October 28, 1965
LOOKING AT THE 1965 DRAFT CLASS AND TOP PROSPECTS
In an effort to keep Figment fans somewhat aware of the future stars of the FABL here is the second edition of an annual feature as we move through the fast-forward towards the resumption of weekly sims and human GM's in the mid-1970s.
First off here is a list of the players selected in the first round of the June 1965 draft and where they rank according to OSA as their first professional season comes to a close. There is a wide range, spanning from #2 on the pipeline for Pete Rosenbaum, a high school shortstop drafted second overall by the Dallas Wranglers, all the way down to Dick Carman, the 10th overall selection of the Chicago Chiefs who has fallen to 394th on the OSA list of top prospects.
OSA TOP TEN PROSPECTS
October 1965
If the last couple of years are any indication there are going to be an awful lot of highly touted prospects that simply fail to live up to expectations. For the second year in row our tracking of the top prospects has seen some major shifts amongst what OSA considers to be the cream of the crop.
A year ago at this time only two players that appeared on the October 1963 top ten list were still ranked in the top ten a year ago. They were #1 Tony Nava, who fell to 7th in the 1964 rankings and #2 Bill Dunlop, who climbed to #1 in 1964. Three others who were on the 1963 list made it to FABL so were no longer considered minor league prospects but that left five others, who all dropped out of the top ten.
The volatility was even more pronounced this time around as only one player who appeared on the October 1964 top ten list remains there a year later. That would be Kansas City Kings pitching prospect Ken McDonough, who was second a year ago and dropped slightly to third this year.
Three others including Bill Dunlop and Tony Nava, who both appeared in the top ten in October 1963 and again in October 1964, have moved on to the big leagues are no longer categorized as minor league prospects. Dunlop, 23-year-old pitcher who was #2 in 1963 and topped the 1964 list, had quite a debut in the big leagues. The Tobacco Twister as he is known for his roots at Carolina Poly, won the Kellogg Award as the top rookie in the Federal Association and finished second in Allen Award balloting following a 23-8 campaign. Nava, 22, was #1 on the 1963 list and seventh last year, made the New York Imperials and hit .261 in 107 games, primarily as a pinch-hitter. He has the ability to hit in the big leagues but defense may be an issue and he is faced with competition for the second base job with the Imperials.
The third graduate was 20-year-old righthander Johnny Stiles, who was promoted by the Washington Eagles in June and went 1-1 with 2 saves in 21 relief appearances. OSA feels he can be a solid closer but at his age - Stiles was still 19 when he made his big league debut- perhaps another year of high pressure appearances in the minors might have aided his development.
*** Six Players Suffered Big Drop-Offs
That accounts for four of the top ten from a year ago while the other six all plunged, some extremely far. Bert Alexander, a 20-year-old San Francisco Sailors prospect dropped from third a year ago to #34 on the pipeline. Cougars teenage pitcher Hub Russell fell from 10th to 25th and Los Angeles Suns outfielder Jim Thurman, 21, was 9th a year ago but now sits 41st.
Then we have the three that dropped like rocks. Ossie Schrieber, a high school lefthander that was ranked the 4th best prospect in the game is now 123rd and only the third highest ranked pitcher in the Minneapolis Millers system after he regressed as a 19-year-old repeating the year at Class C. Another high school drafted pitcher, 21-year-old John McCormick of Boston slipped from 7th to 178th but OSA reports still give him a chance of panning out.
Then we have New York Imperials 23-year-old outfielder George Valiquette. A year ago the 1964 fourth overall draft pick had a sky high ceiling and was ranked 8th on the list. Now, after having his struggles at the plate and dealing with a hip injury, OSA has given up on the Los Angeles native. Valiquette is considered a bench player at best and was not named in the top 500 prospects. OSA places him 27th among Imperials prospects.
So more than ever it appears being named a top ten prospect is no guarantee of big league success. Here are the top prospects as of today and a comparison with last year's top ten list.
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE TOP TEN
1-EARL SKAINS- 21, LF PITTSBURGH MINERS
Originally selected in the third round of the 1962 draft, Skains has endured his share of challenges including a broken kneecap that cost him parts of two seasons. He has climbed the prospect pipeline steadily, ranked 100th in 1963, 80th a year later and 34th on opening day 1964. In 1965 he hit 39 homers including 22 in 88 games at AAA Houston while batting .293 at three levels and looks like he may be ready to step in to the Pittsburgh outfield full-time in April. PSA thinks he has the skills to play centerfield and could be elite at his position. Certainly one to watch and maybe a candidate to follow 1964 to prospect Bill Dunlop as Federal Association rookie of the year.
2- PETE ROSENBAUM - 18, RHP Dallas Wranglers
Another in a long line of Philadelphia-area high school stars to be drafted in the opening round. Rosenbaum is still just 18 after being selected second overall this past June. He impressed at Class C as a rookie pro and OSA feels the sky is the limit for Rosenbaum.
3- KEN McDONOUGH- 19, RHP Kansas City Kings (was #2 last year)
1964 recap: Tennessee native was drafted 20th overall by the AI GM in 1964, OSA calls McDonough one of the best pitching prospects in any organization. He had a decent first pro season (6-5, 107 ERA+) at Class C Marshalltown and made a solid late season start in Class B. He is a high school arm and they may be prone to bigger talent drops in v26 but McDonough is certainly one to watch as the latest of a good crop of Kansas City pitchers.
1965 recap: Still has the makings of a future ace but there is cause for concern as McDonough made just four starts at Class C before blowing out his elbow, which ended his season. It was his first injury but one that many pitchers never fully recover from so we would be much less confident about his future now.
4- BILL MORRISON- 18, RHP Cleveland Foresters
Not to be confused with the veteran Detroit outfielder by the same name, this Bill Morrison is a Danville, Pa. native drafted fifth overall by the Cleveland Foresters, a team neck deep into a rebuild. He was 2-2 with a 106 ERA+ in 9 starts at Class C and will clearly need some time to work on his control but if everything breaks right OSA suggests he could anchor a rotation.
5- JIM PERRIN- 18, RHP, Los Angeles Suns
A third high school pitcher drafted high last June (Perrin was the fourth pick). Perrin dominated Class C but then was overmatched following a late promotion to the B level. High school arms always worry us but the risk may be worth it for a team like the Suns that needs to have some big wins at the draft table. OSA says Perrin has elite stuff and should be a top of the rotation arm if all goes according to plan.
6- PETE BRUCE- 23, C Cincinnati Cannons
Elite catchers are hard to find but OSA feels the Cannons nabbed a future all-star in the much travelled Bruce. He was originally drafted out of high school by the Chicago Chiefs in round five back in 1960. Likely caught in a numbers game he was waived by the Chiefs three years later and then shortly afterwards by Montreal after a brief stint in the Saints system. Cincinnati nabbed him in the summer of 1964 and Bruce promptly suffered broken ribs that ended his season prematurely. All this time he never cracked the top 100 but he ripped the cover off the ball and moved through four levels of minors this past season and suddenly is giving off Tom Bird vibes as a catcher who seemed to be going nowhere when he suddenly put it all together. He is one worth watching as it will be interesting to see if the current scouting assessment is accurate.
7- CLIFF COLEMAN - 24, LF Chicago Cougars
24 is getting a little old to be considered a prospect, especially when Coleman was drafted six years ago out of high school. A 14th round pick who made his debut on the prospect pipeline at 9 in April, can Coleman be another late bloomer? 33 homers and a .651 slugging percentage in 118 games at AAA this past season, numbers that earned the San Francisco native a chance to make his big league debut last month - he hit 3 homers and batted .379 in 18 games with the Cougars- and it looks like Chicago has found itself a diamond in the rough.
8- STEVE PRATHER- 21, CF Dallas Wranglers
The second Wrangler to crack the top ten this year, Prather was a 1962 fourth round draft pick that OSA feels could be a very productive big league centerfielder. He is another late bloomer, first cracking the top 100 prospect list this spring, a year after he dealt with a fractured foot. It looks like he has the elite defensive skills needed to stick in centerfield and the Cleveland native is described by OSA as a pure hitter who will hit for a high average.
9- GEORGE McKINNEY- 20, RHP, Cincinnati Cannons
Like Dallas, the Cannons also place two players on this year's top ten list. He is another of those Philadelphia born pitchers but was not drafted until the fifth round in 1963. McKinney has yet to pitch above Class A but OSA feels he should rank among the best starting pitcher prospects in any organization. He had a 17 strikeout game at Class B this year, where he fanned 122 in 104 innings of work.
10- DANNY WILSON- 19, RHP Detroit Dynamos
The rebuilding Dynamos are hoping that Wilson, a New York City native selected in the second round in 1964, can develop into the ace that the OSA feels he has the potential to become. He was ranked 18th in the prospect pipeline a year ago and moves up into the top 10 after repeating the season at Class C.
TRACKING THE DYNAMOS FIRST ROUNDERSThis was a year of transition in Detroit as the Dynamos dove head first into their rebuild and traded a number of stars away including pitching ace Jim Norris and the long-time middle infield duo of Joe Reed and Dick Tucker. Tough moves to make but needed and the result was an influx of prospects that moved the needle on the Detroit minor league system from 19th a year ago to the deepest in FABL this time around. Of course accumulating prospects is only step one as they now need to develop and reach their potential.
Here is a look at how 1965 went for recent Detroit first round selections followed by a list of the organization's current top prospects.
1962 1st Rounder: SKIPPER ATKINS, HS RHP, 7th overall:
1964 recap: Atkins is not a great prospect according to OSA, ranked 144th at the end of the 1964 season and 7th in a weak Dynamos farm system. OSA projects him to have a future in the back of the rotation. Now 20, he split the '64 season between A and AA, going 10-7, 3.90 at Terre Haute before moving up to Akron where he was 5-1 but with a subpar 83 ERA+. He dropped off as OSA had the Philadelphia native as the #45 prospect on Opening Day 1964.
1965 recap: Now 21, Atkins fell further in the eyes of the league scouting service, who now rank him 249th despite a solid showing at AA (6-4, 2.85) and moderate success in his first taste of AAA (4-4, 4.24). OSA says perhaps he could fit into the back of a rotation, but probably not someone you want to guarantee a spot to.
1963 1st Rounder: SAM MacDONALD, HS RHP, 18th overall:
1964 recap: Like Atkins, MacDonald is a righthander drafted out of high school ball in Philadelphia. Born in Baltimore, OSA admits he is very raw but feels he does have a shot at being a top of the rotation arm someday. Ranked 65th in the end of 1964 prospect pipeline and #2 in Detroit's system behind only 1964 second round pitcher Danny Wilson. MacDonald can be a high strikeout pitcher but needs to harness his control which is almost non-existent after a year and a half at class C where he walked 109 in 142 innings.
1965 recap: He suffered a big drop in the eyes of OSA as well, falling all the way to 297th overall and 28th in the Detroit system. It feels like he didn't get a fair shake as MacDonald was not injured, but dumped back to Class C for a third season and only pitched 47 innings, going 2-2 with a 106 ERA+. Seems like he has been written off by Detroit management.
1964 1st Rounder: DON AYERS, HS OF, 16th overall:
1964 recap: Nicknamed Funky, the Cleveland native was another high school first rounder taken by the Dynamos. Detroit has had a lot of busts in drafting corner-OF/1B types (see Tommy Allenby, John Morrison, Dino Sharp, Joe Fulgham or Ralph Capriotti) and early indications are Ayers can be another name to add to that list. Scouting report says Ayers could still be a productive regular on a contender, but the scouting service ranks him at #194 on the prospect pipeline so I am not holding out hope. He did put up some decent numbers in 55 games at Class C after being drafted (.333/.421/.400) so perhaps there is a chance he pans out.
1965 recap: He also dropped, falling to 267th overall and 26th among Detroit prospects. Still just 18 but he was also overlooked, playing just 12 games all season despite being healthy. Ayers made the most of his limited chances, slashing .438/.438/.750 but clearly feels like he does not fit into Detroit's plans.
1965 1st Rounder: PETE MORRIS, College OF, 6th overall
Finally a top ten pick again for the Dynamos but you know their track record with drafting corner outfielders. OSA says he has the tools to make an impact in the majors and at 22nd overall, he is Detroit's third highest ranked prospect at the moment. He came out of San Francisco Tech and went straight to AAA, but had a learning curve to deal with in batting just .229 with 3 homers in 89 games.
CURRENT (OCT 1964) TOP DETROIT PROSPECTS
