After I don't know how long, we finally had our first sim in the re-return, and just like any sim it was full of excitement! My favorite part is our new scout, as not only is he better then the old one in nearly every way possible, he's also the guy I took in the
10th Round of the 1938 draft.
Drafted in part due to his excellent defensive ability, he spent seven seasons in our system before being drafted into the war. When players returned he was 26 and without a spot, allowed to pursue a spot in the upstart Great Western League. He fought through a season and a half of their minor league ball, but debuted for the San Diego Conquistadores in 1948. Carr hit .262/.308/.410 (114 OPS+) with 8 doubles, 7 triples, 3 homers, 22 RBIs, 25 runs, and 14 walks in 228 trips to the plate. A productive year, he won the right field job next year, and rewarded San Diego with a .312/.360/.487 (130 OPS+) line. He clubbed 28 doubles, 16 homers, and 6 triples, scoring 77 runs and driving in 61.
Unfortunately for Carr, that was the last year the Great Western League was considered a major league, so nice salaries were no longer on the table. Knowing he wouldn't get a FABL chance, he stayed in San Diego, spending the next nine seasons in the GWL. Back as a minor league, the competition wasn't quite as competitive, but there were still tough pitchers he had to deal with. He produced five above average offensive seasons in a row, but a pair of injuries in 1953 started his decline. Even up to his final season in 1958, he played regularly in the Conquistadores outfield, finishing his career with 1,184 career games. His .280/.345/.419 batting line was well above average and he picked up 201 doubles, 51 triples, 91 homers, 574 RBIs, 560 runs, 117 steals, and 389 walks in his journey out west.
Now 55, this will be his first official coaching role with a FABL organization, though he spent time in advisory capacity for the still active GWL San Diego team. Now trying his hand out at scouting, he's outstanding when it comes to amateurs and will be thrown right into the fire a few weeks before the amateur draft. It will be complete chaos, so I'm not expecting many obvious hits, but I have a lot of faith in his eventual opinions. He's again outstanding for minor leaguers and excellent for big leaguers, and I've already sent him on a mission to take a look at some of the potential top picks in the draft. Eventually he'll get a read on some of the organization, but at least for the active roster OSA tends to be better. With a now maxed scouting and development budget we might back up and running quickly, understanding what works and what doesn't as we get reacquainted with our team and the rest of the league.
Carr wasn't the only move, as we hired a second coach in Yosuke Smith. A hitting coach out in Japan, he's one of the best at getting fundamentally sound hitters, and he's excellent for improving one's overall hitting. We now have a full and pretty capable staff, but there's still a lot of work to be done in the organization. There's one newly added free agent that I really want to sign and a few more that'd be nice on minor league deals. There might even be a potential prospect, as I decided to look at the few guys Carr had rated "High" for accuracy. 1975 could be a very big year for us, measured more in organizational gain then postseason success. A lot of effort will be put into the 1976 draft, something I'll have a little under a year to plan for.