[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 3-2
Seasonal Record: 3-2 (t-3rd, 1 GB)
Stars of the Week
Jack Gibson : 20 AB, 9 H, 3 HR, 4 RBI, .450 AVG, 1.350 OPS
Dode Caudill : 22 AB, 9 H, 2 HR, 3 RBI, .409 AVG, 1.162 OPS
Henry Watson : 22 AB, 9 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .409 AVG, 1.026 OPS

Schedule
4-9: Win vs Wranglers (4-10)
4-10: Loss vs Wranglers (8-2)
4-11: Win vs Wranglers (12-1)
4-13: Loss vs Sailors (4-3): 11 innings
4-14: Win vs Sailors (5-2)

Recap
Baseball is back!

Joy and excitement fill the year, and it was a successful first week for the Cougars. 3-2 is exactly what I expected, two of three from Dallas and a split with the Sailors, but what I didn't expect was some of the performances we got this week.

I want to call it three different debuts, but in reality it's two debuts and a return, but our arguably three most impactful players got off to near perfect starts. Impactful does not mean most talented, though for two of those it might fit, but there are three areas that I'd argue have the largest variance between the production we could get at the high and low end. Those spots being left field, the #1 spot, and second.

Dode Caudill had the traditional debut, going 1-for-5 with a run and RBI on Opening Day, but from then on out it got and better and better. His first career homer was really the only right spot in are loss to the Wranglers, as he was 2-for-4 with a single and solo shot. He homered in the 12-1 thwacking too, an impressive 3-for-4 with a double, walk, and two runs scored. Sure, there was another 1-for-5, only Hank Walker (1-2, HR, 2 RBI) had much fun the extra inning game, but he finished the week with a third multi-hit game. Add it all together, and the 3rd ranked prospect hit .409/.435/.727 (214 OPS+) with 3 extra base hits, 4 runs, and 3 RBIs. No steals, though he didn't make an attempt, as it's really all he didn't accomplish in his debut week. 24 on the final day of the month, I'd love for him to celebrate it the next day with an award, and even though it's an extremely small sample I'm absolutely thrilled with how our future cornerstone has looked so far.

On the mound, that role will be filled by Don Griffin, who was lights out in his Cougar debut. The only Wrangler to reach base on him was Earle Farmer, who started the 3rd out with a groundball single. He wasn't on base for long, as while he made Herm Ford look silly on a 3-2 pitch, Dutch Miller was able to fire a dart to second to catch the stealing Farmer. He got the third out without many issues, and punched through all nine members of the lineup their second time through. When it was all said and done, he picked up his 100th career win, striking out 4 in 6 dominant innings. Ready and rested for week two, he'll start on Tuesday and Sunday, again getting Dallas before having to deal with the Sailors in San Francisco. If I can help it, he'll keep pitching every fifth day, and aside from a perfect game, what more could he do? The hook was early, so he actually had a higher game score (74) then pitch total (73), but we were up 6-0 and there was no reason to push him hard in his first start, so unless it becomes a trend, I won't mess with Buck's plan.

You might have guessed that the third debut is Jack Gibson, as while it's not a FABL or Cougar debut, it is debut under me! Our much maligned superstar, Jack Gibson started his spring with a 3-homer week, so it was only fitting he did the same thing in Chicago! Doing no worse then a 1-for-4, Gibson homered once against former Cougar Sid Moulton and twice against 1961 ERA leader Charlie Lawson. Good enough for Player of the Week, the 1960 All-Star was 9-for-20 with 4 RBIs, and I guess if he had a walk or double he could have gotten some recognition. All I care about, however, is that pop, as he's on as unsustainable 97 homer pace. He also looked himself at second, making all the plays that came his way. Our major x-factor, he's a contender for the Continental lead in homers, and while he's not going to push triple digits, he has a legit chance to break Jerry Smith's team record of 47 homers in 1953.

There's a ton of stuff worth noting, and since I'm behind (sim happened while I was writing!) I'll keep this short and sweet. The pen was great, with Pug White pretty much copying Doc Wilson. Like our new ace, he threw 6 innings without allowing a run, but his came with two hits and six strikeouts. He picked up two saves and pitched before our extra inning game got there, and I expect many more 6-inning weeks from him. We also got a great start from Ken Stone, who went the furthest of inning of our starts. Lasting 7.2 innings, he picked up 10 hits, 2 runs, and 4 walks with 4 strikeouts, earning a win in his first start of the season. He'll get plenty more, but it is a shame him and Wilson had the only starts worth noting.

Looking Ahead
No need to rehash the Opening Day post, as we get the Wranglers and Sailors to finish six games against each in two weeks. They will all be on the road, as we get three in Dallas and four in San Francisco. Those four out west are annoying, as it's a double header already. This is why it could have been nice having a six man rotation, and I'm about to find out how much it sucked pitching Roy Ellis on short rest. It would be lovely if Bob Allen was rested enough to start the week, pushing the starts until Doc comes back up back, but I may have to make a move to get a fresh arm. I don't love it, but I can always DFA Buddy Byrd, as I doubt anyone would claim him. He could hang out DFA'd for two weeks, while I bring up someone like John Mitchell up to lighten the load. For a little, I can keep optioning and waiving those two, or someone else who falls out of favor, or even just option Jim Barton. That would be a worst case, he should be in Chicago, but with how versatile our roster is, we at least have multiple options to address the need for the occasional spot start.