[ayaghmour2]

Not quite sure how I'm going to format these from here on out, but let's start with monthly posts! Basically I'm going to cover some of what is going on with current Cougars, past Cougars, and Cougars on the farm. I may change things up as things go on, but these will not come out on a regular basis. Still not sure if I'll cover Rounds 11 through 20 in the 1952 draft, and it may be a while between posts. Or a bunch in a short time period. Never had to do dynasty this way! Will be interesting to say the least!

Monthly Recap
April 15th: It's time for Opening Day! This is the first time we won't introduce the roster, or give updates on farm systems and that stuff, but the Cougars do open the season with the 5th (Jerry Smith) and 7th (Bob Allen) ranked prospect, both of which are on the Opening Day roster to take on the Cannons in Chicago. Expectations aren't too high for the Cougars, as the roster is very similar to where we left off, and the Foresters are really good.

April 16th: After dropping the game on Opening Day, the Cougars offense and pitching was in midseason form, as the hometown Cougars clobbered the vising Cannons 11-0. He may have had plenty of support, but the star of the day was Duke Bybee, who held Cincy to just 5 hits and 4 walks in his 3-strikeout shutout.

The offense jumped on Tony Britten for 6 in the first, adding 2 more in the second to knock him out with just two outs. Charlie Griffith (6.1, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 BB) managed to tip-toe around runners on base, but all he really managed to do was save the pen for the finale.

After just one home run last season, Jerry Smith hit his first of the season in the 4th inning of Griffith, finishing his night a perfect 2-for-2 with 2 walks, 3 runs, and 3 RBIs. It was the second homer of the game, as Harry Mead launched a two-out, three-run homer to make it 6-0 in the first. It was his only hit, but he later walked and scored. Skipper Schneider had a big three hit game, 3-for-4 with a run, walk, and RBI. Billy Hunter (2-5, R, 3 RBI), who got the surprise start at first, and the former Cougar 4th Rounder I actually signed to a minor league deal right before the fast-forward, Bunny Hufford (2-5, 3 R), had big games in their first start of the season.

April 18th: Guess the pitching is still good!

Just two days after Bybee's shutout and the day after a 4-3 victory that earned the Cougars their first series win of the season, last year's waiver claim George Polk twirled a dominant 2-hit shutout with 2 walks and 7 strikeouts. Looking to prove his time with us last year was not a fluke, Polk was excellent against a tough Stars team, allowing just Ed Holmes (1-4) and opposing starter Hub Armstrong (8 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K; 1-2) to get hits off of him.

The offense was more relaxed today, but Skipper had another three hit outing, a perfect 3-for-3 with a walk and some solid work in the field. Double play partner George Sutterfield matched his hit total, 3-for-5 atop the lineup with a steal, run, and double. Jerry Smith gave the team much needed insurance in the 8th, saving his only hit for his fourth trip. It was a big one, driving in two on a triple to make it 3-0, before scoring on Elmer Grace's (0-4, RBI) ground out to short.

April 23rd: I guess it's George Polk's team now! The 26-year-old potential ace followed up a 4-baserunner shutout with another 4-baserunner shutout, turning 2 hits, 2 walks, and 7 strikeouts into a slightly better 3 hits, 1 walk, and 8 strikeout game. He needed 20 more pitches to face the same amount of batters, as the Cougs had no trouble stifling the Saints 6-0. Polk scored a run himself, 0-for-3 with a walk, and that could have been enough to earn him the victory.

Luckily, he had help, as team captain Don Lee hit well in the leadoff spot, 3-for-5 with a run and 2 RBIs. Behind him, George Sutterfield was arguably more effective, 2-for-4 with a walk, double, homer, 2 runs, and 2 RBIs. Elmer Grace was a key contributor as well, 2-for-5 with a solo shot off Saints starter Ted Coffin (5.2 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K) in the second.

April 26th: The impressive amount of shutouts continued in Chicago, where Johnnie Jones handled his arch nemesis New York Stars in a tight 2-0 victory. Improving to 3-0 on the season, Jones allowed just 3 hits and a walk with 5 strikeouts, lowering his ERA to 2.08 in 27 innings. He outdueled Eli Panneton, who could have had a shutout of his own if Ed Holmes didn't boot George Sutterfield's (0-2, R, BB, SB) leadoff grounder. Making matters worse, after Sutterfield swiped second, Holmes couldn't field Garland Phelps' (1-3, R) grounder either, so a 1-2-3 inning (Skipper flew out in between) turned into runners on the corners with one out.

Things could have turned here for the Stars, as Johnnie Jones was up and an easy double play candidate, but a wild pitch on 1-2 allowed Sutterfield to score and Phelps to advance. Johnnie then popped up for the second out, but a Don Lee (1-4, 2B, RBI) double game him the extra insurance before getting the last three outs. We only had three hits ourselves, as aside from the Lee double, all we had were singles from Phelps and Henry Norman (1-4) in the win.

April Record: 10-7, .588
Season Record: 10-7, .588, t-1st, 0.5 GA

Summary
A month in and the Cougars are in first place, 10-7 and tied with the 9-6 Kings who have both won and lost one fewer game. The pitching is usually the strength, and you'd think so with how many shutouts we had, but just Polk and Johnnie Jones have starts and ERAs below 4.50. In both cases, it's way lower, with Polk allowing just one earned run in 25.2 innings. This leads to a 0.35 ERA in his 3 starts, and he's got a beautiful 0.78 WHIP and 17-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He does have a loss, with his error against the Sailors the difference in a 2-1 game, but he's been easily our best starter. Johnnie has been great too, 3-0 with a 2.08 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 7 walks, and 15 strikeouts, but both Donnie (1-3, 4.94, 15) and Duke (1-0, 4.71, 14) have not got going. Even worse, Bob Allen has been tagged for 17 hits, 14 runs, and 16 walks, striking out just 6 in 17.1 innings. More outings like this and he'll end up in AAA or the pen, opening a spot for Dixie Gaines (1-1, 10.80, 3), a healthy Pap (on rehab!), or one of the many solid AAA depth arms I left former assistant GM and Chicago Cougar Bill Bordwell.

The offense was mostly inconsistent, but George Sutterfield got off to an excellent aged-30 season. The second basemen hit a robust .423/.492/.635 with 3 doubles, a triple, 2 homers, 8 runs, 8 walks, 12 RBIs, and 4 steals in what should be good enough for Batter of the Month. Aside from Sutterfield, however, just two other players with at least 50 at bats had an OPS above .800. One was expected, Jerry Smith, as our hopeful star slashed .290/.410/.484 with 3 homers, 10 RBIs, and 14 walks. The other wasn't, as if it wasn't for the OOTP AI's love for defense at first base, Don Lee would barely see the field. Instead, he's the starting left fielder (Mitchell at first, Bond on the bench...), and has hit .355/.431/.484 with 4 doubles, 2 triples, 9 runs, and 6 RBIs. Known for his eye and speed, only one was working, as he had 9 walks but an 0-for-3 success rate on steals. This is the 30-year-olds first real starting opportunity since 1947, where he made more starts (66) then the next four years (62) combined.

For reasons unknown to me, the AI optioned Eddie Howard to AAA, and as dumb as it was starting Harry Mead (.234, 4, 15) instead, at least it led to playing time for Garland Phelps. As the backup, the rookie hit .368/.400/.526 with 3 doubles and 4 RBIs in a small 20 PA sample. Entering the season as the 49th ranked prospect, tied for the lowest rank in his career, Phelps has a good chance to graduate the list, and should quickly seize the starting job from the almost 38-year-old Mead.

Minor League Updates
April 23rd: It's not a Cougar season without dominant minor league performances, and in their quest for a threepeat, Jimmy Isgro was crucial in the Governor's victory. Opening the season as the 36th ranked prospect, Isgro impressed on Opening Day, tossing a 5-hit shutout with 4 walks and 7 strikeouts. It was also the former King prospects first Dixie League start, promoted after making 9 with Lincoln last season. After going 7-4 in 14 starts with San Jose, Isgro was just 1-4 despite a 2.60 ERA (132 ERA+), 1.44 WHIP, and 34 strikeouts in 62.1 innings pitched.

Isgro himself was 1-for-4 with a run scored, a run that could have been enough to win the game, as he scored on a Billy Nash (1-4, RBI, BB) single. The rest of the offense came from Roy Gass (1-3, R, 2 BB), Johnnie Love (2-4), and Dick Poplaski (2-4), but Little Rock will need more offensive production to keep hold of the top spot year round.

April 28th: It didn't take very long for a Cougar farmhand to get an accolade, as 21-year-old utility man Jeff King was named C-O-W Player of the Week in the season's opening week. The former 3rd Rounder had a power explosion, hitting three homers while batting 7-for-16 with 5 runs and 8 RBIs. It's a welcome start for King, who split time between La Crosse and San Jose last year. He struggled in San Jose, batting just .234/.342/.272 (67 OPS+) with a single homer in 184 trips to the plate. A fifth year player, King usually ranks in the 125-250 prospect range, and will have his work cut out for him this year if he wants to earn a 40-man spot.

Monthly Records
AAA Milwaukee Blues: 5-6, .455
AA Little Rock Governors: 4-3, .571
A Rockford Wildcats: 3-4, .429
B San Jose Cougars: 3-4, .429