times the lottery did us well, the 92-63 Cougars got the 5th pick in the 1st and 2nd Rounds, and I was absolutely thrilled to land Phelps and the future of our franchise Jerry Smith which I guess used up all our future luck. The advantage Phelps has over the recent 1.1 is development time, as "Einstein" is only a year away from the majors after a breakout season in AA. Always offering quality defense, Phelps hit a strong .347/.391/.468 (122 OPS+) in 522 trips to the plate. That's the most he's had in what's been a stable minor league career, and he's hit better in Cuba this year then he did last year. His .284/.360/.373 (88 OPS+) line has a 95 WRC+, a steady drop from his 133 in Little Rock, as he's tallied 34 doubles, 9 homers, and 102 RBIs between the two spots.

The first of just four top 100 catching prospects, his bat still isn't big league ready, but at each level he's eventually showed it for a sustained period of time. He swings a lot, and while there will be whiffs, when he makes contact he hits the ball hard. He sprays a lot of line drives leading to doubles and big hits, and both Dixie and OSA expect him to develop above average power. That's been his focus in our practice facility, as more consistent power will work wonders for his game. His keen eye and wealth of pitching knowledge allows him to limit the strikeouts, as he'll go from his aggressive doubles approach to a cautioned, protect-mode approach once the count gets to two strikes. Even in Cuba his 13.0 K% is no worse then average, which is more then fair considering his relative youth and playing level. He'll get his first chance at AAA this season, and I think the pitching staff would love to work with him. He consistently throws out half the runners that steal, and he calls a very good game behind the plate. Aside from George Cleaves and I guess maybe Larry McClure, there isn't a current catcher standing in the way of Garland Phelps, as his bat should easily surpass the rest and most can't handle a staff like him. Before we get too excited, that's still multiple seasons out, as even Mike Bordes and Harry Mead are more polished at the plate then our 3rd ranked prospect.

RHP Bob Allen (#22 Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 1st Round, 10th Overall (1946)
FABL: 2-2, 30 IP, 4.80 ERA (86 ERA+), 1.37 WHIP, 14 BB, 12 K
AAA: 6-2, 80.1 IP, 1.68 ERA (196 ERA+), 1.03 WHIP, 33 BB, 51 K
AA: 8-3, 93.2 IP, 3.36 ERA (122 ERA+), 1.30 WHIP, 40 BB, 53 K
CWL: 3-3, 58 IP, 4.19 ERA (107 ERA+), 1.53 WHIP, 32 BB, 39 K

This guy is just so darn good! Another 3-hit shutout!

As dumb as his current prospect rating is, Bob Allen is pitching like a top five or ten prospect, recording another shutout against a 3rd place Hawks team that wouldn't be anywhere near the not nearly as bad Crocs in the standings. As Holguin is ahead of Santiago, it makes sense Allen had one fewer walk and strikeout, evening his record to 3-3 in the winter. Only former Cougar draftee Jim Williams (5-2, 3.18, 28) has thrown multiple shutouts, once more proving that Cougar pitchers are the absolute best. Allen hasn't had nearly as much success, but it's nice to see him starting to hit his groove. I'm starting to think he's a feel guy who needs time to adjust, and once he gets into his rhythm it's hard to knock him out of it. A master and getting groundballs, Allen's curve has developed into a lethal weapon, and we've been spending the winter focusing on his command. The more experience he gets, the quicker he'll be able to put away batters, as evidenced by just 102 and 106 pitches in his two shutouts. As annoying as this offseason has been, having his full season debut has kept me on the edge of my seat. Lucky for him, he'll graduate from the prospect list before #3 pick Mike Fresh signs, as Fresh reminds me of everything Allen was when he was a draft prospect. I think he'll be the next top pitcher, and if this was the one time we won the lottery I'd be talking all about him in my next post.

08-09-2024, 07:25 PM	#1504
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,128	Cuban Winter League: Week 8 We've gotten to make our first and second round picks already, but we'll cover the Cuba stuff first, because if we knock out this draft by Monday I'll be able to have all ten picks in a row without interruptions. A nice temporary intermission in Cienfuegos' miserable season. It's all because of the Opening Week injuries, and the season will likely end with less the half the games started by Jerry Smith and Roxy Hilts. Obviously, Smith is the bigger talent loss, but the Chiefs have good outfield depth so his production isn't missed as much. With Hilts, my new nemesis Pat Kisiel hitting leadoff with a 51 WRC+ that looks even better then his -3.7 zone rating (.797 EFF). His 27 games are far past Roxy's 17 (Smith only has 14!). At 14-17, they're close to being eliminated from the playoffs, as the first place Havana Sharks (20-11) hold a six game lead over Cienfuegos. The lead over second place Matanzas (19-12) is much slimmer, just a single game between the two teams who might be duking it out the last three weeks of the season. C Garland Phelps (#28 Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 2nd Round, 21st Overall (1947) AA: .314/.366/.468 (122 OPS+), 522 PA, 42 2B, 7 3B, 11 HR, 153 RBI, 2 SB CWL: .284/.360/.373 (88 OPS+), 114 PA, 6 2B, HR, 10 RBI Once recent #1 pick Stan Czerwinski signs with the Chicago Chiefs, Garland Phelps will lose his title as the top catching prospect, something he's held for as long as I can remember. The second round pick in what could be a 1947 draft class that is as top heavy as the 1931. One of the only times the lottery did us well, the 92-63 Cougars got the 5th pick in the 1st and 2nd Rounds, and I was absolutely thrilled to land Phelps and the future of our franchise Jerry Smith which I guess used up all our future luck. The advantage Phelps has over the recent 1.1 is development time, as "Einstein" is only a year away from the majors after a breakout season in AA. Always offering quality defense, Phelps hit a strong .347/.391/.468 (122 OPS+) in 522 trips to the plate. That's the most he's had in what's been a stable minor league career, and he's hit better in Cuba this year then he did last year. His .284/.360/.373 (88 OPS+) line has a 95 WRC+, a steady drop from his 133 in Little Rock, as he's tallied 34 doubles, 9 homers, and 102 RBIs between the two spots. The first of just four top 100 catching prospects, his bat still isn't big league ready, but at each level he's eventually showed it for a sustained period of time. He swings a lot, and while there will be whiffs, when he makes contact he hits the ball hard. He sprays a lot of line drives leading to doubles and big hits, and both Dixie and OSA expect him to develop above average power. That's been his focus in our practice facility, as more consistent power will work wonders for his game. His keen eye and wealth of pitching knowledge allows him to limit the strikeouts, as he'll go from his aggressive doubles approach to a cautioned, protect-mode approach once the count gets to two strikes. Even in Cuba his 13.0 K% is no worse then average, which is more then fair considering his relative youth and playing level. He'll get his first chance at AAA this season, and I think the pitching staff would love to work with him. He consistently throws out half the runners that steal, and he calls a very good game behind the plate. Aside from George Cleaves and I guess maybe Larry McClure, there isn't a current catcher standing in the way of Garland Phelps, as his bat should easily surpass the rest and most can't handle a staff like him. Before we get too excited, that's still multiple seasons out, as even Mike Bordes and Harry Mead are more polished at the plate then our 3rd ranked prospect. RHP Bob Allen (#22 Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 1st Round, 10th Overall (1946) FABL: 2-2, 30 IP, 4.80 ERA (86 ERA+), 1.37 WHIP, 14 BB, 12 K AAA: 6-2, 80.1 IP, 1.68 ERA (196 ERA+), 1.03 WHIP, 33 BB, 51 K AA: 8-3, 93.2 IP, 3.36 ERA (122 ERA+), 1.30 WHIP, 40 BB, 53 K CWL: 3-3, 58 IP, 4.19 ERA (107 ERA+), 1.53 WHIP, 32 BB, 39 K This guy is just so darn good! Another 3-hit shutout! As dumb as his current prospect rating is, Bob Allen is pitching like a top five or ten prospect, recording another shutout against a 3rd place Hawks team that wouldn't be anywhere near the not nearly as bad Crocs in the standings. As Holguin is ahead of Santiago, it makes sense Allen had one fewer walk and strikeout, evening his record to 3-3 in the winter. Only former Cougar draftee Jim Williams (5-2, 3.18, 28) has thrown multiple shutouts, once more proving that Cougar pitchers are the absolute best. Allen hasn't had nearly as much success, but it's nice to see him starting to hit his groove. I'm starting to think he's a feel guy who needs time to adjust, and once he gets into his rhythm it's hard to knock him out of it. A master and getting groundballs, Allen's curve has developed into a lethal weapon, and we've been spending the winter focusing on his command. The more experience he gets, the quicker he'll be able to put away batters, as evidenced by just 102 and 106 pitches in his two shutouts. As annoying as this offseason has been, having his full season debut has kept me on the edge of my seat. Lucky for him, he'll graduate from the prospect list before #3 pick Mike Fresh signs, as Fresh reminds me of everything Allen was when he was a draft prospect. I think he'll be the next top pitcher, and if this was the one time we won the lottery I'd be talking all about him in my next post.