Chicago Cougars (FABL)

[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 1-6
Seasonal Record: 27-32 (6th, 12.5 GB)
Stars of the Week
Bill Ashbaugh : 17 AB, 8 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .471 AVG, 1.218 OPS
Jake Moore : 8 AB, 6 H, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .750 AVG, 1.778 OPS
Tom Taylor : 27 AB, 9 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .333 AVG, .898 OPS

Weekly Schedule
6-11: Loss at Stars (8-9)
6-12: Loss at Stars (2-7)
6-13: Loss at Stars (0-4)
6-14: Win at Stars (12-6)
6-15: Loss at Kings (6-11)
6-16: Loss at Kings (3-11)

Summary
This was an awful week... Not only did we lose all but one game, but Tommy Wilcox left his start in the second inning with a strained forearm. He's fine, will need a few days to get healthy, but wow what a bad omen to start it off with.

Not sure how the Stars completely dismantled us, but we looked really bad this week. Getting shutout by Chicago kid Les Zoller hurt and to only win won from a four game set with one of the two teams in the CA with a worst record then us really stings. I'm ready to punt the season, which means it's time to decide if any of the veterans should be shipped out. That could mean John Kincaid, Tom Taylor, Doc Love, Lou Kelly, or Mike Taylor could be on their way out. I'm not sure I want to move anyone, but we really need help on the pitching side.

Looking Ahead
After finishing the final two against the Kings in Brooklyn it's off to Baltimore for four with the last place Cannons. They're 23-36 on the season, but with how we played last week, they might have their way with us like the Stars did. They've seen former 13th Round Pick Pinky Conlan blossom into an ace this season. He's 4-2 with a 3.22 ERA (144 ERA+), 1.32 WHIP, 27 walks, and 21 strikeouts in 64.1 innings pitched. Dutch Leverett has remained consistent, but even if we have to face both we will also see two pitchers with ERA's above 5.70. Abel Man has cooled off after his start, hitting just .291 with 6 homers and 41 RBI's after having 5 homers a few weeks in. We finish the week in Montreal, starting a four game series on Sunday.

Batters
Obviously not much goes right when you finish 1-5, but Joe Masters finally did something. He only played in half the games, but he was 4-for-12 with a homer and 4 RBI's. The other side of the platoon, Jake Moore, was 6-for-8 with 2 doubles and RBI's. Besides that, really just Bill Ashbaugh was productive on the week. Ashbaugh slashed .471/.571/.647 with a homer and 5 RBI's. Doc Love and Tom Taylor both added a homer and drove in five. It was also Lou Kelly's first "down" week, going just 6-for-23, slightly better then .250.

Pitchers
Well, all good things must come to an end. The three start stretch of three earned runs came to an end after Johnny Walker allowed 3 homers (8 total runs), 8 hits, and 3 walks in just 3.2 innings against the Kings in his last start (at least for now) in the majors. Dick Lyons and Wayne Robinson both allowed 7 in 6 and a third while Dick Leudtke allowed 6 runs and 15 hits in the only win.

Minor League Report
CF Chink Stickels (AA Mobile Commodores): It was a tough start to the season down in AA for Chink Stickels, but the 23-year-old used a 21-game hit streak to really heat himself up. He's now hitting .269/.321/.468 (102 OPS+) with 3 homers, 7 steals, and 42 RBI's. These are really impressive numbers for a kid who has 89 games played in A ball and 6 (back in 1933) in AAA. Acquired in the Independent League draft, Stickels boasts blazing speed that translates to outstanding range out in center. He can stretch a single into a double and beat out a return throw or slow roller, but he also has a nice eye and the strength to potentially hit 10-15 homers a year. He was taken back in the 5th Round of the 1932 Draft (I actually really liked him back then too) and has all the tools to be a productive center fielder in the FABL.

LF Henry Cox (A Lincoln Legislators): Despite being just 19, Henry Cox has had no trouble with Class A pitching. Not only is he hitting .287/.369/.627 (138 OPS+), but he's already hit 21 homers and drove in 59 runs in 51 games. And it's not like the Heartland League is some super crazy hitter friendly league, only one other hitter, Phil Whitehead (13), has more then 10. I've been touting Cox's power since the draft, as he hit 11 his senior year of high school. He was one of my top targets despite playing a corner position and I was able to grab him in the fifth round. Power isn't his only game, as he has a good eye and will draw his share of walks. He's eventually going to develop into a decent defender too, and I'm really excited to see what Cox will develop into.

Amateur Report
3B Mack Sutton: After going completely under the radar as a junior, the Arkansas Artillerymen hit a amateur best 14 homers and drove in 38 runs in just 25 games. He also hit .448/.547/1.000 and managed to draw 20 walks and swipe five bases. Sutton has immense power potential and an excellent eye at the plate, and OSA announced him as one of the top 10 players available this Winter. He's committed to Lawrence State and is commanding a $16,000 bonus, but I'd imagine he'll be a first round selection and he won't even consider going to college. The early mock draft has him going second.

SP George Garrison: As a junior, George Garrison was dominant, 11-0 with a 0.94 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, 14 walks, and 153 strikeouts in 115.1 innings pitched. He didn't match that this year, but still was an impressive 8-1 with a 1.24 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 14 walks, and 112 strikeouts in 94.1 innings (he made three less starts). Garrison is a lanky 6'2'' righty who generates a ton of groundballs and hits any spot he wants. He's got top of the rotation potential and throws in the upper 80s with his cutter and the fastball hits 90. He has four offspeed pitches, but my guess is he only works in two of them. Garrison currently ranks as the #2 pitcher available according to OSA.

SS Stu Johnson: He turned 21 yesterday, but the junior Stu Johnson hit .281/.380/.421 with 6 homers, 27 steals, and 42 RBI's in a really impressive season for Campion. The Seattle native built on a strong Junior year where he hit .265/.365/.394 with 5 homers, 36 RBI's, and 29 steals in one of the top college leagues. Johnson has a good sense of the strike zone and will draw a lot of walks. It makes up for his lower contact tool, but he does have really nice power for a shortstop. The bat isn't the only plus, as he's skilled with the glove and has the talent to stick at the position.

SP Jack Hale: "The El Dorado Kid" Jack Hale did struggle a bit with the toughest competition at Miami State as a sophomore. He was 7-5 with a 3.77 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 20 walks, and 64 strikeouts in 98 innings. These are still strong numbers for a sophomore, but they don't really scream top pick. This year, however, he really turned things around. In 103.2 innings, he was 8-4 with a 2.86 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 17 walks, and 62 strikeouts. He doesn't throw too hard right now, just 83-85, but if he's this good now, I can't wait to see how well he is going to do by adding a little speed on his fastball. It's one of his five pitches, and he mixes all five pitches well.

[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 4-3
Seasonal Record: 27-32 (6th, 12.5 GB)
Stars of the Week
Tommy Wilcox : 1 Win, 9.0 IP, 1 BB, 2 K, 0.00 ERA
Joe Masters : 14 AB, 6 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .429 AVG, 1.043 OPS
Tom Taylor : 28 AB, 7 H, 1 HR, 7 RBI, .250 AVG, .669 OPS

Weekly Schedule
6-17: Win at Kings (7-6)
6-18: Loss at Kings (2-7)
6-19: Win at Cannons (4-0)
6-20: Win at Cannons (3-2)
6-21: Loss at Cannons (3-6)
6-22: Loss at Cannons (1-6)
6-23: Win at Saints (4-3)

Summary
GUESS WHO'S BACK?

BACK AGAIN!

TOMMY'S BACK!

TELL A FRIEND!

GUESS WHO'S BACK! GUESS WHO'S BACK! GUESS WHO'S BACK!

If you pretend his first 1.2 inning start never happened (which is my plan), Wilcox's first start in almost an entire calendar year was similar to something he's done 15 times since 1929, tossed a complete game shutout. In complete game #115 (he's only made 168 starts), Wilcox looked like he's been pitching all year, allowing just 5 hits, a walk, and adding on a pair of strikeouts in his first decision of 1935. Other things happened this week, but taking out this game it was really just a mediocre week. Split the two with the Kings and split the Cannons series. We did win the first against the Saints, but it's becoming more apparent that our win's aren't all that important. At 31-35, we're tied with the Eagles for fourth worst record, which means we hold the #5 pick. I think I'm ready to start moving a few pieces.

Looking Ahead
We finish June with three more against the Saints, an off day, and then three hosting the Sailors back in Chicago. Montreal sits at 31-34 and there pitching has turned things around. While George Thomas continues his strong start to the season (7-3, 3.35, 29), Randy Taylor and Earle Whitten have started to straighten things out. Whitten especially, who's 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 14 walks, and 11 strikeouts in 4 June starts. The offense has had some issues, but catcher Tom Bird is hitting .322/.417/.475 (137 OPS+) with 4 homers and 32 RBI's while seizing the starting catching job and former Cougar John Banks has done well out of the eight hole. He's batting .331/.381/.394 (107 OPS+) and playing a dependable second base.

The Sailors have fallen under rougher times, and they've dropped to .500 on the season. Now just the Foresters (37-28) and Kings (42-23) boast records better then .500. Lefty Herb Flynn has blossomed into a strong starter, as the former Rule-5 pick is 5-2 with a 2.90 ERA (152 ERA+), 1.33 WHIP, 34 walks, and 35 strikeouts in 96.1 innings. He has a 0.03 ERA advantage over the Wolves' Chuck Cole. And even with William Jones struggles, him, Flynn, and William Jones make up an enviable 1-2-3. I'm hoping we just see one of them, as Russ Reel and Oscar Morse are much easier to hit. The offense isn't great, but a lot of that is attributed to their park. I've mentioned Dick Walker's cool skillset before, but he's not the only one who's excellent at walking. The Sailors pride themselves on their discipline at the plate, ranking 1st in walks and strikeouts.

Batters
Saying Lou Kelly came back to earth is a little of an understatement. Has 1935 season is giving me way-to-soon flashbacks of GME, skyrocketing for absolutely no reason, thinking it will last for more then just a few days (sims), and then it plummets right back to the disappointment you remember from before the jump. Since June started, he's hitting just .244/.303/.411 with 2 homers and 13 RBI's. This last week was extremely tough, 5-for-29 without an RBI or extra base hit. This is the guy who still leads the CA in RBI's (55) and OPS (1.036), but he's now a point behind John Lawson for the batting title and his triple slash has dropped to .386/.437/.598 (157 OPS+). Obviously, still amazing numbers, but a little more realistic then what I was becoming too accustomed too.

Some better news involves Joe Masters heating up. He was 6-for-14 with a trio of RBI's as he slowly starts to show that he can still put the ball in play. Hitting .219/.253/.375 (55 OPS+), I'm still unsure why the decline happened so fast. My scout doesn't even think he's better then Jake Moore, and it's only a matter of time before Leo Mitchell passes them both. I'm now actively shopping John Kincaid which would open up a roster spot for Leo Mitchell to make his debut and hopefully take the first base job and keep it for the next 10-15 years. Moving an outfielder (maybe Kelly or Taylor) is also in the cards, so I can bring up another youngster in Rich Langton. Both kids rank inside the top 50 (14 and 33) and are homegrown, something the Cougars organization hasn't seen in years.

Pitchers
I guess Tommy Wilcox isn't the only pitcher in our organization (although sometimes it feels that way...), so I should take a few notes on the other guys who throw the ball to Mike Taylor. Dick Leudtke has continued a nice run of starts, picking up his 5th straight win in his 5th start with 8.2 or more innings in a row. He allowed 11 hits and 2 runs with 2 walks and strikeouts in the 3-2 win over the Cannons. After a May which saw him post a 7.28 ERA and 1.83 WHIP, Leudtke righted the ship and has started to build back some of his trade value. In 4 June starts he's a perfect 4-0 with a 2.78 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 6 walks, and 9 strikeouts. He's back to striking out more (26) then he walks (24) and his 5.03 ERA (94 ERA+) is somewhat respectable. Dave Rankin has had some tough starts recently, but he's still second in the CA with 55 strikeouts and he has a nice 4.26 ERA (111 ERA+) and 1.37 WHIP. I'm worried about Dick Lyons, however, who's only made it to the ninth in one start this year. Now 35, the iron man is starting to show signs of decay and his WHIP is pushing 2 (1.94). Especially with us not competing right now, Lyons isn't going anywhere even if he never brings his ERA back below 6. Besides, he was there in 1929 when we set the worst team ERA record, so why not let him stay for 1935 where we might do the same.

Minor League Report
SP Hank Spencer (AAA Milwaukee Blues): So maybe I should have just let him start the season in AAA... After an awful stretch in the majors, Hank Spencer has been brilliant in 8 starts. He's 4-1 with an elite 2.12 ERA (233 ERA+), 0.94 WHIP, 5 walks, and 28 strikeouts in 46.2 innings pitched. The hard throwing southpaw is one of our top pitching prospects, ranking 3rd behind the highly touted 21-year-old righties Cy Sullivan and Karl Wallace. Spencer attacks hitters with his fastball and then he gets excellent downward movement on his change and curve. I don't expect him to maintain the +5 K/9, but he seems to be in the Dave Rankin range (3.5-4.0). This is his last option year, so he'll be guaranteed a roster spot next season, but I'm a big fan of the sidewinding southpaw.

3B Phil McKenna (A Lincoln Legislators): It took just two weeks in A ball before Phil McKenna took home his first Player of the Week award. Fresh off a promotion from San Jose, last year's 5th Rounder went 11-for-26 with 3 homers, 10 RBI's, and 7 runs scored. It's been a really impressive 66 PA sample for the Coastal Carolina alum who's hitting .377/.500/.679 (186 OPS+) with 4 homers, 14 RBI's, and 12 (!) walks. He did just turn 22, but McKenna seems to be really advanced for a recent draftee. The plate discipline is very impressive, as he's actually a super aggressive hitter. McKenna swings a lot and generates a ton of power, but he's limited his strikeouts well so far. I can see this becoming an issue as he continues to progress, but for now I'm happy to have gotten a guy I thought could've been a first rounder the year.

3B Dick Voss (B San Jose Cougars): I probably waited a little too long, but it's about time Dick Voss got the promotion to San Jose. He took home another Player of the Week Award and will finish with 49 games in the lowest minor league level. Our recent 14th Rounder, Dick Voss hit .435/.512/.671 (173 OPS+) with 9 homers and 54 RBI's. The only reason Voss was down in La Crosse was because McKenna was in San Jose, but now that he's been up there for two weeks with no signs of a premature promotion, Voss can start his climb. And it may look like power is his calling card, but this is more of an added surprise. Voss profiled as a contact first hitter and somehow his C ball numbers (in 6 more trips to the plate) are much more impressive then his college numbers.

SS Ivan Cameron (C La Crosse Lions): It hasn't been a great season for the defensive marvel, but our 3rd Rounder last season put together a huge 5-for-6 game with 5 RBI's in a 17-6 win over the Ottumwa Owls (Cleveland's Class C affiliate). Cameron has been outstanding at short, boasting a +11.7 zone rating and 1.152 efficiency rating in 59 games at short. The soon to be 19-year-old is hitting a nice .281/.385/.434 (91 OPS+) and he's even added 7 homers and 41 RBI's. I think the power is temporary, but he's shown great discipline at the plate (28 walks to 17 strikeouts) and my scout thinks he's got 80+ walk potential. With good speed on the field and the basepaths, his athleticism is a huge pull and one of the reasons he was on my shortlist. OSA seems to be a fan too, ranking him 21st in our system and 165th overall. I feel like I give myself too much credit for my farm sometimes (it really was just lucky the 1932 class was so good), but if the top prospects were distributed uniformly, you'd expect the 21st prospect to rank 336th (our farm is basically two teams combined).

Amateur Report
CF Joe Zielinski (Caesar Rodney): Despite just being a sophomore, Joe Zielinski slugged like he was already ready to hit FABL pitching. He hit 11 doubles, 10 triples, and 11 homers while also stealing 35 bases, driving in 42 runs, scoring 50 times, and walking 46 times. No college player had an OPS above his 1.010, and he still faced Good competition at Caesar Rodney (college in Delaware). A lefty hitter from Buffalo, he hit .277/.416/.594 while boasting excellent footspeed, a good eye, and excellent instincts in the outfield. I've been trying to find an issue with him, but so far, it's been a little tough. The batting average isn't great, just .277, but I think Joe Zielinski looks exactly like Tom Taylor, just maybe with a few less strikeouts.

1B Walt Messer (McKinley Tech): Last year I was excited about Fred Galloway hitting .500. Perhaps I shouldn't have been... In fact, I should have been drooling over Walt Messer, who hit .613/.648/1.170 with 15 homers and 51 RBI's as a sophomore. Granted, first basemen do kid of suck, but he followed up the sophomore year with another .600 season. This time, Wally the Knife hit a much less impressive .604/.639/1.121 with 10 homers and 39 RBI's. Sure, the competition is just average where he plays, but I know first hand it is not very easy to hit .600 at any level of high school. Despite my best efforts, by JV batting average could only surpass .400, not anywhere close to the .600 from Messer (he also has more homers then I have hits, but that's another story...). He can't be selected until next season, but Messer has power well beyond his years and he's going to challenge for batting titles. Of course, at just 16, he's got a lot of developing to do, but the sky is the limit for him.

SP Bunny Edwards (Red River State): I tried to find a college arm better then Al Miller, but I could not. The closest thing is Bunny Edwards, a sophomore from Red River State. He tossed 98 innings this year and was 7-2 with a 2.39 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. He struck out 97 and walked just 26, and while a few other arms did manage to strike out 100 (including a freshman!), neither had comparable ERA's or WHIP's. Edwards' success stems from his combination of groundball generating ability and his excellent stuff that keeps pitchers guessing. All three of his pitches are out pitches, and while he just throws in the 84-86 range, he doesn't need to add more velocity to become effective. Standing at just 5'7'', the 19-year-old "Spaceman" does have the pitching potential to take a team's rotation to the moon!

SP Manny Franco (Old Westbury): During the 1935 season, only two pitchers had an ERA below 2.00 and a WHIP below 0.75. One of those players is well known for being part of Baseball's First Family. The other, well, he's best known for the color of his facial hair. Manny Franco, conversationally labeled "Redbeard" is making his case for top pitcher of the 1936 class after finishing his junior season 10-0 with a 0.62 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, 20 walks, and 172 strikeouts. It's another perfect season for Franco record wise, and he improved on his ERA, WHIP and K9 while maintaining a similar BB9. Barrell did strike out more hitters, but Franco had just a 0.2 smaller K9. Of course, Barrell is likely going #1 this year while Franco still has room to grow. With pitching, literally anything can happen in an offseason, but Franco already throws four strong pitches, sits in the 85-87 range, and generates a ton of groundballs.

[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 4-2
Seasonal Record: 35-37 (4th, 11.5 GB)
Stars of the Week
Mike Smith : 12 AB, 8 H, 0 HR, 5 RBI, .667 AVG, 1.609 OPS
Lou Kelly : 21 AB, 8 H, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .381 AVG, 1.147 OPS
John Kincaid : 26 AB, 10 H, 0 HR, 5 RBI, .385 AVG, .931 OPS

Weekly Schedule
6-24: Win at Saints (6-2)
6-25: Win at Saints (6-1)
6-26: Win at Saints (9-4)
6-28: Loss vs Sailors (7-6)
6-29: Loss vs Sailors (6-4): 11 innings
6-30: Win vs Sailors (6-9)

Summary
SSSSSSSSSWWWWWWWWWEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

As far as I know, this was our first sweep of the season, and it came in Montreal. We won the opener on Sunday, and then took the next three which all had excellent pitching performances by our starter. He did leave his start in the 7th (of course...), but Tommy Wilcox was excellent in 6.2 innings, allowing 5 hits, 2 runs (1 earned), and 2 walks with 2 strikeouts. Bill Kline, in need of a good outing, walked one and struck out 3 in a 2.1 inning save to finish the game. It was followed by another outing where Dick Leudtke decided to do all the work himself. He allowed an unearned run off 5 hits, 6 walks, and 6 strikeouts, but was also 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles and a run scored. Joe Masters helped too, 3-for-5 with a double and three driven in. Then in the finale, Wayne Robinson did well, 8 innings with 10 hits, 4 runs (3 earned), and 4 strikeouts.

The home series didn't go as well, with the Sailors taking the first two before we salvaged the finale. We managed to get 7 of Doc Newell in the opener, but Dave Rankin matched him before Dick Sexton allowed the 8th run of the game. He didn't do too bad, so it's tough the loss is on him, allowing 3 hits and 4 walks with 5 strikeouts. The scary game was the middle. After nine innings, the game was tied at four. And while Oscar Morse was already taken out, it took until pitch #164 for Jim Cathey to remove Tommy Wilcox from the game. This came after 12 hits, 6 runs, and 7(!) walks with just one strikeout. Add in the fact that he left not only his last outing with an injury, but also the one two starts prior, three starts prior, and five starts prior. Of course, that means he's going to get hurt again next week, so I'm already mentally preparing myself for finishing the rest of the year without him. We did salvage the finale, but that was more because we got to face Russ Reel who's had some struggles on the season.

Looking Ahead
July starts today, and we'll be in Cleveland to start the week. We get three with the surging Foresters who have won eight of their last ten. They sit 42-29, and are now just four games behind the Kings. Cleveland's offense is as impressive as it gets, all but leadoff hitter and rookie Fred Quinn have OPS+ above 100, and to be fair, Quinn's is 98. They've got power, they've got contact, and they can run a bit too. The pitching is also really good, headlined by top arms in Dean Astle, Lou Drouillard, and Eddie Quinn with former Cougar farmhand Ben Turner in the four spot. We will miss the other, Dean Astle, but he actually has the highest ERA of the four (4.08, 110 ERA+).

The rest of the week kind of sucks: double header at home on the 4th with the Wolves, and then three in Philly with the Sailors before the All-Star break. We get the 8th (All-Star Game) and 9th off, but this week is going to be a lot of action in a little time. The Wolves have added Vine York to their starting lineup, and we'll get to see him for the double header. He's hitting a nice .300/.344/.472 (116 OPS+) with 4 homers and 22 RBI's in 193 trips to the plate. They also brought in Phil English to be their stopper, who's tossed 9.1 scoreless innings with 4 walks, 5 hits, and 5 strikeouts.

Batters
After a little bit of a rough patch, Lou Kelly straightened things out with a much better week. He was 8-for-21 with 2 homers and 5 RBI's, up to 11 and 60 on the season. The more impressive performances came from a trio of bench players, with Jake Moore, Mike Smith, and Russ Combs combining to go 12-for-20 with 7 RBI's. Smith was the best of the trio, an outstanding 8-for-12 with a double, triple, and 5 RBI's. Combs did get hurt though, so he'll return to the DL. John Kincaid had a really good week, hopefully adding to his trade value, going 10-for-26 with 4 doubles and 5 RBI's. It's been another decent year for Kincaid, slashing .338/.379/.466 (110 OPS+) with 2 homers, 2 steals, and 40 RBI's. Doc Love has really started to struggle, with his batting line dropping to .324/.364/.497 (113 OPS+) and he's still stuck at 11 homers. He hasn't hit one since June 15th and he's saw his slugging drop from .929 all the way down to .860. Bill Ashbaugh had his first rough week, 5-for-23, but he's still hitting .343/.407/.569 (142 OPS+) with 5 homers, 3 steals, and 30 RBI's in 206 trips to the plate. Him and Lou Kelly are getting my votes for All-Star, but they're the only two I believe deserve it (Dick Leudtke has actually gotten some love from fellow GMs, but I'm not considering him).

Pitching
I talked enough about how I'm scared about Tommy Wilcox and ready for him to get hurt, but man our staff is struggling right now. Discounting Wilcox, just Dave Rankin (102) has an above average ERA+ after a terrible six start June. He's 1-4 with a 6.14 ERA (76 ERA+), 1.55 WHIP, 17 walks, and 18 strikeouts after erasing all the gains he's made this season. Dick Lyons continues to disappoint, 6-5 with a 6.51 ERA (72 ERA+), 1.94 WHIP, 21 walks, and 34 strikeouts in 94 innings. I'm hoping this is just a really low RNG role and next year he'll get the high end, but at 35 there may not be much of a high end left. And to Leudtke's credit, he has faired like an All-Star this month. His 6 starts went much better, 6-0 with a sparkly 2.79 ERA (168 ERA+), 1.39 WHIP, 13 walks, and 17 strikeouts. He didn't get Pitcher of the Month, that went to Tom Barrell (6-2, 2.81 ERA, 44 K) who had a much nicer WHIP in more innings.

All Star Ballot
Tough picking the ballots. In the Fed, there were a lot of guys I wanted to vote for but couldn't: Myers, Carroll, Higgins, Cleaves, McCormick, Curry, Hampton, and Brown. In my own league, I struggled to find a third (and honestly second, but not for nearly as long) starting pitcher. Mainly because the guys I wanted to vote for weren't listed. No Joe Shaffner? No Herb Flynn? No Pinky Conlan? In the end, I decided it wasn't worth stressing and decided to just go with a Cougar after all: Dick Lyons (protest vote). For the hitters, however, there were a lot of guys I also wanted to elect: Bird, Crawford, Meeks, Cleaves, Kincaid, Vance, Dawson, and Drake.

Here is what I went with:

Federal Association:
SP Hardin Bates NYG
SP Walter Murphy PIT
SP Sam Sheppard STL
C John Wicklund NYG
1B Rankin Kellogg PHS
2B Freddie Jones STL
3B Len Jones CHI
SS Bob Barringer CHI
LF Joe Owens PIT
CF Chick Donnelly BOS
RF Bobby Barrell PHS

Continental Association:
SP Tom Barrell BRK
SP Doc Newell PHS
SP Dick Lyons CHC
C T.R. Goins CLE
1B Dick Walker PHS
2B Bill Ashbaugh CHC
3B John Lawson NYS
SS Harry Barrell BRK
LF Al Wheeler BRK
CF Pablo Reyes MON
RF Lou Kelly CHC

Minor League Report
LF Rich Langton (AAA Milwaukee Blues): For 21 consecutive games, Rich Langton managed to get at least one hit before an 0-for-5 in a 6-2 loss to Fort Wayne. It's been a lot of hitting like that for Langton this season who owns a .358/.430/.510 (135 OPS+) batting line at baseball's highest minor league level. He also has 5 homers, 11 steals, and 46 RBI's with a decent +1.7 zone rating out in left. With Doc Love out there and Lou Kelly in right, there's no obvious spot for Langton at the moment. Still, this kid has top of the charts potential and ranks 30th currently on the top 100 prospect list. He'll turn 24 on July 29th, so perhaps his birthday gift will be a promotion to the majors.

1B Leo Mitchell (AAA Milwaukee Blues): I knew it was only a matter of time before Leo Mitchell would start hitting again. The 22-year-old current ranks as the 10th best prospect in baseball and took home a Player of the Week after going 13-for-28 with 2 homers and 6 RBI's. He's brought his batting line up to .333/.413/.469 (121 OPS+) with 7 homers and 42 RBI's and it's clear to me he's ready to begin his Cougar career. It's tough, Joe Masters is stinking up first base, but I can't possibly release him. I could potentially send Jake Moore down, but he's hitting a nice .308/.403/.423 (107 OPS+) in 62 trips to the plate. I did consider bringing Mitchell up with Combs hitting the DL, but I don't want to be stuck having to option him down. Once Mitchell is up, ideally he stays up and never looks back. This kid has all the tools to succeed, and if the extra power he's added on this year is legit, the league might want to watch out.

RF Bobby Mills (A Lincoln Legislators): It was an excellent June for Bobby Mills, as he hit .422 with 7 homers, 33 RBI's, and 29 runs scored. "Nutball" was promoted to A ball towards the end of May, and he's almost replicated his 154 OPS+ from San Jose. In 172 trips to the plate he's batting .395/.413/.611 (146 OPS+) with 8 homers and 39 RBI's. Mills doesn't draw many walks, but he doesn't have strikeout issues either. He'll put the ball in play a ton and he's always going to hit for a high average. The power has started to come on, and he's shaping up to be a 15+ home run hitter in the majors. Him and Henry Cox are now going to switch positions, so Mills will be moving to left, but it might be the position for him. Up until today, I forgot he actually was a natural left fielder before I moved him to right.

SP Cy Sullivan (B San Jose Cougars): I love the progress Cy Sullivan is making! Since his promotion to San Jose, he's been excellent in five starts. He's now 3-1 with a 1.79 ERA (251 ERA+), 0.87 WHIP, 8 walks, and 15 strikeouts in 40.1 innings. In all five starts he's allowed three or less runs, but the best was the most recent. On a day that saw four FABL shutouts, Sullivan allowed just 5 hits with 3 strikeouts in a complete game victory over the Everett Eagles. The 6'6'' righty is up to 42nd in the top 100 and he continues to blossom. In the offseason he added two extra miles to his fastball and he's really managed to get his walks under control. For a guy who walked 71 and struck out just 39, he's flipped it to 20 and 36 this season. I expected him to finish the season up here, but potentially the 21-year-old will end the year up in Lincoln if he keeps pitching like this.

[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 2-6
Seasonal Record: 35-37 (4th, 11.5 GB)
Stars of the Week
Tom Taylor : 30 AB, 11 H, 3 HR, 7 RBI, .367 AVG, 1.106 OPS
Doc Love : 35 AB, 11 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, .314 AVG, .705 OPS
John Kincaid : 29 AB, 9 H, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .310 AVG, .782 OPS

Weekly Schedule
7-1: Win at Foresters (4-3)
7-2: Loss at Foresters (0-10)
7-3: Loss at Foresters (4-8)
7-4: Win vs Wolves (2-3)
7-4: Loss vs Wolves (12-7)
7-5: Loss at Sailors (0-6)
7-6: Loss at Sailors (4-7)
7-7: Loss at Sailors (3-5)

Summary
Well, I knew this week was going to suck, and sure enough, it sucked. We did manage to win the first game against the Foresters, as Dick Lyons looked like vintage Dick Lyons and outdueled Lee Drouillard. We then got dismantled in the middle match, an 8-hit shutout from Eddie Quinn in a 10-0 devastating defeat. The finale looked closer then it was, three runs coming in the ninth off a tired Ben Turner. We did split the double header with the Wolves, with Tommy Wilcox doing what he does best. No, not getting injured, but tossing complete game wins: 8 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks, and 4 strikeouts. Gold! Sure, the Sailors made us look like we didn't know how to play baseball, but again, Dick Lyons pitched well. Unfortunately, Bill Kline did not, although even if he did, it wouldn't have outdone Herb Flynn's 5-hit shutout.

It was a busy week though, as the All-Star ballots were released. Of the guys in the Fed I voted for, John Wicklund, Rankin Kellogg, Freddie Jones (unanimous), Len Jones, Bob Barringer, Chick Donnelly (unanimous), Bobby Barrell, and Walter Murphy all won their respective vote. For the CA, Max Morris, Bill Ashbaugh, Harry Barrell, Al Wheeler, Lou Kelly (unanimous), and Tom Barrell won their votes. Somehow, Mike Mason beat out Pablo Reyes. Sure, he can kind of hit, but he's an awful defender. And Joe Masters got a vote. Not sure how that happened... Other then the starters, Sam Shepperd, Hardin Bates, Doc Newell, and T.R. Goins all got a selection, as well as Joe Shaffner and Herb Flynn. No love for Pinky Conlan, but former Cougars Mike Murphy and John Lawson also got selected.

We also got the note about expiring coaches. Pitching coach Eddie Williams is in his final year,

Looking Ahead
While two Cougars will start the All-Star game, the rest of the team is off until the 10th. It's a weird one, as we face the Cannons for four in Chicago, but with an off day in the middle. The Cannons are no longer in the cellar, and in fact sit half a game behind us because they've lost one more game. The Canons started Pinky on short rest yesterday (two games between starts) which blew up his ERA to 3.56 (127 ERA+) and maybe cost him the All Star spot. Still, he's blossoming into a strong starter and we'll likely face him and veteran Dutch Leverett in the series. Every other pitcher on their staff has an ERA above 5, so we drew the short end of the stick. They did just lose Dale Dube to a torn meniscus (which may have been why Conlan started again). It was a tough early birthday gift for Dube, who not only finished June with the best outing of his career (9 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 7 K), but was trying to establish himself as a big league starter. They have found some building blocks on the offensive side, including former Cougar draftee Jim Mason. He's hitting .343/.396/.461 (121 OPS+) with 6 homers, 5 steals, and 46 RBI's. Catcher Joe Welsh potentially broke back out at 29, and he's batting .337/.363/.582 (140 OPS+) with 11 homers and 41 RBI's. From 1927 to 1931 he boasted OPS+ of 121, 190, 177, 158, and 151, but dropped down to 98 in 1932 before a pair of sub 70 finishes. He had one of the more mysterious drop offs, but Welsh did have an undisclosed injury that ended his 1931 season early.

Batters
It's been a tough season for him, but Tom Taylor had a nice 3-homer week. He was 11-for-30 and both scored and drove in seven. He has still looked good in center, a +3.5 zone rating and 1.020 efficiency, but he's swiped just 6 bases and finally reached double digit home runs. Taylor is hitting .301/.346/.447 (98 OPS+), and while the average is higher then usual, his slugging percentage has plummeted. He's on pace to finish with less then 20 homers and 15 steals for the first time in his career. I'm hoping it's just a down year, as Taylor is one of the most talented players in the league. We have a lot of talented outfielders in the system, so Taylor will really need to turn things around. I've floated the idea of trading him, but there hasn't been much of a market since the Detroit selloff. Interesting enough, Taylor was the only starter with an OPS+ above 100 for the week, which makes a lot of sense considering the lack of run scoring. All Star starters Bill Ashbaugh and Lou Kelly combined to go 13-for-61, but managed 5 doubles between them.

Pitchers
I think Leudtke can only pitch in June, as his first July start ended in the 5th inning. He allowed 12 hits and 9 runs with a single strikeout in the double header loss. Nice... Dave Rankin also had a rough week, two poor starts with 5+ runs, 8 hits, and 3+ walks. He's completely fallen apart, and we continue to just pitch bad. All the relievers allowed two or more runs and other then Tommy Wilcox it's really just a lost cause at this point. I think for my sanity, this will be the Tommy Wilcox section and I'll also occasionally mention the starters who don't suck.

Although speaking of sucking, Don Grossman has been DFA'd so George Johnson can return. I thought Grossman could be a stopper after working to a 2.37 ERA (183 ERA+) and 1.29 WHIP in 60.2 innings. I was dead wrong. This year, he's got a 2.09 WHIP and 8.42 ERA (55 ERA+). Oh yeah, and ten more walks (14) then strikeouts (4). I can't see him getting claimed... I haven't yet decided what I'm going to do with George Johnson, but with the weird week him and Wayne Robinson are just going to hang out in the pen. Johnson looked good in 6 AAA starts, going 4-1 with a 2.88 ERA (171 ERA+), 1.43 WHIP, 9 walks, and 20 strikeouts.

Minor League Report
3B Phil McKenna (A Lincoln Legislators): Last week, I was a little concerned I promoted Phil McKenna a little early. This week, all doubts were erased. McKenna had a huge 3-homer game on the 2nd against the Davenport Dukes, and then finished the week 9-for-17 with another homer and 11 RBI's. Now in 114 A ball plate appearances, he's hitting .330/.482/.648 (172 OPS+) with 8 homers and 25 RBI's. He's also managed to walk 22 times while striking out just 5 times. This week I actually moved him over to first to get some reps there, as he isn't the best defender. Still, if he can hit and walk like this it won't matter how poorly his defense is, there will be a spot in the lineup for him.

SP Cy Sullivan (B San Jose Cougars): Another shutout! I mentioned him yesterday, so I won't do a full write up, but this time in Everett, he tossed a 7-hit, 2 walk, 5 strikeout shutout of the Eagles. His ERA dropped down to 1.46 (305 ERA+) and his WHIP 0.89. All about patience!

Amateur Report
I thought I'd dedicate this report to some of the Chicago kids. Not a very strong group of Chicago kids, unfortunately, but here are five names to keep an eye on:

SP Bud Canfield (Jones): So what do Bud Canfield and yours truly have in common? We were both in Chicago and both played baseball at Jones College Prep! Of course, as a senior, I didn't go 9-0 with a 0.93 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 14 walks, and 136 strikeouts. If I did, I don't think I would have very much time to write about simulated baseball. Committed to Central Kentucky, I have to imagine that he'll instead decide to head to our organization instead. I don't usually like "tipping" my picks, but unless there is someone I really like, I might go back to my roots and reserve my 2nd Round selection for the HS arm. He doesn't throw too hard, just 84-86 with his fastball, but he's got an excellent changeup that will generate a lot of swings and misses. He did walk a decent amount of hitters last season, but cut the walks by five despite 13 more innings. He's trending in the upward direction, but my scout isn't the biggest fan yet. He ranks him 17th for the pitchers, but at least at the first glances in the early goings, I feel like this pool isn't all that deep. There are very few arms I've found that I like, so I could see Canfield being one of the first pitchers we pick.

CF Oscar Panduro (Bluegrass State): A much different player then Canfield, Panduro is a Junior at Bluegrass state who has experience playing first, second, short, left, center, and right. He had very similar years as a sophomore and a junior, finishing with a strong .308/.352/.460 batting line at the highest level of competition with 8 homers, 68 steals, and 93 RBI's. He's a smart and patient hitter with a strong pure hit tool and excellent speed. Not much is known on his defense, but he has to have some sort of range and versatility to rank at both short and center.

LF Dave Echard (Edgerton): He may go to school in Wisconsin now, but the 18-year-older was born in beautiful Chicago, Illinois. He doesn't have much home run power, but Echard hit 33 doubles in his two seasons of prep ball. He finished with a nice .493/.534/.724 line, but I'm not sure Echard has enough other then the bat to make it. He's not much of a defender, doesn't run too well, and there's not enough power for his other shortcomings. That being said, he's still young and set to go to Lincoln College which may be a good choice for him.

1B Sim Canty (Cheney College): He didn't really show up on the draftee scene until this year, but Sim Canty had a decent junior year. He slugged 7 homers and drove in 34 with a nice .294/.385/.458 batting line in 211 trips to the plate. This draft is deep with first basemen, but Canty does have really nice plate discipline and solid power. He won't hit for a high average, but he should be able to still limit strikeouts.

1B Tom Hammond (St. Ignatius): Probably a better version of Canty, Hammond played at tougher competition and managed a similar .281/.373/.430 batting line. The difference is he also had 22 steals to go with 8 homers and 47 RBI's. They do share a similar profile though, good power, good eye, not too many strikeouts, but Hammond's speed is a plus and he played a longer season (273 PA's).

[StLee]

Man, tough week to have to play eight in a week and go 2-6 in those eight.

[ayaghmour2]

Originally Posted by StLee

Man, tough week to have to play eight in a week and go 2-6 in those eight.

It gets worse lol

[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 1-3
Seasonal Record: 36-40 (7th, 14.5 GB)
Stars of the Week
Doc Love : 18 AB, 10 H, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .556 AVG, 1.667 OPS
Lou Kelly : 17 AB, 6 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .353 AVG, .977 OPS
Bill Kline : 1 Win, 1.0 IP, 0 BB, 1 K, 0.00 ERA

Weekly Schedule
7-10: Win vs Cannons (6-7)
7-11: Loss vs Cannons (15-8)
7-13: Loss vs Cannons (9-2)
7-14: Loss vs Cannons (4-1)

Summary
You know it is a bad week when one of the "stars" is a guy who threw a single scoreless inning. We got to host the Cannons and even though we won the Wilcox outing, we looked really bad this week. Not much pitching of any kind and the offense was inconsistent.

Looking Ahead
Big week coming up: eight games in seven days. We host the Stars and Saints, the team below and above us in the standings. Montreal is 38-44 while New York 36-49. Most of the CA is below .500, but we're the only three teams in the CA not to reach 40 wins. In the Fed, Detroit joins the trio, although they've won just 25. If we don't have a winning week, I'm not sure I want to keep any of my players...

Batters
Well, Doc Love had a good week! He was named Player of the Week, going 10-for-18 with 2 homers and 5 RBI's. He even managed to hit for the cycle on the 11th in a losing effort. Love has had a pretty decent season for us, batting .334/.370/.515 (120 OPS+) with 13 homers and 57 RBI's, but he's seen his strikeouts rise and walks fall. After 57 walks and 24 strikeouts last season, he's on just a 37-31 pace this season. I really don't want to trade Love, but of all the guys we have right now, he actually has decent value. Pete Asher actually did well, 3-for-4 with 3 walks in two starts. Lou Kelly was also 6-for-17 with a homer and 3 RBI's. He was 0-for-2 in the All-Star Game. His fellow All-Star Bill Ashbaugh was 1-for-2 with a walk and run scored, but was just 2-for-18 with a double for us. He's started to come back down to earth, his season line down to .309/.369/.504 (117 OPS+) with 5 homers, 3 steals, and 31 RBI's.

Pitchers
Tommy Wilcox started the opener and will pitch the first and maybe seventh game next week. He hit the 150 pitch count, going seven and a third with 10 hits, 6 runs (4 earned), 4 walks, and 6 strikeouts. Dick Lyons did okay, 7.2 innings with 9 hits, 4 runs, 2 walks, and a strikeout. For him, I guess that's pretty good. This week I'm letting Wayne Robinson and George Johnson get starts with the double header. I also added Wally Larkin off waivers from the Dynamos. My scout kind of likes him and we are desperate for arms of any kind. He can be optioned to AAA, and will, but he's had a really interesting career. He was a 6th Round selection in 1923, and then debuted with the Foresters in 1926. He was up for part of the next season too, but from 1928-1934 he was stuck in AAA. He got roughed up in 9.2 innings with the Dynamos, but I think if I let him find himself in AAA, he could actually pitch out of the rotation for us towards the end of the season.

Minor League Report
3B Ray Ford (Mobile Commodores): If Ray Ford had any sort of defensive ability, he'd be playing in the majors right now. Instead, he's stuck in Mobile trying to learn third base because he can't play second base and I don't need another first basemen. Still, Ford is hitting .382/.472/.634 (183 OPS+) with 6 homers and 46 RBI's and at this point I have to at least bring him to AAA. And even though there is no hint of fielding ability, this man just rakes. He's got a patient approach, almost never strikes out, and continues to show promise at the plate. First he boosted his contact, now the power, and I'm really hoping the glove is what's next. According to his personality, no one outhustles him, so perhaps the sky truly is the limit.

[ayaghmour2]

There are maybe five guys I really want to trade. Of those five, I traded the guy I wanted to move the least. Funny how it always works out that way... It is one of the most "creative" trades I've made, sending Tom Taylor to the New York Gothams for a pitcher who debuted a season after Taylor, a prospect outside of the top 250, and a prospect outside the top 500. So why did I send a former MVP away for that?

Well, let's start with Taylor. He's 30, I have a ton of outfielders, and well, we kind of suck right now. It hasn't been a great season for him, hitting just .292/.339/.432 (92 OPS+) with 10 homers, 6 steals, and 53 RBI's in 386 trips to the plate. He's done good work in center with a +4.0 zone rating and 1.019 efficiency, but I feel loaded with center fielders. Not only do I have Rule-5 Pick Bret Wilson, but in AAA and AA I've got Roy Moore, Chink Stickels, and Carlos Montes all waiting in the winds. Sickles is the highest touted of the bunch, 47 at the moment, but Wilson graduated out (he hovered in the 50-90 range), Montes ranks 78th, and Moore 138. Wilson will get the first shot at the big league job. He's more then held his own at the plate, batting .314/.351/.486 (108 OPS+) in 37 plate appearances thusfar. "Bleeder" will turn 24 in August, and has a lot of potential at the plate. He's got a loose, quick stroke at the plate and the speed to turn singles into doubles. Interesting enough, I think he's actually the least developed of the four, but he's forced to stay on the active roster.

Now let's take a look at the return:

So why would I want a seven year veteran when we sit 14 and a half games out of first place? Well, he's a 25-year-old pitcher who won the 1931 Al Allen Award. I think I might have made a dozen Milt Fritz offers (even made one earlier this season) in the past and I finally managed to acquire the highly traded righty.

Let's dive into the strange history of the journeyman Milt Fritz:

He pitched three seasons for the Omaha Plainsmen, but was very uninspiring: 3-13, 3.92 ERA (122 ERA+), 1.32 WHIP, 33 walks, and 67 strikeouts in 200 innings. The 1927 draft is one I definitely regret, as I missed on a lot of my early picks. First, I took Harry Humphrey. Then Bobby Love. Then Ed Stevens. All have yet to play in the majors. The 4th Rounder was Howard Moss, who I just traded to the Dynamos this morning for a fringe C ball prospect. 5th Rounder was Art Black, who was shelled last year. I killed some of the picks, George DeForest in the 6th and Dean Astle in the 9th. The Auto got be Ben Richardson and Pete Carey who were useful, but '27 was a wash. I should have taken Milt Fritz instead, who lasted all the way until the 12th Round.

Of course, no one could predict the meteoric rise he had. The Chiefs were lucky, getting him in the 12th, and after 217 strong A ball innings in 1928, they let him throw 12 in AA. He decided not to look back, and until he joins our organization, he did not throw another minor league inning. As a 19-year-old in 1929, he made the big league roster out of camp and did not look like a 19-year-old. He finished 18-8 with a league best 3.22 ERA (144 ERA+), 1.35 WHIP, 87 walks, and 113 strikeouts in 231.2 innings. His 4.4 K/9 was best in the league, and if we had a Rookie of the Year Award, it would have been his for sure. He replicated the performance at 20, going 16-9 with a 3.63 ERA (130 ERA+), 1.41 WHIP, 65 walks, and 117 strikeouts in 243 innings pitched. The Chiefs then decided to sell high on the brightest young pitcher of the game. There is a lot of Cougar connection here, as the Brooklyn Kings were looking to add a co-ace to none other then Tommy Wilcox. They sent a ton to the Chiefs, including current Cougar Dave Rankin. Him, Tom Aiello, Ron Rattigan, Rod Barney, Taylor Hamilton, and the Kings first Round pick went to Chicago and Fritz went to Brooklyn.

Year one in Brooklyn was dominant, 39 starts with a league best 23 wins. He had a 3.56 ERA (120 ERA+), 1.26 WHIP, 69 walks, and 121 strikeouts in 318.1 innings. Despite all the wins, the Kings fell short in their title push, finishing fourth behind what was supposed to be a budding dynasty. Unfortunately for Fritz, and that aforementioned dynasty, it did not last. He had a rough start to 1933, going 1-4 with a 4.23 ERA (87 ERA+), 1.57 WHIP, 25 walks, and 26 strikeouts. The Kings decided to move him, shipping him to Montreal for what turned out to be an amazing haul: John Langille, Bill May, Chuck Murphy, and the Saints' first round selection. He regained some form, and finished the year 13-10 with a 2.94 ERA (119 ERA+), 1.33 WHIP, 68 walks, and 68 strikeouts. This was the first sign of warning, his BB/9 and K/9 going a point in the wrong direction.

Last season he started the year in Montreal, but had a rough go of it. Despite calling the Parc Cartier home, Fritz had a 4.74 ERA (86 ERA+), 1.50 WHIP, 43 walks, and 27 strikeouts in 98.2 innings. The Saints decided to cut their losses, and sent him to the Gothams who were looking to bolster their pen on their title quest. They sent away Billy Stall, Gary Carmichael, and Heinie Zimmer, one of the top rated prospects in the game (although now he's in St. Louis) to add Fritz who did help down the stretch. He was 7-8, but with a 4.17 ERA (110 ERA+), 1.64 WHIP, 36 walks, and 50 strikeouts. The Gothams fell just short, but with Fritz in an already strong rotation, they seemed poised to compete against this year.

The Gothams do sit 49-36 and a game and a half out of first, but Fritz was of no help. He's 4-6 with a 5.25 ERA (86 ERA+), 1.56 WHIP, 28 walks, and 18 strikeouts in 73.2 innings. He looks like a shell of his former shelf, but his walks have soared and his strikeouts tanked. My scout has soured on him, OSA has soured on him, but I'm betting on Fritz. It's hard enough to get pitching prospects as is, and Fritz can almost be treated like a prospect. I'm going to let him work out his kinks in AAA this season, but I fully intend to reunite him with Tommy Wilcox atop our rotation. Still, I think Cougar fans will want to hold off on purchasing Fritz jerseys, as unless we get ravaged by injuries, I would much rather use some of my other arms like Art Black, Johnny Walker, and Hank Spencer who will need to fight for a roster spot. I think Fritz needs a low stress environment as he may have pretty low adaptability. I wish I could tell him that there's no way I'm going to trade him (I'm committing at least five seasons to him), but I will extend him with a no-trade clause. Who knows if it will help, but it's worth a shot.

Anyways, Fritz's isn't the only piece. And he's not the only familiar one either. The pitching prospect was one of my 1930 second round selections: Mel Leonard. So for some reason the prospect lists totally hate him now, but they've continuously demoted him for no reason. He's been completely healthy and before this season, pitched well for the most part. He's now Rule-5 eligible and completely out of the top 500 prospect list, but I have faith in the 23-year-old. He's a groundballer who sits in the low 90s, but he's really had his issues with command this season. In 93 AA innings, he's 7-9 with a 6.29 ERA (86 ERA+), 1.86 WHIP, 58 walks, and 33 strikeouts. He's only started 9 of his 29 outings, but I plan on using him strictly as a starter. I will definitely protect him in the offseason, as I still believe in his potential as a big league starter. There's not many exciting arms in AA and AAA, so he won't have too much pressure either.

The last piece was 23-year-old center fielder Orlin Yates. A 9th Round selection in 1932, he was one of the guys from that class I had my eye on. The Gothams have him in AA, but I think he's still a little raw and plan on starting him in Lincoln. With Albany, the Gotham's AA affiliate, he's hitting .232/.312/.308 (49 OPS+) with 4 steals and 13 RBI's. Yates is an outstanding defender, however, reminiscent of Cy Bryant. Despite not hitting a lick, his +7.9 zone rating and 1.120 efficiency is remarkable. In fact, in 4,302 amateur and minor league innings, he's already accumulated a +74.7 rating out in center. I've had a lot of issues with poor defense, as I have to imagine a lot of our struggles have to do with our awful outfield.

Hopefully, this is the first of many trades. I made a really bold offer involving Lou Kelly and John Kincaid, but other then that it may be hard to find too many matches. Of the five main contenders, the only real hole I could fill was the Gothams need for center field. Still, we'll be working the phones and trying to make something happen before the deadline passes.

And during the time it took to finish the article, I worked out another trade with another New York team. This time it was the Stars, who added Dick Leudtke for Chicago kid Gussie Harris. The 33-year-old Leudtke had a rough little stretch with us, but was won of the best pitchers in the 1932 season. Leudtke was 19-8 with a 2.79 ERA (154 ERA+), 1.15 WHIP, 62 walks, and 113 strikeouts. I recently wrote about Leudtke's strong June, but in a pair of July starts he's allowed 20 hits, 15 runs, and a walk in 8.1 innings. I'm hoping the change of scenery will do him well, as at 33 he does still have some good years ahead of him.

In return we picked up the Stars' second rounder last season, 19-year-old Gussie Harris. The Chicago kid went to St. Benedict (I played a basketball game there in middle school), but hasn't gotten too much time with their C ball affiliate. He's just 12-for-46 with 3 RBI's, but I'm a huge fan of his catching ability. He's got strong plate discipline and a decent bat, but the glove is what will get him to the big leagues. I was targeting him in the draft in the offseason, so I am happy to end up getting him now.

With the move of Leudtke, I'll be able to bring up another young arm from AAA. I plan on running with a six man rotation the rest of the way, but with all my starters eligible as relievers as well. I want to get guys as many innings as possible and I really do not want Tommy Wilcox to get hurt. He's going to pitch every five days, but I'd imagine the rest of the starters just will get a start a week (unless there is a double header). Right now I'm leaning towards Art Black getting the call, as he's got the green arrow and despite the awful WHIP, a strong ERA and K/9.

And guess what! Another trade! It keeps going!

This one sends Lou Kelly to the Miners for a 1st Rounder, 5th Rounder, and SP Cal Knight. This one is perfect as I can bring up Rich Langton as planned. Kelly's stay in Chicago was short, just over 1,000 trips to the plate, but his May was a month for the ages. He dropped off a bit, but is still hitting a strong .370/.420/.582 (149 OPS+) with 12 homers and 67 RBI's. He'll get to play a more comfortable first base with the Miners and enter a pennant race for the first time in a bit. The only prospect involved was Cal Knight, the Miners 2nd Round selection in last year's draft. I was a big fan of him in the feeder system, and I'm still high on the 6 foot lefty. He looked good in 10 A ball starts, 4-3 with a 4.19 ERA (110 ERA+), 1.45 WHIP, 17 walks, and 24 strikeouts. He then got the call to A Gary, going 3-1 with a 5.79 ERA (95 ERA+), 1.81 WHIP, 11 walks, and 13 strikeouts in 32.2 innings. I haven't yet decided where I'll start him, but I have high hopes for the 22-year-old. He has a nice mid 80s cutter and commands it and his slider and change really well. He's done a good job getting strikeouts and he's definitely due for a velocity boost.

No more trades for the night, as I think today's 3-5 PM got me so excited that I just had to make trades. Still pieces left to move: John Kincaid and Doc Love the highlights, but potentially Mike Taylor, Russ Combs, Jake Moore, or Pete Asher draw some interest. I'd love to find Kincaid and Love homes, but this may be all the action for this year.

[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 5-3
Seasonal Record: 43-49 (4th, 14.5 GB)
Stars of the Week
Doc Love : 37 AB, 16 H, 3 HR, 11 RBI, .432 AVG, 1.097 OPS
John Kincaid : 34 AB, 14 H, 0 HR, 7 RBI, .412 AVG, .944 OPS
Jake Moore : 10 AB, 5 H, 0 HR, 5 RBI, .500 AVG, 1.383 OPS

Weekly Schedule
7-15: Loss vs Stars (14-12)
7-16: Win vs Stars (3-5)
7-17: Loss vs Stars (8-4)
7-18: Win vs Stars (0-4)
7-19: Loss vs Saints (15-7)
7-19: Win vs Saints (8-13)
7-20: Win vs Saints (4-5)
7-21: Win vs Saints (4-9)

Summary
So Tommy Wilcox is hurt again, likely out 8-9 weeks with bone chips in his elbow. It keeps getting worse for him, as he pitched awful in the opener against the Stars and then lasted just one inning on the 20th. I'm sad, my favorite player is broken and I can't be happy about the 5-3 week. The two players left on the team, John Kincaid and Doc Love, both had excellent weeks and I think Doc Love wants out. A three homer week back at home and I'm hoping he can add three more. I think the deadline is Monday or Tuesday, so we have a little time to work something out. I did not expect to make one deal last night, but managed to put together three last night so who knows what's in store for us next.

I was happy with the week. Even though the season is over, I do want to win every game possible. Losing sucks, and waking up to a 5-3 sim is a much better feeling then seeing the 1-5. Still a long way to go, and I'd rather fill that win wins and not losses.

Looking Ahead
After getting the teams ranked in seventh and eighth, we welcome the teams in first and second. First is Brooklyn for four with the 57-34 Kings. They hold a 4 game lead over the 53-38 Foresters who come to town for three after. These are both really good teams that can pitch and hit and considering we can only hit some of the time, I'm already bracing for a one or two win week. Despite all of that, we're actually 7-5 against the Foresters so perhaps we can really make the Kings happy this week.

Batters
The trade case for Doc Love: Only Al Wheeler has hit more CA homers. He's batting .343/.374/.530 (125 OPS+). It would also make me very happy. His morale is "Great", so maybe he doesn't actually want out, but this guy flat out rakes. He turns 29 on the 29th, and since trades are processed on the Monday, if I can move him he'll be traded on his birthday!

The trade case for John Kincaid: His lowest single season OPS+? 110. His lowest zone rating at third? +2.3 (this year). The 30-year-old Kincaid has been as consistent as it gets the passed seven seasons, owning a nice .333/.373/.449 (116 OPS+) career line with 91 triples, 26 homers, and 589 RBI's. He used to be a stolen base threat, but we really don't run much anymore. Still, Kincaid is in the midst of a strong .341/.380/.464 (111 OPS+) season and currently ranks as our best player on the team. It's not really saying much, as after the Kelly trade, we don't have a single top 20 player.

Joe Masters, is that you? Rising from the ashes like a great Phoenix, the lefty slugged .308/.550/.615 with a homer and 6 RBI's during the week in possibly his only good week of the year. Ollie Page matched his line almost exactly, substituting the .550 OBP with a .500 mark. No homers, but he did triple twice. Jake Moore looked good too, 5-for-10 with a double, triple, and 5 RBI's. Bill Ashbaugh has slumped, his line down to .305/.361/.479 (109 OPS+) and his ankle sore. I'll let him rest for the week, maybe a start or two at the end.

Pitchers
Even though the only pitcher I want to talk about got hurt, there was a few alright performances. Starting with Dave Rankin, who was suck on a four start stretch with 7, 6, 5, and 7 earned runs, he finally found the light. On the 18th he tossed a 3-hit, 7 strikeouts masterpiece as we topped the Stars 4-0. A beautiful performance by Rankin who sits third in the CA with 68 strikeouts. He's four behind Harry Carter, but neither will catch Tom Barrell and his 114. Wayne Robinson actually made two really good starts (with a tough relief outing sandwiched between), picking up a win against both teams. Against New York he went 7.1 with 10 hits, 3 runs, a walk, and 3 strikeouts. Against Montreal he went 8 with 12 hits, 4 runs, 4 walks, and 4 strikeouts. Sure, not great, but still respectable lines that are good enough to win. Dick Leudtke's last Cougar start was against his new team, and they were not that nice to him. In 8 innings he allowed 16 hits, 8 runs, and 3 walks with 4 strikeouts.

Minor League Report
Thought I'd cover some of the new Chicago Cougars:

LF Rich Langton: Sharing a birthday with Doc Love, Langton will turn 24 when Love turns 29 on the 29th. He gets his gift a little early, the purchasing of his contract from AAA Milwaukee. Langton is slashing .352/.426/.522 (134 OPS+) with 7 homers, 13 steals, and 62 RBI's. If you ignore the 19 caught steals, it is really hard to find a weakness in Langton's game. He's capable out in left, he's got good speed, and he absolutely laces the ball whenever he hits it. He won't strike out, just 82 times in 2,072 plate appearances since 1930. He almost struck out more in college (40) then he did in affiliated ball (42), and he played 300 more affiliated games. He walks two, averaging one every other game in AAA and 185 total in the same time period. If you can't tell already, I am beyond excited for this guys debut. It may be bold, but I am so high on Langton that I'd bet if him and Love remain teammates this season, Langton will outperform Love from this point on. I haven't decided how I would align them, but since I let Langton pick up reps in right last week, I'll at least let him get a few more in the majors. It's tough because Love is not a good left fielder, but I can't imagine he'd do well learning right. I do want Langton getting some time in left, so every so often I'll flip them.

SP Art Black: He did debut last season, but 26-year-old Burger Black will rejoin the Cougars for round two. Last season he made 3 starts, going 1-1 with a 5.59 ERA (78 ERA+), 2.17 WHIP, 15 walks, and 6 strikeouts. He got roughed up in his most recent AAA start, but prior to that, Black was dealing. Now that we've been able to add a lot of other young pitchers, Black's spot on the depth charts has fallen a bit, but I still have faith. He's a hard thrower who sits in the mid 90s with both his fastball and cut. He throws three other pitches too, all big league caliber. Walks are his issue, however, and that is the only thing stopping him from being a big league arm.

I did also bring back Russ Combs from rehab (he got hurt again, but it's one day so I don't really care) and Pete Walker to fill the bullpen. I debated bringing up Johnny Walker, but now I can go back to a five man rotation.

Amateur Report
SP Johnny Godfrey (Moss Point): The hardest adjustment for the draft leagues is figuring out what to make out of something like Godfrey. As a Junior, he was okay, 4-1 with a 3.02 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 16 walks, and 52 strikeouts in 13 appearances (8 starts). For a high schooler, that isn't all that inspiring. But, sure enough, he made all 12 starts as a senior and finished 6-3 with a 1.50 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 18 walks, and 107 strikeouts. Everything got better, the ERA, WHIP, K9, BB9, homers, innings, you name it! So, does that mean Godfrey is a better prospect now then last year? Has his potential changed? Has his currents changed? Well, who knows?

Here's my take:

First, I think his stamina has to have changed. For the most parts, starts and games have been pretty similar for prep guys. Sure, the number might change, but the ratios generally don't. Rufus started all his games both years, Leon Cavazos went 15-9 to 16-9. George Garrison started 16 then 13, but still no relief outings. There are a few others who add a start or two or drop a start or two, but no one went from 62% to 100% (at least of the 20ish I looked at). But other then that, there is nothing that I know he got better at. His velocity still sits at 87-89 and he throws the same four pitches as last season.

So here is my theory: his potential is unchanged, but he developed during the season. I think he added stamina and just had the regular development of a 18-year-old. I think players like Godfrey are going to be really hard for us GM's to scout. In the feeders, it was normal when guys had really weird seasons (James Demastus anyone...), so I have glad we haven't lost that. There is still some RNG role where we get players that develop in HS/College. But I'd bookmark Godfrey. Not sure I'm going to be the one to take him, but he will be an interesting player to watch develop.

SP Frank Barker (Sadler College): After a strong sophomore season that saw him finish 9-5 with a 3.58 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 45 walks, and 75 strikeouts against the toughest competition. But, as a senior, he definitely collapsed. In 18 starts like last season, he was 7-7 with a 3.97 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 58 walks, and 59 strikeouts. This is very concerning, as he seemingly lost control this season. Still, I'm a huge Barker fan and I think he's got middle of the rotation potential. He's a righty who does an excellent job keeping the ball on the ground. He doesn't throw too hard, sitting in the 84-86 range, but he has five pitches that he generally commands really well. His splitter may be the best, which is a little concerning, but at least tools wise, Barker has a lot of the things I look for in an arm.

2B Jim Lightbody (Alexandria): With brother's Doug and Frank both outfielders taken in the first round out of Mississippi A&M, Jim took a different path. Unlike his brother's, he is a second basemen and is eligible out of high school. He's one of the top prep prospects, and hit a nice .517/.600/.805 with a homer, 35 steals, and 28 RBI's as a senior. He is the lightest body, 165 compared to the 190 and 185 of Doug and Frank, but I'd be shocked if he was taken in the first six picks like his brothers. That's not a knock at Jim, he's got good speed and a nice hit tool, but he does not profile as a middle of the order mainstay like Doug and Frank. OSA projects him to be the 2nd pick of the 2nd Round.

SS Marv Walton (Bonne Terre): It wasn't a great senior season for Marv Walton who watched all three parts of his batting line drop to .406/.477/.625 with three less steals, one few RBI, and a single homer again. Walton is a tall string bean at short, 6'2'', 160, so I'm betting on him putting on some muscle and potentially adding some power. He seems committed to Eastern Kansas, telling most teams that he really doesn't want to sign. I think it's a smart choice on his end, as he seems primed for a collegiate breakout. He's really athletic, boasts great range in the field, and supposedly a really good bunter. Not much love for his contact/power tools, but when you have a good athlete you can teach him how to hit a ball. Although, Walton is pretty complacent, so he may be another case of wasted potential.

[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 2-5
Seasonal Record: 45-54 (4th, 17 GB)
Stars of the Week
John Kincaid : 28 AB, 15 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .536 AVG, 1.138 OPS
Doc Love : 26 AB, 9 H, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .346 AVG, .999 OPS
Bert Wilson : 22 AB, 7 H, 0 HR, 4 RBI, .318 AVG, .693 OPS

Weekly Schedule
7-22: Loss vs Kings (7-2)
7-23: Win vs Kings (6-7)
7-24: Win vs Kings (3-5)
7-25: Loss vs Kings (4-0)
7-26: Loss vs Foresters (14-4)
7-27: Loss vs Foresters (9-3)
7-28: Loss vs Foresters (7-4)

Summary
Splitting with the Kings was unexpected, but getting shutout 4-0 was not! Joe Shaffner was brilliant, a 4-hit, 4 walk, 1 strikeout shutout as they managed to leave Chicago with a split. It was the only two losses for the Kings on the week, as when we got swept by the Foresters, they took the first two versus Montreal. At 61-36, they hold a 2.5 game lead over Cleveland. Cleveland humiliated us, especially with the 14-4 thrashing to start the series.

Looking Ahead
Off to start the week, but we'll be in Philadelphia for a three game set to end July and then start August. The Sailors are the only other CA team that might finish above .500, sitting 51-47 but double digit games out of first. Herb Flynn and Doc Newell continue their breakout years while William Jones is on pace for yet another above average year. Their park suppresses offense, but one of the more interesting feeder players, Curt Dickerson, is developing into a vital part of their offense. He's hitting .297/.380/.439 (119 OPS+) with 7 homers and 65 RBI's. The seven is a career best, with six in both of the last two seasons. Between him, Dick Walker, and Jack Cleaves, they have a nice foundation for their offense. I've floated the idea of a John Kincaid trade to them to replace Mack Deal, so hopefully something gets done there, Since the series is in Philly, I have zero faith in us since we can't keep runs off the board. And if we can't out slug a team, well...

The road trip continues after, as we have to deal with those pesky Foresters who just made us look silly in our own home stadium. The Foresters have seen Lee Drouillard catch fire and he's dropped his ERA down to 3.41 (132 ERA+) and WHIP to 1.24. He's also walked just 25 and struck out 51 in 148 innings. A long time reliever, Drouillard has really done well in the rotation this season after Cleveland decided to give him the chance to start. I actually considered doing this a few seasons ago, but was not able to get a deal done. T.R. Goins, Max Morris, Dan Fowler, and Leon Drake have all launched double digit homers, the latter three with 15 or more a piece. They've also seen Don Ward's resurgence, a former Gotham who spend a year with an Independent league team before being acquired by the Foresters. He's hitting .362/.398/.485 (129 OPS+) with 2 homers and 34 RBI's.

Of course, the deadline is also next sim, so that means I only have three more days to do my favorite thing: trade! I think the only pieces I'd move would be Love or Kincaid, but depending on how the weekend goes I may try and get creative again. I want to free up roster spots, but with the new 5-week Russ Combs injury, now a trade isn't really needed. Leo Mitchell's minor league career has been almost perfect: 135 Class C games in '32, 139 Class A games in '33, and 140 AA games in '34. Now, he's got 87 AAA games and on pace for 138 which would fit in perfectly. But, you know what would be even more perfect? Never having to watch Joe Masters play first base again! Time for the Leo Mitchell era!

Should have done this last sim (for Langton), but check out these old posts I made on both new Cougars when they were added:


3rd Round, 46th Overall: LF Rich Langton (Detroit City College Knights): His junior year was the worst of his three seasons, but the 21-year-old Rich Langton still hit .340/.376/.547 (127 OPS+) with 8 homers, 7 steals, and 48 RBI's. He finished his college career with a very impressive .348/.396/.585 (151 OPS+) batting line with 27 homers, 18 steals, and 135 RBI's in what translates to roughly a full FABL season. His 20/20 potential and positive ratings out in left are almost like an improved version of Vince York. Unlike York, Langton just hits from the right side, but my scout is a big fan of his. He projects him to be a .360 hitter with a ton of upside at the plate, in the field, and on the base path. I like Langton even more then Ed Reyes, who was our first rounder last year and ranks 75th in the FABL. Langton has all the talent needed to be a longtime major league starter.

2nd Round, 28th Overall: 1B Leo Mitchell
There were a pair of center fielders I really wanted with this pick, but Paddy Smith went 24th to the Chiefs and then Hal Roberts went to the Stars the pick before mine. I really didn't no who to take with this, but I had a very sound strategy. "If you can't get Harry Barrell, why not get all his friends!"

It's been a very weird draft for me, grabbing back to back corner players with my first two picks. Teammate of Barrell and our 1st Rounder Ed Reyes, Leo Mitchell is a slugging lefty, something we don't have much of in our system. His best season was as a sophomore, where he hit .378/.432/.669 (205 OPS+) with 11 homers and 51 RBI's in 190 trips to the plate. And in 552 career high school plate appearances he hit an extremely impressive .359/.400/.566 (174 OPS+) with 18 homers and 111 RBI's. The power hasn't been there his entire career, just one homer as a sophomore, but he's really started to add pop to his bat. He's not very big, just about 160 pounds, but as he gets older he has time to add more weight.

I'm not thrilled with this pick, but Mitchell is an extremely gifted hitter. There isn't a direct path for him to the majors, with Ashbaugh entrenched as the starter, a dependable backup in Phil Vaughan, and our 7th best prospect Jim Hatfield is a first basemen. I'm a big fan of taking whoever the best available is, and Mitchell was the best available for the pick. He's committed to Central Ohio, the school Freddie Jones went to, but I think I'll be able to convince him to sign with us instead.

Leo Mitchell, I hereby apologize to you. Sure, Paddy Smith is the Chiefs starting center fielder, but he was in A ball all last season and got the call straight from their Opening Day. And Hal Roberts? Well, he's down in Class B. But I had the audacity to say that my rationale was: "I really didn't no who to take with this, but I had a very sound strategy. "If you can't get Harry Barrell, why not get all his friends!""' And I even went as far to say "I'm not thrilled with this pick"

I guess fresh after winning a championship, getting a first basemen in my favorite round probably stun a little. Now, I kind of look like a genius. There was a lot of talent in the 1931 draft, the top five picks are all legit stars: Barrell, Freddie Jones, Bernie Johnson, George Cleaves, and Bill May. 7th overall pick Marion Boismenu is about 10 prospect ranks below Mitchell, and the other three hitters all rank in the top 100. 8th Overall Pick Joe Hunt may be the only miss, as Dixie Lee is one of the top pitching prospects and even though he's struggled, Jim Taylor debuted this year. The last two pitchers, Ben Watkins and Don Flipinski, have not done much, but a really strong first round.

After? Well... I could've missed something, but Chuck Matthews (9th Round) 9 games with the Dynamos this season is basically the most successful non-first round pitcher. And while there are a handful of interesting hitters, the only other top top prospect I could find was my lucky 18th Rounder Joe Rainbow and Montreal's 23rd Rounder Bob Martin, but that's just because he has the same name as the Chiefs star first basemen. Of course, these guys are still young, but the early returns on Mitchell have been really impressive. The 22-year-old does pretty much everything right, and I can't wait to write his name in these reports for the next couple years.

Batters
It wasn't a great debut week for Rich Langton who was 4-for-28 with a double, steal, walk, and RBI. Now 24, I'm hoping he'll start out the week with a big showing on his birthday. Our stars Doc Love and John Kincaid did have big weeks, with Love going 9-for-26 with 2 doubles, 2 homers, and 5 RBI's while Kincaid was 15-for-28 with three runs scored and driven in. Kincaid is also riding a 23-game hit streak, but he's two games behind Al Wheeler and one behind Rip Curry, although Curry is in his now too. Ollie Page and Jake Moore had decent weeks, but most of the offense really struggled.

Pitchers
Way to go Art Black! Start one was pretty solid for him, beating the Kings in the 5-3 win. He went 8 with 7 hits, 3 runs, 6 walks, and 5 strikeouts. Yes, the walks are very concerning, but I already knew that. Yes, giving up 2 home runs is also concerning. But, with so little to be happy about, this is definitely the headline of the week! That and George Johnson's three games against the Kings. He went 13.2 innings (1 start, 2 pen appearances) with 9 hits, 4 runs, 7 walks, and 9 strikeouts. It's still just 36 innings on the season, but he's got a 3.75 ERA (125 ERA+), 1.50 WHIP, 11 walks, and 17 strikeouts. I also think Tommy Wilcox is done for good, so I will probably do a lot of crying once he returns to the mound and looks like Wayne Robinson instead of Tommy Wilcox. Pete Walker got hurt, so I'm down another arm. I'm going back to a six man rotation, bringing Hank Spencer back up from AAA. His 15 starts have been as flawless as his 8 Cougar appearances were flawed; 8-1 with a 2.35 ERA (217 ERA+), 0.98 WHIP, 12 walks, and 51 strikeouts. If everything goes well, Spencer will not return to AAA and will establish himself as a long term member of the rotation. My vision for 1936 is Wilocx-Fritz-Rankin-Lyons-Spencer. I think that could win a lot of games. And I certainly don't think it will break the ERA record we are going to set this season.

Minor League Report
CF Carlos Montes (AA Mobile Commodores): My scout keeps telling me he's ready for the majors, but I just can't see it. He's just 19, won't be 20 until the day after Christmas, but in two weeks with the Commodores he hasn't really looked 19 at all. He's hitting .396/.484/.547 (168 OPS+) with a steal and 12 RBI's. No homers yet, but that's probably because of the seven he hit in 36 A ball games. Add on the fact that's he's tallied a +6.7 zone rating in 400 innings and maybe I should have a 19 year old starting in center field? I'm very slow with promoting prospects, but him and Henry Cox are both 19 and both raking. Both me and Marv agree that Montes has the highest upside of our center fielders, despite what the prognosticators might think, and against my better judgement, he might be manning center in Chicago in the very near future.

[ayaghmour2]

One more Cougar left town, as I shipped John Kincaid to the Philadelphia Sailors for a pair of prospects. Kincaid started a ton of games for us at third base and totaled nearly 10,000 plate appearances since being acquired in the 1929 offseason. The big piece of the return for us is 21-year-old righty Stumpy Beaman. He's a stumpy little guy, 5'6'', but he ranks at the bottom of the top 100 prospect lists and what really drew me to him was his ability to keep the ball on the ground. His upper 80s sinker is his best pitch, and he uses it to generate a ton of groundballs. A 7th Round Pick in 1932, Beaman is having an excellent season in Class C with the Gulfport Sailors, 9-4 with a 3.28 ERA (150 ERA+), 1.20 WHIP, 19 walks, and 37 strikeouts in 104.1 innings pitched. I'll be pushing him up to at least San Jose, but I'm a big fan of this guy. I think his floor is a Dick Lyons type of starter, you're happy if he's in the back of the rotation, but the rest of the staff can't be all that good if he's in front. Still, he gives us another arm to work with as I continue to try to add young guys to the organization. The second piece is a 1931 4th Round Pick in shortstop Bill Dickens, but he's been on the bench most of the time in Single A because of top 10-prospect Rip Lee. Dickens is a switch hitter with a decent bat, solid eye, and dependable glove.

With the move of Kincaid, this opens up a third base platoon between Jake Moore and Pete Asher. No prospect is coming up, just Harry Simmons for the bench (I have faith in Asher at third base), but I did bring up 21-year-old Ducky Jordan to AAA and 22-year-old Phil McKenna to AA. I don't see either making an impact this season, but I can see both guys making a case for themselves in the Spring. I have Jordan getting reps at third, short, and center (most will be at short), but my scout thinks the Hot Springs Hotshot is big league ready. With 29 games in AA, I'd prefer to wait, but the progress the former 6th Rounder has made has been impressive. I am really excited for rosters expanding in a month, as I plan on getting a lot more young guys up and allowing them to rotate through the lineup or rotation.

[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 2-4
Seasonal Record: 47-58 (6th, 19.5 GB)
Stars of the Week
Rich Langton : 24 AB, 10 H, 0 HR, 5 RBI, .417 AVG, 1.045 OPS
Mike Taylor : 22 AB, 9 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .409 AVG, 1.025 OPS
Hank Spencer : 1 Win, 9.0 IP, 1 BB, 2 K, 0.00 ERA

Weekly Schedule
7-30: Loss at Sailors (2-10)
7-31: Win at Sailors (4-0)
8-1: Loss at Sailors (5-6)
8-2: Loss at Foresters (1-6)
8-3: Win at Foresters (3-2)
8-4: Loss at Foresters (5-7)

Summary
Welcome back Hank Spencer! In his first start back, he tossed a nice 9-hit, 1 walk, 2 strikeout shutout of the Sailors in a nice 4-0 win. The rest of the week was rough, as since we were on the road, there was little to no offense to speak of and our pitchers still pitched like they were in the tiny North Side Grounds. I planned on giving him weekly starts anyways, so this doesn't change anything that way, but it was super nice seeing how well he pitched after such rough appearances earlier in the season. Still, we loss two of three to the second and third place teams as we continue our drop in the standings.

The game that really stun though: the finale of the Foresters series. Up 5-1, George Johnson imploded in the ninth, allowing 7 runs, capped off by a Max Morris grand slam. Yeah, one of the worst ways to lose...

Looking Ahead
Off to start the week again before a pair of three game series. This time, however, we get to stay home, hosting both the Sailors and the Wolves. That means John Kincaid will return home very quickly. Philly is 54-50 and Kincaid is a huge upgrade over former Cougar Mack Deal. It's funny, despite a much lower line (it is really hard to hit in Philly compared to Chicago), he has identical 93 OPS+ in 268 games with us and 547 with them. This year, however, the former 1st Rounder hit just .252/.299/.339 (71 OPS+) with 3 homers, 46 RBI's, and 8 steals. He's up to 99 for his career, one away from 100. Interesting enough, they also added stopper Merritt Thomas to their rotation, a player I considered adding (to do the same thing) in the Kincaid trade. In 244.1 FABL innings after being taken from Baltimore in the Rule-5 Draft, he's got a nice 3.83 ERA (111 ERA+), 1.33 WHIP, 115 walks, and 145 strikeouts. Not sure if we'll see him, but I am excited to see what he can do in the rotation. Philly did get a huge hit to their lineup though, with Jack Cleaves' torn ankle ligaments costing him about a month. He was hitting a nice .318/.388/.464 (128 OPS+) with 17 triples, 3 homers, and 53 RBI's. He is aptly nicknamed "Three-Bagger" and has led the CA in triples three times already.

After that, the Wolves come to town, and they were a team I reached out to if they wanted Doc Love. Toronto sits in fourth at 49-55, but they're far closer to last (6.5) then first (17). They have the 8th ranked offense in the league, but a lot of that has to do with the crazy park they play in. As of now, just two of their hitters are boasting above average OPS+, former Cougar Vince York (111) and catcher Dick McGregor (108). Of course, the pitching is a real advantage, and they have Chuck Cole atop the rotation who sits 3rd in the league in ERA. Cole has hit his stride at 25, going 13-5 with a 3.13 ERA (141 ERA+), 1.37 WHIP, 73 walks, and 71 strikeouts. I'd like to see his walks drop and the strikeouts rise, especially because of his upper 90s fastball.

Batters
Week 1 of Rich Langton was awful, we won't talk about that, but week 2? That's what we like to see! Langton slashed .417/.462/.583 with 2 doubles, a triple, and 5 RBI's. Still no homer and he was caught stealing twice, but Langton's quickly got back on track. I'm hoping the same goes for Leo Mitchell, who started his career 7-for-29 with a double. He did score four times, but we can thank Langton for that.

Best thing that happened this week? Joe Masters! Just for the fun of it, I let him leadoff the last game of the week. It worked out well, as he launched a homer on the third pitch of the game. It was his only hit of the week (all but one PA came in that game), but who cares? He hit a homer! He didn't hit .150 for the week!

In actual news, Bill Ashbaugh turned things back around, going 6-for-18 with 2 doubles and 2 triples. Mike Taylor fixed things a bit too, 9-for-22 with a homer and 3 RBI's. Even Jake Moore got in on the fun, 5-for-13 with an RBI. We did have Ollie Page graduate off the top prospect lists, so now were 2nd in the farm rankings for the first time in a while. He's doing fine this season, hitting .279/.360/.384 with a homer and 18 RBI's, but what I like has been the defense. He's got a +3.3 zone rating and 1.040 efficiency, and it's been a while since we've had a decent shortstop defensively.

Pitchers
I already mentioned Spencer's impressive start, but I almost did it again because of how bad we tend to pitch. We did get to see Dick Lyons pitch like the Lyons of old, just 7 hits, 2 runs, and 3 walks with a strikeout in an 8 inning win. Ace McSherry picked up the save in that game, but tossed three innings for the week. He allowed 3 hits and a walk, but no run to score. Take out the ninth inning of the second start (left the first early), George Johnson looked really good. But, he likes getting hurt more then Wilcox does, so who knows if anything happens here.

[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 4-2
Seasonal Record: 51-60 (6th, 20 GB)
Stars of the Week
Ollie Page : 20 AB, 10 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, .500 AVG, 1.195 OPS
Rich Langton : 24 AB, 11 H, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .458 AVG, 1.000 OPS
Doc Love : 23 AB, 9 H, 0 HR, 5 RBI, .391 AVG, .851 OPS

Weekly Schedule
8-6: Loss vs Sailors (6-4)
8-7: Win vs Sailors (4-5): 10 innings
8-8: Win vs Sailors (4-6)
8-9: Win vs Wolves (0-6)
8-10: Loss vs Wolves (18-4)
8-11: Win vs Wolves (4-5)

Summary
Pretty great week! Sure, losing 18-4 is pretty bad and other then the shutout, each game was decided by two runs, but any sort of win is better then no win. We do tend to play well at home, so it makes sense that when we took two out of three in both series, it makes sense that it was at home. Big week for former Cougar Lou Kelly, returning to his May form with the Miners. He went 15-for-30 with 5 homers and 12 RBI's as he took home yet another Player of the Week. Just in his Pittsburgh time, he's hitting .333/.409/.708 (194 OPS+) with 7 homers, 3 steals, and 19 RBI's.

Looking Ahead
We get a pair of off days before a road trip to New York. It starts with four in Brooklyn, the first team to reach 70 wins this season, who do still have a 3.5 game lead over the Foresters. They are without Tom Barrell, but picked up Al Carroll from the Minutemen at the deadline. His first start with the Kings was a shutout, and for the season he is 10-9 with a 3.15 ERA (145 ERA+), 1.29 WHIP, 42 walks, and 47 strikeouts. The lefty just turned 33 on the 8th, and Brooklyn really solidified their top four. Al Wheeler is also the first hitter the 30 homers, 25 with the Kings. He's on a 42 homer, 158 RBI pace and seems to be the runaway favorite for MVP. The Brooklyn offense is one of the best, with just Fred Barrell (88 OPS+) the worst hitter in their lineup.

Our opponent after that sits on the opposite side, the 47-65 and last place New York Stars. One of the four is this week, but we will likely see former Cougar Dick Leudtke. The Stars have a one game lead over the Cannons in the Rufus Barrell race. The Stars have a really strong offense, but the only team with a worse staff then theirs, is well, ours. To make matters worse, Lou Martino, who was 5-8 with a 3.89 ERA (117 ERA+), 1.46 WHIP, 35 walks, and 46 strikeouts may have made his last start of the season already. He suffered an elbow strain on the 25th, and may not recover in time to make another.

Batters
He did it again! Just for fun, I batted Joe Masters leadoff again on the 7th, and while he didn't start the game with a homer, he homered in both the third and seventh! It wasn't even the biggest homer of the game, that would have been the one in the 5th inning; Leo Mitchell's first career homer! He hasn't had the greatest start yet, but in this one he was 3-for-5 with a pair of runs scored. It was a solo shot off Doc Newell, but Mitchell also scored the winning run in the 10th. I had a little fun with the positioning in this one: Bert Wilson needed a day off, so I put Masters in the lineup. He played first, and I let Mitchell play center. He made all five routine plays, but missed an even, unlikely, and remote.

Someone who has done better is Rich Langton, who had a second strong week. He went 11-for-24 with 2 steals, 2 RBI's, and 4 runs scored. He's still looking for his first homer, but after a tough debut week, he's almost up to a league average split: .329/.370/.408 (94 OPS+). He's been passable so far in right, definitely better then Kelly was defensively. Fellow rookie Ollie Page had a good week too, 10-for-20 with 3 doubles and 5 runs scored. Like Langton, his line is close to league average, .302/.379/.411 (97 OPS+) and he's added a homer and 19 RBI's.

Mike Taylor kept up his little run, going 8-for-21 with a homer and 3 RBI's. The season has been awful for Taylor, as the 29-year-old is hitting just .264/.325/.350 (69 OPS+) with 6 homers and 44 RBI's. Despite his best efforts last season, Taylor has never had a sub 100 OPS+, but he's not going to reach it this year. This is also could be his first season where he failed to hit double digit homers. In fact, in his first 54 games with the Cougars he managed 10 and he's almost doubled the games this year. Still, I have faith in his abilities and I know brighter pastures are ahead.

Bert Wilson has started to slide, with his August batting line just .242/.286/.333. He's moved into the starting center field role, but with his struggles I'm going to start giving Mike Smith more at bats. This guy always hits, but never starts too much. Still, he owns a .362/.413/.522 (132 OPS+) line this year and a career .328/.378/.486 (122 OPS+) batting line. So why don't I give him more time? Well, he's never been better then the other outfielders on the team and now he finally has an opportunity. He hasn't played much center in the big leagues, but that was his natural position in the minors.

Pitchers
Last week Hank Spencer, this week Art Black! The 26-year-old was brilliant against the Wolves, tossing a 6-hit, 4 walk, 5-strikeout shutout for his second win of the season. After three rough starts last season, Black is 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA (156 ERA+), 1.58 WHIP, 18 walks, and 10 strikeouts. Interesting enough, that's more walks then last season (more innings this year), and while the 1.58 WHIP isn't pretty, it's a lot better then 2.17 and that's basically average this season. As you might expect, the four starts in the wins were all really good and the two in the losses were really poor. Wayne Robinson pitched the worst, 9 runs (5 earned) in 3.2 innings with 10 hits, 5 walks, and 2 strikeouts. George Johnson had a solid outing in the finale with the Wolves, a complete game win with 12 hits, 4 runs (3 earned), 3 walks, and 7 strikeouts. Johnson is pitching like the pitcher I thought he could be, working to a 4.04 ERA (116 ERA+), 1.54 WHIP, 16 walks, and 29 strikeouts in 55.2 innings.

Minor League Report
3B Hank Stratton (A Lincoln Legislators): Currently are top rated option at third base in the farm, 20-year-old Hank Stratton had a big week. He was 15-for-32 with a pair of homers and eight driven in. The 1932 5th Rounder has spent his whole season in A ball, hitting a league average .324/.348/.485 (100 OPS+) with 6 homers and 85 RBI's in 426 trips to the plate. He'll be 21 towards the end of the month, but I am really happy with the progress he's made so far. The only thing I don't like his the walks, just 10 on the year, and worst showing of his career. Still, that's something that improves with age and Stratton has jumped up to 72 on the current prospect rankings.

Amateur Report
SP Joe Sargent (Everett): He's not eligible for this years draft, but I think Joe Sargent could be an interesting guy to watch next season. As a junior, he was 11-2 with a 1.50 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 41 walks, and 170 strikeouts. That's a lot of strikeouts, especially because his fastball still sits at the 80-83 MPH range. The six foot lefty is bound to eventually get some sort of velocity boost and I think it could be huge for him. He has a really good curveball, and any sort of velocity he can add to his fastball is going to make it that much better.

[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 2-3
Seasonal Record: 53-63 (6th, 20 GB)
Stars of the Week
Leo Mitchell : 22 AB, 9 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .409 AVG, 1.162 OPS
Doc Love : 22 AB, 9 H, 0 HR, 4 RBI, .409 AVG, .980 OPS
Bill Ashbaugh : 22 AB, 6 H, 1 HR, 6 RBI, .273 AVG, .879 OPS

Weekly Schedule
8-14: Loss at Kings (2-6)
8-15: Win at Kings (5-2)
8-16: Loss at Kings (5-4)
8-17: Win at Kings (11-12): 10 innings
8-18: Loss at Stars (3-7)

Summary
So, we didn't get swept by the Kings? Huh... A split is nice for us, but not them, as their lead is down to one due to the Foresters five game win streak. Up 10-6 after six, the Kings rallied back to force extras. In the 12th, Bill Ashbaugh gave us a one run lead with a solo shot. It makes up for a pair of his errors (Rich Langton made three too...). The real stars of that one, however, were Ollie Page and Leo Mitchell. Both had four hit games, Page doubled twice, and Mitchell homered and tripled. We then decided to lose the opener in New York, so there is that, but a 23 hit outing against Brooklyn does feel pretty good.

Big shoutout to Doc Newell, the guy I wish I tried much harder to trade for in the offseason. He tossed a no-hitter last season, and then outdid himself with a perfect game to end the week! 4 strikeouts, 17 ground outs, and 6 flyballs is all the Kings could muster against Newell. He's really broken out this season, going 16-8 with a 3.19 ERA (138 ERA+), 1.22 WHIP, 41 walks, and 96 strikeouts in 214.2 innings pitched. The only two teams that have been able to hit Newell this year? Just the Foresters and yours truly! His worst team ERA is the 4.54 against us and in Chicago he looks like Dick Lyons (5+ ERA)!

Looking Ahead
We get three more in New York with the Stars who jumped over the Canons for seventh. They're 51-66, two and a half behind us and two ahead of Baltimore. At the moment, the pitcher with the bester ERA In their rotation is Harry Carter, who's 8-7 with a 5.00 ERA (91 ERA+), 1.51 WHIP, 41 walks, and 88 strikeouts. I do kind of like the 24-year-old though, he's got six pitches and remains comfortably in the mid to upper 90s. Despite the sinker, he's a flyballer, so that's a little strange, (potentially the sinker really sucks; a 2/2 pitch or one with a lot of potential that never moved), but he looked really good last season and could have a lot of upside for a team in need of arms. On the offensive side, they've enjoyed the breakout of Larry Colaianni, a consistent top 25 prospect in his earlier days. The 26-year-old is in his first full season and is hitting .366/.425/.458 (128 OPS+) with 4 homers and 60 RBI's. They've used him in the corner outfield spots, but he's a natural shortstop.

After that, we get four games in Montreal with the fourth place Saints. They sit at 53-60 which is good for 18.5 games out of first. What's impressive with Montreal right now is they actually have a trio of double digit home run hitters in Jim Watson, Vic Crawford, and Hank Barnett. All three are having strong seasons, especially Crawford, who is hitting .336/.395/.528 (144 OPS+) with 12 homers and 78 RBI's. The 27-year-old was the 3rd Overall Pick in 1929 after being one of the best college feeder prospects we've seen. His 1929 was miraculous, 31 homers and 85 RBI's in 200 at bats. The Saints have also seen Earl Whitten get back on track, and he's back to 10-11 with a 4.15 ERA (107 ERA+), 1.44 WHIP, 67 walks, and 60 strikeouts. He's on pace for his third consecutive above average season. He's not as good as George Thomas, still one of my favorite pitchers, but Whitten has been more reliable.

Batters
Another good week for Leo Mitchell! The rookie was 9-for-22 with a homer, 3 runs, RBI's, and walks. Doc Love matched the hits and at bats, but drove in four and scored five times. It's funny, with all the hits I thought we'd have more guys with strong weeks, but other then those two it was just Ashbaugh and Page. They combined to go 13-for-33 with 3 doubles, a triple, homer, 7 RBI's, and 6 runs scored. On the bad side, a lot of players with less hits or the same as games played. Mike Smith, Jake Moore, Pete Asher, Mike Taylor, and Bert Wilson combined to go 14-for-69 with just 3 RBI's. Jake Moore did double twice, but that's really all the interesting information from those five.

Pitchers
This is a first: the pen was excellent! Wayne Robinson (since we only needed five starters) allowed 3 hits with a strikeout in four scoreless. Ace McSherry allowed a hit, walk, and strikeout in 2.1 shutout innings in the extra inning win. Dick Sexton went 6.2 innings with 2 hits, 2 runs, and a strikeout. Sure, 7 walks, but easy to ignore that... Just like how Bill Kline allowed four runs, but only one was earned. Most of the 8 hits were because of the errors, so yeah, pretty good week for the pen! The rotation struggled, but Dave Rankin looked good in the 5-2 win over the team that drafted him. He went all nine, allowing 5 hits, 2 runs, and four walks with a strikeout. When he's on he's really good, but he has not been on very much this year. George Johnson left another start with some random DTD injury, but as usual, he won't really miss any time. Make that five injuries this season, just one more then 5 days (one week).

Minor League Report
SP Joe Cotton (A Scranton Silver Stars): No, we didn't just add a random A ball team. But, I had to give a shoutout to our former prospect. The 1931 6th Rounder was sent to the Stars for Dick Reid earlier in the season, and while the season hasn't been too great, he did something special on the 12th: he tossed a no-hitter. It was a 4-0 win over the Camden Rockets where Cotton walked three and struck out two in the magical night. In 18 starts this year, he's 6-5 with a 4.37 ERA (97 ERA+), 1.43 WHIP, 51 walks, and 56 strikeouts in 90.2 innings pitched. Cotton throws one of the hardest fastballs in the game, sitting 96-98 comfortably, so I will continue to watch how he develops.

SP Rusty Watts (B San Jose Cougars); A 13th Rounder last year, Rusty Watts started the season in La Crosse and quickly proved it was too easy. He was 9-1 with a 2.50 ERA (216 ERA+), 1.11 WHIP, 19 walks, and 46 strikeouts in 82.2 innings pitched before earning a promotion to San Jose. He's made six starts so far, and the middle four were forgettable. The first one was good, but the sixth one, pretty excellent. We won the game 14-0, but we only really needed one run as Watts allowed just 2 hits and a walk with 7 strikeouts. Even in the bad starts, he got three or more strikeouts and is up to 22 in 43 innings. Watts is a really hard thrower, but as a flyball pitcher, Chicago may be tough for him. Th lefty does have more upside then you would expect from an auto pick, but he's still got a tough upward climb.

C John McLemore (C La Cross Lions): He hasn't done much catching this season, but that's probably his home. He's been awful at first, but you can't keep the .369/.441/.590 (141 OPS+) batting line out of the lineup. McLemore has added 11 homers and 80 RBI's in 395 trips to the plate and he just took home a Player of the Week award. He went 16-for-31 with a homer and 6 RBI's. August has actually been his worst month of the year, hitting just .329/.422/.539 with a homer and 10 driven in.

[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 2-5
Seasonal Record: 55-68 (6th, 23 GB)
Stars of the Week
Leo Mitchell : 30 AB, 14 H, 1 HR, 6 RBI, .467 AVG, 1.133 OPS
Ollie Page : 26 AB, 9 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .346 AVG, 1.067 OPS
Rich Langton : 29 AB, 9 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .310 AVG, .892 OPS

Weekly Schedule
8-19: Win at Stars (10-2)
8-20: Loss at Stars (6-8)
8-21: Loss at Stars (5-7)
8-22: Loss at Saints (4-10)
8-23: Loss at Saints (5-6)
8-24: Loss at Saints (3-6)
8-25: Win at Saints (4-0)

Summary
What a rough week... A five game losing streak sucks, but if you focus only on the first and last games, it was pretty great. The win against the Stars was an excellent preview for the future. Hank Spencer made the start, tossing a 9-hit complete game with 2 runs, 3 walks, and 3 strikeouts. He even hit a two-run homer off Dick Leudtke in the 8th. That's his first, and potentially only, big league home run. After tossing a shutout in his first start back, Spencer had two six run outings in losses to the Sailors and Kings. It's been a tough rookie season for Spencer, but this is just a sign of what he could be. We also saw our three rookies Ollie Page, Rich Langton, and Leo Mitchell have excellent games. Page was a perfect 4-for-4 with a walk, homer, 2 runs, and 2 RBI's. Langton was 3-for-5 with a double and three RBI's. He also hit his first big league homer, a two run homer off Harry Carter in the first. Mitchell was 3-for-4 with a walk, three runs, and a solo homer. Page isn't much of a home run hitter, so this may be a rare occurrence where all three homer on the same day. Mitchell's already hit his third, and he's bound to hit a ton more.

The last game of the series was in Montreal, and Dave Rankin took full advantage of that. He was brilliant and tossed a 4-hit, 3 strikeout shutout in a 4-0 win to finish the week. He pitched okay in his first start, but Rankin has really turned things around in August. In his 5 starts he's 3-1 with a 3.24 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. I don't like how he's walked 15 and struck out just 7, but I'll sacrifice some strikeouts if it means more outs. Rankin has really had issues with the longball this year, 24 on the season in 28 starts. He has thrown 214 innings, but his ERA is just 4.84 (97 ERA+) and his WHIP 1.45. As mentioned, he's had a drop in strikeouts, and now those are even with walks (81). I think he'll turn things around down the stretch and he'll keep getting consistent outings. The better our defense gets the better Rankin will get, and the less strikeouts I think he'll have.

Looking Ahead
Off to start the week before three with the Cannons in Baltimore. At 52-72, they hold a 2 game lead in the Rufus Barrell sweepstakes over the Stars. Jim Mason has continued his strong rookie season, slashing .344/.392/.461 (118 OPS+) in a lineup that's not too bad. They have started to give more time to former 12th Rounder Joe Watson who has been on a solid run. He's hitting .305/.404/.473 (124 OPS+) with 6 homers and 40 RBI's in 265 trips to the plate. Joe Welsh has cooled down a bit, but he's still hitting .308/.341/.492 (111 OPS+) with 14 homers and 65 RBI's. 1932 6th Overall Pick Whit Williams is having a nice second year of his own, batting .311/.373/.429 (105 OPS+) with 3 homers, 42 RBI's, and 7 steals. Unfortunately, Pinky Conlan has fallen on some rough times. He's still got a good line, but his ERA is up to 4.12 (111 ERA+) and his WHIP 1.42. His K/9 dropped to 2.0 from 2.7 while his BB/9 jumped up a full point. Still, he's just 26 and having a really good season. They've recently brought up Lou Forbes to the big leagues, an 11th Round selection from 1927. We'll likely be the second big league start for him.

We're then off again on the 30th before a two game series against the Sailors to finish the month. Sailors sit at 63-60 which is third, but closer to last (11.5) then first (15). Merritt Thomas has had mixed results in the rotation, but he looked really good against Cleveland and Baltimore. Of course, they don't need too much from him when they also have William Jones, Herb Flynn, and Doc Newell. John Kincaid hasn't hit all that great to start his Sailors career, just .294/.364/.338 (89 OPS+) in 77 trips to the plate. They've recently brought up one of their top prospects, shortstop Hal Carter. The 22-year-old was the 9th pick by the Sailors in the '33 draft, but flew through their system. He's already played 30 FABL games and hit .313/.364/.406 (106 OPS+) with 5 doubles, 2 triples, and 13 RBI's. He's struggled a bit defensively, but was doing well down in AAA. He's got the tools to hit .350 and walk five times as much as he'll strikeout. He fits Philly really well, but he's probably going to end up at second once baseball's 10th best prospect Rip Lee is ready for the show. The Sailors system is loaded, ranked right behind us.

Oh, and look what is right around the corner? Roster expansion! That's a holiday for bad teams!

Minor League Report
SP Mel Leonard (AA Mobile Commodores): Since coming over from the trade I've used Mel Leonard strictly in the rotation and I think it's helped him straighten things up. He still has issues with walks, 24 compared to 19 strikeouts, but his 52.1 innings in Mobile have gone pretty well. He's 2-4, but with a 3.96 ERA (116 ERA+) and 1.64 WHIP. Interesting enough, it's actually been the last two starts that have gone poorly. Last one was 10 hits and 5 runs in 8 innings and the one before was 9 hits and 7 runs (6 earned). I need to protect him in the Rule-5 draft, so perhaps I give him a call next week or when the minor league season ends.

2B Melvin Salazar (C La Crosse Lions): While he is technically a second basemen, he's spent more time at third, left, and center this year then he did at second. I'm trying to find a position for the speedster as he has just raked in Mobile. The 21-year-old from Mexico is slashing .368/.478/.515 (135 OPS+) with 6 homers, 56 steals, and 53 RBI's in 511 trips to the plate. He's walked an impressive 86 times compared to just 21 strikeouts. This his kid has blinding speed and I really hope he has the range to play center field. My scout raves on his range, but the plate discipline is what is really impressive. He's moving up the prospect ladder as I've been cycling players out and up. We really don't have much speed, so that could play well for Salazar. It's up to San Jose for him and I'm going to give him a shot at short as I don't really have anyone there. It may be a temporary position, but San Jose will be his final destination this season.

Amateur Report
SP Al Duster (Council Bluffs): Just a sophomore, Al Duster, the Prince of the Prairie, has already made a name for himself. As a freshman he was 11-0 with a 1.16 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 18 walks, and 123 strikeouts in 116.2 innings pitched. That's an impossible line to replicate, but he did do his best. The tiny righty was 7-2 with a 1.15 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 15 walks, and 123 strikeouts in 93.2 innings. Just 5'8'' and 130 pounds, he still throws mid 80s and absolutely dominates the Iowa high school circuit. My scout really likes his "Bugs Bunny changeup" and he gets a ton of movement on his slider. I'm expecting him to blossom into an excellent pitcher and he should be able to front rotations.

SS Tim Humphrey (Madison Heights): Here's a kid eligible for this draft that I really like. He's super versatile, able to play short, second, third, left, and right and he should be a strong defender there. He's a really fast runner and swiped 40 bases in just 50 high school games. He had a nice senior year, slashing .477/.537/.682 with 16 extra base hits and 32 RBI's in 124 trips to the plate. He struck out just 3 times and walked 12, and he hits from both sides of the plate. My scout says he has " a good combination of bat speed and barrel control" and considers him a frontrunner for an audition at short. He may not sign, however, demanding a bonus to pass up his commitment to Charleston Tech. That could cause him to fall a bit, but he should be selected in the first few rounds.

[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 3-2
Seasonal Record: 58-70 (5th, 21 GB)
Stars of the Week
Rich Langton : 23 AB, 8 H, 3 HR, 6 RBI, .348 AVG, 1.293 OPS
Bill Ashbaugh : 22 AB, 9 H, 1 HR, 9 RBI, .409 AVG, 1.049 OPS
Leo Mitchell : 24 AB, 11 H, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .458 AVG, .977 OPS

Weekly Schedule
8-27: Loss at Cannons (3-4)
8-28: Win vs Cannons (15-10)
8-29: Win vs Cannons (11-5)
8-31: Win at Sailors (4-1)
9-1: Loss at Sailors (3-8)

Summary
Rosters expanded! But in better news, winning week! We flipped it, loss the bookends and won the middle. We took two out of three against the Cannons, with Rick Langton raking. In the 15-10 win he was 2-for-3 with 2 homers, 2 walks, and 4 RBI's. Bert Wilson, Doc Love, and Bill Ashbaugh all had three hits and then Leo Mitchell, Mike Taylor, Jake Moore, and even Dick Lyons managed a pair of hits. He added another homer in the 11-5 win, so with three in two days he quadrupled his season total. He's picked things up, brought his batting line up to .314/.364/.503 (114 OPS+) with 9 doubles, 4 triples, and three steals in 165 trips to the plate. It was a good way to finish the month, as he took home Rookie of the Month in his first actualy month in the big leagues. August went well for him, batting .357 with 4 homers and 18 RBI's. Cougars with a higher OPS then Langton this season? Well, just Doc Love and Lou Kelly (technically Leo Mitchell too, but he's got 7 less games)! And I can't remember the last time we had a Rookie of the Month!

Langton wasn't the only one with a strong week, as even the vets Bill Ashbaugh and Doc Love had great weeks. Ashbaugh was 9-for-22 with a homer and 9 RBI's. Love was 8-for-22, homer and drove in four. As expected, Leo Mitchell had another great week too, 11-for-24 with a steal and a pair of RBI's. We didn't pitch all that great, but it was another gem for Dave Rankin. He outdueled William Jones, tossing a complete game win with 7 hits, a run, walk, and strikeout. With that start he lowered his ERA to a league average 4.68 mark with a 1.43 WHIP and 82 walks and strikeouts. Hank Spencer got the opener, but even though he lost, his start was strong. He went 8 with 8 hits, 4 runs (3 earned), 4 walks, and a strikeout.

Looking Ahead
With rosters expanding, I'll cover the guys I bring up in my minor league report, but we're entering the final month of the season. We're home to start the week, hosting the Foresters for a quick double header before another day off. Cleveland has overtaken first, 79-49 and a game ahead of the Kings. They just got Lou Drouillard back, but we drew the short end of the stick: Eddie Quinn and Dean Astle. Should be a fun double header sweep... Still, they will be without Max Morris who is suffering from recurring back spasms and may miss the end of the year. Even without him, very few holes in the Foresters lineup (or rotation for that matter), but the best part? Ben Turner's breakout! The former Cougar prospect is 17-5 with a 3.72 ERA (120 ERA+), 1.33 WHIP, 58 walks, and 55 strikeouts in 196 innings.

After that we'll face the Stars who sit 57-72, tied for 6th/7th with the Wolves. Larry Colaianni is up to 2nd in the CA batting race, his .363 average shy of just Al Wheeler. Their pitching continues to struggle, so expect a lot of runs in this series as both teams hit and watch a lot of hits in the field. Bad at defense, bad at pitching, good at hitting; our teams are almost identical in performance. Even both of us have our ace's hurt! I have no idea how this one is going to go, but there will be runs scored! We do end the week hosting the Cannons, but just one of the four games will happen next sim. The Cannons sit in last at 55-74, two games ahead of the Stars/Wolves and 3.5 ahead of us.

Oh yeah, and Tommy Wilcox might be able to throw again this year. He's got two weeks left injured, but my scout is finally starting to take it out on his abilities. The "healthy ace" is now more of a mid-rotation starter. Yay...

Lastly, I picked up Allen Purvis off waivers from the Saints. He's perfect for us, an extreme groundballer, and perhaps he'll find some success in the Chi. He's tossed 407 FABL innings from 1931-1935 (plus 36 in 1928) and gone 19-29 with a 4.78 ERA (88 ERA+), 1.55 WHIP, 157 walks, and 130 strikeouts. Numbers aren't too exciting, but we need guys who can start games and he'll get a few of those down the stretch.

Minor League Report
SP Johnny Walker: Our 3rd Rounder back in 1928, Walker has made eight big league starts across the past two seasons. They haven't been great, but he's been dominant in the minior leagues. A big strikeout arm, Wakler finished his minor league season 9-6 with a 3.75 ERA (142 ERA+), 1.25 WHIP, 37 walks, and 81 strikeouts in 122.1 innings pitched. Walker has made four starts for us this year, going 1-3 with a 5.16 ERA (91 ERA+), 1.55 WHIP, 13 walks, and 19 strikeouts. I've always been a big fan of the little lefty and I really think he's going to develop into a strong rotation option. He has a really good curveball and a strong mid 90s cutter and he's able to generate numerous swings and misses. He's going to get some starts as we finish the year and he'll look to win a spot in camp next year. He's still got an option left, so he's not fighting for his job, but I'd love to see him in our 1936 rotation.

CF Chink Stickels: Since Tom Taylor left, center field has been pretty bad. At the time of the trade, Bert Wilson had an above average batting line. Now in 156 trips to the plate he has a .265/.299/.333 (57 OPS+) line with 28 strikeouts, 6 walks, and 15 RBI's. Mike Smith hasn't faired much better, hitting .222/.271/.267 in August. So I found the solution: the #42 prospect in baseball who just happens to play center field and happens to be on the 40-man roster. I got Stickels from Denver in the Independent League draft this offseason. He spent most of his season in AA Mobile, hitting .285/.348/.490 (115 OPS+) with 7 homers, 12 steals, and 78 RBI's. He's also done a good job with his walks and strikeouts, tallying 44 apiece before striking out (66) almost twice as much as he walked (34) in A ball last season. He's also a capable defender, recording a +9.1 zone rating and 1.040 efficiency in 76 games out in center. It's the only position he's played before this season, but I've been giving him time in left (36) and right (16) as well. My scout is a big fan of Stickels and he think he's got above average contact potential, is a sure handed center fielder, and has the talent to flourish in the FABL. He's also one of the fastest players, giving us something we really need. Stickels only has played in 210 minor league games before this debut, but he looks more then ready. He'll be our starting center fielder for the rest of the season. I was hoping him and Ray Moore would have shared the job, but Moore got hurt this sim and will likely miss the rest of the year. Moore wasn't on the 40 and didn't need to be protected in the Rule-5 Draft, so perhaps it's for the best.

C Ralph McLean: I like having a third catcher on hand towards the end of the year, so I'll bring Ralph McLean back up. The 27-year-old had a tough season in Milwaukee, batting .285/.341/.389 (78 OPS+) with just one homer and 37 RBI's in 261 trips to the plate. He did walk (14) more then he struck out (12), but it was a pretty disappointing season for him. I'm not expecting too much for him, and I'll be on the lookout for a new catcher in the offseason.

RF Bert Harrison: I didn't need to bring up an extra infielder because I already had the speedy Russ Franklin serving as the fifth outfielder even though he's an infielder. This allowed me to bring back the former Rule-5 selection Bert Harrison who was stuck in a crazy outfield logjam. He got just 187 plate appearances, but took full advantage of them. He hit .406/.452/.576 (149 OPS+) with 3 homers, 2 steals, and 16 RBI's. Just 25, Harrison is a really talented off the bench hitter, but doesn't offer much use in the field. He's fast, has okay power, and makes a lot of contact. He probably won't start, but I can see him getting a lot of pinch hit opportunities.

[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 3-4
Seasonal Record: 61-74 (7th, 22 GB)
Stars of the Week
Rich Langton : 28 AB, 13 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .464 AVG, 1.123 OPS
Leo Mitchell : 26 AB, 10 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, .385 AVG, .868 OPS
Mike Taylor : 22 AB, 7 H, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .318 AVG, .984 OPS

Weekly Schedule
9-2: Win vs Foresters (3-5)
9-2: Loss vs Foresters (11-2)
9-4: Win vs Stars (1-2)
9-5: Loss vs Stars (7-6)
9-6: Win vs Stars (4-5)
9-7: Loss vs Stars (12-5)
9-8: Loss at Cannons (2-6)

Summary
No time for a full writeup today, but with the season basically over there isn't too much to talk about anyways. We split the double header hosting the Foresters (83-52), split the series hosting the Stars (62-74), and then dropped the first game against the Cannons (59-77), the only other CA team worse then us. Us, them, the Stars, and Wolves were all eliminated from the playoffs this sim as none of us can reach the Foresters (83-52) or Kings (82-52). Speaking of those Kings, they'll be in town after four more hosting Baltimore. We have a ton of home games to end the season, but we still managed to pull 13,184 on a Sunday against the Cannons which is higher then the average for every team except the Kings, Foresters, and Gothams. 15,420 is our average on the season, so it's a down year by those standards, but it's close to our 13,498 average last year.

Don't be fooled though, there is still a reason to watch an obvious last place team. One of those being the CA's Player of the Week Rich Langton who went 13-for-28 with a homer and 5 RBI's this week. The 24-year-old is now hitting .337/.388/.519 (124 OPS+) with 5 homers, 3 steals, and 27 RBI's in 196 trips to the plate. He's already matched his AAA total for strikeouts with 7, but he's still walked much more (15) then he's struck out and he's doubles ten times and tripled four. I didn't expect Doc Love to still be in Chicago, so Langton has been struggling in right, but I know if he had a little more time there he'd be better then average. He had just 6 games as a right fielder in AAA before this season, and has a -2.6 zone rating and .957 efficiency in 41 games with us in right. Johnny Walker also tossed a gem against the Stars, 7.2 innings with 9 hits, a run, 4 walks, and 4 strikeouts in the 2-1 win. This game was at home with two really good offenses, and Walker did great. It sucks we couldn't hit Dick Richards, but it turned out a 2nd inning Mike Taylor two run homer was all we needed. I wanted an extra arm, so I called Wally Larkin up from AAA and I plan on using him to start on the 14th against the Kings. He was 4-0 with a 4.77 ERA (111 ERA+), 1.55 WHIP, 13 walks, and 28 strikeouts in 54.2 innings with the Blues. I'll finish with a Leo Mitchell update, he was 10-for-26 with 5 walks, 3 runs, and an RBI.

EDIT: Joe Rainbow made his FABL debut! The former 18th Round selection of the Cougars in 1931 currently ranks as the 20th best prospect in baseball and has caught 18 games for the Cannons before I realized he made his debut. In fact, we actually played him on the 28th, 29th, and 8th! It hasn't been a great start to his Baltimore career as Rainbow is hitting just .239/.271/.284 (42 OPS+) with 9 RBI's in 71 trips to the plate. He's hitting 6th for the Cannons and we'll get to see him a few times this week.

[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 3-4
Seasonal Record: 64-78 (6th, 24 GB)
Stars of the Week
Doc Love : 31 AB, 13 H, 2 HR, 4 RBI, .419 AVG, 1.083 OPS
Rich Langton : 33 AB, 12 H, 2 HR, 4 RBI, .364 AVG, 1.091 OPS
Ollie Page : 31 AB, 10 H, 2 HR, 4 RBI, .323 AVG, .924 OPS

Weekly Schedule
9-9: Win vs Cannons (0-6)
9-10: Win vs Cannons (6-8)
9-11: Loss vs Cannons (7-6): 13 innings
9-12: Win vs Kings (1-3)
9-13: Loss vs Kings (5-4)
8-14: Loss vs Kings (14-3)
8-15: Loss vs Kings (4-3)

Summary
A mediocre 3-4 week moves us up to 6th, half a game above the Stars (64-79) and then 3.5 ahead of the Cannons (61-82). Of course, none of us are near Cleveland (88-54) or Brooklyn (86-55) who hopefully will fight it out until the end. Lots of good though, starting with Tommy Wilcox who can throw again. AA Mobile plays six games this week, and he'll get to start two of them before returning for a start or two in Chicago.

Looking Ahead
We start the week hosting the Saints (70-71), who like the Sailors (72-72) were eliminated this sim. Montreal has matched their win total from last year, in big part to George Thomas and Earle Whitten. Thomas is 17-9 with a 3.63 ERA (120 ERA+), 1.35 WHIP, 80 walks, and 77 strikeouts in 248 innings. Whitten is 13-12 with a 3.73 ERA (117 ERA+), 1.38 WHIP, 87 walks, and 74 strikeouts. Vic Crawford has continued his surge, batting .339/.395/.525 (143 OPS+) with 14 homers and 95 RBI's as he's getting ready to wind down a successful third season as an everyday starter. Pablo Reyes is healthy again, and along with Jim Watson, Tom Bird, Hank Barnett, and John Collins Montreal actually has a really strong and relatively young (oldest Watson at 28) offensive core.

Off on Friday and Monday, but the weekend will be us hosting the previously mentioned Sailors. I'm hoping we get Oscar Morse and Russ Reel, but that seems unlikely. Dick Walker has continued his strong season, batting .297/.414/.474 (137 OPS+) with 10 homers, 15 steals, and 76 RBI's in 620 trips to the plate. He's walked 104 times so far, the second time he's surpassed 100 in his career.

Lastly, all minor league regular seasons end this week. I plan on bringing up five guys next week (including Wilcox) to fill up the roster. Another will likely be Russ Combs, who will also be join Wilcox in Mobile for rehab this week. And as much as I love how good Milt Fritz has done in AAA (he's got a 3.27 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 16 BB, 22 K, and a 162 ERA+), he will not be in Chicago until next season.

Batters
I guess 2 homers and 4 RBI's is cool now? Rich Langton, Doc Love, and Ollie Page all thought so! But one of the stronger weeks was courtesy of Mike Taylor who hit was 6-for-20 with 2 homers, 3 RBI's, 6 runs, and 5 walks. Still, it's hard to do much better then Langton or Love. Love was 13-for-31 with a double and for runs scored while Langton was 13-for-33 with 2 doubles, 2 triples, and 7 runs scored. I can't rave enough about Langton, who's had a hot 50 game start to his Cougar career. He's batting .341/.384/.551 (131 OPS+) with 7 homers, 3 steals, and 31 RBI's. He's an extra base machine, adding 12 doubles and 6 triples in as well. His efficiency in right is .957, not too far from Lou Kelly's .980. I can't forget about Page either, who was 10-for-31 with 2 doubles and 4 runs. He's continued his strong season, improving his line to .306/.382/.455 (108 OPS+) with 6 homers and 35 RBI's.

Pitchers
This might have been the weirdest week of all, as our pitching was excellent. It started with Johnny Walker, who tossed a 5-hit, 3 walk, and 8 strikeout shutout against the Cannons on Monday. I was a little upset when he pitched two days later considering we have a ton of rested pen arms, and he allowed 2 hits, a run, and a walk in the 13th of the 7-6 loss to the Cannons. Still, Walker is pitching how I've expected, 3-4 with a 3.61 ERA (128 ERA+), 1.48 WHIP, 21 walks, and 31 strikeouts in 47.1 innings in the majors so far. He'll keep getting starts, and will start the week. Other then Wally Larkin, who was dominated in his first start as a Cougar, all other starts this week were really good. Dave Rankin tossed two complete games, winning one and losing one while allowing 21 hits, 7 runs (4 earned), and 7 walks with 8 strikeouts. He's back above 100 with a 103 ERA+ and his walks and strikeouts are evened back at 93. Allen Purvis allowed 5 unearned runs in the 5-4 loss to the Kings, as Ollie Page made a pair of errors. He also had a 3 inning relief appearance, going 11.2 innings in total with 12 hits, 3 walks, and 3 strikeouts. He's done well in his 27 innings, working to a 2.67 ERA (174 ERA+), 1.48 WHIP, 6 walks, and 11 strikeouts. Dick Lyons picked up a win against the Kings, 7.2 innings with 7 hits, a run, and 2 strikeouts. Hank Spencer had the last start, 7 innings with 6 hits, 3 runs, 4 walks, and 3 strikeouts.

[StLee]

Consistently in that .450 range for winning percentage, with three other teams. Do you think it's good for your team long-term to pull out the 5th place (or 6th), or drop to 8th?

[DD Martin]

Originally Posted by StLee

Consistently in that .450 range for winning percentage, with three other teams. Do you think it's good for your team long-term to pull out the 5th place (or 6th), or drop to 8th?

With this year's draft the Cougars would have been better off in 8th. With the top pick being a legendary family member in SP Rufus Barrell II. I likely won't even get him with the #2 pick unless the team above who has lots of pitching selects one of the big hitters which they could use.