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Tiger Fan · 09-21-2025, 09:17 PM

October 28, 1966
LOOKING AT THE 1966 DRAFT CLASS AND TOP PROSPECTS

In an effort to stay abreast of who the top stars may be in the game a decade from now when human GMs return here is an update on the first round picks both from the current June 1966 draft and from that of last year. As was the case a year ago we are listing below the 20 players selected in the opening round of the latest draft and showing where they slot on the OSA prospect pipeline as of the end of their first professional season. Just as last year there is quite a variance as the picks range from #1 according to OSA to as low as 280th on the current prospect pipeline. According to OSA the best prospect is actually the fourth pitcher chosen and ninth player overall in Cincinnati Cannons first rounder Charlie Wolf. The 22-year-old lefthander out of Carolina Poly actually made his FABL debut in September, tossing a dozen innings of relief out of the Cannons pen after going 5-2 with a 1.70 era in 8 starts at the Class A level.

We also list an update on the 1965 class, for which there have not been many dramatic shifts but we did see one of the players, Gothams pick Roy Johnson, spend the entire season in the big leagues. With his path to play catcher in FABL currently blocked by Gothams veteran Tom Brizzolara, the club elected to move the 23-year-old former Minns College star to first base. The Houston native handled his defensive responsibilities well enough and it let New York get Johnson's bat (.273,14,58) into the lineup. He did not get any votes for the Federal Association Kellogg Award but Johnson did show he has some decent big league potential, especially if he can hit like that when he is moved back behind the plate.

Here are the 1966 first rounders and where they rank on the current pipeline, along with the 1965 first rounders and were they rank now as well as where they ranked a year ago.

OSA TOP TEN PROSPECTS
October 1966

For the dual purpose of staying up to date with who the top FABL players are as we move towards 1975 while also doing a bit of an assessment on the volatility of top prospects in OOTP26, here is our annual look tracking the prospect pipeline's top 10. We now have four years of top ten lists to work with and the lists have already given us a pair of Kellogg Award winners (top rookie) in 1964 #1 Bill Dunlop and 1963 #10 Andy Babel. So far out of 34 players to be named at least once on the top ten list we have seen 14 (including 1966 #1 ranked Charlie Wolf and #3 Joe McCarthy who debut in August of this, their draft year) make FABL so far. We have also seen one of them, 1964 8th ranked George Valiquette, an outfielder with the New York Imperials, fall out of the top 500 entirely despite suffering no serious injuries and being drafted 4th overall in 1964, so make of that what you will.

Here is the current list of top ten prospects alongside those of 1963-65. The bottom section shows what happened to players who were in the top ten the previous year but did not return to it. For some it was because they made FABL and were no longer considered prospects. For others it was simply a drop in the eyes of the scouts.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE CURRENT TOP TEN

1:CHARLIE WOLF- LHP, Cincinnati Cannons, age 22

Roy Lantz spent 15 years in pro baseball but never reached the big leagues. You have to think the centerfielder by trade was watching and assessing pitchers every waking moment during his playing days. How else would the Cincinnati Cannons 55-year-old scouting director have assembled a cast of young arms like he has?

Let's start with Marco Middleton, who to be fair was drafted the year before Lantz moved to the Cannons from the New York Gothams, but now at the age of 23 has won two straight Continental Association Allen Awards. You also have George McKinney, a top ten prospect a year ago, that slipped down to 50th this year but did a decent job out of the bullpen in AAA last season and may be in Cincinnati come next April. Not bad having a 5th round selection ranked even at #50 on the pipeline.

Then you have 1966 third round selection Joe McCarthy, a cerebral sort who played his college ball at Dickson of the Academia Alliance and will be discussed more shortly because he cracked the top ten prospect list. But the prize prospect has to be Charlie Wolf, who was drafted 8th overall by the Cannons in June and tops the current OSA list. Wolf, a lefthander, replaced Boston Minutemen star Bill Dunlop as the ace at Carolina Poly before following in his footsteps as a number one ranked prospect. Now the Cannons are hoping Wolf can stay on the same course as Dunlop and win a Kellogg and a Whitney Award in the near future.

He already made his big league debut, getting the call for 12 innings of relief work over the final month after completely dominating the competition at Class A where he went 5-2, 1.70 in 8 starts after his college season had completed. If all pans out the Cannons rotation may rival that of the St Louis Pioneers at the start of the decade.

2: HOWIE WESTON - LHP, New York Imperials, age 18

Pitching seems to dominate the current top ten list and it includes the first overall selection from the June draft. That would be Weston, an 18-year-old from Jersey City, NJ, who has the potential to be "an impact starter" according to OSA. Perhaps he is the pitcher the young Imperials franchise can build around and they, like Cincinnati, have two arms crack the current top ten.

3: JOE McCARTHY - RHP, Cincinnati Cannons, age 22

The Dickson College right hander could be the steal of the 1966 draft if he lives up to the expectations piled upon him by OSA which feels McCarthy "has the makings of a future ace." Like his teammate and top prospect Charlie Wolf, the Cannons fast-tracked the former college hurler to the big leagues after a 6-3 start at AAA Indianapolis. Called up in md-August, McCarthy ended up with a no decision despite throwing 7 strong innings in a 2-1 win over Kansas City in his debut. He had some challenges in his next three starts but seemed to get back on track when moved to the bullpen. It stands to reason there is a very good chance both top prospect Wolf and #3 McCarthy will be in the Cincinnati rotation next year.

4: PEDRO ORTIZ - RHP, Detroit Dynamos, age 19

Selected 7th overall, Ortiz immediately became the prize jewel in the Dynamos growing collection of prospects. Detroit had another pitcher crack the top ten a year ago in Danny Wilson, and the now 20-year-old still is ranked 16th so if the two young arms can pan out perhaps Detroit's rebuild can be accelerated. The worry is high school arms are very unpredictable but on the positive Ortiz, who hails from Brooklyn, actually looked better in two September starts at AA than he did in his rookie league debut. OSA feels Ortiz can be a top of the rotation arm but is perhaps a little optimistic suggesting a 1967 big league debut for the teen.

5: PETE BRUCE - C, Cincinnati Cannons, age 24

The first non-pitcher becomes our third Cincinnati Cannon in the top five. Bruce is actually up one spot from his 6th place listing a year ago and if he pans out could be a huge steal for the Cannons. Both the Chiefs and Saints released him before the Cannons signed the Wisconsin native in 1964. A strong development camp where he focused on improving his contact only seems to have strengthened Bruce's standing and he, just like the two Cannons pitchers, made his big league debut last September after hitting .273 with 14 homers in 110 games at AAA Indianapolis. In 24 games with the Cannons, Bruce hit .263 and delivered his first two big league homers.

6: PETE ROSENBAUM - RHP, Dallas Wranglers, age 19

The first of three straight Wranglers to crack the top ten, Rosenbaum returns to the list after being ranked second a year ago. He was selected second overall in the 1965 draft and spent his first pro season in rookie ball. A strong showing at the level this season earned Rosenbaum a promotion to Class A and all he did there was go 4-0 with a 1.25 era in 5 starts. OSA goes as far as suggesting the Philadelphia native could be a future Allen Award winner.

7:STEVE PRATHER - CF, Dallas Wranglers, age 22

Like Rosenbaum and Bruce, Prather makes a second straight appearance in the top ten, moving up one slot from where he was a year ago. A 1962 fourth round draft pick, the Cleveland native has spent the past two and a half seasons in AAA and seems to be destined for a starting role in Dallas next year after he slashed .326/.396/.519 in 141 games with Denver last year. OSA does not see stardom for Prather but with plus speed he can be a "productive regular on a contending team."

8: NICK PARKER- LF, Dallas Wranglers, age 18

The Dallas run continues with their first round pick, sixth overall from the June draft. A Chicago native, the teen is said to have all-star power potential but it may take some time for him to fill out his 6'3" frame. Parker hit .295 with 3 homers in 61 games at the rookie league level.

9:RUSTY ROBERTSON- SS, Minneapolis Millers, age 22

Drafted fourth overall in June out of tiny Erie County College, Robertson has the potential to be a .250 hitter and a shortstop who makes defense look easy. He debut at AAA, playing 89 games at that level and did not look out of place, batting .289 with 9 homers. His defense was acceptable to possibly stick at short throughout his career.

10: JOSE VELAZQUEZ - RHP, New York Imperials, age 19

Rounding out the top ten is another teenage Imperials draft pick from June. That would be second rounder Velazquez, who played his high school ball in Philadelphia and OSA scouts have been raving about his "golden arm." He had his ups and downs in rookie ball, going 3-3 with a 5.09 era but the Imperials have no reason not to be patient with Velazquez.

BASEBALL HALL OF FAME UPDATE

It has been a while since the Hall of Fame inductees were mentioned so here is a quick look at each of those added over the past five years. In 1961 no one made the cut with Ward Messer coming the closest, the former Gothams star was named on 65% of the ballot but that was well below the 75% inclusion required for induction to the ball hall located in Boone County, Illinois.

In 1961 Messer again fell short but there was one candidate who was successful. That was first-time eligible pitcher Joe Hancock. The college star at Henry Hudson was the first overall selection in the 1933 FABL draft by the Toronto Wolves. Hancock would spent 13 and a half seasons with the Wolves before a deadline deal in 1952 sent him to Detroit. He was 38 at the time but would pitch for the Dynamos for six more seasons before retiring in 1957. His career record was 294-210 and including four 20-win campaigns and a 1939 Allen Award. An eight time all-star, Hancock was a key contributor to the Dynamos dynasty in the mid-1950s, winning three WCS rings in Detroit to go with the one he collected with the Wolves in 1940.

In what became a trend in recent years the 1963 class also consisted of just one new addition to the Hall. This time it was Walt Messer as the Gothams star finally got the call. Messer, who's brother Ward had a successful pro basketball career, was selected second overall by the Gothams in the 1936 draft. He made his big league debut at the age of twenty and would be an eight time all-star during a career that spanned 2220 games. Messer finished with 2,518 hits, 430 homers and 1,500 rbi's while batting .299. He won a pair of WCS titles with the Gothams in 1942 and 1956 while earning the MVP award for the 1942 WCS.

In 1964 the lone inductee was first time nominee Al Miller, who appeared on more than 98% of the ballots cast. A 1933 first round pick of the Chicago Chiefs out of Hartford High School where he was a teammate of fellow future big league hurlers John Edwards and Pepper Tuttle, Miller made his big league debut in 1935 at the age of 19. He would spend his entire 23 year big league career with the club that drafted him and finished with a 327-256 career record. Miller was named to the All-Star team 11 times, won three WCS titles and twice was named the Federal Association Allen Award winner.

The lone 1965 inductee Bill Barrett was a near unanimous (99.4% of the vote) choice. Selected 4th overall out of a New Jersey high school by the New York Stars in 1938, it took just 13 games of A ball for the Stars to realize Barrett belonged in the big leagues so he made his FABL debut in his draft year as an 18-year-old. He starred in the New York outfield until just before the 1953 season when he was part of a blockbuster trade that sent him to Cincinnati and multi-sport star Charlie Barrell the other way. At the age of 36 he was moved back to New York where he finished out his career with the Gothams. Included in his four and a half years with the Gothams was Barrett's amazing 1957 campaign when he led the Federal Association with a .389 batting average and won the last of his five career Whitney Awards. In 2,679 career games, Barrett had 493 homers, 1,759 rbi's and 2,961 career hits. He was named to the all-star game a record 15 times and was a part of three WCS winners including the 1939 series when Barrett was named playoff MVP.

In 1966 another former Gotham joined the Hall with Ed Bowman being the only inductee. Bowman spent his entire career with the Gothams, posting a 322-253 career record and winning a pair of Allen Awards. He was a third round draft pick in 1938 and won his first Allen his rookie season by posting a 23-8 record. A 12-time all-star game selection, Bowman helped the Gothams to three pennants and a World Championship Series win in 1942.

TRACKING THE DYNAMOS FIRST ROUNDERS

Since 1962 we have been tracking the yearly progress (or lack thereof) for the Detroit Dynamos first round selections in the annual June draft. The Dynamos were a power in the Federal Association not all that long ago but have been getting progressively worse each season and at 66-96 just endured their worst season since going 62-92 way back in 1942. The only good news is the farm system is being rebuilt but it looks like it will be quite some time before the Dynamos can even consider the chances of adding to their nine World Championship Series titles. One bright spot was Ben Baker as the 1960 second rounder finally got a chance to play everyday in the big leagues and put together a Kellogg Award winning season in 1966 while also making the all-star team. Baker becomes the fifth Dynamos player to be named Federal Association rookie of the year since the awards creation in 1946. He joins Wally Hunter, Edwin Hackberry, Jack Miller and Ray Waggoner.

Here is a look at how 1966 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.

1966 recap: He held relatively steady on the OSA list in his age 22 season, checking it at 251st on the pipeline and is considered Detroit's 13th best prospect. OSA still believes his ceiling is the back end of a rotation after Atkins spent the entire year in AAA Atlanta, going 9-12 with a 4.05 era. He is still young enough that we hope he can contribute at some point but it is becoming more and more clear he will not deliver first round results should he get to the big leagues.

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.

1966 recap: MacDonald does not come close to cracking the OSA top 500 anywhere and shows as the 62nd ranked prospect in Detroit's organization. It seems like the AI Dynamos management has given up on him completely as MacDonald pitched just 28 innings in 1966 and was beat up pretty badly in his only two starts at the Class A level. OSA still thinks he warrants a look with a ceiling of someone who might challenge for a depth starting spot but it is probably best at this point the Dynamos just cut ties with him.

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.

1966 recap: Another bust and it is frustrating to see the AI management just bury these high draft picks and never give them an opportunity to play. Ayers, now ranked 348th overall and 22nd among Detroit prospects, is just 19 years old and he needs to play but instead languished on the bench all season, appearing in 34 games and getting just 93 plate appearances split between rookie ball (which class C has been renamed) and Class A. He did not do much with the limited opportunity he was given but Ayers is clearly going to be another bust.

1965 1st Rounder: PETE MORRIS, College OF, 6th overall

1965 recap: 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.

1966recap:Promising. Now 24 years of age, Morris is considered Detroit's fourth best prospect and #43 overall. He spent the entire season in AAA Atlanta, batting .277 with 15 homers and 57 rbi's. Morris hit for the cycle in an April game and his 126 OPS for the season gives fans some hope he will eventually contribute in Detroit. OSA feels Morris has the tools to be a first division starter but the only red flag is Morris is said to lack ambition.

1966 1st Rounder: PEDRO ORTIZ, High School Pitcher, 7th overall

The 19-year-old from Brooklyn is drawing rave reviews from OSA, which immediately named him the Dynamos top prospect and he presently slots in at #4 overall. Ortiz is one of two Detroit pitchers in the top 16 (1964 second rounder Danny Wilson is the other one) and the scouting service raves that Ortiz has a golden arm and should be a top of the rotation pitcher. We can hope as the Dynamos certainly are in need of one. Ortiz went 5-5 with a 4.30 era (124 ERA+) in 12 starts at rookie ball after his high school season came to an end. He earned a late season promotion to Class A and was dominant going 2-0 with a 0.56 era and a 797! ERA+. OSA says Ortiz could be in the big leagues sometime next season which is a Carl Potter like pace and if Ortiz can become anything close to what Potter did in his first six seasons in Detroit back in the 1940s Dynamos fans will be in for a treat.

CURRENT (OCT 1966) TOP DETROIT PROSPECTS

09-21-2025, 09:17 PM	#1133
Tiger Fan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Ontario Canada Posts: 9,856	Following the top Prospects - 1966 October 28, 1966 LOOKING AT THE 1966 DRAFT CLASS AND TOP PROSPECTS In an effort to stay abreast of who the top stars may be in the game a decade from now when human GMs return here is an update on the first round picks both from the current June 1966 draft and from that of last year. As was the case a year ago we are listing below the 20 players selected in the opening round of the latest draft and showing where they slot on the OSA prospect pipeline as of the end of their first professional season. Just as last year there is quite a variance as the picks range from #1 according to OSA to as low as 280th on the current prospect pipeline. According to OSA the best prospect is actually the fourth pitcher chosen and ninth player overall in Cincinnati Cannons first rounder Charlie Wolf. The 22-year-old lefthander out of Carolina Poly actually made his FABL debut in September, tossing a dozen innings of relief out of the Cannons pen after going 5-2 with a 1.70 era in 8 starts at the Class A level. We also list an update on the 1965 class, for which there have not been many dramatic shifts but we did see one of the players, Gothams pick Roy Johnson, spend the entire season in the big leagues. With his path to play catcher in FABL currently blocked by Gothams veteran Tom Brizzolara, the club elected to move the 23-year-old former Minns College star to first base. The Houston native handled his defensive responsibilities well enough and it let New York get Johnson's bat (.273,14,58) into the lineup. He did not get any votes for the Federal Association Kellogg Award but Johnson did show he has some decent big league potential, especially if he can hit like that when he is moved back behind the plate. Here are the 1966 first rounders and where they rank on the current pipeline, along with the 1965 first rounders and were they rank now as well as where they ranked a year ago. OSA TOP TEN PROSPECTS October 1966 For the dual purpose of staying up to date with who the top FABL players are as we move towards 1975 while also doing a bit of an assessment on the volatility of top prospects in OOTP26, here is our annual look tracking the prospect pipeline's top 10. We now have four years of top ten lists to work with and the lists have already given us a pair of Kellogg Award winners (top rookie) in 1964 #1 Bill Dunlop and 1963 #10 Andy Babel. So far out of 34 players to be named at least once on the top ten list we have seen 14 (including 1966 #1 ranked Charlie Wolf and #3 Joe McCarthy who debut in August of this, their draft year) make FABL so far. We have also seen one of them, 1964 8th ranked George Valiquette, an outfielder with the New York Imperials, fall out of the top 500 entirely despite suffering no serious injuries and being drafted 4th overall in 1964, so make of that what you will. Here is the current list of top ten prospects alongside those of 1963-65. The bottom section shows what happened to players who were in the top ten the previous year but did not return to it. For some it was because they made FABL and were no longer considered prospects. For others it was simply a drop in the eyes of the scouts. A CLOSER LOOK AT THE CURRENT TOP TEN 1:CHARLIE WOLF- LHP, Cincinnati Cannons, age 22 Roy Lantz spent 15 years in pro baseball but never reached the big leagues. You have to think the centerfielder by trade was watching and assessing pitchers every waking moment during his playing days. How else would the Cincinnati Cannons 55-year-old scouting director have assembled a cast of young arms like he has? Let's start with Marco Middleton, who to be fair was drafted the year before Lantz moved to the Cannons from the New York Gothams, but now at the age of 23 has won two straight Continental Association Allen Awards. You also have George McKinney, a top ten prospect a year ago, that slipped down to 50th this year but did a decent job out of the bullpen in AAA last season and may be in Cincinnati come next April. Not bad having a 5th round selection ranked even at #50 on the pipeline. Then you have 1966 third round selection Joe McCarthy, a cerebral sort who played his college ball at Dickson of the Academia Alliance and will be discussed more shortly because he cracked the top ten prospect list. But the prize prospect has to be Charlie Wolf, who was drafted 8th overall by the Cannons in June and tops the current OSA list. Wolf, a lefthander, replaced Boston Minutemen star Bill Dunlop as the ace at Carolina Poly before following in his footsteps as a number one ranked prospect. Now the Cannons are hoping Wolf can stay on the same course as Dunlop and win a Kellogg and a Whitney Award in the near future. He already made his big league debut, getting the call for 12 innings of relief work over the final month after completely dominating the competition at Class A where he went 5-2, 1.70 in 8 starts after his college season had completed. If all pans out the Cannons rotation may rival that of the St Louis Pioneers at the start of the decade. 2: HOWIE WESTON - LHP, New York Imperials, age 18 Pitching seems to dominate the current top ten list and it includes the first overall selection from the June draft. That would be Weston, an 18-year-old from Jersey City, NJ, who has the potential to be "an impact starter" according to OSA. Perhaps he is the pitcher the young Imperials franchise can build around and they, like Cincinnati, have two arms crack the current top ten. 3: JOE McCARTHY - RHP, Cincinnati Cannons, age 22 The Dickson College right hander could be the steal of the 1966 draft if he lives up to the expectations piled upon him by OSA which feels McCarthy "has the makings of a future ace." Like his teammate and top prospect Charlie Wolf, the Cannons fast-tracked the former college hurler to the big leagues after a 6-3 start at AAA Indianapolis. Called up in md-August, McCarthy ended up with a no decision despite throwing 7 strong innings in a 2-1 win over Kansas City in his debut. He had some challenges in his next three starts but seemed to get back on track when moved to the bullpen. It stands to reason there is a very good chance both top prospect Wolf and #3 McCarthy will be in the Cincinnati rotation next year. 4: PEDRO ORTIZ - RHP, Detroit Dynamos, age 19 Selected 7th overall, Ortiz immediately became the prize jewel in the Dynamos growing collection of prospects. Detroit had another pitcher crack the top ten a year ago in Danny Wilson, and the now 20-year-old still is ranked 16th so if the two young arms can pan out perhaps Detroit's rebuild can be accelerated. The worry is high school arms are very unpredictable but on the positive Ortiz, who hails from Brooklyn, actually looked better in two September starts at AA than he did in his rookie league debut. OSA feels Ortiz can be a top of the rotation arm but is perhaps a little optimistic suggesting a 1967 big league debut for the teen. 5: PETE BRUCE - C, Cincinnati Cannons, age 24 The first non-pitcher becomes our third Cincinnati Cannon in the top five. Bruce is actually up one spot from his 6th place listing a year ago and if he pans out could be a huge steal for the Cannons. Both the Chiefs and Saints released him before the Cannons signed the Wisconsin native in 1964. A strong development camp where he focused on improving his contact only seems to have strengthened Bruce's standing and he, just like the two Cannons pitchers, made his big league debut last September after hitting .273 with 14 homers in 110 games at AAA Indianapolis. In 24 games with the Cannons, Bruce hit .263 and delivered his first two big league homers. 6: PETE ROSENBAUM - RHP, Dallas Wranglers, age 19 The first of three straight Wranglers to crack the top ten, Rosenbaum returns to the list after being ranked second a year ago. He was selected second overall in the 1965 draft and spent his first pro season in rookie ball. A strong showing at the level this season earned Rosenbaum a promotion to Class A and all he did there was go 4-0 with a 1.25 era in 5 starts. OSA goes as far as suggesting the Philadelphia native could be a future Allen Award winner. 7:STEVE PRATHER - CF, Dallas Wranglers, age 22 Like Rosenbaum and Bruce, Prather makes a second straight appearance in the top ten, moving up one slot from where he was a year ago. A 1962 fourth round draft pick, the Cleveland native has spent the past two and a half seasons in AAA and seems to be destined for a starting role in Dallas next year after he slashed .326/.396/.519 in 141 games with Denver last year. OSA does not see stardom for Prather but with plus speed he can be a "productive regular on a contending team." 8: NICK PARKER- LF, Dallas Wranglers, age 18 The Dallas run continues with their first round pick, sixth overall from the June draft. A Chicago native, the teen is said to have all-star power potential but it may take some time for him to fill out his 6'3" frame. Parker hit .295 with 3 homers in 61 games at the rookie league level. 9:RUSTY ROBERTSON- SS, Minneapolis Millers, age 22 Drafted fourth overall in June out of tiny Erie County College, Robertson has the potential to be a .250 hitter and a shortstop who makes defense look easy. He debut at AAA, playing 89 games at that level and did not look out of place, batting .289 with 9 homers. His defense was acceptable to possibly stick at short throughout his career. 10: JOSE VELAZQUEZ - RHP, New York Imperials, age 19 Rounding out the top ten is another teenage Imperials draft pick from June. That would be second rounder Velazquez, who played his high school ball in Philadelphia and OSA scouts have been raving about his "golden arm." He had his ups and downs in rookie ball, going 3-3 with a 5.09 era but the Imperials have no reason not to be patient with Velazquez. BASEBALL HALL OF FAME UPDATE It has been a while since the Hall of Fame inductees were mentioned so here is a quick look at each of those added over the past five years. In 1961 no one made the cut with Ward Messer coming the closest, the former Gothams star was named on 65% of the ballot but that was well below the 75% inclusion required for induction to the ball hall located in Boone County, Illinois. In 1961 Messer again fell short but there was one candidate who was successful. That was first-time eligible pitcher Joe Hancock. The college star at Henry Hudson was the first overall selection in the 1933 FABL draft by the Toronto Wolves. Hancock would spent 13 and a half seasons with the Wolves before a deadline deal in 1952 sent him to Detroit. He was 38 at the time but would pitch for the Dynamos for six more seasons before retiring in 1957. His career record was 294-210 and including four 20-win campaigns and a 1939 Allen Award. An eight time all-star, Hancock was a key contributor to the Dynamos dynasty in the mid-1950s, winning three WCS rings in Detroit to go with the one he collected with the Wolves in 1940. In what became a trend in recent years the 1963 class also consisted of just one new addition to the Hall. This time it was Walt Messer as the Gothams star finally got the call. Messer, who's brother Ward had a successful pro basketball career, was selected second overall by the Gothams in the 1936 draft. He made his big league debut at the age of twenty and would be an eight time all-star during a career that spanned 2220 games. Messer finished with 2,518 hits, 430 homers and 1,500 rbi's while batting .299. He won a pair of WCS titles with the Gothams in 1942 and 1956 while earning the MVP award for the 1942 WCS. In 1964 the lone inductee was first time nominee Al Miller, who appeared on more than 98% of the ballots cast. A 1933 first round pick of the Chicago Chiefs out of Hartford High School where he was a teammate of fellow future big league hurlers John Edwards and Pepper Tuttle, Miller made his big league debut in 1935 at the age of 19. He would spend his entire 23 year big league career with the club that drafted him and finished with a 327-256 career record. Miller was named to the All-Star team 11 times, won three WCS titles and twice was named the Federal Association Allen Award winner. The lone 1965 inductee Bill Barrett was a near unanimous (99.4% of the vote) choice. Selected 4th overall out of a New Jersey high school by the New York Stars in 1938, it took just 13 games of A ball for the Stars to realize Barrett belonged in the big leagues so he made his FABL debut in his draft year as an 18-year-old. He starred in the New York outfield until just before the 1953 season when he was part of a blockbuster trade that sent him to Cincinnati and multi-sport star Charlie Barrell the other way. At the age of 36 he was moved back to New York where he finished out his career with the Gothams. Included in his four and a half years with the Gothams was Barrett's amazing 1957 campaign when he led the Federal Association with a .389 batting average and won the last of his five career Whitney Awards. In 2,679 career games, Barrett had 493 homers, 1,759 rbi's and 2,961 career hits. He was named to the all-star game a record 15 times and was a part of three WCS winners including the 1939 series when Barrett was named playoff MVP. In 1966 another former Gotham joined the Hall with Ed Bowman being the only inductee. Bowman spent his entire career with the Gothams, posting a 322-253 career record and winning a pair of Allen Awards. He was a third round draft pick in 1938 and won his first Allen his rookie season by posting a 23-8 record. A 12-time all-star game selection, Bowman helped the Gothams to three pennants and a World Championship Series win in 1942. TRACKING THE DYNAMOS FIRST ROUNDERS Since 1962 we have been tracking the yearly progress (or lack thereof) for the Detroit Dynamos first round selections in the annual June draft. The Dynamos were a power in the Federal Association not all that long ago but have been getting progressively worse each season and at 66-96 just endured their worst season since going 62-92 way back in 1942. The only good news is the farm system is being rebuilt but it looks like it will be quite some time before the Dynamos can even consider the chances of adding to their nine World Championship Series titles. One bright spot was Ben Baker as the 1960 second rounder finally got a chance to play everyday in the big leagues and put together a Kellogg Award winning season in 1966 while also making the all-star team. Baker becomes the fifth Dynamos player to be named Federal Association rookie of the year since the awards creation in 1946. He joins Wally Hunter, Edwin Hackberry, Jack Miller and Ray Waggoner. Here is a look at how 1966 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. 1966 recap: He held relatively steady on the OSA list in his age 22 season, checking it at 251st on the pipeline and is considered Detroit's 13th best prospect. OSA still believes his ceiling is the back end of a rotation after Atkins spent the entire year in AAA Atlanta, going 9-12 with a 4.05 era. He is still young enough that we hope he can contribute at some point but it is becoming more and more clear he will not deliver first round results should he get to the big leagues. 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. 1966 recap: MacDonald does not come close to cracking the OSA top 500 anywhere and shows as the 62nd ranked prospect in Detroit's organization. It seems like the AI Dynamos management has given up on him completely as MacDonald pitched just 28 innings in 1966 and was beat up pretty badly in his only two starts at the Class A level. OSA still thinks he warrants a look with a ceiling of someone who might challenge for a depth starting spot but it is probably best at this point the Dynamos just cut ties with him. 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. 1966 recap: Another bust and it is frustrating to see the AI management just bury these high draft picks and never give them an opportunity to play. Ayers, now ranked 348th overall and 22nd among Detroit prospects, is just 19 years old and he needs to play but instead languished on the bench all season, appearing in 34 games and getting just 93 plate appearances split between rookie ball (which class C has been renamed) and Class A. He did not do much with the limited opportunity he was given but Ayers is clearly going to be another bust. 1965 1st Rounder: PETE MORRIS, College OF, 6th overall 1965 recap: 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. 1966recap:Promising. Now 24 years of age, Morris is considered Detroit's fourth best prospect and #43 overall. He spent the entire season in AAA Atlanta, batting .277 with 15 homers and 57 rbi's. Morris hit for the cycle in an April game and his 126 OPS for the season gives fans some hope he will eventually contribute in Detroit. OSA feels Morris has the tools to be a first division starter but the only red flag is Morris is said to lack ambition. 1966 1st Rounder: PEDRO ORTIZ, High School Pitcher, 7th overall The 19-year-old from Brooklyn is drawing rave reviews from OSA, which immediately named him the Dynamos top prospect and he presently slots in at #4 overall. Ortiz is one of two Detroit pitchers in the top 16 (1964 second rounder Danny Wilson is the other one) and the scouting service raves that Ortiz has a golden arm and should be a top of the rotation pitcher. We can hope as the Dynamos certainly are in need of one. Ortiz went 5-5 with a 4.30 era (124 ERA+) in 12 starts at rookie ball after his high school season came to an end. He earned a late season promotion to Class A and was dominant going 2-0 with a 0.56 era and a 797! ERA+. OSA says Ortiz could be in the big leagues sometime next season which is a Carl Potter like pace and if Ortiz can become anything close to what Potter did in his first six seasons in Detroit back in the 1940s Dynamos fans will be in for a treat. CURRENT (OCT 1966) TOP DETROIT PROSPECTS __________________ Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles Last edited by Tiger Fan; 09-21-2025 at 09:18 PM.