[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 2-3
Seasonal Record: 44-34 (4th, 8 GB)
Stars of the Week
Henry Watson : 21 AB, 8 H, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .381 AVG, .905 OPS
Dutch Miller : 17 AB, 5 H, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .294 AVG, .839 OPS
Tom Halliday : 18 AB, 4 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .222 AVG, .819 OPS

Schedule
6-25: Loss at Stars (3-6)
6-26: Loss at Stars (2-4)
6-28: Loss at Saints (1-2)
6-29: Win at Saints (6-2)
6-30: Win at Saints (4-3)

Recap
Man...

Just when we started to get momentum...

Dropped to 4th and 8 out, we let the Stars sweep us in the two game set, luckily bouncing back in Montreal with a series win. We've done a lot of that in June, as aside from the Stars sweep, the only other one we lost was three in Montreal to start the month. An 18-11 month was impressive, even if we didn't make up any ground, and I'm at least glad that we're comfortably over .500. We pitched well this week too, just one game with more then 4 runs allowed, but aside from our likely All-Star lock, we didn't do much hitting.

That, of course, is Henry Watson, who I don't think has had a bad week all years. More average by his lofty standards this year, he was 8-for-21, picking up a steal, 4 runs, and his 16th homer of the season. After just 6 homers in the first two month, Watson hit 10 in June, and is hitting a strong .340/.380/.583 (156 OPS+) with 13 doubles, 6 triples, 47 runs, and 56 RBIs. He's also matched his 6 steals from last year, coming in 7 attempts compared to the 17 in 1962. A few other role players had success, with Dutch Miller 5-for-17 with a homer, 2 walks, and 3 RBIs. George McKee made use of his new partial starting role, 4-for-10 with a double, walk, and 2 runs. Randall still isn't quite healthy, a minor setback places him probably a week from his return, so McKee will get to keep upping his now .241/.297/.345 (73 OPS+) batting line. The defense at third is elite, but aside from the past two weeks he hasn't done much hitting for us.

I could have skipped starts with the off days, but with a double header before the break I thought I'd keep guys on a relative five game schedule. Aside from Roy Ellis (5 IP, 8 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 8 K) allowing too many runs, the starters were great, making up from a little hiccough in the pen. Hank Walker deserved his seventh straight win, going 6 with 3 hits, 2 runs, 4 walks, and 5 strikeouts, but we only had two runs when he left. That was the same when the game ended, so for the first time since May 10th we lost a game Walker started. Our two wins came from Ken Stone and Dick Champ, with the for some reason ineligible to be voted for the All-Star game Stone improving to 9-2 in 14 starts. He went 7, scattering 5 hits, 2 runs, and 4 walks while striking out 6. Dixie's bumped his BABIP to 4, as he's second in ERA at 2.45 (168 ERA+) and tied for third in wins. Champ has had far less success, owning a team high 5.12 ERA (80 ERA+), but he went 6 with 4 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks, and 2 strikeouts. Though none of the stars can hold a candle to Pug White, who spun 7 scoreless frames in 3 separate outings. Earning his 11th save, Pug allowed just 4 hits, striking out 4 to give him 50 on the season. He finished June with just two runs allowed, working to a 0.62 ERA (662 ERA+) and 1.10 WHIP in 29 innings pitched.

Two roster moves were made as well, with the first the expected swap of Doc Cook for John Mitchell. Cook got into just the one game last week, while Mitchell was excellent in a pair of Century League starts. He's dominated the lesser competition, 5-1 with a 1.41 ERA (262 ERA+), 1.12 WHIP, and 25 strikeouts in 51 innings, and if all goes to plan he may spend the rest of his season in Chicago. We need a sixth starter in each of our four July weeks, with two more double headers waiting in August. There is a small period to send him back down to keep him in the rotation, but if his next four starts are anything like the first four, he's going to be a useful piece the rest of the way.

The other was sort of alluded to before our break, as I decided to cut Milt Payne in favor for Chappy Sanders. Payne, 27, spent about a year and a half as our backup catcher, as the only player to debut from the Jerry Smith package hit a pitiful .179/.188/.238 (13 OPS+) in 85 PAs. The 20 last year were good, he was 6-for-20 with 2 doubles and his only home run, but he has a -20 OPS+ and -29 WRC+ in 65 PAs this season. Pretty much each time he was in the lineup, he got out, and his defense isn't anything to write home about. Chappy, meanwhile, has been working on his blocking, and after a slow start he started blasting balls in the Century League. In 63 games, Chappy slashed .289/.358/.524 (144 OPS+) with 16 doubles, 11 homers, and 42 RBIs, and he's a huge upgrade over Payne. Recently named Batter of the Month, he hit .348/.410/.697 (204 OPS+) with 8 doubles, 7 homers, and 25 RBIs, a good way to end his most recent minor league stint. He'll stay in a reserve role for now, able to fill in behind the plate and in the outfield. Miller's 10 extra base hits and 13.4 BB% will keep him in the lineup for now, but if Chappy works in some of his minor league magic, he'll find himself in the lineup more frequently then initially anticipated.

Looking Ahead
The last week of the first half starts with an off day, as we'll look to build off our mini two game win streak at home. We'll get a quick chance for revenge, as the Stars will be in town for three. Expect the now healthy Dewey Allcock (3-1, 4.10, 26) in one of the games and Floyd Warner 9-3, 3.62, 67) in another, with Sy Dunn (6-4, 3.75, 72) likely closing the series out. It's there top three starters, and Warner just beat us, going 8 with 7 hits, 3 runs, and 4 strikeouts, surviving the two homers he surrendered. Stopper and Chicagoan Ted Ferguson (8-6, 11, 3.21, 58) finished us off twice, once a save and once a win, as we could not stop the Ralph Barrell (.321, 18, 52, 6), Lou Allen (.298, 21, 60), and Bobby Garrison (.319, 10, 45, 9) combo. At least at home we'll have the fans at our back, and I can't see Jack Gibson (.290, 19, 41) having another homerless week, but winning this series is an absolute must if we want any chance of contending in the second half.

What comes after is important too, as we finish off the first half with four games in three days against Montreal. We knocked them down to 33-47, as the 8th place Saints are one of just three Continental teams below .500. Kellogg frontrunner Henry Woods (.348, 14, 45, 6) caused problems as expected, including a 3-for-4 showing in their 2-1 win, but otherwise we did pretty well. We hit former 1st Rounder Gene Faulkenberry (8-4, 5, 3.13, 75) better then most, and held them to just 7 runs in the series. As the better team and the home team, I love our chances here, but I know all too well that this could be a trap series if we don't come in and give it our best. The double header should help us a lot, as their pitching is nowhere near ours, and even Mitchell is better then most of the guys they'll be trotting out.

Minor League Report
CF Orlando Benitez (AA Little Rock Governors): Remember when I said Orlando Benitez wasn't ready for AAA? I might have been wrong!

Named the top hitter of the Dixie League for the week, our 20-year-old former 1st Rounder hit an excellent .309/.395/.577 (157 OPS+) in June with 4 doubles, 2 triples, 6 homers, 27 RBIs, 19 runs, and 15 walks, swiping 4 bases to round out an all-around effort. Half his homers came last week, as he was 10-for-22 with 5 runs, 5 extra base hits, 10 RBIs, and a steal. Now ranked 40th among FABL prospects and 4th in our system, Benitez is now hitting a healthy .297/.414/.530 (150 OPS+) line in 266 trips to the plate. He's got a nice bundle of counting stats too, 11 doubles, 2 triples, 12 homers, 37 runs, 45 walks, 51 RBIs, and 7 steals, worth nearly 3 (2.8) wins above replacement. As good as the bat has been, I'm actually happiest about the defense, as he's got a nice 6.3 zone rating and 1.030 efficiency. Since the draft his bat has been advanced for his age, but seeing the progress with the glove is huge. I think the next step is improving his versatility, as I think I'll take advantage of his arm in right. I'm leaning towards moving him to Milwaukee, but at least for one more week, he'll continue to hit cleanup for the Governors.

LHP Whitey Gates (A Rockford Wildcats): A guy Dixie Marsh can't quite get a hold of, Whitey Gates has the intangibles I love, and now he's got a Pitcher of the Month to go with him. A good way to celebrate his 22nd birthday, the June 5th born Gates was a perfect 5-0 in 5 starts, now 9-1 on the season. Throwing 36 innings, he held a 2.00 ERA (212 ERA+), 2.72 FIP (64 FIP-) and 1.44 WHIP, lowering those metrics to 3.52 (121 ERA+), 3.20 (75 FIP-), and 1.55 on the season. The WHIP is high due to his 12.8 BB%, something I didn't expect, but with a 17.8 K% he has been able to work around it. Add in his 5 ranked stamina, and he's got a 132-pitch complete game and ten other starts where he crossed the century mark for pitch count. A leader on and off the field, what's impressed me most is his poise, as he's shown up to every challenge and put his team into a position to win each time out. Dropping to 20th in our system and 379th overall, he's behind eleven of our 1963 draftees, but that shouldn't be a knock on him. A durable innings eater, he's exactly the type of pitcher a bad team would want to soak up innings, and since he sits in the mid 90s he's not easy to knock around. Once he masters the walks, he can be considered for a FABL role, and his next step will be handling Dixie League hitters with the Governors.

SS Sam Pratt (A Rockford Wildcats): A recent Player of the Week winner, Sam Pratt also took home June's Batter of the Month, helping the Cats sweep the June awards. For June, Pratt hit .374/.464/.654 (198 OPS+) with 8 doubles, 2 triples, 6 homers, 24 RBIs, 27 runs, 17 walks, and 5 steals. All but 5 of his A-ball games came in the past month, so his .354/.436/.608 (179 OPS+) season line isn't too far away. An athletic and quick 20-year-old, Pratt's been playing excellent shortstop defense, but with Bill Grimm's promotion last week he'll see less time at his most comfortable position. He'll remain the primary, as I want Grimm to improve his versatility a bit, but even if we had four other shortstops Pratt would be able to find time on the field. Able to play anywhere but catcher, he's got outstanding range in the infield and outfield, and even at short he's a top-notch defender. With 4s across the board for infield ratings, he's at least a 4 at each infield spot, and aside from Tom Halliday and maybe Tom Glenn and Cal Randall, Pratt's our best infielder. A deep class may have kicked him out of the top-500, but this is a guy who I'd take over a lot of other players. His floor of a super utility player entices, but if he can keep putting the ball in play, he'd be a superb table setter and there's a chance he'd carve out a long career for himself.

LHP Jay Hughs (B San Jose Cougars): With an influx of new arms in the system, I've transitioned our Class A and B teams to six-man rotations like I did in Class C last year (and all levels pre-fast forward), so a few guys who weren't starting just entered the rotation. This includes Jay Hughs, who after 21 relief outings, delivered an outstanding start. Just one hit away from a perfect game, Hughs struck out 8, effortlessly silencing the Tacoma Captains in San Jose's 4-0 victory. His first start since 1961, the minor league signing is showing that maybe he should have been starting all along. Once a 14th rounder of the Cannons, Hughs was stuck in the independent carousel before we saved him, though he did get 3.1 innings in 1960 for the Class A Topeka Jayhawks. A guy I haven't given much look to, he's a lefty with six pitches, and five of them are at least average. The movement and control isn't great, hence why he's been spending his time in the pen, but including his start he's got 34.2 effective innings. 3-0 with a save, his 2.34 ERA (153 ERA+) and 3.02 FIP (84 FIP-) are quite strong, but the 0.81 WHIP and 25-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio are what stands out most. There might be something here to improve on, though all that it may turn into is upper minors depth.