Chicago Cougars (FABL) - Page 20

ayaghmour2 · 03-10-2021, 04:31 PM

I always prefer winning. I usually hate picking early because sometimes it feels like you have to pick a certain player. I hated picking second and the only reason I was fine picking first was because I knew I was going to pick Tom Barrell. Just like this year I know I would pick Rufus Barrell.

It's going to be impossible to finish last now, but we're gonna end up 5th-7th. Regardless where we end up, I fully intent to trade up, so at this point it's just how valuable my pick ends up. I'd love to finish 7th, but I would much rather see the young guys hit well and we win games.

ayaghmour2 · 03-10-2021, 06:31 PM

Weekly Record: 3-4
Seasonal Record: 66-82 (6th, 26.5 GB)
Stars of the Week
Rich Langton : 21 AB, 8 H, 3 HR, 7 RBI, .381 AVG, 1.250 OPS
Doc Love : 23 AB, 8 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, .348 AVG, .766 OPS
Pete Asher : 14 AB, 6 H, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .429 AVG, .967 OPS

Weekly Schedule
9-16: Win vs Saints (5-10)
9-17: Loss vs Saints (6-3)
9-18: Loss vs Saints (7-2)
9-19: Loss vs Saints (8-6)
9-21: Loss vs Sailors (9-2)
9-22: Win vs Sailors (3-4)

Summary
We lost most of the games this week, just taking the two games on the ends. Still, lot of good, especially Rich Langton. It was another excellent week, 8-for-21 with 3 homers, 7 RBI's, 7 runs, 3 walks, and no strikeouts. I guess it wasn't good enough for Player of the Week, that went to John Kincaid, who did have a nice 4-for-5 against us with 2 runs, 2 doubles, 2 RBI's, and a triple in the loss to the Sailors. Things have quickly changed in Kincaid's favor as he hit 16-for-28 with 12 RBI's this week. Our third base platoon did excellent, 9-for-22 with a homer, 5 RBI's, and 5 runs scored. Not much good on the pitching side, but Wally Larkin allowed 12 hits and 3 runs with 2 walks and 5 strikeouts in the 4-3 win over the Sailors.

Looking Ahead
So Tommy Wilcox thought it would be fun to get hurt on rehab. Just back spasms, which effect hitting and running, but no chances are being taken what so ever and he's being placed back on the DL with just a single week left. Still, he pitched well in the two starts and will return to our rotation next year. Let's hope that with a Spring Training he'll be alright for next season.

Now 66-82, we're four and a half behind the Cannons for last and there's no chance we catch them. 7th is the Wolves, who are 65-85. We actually finish the season in Toronto and we'll face them four times. The Wolves have moved Bernie Johnson to the pen, and he's made 15 relief appearances and 22 starts over 203.1 innings. He's 6-16 with a 4.12 ERA (106 ERA+), 1.45 WHIP, 55 walks, and 66 strikeouts. I still think he's a really good starter, perhaps second to just Chuck Cole who's 3.16 ERA (138 ERA+) is third best in the league. He's 17-10 with a 1.39 WHIP, 107 walks, and 118 strikeouts in 273.1 innings pitched.

Before that, we can actually make an impact in the playoff hunt. We'll see Dean Astle and Lou Drouillard in Cleveland as the Foresters need as many wins as they can get. They are 92-57 and a game behind the 92-55 Kings. Max Morris' injury have hurt the Foresters as it is impossible to replicate a .326/.389/.538 (139 OPS+) batting line. Morris will end the year with 25 homers and 95 RBI's, giving him 691 and 2,210 for his career. It'll be tough to score runs in Cleveland, and they still have the offense to back it. With Morris, Drake (27), Goins (20), and Fowler (25) all with 20 or more homers, the Foresters repeated the impressive feat yet again. I do kind of want to see the Kings win the pennant, but I don't think there is any way we can beat the Foresters.

We will have a few more players on hand, with Russ Combs, Norm Stewart, Clyde Hinzman, and Forrest Sylvester will join the roster. I debated bringing up Carlos Montes, Ray Ford, or Marty Roberts, but I decided against it. I still with Ray Moore stayed healthy, as he would've been starting in center since the 1st. Chink Stickels is hitting just .167/.200/.227 (6 OPS+) out there with 2 triples, RBI's, steals, and walks. Bert Wilson hasn't been much better, just .247/.302/.307 (52 OPS+) with 2 steals and 15 RBI's. Center field has been so bad that I'm going to give Russ Combs a chance.

EDIT: Have to give a shoutout to Pug Bryan's four AA starts: 4-0, 0.75 ERA (610 ERA+), 0.83 WHIP, 11 BB, 25 K, 36 IP. Love this kid! Also named Pitcher of the Month!

EDIT: Second shout out to Carlos Montes! The 19-year-old was named Player of the Month in AAA. He turns 20 in December, perhaps he wins the starting center field job out of camp? Hit .408/.488/.831 (215 OPS+) with 5 homers and 27 RBI's in 87 trips to the plate. And of course, Rich Langton was named Rookie of the Month. He hit .368 with 7 homers and 23 RBI's in September.

ayaghmour2 · 03-13-2021, 07:15 PM

The New York Gothams may be up 2-0 in the World Series as we speak, but for Chicago Cougar fans, the season has been long over. It's crazy to think that just two seasons ago that was us, up 2-0 in the World Series, and things have changed quite a bit since. Still, even in a year full of losing, I am very excited about the future. We got a quick preview of that in September, but throughout the season I did give more and more time to the younger Cougars who hopefully will make up the next championship caliber team.

A big part of that will be Rich Langton, who took the Continental Association by storm this September. The former 3rd Rounder was Rookie of the Month and hit .368/.397/.649 with 7 homers and 23 RBI's. After the Lou Kelly trade I gave Langton the right field job and he absolutely raked the rest of the year. In 281 trips to the plate Langton hit .344/.384/.576 (137 OPS+) with 11 homers and 45 RBI's. He even managed to walk (18) more then he struck out (11) and swiped three bases. Not only that, the kid is an extra base machine and added 14 doubles and 7 triples.. He's a natural left fielder, but with Doc Love still there, Langton spent all but two of his starts in right. I'm really excited for this kids future, and you can expect to see his name in the Cougars lineup cards for a long time.

He wasn't the rookie who got the most time this year, however, that would be offseason acquisition Ollie Page. He had exactly 400 plate appearances and hit a strong .296/.376/.441 (103 OPS+) with 6 homers and 37 RBI's. He's a capable shortstop, and while the +3.2 zone rating isn't great, it's still an above average mark. I'm hoping with a more capable double play partner then Bill Ashbaugh, Page's shortstop play will show improvement. We've got strong middle infield depth, with Ducky Jordan down in AAA and other options like Billy Hunter and Freddie Bennett in the organization. And we still have Pete Asher, who endured a really tough first year in Chicago. He hit just .266/.358/.323 (71 OPS+) with a homer and 30 RBI's, but after the John Kincaid trade, I started giving him some reps at third. My scout has commented on his arm in the past, so I'm hoping he'll adjust to the position well. He can keep the seat warm for now, as the platoon with Jake Moore is just a temporary fix. Along with the previously mentioned middle infield options, we also have both Phil McKenna and Hank Stratton who will be knocking on the door. I was hoping Asher would be a part of our future, but he's got a lot of competition if he wants to keep a spot.

That's not the only job up in the air, as Bill Ashbaugh's production plummeted after an excellent start to the season. He remained relatively healthy this season, but hit just .282/.339/.453 (96 OPS+) with 11 homers, 6 steals, and 78 RBI's. He did manage to surpass the 500 plate appearance mark, the 7th time he's managed that. Unfortunately, it was still 100 less then the 658 he had in 1932 where he hit an impressive .319/.384/.453 (124 OPS+). I will never trade my first draft pick, but Ashbaugh may not be a regular player for much longer. He's just 31, but with Doc Love still on the team, Ray Ford can't exactly play left field. That means Ford will be in camp next season as a second basemen, and he could potentially end camp as the Opening Day starter. The 24-year-old Ford may have started the season in A ball, but after hitting .407/.517/.549 (147 OPS+) in 25 games, he got the call up to Mobile. Somehow, he was even better, batting .382/.472/.634 (184 OPS+) in 49 games. He ended the season in Milwaukee, coming one PA shy of 300. It was the largest stint of his season, and he hit an impressive .365/.458/.582 (151 OPS+) with 12 homers and 63 RBI's. In total, Ford tallied 20 homers, 125 RBI's, 47 doubles, 97 walks, and just 14 strikeouts. Sure, he's probably the worst defender in the world, but this kid flat out rakes. I'll find a spot for him, because if he hits like this against big league pitching, it doesn't matter where I put him on the field.

Another spot we got very little production from was center field. Even with Tom Taylor, we consistently got below average production. Bert Wilson hit just .246/.298/.309 (52 OPS+) with 2 steals and 16 RBI's in 190 plate appearances, most coming in August. Unfortunately, Chink Stickels hit much worse, a pitiful .178/.208/.247 (13 OPS+), although he did match the 2 steals and played excellent defense. I had very little expectations for Stickels, who had just 62 AAA plate appearances before his callup. It's going to be open season in camp, with Ray Moore and Carlos Montes both legitimate options to break camp. Moore is who I wanted to start in September, but he got hurt the day rosters expanded. The 1931 4th Rounder hit just .317/.380/.387 (87 OPS+) with 3 homers, 59 RBI's, and 30 steals, but he's an outstanding defensive center fielder. He's just 22, but he's almost a veteran compared to our most recent 1st Round selection Carlos Montes. The 19-year-old finished the year in AAA, and hit .408/.488/.831 (215 OPS+) with 5 homers, 2 steals, and 27 RBI's in 87 trips to the plate. It was such a dominate run that he was even awarded Century League Batter of the Month. Montes has flown up the organizational ladder, and my scout thinks he's the best center fielder in the entire organization right now. I will look for outside options in the offseason, but he could be our leadoff hitter come Opening Day.

Of course, one spot is guaranteed: our opening day first basemen will be Leo Mitchell. He did struggle the last couple of weeks, so I almost wish I let him finish the year in AAA, but the 22-year-old still hit .316/.376/.399 (94 OPS+) with 4 homers and 18 RBI's. I don't usually like first basemen, but Mitchell is one of my favorite prospects and I'm really excited for his first full season. He's a true asset at first base and if he wasn't a lefty he could probably play all around the infield. Despite being young, he's a great leader and his teammates look up to him. The sky truly is the limit for this kid, and he has decades of success ahead of him.

I'm really confident about the future of our lineup, but a lot of uncertainty lies in the pitching staff. The biggest question mark is Tommy Wilcox. Is the former ironman broken? He made just 8 starts this year, 3-1 with a 4.72 ERA (98 ERA+), 1.61 WHIP, 23 walks, and 19 strikeouts in 53.1 innings and left multiple starts throughout the season after coming back early from a devastating arm injury. Will he return to his 1933-1934 form where he pitched better then anyone else in the league? Or will he drop back down to the second tier, no longer the head of the class? We do need to depend on him, as there was not a lot of success this year.

Our established arms had a lot of struggles, and we even saw Dick Leudtke pack his bags and move to the big apple. Dave Rankin was just average, but he was easily our best. The 29-year-old was 13-19, leading the league in losses for a second time (19 with the Chiefs in 1933), but working to a 4.60 ERA (101 ERA+) and 1.45 WHIP in 276 innings. He walked 100 and struck out 105, and pretty much saw all his numbers go slightly worse then the year before. Dick Lyons just tanked, but still managed to keep up his 8-year stretch of 30 or more starts and 200 or more innings. He was 14-12, but with just a 5.50 ERA (84 ERA+), 1.70 WHIP, 47 walks, and 56 strikeouts. Like Ashbaugh, Lyons won't be moved, and the longest tenured Cougar will always have a spot. Still, he may not end up in the rotation, as I'm actually excited for some of the arms I'm bringing to camp next season.

The arm I'm most excited for is someone who didn't even put on a Cougar uniform this year: Milt Fritz. Added in a very unconventional trade with the New York Gothams, I'm betting on the kid who somehow is turning just 26 in two days. This is a kid with 1,617.2 FABL innings; about 200 more then Tommy Wilcox and 600 more then Dave Rankin. Fritz is a heavily traveled pitcher, going from the Chiefs to the Kings to the Saints to the Gothams to us since the 1930 offseason. It seem like each time he got a little worse, going from leading the league in ERA in 1929 to getting demoted to the bullpen in a pennant race this year. Fritz was just 4-7 with a 5.23 ERA (84 ERA+), 1.56 WHIP, 29 walks, and 19 strikeouts in 75.2 innings with the Gothams before the trade. After the trade, he threw the same amount of innings in Milwaukee (I wish I did this on purpose!). He was a much better 7-1 with a 3.57 ERA (149 ERA+), 1.43 WHIP, 20 walks, and 23 strikeouts in the low pressure environment. Frtiz will finally have some security, as I am giving him a little birthday gift: a no-trade clause. From this point on, the kiddie gloves are off. He will line up right behind his former teammate Tommy Wilcox in the rotation next season, and I am ready to watch this kid go back to work. I'm hoping he can use the minor league stint as a reset, his morale has improved to good, and after moving him up to the majors, his morale when from "Good" to "Great" and I expect a happy Fritz to be a talented Fritz.

As crazy as it is, Fritz is younger then some of the "prospects" I am excited about like Hank Spencer and Art Black and Johnny Walker is just a few months younger. All three of those guys will be looking to fight for a spot on the staff with the previously mentioned Lyons. The top three is set, and the rest of the staff will spend time both in the rotation and bullpen. Veteran Wayne Robinson may have struggled with us, but even at 37 I think he can be an effective arm if used right. Same goes for Lyons, Ace McSherry, George Johnson, and Wally Larkin. I'll likely have a nine man staff, so that's five openings and six spots. I have managed to add new arms to the system the last two seasons, with bringing back Mel Leonard as well as acquiring Karl Wallace, Stumpy Beaman, Joe Foote, Pug Bryan, and Harry Parker who have joined Cy Sullivan in the top 200 prospect list. The pitching is just a few pieces away from being elite, and if a few things break right for us, perhaps a champion can rise out of the ashes.

Of course, I'm also really excited for the upcoming draft! Once the series ends we'll be drafting and it's always one of the most fun times of the year. I don't love this class, but I always know I'm going to get a handful of guys I really like.

ayaghmour2 · 03-17-2021, 01:23 PM

With the season officially over as the Gothams topped the Foresters in the World Series rematch, the new top 100 prospect lists was announced with a single Cougar in the top 10 and 13 in the top 100. There's 25 in the top 176 and 45 in the top 500. Here's a look at out top 30:

1. 2B Ray Ford (8th Overall): 1st/4th
2. 1B Leo Mitchell (12th Overall): 2nd/10th
3. SS Billy Hunter (13th Overall): 3rd/17th
4. RF Rich Langton (33rd Overall: 5th/39th
5. C Harry Mead (38th Overall): 6th/43rd
6. RHP Cy Sullivan (44th Overall): 4th/32nd
7. CF Chink Stickels (45th Overall): Not in organization
8. RHP Karl Wallace (58th Overall): 7th/47th
9. CF Carlos Montes (60th Overall): 12th Overall Pick
10. SS Ducky Jordan (71st Overall): 10th/89th
11. 3B Hank Stratton (73rd Overall): 9th/72nd
12. RHP Stumpy Beaman (95th Overall): Not in organization
13. LF Bobby Mills (99th Overall): 11th/98th
14. RHP Frank Gordon (121st Overall): 19th/155th
15. RHP Joe Foote (122nd Overall): 13th/120th
16. RHP Harry Parker (126th Overall): 108th Overall Pick
17. 2B Tommy Wilson (129th Overall): 15th/132nd
18. SS Ivan Cameron (131st Overall): 47th Overall Pick
19. RF Marty Roberts (135th Overall): 8th/64th
20. CF Roy Moore (137th Overall): 14th/126th
21. RHP Pug Bryan (140th Overall): 28th Overall Pick
22. LF Larry Robison (155th Overall): 20th/157th
23. RF Dave Haight (157th Overall): 17th/145th
24. 2B Gene Evans (163rd Overall): 16th/137th
25. RF Dick Earl (176th Overall): 22nd/166th
26. CF Elias Canady (201st Overall): 25th/236th
27. 3B Phil McKenna (204th Overall): 76th Overall Pick
28. 1B Cuno Myer (238th Overall): 23rd/196th
29. RHP Bill Scott (240th Overall): Not Ranked
30. CF Orlin Yates (242nd Overall): Not in organization

ayaghmour2 · 03-17-2021, 08:00 PM

2B Ray Ford (8th Overall)
Acquired: Via Trade with Chicago (7-16-1934)
Drafted: 14th Round, 217th Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Coastal Carolina Dolphins

He may have dropped a few spots in the rankings, but that doesn't mean I like Ford any less. In fact, I actually like him more now then before. Now that I know that he could potentially play left field, it gives me a few more options to use the 24-year-old. He's not Rule-5 eligible yet, but that won't stop him from trying to earn an Opening Day roster spot. He'll be getting reps at second and will compete against Bill Ashbaugh, as with Doc Love still in Chicago left field isn't open. Ford even started the season in A ball, but spent about half the season in AAA. It was the "worst" showing for him, hitting just .365/.458/.582 (151 OPS+) with 12 homers and 63 RBI's in one plate appearance shy of 300. Ford has always shown the ability to hit well, but defense will always be a struggled for him. He was passable in 62 AAA games in left, but I tried to play him at third in Mobile and it did not work at all. He's been awful at second too, but he's got the potential to be one of the games best hitters. The sky is truly the limit for Ford, and I'm really hoping he plays well enough to spend his entire 1936 in Chicago.

1B Leo Mitchell (12th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 2nd Round, 28th Overall (1931)
Alma Mater: Atlanta HS Peaches

He's a big leaguer now! He started the season in AAA and hit an impressive .348/.423/.524 (129 OPS+) batting line with 11 homers and 70 RBI's in 407 trips to the plate. I decided that it would be time for the 22-year-old to start his Cougar career, and he managed a slightly above league average .316/.376/.399 (101 OPS+) line with 4 homers and 18 RBI's in 250 trips to the plate. Mitchell was extremely adept with the glove too, tallying an impressive +4.4 zone rating and 1.085 efficiency at first. Unless something crazy happens, we'll see Mitchell manning first base most of 1936. He's got significant contact potential and leadership well beyond his years. He currently ranks as the 15th best first basemen in the league, but I wouldn't be surprised if that jumps up to top 5 by this time next year.

SS Billy Hunter (13th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 1st Round, 14th Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Cincinnati HS Tigers

Sure Ford and Mitchell are ranked higher, but Billy Hunter is the one I'm much more excited for. He turns 21 in November, but Hunter was very effective with Lincoln this year. He hit .323/.388/.501 (112 OPS+) with 11 homers, 9 steals, and 79 RBI's in 526 plate appearances. My scout thinks he's going to be a great defensive shortstop, and he did look good there this season. He did get some reps at second, but that's just because teammate Freddie Bennett is an extremely gifted shortstop. Hunter has a higher upside then even Ollie Page, but he's still got a long way to go. He's got strong footspeed, makes consistent contact, and has shown decent power. I'm expecting him to start next season in AA, but I imagine Hunter is still a year or two away from his debut. I have no need to rush him with Page at short and Ford lined up for second, but eventually I imagine Page and Hunter forming a really strong double play combo.

RF Rich Langton (33rd Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 3rd Round, 46th Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Detroit City College Knights

It feels weird still calling him a prospect, but Langton has less then 75 days of major league service. In his 70 days, he hit an outstanding .344/.384/.576 (146 OPS+) with 11 homers and 45 RBI's and he gave the league a glimpse of the future star power in Chicago. He was working out in right with Love still in left, but I do think Langton will be excellent in whichever corner he ends up. Still, the real appeal is the hit, and even though he's just 5'9'', this kid has elite contact tools and well above average power. In Chicago, he could potentially hit 30 homers a season and he's got the speed to swipe 20 bases as well. With him, Mitchell, and Love in the middle of the order next year, I'm expecting a lot of homers and a lot of runs scored.

C Harry Mead (38th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 58th Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Memphis HS Pharaohs

It's looking more and more likely that the Chicago Cougars will have a lefty catcher! It's probably a few years out, but the Harvey, Illinois native has really started to blossom into an excellent catcher behind the plate and he's held his own at the plate. In likely his only season in San Jose, Mead hit .280/.348/.394 (97 OPS+) with 6 homers and 74 RBI's in 541 trips to the plate. He should eventually hit for a high average, but his eye has really started to develop well. He walked five more times (49) then he struck out (54) and this trend should continue as he gets older. Mike Taylor seems to have fallen off a cliff, so there may be a little rush to get Mead up, but for now I plan on him spending the season in Lincoln.

ayaghmour2 · 03-18-2021, 10:11 PM

Before starting this, I should mention that the draft has started and we are 11 picks in. We started the day with the 5th and 10th picks, but after I watched the guys I really wanted go off the board, I sent the 5th Pick to the Dynamos for Brooklyn's first and second and their third. I then moved the 10th pick and my 4th Round pick for the 8th pick to take a guy I was considering at 5. I'll have a formal 1st Round writeup after I make my second pick, the 13th, which is up next. I also moved Mel Leonard to the Pioneers for George K. Brooks. The 19-year-old Brooks was a 7th Rounder last season and went 17-18 with a 3.98 ERA (110 ERA+), 1.39 WHIP, 122 walks, and 144 strikeouts in 284.2 innings pitched with the Class B Charlotte Bluebirds.

RHP Cy Sullivan (44th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 60th Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Austin HS Senators

Two picks after Harry Mead I took the gamble on the 6'6'' righty Cy Sullivan. He was stuck with no shortstop his senior year, and actually started most of his teams games there. Sullivan struggled a little in Lincoln this season, but was excellent in 7 La Crosse starts and 14 San Jose starts. He was 5-1 with a 3.98 ERA (136 ERA+) with a 1.14 WHIP, 12 walks, and 21 strikeouts in 54.1 innings with the Lions. With the Cougars he was 5-6 with a 2.74 ERA (165 ERA+), 1.14 WHIP, 29 walks, and 39 strikeouts. I've loved watching Sullivan develop, as he now sits 87-89 with his fastball and his slider has really turned into a strong pitch. He does an excellent job keeping the ball on the ground and he effortlessly paints the corners. He's still young, just 21, but Sullivan should anchor our rotation for a long time.

CF Chink Stickels (45th Overall)
Acquired: Via Independent Draft (1935)
Drafted: 5th Round, 71st Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: George Fox Reds

Acquired from the Class A Denver Plainsman in the independent draft this year, Chink Stickels put together a strong 485 plate appearances with Mobile where he hit .285/.348/.490 (115 OPS+) with 7 homers, 12 steals, and 48 RBI's, he got a callup to AAA. He hit .339/.371/.542 (119 OPS+) in 62 trips to the plate, but it was a short trip. With the injury to Roy Moore I decided to give a shot to Stickels who was already on the 40-man roster. It did not go well, unfortunately, as he hit just .178/.208/.247 (17 OPS+) with 2 steals and 2 triples in 77 trips to the plate. I didn't expect too much, but obviously, I wanted better. Still, I'm a big fan of Stickels and he'll get to compete in camp next Spring for the wide open center field job. He looked really good in the field and has the potential to hit .330 in the big leagues. I love his potential and while I do think he may need a little more seasoning, Stickels is going to outwork anyone and will eventually secure a big league spot.

RHP Karl Wallace (58th Overall)
Acquired: Via Trade with Boston (1934)
Drafted: 6th Round, 91st Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Milwaukee HS Maroons

In what could be one of the better trades we've made, I added Johnny Cox and Karl Wallace from the Boston Minutemen. Cox didn't stay long, I sent him to Chicago for Ray Ford, and he's turned into a nice add, but Wallace was the main target. I'm a big fan of the right who consistently sits in the mid 90s with a strong fastball and cutter. The 21-year-old has a nice four pitch arsenal and he controls all his pitches well. He really struggled last season in San Jose, but in his 12 starts this year he was much better. Wallace was 7-4 with a 2.98 ERA (152 ERA+), 1.18 WHIP, 17 walks, and 47 strikeouts before getting a midseason promotion to Lincoln. He handled his own in 12 starts there, going 5-4 with a 4.79 ERA (115 ERA+), 1.47 WHIP, 23 walks, and 34 strikeouts. I'm not sure yet if I'll start him in Mobile or Lincoln, but I know he won't finish back down here. I'm really excited for this kid's future and I think he's going to be a really important piece of our rotation.

CF Carlos Montes (60th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 1st Round, 12th Overall (1934)
Alma Mater: Citronelle

If you told me Montes would be in AAA at the end of the season when I selected him last year, I wouldn't have believed you. But somehow the 19-year-old's last 87 plate appearances were up in Milwaukee and he hit an insane .408/.488/.831 (215 OPS+) with 5 homers, 2 steals, and 27 RBI's. His worst performance came in Lincoln where he hit just .254/.361/.465 (97 OPS+) in 169 plate appearances with 10 steals, 7 homers, and 38 RBI's. He looked good in Mobile, finishing with a .342/.400/.470 (125 OPS+) line in 228 trips to the plate. My scout thinks Montes is the most developed center fielder in our organization and he's going to get a shot to try and earn the starting job up in Chicago. I'd prefer to start him out in AAA, but we don't have that many options right now. I'm hoping to add external options, but that's not because of Montes. This kid has huge upside, with excellent defensive ability, a great eye at the plate, and blazing speed on the bases and in the field. He's already gotten a boost in the prospect rankings since the original post, and I am really happy I got him last year. And much more happy then I am with who I got this year (although he is pretty good still).

SS Ducky Jordan (71st Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 6th Round, 92nd Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Little Rock HS Pioneers

A 1930 National Champion at Little Rock HS, the "Hot Springs Hotshot" may not get the rep he deserves. He's a tiny switch hitting shortstop, but he works as hard as anybody and it's shown. My scout keeps waffling over if he's a shortstop or a center fielder, so I'll send Jordan back down to AA and let him play both. It was the only of the three levels he hit above average, slashing .311/.339/.453 (104 OPS+) with 5 steals and 13 RBI's in 115 trips to the plate. He's a really raw prospect, and I might have rushed him a little, but my scout thinks he's ready for the majors. He's got a lot of talent and the athletic ability to play anywhere on the field. I think the bat is going to develop and Jordan should be a dependable big league starter, I'm just not sure if that's going to be at short, or center, or maybe even third.

ayaghmour2 · 03-19-2021, 08:47 AM

SS Hal Wood (1st Round, 8th Overall): It took 8 picks before the first college player was selected this year, and that was courtesy of the Cougars. I debated Wood (and Bill van Ness) at the five pick, decided to move down, and then got back in to still get Wood. Probably could've waited, but I wanted to at least get one guy I was targeting. Wood went to Smithfield College and hit .346/.414/.468 with 3 homers, 39 steals, and 48 RBI's in 300 trips to the plate. It was a really strong year after a solid 1934, and it was enough for me to dub Wood our first 1935 selection. My scout projects him to draw a lot of walks, be very effective with the bat, and has the athletic ability to play short. Sure, we have a lot of shortstops in the organization, but when you select one, it's almost like you also get a second basemen and third basemen with a chance that they can play outfield. Wood has experience at second and third, but the goal is to let him play short until he can't or he's stuck with someone with a better glove.

RHP Charlie Wheeler (1st Round, 13th Overall): I really wanted Bud Canfield, but thought maybe he'd slide to the second. After going to bed on deck, I decided it wasn't worth risking it, and planned to pick the Chicago kid from Jones with this pick. Well, the Keystones had the same idea, so I had to settle for the guy I wanted with my 2nd Round Pick: Charlie Wheeler. My scout loves this kid, thinks he's the fourth best arm in the draft (third is still available, so what do we know), but I personally prefer Wheeler. The junior our of Rainer College had a really good sophomore season, 7-2 with a 2.72 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 22 walks, and 62 strikeouts. He had a little drop this year, but still went 5-2 with a 3.40 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 25 walks, and 39 strikeouts. Wheeler is tiny, but throws in the mid 80s with his fastball and sinker and he does an outstanding job keeping the ball on the ground. He has a slider, splitter, and change as well, and does an excellent job locating all five of his pitches. I'm not thrilled with the talent in this draft class, so expect a lot of pitchers coming up as I just go for guys I like.

ayaghmour2 · 03-19-2021, 04:31 PM

Lot's of trade action, and at the moment, we pick twice in the first, second, third, and fifth. Three times in the seventh, none in the fourth, and once in each other round. Knowing myself, there's probably more trades to be had. I had no interest in initially trading my second 2nd Rounder, but got an offer (technically two) I liked and still got the guy I wanted with the last pick in the round. Here's the two new Cougars from this round:

LHP Doc Smith (2nd Round, 21st Overall): I dropped the ball here. With being at work, I sort of decided my two second rounders ahead of time after making my first in the morning. I sort of assumed the El Dorado Kid would be taken already (he went next...), so I committed to Doc Smith for my first 2nd Round Pick. Still, that does not mean I an upset to get Smith here. The 21-year-old lefty is a groundball artist with a decent sinker and devastating changeup. One that hitters just can't tough. It's the best of his five pitches, the other three his fastball, cutter, and change. With such a heavy fastball repertoire, I really thinking Smith is going to be throwing a lot harder then the 83-85 he sits at now. He was teammates with Phil McKenna at Coastal Carolina, and tossed 181.2 innings for the Dolphins in his two years. With great competition, he was 11-7 with a 3.47 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 57 walks, and 74 strikeouts. If Smith is able to hit his spots and burry his sinker down in the zone, he's going to be a really good pitcher.

SP Grover Donahue (2nd Round, 36th Overall): He was the last pick of the second round, but the guy I was wanting to take the entire time, but I knew there were better players available (including the guy I took two picks later) so I was comfortable moving back. Donahue also had tough competition in college and pitched at Indiana A&M and pitched against Smith. In Donahue's two seasons he was 15-8 with a 3.30 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 62 walks, and 116 strikeouts in 215.2 innings pitched. He's born in Huntingburg, Indiana, so there's a chance he might have been a Cougar fan growing up. Unlike most of the pitchers I've been targeting lately, Donahue is not a groundballer and one of the reasons I was more comfortable waiting until the end of the round. Still, I really like this kid and my scout is a huge fan. He's got six pitches, and uses his 84-86 MPH fastball to challenge hitters up and in. He will walk hitters, but I think that's just because it will take time for him to master all his pitches. He also has a cutter, curve, slider, change, and splitter, but I imagine at some point he'll throw one or two of the pitches very sparingly. I like how he's able to strike out batters, and that's something we're going to need from a starter who doesn't keep the ball on the ground.

The best sign is he's already projected to be an FABL starter, so this could be another Harry Parker situation. Parker dominated at San Jose and then went 6-5 with a 2.39 ERA (190 ERA+), 1.43 WHIP, 29 walks, and 48 strikeouts in 93.1 innings with the Lincoln Legislators. Parker was a HS kid and just turned 20, so it's a little different, but in both cases the pitcher has a lot of pitches with at least three of them big league ready. At the time of this writing, the 7th Rounder from last year now ranks 125th on the prospect list. I don't expect Donohue to be ranked this high, but I can't even remember if Parker was in the top 500 after we selected him.

RF Chubby Hall (3rd Round, 34th Overall): I will be 100% honest. When I was making my second round picks, I had no idea Hall was available. I committed to the two pitchers, and just went on with my day. After I got off, I took a nice look at the draft order, and realized the OSA mock 12th pick of the draft Chubby Hall was still available. The #12 rank meant nothing to me when drafting him. The thought of having a guy named Chubby in the everyday lineup is just too much to pass up. Supposedly the 5'7'' 190 18-year-old can play first, left, center, and right, so I'm going to give 'ol Chubby a shot out in center. If the 5'11 250 John Dibblee can play center field then why can't Chubby do the same! Sure, it'll be cool if he can hit a little, and Hall hit .535/.603/.899 with 6 homers and 37 RBI's in 117 trips to the plate. I have been scouting Hall all season for one reason: 1-1-1-1

That's his triples, strikeouts, steals, and caught stealing. I think this kid is going to be a good hitter. And he never causes trouble. Mississippi A&M, you're not going to get another great outfielder...

CF John Johnson (3rd Round, 37th Overall): There were three center fielders I liked. This was the third and the third selected. He just turned 22 two days ago and the speedy lefty can play all three outfield spots as well as first base. In his two seasons at Grange College he hit .282/.379/.470 with 12 homers, 77 steals, and 93 RBI's in 604 trips to the plate. My scout is a big fan of his eye, and he showed it off with 78 walks compared to just 46 strikeouts. I think he has all the tools to be an excellent defender out in center, but I'm not yet sold on the bat. Good plate discipline isn't enough on it's own, but it's definitely a good start for developing a young hitter.

ayaghmour2 · 03-20-2021, 01:48 PM

3B Hank Stratton (73rd Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 78th Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Chicago HS Wildcats

Third base is wide open right now, but Hank Stratton will have to fend off the middle infielders in the organization as well if he wants to be the Cougars third basemen of the future. He put together a strong season in Lincoln, batting .333/.366/.515 (109 OPS+) with 11 homers and 115 RBI's. "Jitters" also got some time at first when Phil McKenna was there with him, but he has looked okay so far at third. The most impressive part, however, were the 64 doubles! It was close to one every other game and he does an excellent job spraying the ball around the field. He hits well to all fields and continuously hits line drives in stead of flyballs. His spray charts are truly beautiful, and I think he's going to be a really excellent big league hitter.

RHP Stumpy Beaman (95th Overall)
Acquired: Via Trade with the Sailors (1935)
Drafted: 7th Round, 104th Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Austin HS Senators

The big pull in the John Kincaid trade, Stumpy Beaman spent his time with the Sailors in C ball, but I brought him up to San Jose for 8 starts to end the season. He looked excellent, working to a 3.18 ERA (143 ERA+) and 1.18 WHIP with 17 walks and 23 strikeouts in 56.2 innings pitched. He'll turn 22 at the end of April, so I might be moving him up to Lincoln to start next season. He is a "stumpy" little guy, but the ball is always on the ground and he comfortably sits in the upper 80s with his fastball and sinker. I love his command, and if he can polish his slider out as an out pitch he should be able to keep up his strong strikeout numbers. I think he's loaded with potential and should be one of the more reliable big league arms in the league.

LF Bobby Mills (99th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 6th Round, 90th Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: San Antonio HS Warriors

I feel like I spend more time trying to trade Mills then mentioning how good he is, but Mills has always hit. After a quick trip in San Jose, he spent 62 games with Lincoln and 52 with Mobile. With Lincoln he hit .380/.416/.616 (145 OPS+) with 14 homers and 64 RBI's in 279 trips to the plate. He didn't quite keep that up with Mobile, but still hit .342/.366/.462 (114 OPS+) with 2 homers and 38 RBI's. I was sad to see the power drop, but 14 in 62 games is really impressive. I'm not sure if the power is going to stay, I still see him as a Vince York type player not Doc Love, but for now there's no room for Mills on our big league roster. I think I'll give him a run back for AA next season,

RHP Frank Gordon (121st Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 18th Round, 287th Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Trenton HS Titans

I can thank my scout and development team for Frank Gordon. I didn't even think about of picking him, but to be fair, he wasn't that good when we got him. Since the draft, Gordon's fastball velocity has gone from 84-86 to 91-93 and he's developed excellent groundball tendencies already. He started the season in San Jose, got a demotion for a few starts to get back on track, and then finished back with the Cougars. He made 17 starts, going 6-4 with a 5.42 ERA (84 ERA+), 1.51 WHIP, 35 walks, and 38 strikeouts. He'll return to San Jose next season as he continues to polish his skills. He did have a little bit of a statistical setback, but he continues to see his speed climb and my scout likes him more and more with each report.

RHP Joe Foote (122nd Overall)
Acquired: Via Trade with Montreal (1934)
Draft: 6th Round, 84th Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Greensboro HS Giants

Acquired in the Bobby Sprague deal with Woody Armstrong, the 21-year-old Foote spent the entire season in Lincoln. He made 24 starts and was 9-7 with a 4.95 ERA (111 ERA+), 1.43 WHIP, 31 walks, and 44 strikeouts in 134.2 innings pitched. Foote is a three pitch pitcher, with a really nice mid 90s sinker, a nice slider, and a decent curveball. He can throw them all for strikes in any count and he does an excellent job keeping the ball on the ground. He's pretty developed for someone his age, and I could potentially see him joining our staff sooner then expected. My scout is a huge fan and I think he's going to be an excellent big league starter.

ayaghmour2 · 03-21-2021, 10:35 AM

SP Ralph Kendall (5th Round, 69th Overall): I'm giving faith to my scout with this pick, going for an extremely young, high upside pick. He did pitch a lot out of the pen, as 14 of his 33 appearances were relief outings, but he was very effective. Kendall was 10-3 with a 2.04 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 26 walks, and 133 strikeouts in 150 innings. The high number of strikeouts are enticing, a career 8.0 K/9. He's short now, but the 5'7'' righty has a long time to grow. He turned 18 just seven days ago, and already throws a nice 86-88 sinker. The issue is that's it, as the splitter, change, and circle change aren't all that good. He's got a lot of time to work on developing at least two of those pitches, and I'm willing to be patient with him. He does an excellent job keeping the ball on the ground, but he also does a good job using his sinker to get swings and misses.

SS Jimmy Bach (5th Round, 74th Overall): Nicknamed Maestro, what do you think he's good at? Playing defense. He's super fast and has excellent skills with the glove. He's got excellent skills at short, but as a senior at Gates University he still hit .303/.380/.373 with a homer, 37 RBI's, 23 walks, and 36 steals. Bach will never hit for much power, but he's got an advanced eye and always gives a good at bat and doesn't get rattled at the plate, or even in the basepaths and out in the field. He sort of fits the captain profile and should be well liked in the clubhouse. There aren't too many surefire starters out there, but bench pieces can be just as important.

SP Bill Seabolt (6th Round, 85th Overall): I almost took his teammate with the last pick, and in hindsight I wish I would have, but I still got a really good arm with my sixth round selection. Central Ohio's Bill Seabolt started 34 games the past two seasons and went 15-9 with a 3.17 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 89 walks, and 153 strikeouts. The six foot righty tosses five pitches, with a fastball and cutter that can reach past 90. He's got good command, and his curveball looks like a good strikeout pitch. He keeps the ball on the ground, which is good because he will put runners on with walks. He pitched really well against some of the best hitters in the college level, and I think he may be a quick riser.

3B Jocko Pollard (6th Round, 95th Overall): Phil McKenna has rose through the system and Hank Stratton is already on A ball, so 18-year-old Jocko Pollard will get to take his time uncontested in the lower levels of the farm. In his two season at Grafton HS, Pollard hit .476/.570/.791 with 9 homers and 62 RBI's in 257 trips to the plate. He's tall, 6'2'' already, and at just 185 he has a lot of room to add muscle and eventually more power. He doesn't project to hit for a high average, but he should be able to draw more then his share of walks. He's very athletic, has played a little in the outfield as well, and has a great chance to continue and grow.

RHP Bob Saltzman (7th Round, 101st Overall): Nicknamed "Knuckles" for his nasty knuckle curve, throws six pitches and sits in the high 80s with his cutter. In two seasons at La Porte in Texas, he was 15-4 with a 1.98 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 71 walks, and 208 strikeouts in 204.1 innings pitched. He's an athletic kid, but his biggest weakness may be himself. I love guys with a lot of pitches and I love guys with cool nicknames, and he checks both boxes. He's another high school development project, but I really need to add more arms to the system.

CF Izzy Sevilla (7th Round, 102nd Overall): Originally I wanted to take a pitcher here, but the guy I was debating on I did manage to grab with my lone 8th rounder. I had to set a list for this pick and the next two, but I still got guys I was interested in. I was able to get another center fielder, a college junior from Murfreesboro Tech who slashed .308/.389/.558 with 17 homers, 79 steals, and 81 RBI's in 462 trips to the plate. He's got a ton of speed and has a reputation as a quality defender. He projects to be a league average hitter as well with the chance to hit around .300 in the FABL. He's exactly what you look for in a fourth outfielder, and we'll do our best to turn him into a big league starter.

SS Stu Johnson (7th Round, 106th Overall): I grabbed another college bat, going with Campion's shortstop Stu Johnson. He doesn't hit for much contact, but he should draw a lot of walks and hit more then his share of homers. Despite his .273/.372/.407 line, he hit 11 homers and drove in 78 in 530 trips to the plate. He struck out and stole 56 times while drawing 67 walks. Like a lot of the players I follow, Johnson is an extremely athletic infielder and I could see him having success in the outfield as well. He does kind of profile like Freddie Bennett, a personal favorite of mine who doesn't get too much prospect love. Johnson profiles as a bench bat now, but due to his vibe in the clubhouse, his teammates love him even if he isn't the sharpest tool in the shed.

ayaghmour2 · 03-21-2021, 11:39 AM

RHP Johnny Godfrey (8th Round, 117th Overall): Another new pitcher, I used my lone 8th Rounder to grab righty Johnny Godfrey from Moss Point. As a senior he finished 6-3 with a 1.50 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 18 walks, and 107 strikeouts in 90 innings. He has a decent fastball that already can reach 90, but he also has a pretty good forkball. If he can turn the changeup or slider into a reliable third pitch and I can see Godfrey pitching every fifth day in the FABL.

RHP Art Saunders (9th Round, 133rd overall): This pick was a gamble, betting on a projectable young righty from Omaha, Nebraska who despite starting only half his games as a Senior, still had impressive numbers. He was 5-0 with a 0.85 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 10 walks, and 92 strikeouts in 63.2 innings pitched. I love the big strikeout numbers, even if some of it was help from pitching out of the pen, but interesting enough, I haven't noticed too much difference in anecdotal evidence in this league with a strikeout jump. In fact, guys like Hank Spencer and George Johnson this year had better strikeout numbers in the rotation then the pen. Still, there is a lot to be excited for with Saunders. He has a nice 86-88 sinker that generates a ton of groundballs. He mixes in a fastball, curve, and change while commanding all his pitches well. His stuff is really solid and makes up for low movement. A lot of pitchers had a better 1934 then 1935, but Saunders is one of the lone exceptions who really broke out. We may run into stamina issues later in his career, but he's a really smart kid and combined with his impressive raw skills, he should be able to make the best of it.

C Steve Mountain (9th Round, 142nd Overall): Almost all my catching prospects are 21 or 22, so I grabbed another high school development project in the glove of Steve Mountain. He won't hit at all, not even cracking .400 as a senior, but when looking for a backup catcher you need a guy who can lead a staff and limit the run game. Mountain is excellent at both of those things. His excellent control of pitchers works to his advantage at the plate, as it is almost impossible to fool him. Even if he never hits all that much, he'll always have a spot in our organization due to his glove.

LHP Harl Haines (10th Round, 149th Overall): I've taken a ton of righties, so with my 10th Rounder I decided to grab a lefty in Harl Haines. He's a tall and slender 6'3'' southpaw who can hang around in the low 90s with his fastball and cutter. Haines looked much better as a junior then a senior, and was a perfect 10-0 with a 1.42 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 26 walks, and 123 strikeouts in 101.1 innings pitched. Still, the senior from Niagara Falls finished 6-2 with a 2.30 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 29 walks, and 77 strikeouts in 82.1 innings pitched. He's committed to Hillsborough College, but there is no way I'm letting him go. Haines worked on adding a screwball between his junior and senior year, but the slider is still his go to pitch for strikeouts. He has to polish off his command a little bit, but just like Harry Parker, he's listed as a starter already which shows he's already more developed then most.

CF Oscar Panduro (10th Round, 158th Overall): He might not have been the best player left, but I love going with Chicago kids and Panduro is one of the best available. He spent most of his time out in center, but the Bluegrass State junior also spent time at first, second, short, left, and right (I'm guessing he can handle third too) and hit .308/.352/.460 with 8 homers, 93 RBI's, and 68 steals in 505 trips to the plate. Panduro has excellent speed, stretching singles into doubles and tagging up on balls most players shouldn't. He's got well above average contact potential, and with the speed every time he puts the ball in play is a chance he'll reach safely. He also does a really good job limiting strikeouts, just 6 in 100 games.

Lot's of new Cougars taken in the first 10 rounds of the draft, with almost two picks in every round. In total, 18 new farmhands will join the ranks and I expect a lot of our older players or later round picks in recent years will have to find new homes. Half the picks were pitchers, something that I rarely ever do. I've only taken two pitchers in the first round prior to this season, Mike Murphy second and Tom Barrell first. Interesting enough, we signed just 20 players last draft, so I just need to keep three of the 11th to 25th rounders to match our total. This likely will be our biggest draft class, which is interesting because it's not one I felt was all that deep at the top. Still, I'm really happy with a lot of these late round selections as I was able to hedge my bets rather effectively. I'm hoping I hit on at least one arm after the 5th Round and hopefully two of the three in the first two rounds. That alone will be a win, as I'm really confident in Hal Wood's future and I think Chubby Hall will end up being like I kept the 5th Overall Pick. Still, I'm expecting a rather low success rate with these picks as I really focused on quantity.

Up next is the Major League Rule-5 Draft, the Minor League Draft, and the Independent League draft. After that we'll start fake baseball again and I'm already hyped for Spring Training. A lot of roster battles will be underway as I think 1936 will be a big transition year for us. I'm excited for a full season of Leo Mitchell, Ollie Page, and Rich Langton and my scout and OSA thinks Mike Taylor is poised for a rebound season. The pitching is a mess, but our park became a little easier to pitch in (we recalculated all parks to average around 1.000), so I'm expecting better seasons from Rankin and Lyons. We'll also get to see Milt Fritz again, who I think I understand now. He has all the talent in the world, but just doesn't really care. Some days he'll throw a complete game shutout, others he'll give up eight runs before getting eight outs. I just have to be patient with him, let him pitch every fourth or fifth day, and hope the offense can score enough runs for him. Oh yeah, and don't forget Tommy Wilcox! Let's hope the injuries are a thing of the past, because we may be adding two Allen Award winners to our 1936 rotation. If Wilcox can match is 1933 or 1934 numbers and Fritz can match his 1929-1933 performance, we may find ourselves in a late season pennant race. It feels like it's been forever, but just two seasons ago the Cougars were representing the Continental Association in the postseason.

ayaghmour2 · 03-21-2021, 08:37 PM

RHP Harry Parker (126st Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 7th Round, 108th Overall (1934)
Alma Mater: Bushwick

Despite being a 7th Round selection, I've given a lot of love to Harry Parker in my report already. He was a guy I bet really hard on last draft, and of those picks, just last year's first Carlos Montes ranks ahead of him. I do think Pug Bryan is the better pitcher, but Parker has really blossomed in his first season with us. He's sitting comfortably in the 91-93 range with his fastball and cutter, but he has three really good secondary pitch. He also throws a curveball, the only pitch my scout doesn't think is average or better. That may not sound like much, but since we are in the 30s, the stuff ratings of our pitchers are very low. The fact that my scout says Parker has four average pitches and a good changeup, is a pretty high compliment. Parker is 20, so a little older then most high school draftees, but that's really helped him climb the ladder. The 6'6'' righty started the year in San Jose and made 9 strong starts. He was 6-3 with a 2.39 ERA (190 ERA+), 0.94 WHIP, 13 walks, and 36 strikeouts in 75.1 innings before a promotion up to Class A Lincoln. Parker continued to excel there, and even against the tougher competition was 6-5 with a 4.15 ERA (133 ERA+), 1.43 WHIP, 29 walks, and 48 strikeouts in 93.1 innings pitched. Parker's strikeout numbers are really strong and he did a great job limiting walks. Of course, there is a downside to every pitcher, and for Parker, it's his flyball tendencies. Still, I'm not even phased. He may be good enough that it won't even matter.

2B Tommy Wilson (129th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 2nd Round, 31st Overall (1933)
Alma Mater: Elmira HS Emeralds

I really thought the 1933 draft class was going to be a decent one, until I realized all the guys I thought were good were actually eligible for the 1934 draft. That really threw off my draft strategy, so the fact that I was able to salvage Tommy Wilson in the 2nd is a blessing. A natural shortstop, the recently turned 20-year-old spent nearly all season at second base with the extremely gifted fielder (and next ranked prospect) Ivan Cameron spending time at short. I do think Wilson has the glove to stick at short, and his numbers at second (with no prior experience) were elite. He had a +13.2 zone rating and 1.069 efficiency. He had an okay season at the plate, batting .277/.349/.456 (89 OPS+) with 13 homers, 14 steals, and 76 RBI's. It can take a few seasons for a young hitter to get off the ground in C ball as there tend to be a lot of older prospects on the mound, but Wilson has shown strong plate discipline, 102 strikeouts and walks in his two seasons with the Lions. I'm not yet sure if he's going to move up before the season starts, but I do know that even with a lot of new bodies entering the system, Wilson will not get lost in the shuffle.

SS Ivan Cameron (131st Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 3rd Round, 74th Overall (1934)
Alma Mater: Meridian

Our third round selection last season, the thing that got be attached to Cameron was his glove. Despite turning 19 during the season, Cameron looked like Harry Barrell in the UMVA. He put up an astronomical +26.1 zone rating and 1.139 efficiency at short. He held his own at the plate too, batting .275/.364/.436 (88 OPS+) with 15 homers and 93 RBI's. I mentioned the glove, but there is a little chance that Cameron can develop into a really good hitter. He weighs just 170, but stands 6'2'' and still managed to walk (56) twice as much as he struck out (28). As he matures he could add power, and while all C ball hitters will hit a lot of home runs, he might be able to maintain at least a portion of it. One of my favorite things, however, is his personality: "Relaxed and confident. Aggressive when needed." Exactly what you want from your shortstop.

RF Marty Roberts (135th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 2nd Round, 23rd Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Brunswick Knights

Not too long ago Roberts was a top 70 prospect, but has dropped a lot since the season started. Roberts is a natural center fielder, but he struggled a little in Mobile last season so we moved him to right for this year. He spent about two thirds of his season with the Commodores, batting .282/.373/.443 (111 OPS+) with 7 homers, 6 steals, and 40 RBI's. The power dropped when he moved up to Milwaukee, but he doubled his steal total. His .289/.393/.397 (93 OPS+) batting line was deflated a bit as the power disappeared, but I'm hoping it's just adjusting to the competition. Last year in the same amount of games with AA Mobile (81), he also had just one homer and saw that jump up when he repeated the level. He's 24. and with the ability to play center, he'll have just as much of a shot as anyone to win the starting job. One thing he does do a good job of his walking, a combined 80 walks to just 21 strikeouts this season. He's patient, fast, and consistently drives and lines the ball through the left side of the infield. Even though the prospect evaluators have dimmed their view of Roberts, my opinion has not changed very much. I do think he'll end up in right now and the early results have been extremely promising.

CF Roy Moore (137th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 63rd Overall (1931)
Alma Mater: Hartford HS Blue Sox

A poorly timed oblique strain cost him a late season callup to be the starting center fielder for the Chicago Cougars, but even though the 22-year-old is extremely adept with the glove, he didn't hit all that well this year. His .317/.380/.387 (87 OPS+) line wasn't that inspiring, and he watched his strikeouts spike up to 80 as it looked like he got them back down. Still, he swiped 30 bags and had a nice +8.0 zone rating and 1.054 efficiency out in center. He's a high intensity player with great instincts, but he's not as naturally talented as most prospects that reach AAA. I still have faith the bat will come around, but it may take a season or two of fighting big league pitchers before it happens. Like Roberts, Moore will be in the hunt for our starting center field job, and I'd argue Moore is one of the favorites.

ayaghmour2 · 03-22-2021, 12:30 PM

As crazy as it sounds, we actually had more picks in the first ten rounds then we did in the last fifteen. Most of these guys signed, with just three from the 11th on needing bonuses. Interesting enough, 2nd Rounder Doc Smith did not need a bonus, a huge red flag of a reach pick. I knew I was reaching when I took him, but I was okay with it considering my scout thought the only pitchers better then him were Rufus Barrell and George Garrison. Even I did not share that sentiment (he was my second pitcher selected, and there were others I wanted), but I'm letting Marv earn his salary and trusting his gut. So far a few of the top 10 round guys check in the top 500, including Bill Seabolt (258th), Oscar Panduro (344th), and Izzy Sevilla (403rd) as well as 21st Rounder Sherman Ring (333rd).

I also found out Art Saunders is "impossible" to sign, so I threw 20 grand at him and hoped he'd bite. That's more then all my other picks, with 8th Overall selection Hal Wood receiving the $9,120 slot bonus, but other then him and Chubby Hall ($12k), no one wanted more then $4,000. I have a nice big $60,000 draft budget, but even if I go over that (I think I didn't), we are flush with cash. Here's the rest of the very large 1935 Chicago Cougars draft class:

3B Sonny O'Callaghan (11th Round, 165th Overall): Ahh, the always fun 11th Round. This is where all the players us human GM's missed are scooped up by our scouts. O'Callaghan will need to be signed, but I do plan on meeting his demands. I wouldn't have taken him personally, but my scout and OSA both view him as a productive bench bat. He got one season at Brighton and hit .452/.525/.615 with a homer and 27 RBI's. I usually like corner bats with pop, but Sonny is strictly a groundball hitter.

SP Bill Seawood (12th Round, 181st Overall): Seawood was actually someone I had my eye on, but what scared me away was the low velocity, three pitches, and borderline starter status. One of those is a changeup, which is even more scary. Still, I'll let him try to work his way up our ladder, as he did have a nice 2.18 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 28 walks, and 82 strikeouts in 10 starts and 6 relief appearances for Florence, a high school in Florence, Alabaman. He's just 18 and has a ton of time to develop, and he's basically the arm my scout thinks I should have grabbed in the first ten rounds.

LF Billy Jordan Jr. (13th Round, 197th Overall): I decided Jordan would be my 13th Round pick because his dad was a Cougar and had an excellent 1915. He was 17-9 with a 2.42 ERA (121 ERA+), 1.11 WHIP, 98 walks, and 144 strikeouts in 248.2 innings. He never matched that again, just 17 innings the next year before pitching in the minors from 1917-1922. In '17 he also had Billy Junior, who's committed to North Carolina Tech. Billy was born in Chicago, but went to high school out in Sacramento. As a senior he hit an okay .486/.548/.645 with a homer and 28 RBI's. I don't think Jordan will be a big leaguer, but with the double Chicago connection, I knew I needed him. Interesting enough, his father is actually the Pitching Coach for the Independent AAA Sacramento Governors, which is why Jordan is at school out there.

LHP Danny Hern (14th Round, 213th Overall): I accidentally had the six foot lefty on my 1934 draft shortlist, but the soon to be 19-year-old ended up as our 14th Round pick. As a senior at Morton, he was 7-3 with a 2.04 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 22 walks, and 92 strikeouts in 101.2 innings pitched. He has a mid 80s fastball, as well as a curve, slider, and change. None of the pitches are all that exciting now, but as he continues to grow and develop, I can see all four turning into big league caliber offerings. He will need to develop one of those into a strikeout pitch, as right now he relies strictly on location.

CF Red Barnett (15th Round, 229th Overall): Nothing too exciting here. Barnett is committed to Indianapolis Tech, and I'll probably let him go there. Hit .450/.507/.646 with a homer, 66 steals, and 51 RBI's in 222 trips to the plate at Germantown HS. Average defender with good speed and a decent eye.

CF Bus Harris (16th Round, 245th Overall): I think Harris is better then Barnett, but he's also demanding a bonus to overturn a commitment to the San Diego Maritime Academy. He has a similar .448/.525/.724 line, but the difference comes in the increase in homers to five and drop of steals to 43. Lefty swinger who profiles as a fourth outfielder.

RHP Clint Hamilton (17th Round, 261st Overall): This might turn out to be an alright pick. Hamilton just saw his fastball tick up to 86-88, and he pairs it with a reliable change up. He also features a slider and curve, and just needs one of them to develop. Looked strong in 139.2 innings, 8-4 with a 2.38 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 41 walks, and 115 strikeouts. He's young, turned 18 in September, and has a lot of upside. I like seeing his starts go from seven to ten this year while still putting together similar results.

RF Bob Mercer (18th Round, 277th Overall): Another high schooler, Mercer is a lefty corner outfielder who actually hit .531 as a Junior. His senior year was much worse, but his total .490/.526/.731 batting line is still pretty strong. He doesn't have much power, just 3 homers in 234 trips to the plate, which will likely make Mercer's stay in our organization short. I won't cut him yet, but come April he may be out of the organization.

RHP Pete Knight (19th Round, 293rd Overall): This is where I wish all players needed to be signed. Pete Knight was a junior at Wisconsin State, and was 5-9 with a 7.07 ERA, 1.92 WHIP, 79 walks, and 42 strikeouts. As a sophomore he was 4-7 with a 5.26 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, 46 walks, 47 strikeouts. This is a guy I never would have drafted and he will be released eventually.

LF Ray Renfro (20th Round, 309th Overall): In two seasons at Maryland State Renfro hit .266/.329/.437 with 15 homers and 73 RBI's. Not bad by any means, but nothing about Renfro really stands out. He might also need to find a new home.

LF Sherman Ring (21st Round, 325th Overall): I don't think he's all that good, but the senior from Campion hit .292/.381/.396 with 3 homers, 40 RBI's, and 26 steals in 236 trips to the plate. The eye is his calling card, with 29 walks compared to 13 strikeouts. He's old, 23 in February, but that means he may get to skip a couple of the lower levels. I'll keep an eye on him, but not expecting too much from Ring. This isn't Joe Rainbow 2.0, this is just a senior left fielder falling because, well, he's a senior left fielder.

LF Al Duarte (22nd Round, 341st Overall): Happy birthday Al! He turned 19 today, but don't expect him to see 20 in our organization. He hit .398 two seasons ago in high school, but unlike Steve Mountain, he's not an elite defensive catcher. He's a poor defensive corner player.

CF Charlie Gainey (23rd Round, 357th Overall): I was ready to write a similar line for Gainey, but hey, he's from Chicago! That's enough to stay in the organization! At St. Rita (who I've played against!) he hit .448/.509/.688 with 18 steals and 27 RBI's. Yeah, he's pretty bad, but you need bench players in La Crosse too, so Gainey probably spends most his minor league career there filling in.

C Abner Almond (24th Round, 373rd Overall): A lot of teams were talking about how they got a lot of catchers in the auto portion, but Almond is the first and only for us. I can't see double A staying, considering in high school he hit .386/.496/.624 with 6 homers and 52 RBI's. In the FABL this year, Freddie Jones hit .389/.511/.500 with 8 homers and 89 RBI's. Almond couldn't even really outhit Freddie...

RHP Ollie Farmer (25th Round, 389th Overall): Our last pick of the year, Farmer probably gets released as well. In high school he was 4-3 with a 3.56 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 37 walks, and 30 strikeouts. He's projected to be a strictly bullpen pitcher, despite five pitches, so Farmer probably really, really sucks.

I expect the rest of the offseason to be rather quiet. I'm usually too active in the Rule-5 draft, but this season my list only has two people on it right now. I may add more later, but I could have no Rule-5 Pick this season. I have one guy I really want in the independent league draft, so even though he might go before me, I'm still risking it. Other then that though, expect very little news out of Chicago, other then our draftees signing and the end of the top 30 prospects. Spring Training will be fun, and I'm already ready to start real fake baseball again.

ayaghmour2 · 03-23-2021, 05:04 PM

There were two guys on the list, and I got one of them. I went with Chicago kid Mac Watters, a 23-year-old groundballer from the Washington Eagles system. He was their 6th Round pick in 1930, and went 9-13 with a 5.04 ERA (91 ERA+), 1.53 WHIP, 25 walks, and 74 strikeouts in 187.1 innings pitched. The command is what drew me to Watters is that excellent command paired with his ability to keep the ball on the ground. Add in the Chicago connection and the fact he went to Decatur HS, Watters was too enticing to pass up. I think I can keep him on the active roster all season and my scout thinks he could end up as a decent longterm piece.

All my draftees signed except Red Barnett and Bus Harris, neither of which who I would be signing. Entering the top 500 prospect lists include Hal Wood (50th), Chubby Hall (55th), Charlie Wheeler (131st), Jocko Pollard (206th), John Johnson (217th), Bill Seabolt (305th), Billy Jordan Jr (356th), Jimmy Bach (367th), Sherman Ring (395th), Oscar Panduro (414th), and Art Saunders (423rd). We've got 50 prospects in the top 500 now, but we rank second (199th) behind the Cannons (266th) who got to add the #2 prospect in Rufus Barrell II. I really wanted him...

ayaghmour2 · 03-24-2021, 02:09 PM

RHP Pug Bryan (140th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 2nd Round, 28th Overall (1934)
Alma Mater: Lincoln College

This kid is underrated. I don't care what OSA says. I don't care what my scout says. Pug Bryan is going to be a really good pitcher. I took him in the 2nd Round last year out of Lincoln College which is in Springfield, Illinois and he started his season in San Jose. Bryan pitched to a 2.73 ERA (166 ERA+), 1.06 WHIP, 4 walks, and 26 strikeouts in 33 innings. After that it was off to Lincoln, where he tossed 75.1 innings. He was 6-2 with a 3.11 ERA (177 ERA+), 1.29 WHIP, 31 walks, and 36 strikeouts. I got a little bold, moving him up to Mobile for September. Bryan responded with 4 dominant starts, just 19 hits, 3 runs, 11 walks, and 25 strikeouts in 36 innings. That's a 0.75 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 2.8 BB/9, and 6.3 K/9. Oh yeah, and he won all four starts too. Simply put, Pug was unhittable this year. He's going to be 23 in April and by 24 he might already have some FABL innings under his belt. I like almost everything about him, he throws in the high 80s with his fastball and generates a ton of groundballs with his sinker. Best part is, his best pitch is supposed to be his change up which is likely far from developed now. He'll be back in Mobile to start next season, but based on how quickly he moved up, he might not be there for that long. I may also bring him to Chicago for training camp.

LF Larry Robison (155th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 19th Round, 303rd Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Queens HS

Robison had to fight off a fractured hand that cost him most of the season, so he just got into 26 games with the Legislators. He hit .356/.444/.505 (128 OPS+) with a homer, 6 RBI's, and 16 steals. Yeah, 16 steals in 26 games. Not sure what got into him, just 10 last year in 123 games, but speed is his thing. He's an "elite menace on the basepaths", but unfortunately that doesn't translate into being good at center field. He's really only just average in left, but has always shown above average contact potential at the plate. I'm shocked he was only a 19th rounder as he had really impressive high school numbers.

LF Dave Haight (157th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 13th Round, 207th Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Dallas HS

With all the depth we have in the outfield, Dave Haight was stuck in La Crosse the past three seasons. That didn't stop him from playing well, however, as he slashed .397/.447/.582 (142 OPS+) with 7 homers, 78 RBI's, and 34 steals in 490 trips to the plate. He'll be up in San Jose next year, and may again see time in both left and right. Haight does have something really cool about him; he's from Juneau, Alaska! Not sure the FABL has any representatives from Alaska, but Haight's got a tough uphill climb if he wants to be the first. He's got the tools, excellent speed, an excellent hit tool, and okay defense, but he lacks the power that most corner outfielders can offer. Still, he managed to cut down on his strikeouts this year and is a good influence in the clubhouse.

2B Gene Evans (163rd Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 10th Round, 159th Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Worcester HS

Evans started the season in San Jose and hit .308/.371/.493 (128 OPS+) with 8 homers, 5 steals, and 49 RBI's in 320 trips to the plate. He then got a promotion to Lincoln, but the competition was tough there. He hit just .278/.335/.439 (85 OPS+) with 4 homers, 6 steals, and 30 RBI's in 243 trips to the plate. Not sure where he'll start next season, but Evans has had issues with defending at second. He has decent speed and he hits the ball pretty well, but he never added any strength or size. Almost 22, he's still just 5'10'' 160, and likely won't hit many homers.

RF Dick Earl (176th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 17th Round, 271st Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Meridian HS

Another 1932 draftee, Earl flat out mashed in La Cross when the year began. He hit .421/.482/.771 with 22 homers, 104 RBI's, and 34 walks in 338 trips to the plate. Up in San Jose he calmed down a bit, but still hit .276/.374/.405 (107 OPS+) in 214 trips to the plate. The homers, however, disappeared, just one in 51 games after the 22 in 67. Earl has a cannon out in right and he's got excellent patience at the plate.

ayaghmour2 · 03-24-2021, 07:39 PM

CF Elias Canady (201st Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 8th Round, 126th Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Portland HS

There was a time I thought Elias Canady was going to be a superstar and first round pick. Instead, he ended up an 8th Round pick and I don't see think about him being a superstar anymore. It took Canady two and a half seasons in La Crosse before his first promotion, and he did okay with San Jose. He hit .256/.350/.363 (90 OPS+) with 4 homers, 2 steals, and 37 RBI's in 311 trips to the plate. He's still young, just 21, and has great plate discipline and a decent contact tool. The big draw is the glove, however, with Canady compiling a +41.8 zone rating in his first three pro seasons. The glove makes him a favorite of mine, so expect him to at least end up a fourth outfielder.

3B Phil McKenna (204th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 76th Overall (1934)
Alma Mater: Coastal Carolina

A 5th Round pick last year, McKenna was also someone I once expected to be an early pick. He played at three levels this season, topping out at AA Mobile. The best of the approximately even three stays was in Lincoln, batting .352/.469/.610 (157 OPS+) with 10 homers and 31 RBI's in 195 trips to the plate. The longest stay was his last, in Mobile, where he hit .312/.402/.428 (116 OPS+) with 4 homers and 21 RBI's in 251 trips to the plate. The cool thing was the walk increase at each level, from 21 to 29 to 33. He also didn't pass 10 strikeouts at any level, the closest call actually in San Jose where he did it nine times. He hasn't looked good defensively, so the bat has to be well above average. Not sure if he'll ever hit for much power, but he's a smart hitter and should find a way on base.

1B Cuno Myer (238th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 22nd Round, 351st Overall (1932)
Alma Mater: Norfolk HS

I'm not the biggest fan of the switch hitter Myer, but part of that is because he's nothing compared to Leo Mitchell. Myer spent his first two seasons in La Crosse, but then started 140 games in San Jose this year. He hit just .289/.326/.404 (93 OPS+) with 7 homers and 86 RBI's. Myer cannot play defense, somehow managing a -19.4 zone rating and .858 efficiency this season. That means he'll have to hit like he did last season with his impressive 130 OPS+ in 323 plate appearances in La Crosse. Unfortunately for him, he can only play first, so he might see his playing time drop back down again.

RHP Bill Scott (240th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 7th Round, 111th Overall (1933)
Alma Mater: Holyoke HS

It's been a little tough to find innings for Scott, but the 20-year-old looked really good in La Crosse this year. He was 8-4 with a 3.89 ERA (139 ERA+), 1.68 WHIP, 34 walks, and 43 strikeouts in 74 innings pitched. He was an excellent pitcher in high school and so far in the minors, so perhaps I need to be finding more ways to get him time. I have a lot of arms I really like, so I'm expecting a lot of rotation, but I don't think Scott will be pitching in the pen much anymore. He's increased his fastball to 91-93 and his curve and slider are already big league quality pitches. He's got great raw stuff and my scout actually thinks he'll be a back of the rotation starter. I guess I was sort of right about Scott, and after adding ten pounds he's already jumped up our system ladder:

CF Orlin Yates (242nd Overall)
Acquired: Via Trade with the Gothams (1934)
Drafted: 9th Round, 131st Overall (1933)
Alma Mater: Travis College

Rounding out our top 30 is the third pieces of the Tom Taylor trade, 24-year-old Orlin Yates. Yates is a brilliant defender, with a +17.0 zone rating and 1.112 efficiency this year out in center. He struggled with the AA affiliate of the Gothams organization, but in our system with Mobile he hit .321/.389/.397 (105 OPS+) with 2 steals and 15 RBI's in 177 trips to the plate. My scout thinks he's ready for the big leagues, but I'm not ready for Yates to skip AAA. He'll probably start the season there or in Mobile next year, but expect Yates to fight for a spot in camp too. I love the glove and my scout likes his hit tool, so even if there are a lot of guys ahead of him, I'm rooting for Yates. I don't think he'll ever hit that much in the big leagues, but potentially he can develop into a Cy Bryant type player. Just minus the chastising.

ayaghmour2 · 03-26-2021, 06:59 PM

Yeah, yeah. I guess it wasn't a quiet offseason...

A long time ago I made a really bad trade. I gave up a future 2-Time Whitney Award Winner and another okay FABL player for a really good pitcher for about 12 starts before his arm fell apart twice. That broken pitcher was Johnny Douglas, who's 1926 and 1928 seasons were amazing. Well, when healthy. He made 15 starts in 1926 and was 6-5 with a 2.56 ERA (156 ERA+), 1.39 WHIP, 35 walks, and 28 strikeouts in 109 innings. In 1927 he got hurt in his only start, but in 1928 he made just 10 and was 4-4 with a 2.99 ERA (132 ERA+), 1.22 WHIP, 27 walks, and 16 strikeouts in 72.1 innings pitched. 1929 was the end of Douglas' Cougar tenure, he was just 5-5 with a 5.66 ERA (78 ERA+), 1.72 WHIP, 33 walks, and 25 strikeouts before I sent him and Rabbit Forest to the Keystones in what turned out to be another bad trade.

So yeah, Johnny Douglas was bad news for us...

Now Lawson on the other hand...

He got a tiny cup of coffee in 1927, but he was a full time starter in 1928. The same season Douglas was busy getting hurt. Lawson played 154 games and hit .344/.404/.518 (152 OPS+) with 22 homers and 106 RBI's in 706 trips to the plate. He had no sophomore slump in '29, slashing .368/.415/.526 (140 OPS+) with 14 homers and 107 RBI's in 662 trips to the plate. As if he needed to improve on those two seasons, he won back-to-back Whitney's in 1930 and 1931. His best season was arguably 1932, where he slashed .377/.417/.557 (160 OPS+) with 19 homers and 150 RBI's in 707 trips to the plate. He led the league in RBI's, hits (246), average, and doubles (49) as he led the Stars to a Continental Association best 99 wins, just enough to edge the defending champions. The Stars became the champions, as they swept the Keystones in the World Series.

The Stars have fell a bit, with 79, 78, and 72 wins the past three seasons. Lawson has been elected to all three All-Star games and hit .343/.393/.510 (138 OPS+) last season at 32 with 12 homers and 77 RBI's in just 481 trips to the plate. He didn't get hurt, it's just he was getting less playing time with the Stars. It was the first season he failed to start 100 games or make 500 trips to the plate since becoming a regular. Lawson boast an extremely impressive .358/.408/.521 (149 OPS+) batting line across 5,316 FABL plate appearances. He's hit 133 homers, drove in 894 runs, and doubled 313 times. Lawson has also always been a capable defender, a +33.6 zone rating and 1.028 efficiency for his career. This season he had a +4.3 zone rating and 1.045 efficiency, so he hasn't lost a step in the field.

Now don't get me wrong, there should be no false hope of contention. This is a move for the future. I have a lot of guys in the farm that I want to give time too and Lawson isn't going to slow down any time soon. I did really strike out last time I grabbed a third basemen, but Lawson is no Masters. There's a reason they call John "Jack the Ripper" now. Our batting order got a nice boost as Lawson can comfortably keep the three spot warm.

Of course, we did have to give up four young guys including Chink Stickels, who did start games for us in center this September. I do really like Stickels, but I'm really comfortable with Carlos Montes right now. The prospect rankings are much different now, and he's up to 4th in our organization and 53rd in the league. With Leo Mitchell and Rich Langton graduated and the preseason started now, a lot of players moved around. We still have a lot of top 100 guys, but a lot less top 50 guys. My scout thinks Montes is better currently then Stickels and has more potential, so at this point I might as well just give Montes a shot. There's so many other options too, including Bert Wilson, Roy Moore, and even Marty Roberts.

I did have to give up a few pitchers as well, Frank Gordon and the recently acquired George Brooks. I recapped both recently, but Gordon checks in 16th in our system and 144th in the league. I like the righty, he's a groundballer who throws over 90 and has a really strong future outlook, but you have to give up pitching when you want a top player, pitching is a price you're always going to have to pay. The fourth piece was Dick Earl who had the uber impressive 67 game stint down in La Crosse.

Being comfortable with the system depth is what made this deal possible. I think we're going to have a really potent offense next year, but with our pitching staff full of question marks and misfits, we might need 8 or 9 runs a game. Spring training is around the corner, but I already have an idea of my best case scenario opening day lineup. I'm really hoping Lawson will be in a lineup with excellent young players. Not just Leo Mitchell, Ollie Page, and Rich Langton, but also Ray Ford and Carlos Montes.

But the thought of seeing John Lawson in a Chicago Cougars uniform. That's enough to look forward to.

ayaghmour2 · 03-28-2021, 02:08 PM

I had a little free time this weekend, so I decided to look back to my initial Cougar draft class and see how those players turned out 10 seasons later. Unlike our current 25 round drafts, this draft was only 15 rounds. There were a ton of undrafted FA's signed after, but I won't include those guys in this report.

1st Round, 4th Overall: 2B Bill Ashbaugh
You could say I hit on this pick. Sure, there were a lot of good and some better players then Ashbaugh in this draft, but Ashbaugh has quietly become one of the most effective hitters in the FABL. His 131 career homers are the most for any Cougar, and he owns an impressive .311/.376/.489 (135 OPS+) career batting line across 4,969 trips to the plate. Unfortunately, injuries have been common for the recently 32-year-old, who hasn't surpassed 140 games in the last three seasons after three straight of 150 or higher. Ashbaugh is a very patient hitter, with almost equal walks (478) as strikeouts (485) and while he's not as fast as he used to be, he did swipe double digit bags in '29, '30, and '31. Right now, he's our starting second basemen, but he'll have a lot of competition from one of our top prospects Ray Ford. Both have absolutely no defensive ability at second, but are extremely gifted hitters. 1936 will be year ten for our second longest tenured Cougar and I have no expectation to ever let Ashbaugh go somewhere else. Chances are his #9 might even end up in the rafters, as Ashbaugh has been one of the better Cougar players in their rather impressive history.

2nd Round, 20th Overall: SS Hank Mitchell
Trust me, all down hill after Ashbaugh. Mitchell was a guy my scout really liked, so I took the gamble on the switch hitter who could man almost any position. He toiled around in the minors for awhile before eventually debuting late in the 1931 season. He played just 3 games and failed to record a hit in 8 at bats. He's still hanging out in our system, and the 31-year-old hit .270/.346/.344 (80 OPS+) in 293 plate appearances with the Mobile Commodores. I used to really like Mitchell and thought he'd be a good future piece, but unfortunately, he never really ranked on our top prospect lists and turned out to be a minor league depth piece.

3rd Round, 36th Overall: LF Dick Fessel
He was featured a little bit in our early days as Dick Fessel started 71 games as a rookie in 1928. He held his own, hitting .273/.357/.349 (98 OPS+) with 3 homers, 8 steals, and 25 RBI's in 319 trips to the plate. An Illinois native, Fessel was our main starter in 1929 as well, with a pretty identical .306/.365/.394 (99 OPS+) line with 2 homers, 13 steals, and 40 RBI's in 359 trips to the plate. He lost his starting job in 1930 to John Dibblee, but had his best offensive season off the bench. He started just one of the 82 games he appeared in, but slashed .327/.373/.485 (120 OPS+) with a homer, steal, and 13 RBI's in 115 trips to the plate. That ended up being his last taste of the big leagues before retiring last year.

4th Round, 52nd Overall: C Ken Wyatt
I keep thinking I'm going to call Wyatt up to be our backup catcher, but it seems it never happens. Now 29, he's accumulated almost 4,000 minor league plate appearances despite stalling out in Milwaukee the last three years. Nothing special here, and my guess is he'll keep getting passed up on until he's cut or retired.

5th Round, 68th Overall: LHP Phil English
The first pitcher I selected, English didn't last too long in our system. He was part of a five player trade with the Stars in 1927, and then he debuted with them in 1928. He spent most of his time in the pen, but from 1928-1934 he tossed 423.2 innings with the Stars. They waived him last offseason when I placed a claim on him. Instead, the Wolves got him and he had an excellent rebound season. In 40.2 innings he was 3-4 with 7 saves, a 3.76 ERA (119 ERA+), 1.52 WHIP, 14 walks, and 23 strikeouts. For his career, English has a 4.28 ERA (108 ERA+), 1.48 WHIP, 194 walks, and 225 strikeouts. He's saved 51 games and is an even 29-29.

6th Round, 84th Overall: SS Clyde Hinzman
A personal favorite of mine, Hinzman was once ranked the 64th best prospect in the FABL, and he more or less helped us win a pennant. He was the return for Cy Bryant, who did an excellent job out in center for the 90+ win Cougar teams. He did debut with us in 1930 before the trade, and with us and the Wolves he owns a .251/.330/.346 (85 OPS+) batting line with 7 homers and 91 RBI's. He's appeared in 268 FABL games, including 80 or more in both '33 and '34 before just 1 this year. I brought Hinzman back last year to play short for us, but the 28-year-old spent most of this year in AAA learning first, second, and third. At once it appeared Hinzman could be a big league starter, but now he profiles as a perfect off the bench utility player. He's still got two options left, so it may be a while before he returns to the big league roster, but he'll get a shot to earn one of our bench spots this season.

7th Round, 100th Overall: 2B Rabbit Forrest
Johnny Douglas is the worst... Not only did he cost us John Lawson, but I had to use Forrest to get some sort of value from him. After being traded in July of 1929 to the Keystones, Forrest was named the 72nd best prospect next season. As a rookie in 1930, he made 649 trips to the plate and hit .342/.388/.422 (114 OPS+) in an excellent rookie season. He's lost playing time recently to Buck Sargent, but the switch hitter manned third for the Keystones during most of the 1930-1934 seasons. He's tallied 2,786 FABL plate appearances and hit .307/.360/.396 (105 OPS+) with 322 RBI's and a single FABL homer. He's likely to hang out on the Keystones bench, but he does have the talent to start for an FABL team.

8th Round, 116th Overall: RF Ralph Collier
From 1928-1934, Collier was in our minor league system. He made just 5 starts between 1932 and 1934, and just 88 with us. He is with the independent San Antonio Gunslingers, but Collier never amounted to much and likely will be out of the league in a season or two.

9th Round, 132nd Overall: RHP Dan Smith
A Chicago kid! Smith actually looked good year one, going 15-7 with a 3.65 ERA (120 ERA+), 1.22 WHIP, 84 walks, and 246 strikeouts in 219.2 innings with the Legislators. Then for some reason I waived him before the 1927 season, and the Foresters claimed him. He won a 1928 championship with the Toledo Tornados and tossed a no-hitter in 1930 back down in A ball, but it was all down hill after there. He bounced around the independent circuit before hanging up the cleats this offseason.

10th Round, 148th Overall: RF Curt Ross
Ross barely played in 1927 and 1928, but he kept grinding. It took all the way until 1931 before he got out of the low minors and in 1933 he got a cup of coffee with the Cougars. Ross was 0-for-4 in a start and bench appearance, but was then waived the following season. The Kings claimed him, but released him in July. Since then he's been with the San Antonio Gunslingers, 130 games over the past seasons and a half.

11th Round, 164th Overall: 1B Luke Nixon
Technically, I didn't make this pick, but he's actually one of the more successful ones. Nixon spent three seasons in Lincoln, with a 155 and 157 OPS+ in '27 and '28. He skipped AA, raked in AAA for 37 games, and then got his contract purchased. He spent 88 games in Chicago, batting a nice .328/.375/.467 (119 OPS+) with 5 homers, 11 steals, and 51 RBI's. Nixon was then part of one of our most important trades, joining three other Cougar prospects to acquire Max Wilder and Russ Combs from the Foresters. Nixon spent parts of the next three seasons in Cleveland, but made just 430 trips to the plate. We grabbed him off waivers during the 1932 postseason, and he got a cup of coffee with us in 1933. He's been stuck in the minors since, and now with Leo Mitchell entrenched at the first base position, I don't expect him to rejoin our big league club.

12th Round, 180th Overall: LF Earl Johnson
A Chicago HS grad, Earl Johnson was sent with Lou Gaffin July of 1930 for Dick Leudtke in another trade that worked out really well for us. Johnson was 22 at the time and hitting an impressive .320/.381/.524 (147 OPS+) with 8 homers, 16 steals, and 37 RBI's in one shy of 300 plate appearances. I think he was stuck behind Vince York, so I was willing to part with him. Unfortunately for the Gothams, neither him or Gaffin did much to help them, with Johnson hitting .222/.311/.315 (73 OPS+) in 61 PA's, most coming in 1933. He's in the Lone Star Association with the Waco Wranglers now, but my guess is Johnson's FABL days are numbered.

13th Round, 196th Overall: RF Ed Rhoden
Known for the glove, Rhoden debuted for us in 1930 and also spent a little time in the big leagues in 1931 before being sent to the Kings in May of '32 for Arnold Bower. Bower had a hot start to his Cougar career, but for the Kings, Rhoden hit a weak .148/.190/.167 (-4 OPS+) in 58 plate appearances with the Kings. They cut him prior to the 1934 season, and he hooked on with the Galveston Gunners and spent the last two seasons there.

14th Round, 212th Overall: CF Sam Reeves
Believe it or not, Reeves is still hanging around in our system. He hasn't gotten serious playing time since 1932 where he hit pretty well with the Commodores, but Reeves never really showed much big league potential. Now 28, he's nothing more then minor league depth. He doesn't play much center anymore, mostly hanging around first or a corner outfield spot.

15th Round, 228th Overall: 3B Frank Johnson
Despite never getting above Lincoln, he hung around until the 1932 season. Since he's been in independent ball, currently with Chink Stickels' former team, the Denver Plainsman. There's nothing too exciting when it comes to Johnson and it's a little surprising he still has a job.

Well, there you have it, my first FABL draft class. I 100% had no idea what I was doing, it was my first taste of stats-only gameplay, but I gotta say it could have been much worse. Ashbaugh was a legit star when he first came up, and I got a lot of decent prospects I was able to flip. Sure, just Ashbaugh actually did much for us, but we were able to indirectly get Russ Combs, Max Wilder, Dick Leudtke, and Cy Bryant. Rabbit Forest was still a hit and even Phil English wasn't too bad. There were a lot of really good pitchers in this draft, but I missed all of them. Still, can't complain too much with the results as it was no where near our worst class so far.

ayaghmour2 · 03-29-2021, 01:48 PM

Got a full 60 man roster down in camp, but a lot of those guys are there to get some reps and don't have a serious shot of making the team. There are a lot of spots to be claimed on the pitching side of things, but we actually have a few interesting camp battles developing:

Centerfield
Favorite: Carlos Montes
Next in Line: Roy Moore, Bert Wilson
Other Options: Tom Thomas, Marty Roberts, Orlin Yates, Mike Smith

I know he's just 20, but I really want to give the starting center field job to Carlos Montes. 1934's 12th Overall pick shot up all the way to AAA where he finished the season with a .408/.488/.831 (215 OPS+) batting line with 5 homers and 27 RBI's in just 87 trips to the plate. Shockingly, he's exceedingly high developed for his age and rates as our most talented center field option. He projects to be a well above average defender with an excellent speed and an excellent eye. He profiles as a prototypical leadoff hitter, something we haven't quite really had. What will determine how high of a level Montes gets to is the power, after just 2 high school homers he hit 13 last season. Double digit home run power is a stretch, but Montes has all the tools you look for in a centerfielder.

His biggest competition will be Roy Moore, the 1931 4th Round pick who's glove work is impeccable. The bat, not so much, but my scout is predicting him to develop into an above average hitter too. He spent most of last year in AAA, but hit just .317/.380/.387 (87 OPS+) with 3 homers, 30 steals, and 59 RBI's. He's as light hitting as it gets and doesn't have the upside of Montes, but he's much more experiences. Last year's rule-5 pick Bert Wilson has the advantage of being on the 40-man roster (I do have an open spot), but he did not look good in a full time role last year. He hit just .246/.298/.309 (64 OPS+) and could definitely use some seasoning in the minors. Still, he's a strong defender who ranked in last year's top 100 prospect list and has good upside. The biggest longshot might be Orlin Yates, another really talented defender who's bat is a little less reliable. My scout thinks he's big league ready too, but it'll take the perfect storm for him to end up as our opening day center fielder.

Second Base
Favorite: Ray Ford
Next in Line: Bill Ashbaugh, Russ Combs, Pete Asher, Clyde Hinzman
Other Options: Russ Franklin, Duke Fowler, Don Tyra, Woody Armstrong, Forrest Sylvester

This is the most competitive of the position battles, as I have not one, but four recent everyday starters competing against a former #1 overall prospect. Ford, who I'd love to see make the opening day roster, unfortunately never learned how to play defense. Including high school, in 220 games at second he has a -20.4 zone rating. 49 at third, -12.6. 20 in right, -3.3. At least at first (+2.3) and left (+0.5) it doesn't totally suck, but unfortunately Leo Mitchell is a lefty and I couldn't find a home for Doc Love. So the only open spot is second, his "natural" spot. Ford started the year in Lincoln, but worked his way up to Milwaukee which was a little shorter then the combined time at Lincoln and Mobile. His lowest OPS+ was the 151 in 299 AAA PA's, so obviously the bat is not a problem. He's an aggressive line drive hitter who should rack up extra base hits at a count that will make up for all the boneheaded plays in the field. He'll be 25 in June, so I really want him to stay up for the start of the season.

Of course, he's going to have to go through Bill Ashbaugh. Like Ford, Ashbaugh never quite learned defense, so he's more or less a decade older version of Ford. Ashbaugh does have the track record, a .311/.376/.489 (135 OPS+) career batting line, but health has been an issue lately. He's a lock for a roster spot, but his time as a starter may be numbered. He just turned 32, so age isn't on his side, but a lot of productive years are left for him. If Ford isn't ready, I don't think we'll be that much worse off with Ashbaugh. Of course, there's also the always injured Russ Combs who's likely to get hurt in a week. He's a shell of his old self, and just 52 games in the last two seasons and he hasn't got more then 100 since '30. There's no glove, maybe no bat, and potentially no spot for him. Pete Asher and Clyde Hinzman are interesting options, with Hinzman actually being my managers choice for the role. Both have been starters at short (with Asher spending some time at third last season), but don't have that much second base experience. Hinzman spent a lot of time there in AAA last year, but also at first, second, and short. I'd prefer them as bench bats, but they both should be above average defenders at second. There are a lot of other depth options as well, but I'm hoping it doesn't fall that far.

The Pitching Staff
There's too many open spots to give "favorites", but we'll likely be carrying 9 pitchers. Four of those will be the "rotation", Wilcox, Rankin, Fritz, and Lyons. The other five? Well... That's a little tougher. A lot of out of options players: Art Black, George Johnson, Chuck Matthews, Allen Purvis, Hank Spencer, and Ace McSherry plus Rule-5 Pick Mac Watters. I can't keep all of them. And this doesn't include Wayne Robinson and Johnny Walker, who I would also like to see make the Opening Day roster. Options will likely cost Walker a spot, but I'd love to see him win it.

Opening Day is next week, but not too much happening from now until then. Really excited for the season, even if we don't do all that well, because I will get to see the young guys get another season under their belt. That, plus the excitement of Milt Fritz and John Lawson should give Cougars fans something to be excited about. We also now have four "green" starters (Taylor, Page, Love, and Langton) and two "blue" starters, John Lawson and Ace McSherry (this one barely counts), which is a lot better then the collection of sub-10 ranks we saw last year. We do have three, Mitchell and second and center, which could easily all be up with development from him, Montes, and Ford. My scout and OSA have soured on Mitchell for one reason or another, but nothing really has changed. They just don't like his lack of power. I'm not all that worried about that, as I tend to disagree with my scout and OSA a lot anyways.

ayaghmour2 · 03-30-2021, 06:14 PM

Quick recap as it's just spring training. We managed to go 5-1, but that's not really impressive. I gave all my good starters starts and I'm not really looking to give any prospects starts. I don't have many in the upper levels other then Pug Bryan is big league ready in my scouts eyes, but he's not in camp. I'm giving Allen Purvis and George Johnson starts along with my starting four because they are fighting for the 5th spot. Both are out of options and both need to impress. Purvis was tagged with the lone loss, but you take away one of the four errors and he only allows one run. That was against the Cannons. Then Johnson tossed 4 no-hit innings with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts against the Sailors. It's hard to do much better then that.

Ray Ford had a pretty great week. He was 6-for-14 with a double and 3 RBI's. Roy Moore was 4-for-6 with a double, run, and two walks. Langton and Mitchell both drove in 4 with a double and two singles. Carlos Montes struggled a bit, just 3-for-14 with 2 walks and 3 runs scored. John Lawson had a rough week, but for him, spring is for signing autographs. He could go 0-for-30 for all I care.

03-10-2021, 04:31 PM	#381
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	I always prefer winning. I usually hate picking early because sometimes it feels like you have to pick a certain player. I hated picking second and the only reason I was fine picking first was because I knew I was going to pick Tom Barrell. Just like this year I know I would pick Rufus Barrell. It's going to be impossible to finish last now, but we're gonna end up 5th-7th. Regardless where we end up, I fully intent to trade up, so at this point it's just how valuable my pick ends up. I'd love to finish 7th, but I would much rather see the young guys hit well and we win games. __________________ Check out The Figment Sporting Journal, a collaborative multi-sport effort that dives into the Figment Sports Universe You can also view my solo project, my Dynasty Report on the Chicago Cougars of FABL, the baseball league in the Figment universe

03-10-2021, 06:31 PM	#382
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	Week 23: September 16th-September 22nd Weekly Record: 3-4 Seasonal Record: 66-82 (6th, 26.5 GB) Stars of the Week Rich Langton : 21 AB, 8 H, 3 HR, 7 RBI, .381 AVG, 1.250 OPS Doc Love : 23 AB, 8 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, .348 AVG, .766 OPS Pete Asher : 14 AB, 6 H, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .429 AVG, .967 OPS Weekly Schedule 9-16: Win vs Saints (5-10) 9-17: Loss vs Saints (6-3) 9-18: Loss vs Saints (7-2) 9-19: Loss vs Saints (8-6) 9-21: Loss vs Sailors (9-2) 9-22: Win vs Sailors (3-4) Summary We lost most of the games this week, just taking the two games on the ends. Still, lot of good, especially Rich Langton. It was another excellent week, 8-for-21 with 3 homers, 7 RBI's, 7 runs, 3 walks, and no strikeouts. I guess it wasn't good enough for Player of the Week, that went to John Kincaid, who did have a nice 4-for-5 against us with 2 runs, 2 doubles, 2 RBI's, and a triple in the loss to the Sailors. Things have quickly changed in Kincaid's favor as he hit 16-for-28 with 12 RBI's this week. Our third base platoon did excellent, 9-for-22 with a homer, 5 RBI's, and 5 runs scored. Not much good on the pitching side, but Wally Larkin allowed 12 hits and 3 runs with 2 walks and 5 strikeouts in the 4-3 win over the Sailors. Looking Ahead So Tommy Wilcox thought it would be fun to get hurt on rehab. Just back spasms, which effect hitting and running, but no chances are being taken what so ever and he's being placed back on the DL with just a single week left. Still, he pitched well in the two starts and will return to our rotation next year. Let's hope that with a Spring Training he'll be alright for next season. Now 66-82, we're four and a half behind the Cannons for last and there's no chance we catch them. 7th is the Wolves, who are 65-85. We actually finish the season in Toronto and we'll face them four times. The Wolves have moved Bernie Johnson to the pen, and he's made 15 relief appearances and 22 starts over 203.1 innings. He's 6-16 with a 4.12 ERA (106 ERA+), 1.45 WHIP, 55 walks, and 66 strikeouts. I still think he's a really good starter, perhaps second to just Chuck Cole who's 3.16 ERA (138 ERA+) is third best in the league. He's 17-10 with a 1.39 WHIP, 107 walks, and 118 strikeouts in 273.1 innings pitched. Before that, we can actually make an impact in the playoff hunt. We'll see Dean Astle and Lou Drouillard in Cleveland as the Foresters need as many wins as they can get. They are 92-57 and a game behind the 92-55 Kings. Max Morris' injury have hurt the Foresters as it is impossible to replicate a .326/.389/.538 (139 OPS+) batting line. Morris will end the year with 25 homers and 95 RBI's, giving him 691 and 2,210 for his career. It'll be tough to score runs in Cleveland, and they still have the offense to back it. With Morris, Drake (27), Goins (20), and Fowler (25) all with 20 or more homers, the Foresters repeated the impressive feat yet again. I do kind of want to see the Kings win the pennant, but I don't think there is any way we can beat the Foresters. We will have a few more players on hand, with Russ Combs, Norm Stewart, Clyde Hinzman, and Forrest Sylvester will join the roster. I debated bringing up Carlos Montes, Ray Ford, or Marty Roberts, but I decided against it. I still with Ray Moore stayed healthy, as he would've been starting in center since the 1st. Chink Stickels is hitting just .167/.200/.227 (6 OPS+) out there with 2 triples, RBI's, steals, and walks. Bert Wilson hasn't been much better, just .247/.302/.307 (52 OPS+) with 2 steals and 15 RBI's. Center field has been so bad that I'm going to give Russ Combs a chance. EDIT: Have to give a shoutout to Pug Bryan's four AA starts: 4-0, 0.75 ERA (610 ERA+), 0.83 WHIP, 11 BB, 25 K, 36 IP. Love this kid! Also named Pitcher of the Month! EDIT: Second shout out to Carlos Montes! The 19-year-old was named Player of the Month in AAA. He turns 20 in December, perhaps he wins the starting center field job out of camp? Hit .408/.488/.831 (215 OPS+) with 5 homers and 27 RBI's in 87 trips to the plate. And of course, Rich Langton was named Rookie of the Month. He hit .368 with 7 homers and 23 RBI's in September. __________________ Check out The Figment Sporting Journal, a collaborative multi-sport effort that dives into the Figment Sports Universe You can also view my solo project, my Dynasty Report on the Chicago Cougars of FABL, the baseball league in the Figment universe Last edited by ayaghmour2; 03-12-2021 at 05:40 PM.

03-13-2021, 07:15 PM	#383
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	End of the 1935 Season The New York Gothams may be up 2-0 in the World Series as we speak, but for Chicago Cougar fans, the season has been long over. It's crazy to think that just two seasons ago that was us, up 2-0 in the World Series, and things have changed quite a bit since. Still, even in a year full of losing, I am very excited about the future. We got a quick preview of that in September, but throughout the season I did give more and more time to the younger Cougars who hopefully will make up the next championship caliber team. A big part of that will be Rich Langton, who took the Continental Association by storm this September. The former 3rd Rounder was Rookie of the Month and hit .368/.397/.649 with 7 homers and 23 RBI's. After the Lou Kelly trade I gave Langton the right field job and he absolutely raked the rest of the year. In 281 trips to the plate Langton hit .344/.384/.576 (137 OPS+) with 11 homers and 45 RBI's. He even managed to walk (18) more then he struck out (11) and swiped three bases. Not only that, the kid is an extra base machine and added 14 doubles and 7 triples.. He's a natural left fielder, but with Doc Love still there, Langton spent all but two of his starts in right. I'm really excited for this kids future, and you can expect to see his name in the Cougars lineup cards for a long time. He wasn't the rookie who got the most time this year, however, that would be offseason acquisition Ollie Page. He had exactly 400 plate appearances and hit a strong .296/.376/.441 (103 OPS+) with 6 homers and 37 RBI's. He's a capable shortstop, and while the +3.2 zone rating isn't great, it's still an above average mark. I'm hoping with a more capable double play partner then Bill Ashbaugh, Page's shortstop play will show improvement. We've got strong middle infield depth, with Ducky Jordan down in AAA and other options like Billy Hunter and Freddie Bennett in the organization. And we still have Pete Asher, who endured a really tough first year in Chicago. He hit just .266/.358/.323 (71 OPS+) with a homer and 30 RBI's, but after the John Kincaid trade, I started giving him some reps at third. My scout has commented on his arm in the past, so I'm hoping he'll adjust to the position well. He can keep the seat warm for now, as the platoon with Jake Moore is just a temporary fix. Along with the previously mentioned middle infield options, we also have both Phil McKenna and Hank Stratton who will be knocking on the door. I was hoping Asher would be a part of our future, but he's got a lot of competition if he wants to keep a spot. That's not the only job up in the air, as Bill Ashbaugh's production plummeted after an excellent start to the season. He remained relatively healthy this season, but hit just .282/.339/.453 (96 OPS+) with 11 homers, 6 steals, and 78 RBI's. He did manage to surpass the 500 plate appearance mark, the 7th time he's managed that. Unfortunately, it was still 100 less then the 658 he had in 1932 where he hit an impressive .319/.384/.453 (124 OPS+). I will never trade my first draft pick, but Ashbaugh may not be a regular player for much longer. He's just 31, but with Doc Love still on the team, Ray Ford can't exactly play left field. That means Ford will be in camp next season as a second basemen, and he could potentially end camp as the Opening Day starter. The 24-year-old Ford may have started the season in A ball, but after hitting .407/.517/.549 (147 OPS+) in 25 games, he got the call up to Mobile. Somehow, he was even better, batting .382/.472/.634 (184 OPS+) in 49 games. He ended the season in Milwaukee, coming one PA shy of 300. It was the largest stint of his season, and he hit an impressive .365/.458/.582 (151 OPS+) with 12 homers and 63 RBI's. In total, Ford tallied 20 homers, 125 RBI's, 47 doubles, 97 walks, and just 14 strikeouts. Sure, he's probably the worst defender in the world, but this kid flat out rakes. I'll find a spot for him, because if he hits like this against big league pitching, it doesn't matter where I put him on the field. Another spot we got very little production from was center field. Even with Tom Taylor, we consistently got below average production. Bert Wilson hit just .246/.298/.309 (52 OPS+) with 2 steals and 16 RBI's in 190 plate appearances, most coming in August. Unfortunately, Chink Stickels hit much worse, a pitiful .178/.208/.247 (13 OPS+), although he did match the 2 steals and played excellent defense. I had very little expectations for Stickels, who had just 62 AAA plate appearances before his callup. It's going to be open season in camp, with Ray Moore and Carlos Montes both legitimate options to break camp. Moore is who I wanted to start in September, but he got hurt the day rosters expanded. The 1931 4th Rounder hit just .317/.380/.387 (87 OPS+) with 3 homers, 59 RBI's, and 30 steals, but he's an outstanding defensive center fielder. He's just 22, but he's almost a veteran compared to our most recent 1st Round selection Carlos Montes. The 19-year-old finished the year in AAA, and hit .408/.488/.831 (215 OPS+) with 5 homers, 2 steals, and 27 RBI's in 87 trips to the plate. It was such a dominate run that he was even awarded Century League Batter of the Month. Montes has flown up the organizational ladder, and my scout thinks he's the best center fielder in the entire organization right now. I will look for outside options in the offseason, but he could be our leadoff hitter come Opening Day. Of course, one spot is guaranteed: our opening day first basemen will be Leo Mitchell. He did struggle the last couple of weeks, so I almost wish I let him finish the year in AAA, but the 22-year-old still hit .316/.376/.399 (94 OPS+) with 4 homers and 18 RBI's. I don't usually like first basemen, but Mitchell is one of my favorite prospects and I'm really excited for his first full season. He's a true asset at first base and if he wasn't a lefty he could probably play all around the infield. Despite being young, he's a great leader and his teammates look up to him. The sky truly is the limit for this kid, and he has decades of success ahead of him. I'm really confident about the future of our lineup, but a lot of uncertainty lies in the pitching staff. The biggest question mark is Tommy Wilcox. Is the former ironman broken? He made just 8 starts this year, 3-1 with a 4.72 ERA (98 ERA+), 1.61 WHIP, 23 walks, and 19 strikeouts in 53.1 innings and left multiple starts throughout the season after coming back early from a devastating arm injury. Will he return to his 1933-1934 form where he pitched better then anyone else in the league? Or will he drop back down to the second tier, no longer the head of the class? We do need to depend on him, as there was not a lot of success this year. Our established arms had a lot of struggles, and we even saw Dick Leudtke pack his bags and move to the big apple. Dave Rankin was just average, but he was easily our best. The 29-year-old was 13-19, leading the league in losses for a second time (19 with the Chiefs in 1933), but working to a 4.60 ERA (101 ERA+) and 1.45 WHIP in 276 innings. He walked 100 and struck out 105, and pretty much saw all his numbers go slightly worse then the year before. Dick Lyons just tanked, but still managed to keep up his 8-year stretch of 30 or more starts and 200 or more innings. He was 14-12, but with just a 5.50 ERA (84 ERA+), 1.70 WHIP, 47 walks, and 56 strikeouts. Like Ashbaugh, Lyons won't be moved, and the longest tenured Cougar will always have a spot. Still, he may not end up in the rotation, as I'm actually excited for some of the arms I'm bringing to camp next season. The arm I'm most excited for is someone who didn't even put on a Cougar uniform this year: Milt Fritz. Added in a very unconventional trade with the New York Gothams, I'm betting on the kid who somehow is turning just 26 in two days. This is a kid with 1,617.2 FABL innings; about 200 more then Tommy Wilcox and 600 more then Dave Rankin. Fritz is a heavily traveled pitcher, going from the Chiefs to the Kings to the Saints to the Gothams to us since the 1930 offseason. It seem like each time he got a little worse, going from leading the league in ERA in 1929 to getting demoted to the bullpen in a pennant race this year. Fritz was just 4-7 with a 5.23 ERA (84 ERA+), 1.56 WHIP, 29 walks, and 19 strikeouts in 75.2 innings with the Gothams before the trade. After the trade, he threw the same amount of innings in Milwaukee (I wish I did this on purpose!). He was a much better 7-1 with a 3.57 ERA (149 ERA+), 1.43 WHIP, 20 walks, and 23 strikeouts in the low pressure environment. Frtiz will finally have some security, as I am giving him a little birthday gift: a no-trade clause. From this point on, the kiddie gloves are off. He will line up right behind his former teammate Tommy Wilcox in the rotation next season, and I am ready to watch this kid go back to work. I'm hoping he can use the minor league stint as a reset, his morale has improved to good, and after moving him up to the majors, his morale when from "Good" to "Great" and I expect a happy Fritz to be a talented Fritz. As crazy as it is, Fritz is younger then some of the "prospects" I am excited about like Hank Spencer and Art Black and Johnny Walker is just a few months younger. All three of those guys will be looking to fight for a spot on the staff with the previously mentioned Lyons. The top three is set, and the rest of the staff will spend time both in the rotation and bullpen. Veteran Wayne Robinson may have struggled with us, but even at 37 I think he can be an effective arm if used right. Same goes for Lyons, Ace McSherry, George Johnson, and Wally Larkin. I'll likely have a nine man staff, so that's five openings and six spots. I have managed to add new arms to the system the last two seasons, with bringing back Mel Leonard as well as acquiring Karl Wallace, Stumpy Beaman, Joe Foote, Pug Bryan, and Harry Parker who have joined Cy Sullivan in the top 200 prospect list. The pitching is just a few pieces away from being elite, and if a few things break right for us, perhaps a champion can rise out of the ashes. Of course, I'm also really excited for the upcoming draft! Once the series ends we'll be drafting and it's always one of the most fun times of the year. I don't love this class, but I always know I'm going to get a handful of guys I really like. Attached Images __________________ Check out The Figment Sporting Journal, a collaborative multi-sport effort that dives into the Figment Sports Universe You can also view my solo project, my Dynasty Report on the Chicago Cougars of FABL, the baseball league in the Figment universe Last edited by ayaghmour2; 03-13-2021 at 07:19 PM.

03-17-2021, 01:23 PM	#384
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	Top Prospects With the season officially over as the Gothams topped the Foresters in the World Series rematch, the new top 100 prospect lists was announced with a single Cougar in the top 10 and 13 in the top 100. There's 25 in the top 176 and 45 in the top 500. Here's a look at out top 30: 1. 2B Ray Ford (8th Overall): 1st/4th 2. 1B Leo Mitchell (12th Overall): 2nd/10th 3. SS Billy Hunter (13th Overall): 3rd/17th 4. RF Rich Langton (33rd Overall: 5th/39th 5. C Harry Mead (38th Overall): 6th/43rd 6. RHP Cy Sullivan (44th Overall): 4th/32nd 7. CF Chink Stickels (45th Overall): Not in organization 8. RHP Karl Wallace (58th Overall): 7th/47th 9. CF Carlos Montes (60th Overall): 12th Overall Pick 10. SS Ducky Jordan (71st Overall): 10th/89th 11. 3B Hank Stratton (73rd Overall): 9th/72nd 12. RHP Stumpy Beaman (95th Overall): Not in organization 13. LF Bobby Mills (99th Overall): 11th/98th 14. RHP Frank Gordon (121st Overall): 19th/155th 15. RHP Joe Foote (122nd Overall): 13th/120th 16. RHP Harry Parker (126th Overall): 108th Overall Pick 17. 2B Tommy Wilson (129th Overall): 15th/132nd 18. SS Ivan Cameron (131st Overall): 47th Overall Pick 19. RF Marty Roberts (135th Overall): 8th/64th 20. CF Roy Moore (137th Overall): 14th/126th 21. RHP Pug Bryan (140th Overall): 28th Overall Pick 22. LF Larry Robison (155th Overall): 20th/157th 23. RF Dave Haight (157th Overall): 17th/145th 24. 2B Gene Evans (163rd Overall): 16th/137th 25. RF Dick Earl (176th Overall): 22nd/166th 26. CF Elias Canady (201st Overall): 25th/236th 27. 3B Phil McKenna (204th Overall): 76th Overall Pick 28. 1B Cuno Myer (238th Overall): 23rd/196th 29. RHP Bill Scott (240th Overall): Not Ranked 30. CF Orlin Yates (242nd Overall): Not in organization __________________ Check out The Figment Sporting Journal, a collaborative multi-sport effort that dives into the Figment Sports Universe You can also view my solo project, my Dynasty Report on the Chicago Cougars of FABL, the baseball league in the Figment universe

03-17-2021, 08:00 PM	#385
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	Top Prospects: 1-5 2B Ray Ford (8th Overall) Acquired: Via Trade with Chicago (7-16-1934) Drafted: 14th Round, 217th Overall (1932) Alma Mater: Coastal Carolina Dolphins He may have dropped a few spots in the rankings, but that doesn't mean I like Ford any less. In fact, I actually like him more now then before. Now that I know that he could potentially play left field, it gives me a few more options to use the 24-year-old. He's not Rule-5 eligible yet, but that won't stop him from trying to earn an Opening Day roster spot. He'll be getting reps at second and will compete against Bill Ashbaugh, as with Doc Love still in Chicago left field isn't open. Ford even started the season in A ball, but spent about half the season in AAA. It was the "worst" showing for him, hitting just .365/.458/.582 (151 OPS+) with 12 homers and 63 RBI's in one plate appearance shy of 300. Ford has always shown the ability to hit well, but defense will always be a struggled for him. He was passable in 62 AAA games in left, but I tried to play him at third in Mobile and it did not work at all. He's been awful at second too, but he's got the potential to be one of the games best hitters. The sky is truly the limit for Ford, and I'm really hoping he plays well enough to spend his entire 1936 in Chicago. 1B Leo Mitchell (12th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 2nd Round, 28th Overall (1931) Alma Mater: Atlanta HS Peaches He's a big leaguer now! He started the season in AAA and hit an impressive .348/.423/.524 (129 OPS+) batting line with 11 homers and 70 RBI's in 407 trips to the plate. I decided that it would be time for the 22-year-old to start his Cougar career, and he managed a slightly above league average .316/.376/.399 (101 OPS+) line with 4 homers and 18 RBI's in 250 trips to the plate. Mitchell was extremely adept with the glove too, tallying an impressive +4.4 zone rating and 1.085 efficiency at first. Unless something crazy happens, we'll see Mitchell manning first base most of 1936. He's got significant contact potential and leadership well beyond his years. He currently ranks as the 15th best first basemen in the league, but I wouldn't be surprised if that jumps up to top 5 by this time next year. SS Billy Hunter (13th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 1st Round, 14th Overall (1932) Alma Mater: Cincinnati HS Tigers Sure Ford and Mitchell are ranked higher, but Billy Hunter is the one I'm much more excited for. He turns 21 in November, but Hunter was very effective with Lincoln this year. He hit .323/.388/.501 (112 OPS+) with 11 homers, 9 steals, and 79 RBI's in 526 plate appearances. My scout thinks he's going to be a great defensive shortstop, and he did look good there this season. He did get some reps at second, but that's just because teammate Freddie Bennett is an extremely gifted shortstop. Hunter has a higher upside then even Ollie Page, but he's still got a long way to go. He's got strong footspeed, makes consistent contact, and has shown decent power. I'm expecting him to start next season in AA, but I imagine Hunter is still a year or two away from his debut. I have no need to rush him with Page at short and Ford lined up for second, but eventually I imagine Page and Hunter forming a really strong double play combo. RF Rich Langton (33rd Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 3rd Round, 46th Overall (1932) Alma Mater: Detroit City College Knights It feels weird still calling him a prospect, but Langton has less then 75 days of major league service. In his 70 days, he hit an outstanding .344/.384/.576 (146 OPS+) with 11 homers and 45 RBI's and he gave the league a glimpse of the future star power in Chicago. He was working out in right with Love still in left, but I do think Langton will be excellent in whichever corner he ends up. Still, the real appeal is the hit, and even though he's just 5'9'', this kid has elite contact tools and well above average power. In Chicago, he could potentially hit 30 homers a season and he's got the speed to swipe 20 bases as well. With him, Mitchell, and Love in the middle of the order next year, I'm expecting a lot of homers and a lot of runs scored. C Harry Mead (38th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 58th Overall (1932) Alma Mater: Memphis HS Pharaohs It's looking more and more likely that the Chicago Cougars will have a lefty catcher! It's probably a few years out, but the Harvey, Illinois native has really started to blossom into an excellent catcher behind the plate and he's held his own at the plate. In likely his only season in San Jose, Mead hit .280/.348/.394 (97 OPS+) with 6 homers and 74 RBI's in 541 trips to the plate. He should eventually hit for a high average, but his eye has really started to develop well. He walked five more times (49) then he struck out (54) and this trend should continue as he gets older. Mike Taylor seems to have fallen off a cliff, so there may be a little rush to get Mead up, but for now I plan on him spending the season in Lincoln. __________________ Check out The Figment Sporting Journal, a collaborative multi-sport effort that dives into the Figment Sports Universe You can also view my solo project, my Dynasty Report on the Chicago Cougars of FABL, the baseball league in the Figment universe

03-18-2021, 10:11 PM	#386
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	Top Prospects: 6-10 Before starting this, I should mention that the draft has started and we are 11 picks in. We started the day with the 5th and 10th picks, but after I watched the guys I really wanted go off the board, I sent the 5th Pick to the Dynamos for Brooklyn's first and second and their third. I then moved the 10th pick and my 4th Round pick for the 8th pick to take a guy I was considering at 5. I'll have a formal 1st Round writeup after I make my second pick, the 13th, which is up next. I also moved Mel Leonard to the Pioneers for George K. Brooks. The 19-year-old Brooks was a 7th Rounder last season and went 17-18 with a 3.98 ERA (110 ERA+), 1.39 WHIP, 122 walks, and 144 strikeouts in 284.2 innings pitched with the Class B Charlotte Bluebirds. RHP Cy Sullivan (44th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 60th Overall (1932) Alma Mater: Austin HS Senators Two picks after Harry Mead I took the gamble on the 6'6'' righty Cy Sullivan. He was stuck with no shortstop his senior year, and actually started most of his teams games there. Sullivan struggled a little in Lincoln this season, but was excellent in 7 La Crosse starts and 14 San Jose starts. He was 5-1 with a 3.98 ERA (136 ERA+) with a 1.14 WHIP, 12 walks, and 21 strikeouts in 54.1 innings with the Lions. With the Cougars he was 5-6 with a 2.74 ERA (165 ERA+), 1.14 WHIP, 29 walks, and 39 strikeouts. I've loved watching Sullivan develop, as he now sits 87-89 with his fastball and his slider has really turned into a strong pitch. He does an excellent job keeping the ball on the ground and he effortlessly paints the corners. He's still young, just 21, but Sullivan should anchor our rotation for a long time. CF Chink Stickels (45th Overall) Acquired: Via Independent Draft (1935) Drafted: 5th Round, 71st Overall (1932) Alma Mater: George Fox Reds Acquired from the Class A Denver Plainsman in the independent draft this year, Chink Stickels put together a strong 485 plate appearances with Mobile where he hit .285/.348/.490 (115 OPS+) with 7 homers, 12 steals, and 48 RBI's, he got a callup to AAA. He hit .339/.371/.542 (119 OPS+) in 62 trips to the plate, but it was a short trip. With the injury to Roy Moore I decided to give a shot to Stickels who was already on the 40-man roster. It did not go well, unfortunately, as he hit just .178/.208/.247 (17 OPS+) with 2 steals and 2 triples in 77 trips to the plate. I didn't expect too much, but obviously, I wanted better. Still, I'm a big fan of Stickels and he'll get to compete in camp next Spring for the wide open center field job. He looked really good in the field and has the potential to hit .330 in the big leagues. I love his potential and while I do think he may need a little more seasoning, Stickels is going to outwork anyone and will eventually secure a big league spot. RHP Karl Wallace (58th Overall) Acquired: Via Trade with Boston (1934) Drafted: 6th Round, 91st Overall (1932) Alma Mater: Milwaukee HS Maroons In what could be one of the better trades we've made, I added Johnny Cox and Karl Wallace from the Boston Minutemen. Cox didn't stay long, I sent him to Chicago for Ray Ford, and he's turned into a nice add, but Wallace was the main target. I'm a big fan of the right who consistently sits in the mid 90s with a strong fastball and cutter. The 21-year-old has a nice four pitch arsenal and he controls all his pitches well. He really struggled last season in San Jose, but in his 12 starts this year he was much better. Wallace was 7-4 with a 2.98 ERA (152 ERA+), 1.18 WHIP, 17 walks, and 47 strikeouts before getting a midseason promotion to Lincoln. He handled his own in 12 starts there, going 5-4 with a 4.79 ERA (115 ERA+), 1.47 WHIP, 23 walks, and 34 strikeouts. I'm not sure yet if I'll start him in Mobile or Lincoln, but I know he won't finish back down here. I'm really excited for this kid's future and I think he's going to be a really important piece of our rotation. CF Carlos Montes (60th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 1st Round, 12th Overall (1934) Alma Mater: Citronelle If you told me Montes would be in AAA at the end of the season when I selected him last year, I wouldn't have believed you. But somehow the 19-year-old's last 87 plate appearances were up in Milwaukee and he hit an insane .408/.488/.831 (215 OPS+) with 5 homers, 2 steals, and 27 RBI's. His worst performance came in Lincoln where he hit just .254/.361/.465 (97 OPS+) in 169 plate appearances with 10 steals, 7 homers, and 38 RBI's. He looked good in Mobile, finishing with a .342/.400/.470 (125 OPS+) line in 228 trips to the plate. My scout thinks Montes is the most developed center fielder in our organization and he's going to get a shot to try and earn the starting job up in Chicago. I'd prefer to start him out in AAA, but we don't have that many options right now. I'm hoping to add external options, but that's not because of Montes. This kid has huge upside, with excellent defensive ability, a great eye at the plate, and blazing speed on the bases and in the field. He's already gotten a boost in the prospect rankings since the original post, and I am really happy I got him last year. And much more happy then I am with who I got this year (although he is pretty good still). SS Ducky Jordan (71st Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 6th Round, 92nd Overall (1932) Alma Mater: Little Rock HS Pioneers A 1930 National Champion at Little Rock HS, the "Hot Springs Hotshot" may not get the rep he deserves. He's a tiny switch hitting shortstop, but he works as hard as anybody and it's shown. My scout keeps waffling over if he's a shortstop or a center fielder, so I'll send Jordan back down to AA and let him play both. It was the only of the three levels he hit above average, slashing .311/.339/.453 (104 OPS+) with 5 steals and 13 RBI's in 115 trips to the plate. He's a really raw prospect, and I might have rushed him a little, but my scout thinks he's ready for the majors. He's got a lot of talent and the athletic ability to play anywhere on the field. I think the bat is going to develop and Jordan should be a dependable big league starter, I'm just not sure if that's going to be at short, or center, or maybe even third. __________________ Check out The Figment Sporting Journal, a collaborative multi-sport effort that dives into the Figment Sports Universe You can also view my solo project, my Dynasty Report on the Chicago Cougars of FABL, the baseball league in the Figment universe

03-19-2021, 08:47 AM	#387
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	1935 Draft: Round 1 SS Hal Wood (1st Round, 8th Overall): It took 8 picks before the first college player was selected this year, and that was courtesy of the Cougars. I debated Wood (and Bill van Ness) at the five pick, decided to move down, and then got back in to still get Wood. Probably could've waited, but I wanted to at least get one guy I was targeting. Wood went to Smithfield College and hit .346/.414/.468 with 3 homers, 39 steals, and 48 RBI's in 300 trips to the plate. It was a really strong year after a solid 1934, and it was enough for me to dub Wood our first 1935 selection. My scout projects him to draw a lot of walks, be very effective with the bat, and has the athletic ability to play short. Sure, we have a lot of shortstops in the organization, but when you select one, it's almost like you also get a second basemen and third basemen with a chance that they can play outfield. Wood has experience at second and third, but the goal is to let him play short until he can't or he's stuck with someone with a better glove. RHP Charlie Wheeler (1st Round, 13th Overall): I really wanted Bud Canfield, but thought maybe he'd slide to the second. After going to bed on deck, I decided it wasn't worth risking it, and planned to pick the Chicago kid from Jones with this pick. Well, the Keystones had the same idea, so I had to settle for the guy I wanted with my 2nd Round Pick: Charlie Wheeler. My scout loves this kid, thinks he's the fourth best arm in the draft (third is still available, so what do we know), but I personally prefer Wheeler. The junior our of Rainer College had a really good sophomore season, 7-2 with a 2.72 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 22 walks, and 62 strikeouts. He had a little drop this year, but still went 5-2 with a 3.40 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 25 walks, and 39 strikeouts. Wheeler is tiny, but throws in the mid 80s with his fastball and sinker and he does an outstanding job keeping the ball on the ground. He has a slider, splitter, and change as well, and does an excellent job locating all five of his pitches. I'm not thrilled with the talent in this draft class, so expect a lot of pitchers coming up as I just go for guys I like. __________________ Check out The Figment Sporting Journal, a collaborative multi-sport effort that dives into the Figment Sports Universe You can also view my solo project, my Dynasty Report on the Chicago Cougars of FABL, the baseball league in the Figment universe

03-19-2021, 04:31 PM	#388
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	1935 Draft: Round 2 and 3 Lot's of trade action, and at the moment, we pick twice in the first, second, third, and fifth. Three times in the seventh, none in the fourth, and once in each other round. Knowing myself, there's probably more trades to be had. I had no interest in initially trading my second 2nd Rounder, but got an offer (technically two) I liked and still got the guy I wanted with the last pick in the round. Here's the two new Cougars from this round: LHP Doc Smith (2nd Round, 21st Overall): I dropped the ball here. With being at work, I sort of decided my two second rounders ahead of time after making my first in the morning. I sort of assumed the El Dorado Kid would be taken already (he went next...), so I committed to Doc Smith for my first 2nd Round Pick. Still, that does not mean I an upset to get Smith here. The 21-year-old lefty is a groundball artist with a decent sinker and devastating changeup. One that hitters just can't tough. It's the best of his five pitches, the other three his fastball, cutter, and change. With such a heavy fastball repertoire, I really thinking Smith is going to be throwing a lot harder then the 83-85 he sits at now. He was teammates with Phil McKenna at Coastal Carolina, and tossed 181.2 innings for the Dolphins in his two years. With great competition, he was 11-7 with a 3.47 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 57 walks, and 74 strikeouts. If Smith is able to hit his spots and burry his sinker down in the zone, he's going to be a really good pitcher. SP Grover Donahue (2nd Round, 36th Overall): He was the last pick of the second round, but the guy I was wanting to take the entire time, but I knew there were better players available (including the guy I took two picks later) so I was comfortable moving back. Donahue also had tough competition in college and pitched at Indiana A&M and pitched against Smith. In Donahue's two seasons he was 15-8 with a 3.30 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 62 walks, and 116 strikeouts in 215.2 innings pitched. He's born in Huntingburg, Indiana, so there's a chance he might have been a Cougar fan growing up. Unlike most of the pitchers I've been targeting lately, Donahue is not a groundballer and one of the reasons I was more comfortable waiting until the end of the round. Still, I really like this kid and my scout is a huge fan. He's got six pitches, and uses his 84-86 MPH fastball to challenge hitters up and in. He will walk hitters, but I think that's just because it will take time for him to master all his pitches. He also has a cutter, curve, slider, change, and splitter, but I imagine at some point he'll throw one or two of the pitches very sparingly. I like how he's able to strike out batters, and that's something we're going to need from a starter who doesn't keep the ball on the ground. The best sign is he's already projected to be an FABL starter, so this could be another Harry Parker situation. Parker dominated at San Jose and then went 6-5 with a 2.39 ERA (190 ERA+), 1.43 WHIP, 29 walks, and 48 strikeouts in 93.1 innings with the Lincoln Legislators. Parker was a HS kid and just turned 20, so it's a little different, but in both cases the pitcher has a lot of pitches with at least three of them big league ready. At the time of this writing, the 7th Rounder from last year now ranks 125th on the prospect list. I don't expect Donohue to be ranked this high, but I can't even remember if Parker was in the top 500 after we selected him. RF Chubby Hall (3rd Round, 34th Overall): I will be 100% honest. When I was making my second round picks, I had no idea Hall was available. I committed to the two pitchers, and just went on with my day. After I got off, I took a nice look at the draft order, and realized the OSA mock 12th pick of the draft Chubby Hall was still available. The #12 rank meant nothing to me when drafting him. The thought of having a guy named Chubby in the everyday lineup is just too much to pass up. Supposedly the 5'7'' 190 18-year-old can play first, left, center, and right, so I'm going to give 'ol Chubby a shot out in center. If the 5'11 250 John Dibblee can play center field then why can't Chubby do the same! Sure, it'll be cool if he can hit a little, and Hall hit .535/.603/.899 with 6 homers and 37 RBI's in 117 trips to the plate. I have been scouting Hall all season for one reason: 1-1-1-1 That's his triples, strikeouts, steals, and caught stealing. I think this kid is going to be a good hitter. And he never causes trouble. Mississippi A&M, you're not going to get another great outfielder... CF John Johnson (3rd Round, 37th Overall): There were three center fielders I liked. This was the third and the third selected. He just turned 22 two days ago and the speedy lefty can play all three outfield spots as well as first base. In his two seasons at Grange College he hit .282/.379/.470 with 12 homers, 77 steals, and 93 RBI's in 604 trips to the plate. My scout is a big fan of his eye, and he showed it off with 78 walks compared to just 46 strikeouts. I think he has all the tools to be an excellent defender out in center, but I'm not yet sold on the bat. Good plate discipline isn't enough on it's own, but it's definitely a good start for developing a young hitter. __________________ Check out The Figment Sporting Journal, a collaborative multi-sport effort that dives into the Figment Sports Universe You can also view my solo project, my Dynasty Report on the Chicago Cougars of FABL, the baseball league in the Figment universe

03-20-2021, 01:48 PM	#389
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	Top Prospects: 11-15 3B Hank Stratton (73rd Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 78th Overall (1932) Alma Mater: Chicago HS Wildcats Third base is wide open right now, but Hank Stratton will have to fend off the middle infielders in the organization as well if he wants to be the Cougars third basemen of the future. He put together a strong season in Lincoln, batting .333/.366/.515 (109 OPS+) with 11 homers and 115 RBI's. "Jitters" also got some time at first when Phil McKenna was there with him, but he has looked okay so far at third. The most impressive part, however, were the 64 doubles! It was close to one every other game and he does an excellent job spraying the ball around the field. He hits well to all fields and continuously hits line drives in stead of flyballs. His spray charts are truly beautiful, and I think he's going to be a really excellent big league hitter. RHP Stumpy Beaman (95th Overall) Acquired: Via Trade with the Sailors (1935) Drafted: 7th Round, 104th Overall (1932) Alma Mater: Austin HS Senators The big pull in the John Kincaid trade, Stumpy Beaman spent his time with the Sailors in C ball, but I brought him up to San Jose for 8 starts to end the season. He looked excellent, working to a 3.18 ERA (143 ERA+) and 1.18 WHIP with 17 walks and 23 strikeouts in 56.2 innings pitched. He'll turn 22 at the end of April, so I might be moving him up to Lincoln to start next season. He is a "stumpy" little guy, but the ball is always on the ground and he comfortably sits in the upper 80s with his fastball and sinker. I love his command, and if he can polish his slider out as an out pitch he should be able to keep up his strong strikeout numbers. I think he's loaded with potential and should be one of the more reliable big league arms in the league. LF Bobby Mills (99th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 6th Round, 90th Overall (1932) Alma Mater: San Antonio HS Warriors I feel like I spend more time trying to trade Mills then mentioning how good he is, but Mills has always hit. After a quick trip in San Jose, he spent 62 games with Lincoln and 52 with Mobile. With Lincoln he hit .380/.416/.616 (145 OPS+) with 14 homers and 64 RBI's in 279 trips to the plate. He didn't quite keep that up with Mobile, but still hit .342/.366/.462 (114 OPS+) with 2 homers and 38 RBI's. I was sad to see the power drop, but 14 in 62 games is really impressive. I'm not sure if the power is going to stay, I still see him as a Vince York type player not Doc Love, but for now there's no room for Mills on our big league roster. I think I'll give him a run back for AA next season, RHP Frank Gordon (121st Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 18th Round, 287th Overall (1932) Alma Mater: Trenton HS Titans I can thank my scout and development team for Frank Gordon. I didn't even think about of picking him, but to be fair, he wasn't that good when we got him. Since the draft, Gordon's fastball velocity has gone from 84-86 to 91-93 and he's developed excellent groundball tendencies already. He started the season in San Jose, got a demotion for a few starts to get back on track, and then finished back with the Cougars. He made 17 starts, going 6-4 with a 5.42 ERA (84 ERA+), 1.51 WHIP, 35 walks, and 38 strikeouts. He'll return to San Jose next season as he continues to polish his skills. He did have a little bit of a statistical setback, but he continues to see his speed climb and my scout likes him more and more with each report. RHP Joe Foote (122nd Overall) Acquired: Via Trade with Montreal (1934) Draft: 6th Round, 84th Overall (1932) Alma Mater: Greensboro HS Giants Acquired in the Bobby Sprague deal with Woody Armstrong, the 21-year-old Foote spent the entire season in Lincoln. He made 24 starts and was 9-7 with a 4.95 ERA (111 ERA+), 1.43 WHIP, 31 walks, and 44 strikeouts in 134.2 innings pitched. Foote is a three pitch pitcher, with a really nice mid 90s sinker, a nice slider, and a decent curveball. He can throw them all for strikes in any count and he does an excellent job keeping the ball on the ground. He's pretty developed for someone his age, and I could potentially see him joining our staff sooner then expected. My scout is a huge fan and I think he's going to be an excellent big league starter. __________________ Check out The Figment Sporting Journal, a collaborative multi-sport effort that dives into the Figment Sports Universe You can also view my solo project, my Dynasty Report on the Chicago Cougars of FABL, the baseball league in the Figment universe Last edited by ayaghmour2; 01-22-2023 at 09:22 PM.

03-21-2021, 10:35 AM	#390
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	1935 Draft: 5th Round-7th Round SP Ralph Kendall (5th Round, 69th Overall): I'm giving faith to my scout with this pick, going for an extremely young, high upside pick. He did pitch a lot out of the pen, as 14 of his 33 appearances were relief outings, but he was very effective. Kendall was 10-3 with a 2.04 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 26 walks, and 133 strikeouts in 150 innings. The high number of strikeouts are enticing, a career 8.0 K/9. He's short now, but the 5'7'' righty has a long time to grow. He turned 18 just seven days ago, and already throws a nice 86-88 sinker. The issue is that's it, as the splitter, change, and circle change aren't all that good. He's got a lot of time to work on developing at least two of those pitches, and I'm willing to be patient with him. He does an excellent job keeping the ball on the ground, but he also does a good job using his sinker to get swings and misses. SS Jimmy Bach (5th Round, 74th Overall): Nicknamed Maestro, what do you think he's good at? Playing defense. He's super fast and has excellent skills with the glove. He's got excellent skills at short, but as a senior at Gates University he still hit .303/.380/.373 with a homer, 37 RBI's, 23 walks, and 36 steals. Bach will never hit for much power, but he's got an advanced eye and always gives a good at bat and doesn't get rattled at the plate, or even in the basepaths and out in the field. He sort of fits the captain profile and should be well liked in the clubhouse. There aren't too many surefire starters out there, but bench pieces can be just as important. SP Bill Seabolt (6th Round, 85th Overall): I almost took his teammate with the last pick, and in hindsight I wish I would have, but I still got a really good arm with my sixth round selection. Central Ohio's Bill Seabolt started 34 games the past two seasons and went 15-9 with a 3.17 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 89 walks, and 153 strikeouts. The six foot righty tosses five pitches, with a fastball and cutter that can reach past 90. He's got good command, and his curveball looks like a good strikeout pitch. He keeps the ball on the ground, which is good because he will put runners on with walks. He pitched really well against some of the best hitters in the college level, and I think he may be a quick riser. 3B Jocko Pollard (6th Round, 95th Overall): Phil McKenna has rose through the system and Hank Stratton is already on A ball, so 18-year-old Jocko Pollard will get to take his time uncontested in the lower levels of the farm. In his two season at Grafton HS, Pollard hit .476/.570/.791 with 9 homers and 62 RBI's in 257 trips to the plate. He's tall, 6'2'' already, and at just 185 he has a lot of room to add muscle and eventually more power. He doesn't project to hit for a high average, but he should be able to draw more then his share of walks. He's very athletic, has played a little in the outfield as well, and has a great chance to continue and grow. RHP Bob Saltzman (7th Round, 101st Overall): Nicknamed "Knuckles" for his nasty knuckle curve, throws six pitches and sits in the high 80s with his cutter. In two seasons at La Porte in Texas, he was 15-4 with a 1.98 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 71 walks, and 208 strikeouts in 204.1 innings pitched. He's an athletic kid, but his biggest weakness may be himself. I love guys with a lot of pitches and I love guys with cool nicknames, and he checks both boxes. He's another high school development project, but I really need to add more arms to the system. CF Izzy Sevilla (7th Round, 102nd Overall): Originally I wanted to take a pitcher here, but the guy I was debating on I did manage to grab with my lone 8th rounder. I had to set a list for this pick and the next two, but I still got guys I was interested in. I was able to get another center fielder, a college junior from Murfreesboro Tech who slashed .308/.389/.558 with 17 homers, 79 steals, and 81 RBI's in 462 trips to the plate. He's got a ton of speed and has a reputation as a quality defender. He projects to be a league average hitter as well with the chance to hit around .300 in the FABL. He's exactly what you look for in a fourth outfielder, and we'll do our best to turn him into a big league starter. SS Stu Johnson (7th Round, 106th Overall): I grabbed another college bat, going with Campion's shortstop Stu Johnson. He doesn't hit for much contact, but he should draw a lot of walks and hit more then his share of homers. Despite his .273/.372/.407 line, he hit 11 homers and drove in 78 in 530 trips to the plate. He struck out and stole 56 times while drawing 67 walks. Like a lot of the players I follow, Johnson is an extremely athletic infielder and I could see him having success in the outfield as well. He does kind of profile like Freddie Bennett, a personal favorite of mine who doesn't get too much prospect love. Johnson profiles as a bench bat now, but due to his vibe in the clubhouse, his teammates love him even if he isn't the sharpest tool in the shed. __________________ Check out The Figment Sporting Journal, a collaborative multi-sport effort that dives into the Figment Sports Universe You can also view my solo project, my Dynasty Report on the Chicago Cougars of FABL, the baseball league in the Figment universe

03-21-2021, 11:39 AM	#391
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	1935 Draft: 8th Round-10th Round RHP Johnny Godfrey (8th Round, 117th Overall): Another new pitcher, I used my lone 8th Rounder to grab righty Johnny Godfrey from Moss Point. As a senior he finished 6-3 with a 1.50 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 18 walks, and 107 strikeouts in 90 innings. He has a decent fastball that already can reach 90, but he also has a pretty good forkball. If he can turn the changeup or slider into a reliable third pitch and I can see Godfrey pitching every fifth day in the FABL. RHP Art Saunders (9th Round, 133rd overall): This pick was a gamble, betting on a projectable young righty from Omaha, Nebraska who despite starting only half his games as a Senior, still had impressive numbers. He was 5-0 with a 0.85 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 10 walks, and 92 strikeouts in 63.2 innings pitched. I love the big strikeout numbers, even if some of it was help from pitching out of the pen, but interesting enough, I haven't noticed too much difference in anecdotal evidence in this league with a strikeout jump. In fact, guys like Hank Spencer and George Johnson this year had better strikeout numbers in the rotation then the pen. Still, there is a lot to be excited for with Saunders. He has a nice 86-88 sinker that generates a ton of groundballs. He mixes in a fastball, curve, and change while commanding all his pitches well. His stuff is really solid and makes up for low movement. A lot of pitchers had a better 1934 then 1935, but Saunders is one of the lone exceptions who really broke out. We may run into stamina issues later in his career, but he's a really smart kid and combined with his impressive raw skills, he should be able to make the best of it. C Steve Mountain (9th Round, 142nd Overall): Almost all my catching prospects are 21 or 22, so I grabbed another high school development project in the glove of Steve Mountain. He won't hit at all, not even cracking .400 as a senior, but when looking for a backup catcher you need a guy who can lead a staff and limit the run game. Mountain is excellent at both of those things. His excellent control of pitchers works to his advantage at the plate, as it is almost impossible to fool him. Even if he never hits all that much, he'll always have a spot in our organization due to his glove. LHP Harl Haines (10th Round, 149th Overall): I've taken a ton of righties, so with my 10th Rounder I decided to grab a lefty in Harl Haines. He's a tall and slender 6'3'' southpaw who can hang around in the low 90s with his fastball and cutter. Haines looked much better as a junior then a senior, and was a perfect 10-0 with a 1.42 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 26 walks, and 123 strikeouts in 101.1 innings pitched. Still, the senior from Niagara Falls finished 6-2 with a 2.30 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 29 walks, and 77 strikeouts in 82.1 innings pitched. He's committed to Hillsborough College, but there is no way I'm letting him go. Haines worked on adding a screwball between his junior and senior year, but the slider is still his go to pitch for strikeouts. He has to polish off his command a little bit, but just like Harry Parker, he's listed as a starter already which shows he's already more developed then most. CF Oscar Panduro (10th Round, 158th Overall): He might not have been the best player left, but I love going with Chicago kids and Panduro is one of the best available. He spent most of his time out in center, but the Bluegrass State junior also spent time at first, second, short, left, and right (I'm guessing he can handle third too) and hit .308/.352/.460 with 8 homers, 93 RBI's, and 68 steals in 505 trips to the plate. Panduro has excellent speed, stretching singles into doubles and tagging up on balls most players shouldn't. He's got well above average contact potential, and with the speed every time he puts the ball in play is a chance he'll reach safely. He also does a really good job limiting strikeouts, just 6 in 100 games. Lot's of new Cougars taken in the first 10 rounds of the draft, with almost two picks in every round. In total, 18 new farmhands will join the ranks and I expect a lot of our older players or later round picks in recent years will have to find new homes. Half the picks were pitchers, something that I rarely ever do. I've only taken two pitchers in the first round prior to this season, Mike Murphy second and Tom Barrell first. Interesting enough, we signed just 20 players last draft, so I just need to keep three of the 11th to 25th rounders to match our total. This likely will be our biggest draft class, which is interesting because it's not one I felt was all that deep at the top. Still, I'm really happy with a lot of these late round selections as I was able to hedge my bets rather effectively. I'm hoping I hit on at least one arm after the 5th Round and hopefully two of the three in the first two rounds. That alone will be a win, as I'm really confident in Hal Wood's future and I think Chubby Hall will end up being like I kept the 5th Overall Pick. Still, I'm expecting a rather low success rate with these picks as I really focused on quantity. Up next is the Major League Rule-5 Draft, the Minor League Draft, and the Independent League draft. After that we'll start fake baseball again and I'm already hyped for Spring Training. A lot of roster battles will be underway as I think 1936 will be a big transition year for us. I'm excited for a full season of Leo Mitchell, Ollie Page, and Rich Langton and my scout and OSA thinks Mike Taylor is poised for a rebound season. The pitching is a mess, but our park became a little easier to pitch in (we recalculated all parks to average around 1.000), so I'm expecting better seasons from Rankin and Lyons. We'll also get to see Milt Fritz again, who I think I understand now. He has all the talent in the world, but just doesn't really care. Some days he'll throw a complete game shutout, others he'll give up eight runs before getting eight outs. I just have to be patient with him, let him pitch every fourth or fifth day, and hope the offense can score enough runs for him. Oh yeah, and don't forget Tommy Wilcox! Let's hope the injuries are a thing of the past, because we may be adding two Allen Award winners to our 1936 rotation. If Wilcox can match is 1933 or 1934 numbers and Fritz can match his 1929-1933 performance, we may find ourselves in a late season pennant race. It feels like it's been forever, but just two seasons ago the Cougars were representing the Continental Association in the postseason. __________________ Check out The Figment Sporting Journal, a collaborative multi-sport effort that dives into the Figment Sports Universe You can also view my solo project, my Dynasty Report on the Chicago Cougars of FABL, the baseball league in the Figment universe

03-21-2021, 08:37 PM	#392
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	Top Prospects: 16-20 RHP Harry Parker (126st Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 7th Round, 108th Overall (1934) Alma Mater: Bushwick Despite being a 7th Round selection, I've given a lot of love to Harry Parker in my report already. He was a guy I bet really hard on last draft, and of those picks, just last year's first Carlos Montes ranks ahead of him. I do think Pug Bryan is the better pitcher, but Parker has really blossomed in his first season with us. He's sitting comfortably in the 91-93 range with his fastball and cutter, but he has three really good secondary pitch. He also throws a curveball, the only pitch my scout doesn't think is average or better. That may not sound like much, but since we are in the 30s, the stuff ratings of our pitchers are very low. The fact that my scout says Parker has four average pitches and a good changeup, is a pretty high compliment. Parker is 20, so a little older then most high school draftees, but that's really helped him climb the ladder. The 6'6'' righty started the year in San Jose and made 9 strong starts. He was 6-3 with a 2.39 ERA (190 ERA+), 0.94 WHIP, 13 walks, and 36 strikeouts in 75.1 innings before a promotion up to Class A Lincoln. Parker continued to excel there, and even against the tougher competition was 6-5 with a 4.15 ERA (133 ERA+), 1.43 WHIP, 29 walks, and 48 strikeouts in 93.1 innings pitched. Parker's strikeout numbers are really strong and he did a great job limiting walks. Of course, there is a downside to every pitcher, and for Parker, it's his flyball tendencies. Still, I'm not even phased. He may be good enough that it won't even matter. 2B Tommy Wilson (129th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 2nd Round, 31st Overall (1933) Alma Mater: Elmira HS Emeralds I really thought the 1933 draft class was going to be a decent one, until I realized all the guys I thought were good were actually eligible for the 1934 draft. That really threw off my draft strategy, so the fact that I was able to salvage Tommy Wilson in the 2nd is a blessing. A natural shortstop, the recently turned 20-year-old spent nearly all season at second base with the extremely gifted fielder (and next ranked prospect) Ivan Cameron spending time at short. I do think Wilson has the glove to stick at short, and his numbers at second (with no prior experience) were elite. He had a +13.2 zone rating and 1.069 efficiency. He had an okay season at the plate, batting .277/.349/.456 (89 OPS+) with 13 homers, 14 steals, and 76 RBI's. It can take a few seasons for a young hitter to get off the ground in C ball as there tend to be a lot of older prospects on the mound, but Wilson has shown strong plate discipline, 102 strikeouts and walks in his two seasons with the Lions. I'm not yet sure if he's going to move up before the season starts, but I do know that even with a lot of new bodies entering the system, Wilson will not get lost in the shuffle. SS Ivan Cameron (131st Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 3rd Round, 74th Overall (1934) Alma Mater: Meridian Our third round selection last season, the thing that got be attached to Cameron was his glove. Despite turning 19 during the season, Cameron looked like Harry Barrell in the UMVA. He put up an astronomical +26.1 zone rating and 1.139 efficiency at short. He held his own at the plate too, batting .275/.364/.436 (88 OPS+) with 15 homers and 93 RBI's. I mentioned the glove, but there is a little chance that Cameron can develop into a really good hitter. He weighs just 170, but stands 6'2'' and still managed to walk (56) twice as much as he struck out (28). As he matures he could add power, and while all C ball hitters will hit a lot of home runs, he might be able to maintain at least a portion of it. One of my favorite things, however, is his personality: "Relaxed and confident. Aggressive when needed." Exactly what you want from your shortstop. RF Marty Roberts (135th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 2nd Round, 23rd Overall (1932) Alma Mater: Brunswick Knights Not too long ago Roberts was a top 70 prospect, but has dropped a lot since the season started. Roberts is a natural center fielder, but he struggled a little in Mobile last season so we moved him to right for this year. He spent about two thirds of his season with the Commodores, batting .282/.373/.443 (111 OPS+) with 7 homers, 6 steals, and 40 RBI's. The power dropped when he moved up to Milwaukee, but he doubled his steal total. His .289/.393/.397 (93 OPS+) batting line was deflated a bit as the power disappeared, but I'm hoping it's just adjusting to the competition. Last year in the same amount of games with AA Mobile (81), he also had just one homer and saw that jump up when he repeated the level. He's 24. and with the ability to play center, he'll have just as much of a shot as anyone to win the starting job. One thing he does do a good job of his walking, a combined 80 walks to just 21 strikeouts this season. He's patient, fast, and consistently drives and lines the ball through the left side of the infield. Even though the prospect evaluators have dimmed their view of Roberts, my opinion has not changed very much. I do think he'll end up in right now and the early results have been extremely promising. CF Roy Moore (137th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 63rd Overall (1931) Alma Mater: Hartford HS Blue Sox A poorly timed oblique strain cost him a late season callup to be the starting center fielder for the Chicago Cougars, but even though the 22-year-old is extremely adept with the glove, he didn't hit all that well this year. His .317/.380/.387 (87 OPS+) line wasn't that inspiring, and he watched his strikeouts spike up to 80 as it looked like he got them back down. Still, he swiped 30 bags and had a nice +8.0 zone rating and 1.054 efficiency out in center. He's a high intensity player with great instincts, but he's not as naturally talented as most prospects that reach AAA. I still have faith the bat will come around, but it may take a season or two of fighting big league pitchers before it happens. Like Roberts, Moore will be in the hunt for our starting center field job, and I'd argue Moore is one of the favorites. __________________ Check out The Figment Sporting Journal, a collaborative multi-sport effort that dives into the Figment Sports Universe You can also view my solo project, my Dynasty Report on the Chicago Cougars of FABL, the baseball league in the Figment universe

03-22-2021, 12:30 PM	#393
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	1935 Draft: 11th Round-25th Round As crazy as it sounds, we actually had more picks in the first ten rounds then we did in the last fifteen. Most of these guys signed, with just three from the 11th on needing bonuses. Interesting enough, 2nd Rounder Doc Smith did not need a bonus, a huge red flag of a reach pick. I knew I was reaching when I took him, but I was okay with it considering my scout thought the only pitchers better then him were Rufus Barrell and George Garrison. Even I did not share that sentiment (he was my second pitcher selected, and there were others I wanted), but I'm letting Marv earn his salary and trusting his gut. So far a few of the top 10 round guys check in the top 500, including Bill Seabolt (258th), Oscar Panduro (344th), and Izzy Sevilla (403rd) as well as 21st Rounder Sherman Ring (333rd). I also found out Art Saunders is "impossible" to sign, so I threw 20 grand at him and hoped he'd bite. That's more then all my other picks, with 8th Overall selection Hal Wood receiving the $9,120 slot bonus, but other then him and Chubby Hall ($12k), no one wanted more then $4,000. I have a nice big $60,000 draft budget, but even if I go over that (I think I didn't), we are flush with cash. Here's the rest of the very large 1935 Chicago Cougars draft class: 3B Sonny O'Callaghan (11th Round, 165th Overall): Ahh, the always fun 11th Round. This is where all the players us human GM's missed are scooped up by our scouts. O'Callaghan will need to be signed, but I do plan on meeting his demands. I wouldn't have taken him personally, but my scout and OSA both view him as a productive bench bat. He got one season at Brighton and hit .452/.525/.615 with a homer and 27 RBI's. I usually like corner bats with pop, but Sonny is strictly a groundball hitter. SP Bill Seawood (12th Round, 181st Overall): Seawood was actually someone I had my eye on, but what scared me away was the low velocity, three pitches, and borderline starter status. One of those is a changeup, which is even more scary. Still, I'll let him try to work his way up our ladder, as he did have a nice 2.18 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 28 walks, and 82 strikeouts in 10 starts and 6 relief appearances for Florence, a high school in Florence, Alabaman. He's just 18 and has a ton of time to develop, and he's basically the arm my scout thinks I should have grabbed in the first ten rounds. LF Billy Jordan Jr. (13th Round, 197th Overall): I decided Jordan would be my 13th Round pick because his dad was a Cougar and had an excellent 1915. He was 17-9 with a 2.42 ERA (121 ERA+), 1.11 WHIP, 98 walks, and 144 strikeouts in 248.2 innings. He never matched that again, just 17 innings the next year before pitching in the minors from 1917-1922. In '17 he also had Billy Junior, who's committed to North Carolina Tech. Billy was born in Chicago, but went to high school out in Sacramento. As a senior he hit an okay .486/.548/.645 with a homer and 28 RBI's. I don't think Jordan will be a big leaguer, but with the double Chicago connection, I knew I needed him. Interesting enough, his father is actually the Pitching Coach for the Independent AAA Sacramento Governors, which is why Jordan is at school out there. LHP Danny Hern (14th Round, 213th Overall): I accidentally had the six foot lefty on my 1934 draft shortlist, but the soon to be 19-year-old ended up as our 14th Round pick. As a senior at Morton, he was 7-3 with a 2.04 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 22 walks, and 92 strikeouts in 101.2 innings pitched. He has a mid 80s fastball, as well as a curve, slider, and change. None of the pitches are all that exciting now, but as he continues to grow and develop, I can see all four turning into big league caliber offerings. He will need to develop one of those into a strikeout pitch, as right now he relies strictly on location. CF Red Barnett (15th Round, 229th Overall): Nothing too exciting here. Barnett is committed to Indianapolis Tech, and I'll probably let him go there. Hit .450/.507/.646 with a homer, 66 steals, and 51 RBI's in 222 trips to the plate at Germantown HS. Average defender with good speed and a decent eye. CF Bus Harris (16th Round, 245th Overall): I think Harris is better then Barnett, but he's also demanding a bonus to overturn a commitment to the San Diego Maritime Academy. He has a similar .448/.525/.724 line, but the difference comes in the increase in homers to five and drop of steals to 43. Lefty swinger who profiles as a fourth outfielder. RHP Clint Hamilton (17th Round, 261st Overall): This might turn out to be an alright pick. Hamilton just saw his fastball tick up to 86-88, and he pairs it with a reliable change up. He also features a slider and curve, and just needs one of them to develop. Looked strong in 139.2 innings, 8-4 with a 2.38 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 41 walks, and 115 strikeouts. He's young, turned 18 in September, and has a lot of upside. I like seeing his starts go from seven to ten this year while still putting together similar results. RF Bob Mercer (18th Round, 277th Overall): Another high schooler, Mercer is a lefty corner outfielder who actually hit .531 as a Junior. His senior year was much worse, but his total .490/.526/.731 batting line is still pretty strong. He doesn't have much power, just 3 homers in 234 trips to the plate, which will likely make Mercer's stay in our organization short. I won't cut him yet, but come April he may be out of the organization. RHP Pete Knight (19th Round, 293rd Overall): This is where I wish all players needed to be signed. Pete Knight was a junior at Wisconsin State, and was 5-9 with a 7.07 ERA, 1.92 WHIP, 79 walks, and 42 strikeouts. As a sophomore he was 4-7 with a 5.26 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, 46 walks, 47 strikeouts. This is a guy I never would have drafted and he will be released eventually. LF Ray Renfro (20th Round, 309th Overall): In two seasons at Maryland State Renfro hit .266/.329/.437 with 15 homers and 73 RBI's. Not bad by any means, but nothing about Renfro really stands out. He might also need to find a new home. LF Sherman Ring (21st Round, 325th Overall): I don't think he's all that good, but the senior from Campion hit .292/.381/.396 with 3 homers, 40 RBI's, and 26 steals in 236 trips to the plate. The eye is his calling card, with 29 walks compared to 13 strikeouts. He's old, 23 in February, but that means he may get to skip a couple of the lower levels. I'll keep an eye on him, but not expecting too much from Ring. This isn't Joe Rainbow 2.0, this is just a senior left fielder falling because, well, he's a senior left fielder. LF Al Duarte (22nd Round, 341st Overall): Happy birthday Al! He turned 19 today, but don't expect him to see 20 in our organization. He hit .398 two seasons ago in high school, but unlike Steve Mountain, he's not an elite defensive catcher. He's a poor defensive corner player. CF Charlie Gainey (23rd Round, 357th Overall): I was ready to write a similar line for Gainey, but hey, he's from Chicago! That's enough to stay in the organization! At St. Rita (who I've played against!) he hit .448/.509/.688 with 18 steals and 27 RBI's. Yeah, he's pretty bad, but you need bench players in La Crosse too, so Gainey probably spends most his minor league career there filling in. C Abner Almond (24th Round, 373rd Overall): A lot of teams were talking about how they got a lot of catchers in the auto portion, but Almond is the first and only for us. I can't see double A staying, considering in high school he hit .386/.496/.624 with 6 homers and 52 RBI's. In the FABL this year, Freddie Jones hit .389/.511/.500 with 8 homers and 89 RBI's. Almond couldn't even really outhit Freddie... RHP Ollie Farmer (25th Round, 389th Overall): Our last pick of the year, Farmer probably gets released as well. In high school he was 4-3 with a 3.56 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 37 walks, and 30 strikeouts. He's projected to be a strictly bullpen pitcher, despite five pitches, so Farmer probably really, really sucks. I expect the rest of the offseason to be rather quiet. I'm usually too active in the Rule-5 draft, but this season my list only has two people on it right now. I may add more later, but I could have no Rule-5 Pick this season. I have one guy I really want in the independent league draft, so even though he might go before me, I'm still risking it. Other then that though, expect very little news out of Chicago, other then our draftees signing and the end of the top 30 prospects. Spring Training will be fun, and I'm already ready to start real fake baseball again. __________________ Check out The Figment Sporting Journal, a collaborative multi-sport effort that dives into the Figment Sports Universe You can also view my solo project, my Dynasty Report on the Chicago Cougars of FABL, the baseball league in the Figment universe

03-23-2021, 05:04 PM	#394
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	Rule-5 Draft and Other News There were two guys on the list, and I got one of them. I went with Chicago kid Mac Watters, a 23-year-old groundballer from the Washington Eagles system. He was their 6th Round pick in 1930, and went 9-13 with a 5.04 ERA (91 ERA+), 1.53 WHIP, 25 walks, and 74 strikeouts in 187.1 innings pitched. The command is what drew me to Watters is that excellent command paired with his ability to keep the ball on the ground. Add in the Chicago connection and the fact he went to Decatur HS, Watters was too enticing to pass up. I think I can keep him on the active roster all season and my scout thinks he could end up as a decent longterm piece. All my draftees signed except Red Barnett and Bus Harris, neither of which who I would be signing. Entering the top 500 prospect lists include Hal Wood (50th), Chubby Hall (55th), Charlie Wheeler (131st), Jocko Pollard (206th), John Johnson (217th), Bill Seabolt (305th), Billy Jordan Jr (356th), Jimmy Bach (367th), Sherman Ring (395th), Oscar Panduro (414th), and Art Saunders (423rd). We've got 50 prospects in the top 500 now, but we rank second (199th) behind the Cannons (266th) who got to add the #2 prospect in Rufus Barrell II. I really wanted him... __________________ Check out The Figment Sporting Journal, a collaborative multi-sport effort that dives into the Figment Sports Universe You can also view my solo project, my Dynasty Report on the Chicago Cougars of FABL, the baseball league in the Figment universe

03-24-2021, 02:09 PM	#395
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	Top Prospects: 21-25 RHP Pug Bryan (140th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 2nd Round, 28th Overall (1934) Alma Mater: Lincoln College This kid is underrated. I don't care what OSA says. I don't care what my scout says. Pug Bryan is going to be a really good pitcher. I took him in the 2nd Round last year out of Lincoln College which is in Springfield, Illinois and he started his season in San Jose. Bryan pitched to a 2.73 ERA (166 ERA+), 1.06 WHIP, 4 walks, and 26 strikeouts in 33 innings. After that it was off to Lincoln, where he tossed 75.1 innings. He was 6-2 with a 3.11 ERA (177 ERA+), 1.29 WHIP, 31 walks, and 36 strikeouts. I got a little bold, moving him up to Mobile for September. Bryan responded with 4 dominant starts, just 19 hits, 3 runs, 11 walks, and 25 strikeouts in 36 innings. That's a 0.75 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 2.8 BB/9, and 6.3 K/9. Oh yeah, and he won all four starts too. Simply put, Pug was unhittable this year. He's going to be 23 in April and by 24 he might already have some FABL innings under his belt. I like almost everything about him, he throws in the high 80s with his fastball and generates a ton of groundballs with his sinker. Best part is, his best pitch is supposed to be his change up which is likely far from developed now. He'll be back in Mobile to start next season, but based on how quickly he moved up, he might not be there for that long. I may also bring him to Chicago for training camp. LF Larry Robison (155th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 19th Round, 303rd Overall (1932) Alma Mater: Queens HS Robison had to fight off a fractured hand that cost him most of the season, so he just got into 26 games with the Legislators. He hit .356/.444/.505 (128 OPS+) with a homer, 6 RBI's, and 16 steals. Yeah, 16 steals in 26 games. Not sure what got into him, just 10 last year in 123 games, but speed is his thing. He's an "elite menace on the basepaths", but unfortunately that doesn't translate into being good at center field. He's really only just average in left, but has always shown above average contact potential at the plate. I'm shocked he was only a 19th rounder as he had really impressive high school numbers. LF Dave Haight (157th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 13th Round, 207th Overall (1932) Alma Mater: Dallas HS With all the depth we have in the outfield, Dave Haight was stuck in La Crosse the past three seasons. That didn't stop him from playing well, however, as he slashed .397/.447/.582 (142 OPS+) with 7 homers, 78 RBI's, and 34 steals in 490 trips to the plate. He'll be up in San Jose next year, and may again see time in both left and right. Haight does have something really cool about him; he's from Juneau, Alaska! Not sure the FABL has any representatives from Alaska, but Haight's got a tough uphill climb if he wants to be the first. He's got the tools, excellent speed, an excellent hit tool, and okay defense, but he lacks the power that most corner outfielders can offer. Still, he managed to cut down on his strikeouts this year and is a good influence in the clubhouse. 2B Gene Evans (163rd Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 10th Round, 159th Overall (1932) Alma Mater: Worcester HS Evans started the season in San Jose and hit .308/.371/.493 (128 OPS+) with 8 homers, 5 steals, and 49 RBI's in 320 trips to the plate. He then got a promotion to Lincoln, but the competition was tough there. He hit just .278/.335/.439 (85 OPS+) with 4 homers, 6 steals, and 30 RBI's in 243 trips to the plate. Not sure where he'll start next season, but Evans has had issues with defending at second. He has decent speed and he hits the ball pretty well, but he never added any strength or size. Almost 22, he's still just 5'10'' 160, and likely won't hit many homers. RF Dick Earl (176th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 17th Round, 271st Overall (1932) Alma Mater: Meridian HS Another 1932 draftee, Earl flat out mashed in La Cross when the year began. He hit .421/.482/.771 with 22 homers, 104 RBI's, and 34 walks in 338 trips to the plate. Up in San Jose he calmed down a bit, but still hit .276/.374/.405 (107 OPS+) in 214 trips to the plate. The homers, however, disappeared, just one in 51 games after the 22 in 67. Earl has a cannon out in right and he's got excellent patience at the plate. __________________ Check out The Figment Sporting Journal, a collaborative multi-sport effort that dives into the Figment Sports Universe You can also view my solo project, my Dynasty Report on the Chicago Cougars of FABL, the baseball league in the Figment universe Last edited by ayaghmour2; 08-18-2021 at 11:47 PM.

03-24-2021, 07:39 PM	#396
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	Top Prospects: 26-30 CF Elias Canady (201st Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 8th Round, 126th Overall (1932) Alma Mater: Portland HS There was a time I thought Elias Canady was going to be a superstar and first round pick. Instead, he ended up an 8th Round pick and I don't see think about him being a superstar anymore. It took Canady two and a half seasons in La Crosse before his first promotion, and he did okay with San Jose. He hit .256/.350/.363 (90 OPS+) with 4 homers, 2 steals, and 37 RBI's in 311 trips to the plate. He's still young, just 21, and has great plate discipline and a decent contact tool. The big draw is the glove, however, with Canady compiling a +41.8 zone rating in his first three pro seasons. The glove makes him a favorite of mine, so expect him to at least end up a fourth outfielder. 3B Phil McKenna (204th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 76th Overall (1934) Alma Mater: Coastal Carolina A 5th Round pick last year, McKenna was also someone I once expected to be an early pick. He played at three levels this season, topping out at AA Mobile. The best of the approximately even three stays was in Lincoln, batting .352/.469/.610 (157 OPS+) with 10 homers and 31 RBI's in 195 trips to the plate. The longest stay was his last, in Mobile, where he hit .312/.402/.428 (116 OPS+) with 4 homers and 21 RBI's in 251 trips to the plate. The cool thing was the walk increase at each level, from 21 to 29 to 33. He also didn't pass 10 strikeouts at any level, the closest call actually in San Jose where he did it nine times. He hasn't looked good defensively, so the bat has to be well above average. Not sure if he'll ever hit for much power, but he's a smart hitter and should find a way on base. 1B Cuno Myer (238th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 22nd Round, 351st Overall (1932) Alma Mater: Norfolk HS I'm not the biggest fan of the switch hitter Myer, but part of that is because he's nothing compared to Leo Mitchell. Myer spent his first two seasons in La Crosse, but then started 140 games in San Jose this year. He hit just .289/.326/.404 (93 OPS+) with 7 homers and 86 RBI's. Myer cannot play defense, somehow managing a -19.4 zone rating and .858 efficiency this season. That means he'll have to hit like he did last season with his impressive 130 OPS+ in 323 plate appearances in La Crosse. Unfortunately for him, he can only play first, so he might see his playing time drop back down again. RHP Bill Scott (240th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 7th Round, 111th Overall (1933) Alma Mater: Holyoke HS It's been a little tough to find innings for Scott, but the 20-year-old looked really good in La Crosse this year. He was 8-4 with a 3.89 ERA (139 ERA+), 1.68 WHIP, 34 walks, and 43 strikeouts in 74 innings pitched. He was an excellent pitcher in high school and so far in the minors, so perhaps I need to be finding more ways to get him time. I have a lot of arms I really like, so I'm expecting a lot of rotation, but I don't think Scott will be pitching in the pen much anymore. He's increased his fastball to 91-93 and his curve and slider are already big league quality pitches. He's got great raw stuff and my scout actually thinks he'll be a back of the rotation starter. I guess I was sort of right about Scott, and after adding ten pounds he's already jumped up our system ladder: CF Orlin Yates (242nd Overall) Acquired: Via Trade with the Gothams (1934) Drafted: 9th Round, 131st Overall (1933) Alma Mater: Travis College Rounding out our top 30 is the third pieces of the Tom Taylor trade, 24-year-old Orlin Yates. Yates is a brilliant defender, with a +17.0 zone rating and 1.112 efficiency this year out in center. He struggled with the AA affiliate of the Gothams organization, but in our system with Mobile he hit .321/.389/.397 (105 OPS+) with 2 steals and 15 RBI's in 177 trips to the plate. My scout thinks he's ready for the big leagues, but I'm not ready for Yates to skip AAA. He'll probably start the season there or in Mobile next year, but expect Yates to fight for a spot in camp too. I love the glove and my scout likes his hit tool, so even if there are a lot of guys ahead of him, I'm rooting for Yates. I don't think he'll ever hit that much in the big leagues, but potentially he can develop into a Cy Bryant type player. Just minus the chastising. __________________ Check out The Figment Sporting Journal, a collaborative multi-sport effort that dives into the Figment Sports Universe You can also view my solo project, my Dynasty Report on the Chicago Cougars of FABL, the baseball league in the Figment universe

03-26-2021, 06:59 PM	#397
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	Welcome Home John Lawson Yeah, yeah. I guess it wasn't a quiet offseason... A long time ago I made a really bad trade. I gave up a future 2-Time Whitney Award Winner and another okay FABL player for a really good pitcher for about 12 starts before his arm fell apart twice. That broken pitcher was Johnny Douglas, who's 1926 and 1928 seasons were amazing. Well, when healthy. He made 15 starts in 1926 and was 6-5 with a 2.56 ERA (156 ERA+), 1.39 WHIP, 35 walks, and 28 strikeouts in 109 innings. In 1927 he got hurt in his only start, but in 1928 he made just 10 and was 4-4 with a 2.99 ERA (132 ERA+), 1.22 WHIP, 27 walks, and 16 strikeouts in 72.1 innings pitched. 1929 was the end of Douglas' Cougar tenure, he was just 5-5 with a 5.66 ERA (78 ERA+), 1.72 WHIP, 33 walks, and 25 strikeouts before I sent him and Rabbit Forest to the Keystones in what turned out to be another bad trade. So yeah, Johnny Douglas was bad news for us... Now Lawson on the other hand... He got a tiny cup of coffee in 1927, but he was a full time starter in 1928. The same season Douglas was busy getting hurt. Lawson played 154 games and hit .344/.404/.518 (152 OPS+) with 22 homers and 106 RBI's in 706 trips to the plate. He had no sophomore slump in '29, slashing .368/.415/.526 (140 OPS+) with 14 homers and 107 RBI's in 662 trips to the plate. As if he needed to improve on those two seasons, he won back-to-back Whitney's in 1930 and 1931. His best season was arguably 1932, where he slashed .377/.417/.557 (160 OPS+) with 19 homers and 150 RBI's in 707 trips to the plate. He led the league in RBI's, hits (246), average, and doubles (49) as he led the Stars to a Continental Association best 99 wins, just enough to edge the defending champions. The Stars became the champions, as they swept the Keystones in the World Series. The Stars have fell a bit, with 79, 78, and 72 wins the past three seasons. Lawson has been elected to all three All-Star games and hit .343/.393/.510 (138 OPS+) last season at 32 with 12 homers and 77 RBI's in just 481 trips to the plate. He didn't get hurt, it's just he was getting less playing time with the Stars. It was the first season he failed to start 100 games or make 500 trips to the plate since becoming a regular. Lawson boast an extremely impressive .358/.408/.521 (149 OPS+) batting line across 5,316 FABL plate appearances. He's hit 133 homers, drove in 894 runs, and doubled 313 times. Lawson has also always been a capable defender, a +33.6 zone rating and 1.028 efficiency for his career. This season he had a +4.3 zone rating and 1.045 efficiency, so he hasn't lost a step in the field. Now don't get me wrong, there should be no false hope of contention. This is a move for the future. I have a lot of guys in the farm that I want to give time too and Lawson isn't going to slow down any time soon. I did really strike out last time I grabbed a third basemen, but Lawson is no Masters. There's a reason they call John "Jack the Ripper" now. Our batting order got a nice boost as Lawson can comfortably keep the three spot warm. Of course, we did have to give up four young guys including Chink Stickels, who did start games for us in center this September. I do really like Stickels, but I'm really comfortable with Carlos Montes right now. The prospect rankings are much different now, and he's up to 4th in our organization and 53rd in the league. With Leo Mitchell and Rich Langton graduated and the preseason started now, a lot of players moved around. We still have a lot of top 100 guys, but a lot less top 50 guys. My scout thinks Montes is better currently then Stickels and has more potential, so at this point I might as well just give Montes a shot. There's so many other options too, including Bert Wilson, Roy Moore, and even Marty Roberts. I did have to give up a few pitchers as well, Frank Gordon and the recently acquired George Brooks. I recapped both recently, but Gordon checks in 16th in our system and 144th in the league. I like the righty, he's a groundballer who throws over 90 and has a really strong future outlook, but you have to give up pitching when you want a top player, pitching is a price you're always going to have to pay. The fourth piece was Dick Earl who had the uber impressive 67 game stint down in La Crosse. Being comfortable with the system depth is what made this deal possible. I think we're going to have a really potent offense next year, but with our pitching staff full of question marks and misfits, we might need 8 or 9 runs a game. Spring training is around the corner, but I already have an idea of my best case scenario opening day lineup. I'm really hoping Lawson will be in a lineup with excellent young players. Not just Leo Mitchell, Ollie Page, and Rich Langton, but also Ray Ford and Carlos Montes. But the thought of seeing John Lawson in a Chicago Cougars uniform. That's enough to look forward to. __________________ Check out The Figment Sporting Journal, a collaborative multi-sport effort that dives into the Figment Sports Universe You can also view my solo project, my Dynasty Report on the Chicago Cougars of FABL, the baseball league in the Figment universe

03-28-2021, 02:08 PM	#398
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	Looking back at the 1925 Draft Class I had a little free time this weekend, so I decided to look back to my initial Cougar draft class and see how those players turned out 10 seasons later. Unlike our current 25 round drafts, this draft was only 15 rounds. There were a ton of undrafted FA's signed after, but I won't include those guys in this report. 1st Round, 4th Overall: 2B Bill Ashbaugh You could say I hit on this pick. Sure, there were a lot of good and some better players then Ashbaugh in this draft, but Ashbaugh has quietly become one of the most effective hitters in the FABL. His 131 career homers are the most for any Cougar, and he owns an impressive .311/.376/.489 (135 OPS+) career batting line across 4,969 trips to the plate. Unfortunately, injuries have been common for the recently 32-year-old, who hasn't surpassed 140 games in the last three seasons after three straight of 150 or higher. Ashbaugh is a very patient hitter, with almost equal walks (478) as strikeouts (485) and while he's not as fast as he used to be, he did swipe double digit bags in '29, '30, and '31. Right now, he's our starting second basemen, but he'll have a lot of competition from one of our top prospects Ray Ford. Both have absolutely no defensive ability at second, but are extremely gifted hitters. 1936 will be year ten for our second longest tenured Cougar and I have no expectation to ever let Ashbaugh go somewhere else. Chances are his #9 might even end up in the rafters, as Ashbaugh has been one of the better Cougar players in their rather impressive history. 2nd Round, 20th Overall: SS Hank Mitchell Trust me, all down hill after Ashbaugh. Mitchell was a guy my scout really liked, so I took the gamble on the switch hitter who could man almost any position. He toiled around in the minors for awhile before eventually debuting late in the 1931 season. He played just 3 games and failed to record a hit in 8 at bats. He's still hanging out in our system, and the 31-year-old hit .270/.346/.344 (80 OPS+) in 293 plate appearances with the Mobile Commodores. I used to really like Mitchell and thought he'd be a good future piece, but unfortunately, he never really ranked on our top prospect lists and turned out to be a minor league depth piece. 3rd Round, 36th Overall: LF Dick Fessel He was featured a little bit in our early days as Dick Fessel started 71 games as a rookie in 1928. He held his own, hitting .273/.357/.349 (98 OPS+) with 3 homers, 8 steals, and 25 RBI's in 319 trips to the plate. An Illinois native, Fessel was our main starter in 1929 as well, with a pretty identical .306/.365/.394 (99 OPS+) line with 2 homers, 13 steals, and 40 RBI's in 359 trips to the plate. He lost his starting job in 1930 to John Dibblee, but had his best offensive season off the bench. He started just one of the 82 games he appeared in, but slashed .327/.373/.485 (120 OPS+) with a homer, steal, and 13 RBI's in 115 trips to the plate. That ended up being his last taste of the big leagues before retiring last year. 4th Round, 52nd Overall: C Ken Wyatt I keep thinking I'm going to call Wyatt up to be our backup catcher, but it seems it never happens. Now 29, he's accumulated almost 4,000 minor league plate appearances despite stalling out in Milwaukee the last three years. Nothing special here, and my guess is he'll keep getting passed up on until he's cut or retired. 5th Round, 68th Overall: LHP Phil English The first pitcher I selected, English didn't last too long in our system. He was part of a five player trade with the Stars in 1927, and then he debuted with them in 1928. He spent most of his time in the pen, but from 1928-1934 he tossed 423.2 innings with the Stars. They waived him last offseason when I placed a claim on him. Instead, the Wolves got him and he had an excellent rebound season. In 40.2 innings he was 3-4 with 7 saves, a 3.76 ERA (119 ERA+), 1.52 WHIP, 14 walks, and 23 strikeouts. For his career, English has a 4.28 ERA (108 ERA+), 1.48 WHIP, 194 walks, and 225 strikeouts. He's saved 51 games and is an even 29-29. 6th Round, 84th Overall: SS Clyde Hinzman A personal favorite of mine, Hinzman was once ranked the 64th best prospect in the FABL, and he more or less helped us win a pennant. He was the return for Cy Bryant, who did an excellent job out in center for the 90+ win Cougar teams. He did debut with us in 1930 before the trade, and with us and the Wolves he owns a .251/.330/.346 (85 OPS+) batting line with 7 homers and 91 RBI's. He's appeared in 268 FABL games, including 80 or more in both '33 and '34 before just 1 this year. I brought Hinzman back last year to play short for us, but the 28-year-old spent most of this year in AAA learning first, second, and third. At once it appeared Hinzman could be a big league starter, but now he profiles as a perfect off the bench utility player. He's still got two options left, so it may be a while before he returns to the big league roster, but he'll get a shot to earn one of our bench spots this season. 7th Round, 100th Overall: 2B Rabbit Forrest Johnny Douglas is the worst... Not only did he cost us John Lawson, but I had to use Forrest to get some sort of value from him. After being traded in July of 1929 to the Keystones, Forrest was named the 72nd best prospect next season. As a rookie in 1930, he made 649 trips to the plate and hit .342/.388/.422 (114 OPS+) in an excellent rookie season. He's lost playing time recently to Buck Sargent, but the switch hitter manned third for the Keystones during most of the 1930-1934 seasons. He's tallied 2,786 FABL plate appearances and hit .307/.360/.396 (105 OPS+) with 322 RBI's and a single FABL homer. He's likely to hang out on the Keystones bench, but he does have the talent to start for an FABL team. 8th Round, 116th Overall: RF Ralph Collier From 1928-1934, Collier was in our minor league system. He made just 5 starts between 1932 and 1934, and just 88 with us. He is with the independent San Antonio Gunslingers, but Collier never amounted to much and likely will be out of the league in a season or two. 9th Round, 132nd Overall: RHP Dan Smith A Chicago kid! Smith actually looked good year one, going 15-7 with a 3.65 ERA (120 ERA+), 1.22 WHIP, 84 walks, and 246 strikeouts in 219.2 innings with the Legislators. Then for some reason I waived him before the 1927 season, and the Foresters claimed him. He won a 1928 championship with the Toledo Tornados and tossed a no-hitter in 1930 back down in A ball, but it was all down hill after there. He bounced around the independent circuit before hanging up the cleats this offseason. 10th Round, 148th Overall: RF Curt Ross Ross barely played in 1927 and 1928, but he kept grinding. It took all the way until 1931 before he got out of the low minors and in 1933 he got a cup of coffee with the Cougars. Ross was 0-for-4 in a start and bench appearance, but was then waived the following season. The Kings claimed him, but released him in July. Since then he's been with the San Antonio Gunslingers, 130 games over the past seasons and a half. 11th Round, 164th Overall: 1B Luke Nixon Technically, I didn't make this pick, but he's actually one of the more successful ones. Nixon spent three seasons in Lincoln, with a 155 and 157 OPS+ in '27 and '28. He skipped AA, raked in AAA for 37 games, and then got his contract purchased. He spent 88 games in Chicago, batting a nice .328/.375/.467 (119 OPS+) with 5 homers, 11 steals, and 51 RBI's. Nixon was then part of one of our most important trades, joining three other Cougar prospects to acquire Max Wilder and Russ Combs from the Foresters. Nixon spent parts of the next three seasons in Cleveland, but made just 430 trips to the plate. We grabbed him off waivers during the 1932 postseason, and he got a cup of coffee with us in 1933. He's been stuck in the minors since, and now with Leo Mitchell entrenched at the first base position, I don't expect him to rejoin our big league club. 12th Round, 180th Overall: LF Earl Johnson A Chicago HS grad, Earl Johnson was sent with Lou Gaffin July of 1930 for Dick Leudtke in another trade that worked out really well for us. Johnson was 22 at the time and hitting an impressive .320/.381/.524 (147 OPS+) with 8 homers, 16 steals, and 37 RBI's in one shy of 300 plate appearances. I think he was stuck behind Vince York, so I was willing to part with him. Unfortunately for the Gothams, neither him or Gaffin did much to help them, with Johnson hitting .222/.311/.315 (73 OPS+) in 61 PA's, most coming in 1933. He's in the Lone Star Association with the Waco Wranglers now, but my guess is Johnson's FABL days are numbered. 13th Round, 196th Overall: RF Ed Rhoden Known for the glove, Rhoden debuted for us in 1930 and also spent a little time in the big leagues in 1931 before being sent to the Kings in May of '32 for Arnold Bower. Bower had a hot start to his Cougar career, but for the Kings, Rhoden hit a weak .148/.190/.167 (-4 OPS+) in 58 plate appearances with the Kings. They cut him prior to the 1934 season, and he hooked on with the Galveston Gunners and spent the last two seasons there. 14th Round, 212th Overall: CF Sam Reeves Believe it or not, Reeves is still hanging around in our system. He hasn't gotten serious playing time since 1932 where he hit pretty well with the Commodores, but Reeves never really showed much big league potential. Now 28, he's nothing more then minor league depth. He doesn't play much center anymore, mostly hanging around first or a corner outfield spot. 15th Round, 228th Overall: 3B Frank Johnson Despite never getting above Lincoln, he hung around until the 1932 season. Since he's been in independent ball, currently with Chink Stickels' former team, the Denver Plainsman. There's nothing too exciting when it comes to Johnson and it's a little surprising he still has a job. Well, there you have it, my first FABL draft class. I 100% had no idea what I was doing, it was my first taste of stats-only gameplay, but I gotta say it could have been much worse. Ashbaugh was a legit star when he first came up, and I got a lot of decent prospects I was able to flip. Sure, just Ashbaugh actually did much for us, but we were able to indirectly get Russ Combs, Max Wilder, Dick Leudtke, and Cy Bryant. Rabbit Forest was still a hit and even Phil English wasn't too bad. There were a lot of really good pitchers in this draft, but I missed all of them. Still, can't complain too much with the results as it was no where near our worst class so far. __________________ Check out The Figment Sporting Journal, a collaborative multi-sport effort that dives into the Figment Sports Universe You can also view my solo project, my Dynasty Report on the Chicago Cougars of FABL, the baseball league in the Figment universe

03-29-2021, 01:48 PM	#399
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	Start of Spring Training Got a full 60 man roster down in camp, but a lot of those guys are there to get some reps and don't have a serious shot of making the team. There are a lot of spots to be claimed on the pitching side of things, but we actually have a few interesting camp battles developing: Centerfield Favorite: Carlos Montes Next in Line: Roy Moore, Bert Wilson Other Options: Tom Thomas, Marty Roberts, Orlin Yates, Mike Smith I know he's just 20, but I really want to give the starting center field job to Carlos Montes. 1934's 12th Overall pick shot up all the way to AAA where he finished the season with a .408/.488/.831 (215 OPS+) batting line with 5 homers and 27 RBI's in just 87 trips to the plate. Shockingly, he's exceedingly high developed for his age and rates as our most talented center field option. He projects to be a well above average defender with an excellent speed and an excellent eye. He profiles as a prototypical leadoff hitter, something we haven't quite really had. What will determine how high of a level Montes gets to is the power, after just 2 high school homers he hit 13 last season. Double digit home run power is a stretch, but Montes has all the tools you look for in a centerfielder. His biggest competition will be Roy Moore, the 1931 4th Round pick who's glove work is impeccable. The bat, not so much, but my scout is predicting him to develop into an above average hitter too. He spent most of last year in AAA, but hit just .317/.380/.387 (87 OPS+) with 3 homers, 30 steals, and 59 RBI's. He's as light hitting as it gets and doesn't have the upside of Montes, but he's much more experiences. Last year's rule-5 pick Bert Wilson has the advantage of being on the 40-man roster (I do have an open spot), but he did not look good in a full time role last year. He hit just .246/.298/.309 (64 OPS+) and could definitely use some seasoning in the minors. Still, he's a strong defender who ranked in last year's top 100 prospect list and has good upside. The biggest longshot might be Orlin Yates, another really talented defender who's bat is a little less reliable. My scout thinks he's big league ready too, but it'll take the perfect storm for him to end up as our opening day center fielder. Second Base Favorite: Ray Ford Next in Line: Bill Ashbaugh, Russ Combs, Pete Asher, Clyde Hinzman Other Options: Russ Franklin, Duke Fowler, Don Tyra, Woody Armstrong, Forrest Sylvester This is the most competitive of the position battles, as I have not one, but four recent everyday starters competing against a former #1 overall prospect. Ford, who I'd love to see make the opening day roster, unfortunately never learned how to play defense. Including high school, in 220 games at second he has a -20.4 zone rating. 49 at third, -12.6. 20 in right, -3.3. At least at first (+2.3) and left (+0.5) it doesn't totally suck, but unfortunately Leo Mitchell is a lefty and I couldn't find a home for Doc Love. So the only open spot is second, his "natural" spot. Ford started the year in Lincoln, but worked his way up to Milwaukee which was a little shorter then the combined time at Lincoln and Mobile. His lowest OPS+ was the 151 in 299 AAA PA's, so obviously the bat is not a problem. He's an aggressive line drive hitter who should rack up extra base hits at a count that will make up for all the boneheaded plays in the field. He'll be 25 in June, so I really want him to stay up for the start of the season. Of course, he's going to have to go through Bill Ashbaugh. Like Ford, Ashbaugh never quite learned defense, so he's more or less a decade older version of Ford. Ashbaugh does have the track record, a .311/.376/.489 (135 OPS+) career batting line, but health has been an issue lately. He's a lock for a roster spot, but his time as a starter may be numbered. He just turned 32, so age isn't on his side, but a lot of productive years are left for him. If Ford isn't ready, I don't think we'll be that much worse off with Ashbaugh. Of course, there's also the always injured Russ Combs who's likely to get hurt in a week. He's a shell of his old self, and just 52 games in the last two seasons and he hasn't got more then 100 since '30. There's no glove, maybe no bat, and potentially no spot for him. Pete Asher and Clyde Hinzman are interesting options, with Hinzman actually being my managers choice for the role. Both have been starters at short (with Asher spending some time at third last season), but don't have that much second base experience. Hinzman spent a lot of time there in AAA last year, but also at first, second, and short. I'd prefer them as bench bats, but they both should be above average defenders at second. There are a lot of other depth options as well, but I'm hoping it doesn't fall that far. The Pitching Staff There's too many open spots to give "favorites", but we'll likely be carrying 9 pitchers. Four of those will be the "rotation", Wilcox, Rankin, Fritz, and Lyons. The other five? Well... That's a little tougher. A lot of out of options players: Art Black, George Johnson, Chuck Matthews, Allen Purvis, Hank Spencer, and Ace McSherry plus Rule-5 Pick Mac Watters. I can't keep all of them. And this doesn't include Wayne Robinson and Johnny Walker, who I would also like to see make the Opening Day roster. Options will likely cost Walker a spot, but I'd love to see him win it. Opening Day is next week, but not too much happening from now until then. Really excited for the season, even if we don't do all that well, because I will get to see the young guys get another season under their belt. That, plus the excitement of Milt Fritz and John Lawson should give Cougars fans something to be excited about. We also now have four "green" starters (Taylor, Page, Love, and Langton) and two "blue" starters, John Lawson and Ace McSherry (this one barely counts), which is a lot better then the collection of sub-10 ranks we saw last year. We do have three, Mitchell and second and center, which could easily all be up with development from him, Montes, and Ford. My scout and OSA have soured on Mitchell for one reason or another, but nothing really has changed. They just don't like his lack of power. I'm not all that worried about that, as I tend to disagree with my scout and OSA a lot anyways. __________________ Check out The Figment Sporting Journal, a collaborative multi-sport effort that dives into the Figment Sports Universe You can also view my solo project, my Dynasty Report on the Chicago Cougars of FABL, the baseball league in the Figment universe

03-30-2021, 06:14 PM	#400
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	Spring Week 1 Quick recap as it's just spring training. We managed to go 5-1, but that's not really impressive. I gave all my good starters starts and I'm not really looking to give any prospects starts. I don't have many in the upper levels other then Pug Bryan is big league ready in my scouts eyes, but he's not in camp. I'm giving Allen Purvis and George Johnson starts along with my starting four because they are fighting for the 5th spot. Both are out of options and both need to impress. Purvis was tagged with the lone loss, but you take away one of the four errors and he only allows one run. That was against the Cannons. Then Johnson tossed 4 no-hit innings with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts against the Sailors. It's hard to do much better then that. Ray Ford had a pretty great week. He was 6-for-14 with a double and 3 RBI's. Roy Moore was 4-for-6 with a double, run, and two walks. Langton and Mitchell both drove in 4 with a double and two singles. Carlos Montes struggled a bit, just 3-for-14 with 2 walks and 3 runs scored. John Lawson had a rough week, but for him, spring is for signing autographs. He could go 0-for-30 for all I care. __________________ Check out The Figment Sporting Journal, a collaborative multi-sport effort that dives into the Figment Sports Universe You can also view my solo project, my Dynasty Report on the Chicago Cougars of FABL, the baseball league in the Figment universe