Chicago Cougars (FABL) - Page 30

ayaghmour2 · 08-24-2021, 04:15 PM

Weekly Record: 3-4
Seasonal Record: 32-35 (5th, 13 GB)
Stars of the Week
John Lawson : 32 AB, 10 H, 2 HR, 8 RBI, .312 AVG, .938 OPS
Rich Langton : 23 AB, 10 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .435 AVG, 1.134 OPS
Dick Lyons : 2 Wins, 14.0 IP, 4 BB, 3 K, 1.93 ERA

Schedule
6-20: Loss at Kings (1-11)
6-21: Win at Stars (2-1)
6-22: Win at Stars (9-6)
6-23: Loss at Stars (3-14)
6-24: Loss at Saints (4-5)
6-25: Loss at Saints (5-9)
6-26: Win vs Saints (8-4)

Recap
Okay, enough is enough. This was a boring and bad week, so let's talk about basically the only bright spot in this season; Dick Lyons. I'll be honest, 13 starts into the season I would've expected Lyons to be wallowing away in the pen with Parker or Papenfus taking his starts. Parker will be starting (more on that later), but all Lyons has done is been absolutely dominant. Lyons made two more excellent starts this week, a pair of wins across 14 innings with 15 hits, 4 runs (3 earned), 4 walks, and 3 strikeouts. Lyons is now 8-4 with a 3.11 ERA (132 ERA+), 1.22 WHIP, 17 walks, and 20 strikeouts in 107 innings already. He's now on pace to throw 246 innings, which would be his most since he threw 248.1 in 1933. And in terms of ERA+, his 132 this year would be the best of his career, even higher then the 126 figure from 1933, where he was 17-11 with a 2.83 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 37 walks, and 63 strikeouts. In a season where nothing makes sense, I guess it would make sense that Lyons would have an improbable breakout. Taking a deeper look at things, he's striking out far less hitters and walking a few less then his career average, but his BABIP (.273) is almost identical to his mark last season (.270) where he was a slightly above average pitcher. Lyons is the only Cougar that I inherited that is still in the organization, and he's in the pitching leaderboards for a bunch of categories. He's fourth in wins (157), 3rd in WAR (45.9), 5th in games (362), 4th in starts (342), 4th in innings (2,566.1), 6th in BB/9 (2), 6th in strikeouts (757), and 4th in rWAR (34.4). I've never even considered trading, optioning, or waiving Lyons, so it's extremely convenient that he's befuddling hitters on a daily basis.

Unfortunately, Pug Bryan hasn't had near the success of Lyons, and after a pair of disappointing starts this week, he'll be off to Milwaukee. After a great rookie year, Bryan is just 3-8 with a 5.75 ERA (71 ERA+), 1.73 WHIP, 40 walks, and 33 strikeouts in 76.2 poor innings. He'll be replaced in the rotation by the 23-year-old and former 7th Round selection Harry Parker. An imposing 6'6'' righty, Parker currently ranks 3rd in our system and 32nd in the league, and has looked really strong in 14 starts for the Blues. He's 7-5 with a 3.79 ERA (126 ERA+), 1.21 WHIP, 24 walks, and 57 strikeouts. The concerning thing is the homers, already 10 in an out less then 100 innings, but as a flyballer it has to be expected. That may make it hard for him to pitch in Chicago, so I'll try to get him more outings on the road. Parker profiles as an ace, OSA says "front of the potation potential" while Marv says "potential to anchor a rotation," so I don't even have to split the difference on the ratings. Parker has a very polished six pitch repertoire with excellent command of all the offerings. He's able to rack up strikeouts, and he attacks batters with his low 90s fastball and cutter. If it wasn't for Peter the Heater, Parker would easily be my favorite prospect. As I said when I drafted him, there was something special about this kid the scouts weren't able to see;

Quote:

Originally Posted by ayaghmour2

At 19 my scout actually thinks he can start in the big leagues right now. I'm not going to let him test that theory out, but man I am excited. He's a big guy, standing 6'6'' with an impressive six pitch arsenal. He sits in the 90-92 mile per hour range with his fastball and cutter while also boasting a curveball, slider, changeup, and splitter. I like everything about this kid, and he struck out 111 hitters in 100.1 innings. My scout isn't the biggest fan, but I'm trusting my evaluations here.

It was another tough week for the bats, with Mitchell, Ford, and Hunter all having awful weeks. Luckily for them, Rich Langton, Mike Taylor, and John Lawson were outstanding enough to steal a few wins. Langton was outstanding, 10-for-23 with 3 doubles, a triple, a steal, 3 walks, 3 RBIs, and 5 runs scored. Taylor didn't get as many PAs, but was still a strong 7-for-17 with a double, homer, 3 runs, and 4 RBIs. His catching partner Harry Mead was also great in his two games, 3-for-6 with a run scored, driven in, an intentional walk, and an unintentional walk. John Lawson showcased the power, 10-for-32 with 4 doubles, 2 homers, 5 runs, and 8 RBIs. He also struck out 5 times, which ruined his walk-strikeout ratio to a now even 20-20 split. Aart MacDonald didn't have the most inspiring first week, 3-for-17 with 4 runs, 3 walks, and an RBI. Interesting enough, all three hits were doubles, so at least that is kind of cool.

Looking Ahead
Well, at least we're off after a rough 5-8 road trip. We'll only be home for a quick three game set to finish June against the second place Wolves. At 37-28, Toronto is off to an excellent start despite sitting seven games out of first place. Ace Joe Hancock has been outstanding, 14-1 on the season, and owns an impressive 2.95 ERA (144 ERA+), 1.25 WHIP, 35 walks, and 68 strikeouts in 125 innings pitched. He's on pace to throw 285.1 innings pitched with an unheard of 32-2 record. The Wolves haven't gotten the same success from 1936 16th Overall Pick and personal favorite of mine Jim Morrison. He may not quite be ready for FABL hitters, as the extremely talented lefty is just 2-6 with a 6.41 ERA (66 ERA+), 1.69 WHIP, 22 walks, and 23 strikeouts. Another favorite of mine, Bernie Johnson, is having a little resurgence at 28. Mostly a pen arm the past two seasons, Johnson has gotten six starts and two relief outings and has pitched rather well. He's 2-3 with a 3.62 ERA (117 ERA+), 1.29 WHIP, 14 walks, and 22 strikeouts. They also have the top two batting average leaders in the CA, superstar Fred McCormick (.387) and breakout third basemen Nick Wallace (.389). McCormick has 8 homers and 40 RBIs while Wallace has 4 and 47. They've also gotten a lot of help from former Cougar prospect Reginald Westfall, who has maintained his hot start. He's hitting .321/.408/.511 (136 OPS+) with 3 homers and 30 RBIs to go with an 18-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Toronto is vastly improved and their offense, even if a bit top heavy, has led them to victory after victory.

We start July on the road, with a three game set in Cleveland. At 35-31, they're now up in third and nine and a half out of first. Dean Astle is having another Astle like season, 8-7 with a 2.84 ERA (149 ERA+), 1.26 WHIP, 40 walks, and 32 strikeouts in 126.2 innings pitched. Lou Martino his having an excellent season as well, 4-4 with a 2.13 ERA (200 ERA+), 1.18 WHIP, 21 walks, and 24 strikeouts, albeit in about half the innings (67.2) that Astle has pitched. They will now be without 37-year-old vet Lee Drouillard, who is set to miss the next 3 months with an ulnar nerve entrapment. This might be the end of a 13 season career for Drouillard, who spent his first nine seasons out of the pen before transitioning into a full time starter. Drouillard is 77-70 with 69 saves, a 3.69 ERA (117 ERA+), 1.38 WHIP, 326 walks, and 385 strikeouts in 1,138 innings pitched. The relief outings all came with Baltimore, while all but two starts came in Cleveland. Another vet, 39-year-old Charlie Barry, has really had a rough season. He's been a big leaguer since 1924 and full time regular since 1927, he's having only his second (other being '27) above average offensive season. Barry is hitting an Ollie Page-esque .242/.280/.309 (52 OPS+) with 10 doubles, 2 homers, and 33 RBIs in 250 PAs. And unfortunately for them, top prospect and former Cougar Hank Stratton hasn't been any better, batting just .091/.189/.310 (-18 OPS+) in 38 trips to the plate. He might have some early career "Jitters" but Stratton should be an outstanding third sacker for the Foresters. There best hitter in the early goings has actually been new starter Lou Balk. The 26-year-old is in his third big league season, and after a great performance last year, he's hitting a strong .290/.343/.500 (115 OPS+) with 12 doubles, 5 triples, 4 homers, and 19 RBIs in 175 trips to the plate. He's a natural center fielder, so he's been outstanding out in right field, and looks to have secured the job formerly held by Fred Quinn. The All Star game is the week after, so voting is due this week. Not sure we'll have many representatives, but Dick Lyons deserves it for sure.

Minor League Report
RHP Sam Hodge (AA Mobile Commodores): He missed a little time with injury, but his last three starts have been increasingly impressive. His first start back he allowed two runs, the second he allowed just one, and the third he tossed a 6-hit, 6 strikeout, 2 walk shutout in Chattanooga. He's a perfect 4-0 with a 0.84 ERA (468 ERA+), 0.96 WHIP, 11 walks, and 12 strikeouts in 32.1 innings pitched. The soft tossing righty may be 6'4'', but he's not an arm to blow by hitters, and despite a spike in walks this season, he generally has pinpoint control. Marv and OSA think he has frontline starter potential, but the prospect rankings leave him out of the top 500 in the league and 50 in our system. He'll be getting a few more starts in Mobile, but my guess is Hodge will be pitching for the Blues the last few months of the season.

1B Cuno Myer (A Lincoln Legislators): Now 24, the switch hitting first basemen is back to raking. Add in a 5-hit game and Myer is now slashing an astronomical .374/.456/.472 (157 OPS+) with 12 doubles, 3 homers, and 33 RBIs. The power drop is a little concerning, as Myer usually hits double digits in a full season, but the no glove first basemen always puts the ball in play. He's struck out just 3 times in his 57 games, and since 1936, has walked more then he's struck out at each stop. If he ever gets a shot in the majors, he should be able to hit well over .300 with 50 or so walks and hopefully 15-20 homers. If he never reaches that threshold for homers, it will really decrease his value. He was unselected in last years Rule 5 draft, and I'd imagine the same in this offseason, but if we ever need a bench bat that can hit, I won't have to look much further then Myer. He even took home Player of the Week this week, 15-for-28 with a homer, 9 RBIs, and 6 runs scored.

CF Ray Powell (C La Crosse Lions): I'm not quite sure if I can call him a center fielder, but last year's second lottery selection Ray Powell has played center in La Crosse this year, and while he hasn't been great, he's still passable. He likely ends up in a corner, but Marv calls him a center fielder so he's got to have at least average range. What's better is the bat, and Powell was 5-for-5 in a recent 11-3 win over the Dubuque Dukes. Powell has just hit the 200 PA mark, and is hitting an impressive .339/.407/.483 (124 OPS+) with 11 doubles, 3 triples, 3 homers, and 27 RBIs. With the addition of a few more center fielders, Powell will shift over to right in La Crosse for now, but I imagine he'll see himself up in San Jose in a few weeks.

Amateur Report
The rest of the draft picks have been added to the system, and I have a few days to make cuts. I have to sign all our players selected in the first five rounds, as well as 10th Rounder Harry Carr. I also have a 17th, 20th, 23rd, and 24th Round Pick with the "Impossible" signing difficulty, and I will let all of them go to college. We don't have any new additions to our top 30 prospect list, but 8th Rounder Jim Madsen checks in at 437 and 7th Rounder Max Rucker checks in at 480. I'm hoping a few of the earlier picks check in much higher, but at current count we have 45 of the top 500 prospects.

ayaghmour2 · 08-24-2021, 05:06 PM

For some reason, no one is showing up as our 13th Round pick in the transactions (I guess one less player to cut), so here are our 14th through 25th Round selection. A lot of these guys you will likely never see named again, but there are always a few late round gems.

14th Round, 210th Overall: LHP Marty Moyer
School: Odell
1938: 6-3, 91.2 IP, 2.06 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 31 BB, 94 K
Career: 19-9, 295.1 IP, 2.44 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 100 BB, 281 K

An Illinois kid! Born in Odell, Illinois, southpaw Marty Moyer went to the local high school, and pitched well against other Illinois high schoolers. He wasn't great, but he decreased his ERA in each season, and after splitting time between the rotation and pen his first two years, he started all 13 games in both of his years as an upperclassmen. Moyer does walk more then his share of batters, about three per nine, but he'll strike guys out and keep the ball on the ground. A six pitch pitcher, his changeup looks to be the best, as it's a nice change of pace compared to his high 80s fastball. He should be able to get at least one more of the other pitches to be FABL quality so he can start in the majors. He's a very raw pitcher that needs a lot of work, but perhaps we can find some untapped potential in him.

15th Round, 235th Overall: RHP Pat Rhodes
School: Chapman
1938: 3-1, SV, 60.2 IP, 2.23 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 21 BB, 77 K
Career: 16-6, SV, 259.2 IP, 2.36 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 74 BB, 271 K

It looked like a breakout last season, but Pat Rhodes was not able to replicate his junior year this season. In 73.2 innings in 1937, he was 6-1 with a 1.47 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 12 walks, and 96 strikeouts in 73.2 innings pitched. His walks were way down that year, 1.5 compared to the 2.6 for his four year career, and he boosted up his strikeouts a ton. He did maintain that, an 11.7 last year and 11.4 this year. 1937 looks like an outlier, but he does have intriguing stuff. He does a good job mixing his mid 80s cutter, curve, and change together and he's an extremely hard worker. Anything could happen with high school arms, and Rhodes has the makeup to make it work.

16th Round, 251st Overall: 1B Joe Powers
School: Pendleton
1938: .455/.490/.610, 115 PA, 16 2B, 28 RBI, 7 SB
Career: .455/.490/.645, 342 PA, 45 2B, 4 3B, 2 HR, 86 RBI, 19 SB

Just what I wanted, a no pop first basemen! I don't have many first base options, so he'll at least get to pay backup first base in La Crosse, but I wouldn't expect much of anything here.

17th Round, 267th Overall: 2B Kibbles Wood
School: Liberal
Commit School: Amarillo Methodist
1938: .402/.462/.562, 131 PA, 14 2B, 2 3B, 28 RBI, 3 SB
Career: .407/.477/.548, 499 PA, 43 2B, 4 3B, 3 HR, 104 RBI, 16 SB

One of the four impossible signees, the A+ name of Kibbles Wood seems likely to spend his next three seasons at Amarillo Methodist. In the wise words of Marv Branson, "Wood's below average hitting and fielding could limit his potential." Well, maybe he'll be the next Bus Harris (Red Barnett ended up being the Wolves 9th Rounder) and jump way up draft boards as a junior.

18th Round, 283rd Overall: RHP Chris Vestal
School: Kenwood
1938: 4-2, 72.2 IP, 2.85 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 24 BB, 49 K
Career: 12-6, 221.2 IP, 3.00 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 69 BB, 165 K

Very uninspiring stats from Vestal, who had two seasons with an ERA above 3 in high school. He's also just a two pitcher, and since there's about a 0.0001% chance he ends up useful, I'll just cut him and save some time.

19th Round, 299th Overall: C Gene Lee
School: Belle Vernon
1938: .468/.535/.748, 127 PA, 17 2B, 3B, 4 HR 30 RBI, SB
Career: .478/.535/.727, 484 PA, 58 2B, 3 3B, 13 HR, 126 RBI, 16 SB

There were definitely worse options out there, and I'm at least going to give backstop Gene Lee a few looks. He hit four homers as a junior and senior, at least looks to have a respectable bat. He hit .495 as a sophomore and .484 as a junior, and he projects to have a decent eye at the plate. He's a big guy, 6'3'' and 200 pounds, which is okay from someone who crouches behind the plate. He's got a ton of strength, part of the reason he hit a few prep homers, and since we're rather weak behind the plate, he could be a nice backup for Solly Skidmore once he decides to sign. Add on to the fact that he's a leader on the field, and perhaps he could function as a backup catcher one day.

20th Round, 315th Overall: LF Frank Booth
School: Gulfport
Commit School: Collingwood College
1938: .372/.438/.574, 108 PA, 12 2B, 2 3B, HR, 22 RBI, 5 SB
Career: .391/.475/.574, 463 PA, 49 2B, 5 3B, 14 HR, 104 RBI, 35 SB

Born in Ottawa, Frank Booth somehow managed to bat below .400 twice and finish with a high school career average lower then the Chiefs' Pete Layton (.394) has this year. Lucky for him he's impossible to sign, or he'd be cut in an instant. He once had a little power, 5 homers as a freshman, but it dropped to 4 as a sophomore and junior and he just hit one longball this year. His scouting report has two sentences, and one is just about his weight, his birth city, and draft position, so it's pretty clear the second sentence talks about how poor his ceiling is.

21st Round, 331st Overall: 3B Art Pierce
School: Lee's Summit
1938: .435/.490/.750, 107 PA, 13 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 24 RBI, 5 SB
Career: .441/.492/.676, 463 PA, 48 2B, 4 3B, 13 HR, 110 RBI, 26 SB

Another high schooler, Art Pierce handled the hot corner at Lee's Summit for the past three seasons, and showed off a little pop. He projects to be a .290 hitter, with a very compact and clean swing that allows him to hit the ball to all fields. OSA likes him, Marv not so much, but he'll at least hang around and feature as an occasional bench bat the rest of the year before having to show something to stay when next year's draft rolls along.

22nd Round, 347th Overall: SS Charlie Mynatt
School: Parlier
1938: .402/.455/.505, 113 PA, 10 2B, 21 RBI, 9 SB
Career: .422/.487/.580, 480 PA, 52 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 105 RBI, 23 SB

No power here, as we added a light hitting shortstop in California's Charlie Mynatt. He managed three homers as a freshman, but not a single one since, generally due to his groundball tendencies. His makeup isn't all that great either, and I'm a little concerned that the 6'4'' righty won't be able to handle short well. I only drafted one shortstop this year, and it was a college shortstop, so Mynatt may survive this round of cuts. Chances are he won't ever see much playing time, but I'm hoping his contact and eye tools develop as he is a decently athletic kid.

23rd Round, 363rd Overall: RF Jesse Brock
School: Westcott Vocational
Commit School: CC Los Angeles
1938: .416/.500/.663, 108 PA, 10 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 27 RBI, 13 SB
Career: .414/.510/.662, 470 PA, 45 2B, 11 3B, 9 HR, 107 RBI, 61 SB

Another of the impossible, Brock was born in Evanston, Illinois, towards the northern border of Chicago. He'll be moving out to Los Angeles for college, where he should showcase his bat a bit more. He's a tiny corner outfielder, just 5'8'', but he's got the time to grow and already has at least average power. He has good foot and bat speed, but Brock isn't looking like more then a future fourth outfielder.

24th Round, 379th Overall: CF Jim Solinski
School: Marshalltown
Commit School: Smithfield College
1938: .429/.472/.580, 123 PA, 14 2B, 1 HR, 26 RBI, 8 SB
Career: .432/.499/.622, 481 PA, 54 2B, 6 3B, 4 HR, 102 RBI, 28 SB

The last of the four impossible, Solinski was a decent four year starter at Marshalltown who did much better his first two seasons then his final two. He can play all three outfield spots, but Marv doesn't think he has the fielding skills to make up for his hitting skills. Or I guess lack of hitting skills. I guess if anyone has the chance to be Bus Harris of our three impossible, he'd have the edge as a center fielder.

25th Round, 395th Overall: RF Ernie Chamness
School: Torrington
1938: .413/.456/.603, 139 PA, 16 2B, 2 3B, HR, 32 RBI, 13 SB
Career: .420/.482/.642, 472 PA, 54 2B, 10 3B, 5 HR, 101 RBI, 56 SB

Our last pick of 1938! We're saddled with A very boring corner outfielder from Connecticut who is a below average hitter with a lot of questions regarding his defense. Lucky for him, he made a pinch hit appearance this week, or Chamness would likely never get into a minor league game. He'll be cut today as well. La Crosse currently holds 46 players, I have a handful of guys left to sign, and will eventually need to get the roster down to 35. I like to keep extra players on hand, so I'd wager maybe 10-15 guys get cut. Not all will be from the lower levels, but a lot of the minor league free agents I've accumulated as emergency players may want to polish up their CV's.

ayaghmour2 · 08-25-2021, 03:23 PM

Weekly Record: 2-4
Seasonal Record: 34-39 (6th, 16 GB)
Stars of the Week
Ray Ford : 18 AB, 9 H, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .500 AVG, 1.137 OPS
Harry Mead : 10 AB, 6 H, 0 HR, 4 RBI, .600 AVG, 1.383 OPS
Oscar Morse : 1 Win, 9.0 IP, 6 BB, 2 K, 0.00 ERA

Schedule
6-28: Loss vs Wolves (5-3)
6-29: Loss vs Wolves (6-1)
6-30: Win vs Wolves (0-3)
7-1: Win at Foresters (4-0)
7-2: Loss at Foresters (5-9)
7-3: Loss at Foresters (0-7)

Recap
Another crappy week, but at least we get a little break for the All Star game! We do have a double header to start the week, but all Cougars except Dick Lyons and Billy Hunter won't suit up again until the 8th. We definitely need that break, as our only wins this week were shutouts and we've dropped below the Saints and now only lead Baltimore and New York. Baltimore is 4.5 games behind us, but I do not like how things have turned out this season. I had a lot of hope for the team, but after failing to make big move after big move, we're now more of a seller then a championship contender.

Good think we have Dick Lyons, however, who outdueled Dean Astle and finished a dominant second half with a 3-hit, 1 walk, 1 strikeout shutout of the Foresters. Lyons has allowed an earned run in just one of his last four starts now and he's one each of them. He's 9-4 with a 2.87 ERA (142 ERA+), 1.16 WHIP, 18 walks, and 21 strikeouts, and even if I wanted to trade him (which I don't), I doubt I'd even be able to get a bucket of balls for him. One of the guys I will trade, Oscar Morse, also tossed a shutout, one of the 4-hit, 6 walk, 2 strikeout variety against the Wolves. Morse has followed up a strong 1937 with a better 1938, 6-6 with a 3.61 ERA (113 ERA+), 1.38 WHIP, 45 walks, and 24 strikeouts. Harry Parker's first big league start wasn't all that great, 10 hits, 7 runs (4 earned), 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts in a 9-5 loss to Cleveland. I imagine he'll bounce back fine and will get another shot against the Foresters at the end of the week. Clarence Crane hit a rough patch, 11 runs (9 earned) in his last three outings, as his ERA spiked from 2.93 to 5.25. He won't go down yet, but Joe Brown, John Hartz, or Pete Papenfus may be knocking on the door very shortly.

Only two hitters had a good week this week, Ray Ford and the now graduated prospect Harry Mead. Ford was an even 9-for-18 with 2 doubles, 2 RBIs, a run, walk, and steal. Mead played a bit less, but was 6-for-10 with a walk, two doubles, and four driven in. Aart MacDonald earned a trip back down to Milwaukee, 0-for-18 with two walks and a run. Carlos Montes should be healthy next week, but I needed to bring Bill Ashbaugh back. This week Roy Moore and Orlin Yates will split time in center, but I hope Montes will be ready when we return from the All Star break.

We signed a few more of our draftees, including 4th Rounder Sammy Dillon, 1st Rounder Solly Skidmore, and 4th Rounder Ed Wilkinson. Skidmore almost perfectly replaces the now graduated Harry Mead, checking in at 3rd in our system and 28th in the league. Wilkinson and Dillon both check in outside the top 200, at 288 and 339 respectively. Unfortunately, Peter the Heater is no longer the #1 ranked prospect, that would be the Stars' Bill Barrett, but we're up to 2nd in the farm rankings with 222 points. The only other team with 200 or more is the Gothams stacked farm at 267. I am still waiting on six more players to sign, but I doubt any will crack the top 100.

Looking Ahead
We finish the first half with a double header in Toronto. We'll look to give Joe Hancock his third loss of the year (we gave him his second!), as he's an impressive 14-2 with a 2.84 ERA (148 ERA+), 1.23 WHIP, 38 walks, and 71 strikeouts in 133 innings pitched. We're also likely to see Bernie Johnson, who allowed 8 hits, a run, and a walk with 3 strikeouts in a complete game win over us on the 29th. Fred McCormick boosted his batting line to .393/.488/.649 (192 OPS+) with 27 doubles, 4 triples, 9 homers, and 48 RBIs, making me really wish I gave met the Pioneers offer for him. Larry Vestal is starting to turn things around, using a 5-hit ball game to increase his season line to .293/.377/.438 (110 OPS+) with 7 doubles, 11 triples, 2 homers, 3 steals, and 51 RBIs. Former 4th Overall Pick Charlie Artuso is hitting just .214/.271/.329 (54 OPS+), but his +9.9 zone rating and 1.140 efficiency at short is even better then George Dawson and Harry Barrell. The Wolves are scary, and they should take these two games quite easily.

We'll then head on home, where we get a few days of rest before starting a three game set with the Foresters on Friday. They've moved 33-year-old Rube McCormick to the rotation, and after a rough first start, he tossed a 3-hit, 3 strikeout shutout as they beat us 7-0 to finish last week. It is his first big league action since 1932, so it's only fitting he'd toss a shutout against our extremely inept offense. Of course, he's the easiest of their other three, with Astle, Gonzales, and Martino all having great years. Astle will represent the Foresters at the All-Star game, and he's 8-8 with a 2.92 ERA (145 ERA+), 1.27 WHIP, 41 walks, and 38 strikeouts in 135.2 impressive innings. George Dawson is having a really tough season at the plate, batting just .240/.319/.338 (70 OPS+), so hopefully the Foresters will be more then happy to send him to Chicago. His defense is still elite, and he's also added 11 doubles, 5 homers, 6 steals, and 23 RBIs.

Minor League Report
RHP Pete Papenfus (AAA Milwaukee Blues): I don't necessarily want to trade Dave Rankin, but if I do (there is an offer out), I think I'll have to go with the Century League Pitcher of the Month. After a rough start to the season and a walk-filled Spring, Peter the Heater was a perfect 6-0 with a 2.56 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 45.2 innings pitched. He has now made 12 starts spanning 74.2 innings, going 8-2 with a 3.38 ERA (140 ERA+), 1.46 WHIP, 48 walks, and 72 strikeouts. I may have to accept Papenfus will never get over his walk issues, but I'm really pulling for him to master his control a bit more. Marv raves about his "high-octane fastball" and says he'll "have some of the best stuff in the league." Simply put, this kid should be an ace, and perhaps he should be pitching in the big leagues. I don't care what OSA says about Bill Barrett, he's no Peter the Heater, and their is no pitcher more valuable then Milwaukee's ace. He's going to challenge for multiple Allen Awards, strikeout more batters then anyone else in the league, and potentially set records when it is all said and done. Regardless of a Rankin (or Morse) trade, I can't imagine Pete will still be in Milwaukee come August, and I'm hoping him and Harry Parker can make up a devastating 1-2 punch next season as the Cougars win a pennant in their brand new stadium. Ahh, something to dream about!

LF Chubby Hall (B San Jose Cougars): Ranked only behind Papenfus in our system, Chubby Hall has built off an outstanding 1937 with somehow a better 1938. Hall was an even 10-for-20 this week with 3 homers and 5 driven in to take home Player of the Week in the California-Oregon-Washington league. The 21-year-old from New York is now hitting a robust .314/.384/.535 (144 OPS+) with 12 doubles, 12 homers, and 44 RBIs, while finally walking (28) more then he's striking out (19). As you'd expect from someone called Chubby, he's not much of a defender, but he profiles as a well above average player regardless. He projects to hit for a very high average with an even higher on base percentage, as he's a very disciplined hitter who won't chase. Add in a quick stroke that sends the ball flying in the air, he could be a 20+ home run hitter as well. Of course, he's got a lot of developing to do, but Hall ranks as the 24th best prospect in baseball and appears ready to take on tougher competition out in Lincoln.

ayaghmour2 · 08-26-2021, 11:51 AM

I'll have a weekly post up later today, but more importantly, we worked out a trade with the Cleveland Foresters. Veteran inning eater and unlucky multiple time 20 loss pitcher Dave Rankin will be taking his talents to the Foresters in exchange for their 4th Round Pick next season and right hander George Sacchetti. Rankin was acquired almost exactly four seasons ago from the Chiefs, and was a constant in our rotation, going 59-78 with a 4.19 ERA (101 ERA+), 1.41 WHIP, 359 walks, and 436 strikeouts in 1,177 innings pitched. It was much of the same for the consistent complete game machine this year, but a poor start and relief appearance last week dropped him to 5-11 with a 4.12 ERA (99 ERA+), 1.34 WHIP, 39 walks, and 39 strikeouts, but before this week he had a 3.85 ERA and 1.30 WHIP.

Contrary to popular belief, I am not trying to collect all the fourth round picks I can, but I do want to strengthen our lower minors and draft picks are the best way to do that. The hope for next season is that there will be good talent after the first three January rounds, and now I can guarantee selecting a hitter and a pitcher. Sacchetti is also an interesting piece, selected in the 4th Round this year and currently slotted as the 215th best prospect in the league. My scout wasn't too high on him pre-draft, so he wasn't the highest on my list, but he's started to warm up to him. 22 in August, he pitched two seasons in college, going 35-27 with a 3.50 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 69 walks, and 112 strikeouts for Redwood University. His two starts in C ball haven't gone great, but I like the kids profile. He's a four pitch pitcher with a nice change and reliable mid-to-high 80s fastball. Sacchetti keeps the ball on the ground and has good command, both which should lead to few longballs. I think this deal will work really well for Cleveland, but we both agreed that Sacchetti could end up being a diamond in the rough. He's got that exciting high ceiling, low floor combination that is the perfect amount of risk for me. We have a lot of exciting young arms in the system, so we can take that risk, and it opens the door for a bigger move.

It's time for the Papenfus era!

Replacing Rankin on the roster and in the rotation will be the now 3rd best prospect in baseball (he's #1 in my book, and that's all that matters!), Pete "Peter the Heater" Papenfus. A blossoming young 20-year-old, Papenfus hurls triple digit fastballs like its nothing, likely finishing his minor league career with an 8-2 record with the Milwaukee Blues. His 3.46 ERA (136 ERA+) and 1.48 WHIP are strong marks, and he's struck out 77 with 51 walks in 80.2 innings pitched. 77 is how many Toronto's Joe Hancock has struck out as well, but he's done it in 142 innings. This may be the last time he leagues the league in strikeouts, as Papenfus may end up breaking Charlie Sis' FABL 3,462 strikeout record. The sky truly is the limit for Papenfus, and I'd be very surprised if he doesn't strike out more batters then any other Cougar this year. I've gone on and on about how good he is, and now we finally get to witness it! The future is really bright on the mound in Chicago, we just have to be patient and let the young guys flex.

EDIT: Made a second trade, not really worth it's own post. We quickly moved Oscar Morse, sending him to the Gothams for a 6th Round Pick and SS Stu Stasny. Stasny ranks outside the top 500, but I think he could develop into a decent major league piece. He projects to be a .290 hitter and has worked well on improving his pitch recognition. He's 20 and a lanky 6'4'', and I think the former 14th Round selection will not stick at short. He's not hitting too well in C ball this year, but this deal was more about making room in the rotation. Papenfus will be joined by Cy Sullivan in the rotation, while another top prospect in Joe Brown will function out of the pen. I may do a six man rotation to get all the youngsters starts, but I have not yet decided. Morse was having a good season himself, 6-6 with a 3.55 ERA (115 ERA+), 1.37 WHIP, 45 walks, and 25 strikeouts, but he was going to start losing starts to the youngsters and was sitting in the 5th spot in the rotation.

ayaghmour2 · 08-26-2021, 03:22 PM

Weekly Record: 3-2
Seasonal Record: 37-41 (5th, 16 GB)
Stars of the Week
Orlin Yates : 9 AB, 4 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .444 AVG, 1.323 OPS
Cy Sullivan : 1 Win, 9.0 IP, 1 BB, 1 K, 0.00 ERA
John Lawson : 21 AB, 7 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .333 AVG, .699 OPS

Schedule
7-4: Loss at Wolves (3-8)
7-4: Win at Wolves (2-1)
7-8: Win vs Foresters (5-6)
7-9: Loss vs Foresters (5-2)
7-10: Win vs Foresters (5-6)

Recap
This was a split week, a loss on either side of the main festivities, the All-Star game. It was another crazy extra inning affair, with the Continental Association taking the 13-inning game 5-4. Billy Hunter came off the bench and finished the game at short, but was 0-for-2. Dick Lyons blew the save in the 8th, 3 hits and a run in his only inning.

The biggest news on the field (a ton off the field) was Cy Sullivan's first (of hopefully many) big league start. He pitched the second game of the double header against the Wolves before the break, and drew up a ton of weak contact. He pitched all nine and picked up the win, allowing 10 hits with a single walk and strikeout. Sullivan will remain n the rotation, entering the four slot ahead of Harry Parker, and he should be pitching about every fifth game the rest of the way. He currently ranks 36th in the league, but he is very close from graduating. None of the other starts went all that well, with Fritz, Parker, and Lyons all allowing five runs against the Foresters. Lucky for us, we managed o score six in Parker and Lyons' start, so we won our first series of the second half.

We still aren't hitting the ball at all, with the only three players having a successful week all part-time players. Orlin Yates looked great, 4-for-9 with a homer, a steal, two walks, and three runs scored and driven in as he filled in out in center. He'll retain his roster spot, as Carlos Montes is ready to return. Mike Taylor also did well, 3-for-8 with a double and two walks. Doc Love was just 1-for-6, but he homered and walked. Sadly Hunter and Mitchell really struggled, combining to go 9-for-39 while Hunter doubled and Mitchell stole a base.

All are non impossible draftees have signed, and a lot have placed in the top 500. The biggest surprise is my first actual pick, 3rd Rounder Danny Richardson, who checks in at 11th in the league and 73rd overall. 10th Rounder Harry Carr just missed the top 200, 23rd and 227th respectively with 4th Rounder Oliver Allen (33rd/378th) and 5th Rounder Steve Jones (36th/413th) filing in behind him. I'd imagine most picks have signed by now, and we currently have 44 top 500 prospects (will be 45 with Sacchetti) and our system ranks 2nd with 216 points. We are the only 200 point team, as the Gothams now have 304 points due to 33rd Overall Pick Ed Bowman (who myself and many others would have loved to take in the first two rounds) hopping up to 2nd ahead of Peter the Heater. Bowman is no Papenfus, end of story, but it is annoying how the mock draft didn't even think he deserved a selection in the first five rounds.

Looking Ahead
The new look rotation of the Cougars first test will be against the Sailors in Chicago. We'll see them for two games, so no Papenfus (he pitched two days ago) sighting will happen against the Sailors. They sit at 40-37, tied for third with the Foresters and 12.5 games behind the Kings. William Jones is back on the mound for the Sailors, and despite being an unlucky 3-6, he's got a beautiful 2.71 ERA (155 ERA+) and 1.19 WHIP with 26 strikeouts and 19 walks. All-Star Doc Newell has continued his strong season, 11-5 with a 3.52 ERA (120 ERA+), 1.36 WHIP, 38 walks, and 52 strikeouts. Walt Wells has cooled off a bit, but the 30-year-old southpaw is still 9-4 with a 3.85 ERA (110 ERA+), 1.46 WHIP, 57 walks, and 46 strikeouts. River Grove's Woody Stone was also an All-Star, and the former top 10 prospect is slashing an impressive .342/.413/.458 (125 OPS+) as he's more then seized the job away from Red Jackson. The Sailors have also welcomed back the now healthy Joe Watson, who is hitting .320/.402/.454 (121 OPS+) with 3 doubles, 2 triples, 2 homers, a steal, and 19 RBIs in just under 100 at bats for the year. The top five in the order is now extremely scary, with Nava (131), Walker (118), Watson, Smith (128), and Stone all having well above average seasons. The bottom of the order, however, is a cakewalk, but if exciting young shortstop Rip Lee gets back on track, the Sailors can be a really tough team to get out.

The rest of the week is much easier, starting with the 27-49 Stars. New York sits 25 games out of first place, and has had a really tough time scoring and preventing runs. A team like the Sailors could potentially use right fielder Hank Jones, their All Star, who hit .335/.385/.486 (129 OPS+) with 17 doubles, 4 homers, 4 triples, and 50 RBIs. They won't trade Chink Stickels, but he continues to improve at the plate, now hitting .332/.397/.529 (143 OPS+) with 25 doubles, 20 triples, 2 homers, 5 steals, and 31 RBIs. He was part of the Lawson deal, and while not the best defender, currently ranks as the 3rd best center fielder in the game. On the mound, fellow 27-year-old George Phillips continues to lead the staff, 6-3 with a 2.72 ERA (152 ERA+), 1.32 WHIP, 41 walks, and 31 strikeouts in 99.1 innings pitched. The only downside to Phillips is his stamina, with almost half (7 of his 15 starts) seeing him leave after the 6th or earlier.

Our long homestand continues with the Cannons, with two of three this weekend. Baltimore is a bit ahead of New York, 32-45, but four games behind Montreal for the now important sixth place. Gus Goulding continues to be a reliable inning eater atop their rotation, 7-9 with a 3.87 ERA (106 ERA+), 1.29 WHIP, 41 walks, and 63 strikeouts as he's on pace for a second 300 inning season. 22-year-old Art Edwards hasn't found nearly as much success, now 7-11 with a 5.28 ERA (77 ERA+), 1.63 WHIP, 74 walks, and 68 strikeouts. They should be getting Rusty Petrick back next week, but his replacement Howie Pike has had walk issues and a 4.98 ERA (82 ERA+) in 4 starts and 5 relief outings. Almost 28-year-old Oscar King has never hit much, but this year his .190/.328/.286 (66 OPS+) batting line is the first time he's been below a 70 OPS+ and his efficiency is down to just 1.031, which would also be a career low. They also just lost one of their few productive hitters, Bunny Stapleton, who will miss at least four weeks with torn quadriceps. He was hitting an average .299/.354/.414 (105 OPS+) with 8 doubles, 7 homers, and 34 RBIs. We really need to win these games against New York and Baltimore, and I think our young arms will be up to the task.

Minor League Report
RHP Preacher Pietsch (A Lincoln Legislators): 1938 has been almost a perfect season for Preacher Pietsch, who had a few poor starts and an injury after the draft last season. This year has been anything but, 6-4 with 2.20 ERA (183 ERA+), 1.19 WHIP, 19 walks, and 50 strikeouts in 12 starts with the Legislators. Since draft day he's added a lot of velocity, going from 88-90 to 92-94 and now the prospect people are starting to see he's not a sub-500 prospect. At the most recent rankings, Pietsch checks in at the century mark, and I still think that might be a little low. He boasts an imposing 6'6'' presence on the mound with a nice cutter he can place effortlessly. He has good command of his curve and splitter too, all big league quality pitches, and he has a regular fastball he can use as well. Walks should never be an issue for the 22-year-old, and Marv thinks he'll be a useful rotation arm. OSA is higher on him, thinking middle of the rotation arm, and I think that's closer to accurate. I'm a little biased, but I do think he could end up towards the top of a middle of the pack rotation, but hopefully towards the bottom of should be a dominant Cougar starting five.

ayaghmour2 · 08-26-2021, 11:34 PM

I didn't really have a chance to write any Amateur Reports for this years draft class, so to ensure that doesn't happen for a class again, I'll be covering some of the potential top picks in next years draft. This will be nice too, because the January portion of the draft happens before stats are released. A lot can change between now and then, as players develop even when they are not playing any games. I might also try to add a few in the weekly reports as I continue to scout the pool.

CF Bob Coon
School: St. Magnus
1938: .345/.406/.569, 318 PA, 16 2B, 6 3B, 11 HR, 68 RBI, 34 SB
Career (COL): .328/.391/.531, 607 PA, 30 2B, 11 3B, 19 HR, 74 SB
Career HS: .528/.583/.944, 103 PA, 13 2B, 6 3B, 4 HR, 31 RBI, 19 SB

Now in his second season at St. Magnus, Bob Coon has made it clear that he will not be a 14th Round Pick. That's where the Keystones took him in 1936, where he instead decided to honor his commitment for college. It has worked out well for him, as he's blossomed into a potential first round pick. Coaches love his effort, and he's really shown an aptitude to improve on the field. He has a quick and loose stroke and should be an above average contact hitter. The power is legit as well, as he's cracked double digit longballs in a season. Combine those two skills and he projects to be an elite hitter. My scout and OSA don't say anything about his defense, so range could be an issue, but seeing how much he's improved already, it wouldn't be too surprising if he becomes a better outfielder. I'm looking forward to my upcoming scouting report, and depending what Marv says, he may be one of my top targets in the first January draft.

3B Whitey Dorsch
School: Moline
1938: .482/.589/.795, 110 PA, 12 2B, 3B, 4 HR, 26 RBI, SB
Career: .492/.599/.791, 341 PA, 37 2B, 3 3B, 11 HR, 83 RBI, 3 SB

A native of Moline, Illinois, Dorsch stayed local for high school and is set to start for his fourth consecutive season. His best season was as a sophomore where he hit .500/.612/.761 with 13 doubles, 3 homers, and 35 RBIs while sporting a nice 25-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The 6'2'' third basemen is a lean and athletic player with strength that led to a strong arm and home run power. His contact tool should be at least average too, and he's got excellent discipline at the plate. Like Coon, he's an extremely hard worker and he challenges his teammates to get better. I just got a nice third basemen prospect in Danny Richardson, but Dorsch could be a target for the regional draft as we (along with the Chiefs) have priority there. I think he is going to be a well above average player and there is a chance a team decides to go with him in one of the first two rounds as well.

CF Danny Goff Jr.
School: Hempstead
1938: .341/.399/.458, 305 PA, 15 2B, 7 3B, 1 HR, 53 RBI, 35 SB
Career: 357/.413/.483, 301 PA, 30 2B, 15 3B, 3 HR, 109 RBI, 70 SB

I have a hunch I know who is #1 on the Kings draft board for next season. A Brooklyn native and son of former King pitcher and current bench coach Danny Goff, Danny Goff Jr. burst on to the season as a freshman with an outstanding .373/.426/.507 batting line. He followed it up with another impressive season this year, and seems likely to be one of the top picks in the winter draft. Goff projects to compete for batting titles as he consistently hits the ball hard to all fields. He has excellent speed on the basepaths and it coincides with excellent range in center. His bat and hustle alone are enough to warrant a high draft pick, but add in the baseball pedigree and he seems to be a lock to be a first rounder.

SS Skipper Schneider
School: Northwestern
1938: .478/.524/.674, 108 PA, 15 2B, 1 HR, 27 RBI, 18 SB
Career: 484/.532/.671, 367 PA, 38 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 98 RBI, 47 SB

An A+ name for sure, the versatile Skipper Schneider has experience at short, third, second, left, and right. The tiny 5'6'' lefty swinger is actually an "elite defensive shortstop" so I'd imagine he could also play a little bit of center too. He isn't very fast, so that potentially could limit his range, but he's still outstanding in the infield. He isn't the best with the bat, but he should end up with at least an above average contact tool, but the eye and power are a little less certain. The glove alone is enough, but if he wants to reach his lofty ceiling, he'll have to either polish the eye or power and be more then just a glove.

LHP Marcus Magnum
School: Louisa
1938: 9-2, 117 IP, 1.08 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 12 BB, 165 K
Career: 27-4, 323.1 IP, 1.53 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 62 BB, 409 K

A sidewinding southpaw from the Bluegrass state, Marcus Magnum had a junior year to remember. He was 9-2 with a 1.08 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 12 walks, and 165 strikeouts as he effortlessly set down batter after batter. Magnum has 40 prep starts under his belt now, and has an outside chance to reach 600 prep strikeouts. In each season he's raised his K/9, lowered his BB/9, lowered his WHIP, and increased his WAR and innings count. His junior season was easily the best by all measures, except rather ironically, losses, and I really hope Magnum follows it up with another banger of a year. A big part of his success was adding a cutter, and he bumped his velocity up to the 89-91 range. He also has a fastball, slider, and change, with all except the change projected to be outstanding pitches. His change isn't much now, but he likely won't have to use it very frequently. Magnum has advanced control as well, and paired with his brilliant stuff, should make him an extremely valuable young arm.

RHP Vic Carroll
School: Richmond State
1938: 8-4, 113.1 IP, 2.54 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 33 BB, 102 K
Career: 16-6, 207.2 IP, 2.38 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 58 BB, 192 K

Carroll had an even better freshman season then sophomore year, as he went 8-2 with a 2.19 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 25 walks, and 90 strikeouts in three fewer starts. The 6 footer from New York put up a similar season this year, which has him in line to be one of the first names called. What makes Carroll most interesting is he is able to find a ton of success without throwing very hard. He hovers in the 84-86 range with his fastball and cutter, and his only other offering is his splitter. Still, Marv thinks all three pitches are FABL quality, and I have to imagine if he adds any sort of velocity it's going to really boost his stuff. His splitter, however, is the best of the three pitches, and the movement he gets on it is extremely impressive. His command isn't the greatest, but walks or homers don't project to be much of an issue for him. OSA thinks he'll be a #1, I think he could develop into an ace, but until he adds more speed on his cutter and fastball or learns how to paint the corners, he won't quite get there. Regardless, he has a very high floor and could possibly be a passable fifth starter as early as 1940.

ayaghmour2 · 08-27-2021, 01:13 PM

Weekly Record: 5-2
Seasonal Record: 42-43 (5th, 16 GB)
Stars of the Week
Mike Taylor : 18 AB, 9 H, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .500 AVG, 1.550 OPS
Leo Mitchell : 22 AB, 11 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .500 AVG, 1.136 OPS
Pete Papenfus : 2 Wins, 11.0 IP, 3 BB, 10 K, 2.45 ERA

Schedule
7-11: Win vs Sailors (3-14)
7-12: Win vs Sailors (6-7)
7-13: Loss vs Stars (11-2)
7-14: Win vs Stars (2-6)
7-15: Win vs Stars (0-1)
7-16: Loss vs Cannons (6-5)
7-17: Win vs Cannons (0-1)

Recap
The offense came alive for part of the week, and with help from a pair of 1-0 shutouts, we bounced back with a nice 5-2 week to welcome Peter the Heater to the roster. The kid looked great, picking up a win in both start and relief, allowing 6 hits, 3 runs, and 3 walks with 10 strikeouts in his first 11 innings pitched. No shutout for Pete, but his first big league start saw 4 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, and 8 strikeouts in a complete game. Harry Parker made the best start of his young career, a 4-hit, 4-walk shutout of the Stars. He struck out 6, raising his total to 15 on the season, and Parker is now 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA (120 ERA+) and 1.38 WHIP in his first three big league starts. Dick Lyons was unlucky in one of his two starts, but also tossed 8 scoreless against the Cannons. In total, he tallied 14 innings with 13 hits, 5 runs (1 earned), 4 walks, and 3 strikeouts to drop his ERA back below 3. Cy Sullivan also got two starts, a complete game win and loss with 20 hits, 9 runs (8 earned), 6 walks, and 5 strikeouts. Milt Fritz had another terrible outing, 11 hits, 8 runs (6 earned), and 5 walks with 2 strikeouts in 8.1 innings pitched. He's now allowed five or more runs in each of his last five starts, and his ERA has jumped from 3.16 to 4.09. He's also dropped to 7-8, losing his last six decisions.

Mike Taylor continued to mash, this week a Player of the Week worthy 9-for-18 with a double, triple, two homers, four runs, and six RBIs to raise his season line to .286/.358/.453 (117 OPS+). Taylor hasn't cracked 100 since 1934 (110), but every season prior was an above average offensive season. Leo Mitchell and Rich Langton both started to turn things around, with Mitchell finishing 11-for-22 with 3 doubles, 3 RBIs, 5 runs, and a steal. Langton was 8-for-21 with 4 doubles, a homer, a steal, a pair of walks, and 4 RBIs. Doc Love made the most of his three starts, 4-for-13 with two doubles, a homer, and five driven in. John Lawson had a nice week as well, 9-for-25 with a double and four walks and RBIs. Ray Ford hit a massive roadblock, just 3 hits and 3 walks in 23 trips. Carlos Montes had a rough return to the lineup, just 4-for-24, although he homered and walked, scored in, and drove in three.

Looking Ahead
One more against the Cannons, and we'll likely see Art Edwards or Rusty Petrick's return for the DL. Before injury, Petrick was 5-8 with a 4.21 ERA (97 ERA+, 1.67 WHIP, 90 walks, and 63 strikeouts. Petrick is a huge strikeout arm, but the walks have definitely been an issue for the 22-year-old and the only thing stopping him from developing into a top of the rotation arm. Baltimore also brought up former 3rd Round selection George Simmons to replace Bunny Stapleton, and in his first five games, he's hitting .235/.333/.529 (128 OPS+) with a triple, homer, and 4 RBIs. Former Cougar draftee Joe Rainbow leads the team with 8 homers, but his .231/.292/.368 (76 OPS+) batting line is leaving a lot to be desired. This is already his career high for homers, and once he reaches double digits it would meet the combined total of his first three seasons.

Next the Kings come in town, and at 58-27, they're ten ahead of the Wolves and 16 ahead of us. The bottom four in their rotation all own ERAs south of 3, with just ace Tom Barrell not joining them. Barrell has an adjusted league average 4.15 ERA, but with a 1.24 WHIP, 27 walks, and 78 strikeouts. The three time Allen Winner has a 3.08 FIP and 73 FIP- (lower is better), so it appears that the staff ace just cannot get a break. We might miss him, but seeing southpaws Shaffner, White, and Murphy isn't much easier. The reigning Allen winner is off to another Allen winning season, 12-5 with a 2.47 ERA (169 ERA+), 1.12 WHIP, and 43 walks and strikeouts. Popular Cougar trade target Art White has seemingly put it all together this year, 7-1 with a 2.37 ERA (176 ERA+), 1.30 WHIP, 23 walks, and 14 strikeouts while former Cougar Mike Murphy is 10-2 with a 2.56 ERA (163 ERA+), 1.09 WHIP, 27 walks, and 32 strikeouts. It will be really hard to score on them, and now with Alf Pestilli's emergence in the lineup, it's going to be harder to keep them off the board. Sal's older brother is hitting .301/.376/.538 (136 OPS+) with 10 doubles, 2 triples, 9 homers, and 39 RBIs in three shy of 200 PAs. He's sandwiched between the 12 homer bat of Al Wheeler and the 15 homer bat of Frank Vance, making the 3-4-5 of Brooklyn a tough feat for even the best of pitchers.

Our homestand and stretch of games then finishes on the weekend with a three game set with the Saints. At 37-47, they are 3.5 games behind us. Former Cougar prospect Karl Wallace has arguably been the best on the staff, 8-5 with a 3.72 ERA (112 ERA+), 1.54 WHIP, 64 walks, and 44 strikeouts in 133 innings pitched. Jake DeYoung has allowed 8 and 7 runs in his last two outings, now 7-8 with a 3.80 ERA (110 ERA+), 1.23 WHIP, 24 walks, and 54 strikeouts in 135 innings pitched. Rookie and leadoff hitter Bert Lass has been their most effective hitter, slashing an impressive .347/.422/.4789 (134 OPS+) with 25 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, and 31 RBIs while walking almost four times (39) as much as he strikes out (4). He gets the benefit of slugger Red Bond behind him, who has hit .316/.359/.478 (116 OPS+) with 18 doubles, 11 homers, and 46 RBIs. Montreal has also brought up former 9th Overall Pick Biff Henson up from AA Nashville to play second. It's just 14 games so far, but he's hitting .333/.360/.354 (86 OPS+) with a double and ten driven in. He's a natural shortstop and will turn 25 in August. Backstop Adam Mullins has started to turn things around, and he's hitting a nice .308/.405/.433 (118 OPS+) with 21 doubles, 3 triples, 2 homers, and 37 RBIs as he was named to the All Star game for the second straight season.

Minor League Report
RHP Johnny Godfrey (B San Jose Cougars): He wasn't pitching any good in La Crosse, but with the entrance of a ton of new young arms, he was one of the few members of the Lions who didn't have a red arrow in San Jose. So despite going 3-3 with a 6.38 ERA (72 ERA+), 1.69 WHIP, and 15 walks and strikeouts, he was on his way up to San Jose. Somehow, it couldn't have worked any better, and the 21-year-old on the brink of losing a starting job tossed a 6-hit, 1-walk, 3-strikeout shutout as the baby Cougars crushed Everett 15-0. Our 8th Rounder in 1935, Godfrey isn't the hardest worker out there, but he throws a nice mid 90s fastball and mixes in a forkball, slider, and change as well. One of his major weakness is his tendency to nibble, which causes spikes in his walk rates. Sometimes he just fails to hit the plate in general, but his forkball is a decent offering and could be an effective big league pitch. The big issue right now is the other three of his pitches are very underdeveloped, and he hasn't shown much progress polishing his stuff. This start might be a blip on the road to release, but it definitely bought the young righty a few more starts.

RF Ray Powell (B San Jose Cougar): Another new addition to San Jose, Ray Powell wasted no time and went 5-for-6 with 2 runs, 4 doubles, and 4 RBIs in Godfrey's shutout victory. The 19-year-old lottery selection is in a four man outfield with Sammy Dillon, Jim Madsen, and Chick Browning, so while he's not really playing every day, he gets a ton of playing time and won't get too tired. He's made the most of it so far, going 10-for-19 with 5 doubles and 7 RBIs in his first week back in San Jose. It was a much different story last year, as Powell hit just .220/.245/.220 (37 OPS+) in 50 at bats. A natural right fielder, Powell spent a lot of time in La Crosse out in center and he has some experience in left as well. He's not a great defender, but he has good speed and could flirt with a .300 average. His pitch recognition is solid at the moment, and down in C ball he walked 26 times with just 11 strikeouts. I never wanted Powell and I never though he would be much of anything, but at least the 6'3'' lefty is playing well, and perhaps the Searcy, Arkansas native can develop into at least a passable bench player.

ayaghmour2 · 08-30-2021, 03:15 PM

Weekly Record: 6-1
Seasonal Record: 48-44 (5th, 12 GB)
Stars of the Week
Mike Taylor : 11 AB, 6 H, 2 HR, 2 RBI, .545 AVG, 1.727 OPS
Billy Hunter : 25 AB, 10 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .400 AVG, .960 OPS
Harry Parker : 2 Wins, 18.0 IP, 2 BB, 11 K, 1.00 ERA

Schedule
7-18: Win vs Cannons (2-5)
7-19: Win vs Kings (3-7)
7-20: Win vs Kings (1-10)
7-21: Loss vs Kings (3-2)
7-22: Win vs Saints (1-3)
7-23: Win vs Saints (2-4)
7-24: Win vs Saints (3-6)

Recap
Just like that we're on a little run! This season has been a mix of highs and lows, but the young pitching powered us to an impressive 6-1 week as we find ourselves now just three games behind the second place Toronto Wolves. Pete Papenfus has rightly garnered a lot of publicity and his share of headlines, and he had an outstanding two start week. The first was an 8 innings win over the Kings where he allowed 3 hits and runs (2 earned) with 8 walks and strikeouts. He won the second start as well, with a somewhat similar outing. He tossed a complete game victory over the Saints with 5 hits, 2 runs, 5 walks, and 9 strikeouts. That's now 27 strikeouts in 28 innings, and he's just 15 strikeouts shy of Milt Fritz's team best 42. And as good as he was, Harry Parker was even better! The towering 6'6'' righty tossed a pair of complete game 4-hit victories, also against the Kings and Saints. He allowed just one run, two walks, and eight strikeouts in the first game and three runs (one earned) and three strikeouts in the second. Our other three starters pitched exceptional as well, with the "worst" start Sullivan's loss against Brooklyn. He allowed 7 hits, 3 runs, and a walk, and really the only blemishes a pair of solo homers. Fritz bounced back against the Cannons, a complete game win with 6 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks, and 2 strikeouts. Dick Lyons continued his elite form, 8 innings with 6 hits, a run, a strikeout, and two walks. Lyons 2.69 ERA is now third best in the Continental Association, behind just Mike Murphy (2.56) and William Jones (2.64). It's a little cheeky of a stat, but the top four in our rotation all have sub 3 ERAs, and Lyons 2.69 is the highest of them. Granted, Papenfus, Parker, and Sullivan have combined for 111.1 innings pitched, less then Lyons' 147, but the average age between the three is just 22.3. This is extremely encouraging for the future of the Cougars, and this is exactly the type of week we might have to get used to in Chicago.

Mike Taylor continues to set the world on fire, and while he just made three starts, he was 6-for-11 with a double and two solo homers. Taylor is up to .300/.362/.493 (129 OPS+) on the season with 9 doubles, 3 triples, 8 homers, and 30 RBIs as he's seem to regain his vintage form. I've put Taylor on the block a few sims ago, but there hasn't been too much interest on that front. Johnny McDowell also did well in his three starts, 7-for-15 with 2 doubles, 2 walks, 3 runs, and an RBI. Rich Langton put together a great week, 9-for-22 with a double, triple, three RBIs, and five runs scored. Billy Hunter got back on track, 10-for-25 with two doubles, a triple, and three runs scored and driven in.

Looking Ahead
We're off to start the week, but we'll use that to prepare for our upcoming roadtrip. The first stop is the toughest, three with the 60-32 Kings. Brooklyn has moved Joe Shaffner to the one spots in their rotation, as the reigning Allen Winner is 12-7 with a 2.78 ERA (150 ERA+), 1.21 WHIP, 49 walks, and 50 strikeouts. He's on a little bit of a downslide, three straight losses, but he's still one of the best pitchers in the game. Alf Pestilli has cracked double digit homers, 11 with 47 RBIs and a .305/.382/.553 (142 OPS+) batting line. And while most of the season has been good for the Kings, second basemen John Langille is having a tough year at the plate. He's batting just .274/.345/.380 (89 OPS+) with 17 doubles, 4 triples, a homer, and 34 RBIs. This is a far cry from his career average triple slash of .306/.368/.453 (117 OPS+). The Kings are without Fred Barrell for a few more weeks, he's suffering a severe hip strain, and replacement Bill Johnson is hitting just .248/.325/.371 (82 OPS+) in his absence.

We then see the other side of the standings, three with the last place Stars before a travel day to Canada. New York is 32-56, 26 out of first and three and a half behind the Cannons for 7th. 24-year-old Billy Riley has done okay in the rotation, now 5-6 with a 3.76 ERA (110 ERA+), 1.38 WHIP, 21 walks, and 25 strikeouts in 64.2 innings split between the rotation and pen. Unfortunately Les Zoller has shown no signs of turning things around, now 2-8 with s 7.12 ERA (58 ERA+), 1.93 WHIP, 57 walks, and 41 strikeouts in 92.1 innings pitched. I feel like every time I mention the Stars, I also mention former Cougar Chink Stickels, who is hitting an outstanding .344/.404/.546 (149 OPS+) with 31 doubles, 12 triples, 2 homers, and 39 RBIs. He's third in the batting race, but he won't come close to Fred McCormick's .417. The Stars have inputted 24-year-old Johnny Hopper into the lineup and behind the plate, but the former first rounder is hitting just .237/.269/.289 (48 OPS+) in 160 trips to the plate. Hopper is on par with Harry Mead in terms of potential, potentially top five catchers in the game, but both are having rough times at the plate. It will be interesting to see if any other top Stars prospect start to make the trip up from Los Angeles, with top 100 prospects Joe Angevine and Hub Parks currently in the Knights lineup. Parks is on the 40, so expect at least a September callup, but he may not be playing his natural center as Stickels has that on a lock.

Minor League Report
RF Red Looney (AA Mobile Commodores): A little on the older side for a prospect, but Chicagoan Red Looney is making the most of his aged 26 campaign. Our 10th Rounder in 1934, Looney is having an excellent season, batting .305/.367/.512 (136 OPS+) with 11 doubles, 6 triples, 7 homers, 12 steals, and 40 RBIs. It's been a strong all around season for Looney, as the natural center fielder has done an outstanding job in both corners so far. He's also generally been an excellent center fielder, so I'm not all that surprised he's done well in the corners. In 154 games out in center he has a strong 1.046 efficiency with a 1.086 in 250 games out in left while nearly all his right field experience has came this year. At the plate, he does have a lot of power, and he projects as a 20-10-15 player with the chance to steal 20 bases as well. Marv is a big fan of Red, thinking he can be "penciled in for a lion's share of starts", but I think fourth outfielder is more realistic. Still, he's got a lot of talent and if it wasn't for a crowded outfield situation in AAA, he'd be pushing for a late season roster spot.

RHP Roy Carey (A Lincoln Legislators): Some times I get a little caught up in my own evaluations of a player, and that causes me to completely ignore scouting reports. One of those players would be Roy Carey, as my scout continues to dislike the former 2nd Round selection despite his continued success this year. He's made 13 starts so far, with the closes inches away from perfection. Carey allowed just a single hit and a pair of walks as he improved to 8-1 as the Legislators topped the Brewers 6-0. His ERA has now dropped below 2 to 1.96 (203 ERA+) and he owns a 1.12 WHIP with 24 walks and 19 strikeouts as he approaches 100 innings. A natural groundballer, Carey doesn't throw that hard, sitting in the 83-85 range with his sinker, but he offers five other pitches as well. His stuff will never top the charts, but he just needs two other reliable offerings as the sinker is a very dependable pitch. Carey has a red arrow when I try to bring him up to Mobile, so perhaps he's still a little underdeveloped, but it's hard to ignore the results he's posted so far.

ayaghmour2 · 08-31-2021, 04:52 PM

Weekly Record: 3-3
Seasonal Record: 51-47 (4th, 11 GB)
Stars of the Week
None generated

Schedule
7-26: Win at Kings (6-4)
7-27: Loss at Kings (8-9)
7-28: Loss at Kings (1-2): 10 innings
7-29: Win at Stars (5-4): 10 innings
7-30: Loss at Stars (3-4)
7-31: Win at Stars (2-0): 10 innings

Recap
This week was truly a mess, and we are rather lucky to escape it with an even 3-3 record. There were far too many one run games and far too many 10 inning games, but even with all those little hassles, July was our Month. Sure, we have the most wins since the All-Star break, but July became our second 18 win month, and our best in terms of win percentage (.648) as we flipped the script on our 10-18 June. We like to start slow and then heat up, but part of the heating up has to do with the three new members of the rotation. Our rotation trails just Brooklyn in terms of starting pitching ERA, and we've allowed the 3rd least runs in our league.

The arms were great again this week, with the only non-Cougar draftee in the rotation Milt Fritz taking the two start role this week. He won them both, the first a complete game win over the Kings where he allowed 9 hits, 4 runs, and 6 walks with 4 strikeouts. Start two was much better, an outstanding 10 inning shutout where Fritz allowed just 5 hits with a pair of walks and strikeouts. Now 10-8 on the season, Fritz has won more games with the Cougars (41) then any other team, with the previous high his 40 wins in Brooklyn. It took him a bit longer, but in 733 innings in a Cougars uniform, Fritz is 41-40 with a 3.98 ERA (106 ERA+), 1.45 WHIP, 301 walks, and 221 strikeouts. At 28, he has 145 FABL wins, and he could potentially win 300 FABL games. We also got a great start from Cy Sullivan, who was unfortunate enough to get the loss. He allowed just 8 hits, 2 runs (1 earned), and a walk with 2 strikeouts in nine and a third against the Kings. I think Cy has a rubber arm, pitching each of his five starts to completion so far, with three or less runs in all but one outing. Peter the Heater had a "bad" start, just 8 innings with 3 hits, 4 runs (3 earned), 8 walks, and 6 strikeouts in a no decision. It was the lowest amount of strikeouts in a game this season, but he's still striking out an outstanding 8.2 per nine despite his way-to-high 6 walks per nine. We're 5-0 in games Papenfus has pitched, but this was his first no decision.

Dick Lyons maintained his 2.69 ERA with 7 innings, 6 hits, 2 runs, a walk, and 3 strikeouts in easily our unluckiest game of the season. Up 8-2 in the ninth, Hunter botched a Langille groundout allowing the second basemen to reach safely. Allen Purvis got Joe Perret to hit into a fielder's choice, which should have ended the game, but the Kings had one extra out to work with. The Kings then rattled off four consecutive singles to make it 8-5, before Al Wheeler sent the Kings faithful home with a grand slam. All seven runs charged to Purvis were unearned in a demoralizing defeat. Despite all that, Lyons was named the Continental Association Pitcher of the Year, going 4-0 with a 1.72 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 8 walks, and 9 strikeouts in his six starts. Since June, Lyons is 8-2 with a 2.06 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 12 starts. It wasn't our only accolade either, as despite a rough final start, Harry Parker was named Rookie of the Month. Parker was 4-2 with a 2.70 ERA (150 ERA+), 1.10 WHIP, 12 walks, and 31 strikeouts in 50 innings pitched. Parker has been extremely reliable for us, completing five of his six starts so far. The most impressive part is all four of his complete game victories came in Chicago, and he allowed just two homers in our very homer friendly park. He's not the strikeout machine that Papenfus is, but his 5.6 K/9 is extremely impressive and higher then both the Fed strikeout leader Lefty Allen (5.3) and our strikeout leader Joe Hancock (5). All I can say is I love this kid!

The bats were cold, and the catching tandem of Taylor and Mead combined to go just 4-for-26 with a Mead double and Taylor run scored. We had just two starters put up good weeks, with Rich Langton going 7-for-23 with 5 walks, 5 runs, a triple and homer while Ray Ford was 8-for-20 with 7 RBIs. Ollie Page made the most of his two starts, 3-for-9 with a triple, walk, and run scored. Hunter and Lawson homered, but both hit below .260 on the week. The weirdest thing is that we are hitting just .265 as a team, despite the top seven in our order all hitting above .280.

I also made a minor trade before the deadline, sending a pair of third basemen in Sam Washington and Sonny O'Callaghan to the Foresters for a 5th Round Pick. I really like the Irishman Sonny, but with Ducky Jordan in AAA ranked 58th in the league and Danny Richardson in C ball ranked 70th, O'Callaghan didn't really have an easy shot to the majors. I like Washington too, our 8th Rounder last year, but I'm still trying to weed out some players from the system to avoid major logjams. Both were in San Jose, where I had six guys playing for four positions.

Looking Ahead
The Dog Days of August is bad news for cool cats like us, but we'll used Monday to travel to Montreal for three with the Saints. They hold a one game lead over the Cannons for the now important sixth spot in the league, as Karl Wallace continues his strong season. His most recent start was an unlucky no decision, 11 innings with 7 hits, a run, 2 walks, and 4 strikeouts. He's still 8-7, but with a 3.51 ERA (119 ERA+), 1.48 WHIP, 73 walks, and 51 strikeouts. The walks are rather surprising, as his 4.1 BB/9 is nothing like what he showed in our system. Wallace's highest mark was 2.9 in 147.2 innings with Mobile in 1936, but he's had some issues throwing strikes in the majors. He's just 24, and filled to the brim with future talent, so I wouldn't worry too much about the walks at this point. Fellow Cougar prospect Bill Ross isn't having issues with walks, but he has an adjusted league average 4.16 ERA in 147 innings pitched with 31 walks and 56 strikeouts. Pablo Reyes is also still a Saint, despite trade rumors, and the Cuban Comet is looking to put together his second straight 5 WAR season. He's at 3 right now, and is batting .297/.350/.443 (106 OPS+) with 24 doubles, 8 triples, 7 steals, 6 homers, and 67 RBIs atop the Saints lineup.

We then face the previously mentioned Cannons, who have now inserted Rufus Barrell II into their rotation. "Deuce" is the new #2, but the 21-year-olds first start wasn't quite what he wanted. He allowed 12 hits and 4 runs, but struck out 7 without walking a batter in a 7.1 inning loss. The southpaw and former #1 overall pick currently ranks as the 8th best prospect in the league and fourth best pitcher, behind Bowman, Papenfus, and Toronto's George Garrison. Barrell should give the Cannons a reliable #2 behind Gus Goulding, and he's got wild strikeout arms Art Edwards and Rusty Petrick behind him in what could develop into one of the best rotations in baseball. I'll never understand Edwards, the two-pitch sinker/slider lefty, but the "Enforcer" has struck out 88 on the season, one behind Tom Barrell for second in the CA. Baltimore has started to get some production at the plate from Whit Williams, who is slashing .294/.376/.411 (111 OPS+) on the season with 14 doubles, 6 triples, 3 homers, 7 steals, and 39 RBIs. July was easily his best month, as the former 6th Overall Pick hit .333/.438/.471 with 7 doubles, 2 triples, a homer, 3 steals, and 17 RBIs while walking (19) more then three times as frequently as he struck out (6). Slugging first basemen George Simmons has looked good too in his first 68 PAs, hitting .250/.324/.483 (114 OPS+) with three doubles, a triple, three homers, and nine driven in.

Minor League Report
RHP Del Burnes (AA Mobile Commodores): It's been a crazy journey for the former #3 overall pick, who's selection questioned many in the FABL world. I was one of the few who actually liked Burnes (he was on my shortlist, just not for #3 overall) so I followed his career very closely. Fast forward to 1937, where I was frantically trying to get Juan Pomales, and the Dynamos GM was adamant that he needed either two pitchers or Cy Sullivan. I was hoping to do Stumpy or Wallace and Joe Foote, but that didn't work, so the compromise of Stumpy and Wallace for Pomales and another piece was agreed on. I've asked on Burnes before, so I'm not sure if he suggested it or it was my counter, but we both believed it was an even enough deal (I was okay overpaying, I needed the two way star and I was beyond pissed with the lottery results) and I said good bye to two promising pitchers who are currently pitching really well in their rookie seasons. But I am nothing but happy seeing Stumpy and Wallace succeeding in Detroit and Montreal, because Burnes' (and Pomales) development has been great. Now 22, he's boosted his velocity from 90-92 to 93-95 and really polished up his stuff. He has a five pitch mix, and his forkball has turned into an excellent pitch with outstanding movement. His fastball is an average pitch, but it also has a lot of life and his other three pitches are all reliable offerings. His stuff is big league ready, his movement is top of the charts, but like most of the arms I'm so infatuated with, he walks a lot of hitters. Of course, that's not a problem to me, and he's really excelled at Mobile this year. The righty is 8-5 with a 2.99 ERA (130 ERA+), 1.36 WHIP, 52 walks, and 56 strikeouts and he's on his way up to Milwaukee. Lucky for us, he's still not Rule-5 eligible (1934 prep arm), so he'll finish his season in Milwaukee and likely start the season there next year. Marv is a big fan, projecting him to be a useful arm in a big league rotation, and "if he's the worst arm in the staff, it likely means you have a very good rotation." As it is shaking out now, Burnes would be the worst arm, and we do have a very good rotation. The prospect rankers have now dubbed him a top 100 prospect (100 to be exact), ranked 14th in our system right behind his trade partner Juan Pomales (86th). He should be ready to pitch in the FABL next year, and could end up the five in a Papenfus-Parker-Sullivan-Fritz/Brown rotation sometime next season.

Just for fun, I looked back at the 1934 draft, and it could be one of the best Cougar draft classes when it's all said and done. We've already seen Carlos Montes (1st), Pug Bryan (2nd), Harry Parker (7th), and Johnnie Williamson (8th) debut, Ivan Cameron (3rd) and Phil McKenna (5th) rank in the top 500. The class also includes some of Marv's favorite players, Henry Cox (5th), Sam Hodge (7th), Jim Miller (9th), Red Looney (10th), Rusty Watts (13th), Cal Lofton (15th), and Dick Voss (19th). All of these guys at some point have sat in the top 500, and guys like Cox and Hodge look like really valuable players. The rest of the league had success as well, with first rounders Charlie Artuso, Bennie Griffith, Adam Mullins, Lew Seals, Woody Stone, Bob Donoghue, Art Cascone, Jim Nichols, Bobo White, Gus Goulding, George M. Brooks, and Lou Barker all in the majors. In fact, Burnes, Baltimore's Jim Hensley, and Brooklyn's Dan Rogers are the only first rounders not to debut, and I'd wager all become big leaguers before 1940. Rogers isn't a top prospect by number, but Hensley has consistently ranked in the top 25. There are some really good players in later rounds too, including Lew McClendon (2nd), Fred Galloway (2nd), Jack Goff (2nd), Harvey Brown (3rd), Howard Brown Jr. (3rd), Mel Hancock Jr. (3rd), Jack Wood (3rd), Johnny Slaney (3rd), Alf Pestilli (4th), Fred Ratcliffe (4th), Frank Covarrubias (5th), Mule Monier (5th), and Ken Vance (8th), as well as many other current top 200 prospects. This was one of the strongest FABL draft classes, and it'll be hard to find another like it.

LHP Danny Hern (B San Jose Cougars): The season hasn't gone great for the supposed new next great starter, but the young southpaw decided it was his time to prove me and the remaining doubters wrong. Named Pitcher of the Month in the COW league, Danny Hern was 4-1 with a 2.21 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 14 walks, and 26 strikeouts in 40.2 innings across five starts. He's improved greatly in each month, now 7-4 on the season with a 3.58 ERA (120 ERA+), 1.19 WHIP, 33 walks, and 62 strikeouts in 113 innings pitched. Our 14th Round selection in 1935, all 16 FABL GMs (myself included) decided to pass on Hern, but it wasn't really our faults. He only pitched as a senior, going 7-3 with a 2.04 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 22 walks, and 92 strikeouts in 101.2 innings pitched. Here's what little I wrote about him:

Quote:

Originally Posted by ayaghmour2

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.

The now 21-year-old probably got a nice development bump after the 1936 season, as he only started 5 of his 24 appearances. He also saw a velocity boost from 84-86 to 86-88 this offseason, and he's done a great job polishing up his stuff. A four pitch pitcher, his most consistent pitch is his changeup, but the fastball, curve, and slider can all be thrown for strikes as well. I'm actually quite stunned I expected his pitches to develop, and even more surprised he was actually on one of my shortlists. He's one of those lucky AI selections that turns out to be something special, as Hern ranks 12th in our system and 80th overall. Like Bill Scott, I tried trading him before but got no takers, and now I have to hope he didn't only pitch on year in high school because he was a star point guard.

ayaghmour2 · 09-01-2021, 03:09 PM

I had a nice report written up, but accidentally hit refresh and lost it. Probably won't write a full report today now, but basically it was another boring 3-3 on a long road trip. It's about to end, but we have to face two tough team in the Foresters and Sailors. It's smooth sailing after, however, as we then get to play the rest of August at home. We played 18 road games in a row and will then get 17 home games in a row. The end of the road trip will be a true test of our ability, but it's going to be really nice to be home agian.

ayaghmour2 · 09-02-2021, 05:01 PM

Weekly Record: 2-4
Seasonal Record: 56-54 (5th, 15 GB)
Stars of the Week
Ray Ford : 19 AB, 8 H, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .421 AVG, 1.292 OPS
Leo Mitchell : 19 AB, 7 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .368 AVG, 1.008 OPS
Billy Hunter : 20 AB, 8 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, .400 AVG, .929 OPS

Schedule
8-9: Loss at Foresters (3-5)
8-10: Loss at Foresters (1-6)
8-11: Win at Foresters (12-9): 10 innings
8-12: Win at Sailors (5-3)
8-13: Loss at Sailors (0-3)
8-14: Loss at Sailors (1-12)

Recap
It was a tough week, but we finally ended our road trip with a rough 2-4 week. Our 18 game road trip ended 8-10, and we'll finally start to get some fun home games! I should have expected a result like this, but as always, I'm going to be over optimistic for everything. It was a really tough week for Dick Lyons, who lost both of his starts (also had a relief outing) and lasted six or less in both. He finished with 12 innings, 23 hits, 12 runs, 4 walks, and just one strikeout as he fell to 13-6. He now dropped out of the top three in the CA for ERA, but he's still below the 3.00 mark. Harry Parker also had a tough outing, 10 hits and 7 runs with 2 walks in just 5 innings. Joe Brown really struggled in his relief outings, three appearances with 5.1 innings, 10 hits, 7 runs, and a walk and strikeout. The other three starters pitched well, even Fritz and Sullivan who both were tagged with losses. Fritz went 8 with 8 hits, 3 runs (2 earned), 2 walks, and 2 strikeouts. Sullivan wasn't great by any means, 8 innings, 8 hits, 6 runs (3 earned), 6 walks, and 2 strikeouts, but a lot could have been prevented without the errors. Peter the Heater got a win, but went just 7.2 innings with 7 hits, 3 runs, 9 walks, and 6 strikeouts. He's just two Ks behind Fritz for the team lead, and he should be leading come next week.

We did have some power at the plate, but it was certainly not enough. Ray Ford had a great week, 8-for-19 with 2 homer and 6 RBIs. Leo Mitchell was 7-for-19 with a double, homer, three RBIs, and four runs scored. John Lawson was just 5-for-23, but with 2 doubles, a homer, and 4 runs scored and driven in. That's now 10 for Lawson and Ford, our first hitters to double digits. No homers for Hunter, but he went 8-for-20 with a pair of doubles and runs scored. Doc Love did okay in his pair of starts, 2-for-8 with a double, triple, walk, run, and two driven in.

Looking Ahead
Home sweet home! Our remainder of the month at home starts today, and we get two with the Wolves to kick it off. At 61-46, they're 8.5 games behind the Kings for first. The Wolves have been using 20-year-old George Garrison out of their rotation, and the first five starts haven't quite gone as he's anticipated. "Dawg" is 1-3 with a 7.52 ERA (56 ERA+), 1.95 WHIP, 22 walks, and 5 strikeouts. As a pitcher as talented as him will find ways to fix this, but it's one of the worst walk/strikeout numbers I've seen for a young pitcher. They also picked up Bob Walls at the deadline for the Dynamos, and he allowed 7 hits, a run, and a walk with a strikeout in a complete game win over the Sailors. At the top, Joe Hancock continues his outstanding season, 17-5 with a 3.00 ERA (140 ERA+), 1.28 WHIP, 61 walks, and 106 strikeouts. Former Cougar prospect Reginald Westfall has cooled down a bit at the plate, but he's still hitting an average .273/.360/.420 (102 OPS+) with 21 doubles, 3 triples, 5 homers, and 55 RBIs. Fred McCormick is still hitting above .400, with an insane .416/.496/.634 (191 OPS+) with 37 doubles, 6 triples, 10 homers, and 67 RBIs in 425 trips to the plate. He hasn't started every day, but he's been easily the most valuable player of the entire season. Nick Wallace has kept up his breakout season, batting .369/.396/.469 (124 OPS+) with 12 doubles, 8 homers, and 66 RBIs.

We then get two more with Cleveland before another off day. The Foresters are 56-53, just a single loss less then us on the season. Cleveland did a decent job dismantling us in Cleveland, as deadline acquisition Mel Carroll continues to do what he did to FA pitchers against the CA ones. The former Eagle third basemen hit .387/.444/.519 (149 OPS+) in his first 25 games with the Foresters, with his season line up to .374/.412/.513 (135 OPS+) with 32 doubles, 2 triples, 9 homers, and 87 runs driven in. Another deadline acquisition, our very own Dave Rankin, has made six strong starts for his new team. The 32-year-old is 3-2 with a 3.35 ERA (126 ERA+), 1.49 WHIP, 11 walks, and 20 strikeouts. And he wasn't quite a deadline acquisition, Eli Harkless is off to a nice start to his big league career, batting .322/.396/.418 (111 OPS+) with 7 doubles, 2 triples, a homer, 8 steals, and 13 RBIs with 14 walks and just 3 strikeouts. He hasn't done all that great in the field, but the former 1st Rounder is one of the most hard working players in the game and his bat will only improve as he ages. Bill Moore has turned things around from his rough start, on track for a potential 100-10 walk-to-strikeout ratio to go with his .265/.380/.443 (112 OPS+) batting line, 36 doubles, 11 homers, and 70 RBIs.

After the off day we'll host the Sailors for two of the three games. The now Jones-less Sailors are 57-51 and 13 games out of first. Replacing him in the rotation is former Dynamo (where Jones went) Chuck Murphy, who is 3-4 with a 3.76 ERA (112 ERA+), 1.44 WHIP, 23 walks, and 20 strikeouts in 6 starts and 15 relief outings. The Sailors have also gotten a strong performance from Merritt Thomas, who is 8-5 with a 3.41 ERA (123 ERA+), 1.51 WHIP, 70 walks, and 33 strikeouts in 140 innings pitched. At the plate, Dick Walker is having a classic Dick Walker season, slashing .287/.404/.483 (129 OPS+) with 17 doubles, 11 triples, 12 homers, 20 steals, and 65 RBIs. Nearly every other Sailor starter sits in the 90-99 OPS+ range, but Jorge Nava is still putting together a good year at the plate. The 25-year-old is hitting .282/.415/.423 (117 OPS+) with 16 doubles, 7 triples, 5 homers, 16 steals, and 52 RBIs. Like Walker, and the rest of the lineup, Nava is great at stealing bases, walking, and avoiding strikeouts, and the team ranks first in those three categories as well as OBP. If this was on the road instead of at home, this would be our toughest week of the season, but we tend to play like pennant contenders at home and cellar dwellers on the road. We have really struggled scoring runs this season, and if we want to beat these three teams, we are going to have to pile on the runs.

I've also been pretty active claiming players off waivers, grabbing Max Plourde last sim and now Grover Lee and former Cougar Lou Kelly this sim. All three will be joining the active roster, with John Hartz and Johnny Waters heading to AAA with Paul McLain being designated for assignment. All will fill bench roles, but Lee and Kelly are long time FABL starters and Plourde has shown promise at times with the Chiefs. Our 40 man roster is now full, but there are a handful of guys I'd be okay with DFA'ing if I wanted to bring up a few youngsters in September.

Minor League Report
CF/RHP Juan Pomales (AA Mobile Commodores): I don't think I've covered Pomales yet this season, and part of that is due to a mild shoulder strain that cost him a few weeks. It didn't hamper his production, as he's been above average as a hitter, pitcher, and fielder in AA. "El Conejo" will 100% be a two-way player, so I am taking a very methodical approach with his development. That means the 23-year-old will spend all of this season (regardless of performance) at Mobile this year, to get a good gauge on where he is at as both a hitter and pitcher. I'm really not sure what he will be better at, but he's hitting .298/.351/.483 (123 OPS+) with 15 doubles, 16 triples, 3 homers, 6 steals, and 46 RBIs in 339 trips to the plate. He's been outstanding in the field as well, with efficiencies of 1.053, 1.016, 1.093 in 22 starts in left, 20 in center, and 22 in right. Of course these are all great, but then on the mound he's also 7-7 with a 3.36 ERA (116 ERA+), 1.38 WHIP, 44 walks, and 41 strikeouts in 123.1 innings pitched. I was really worried his arm would be way behind his bat, but he's more then held his own against tough competition. For reference, the Nashville Chieftains are the only team with a better record then Mobile, and just four of their 15 position players are 23 or younger. Pomales currently rates as the 81st best prospect in baseball, but I really don't think it takes into account both his hitting and pitching together, it just looks at his best one. Regardless, he could make it to the big leagues focused on either one, as he projects as a solid starter in center or a solid starter in the rotation. The righty throws just 84-86 with his sinker, but he does a good job keeping the ball on the ground. His pitches aren't very polished yet, and Marv thinks his stuff might end up below average. If that's the case, he'll have to start walking less batters, or at least making sure he doubles them up right after. I think his best tool is his defense, as he has excellent range and an absolute cannon. He could turn into a Tom Taylor type outfielder, easily tracking down balls in the outfield and gunning runners at any base. He's extremely fast, which helps him on the field and in the basepaths, and Pomales should end up an extra base machine. He'll need to improve his stolen base rates, but I'm not sure how much I want my pitcher stealing. At the plate he's very disciplined, and he'll draw a ton of walks and work the count due to his knowledge of the strike zone. He doesn't look for a walk, but he'll scoff at the bad stuff and rope the pitches in the zone. I think the coolest thing for Pomales is if he makes the majors, he'll have a tight battle between how many homers he'll hit and how many he'll allow if I continue to let him play as a two way player. Pomales will get Mobile next season, but I don't think we'll see him in Chicago unless something happens to one of our young pitchers, as I won't want him pitching out of the pen or sitting on the bench.

RHP Dan Everett (AA Mobile Commodores): Chronic back soreness did cost him almost a month, but when healthy, Dan Everett has looked really good on the mound. His most recent start might have been the best, a 3-hit shutout with 2 walks and 6 strikeouts as we topped the Knoxville Knights 7-0. Everett now has three straight complete game victories, and his 7 starts for the Commodores have gone really well. He's 5-1 with a 2.86 ERA (136 ERA+), 1.24 WHIP, 25 walks, and 27 strikeouts across 56.2 innings pitched. These are rather comparable to the numbers he put up in his five starts with Lincoln, and the 22-year-old has progressed well this year. A former 5th Round selection by the Foresters in 1933, we grabbed Everett in the 1936 offseason, and he put in a lot of work over the offseason. His fastball velocity jumped from 87-89 to 90-92, and his change and curve have both developed into FABL quality pitches. He's approaching the top 100, as our 15th ranked prospect checks in at 127th in the league. With a lot of prospects starting to graduate (dropped to 3rd in the league and we'll see Pete and Parker graduate real soon), Everett's value is continuing to increase for us, and I think he'll be able to fill out at big league rotation in a few seasons.

LHP Jim Miller (AA Mobile Commodores): The Cougar farm teams had a great week, including Mobile's 13-0 thrashing of the New Orleans Showboats. Jim Miller's gem wasn't needed, but he allowed just 6 hits and 3 walks with 2 strikeouts in a shutout victory. Miller has now made 6 starts since being promoted, and the 24-year-old has been lights out. He's now 4-1 with a 1.65 ERA (236 ERA+), 0.99 WHIP, 16 walks, and 17 strikeouts in 54.2 innings pitched. This is somehow better then the 53 innings down in Lincoln where Miller was 3-1 with a 2.21 ERA (179 ERA+), 1.00 WHIP, 11 walks, and 19 strikeouts. Our 9th Rounder from 1934 has looked incredible this season, but he fails to get any love from the prospect people. Miller has had an interesting rise, starting with his draft year as a closer. .Miller only pitched as a junior at Indiana A&M, and went 2-1 with 16 saves and a 3.26 ERA in 30.1 innings out of the pen. Then in the offseason, he added an extra pitch, and turned into a starting pitching option. He has shown he has the stamina, going well over 100 pitches in his last four starts including a pair of starts where he pitched into the 11th. Miller has a rubber arm and loves to induce groundballs with a devastating sinker. He has great control and can limit walks and at worst his stuff and movement are average. A strong defense will make Miller look good, especially in the middle infield, but the lefty can strike out a batter when he needs to.

RF Chubby Hall (A Lincoln Legislators): It's only a matter of time before Chubby becomes the Cougars #1 prospect, as the current #28 prospect in baseball ranks behind just Pete and Parker in our system. The 1935 3rd Rounder had a nice 5-hit game as we outslugged the Chiefs 13-7. As nice as that, Hall has played 35 games with Lincoln, but has yet to hit a home run. This is definitely a cause for concern, as he hit 12 in 63 games with San Jose and power is a big part of his game. He hasn't came close to his .314/.384/.535 (145 OPS+) line either, batting just .286/.335/.381 (97 OPS+) in 159 trips to the plate. He was also walking (28) more then he struck out (19), but now has more then twice (26) as many strikeouts as walks (11). Still, I shouldn't worry too much, as Hall has had some bumps along the road already. I expected something like this, as I knew I was drafting a very raw (yet extremely exciting) prospect, and while he won't be ready for a while, I'm comfortable waiting for him to get it right. Hall projects to be a patient hitter with good discipline with 20 homer power and outstanding contact potential. I can see Hall hitting over .350 with one of those insane walk-to-strikeout ratios like Bill Moore. He'll never get confused with an elite defender, but Hall should be able to handle either corner outfield spot well. Marv thinks he'll "unleash his obvious talent both on the field and at the plate" and I think he could be one of the best outfielders in the game. Not quite a Wonder Wheel, but even better then Doc Love. Hall even took home Player of the Week this week, as a 5-hit game will help, batting .467 and driving in 14 runs.

LHP Ed Wilkinson (B San Jose Cougars): Our 4th Round selection from this June's draft, it took just six pro starts for Ed Wilkinson to record his first career shutout. It was his fourth with San Jose, and Wilkinson allowed just a single hit with 4 walks and 8 strikeouts as we topped the Bakersfield Bears 4-0. A five pitch pitcher, Wilson attacks hitters with his 90 mile per hour fastball and then places his four off-speed pitches on the corners to lock up hitters. His raw stuff is impressive, and his mix of pitches could give some big league hitters issues. The issue right now his control, but I imagine he'll eventually improve his 3.1 BB/9. I think Wilkinson is pretty well developed for his age, and could be a quick riser through the system. His development has trended upward since he was a freshman, and a few seasons ago he wasn't even considered a serious prospect. Currently he ranks 27th in our system and 294th in the league, but I think in a season or two he may find himself in the top 150. Marv isn't the biggest fan of him, but I love his low floor and think worst case he ends up as a nice longman/spot starter, which isn't too bad of a floor.

CF Harry Carr (C La Crosse Legislators): It's not every year a 10th Round Pick hits over .400. And it's even far less common when it happens to be an 18-year-old. But none the less, Harry Carr is hitting an impressive .404/.409/.495 (126 OPS+) with a homer, 2 triples, 3 doubles, 6 steals, and 16 RBIs. As you can see, the Akron kid doesn't walk too much, and he does need to work on improving his pitch selection. His contact too, however, is extremely well developed and his speed will help allow him to maintain a higher BABIP then most. A natural center fielder, Carr has spent most of his time in right, but he also has experience in left, and at both middle infield spots. An extremely raw prospect, Carr has already started to fly up prospect lists, now inside the top 200 at 195. The key to success will be his glove, as he'll need to show that he has the range to stick in center, as I don't think Carr will be much of an extra base threat. I do like Carr's makeup, as he's always looking to learn, and I think his high signing bonus ($5,500) allowed him to fall further then he should've in the draft and I could have uncovered a nice development project.

SS Stu Stasny (C La Crosse Lions): The prospect we picked up from the Gothams in the Oscar Morse trade, Stu Stasny has started out his Cougar career red hot. In a 14-2 domination of the Pioneers, Stasny was 5-for-6 with 2 doubles and 2 RBIs, while scoring all five times he was on base. He followed it up with a 2-for-5 game, and raised his La Crosse line to .426/.470/.492 (141 OPS+) with 4 doubles and 10 RBIs in 66 PAs. A 14th Round Pick by the Gothams in the 1936 draft, I've actually been using the 6'4'' righty at first, as he struggled at short with the Gothams Class C affiliate. Stasny has been "making real and significant improvement at the plate" and he looks like someone who can make a lot of contact. That's what it looked like too when he was a sophomore at Porter and hit .509/.554/.769, way better then the .425/.456/.628 he hit as a senior. Stasny has yet to hit a home run, so it will be funny if he ends up a first basemen (I think third or second is more likely, but I wanted his bat in the lineup), but I really hope the big guy can add some power.

LF Billy Jordan Jr. (C La Crosse Lions): Stasny wasn't the only guy with a 5-hit game, as teammate Billy Jordan Jr. was also 5-for-6 in that game, although Jordan drove in 4 and scored twice. The Chicagoan hasn't been having the best year, batting just .332/.399/.425 (107 OPS+) with 16 doubles, 3 triples, 2 homers, and 39 RBIs in his third year with the Lions. He got a brief callup to San Jose earlier in the year, but with the clogged up outfields, it has been hard for him to get much playing time in his young career. A former 13th Rounder, I actually placed him on my list for that round in the 1935 draft because his dad was a Cougar. He didn't pitch very much for us, but his 1915 was a year to remember. With a league low .234 opponent BABIP, a 28-year-old Billy Jordan finished 17-9 with a 2.42 ERA (121 ERA+) and 1.11 WHIP in 248.2 innings pitched. He struck out 144 and walked 98, but he threw just 50 more FABL innings. Junior was born two years later, but his father continued to pitch in the minors until he retired in 1922. Marv thinks Jordan Jr. will hit for a high average and potentially earn a big league callup, but I wonder if that's just because of his baseball pedigree. He does check in at 426th in the league, but that's outside of our top 30. He's a good kid and a hard worker, so he may grind his way to a big league opportunity.

ayaghmour2 · 09-03-2021, 03:37 PM

Weekly Record: 4-2
Seasonal Record: 60-56 (4th, 15 GB)
Stars of the Week
Leo Mitchell : 23 AB, 13 H, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .565 AVG, 1.322 OPS
Rich Langton : 23 AB, 8 H, 0 HR, 4 RBI, .348 AVG, 1.030 OPS
Carlos Montes : 22 AB, 7 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .318 AVG, .991 OPS

Schedule
8-15: Win vs Wolves (8-12)
8-16: Loss vs Wolves (9-4)
8-17: Win vs Foresters (1-3)
8-18: Win vs Foresters (3-4): 13 innings
8-19: Win vs Sailors (4-5)
8-20: Loss vs Sailors (5-2)

Recap
Home sweet home! The boys looked like a good team again, and we took four of six from the best non-Kings team in the league. A few more one run games, but this time the home side came back on top! We even swept the Foresters, and one of my favorites Leo Mitchell led the team this week with an outstanding week. Our former 2nd Rounder was the best in the league this week, going 13-for-23 with 5 runs scored and 2 more driven in. It has been a bit of an up and down year for Mitchell, but he's hitting an effective .331/.373/.457 (122 OPS+) with 24 doubles, 2 triples, 8 homers, 6 steals, and 58 RBIs in 440 PAs. He hasn't quite settled into a position yet, 49 games at first, 53 in left, and 12 more in right, but my guess is Mitchell will settle into the left field role as long as Ray Ford can stay on the field. Mitchell hasn't walked all that much this season, but batting ahead of John Lawson when their is a righty on the mound or Ray Ford with a lefty will give Mitchell a lot of hittable pitches. The 25-year-old has already set career highs in hits (136), doubles (24), homers (8), RBIs (58), and steals (6) while he'll still need 21 more plate appearances for that high. Mitchell's bat has really come along, and while he ranks 6th in the league for left fielders, I think he'll hit is way to an eventual top 3 ranking.

Mitchell wasn't the only hitter with an impressive week, as his outfield mates Rich Langton and Carlos Montes made consistent contact as well. Langton was 8-for-23 with 3 doubles, a triple, a steal, 4 runs, 4 walks, and 5 RBIs. That improved his season line to .316/.382/.440 (120 OPS+), but Langton has seen a huge drop in his power production. The 21 doubles and 7 triples are nice, but he's homered just 5 times and looks likely to fail to reach double digits for the first time in his career. Montes hasn't hit nearly as well during the year as Langton, but he got back on track by going 7-for-22 with a double, triple, homer, 3 RBIs, 3 walks, and 6 runs scored. Montes is at 7 homers, and could still reach 10 by season's end, but he's hitting just .258/.327/.408 (96 OPS+) in 338 trips to the plate. John Lawson hit another out of the part, 6-for-22 with a double and six driven in as well. Billy Hunter looked nice, 7-for-20 with a double, four walks, and two runs scored and driven in. The errors have been an issue for Hunter as well, as he's had a little bit of a disappointing sophomore season. Of course, he's just 23, and a lot of 23-year-old are waiting for a chance to play in the FABL, while Hunter is a borderline top-5 shortstop.

The pitching wasn't great this week, but Milt Frtiz has really started to heat up. He didn't pick up a win, but he pitched 10 in our 13 inning win, allowing just 5 hits, 3 runs (2 earned...), and 2 walks with 4 strikeouts. Harry Parker pitched the other game against Cleveland, a complete game victory with 5 hits, a run, and 4 strikeouts to improve to 6-2. Our two start starter this week was Pete Papenfus, but he had absolutely zero command of his pitches. He walked nine in both starts, combining for 15.2 innings pitched. He lost one and picked up a no decision, dropping to 6-2, and he allowed 12 hits and 9 runs (7 earned) with 10 strikeouts. He's one shy of 60 and has a legit chance to crack double digits with more then a month left in the season. He hasn't thrown a complete game since the 2nd, but his last three starts have seen him hurl 160 or more pitches. I'm not sure how this kid throws 100 100 mile per hour fastballs per game, but I'm not going to question greatness.

Looking Ahead
We start the week with the Sailors, as we look to beat Chuck Murphy to take the series. They are 61-54, and a game and a half ahead of us for third. Murphy's last start was a good one, 9 hits, a run, and 2 walks in a complete game win over the Foresters. That's three straight complete games for the 29-year-old, who has adjusted well to the rotation. Former Cougar Mack Deal is having a decent year, as the now 32-year-old is hitting .290/.352/.403 (95 OPS+) with 10 doubles, 9 steals, and 28 RBIs while also offering excellent defense at the hot corner. River Grove's Woody Stone is having a decent year too, as the 22-year-old is hitting a slightly below average .293/.356/.398 (95 OPS+) with 23 doubles, 2 triples, 2 homers, and 43 RBIs, while walking 31 times and striking out just twice. If the power comes, Stone will be one of the best catchers in the game, but Stone is looking more like a contact first singles hitter.

Our next stop is Montreal, for a two game set with the now last place Saints. They've really fallen on rough times, dropping to 46-69 and a game behind the Stars. Billy Stall, who replaced the injured George Thomas, is still pitching fine, 4-8 with a 3.54 ERA (118 ERA+), 1.30 WHIP, 23 walks, and 37 strikeouts in just under 100 innings pitched. Now 25-year-old Biff Henson hasn't hit the best, just .276/.336/.316 (70 OPS+), but the natural shortstop has looked good at the keystone as well. Red Bond continues to slug, now with 14 homers and 59 RBIs to go with a strong .311/.359/.471 (114 OPS+) batting line. He's making up for part of Vic Crawford's struggles, who is batting just .263/.329/.410 (91 OPS+) with 9 homers and 62 knocked in. Bert Lass has a hold on the three spot in the batting race, hitting an impressive .342/.413/.459 (126 OPS+) with 30 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, and 37 RBIs in 416 trips to the plate. His nickname is Red (which would make things a bit confusing in the clubhouse), but the rookie is recently 24 and complete a very strong outfield.

Next up is the CA juggernaut, the 75-41 Kings, who sit 9 games ahead of the fierce young Wolves. Mike Murphy has turned into Tom Barrell, 13-4 with a CA-best 2.44 ERA (171 ERA+), 1.10 WHIP, 41 walks, and 44 strikeouts in 158.2 ace-like innings. Day after day I wish Tommy Wilcox never got hurt, because seeing Murphy pitch this well would bring nothing but happiness. He'll likely start 30 games again this year, which should be his third season with 30 or more starts and a 150 or higher ERA+. The Kings also have the runner up for the ERA crown, Chicagoan Bob Cummings, who is 12-3 with a 2.65 ERA (158 ERA+), 1.40 WHIP, 54 walks, and 65 strikeouts in 129 innings pitched. The former 7th Overall Pick is really breaking out at 25, and after giving up a league high 23 homers in 1936, he's allowed just 5 this year after 4 in 89 innings last year. Limiting the homers has been huge, and Cummings is shaping up to be another strong member in an already strong rotation. The Kings boosted their farm at the deadline, sending Bill May to the Chiefs, and one of the pieces they got back was the well-traveled former Cougar Bob Worley. He was doing terrible for the Chiefs, but he's slashing an outstanding .347/.421/.653 (176 OPS+) with 4 homers and 11 RBIs in 59 post-trade plate appearances. The Kings also look to have three 20 homer players, with Al Wheeler hitting 20 on the 18th and Vance and Pestilli within five.

We then finish the week with just one of our two games with the Stars. There is a lot of news around New York with the firing of their General Manager, an illegal trade (no trades past July 31st allowed) that would've built a super outfield in Detroit, and the long overdue promotion of #1 prospect Bill Barrett. The 18-year-old doesn't play like an 18-year-old, and he launched three homers in his big league debut week. He's just 5-for-22, but he added a triple and drove in 6. He'll handle center now, with Chink Stickels moving to right. Stickels' average has dropped a bit, but he's still hitting a robust .334/.398/.539 (145 OPS+) with 36 doubles, 14 triples, 5 homers, 7 steals, and 50 RBIs. This moved clubhouse leader Hank Jones to the bench, and while he has cooled off greatly from his outstanding start, he's still hitting .296/.352/.440 (108 OPS+) with 25 doubles, 5 triples, 5 homers, and 64 RBIs. The Stars have also seen improved pitching, with four of their current starting five holding ERAs below 4. They even have a legit ace, George Phillips, who is 9-6 with a 2.75 ERA (150 ERA+), 1.31 WHIP, 59 walks, and 52 strikeouts in 150.2 innings pitched. He's got the best ERA for CA pitcher not on the Kings, but it's only a bit better then top prospect Billy Riley. In 11 starts and 15 relief outings, he's 7-7 with a 2.86 ERA (144 ERA+), 1.23 WHIP, 30 walks, and 40 strikeouts. Fellow top prospect Glenn Payne has been a bit unlucky, 2-9 on the year, but he's got a 3.43 ERA (120 ERA+) and 1.42 WHIP with 49 walks and 41 strikeouts in 12 starts and 11 relief outings. The Stars are showing signs of improvement, but it may be a few more seasons before the Stars are back to their prestigious selves.

Minor League Report
2B Bill Dickens (AA Mobile Commodores): One of the more surprising Player of the Weeks so far this season, part timer Bill Dickens took home the award for the Dixie League. Dickens was 11-for-18, including a trio of 3-for-4 games, as he improved his season line to .330/.380/.431 (118 OPS+) for the year. He's started just 53 of the 80 games he's played, but he's looked impressive at the plate and great at both middle infield spots. He's stuck behind Homer Ray, Dick Voss, and Ivan Cameron at the moment, but top prospect Tommy Wilson got hurt in AAA, and with the rosters expanding shortly, I'm comfortable moving one of them up to AAA so Dickens can see a little more time in the last month or so. Part of the John Kincaid deal in the Summer of '35, Dickens wasn't used too much in Philly, part of the reason I asked for him with Stumpy. He's not the most exciting prospect, but he's well developed and a very versatile infielder. He may never quite hit .300, but should be able to hold his own at the plate with tougher pitching. The switch hitter was passed up in the Rule-5 draft last offseason, and while I definitely don't want to lose him, I won't be upset if another team gives him a more regular opportunity.

RHP Ray McNeill (A Lincoln Legislators): A 7th Round selection last year, Ray McNeill had everything working against the Cedar Rapid Chiefs. It didn't matter too much, the offense scored nine, but McNeill allowed just 2 hits and didn't walk a batter while striking out 8. That was his 6th start since a callup from San Jose, and the Maryland State alum is now 5-1 with a 2.25 ERA (176 ERA+), 0.95 WHIP, 9 walks, and 26 strikeouts across 44 innings pitched. He's always been a big strikeout pitcher, but his current 5.3 K/9 is outstanding. A polished six pitch pitcher, the righty could strike out his share of FABL hitters, as he's able to place the soft stuff well. His fastball doesn't overwhelm, sitting in the mid 80s, and he uses both of his change ups to rack up the strikeouts. He's not one of our top prospects by any means, but I'm a big fan of serviceable college arms who can race up the system and eventually develop into either trade bait or a suitable inning eater.

EDIT: Our commissioner posted on the Barrell thread(https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...&postcount=160), and the most recent post was very Cougar-centric and brought back a lot of good memories. Definitely worth checking out, as always a really good piece in the Barrell story. Although it is almost Tommy Wilcox time...

ayaghmour2 · 09-04-2021, 06:15 PM

With the new regional draft round for the upcoming 1939 January Draft, I thought it would be fitting to cover some of the players I will have priority of, if they make it past the first two rounds. I won't re-cover Whitey Dorsch, easily the best of the 50 or so Illinois kids.

RHP William Russell
School: Millville
1938: 7-2, 100.1 IP, 1.97 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 16 BB, 93 K
Career: 16-5, 226.1 IP, 1.75 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 46 BB, 213 K

He was born in Chicago, Illinois, but William Russell moved to New Jersey as a kid and attends Millville High School. But, since the determinant is City of Birth, not school, Russell is a potential option for us. My scout is a fan, thinking he could end up a back of the rotation arm due to a great and consistent change up. He's also got a mid 80s fastball and mediocre forkball, plus he can offer up a slider if he needs to as well. None of the other three pitches are all that great, but combined it's enough to allow him start in the big leagues. He's improved his control as well, and I imagine his change up will be even more effective if he adds some velocity to his fastball. It could also make it a decent #2 offering, and I expect the 6'6'' righty won't be sitting in the 83-85 range his whole career. He also may end up a two way player, and after no at bats as a sophomore he hit .365/.380/.460 with 7 doubles, a triple, a homer, and 24 RBIs in 132 trips to the plate. These aren't the best numbers, so my guess is pitching his future role, but it is something he could potentially add to his game. You can never have too many pitchers, so getting a potential rotation piece in Russell could be intriguing come Winter.

3B Dick Carson
School: Carolina Poly
1938: .264/.378/.447, 236 PA, 10 2B, 3B, 8 HR, 37 RBI, 13 SB
Career: .269/.382/.457, 530 PA, 22 2B, 2 3B, 19 HR, 82 RBI, 26 SB

Another kid from the Chi, Dick Carson got a scholarship to Carolina-Poly out in Durham, and he's started his first two seasons there. He was better as a freshman, batting .273/.385/.465 with 12 doubles, 11 homers, and 45 RBIs, but he did look good last year as well. Carson has demonstrated a keen eye at the plate and he has the potential to have an average eye compared to FABL players. He does make some bad swings, which will stop him from hitting for a high average, but he's able to drive the ball when he makes contact and have more then enough power to punish mistakes. He's also looked really comfortable on the field at third, and it would be good enough to make up for a low average or low power. Luckily for him, I don't think he'll be low in either category, so the defense will be the cherry on top and not what gets him an opportunity. We are now very deep in the system at third, so Carson may not be a Cougar, but he's definitely an exciting prospect I've been following for a bit.

CF Raoul Pertorini
School: DeKalb
1938: .452/.504/.769, 117 PA, 13 2B, 4 3B, 4 HR, 28 RBI, 32 SB
Career: .476/.539/.791, 234 PA, 24 2B, 10 3B, 7 HR, 61 RBI, 48 SB

Another Chicagoan who didn't stay in Chicago for school, Pertorini moved to the suburbs and went to school out in DeKalb. He burst onto the scene as a sophomore, hitting .500/.556/.814 with 11 doubles, 6 triples, 3 homers, and 33 RBIs. His triple slash was down a bit this year, but he doubled his stolen bases and added to his double and homer totals. Raoul's best asset is his speed, using it to consistently take the extra base and it looks like he's harnessed that raw speed into base stealing ability as well. His defense is fine, but he may be better suited for left or right as he develops. He has to work on his approach at the plate, too many reckless and unnecessary swings, and he doesn't make enough contact to make it worth it. Still, he has exciting tools, doesn't turn 17 until April, and could be groomed into a functional organizational piece.

1B Jim Dorsey
School: Plantations College
1938: .277/.366/.435, 293 PA, 14 2B, 3B, 8 HR, 40 RBI, 4 SB
Career: .277/.379/.444, 608 PA, 31 2B, 2 3B, 17 HR, 84 RBI, 8 SB

I'm not a big first basemen fan, but I love power and Jim Dorsey seems likely to reach double digits for the first time this year. With 9 homers as a freshman and 8 as a junior, I wouldn't be too surprised to see 10 or 11 from the 6'2'' righty. Born in the city, Dorsey got a scholarship to Plantations College out in Rhode Island, and he's put up pretty similar seasons where he hit .277 both times. The story is the same for him as most, better season last year then this, but while he did have a lower batting line and homer, run, and RBI totals, he cut down his strikeouts from 40 to 28 in just 22 fewer plate appearances. This is a significant drop, and Dorsey is projected to draw a lot of walks as he matures. It appears his judgment of the strike zone is improving, and that's always a plus for power hitters. He doesn't make consistent contact and neither Marv or OSA are all that high on him, but there aren't too many good Illinois bats.

3B John Blakes
School: Morris
1938: .426/.530/.722, 135 PA, 15 2B, 3B, 5 HR, 29 RBI, 7 SB
Career: .417/.526/.674, 272 PA, 29 2B, 3 3B, 7 HR, 58 RBI, 9 SB

While there may not be many good bats, there are a lot of third basemen. I'm not too sure what to make out of John Blakes, as the still 15-year-old (16 in October) barely hit .400 as a sophomore and just happened to have a huge power surge as a junior. He hit more then double as many homers as last season, and improved his slugging almost a full 100 points. Both OSA and Marv talk about his plate discipline and how he should draw a lot of walks, but neither of them mention this newfound power. Both reports are a little old, so I am re-scouting Blakes myself, but if the power is legit, his entire prospect profile changes. His age is also just as interesting, as he's so much younger then most of the other 1939 draftees. This could be why he has hit for such a low average, and could also explain the growth in power. If the power comes around, his value will be immense, but without it he's a dime a dozen infield prospect who likely doesn't get past A ball.

LHP John Marsh
School: Lockport
1938: 6-3, 98 IP, 1.56 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 36 BB, 128 K
Career: 24-6, 303.2 IP, 1.63 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 96 BB, 385 K

A three year starter! Lockport's ace, John Marsh is one of the few who actually played as a freshman, and he's looking to add to his already 43 games started as a high schooler. Marsh has been very consistent, with ERAs sitting between 1.56 and 1.73, WHIPs between 0.98 and 1.07, and K/9s between 11 and 11.8. The only issue with Marsh, however, are his pitches. He has a sinker, fastball, and changeup, and unfortunately, none of them look like good pitches and stronger hitters will be able to make him pay. He sits in the 86-88 range, but he doesn't generate many grounders with his sinker and after a 1.9 BB/9 as a freshman, he's posted marks above 3 the past two seasons. Still, the numbers are very good and pitchers have turned the "Bullpen" projected role into something starter-oriented (plus there's always the enigma of Otis Cook) to improve his future value. The 6'1'' southpaw is a lean and athletic arm, he has added velocity in each of the past two seasons, and if he ends up throwing in the 90s, it adds a lot of value.

SS Leo Mick
School: Central Kentucky
1938: .307/.365/.448, 212 PA, 8 2B, 5 3B, 3 HR, 39 RBI, 36 SB
Career: .296/.353/.427, 432 PA, 18 2B, 9 3B, 5 HR, 64 RBI, 75 SB

See! Not everyone from Illinois is from Chicago! A native of Peoria, Leo Mick spent the past two seasons at Central Kentucky, and he'll look to keep up his positive trend. Last year he upped his average, OBP, slugging, hits, runs, triples, homers, and RBIs. Mick profiles as a bench bat currently, but he's got above average contact potential and he makes all the routine plays in the field. He does have some experience at third as well, and I'd imagine he'd be able to learn second rather easily. He almost never strikes out, a huge plus, so with Mick you will se a lot of soft contact and bloop singles over the shortstop. He's hit a few homers in college, but it's not expected to translate to bigger FABL ballparks.

SS Arnie Scurlock
School: Cumberland University
1938: .291/.358/.386, 251 PA, 8 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 46 RBI, 33 SB
Career: .281/.350/.366, 448 PA, 14 2B, 3 3B, 6 HR, 80 RBI, 71 SB

A switch hitter from Oak Park, there are very few players as versatile as the highly intriguing Arnie Scurlock. With experience everywhere on the field except catcher, pitcher, and first (although, he could easily man that), Scurlock can fill in wherever he is needed and he should be average or better in each spot. I like him even at short, but it's a bit tougher to judge his outfield play until he reaches a professional team. At the plate, he should be a discipline hitter, but sometimes he's prone to free swinging. The power jump was nice, doubling his homer total from 2 to 4 last season, and another doubling would make him a very hot commodity. The versatility is enough to attract interest in him, and he also showed great improvement in year two. It wasn't just homers that rose, he also increased his triple slash, runs, hits, doubles, triples, and walks. He's on the older side, will be 22 in March, but this could allow him to ascend quickly in an organization.

ayaghmour2 · 09-06-2021, 12:34 PM

Weekly Record: 3-4
Seasonal Record: 63-60 (4th, 15.5 GB)
Stars of the Week
Leo Mitchell : 30 AB, 11 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .367 AVG, .887 OPS
Ray Ford : 30 AB, 10 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .333 AVG, .875 OPS
John Lawson : 28 AB, 9 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, .321 AVG, .851 OPS

Schedule
8-21: Win vs Sailors (2-3): 15 innings
8-22: Loss vs Saints (5-3)
8-23: Win vs Saints (0-2)
8-24: Win vs Kings (1-6)
8-25: Loss vs Kings (2-0): 11 innings
8-26: Loss vs Kings (4-1)
8-27: Loss vs Stars (6-5)

Recap
A middling week for us, as the New York teams did very well in Chicago. I always expect the Kings to beat us, but letting the Stars win the first of two will definitely hurt. And speaking of hurt, we saw our first real injury of the season. The recently claimed Max Plourde didn't even throw an inning for us, but suffered an undisclosed injury that will keep him out for 2-3 months. That really ended any chance he had of earning a spot for next season. I'll bring John Hartz right back up to replace him on the active roster. We will also get the benefit of roster expansion next week, so a few more Blues players will join him shortly.

Milt Fritz tossed a gem against his former team (Montreal), working a 3-hit, 5 strikeout shutout of the Saints. It was his first win of August, but he now has a monthly 1.80 ERA and 0.97 WHIP with 8 walks and 12 strikeouts. Dick Lyons put together another gem, 5 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, and 1 strikeout in a complete game win over Brooklyn. Peter the Heater also faced the Kings, but was tagged with an 11 inning loss. He allowed 2 runs, 7 hits, and 7 walks with 9 strikeouts. Cy Sullivan made two starts, including a 12 inning no decision against the Sailors where he allowed 11 hits, 2 runs, and 2 walks with 4 strikeouts. He was rested enough for a complete game in the finale against the Kings, but he got the loss with 11 hits, 4 runs, 3 walks, and 3 strikeouts. Harry Parker struggled in his two starts, and while he did throw two complete games, he allowed 18 hits, 11 runs, and 2 walks with 7 strikeouts in losses to the Saints and Stars.

We didn't get much support from the offense, but Mike Taylor looked good, 6-for-20 with 3 doubles, a homer, and 3 RBIs. Leo Mitchell was 11-for-30 with a double, homer, and five driven in. Ray Ford was 10-for-30 with a homer, 2 doubles, 3 RBIs, and 4 runs. John Lawson was 9-for-28 with a triple, RBI, and pair of doubles. Grover Lee got his first Cougar hit, a pinch hit RBI double against New York.

Looking Ahead
One more against the Stars, who sit 49-70 and three games ahead of the Saints who now sit in last. Chris Clarke has turned things around on the mound, now 3-6 with a 3.45 ERA (120 ERA+), 1.56 WHIP, 22 walks, and 30 strikeouts. The unlucky Glenn Payne is 3-9, but his 3.15 ERA (131 ERA+), 1.35 WHIP, 49 walks, and 44 strikeouts are much more encouraging. George Phillips ERA is now slightly above 3, at 3.01 (137 ERA+) with a nice 1.35 WHIP, 64 walks, and 54 strikeouts. 23-year-old shortstop Joe Angevine had his contract purchased just a few days ago, and is 3-for-8 with a double, two runs, and an RBI in his first two starts. He currently ranks as the 44th best prospect in baseball, and was actually a target of mine in the Max Wilder trade (went with Karl Wallace instead). Angevine is a potential top-5 shortstop and is a much better option then fellow 23-year-old Floyd Briscoe. Dave Trowbridge is now 40, and still hitting a productive .288/.371/.456 (117 OPS+) with 13 doubles, 7 homers, and 40 RBIs. He's still a productive regular at this stage in his career, but we are likely nearing the end of the best pro career out of Sweet Home, Oregon.

Our next guest would be Baltimore, who sit a half game ahead of the Stars with one extra win. The Cannons have also brought up one of their top prospects, outfielder Bob Griffith, but he's hitting just .189/.302/.351 (74 OPS+) with 2 doubles, triples, and RBIs in 43 trips to the plate. Ken Mayhugh is having a bit above average first season with the Cannons, batting .304/.366/.401 (105 OPS+) with 18 doubles, 8 homers, and 59 RBIs. He was projected to be the teams top hitter, but that falls on Whit Williams, who is hitting a nice .301/.382/.423 (115 OPS+) with 21 doubles, 6 triples, 5 homers, 9 steals, and 49 RBIs. They've also brought up youngster Rufus Barrell II, but the 21-year-old future ace is just 1-6 with a 6.00 ERA (68 ERA+), 1.39 WHIP, 16 walks, and 37 strikeouts in 57 innings pitched. Rusty Petrick has started to breakout, as despite being 9-11, he's got a real good 3.59 ERA (114 ERA+) and 1.47 WHIP with 128 walks and 101 strikeouts. Ace Gus Goulding is on track for 316 innings, currently 12-13 with a 3.80 ERA (108 ERA+), 1.28 WHIP, 71 walks, and 92 strikeouts.

We're then off on the second, and we'll use that day to head to Cleveland for a quick two game stop with the Foresters. They've dropped to 61-61, but it's not been because of Dave Rankin. Our former inning eater is 5-4 with a 3.61 ERA (117 ERA+), 1.58 WHIP, 27 walks, and 30 strikeouts in 82.1 innings pitched. Fellow deadline acquisition Jim Hawkins hasn't been nearly as effective, 1-4 with a 4.68 ERA (90 ERA+), 1.54 WHIP, 22 walks, and 14 strikeouts in his 42.1 innings pitched. Dan Fowler is now up to 20 homers, as he's maintained a .243/.367/.418 (103 OPS+) triple slash with 81 walks and 75 RBIs. Roy Bradley has put together a strong second season in Cleveland, hitting .322/.350/.484 (113 OPS+) with 36 doubles, 10 triples, 6 homers, 8 steals, and 56 RBIs. Rookie Eli Harkless has started to slump, and will miss this week with biceps tendinitis, while his batting line has dropped to .302/.372/.385 (96 OPS+).

Minor League Report
RHP Bill Seabolt (A Lincoln Legislators): It's been seven starts since a promotion up to A ball, and Bill Seabolt has been absolutely lights out. The 1935 6th Round selection is a perfect 6-0 with a 1.92 ERA (205 ERA+), 1.10 WHIP, 19 walks, and 21 strikeouts in 51.2 innings pitched. He'll turn 24 in September, but Seabolt is still a little underdeveloped for his age. At his peak he should feature a good change and decent curve, but his other three offerings (fastball, cutter, splitter) aren't anything to right home about. He could start in the big leagues, but to be a good starter, he'll need to find a reliable third pitch. I think that'll be his fastball or cutter, both hovering in the 89-91 range, but my scout thinks he'll end up with an "eccentric profile - very low HR, very high walks," and that he has the talent to start. With how well he's pitching, he's sure to turn some heads, but he ranks just 42nd in our system and 471st in all of baseball.

3B Harry Peterson (A Lincoln Legislators): Another guy who really isn't one of our top prospects, Harry Peterson has put together a tremendous season. Acquired back in 1935 for Howard Moss, the 22-year-old is batting .346/.392/.448 (131 OPS+) with 20 doubles, 8 triples, 2 homers, and 59 RBIs with 8 times as many walks (32) as strikeouts (4). He did get 50 games with the Legislators last season, but he hit just .239/.275/.307 (55 OPS+) and did not look up to the task. A rather light hitter, Peterson projects to hit a bit over .300 in the FABL, but not with many homers or even doubles. He does make good contact, and despite nods from my scout and OSA for his defense, didn't look all that great at the hot corner this year. But, Peterson is a classic prankster, the kind of guy you want in the clubhouse to break your out of slumps, and he has his teammates support. Of qualified Cougar hitters, he has the highest batting average (a point above Dick Voss) in the system, and one of the strongest pure contact tools. I'm not expecting too much from Peterson, but lofty expectations would paint a picture similar to John Kincaid, just without the speed.

ayaghmour2 · 09-07-2021, 05:40 PM

Weekly Record: 3-3
Seasonal Record: 66-63 (5th, 13 GB)
Stars of the Week
Rich Langton : 24 AB, 8 H, 3 HR, 9 RBI, .333 AVG, 1.282 OPS
John Lawson : 22 AB, 10 H, 0 HR, 7 RBI, .455 AVG, 1.172 OPS
Ray Ford : 23 AB, 7 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .304 AVG, .915 OPS

Schedule
8-28: Loss vs Stars (5-3)
8-29: Loss vs Cannons (5-4)
8-31: Win vs Cannons (2-4)
9-1: Win vs Cannons (3-7)
9-3: Loss at Foresters (4-6)
9-4: Win at Foresters (13-12): 10 innings

Recap
A boring 3-3 week drops us to fifth, as even after we snapped the Foresters seven game win streak, we now find ourselves half a game behind them. I can't believe the Stars swept us, but we kept up the theme of playing close games, with all but one of them separated by two or less runs. The finale against the Foresters was crazy as well, a 10 inning game with 19 Cougar hits (just 13 for Cleveland...) that saved a poor Papenfus outing (more on that later). Rosters are now also expanded, so we can carry up to 35 Cougars the rest of the way. One of those will not be Carlos Montes, who will miss the next two weeks with a strained hamstring. It has been a disappointing second season for the former 12th Overall selection, as he's hit just .243/.317/.412 (94 OPS+) with 14 doubles, 7 triples, 10 homers, 5 steals, and 40 RBIs. Those aren't bad numbers, and paired with his +9.4 zone rating and 1.028 efficiency, it's a decent year, but in 100 games last year (same as this), he hit a much better .292/.365/.453 (129 OPS+) with 19 doubles, 9 triples, 10 homers, 9 steals, and 55 RBIs.

I think Rich Langton can sense my disappointment, as just two sims after I complain about his drop in power, he puts together a three homer week. Langton was 8-for-24 and also doubled, tripled, and stole a base while walking 5 times, scoring 6 times, and driving in 9 runs. Was that good enough for Player of the Week? Of course, not... At least Mel Carroll also hit three homers and hit over .400, so it's not the most annoying thing, but I would have loved for Langton to get some love. August was a terrible month for Langton, as he hit just .257/.341/.376, but he still owns a well above average batting line. The 27-year-old is slashing .312/.378/.451 (121 OPS+) with 24 doubles, 8 triples, 8 homers, 9 steals, and 49 RBIs with a nice 47-to-17 walk-to-strikeout ratio. Langton is on track for his third full season with an above average batting line. We also got to see an excellent week from vet John Lawson, who was 10-for-22 with 4 doubles, 4 walks, and 7 RBIs. Ray Ford looked good too, 7-for-23 with 2 doubles, 5 RBIs, and his now team best 12th homer of the season. Leo Mitchell was 8-for-22 with a double, RBI, and steal as well as five runs scored.

I mentioned the bad Papenfus outing as well, and there were actually two of them. The 20-year-old has had a few rough starts this year, but this was easily his worst week. He went just 11 innings (same as his start last week) with 12 hits, 12 runs, 13 walks, and 13 strikeouts. He dropped to 6-4 with a 3.74 ERA (109 ERA+), 1.63 WHIP, 84 walks, and 81 strikeouts in his first 96.1 FABL innings. Still, pretty strong numbers, but with September I think I'm going with a six man rotation to give Papenfus more rest between starts. He hasn't looked too great on short rest, and since we're just playing for at worst fifth, I'd like to see some young guys like Joe Brown (who's been awful out of the pen, unfortunately) get a few starts and get a head start on roster decisions for next year. In better news, Dick Lyons continues to be the best pitcher on the planet (I kid, of course), 8 innings with 5 hits, an unearned run, 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts to pick up win #16. That's third most in the league, and Lyons now has 201 innings pitched. Last year was his first season since 1927 where he failed to reach 200, and he has the chance to reach the 240 mark. Regardless, this will be the 38-year-olds best season, 16-6 with a 2.82 ERA (145 ERA+), 1.16 WHIP, 34 walks, and 39 strikeouts. We also got good outings from Cy Sullivan and Milt Fritz, and Fritz also relieved Papenfus in his second start. Cy tossed another complete game victory, 8 hits, 3 runs, and 2 walks as he improved to 4-5 despite his 2.94 ERA (139 ERA+). Fritz got a loss, but that was due to unearned runs. He went all nine with 11 hits, 5 runs (2 earned), a walk, and a strikeout. He then threw 3 innings five games later (was supposed to start the double header today), allowing 3 hits and 2 runs with 3 strikeouts.

Looking Ahead
With reinforcements in hand, we'll start the week with a double header in Philadelphia. The 67-61 Sailors, are likely to use Doc Newell and Walt Wells, with the generally reliable Newell experiencing a rough patch as of late. He's 17-10, but his ERA rose up to 4.06 ERA (104 ERA+) with a 1.36 WHIP, 60 walks, and 89 strikeouts. Since July he's 6-5 with a 5.16 ERA. Wells is having a bit better of a season, 15-7 with a 3.76 ERA (112 ERA+), 1.45 WHIP, 91 walks, and 81 strikeouts as he recently passed the 200 inning mark. Recently promoted rookie Marion Boismenu is dealing with knee tendinitis, and may head to the DL to start the week. He was off to a blistering start, batting .328/.375/.567 (140 OPS+) with 4 doubles, 3 triples, 2 homers, and 10 RBIs in his first 72 trips to the plate. Taken 7th Overall in 1931, he debuted in 1936 and got some time last season, but finally showing the promise expected out of him. Dick Walker is in the midst of another good season, batting .284/.405/.467 (125 OPS+) with 19 doubles, 12 triples, 13 homers, 26 steals, and 72 RBIs. He's just 9 walks away from 100, which would be the fourth time he's reached that mark.

We're off after, but we'll use that day to head north of the border. Our host will be the currently first place Toronto Wolves, who's 13 game win streak has propelled them into first, a half game ahead of the Kings, who have been stuck in a six game rut. Joe Hancock may be the ace of the team, but Bob Walls has pitched like once since the deadline. He's a perfect 5-0 in his five starts, working to a 2.79 ERA (151 ERA+) and 1.29 WHIP with 6 walks and 8 strikeouts. Him and Hancock are pitching great, but Chick Wirtz, Jim Morrison, and George Garrison all sport an average or worse ERA+. That makes things really concerning for the future, as Garrison was ranked the 5th best prospect in baseball and Morrison a consistent top 50. The big strength of the team is the best corner infield in baseball; Fred McCormick and Nick Wallace. I'm kicking myself for not meeting the McCormick price, as the soon-to-be 29-year-old is hitting an insane .405/.493/.631 (189 OPS+) with 41 doubles, 6 triples, 14 homers, and 77 RBIs. Wallace doesn't draw nearly as many walks as McCormick, but his .370/.396/.487 (127 OPS+) line is nothing to sneeze at. Weirdly enough, none of the other Wolves starters have an above average batting line, but it doesn't matter too much if their starts keep it up. The Wolves may be a three headed monster right now, but with all the exciting youth (plus Larry Vestal who's having a tough season), Toronto may be our toughest competition for the 1939 Continental Association pennant I want to show off in our new stadium.

We then finish the week back home, hosting the red hot Foresters for two. I just snapped their seven game win streak, but they've looked really good as of late. The rotation has expanded, with Ben Turner and Lyman Weigel getting more starts. Turner is 3-1 with a 3.43 ERA (123 ERA+), 1.32 WHIP, 19 walks, and 20 strikeouts in his 63 innings. Weigel is 3-4 with a 3.59 ERA (118 ERA+), 1.39 WHIP, 33 walks, nd 37 strikeouts in 80.1 of his own. Of course, there's also Dean Astle and his 244.1 innings, but the unlucky southpaw is just 13-13 despite a 3.17 ERA (133 ERA+), 1.29 WHIP, 71 walks, and 80 strikeouts. Dan Fowler is up to 23 homers, a homer behind Al Wheeler for the CA lead, and he's boosted his line up a bit to .257/.376/.441 (110 OPS+) with 9 doubles, 3 triples, and 84 driven in. Eli Harkless is out for this week and last, but replacement Hughie Fitts did not play like a 29-year-old rookie. The 1927 5th Round selection probably won't have another like this, but he's 9-for-27 with a double, triple, seven runs, and 8 RBIs.

Lastly, we've got our September callups, with Bobby Mills, Ducky Jordan, Russ Griffin, Aart MacDonald, Elias Canady, Roy Moore, Homer Ray, Freddie Bennett, Chet Peacock, Cal Knight, and Pug Bryan joining the big league roster. Knight is the only guy who needs a 40-man roster spot, which is now full. We're also up to 33 on the active roster, so that's one spot left for Montes and one for potentially Johnnie Williamson so I could have a third catcher. I don't quite have another option for Milwaukee to have a catcher, so I may just leave him there the rest of the season. Knight came over with a 1st and 5th Rounder from the Miners for his new teammate Lou Kelly, and the 1934 2nd Rounder has spent the last two seasons starting games in Milwaukee. He was just 4-7, but with a 4.19 ERA (106 ERA+), 1.41 WHIP, 38 walks, and 40 strikeouts in 111.2 innings pitched. The lefty will help out in the pen, but I may decide to give him a start. MacDonald and Canady will fill in at center against righties and lefties, with Moore and Yates likely getting a game or so. Pug will be our stopper and Ducky Jordan might get a start at second, but most of the guys will have a limited role.

Minor League Reports
RHP/CF Juan Pomales (AA Mobile Commodores): It was an impressive month for the two-way player, as he finished a perfect 5-0 on the mound with a 0.96 WHIP, 8 walks, and 16 strikeouts. I don't think the award takes into account his batting, but he also hit .323/.366/.548 with 5 doubles, 5 triples, 2 homers, 2 steals, and 18 RBIs. It's hard to judge which part is better, but right now it looks like the pitching. For the season he's 10-8 with a 3.01 ERA (130 ERA+), 1.27 WHIP, 48 walks, and 50 strikeouts in 158.1 innings pitched. It's not too far from his batting line, where he's slashing .295/.355/.474 (121 OPS+) with 17 doubles, 17 triples, 4 homers, 8 steals, and 52 RBIs in 406 plate appearances. "El Conejo" has been remarkable, and I still feel he should be ranked much higher then 80th on the prospect rankings. He projects to be both a back end of the rotation starter and every day center fielder, with the chance to be an elite defender out in right. He doesn't throw too hard, just 84-86, which does hurt considering he relies on his sinker and fastball to get outs. The more speed he has, the more effective he'll be, but he turns 24 in October and eventually it becomes tougher and tougher to throw harder. I don't have plans on him reaching Chicago next season, but I will consider a September callup if he puts together another season like this one.

RF Chubby Hall (A Lincoln Legislators): He may not be it yet, but once Papenfus and Parker graduate, Chubby Hall will ranks as our best prospect. He was also the best hitter in the Heartland League this week, going 13-for-28 with 2 homers and 18 RBIs. Hall will spend about half of 1938 in Lincoln, and his .326/.383/.450 (129 OPS+) batting line is extremely impressive. Those two homers this week were also the first two of his stint here, but Hall has 21 doubles and 42 RBIs in 241 plate appearances down in Lincoln. Hall has spent most of his time here in left, but he's never been expected to be much of a defender in any of the three outfield spots. The bat is what attracted me to the 5'7'', 195 pound hopefully future slugger, but the power and plate discipline have not made many appearances up in A ball. I think that is what makes Hall so good, as even with his two most important tools not where they should be, he can still be an effective hitter. To be fair, his contact tool is arguably his best, but his power and eye are much more valuable assets. Hall could eventually be one of the best outfielders in the game, and while he may be two or three years away, he'll be well worth the wait.

SS Harry Avery (B San Jose Cougars): It's not every day you have someone hit for the cycle, but that's exactly what Harry Avery managed on the 30th of August. The single was actually the last hit he got, but it was also his fifth hit as well. The 22-year-old was 5-for-7 with 6 runs and 3 RBIs in our 15-11 shootout win over the Spokane Lumberjacks. Avery hasn't had the greatest of seasons, as last year's 6th Rounder is hitting an average .266/.344/.398 (98 OPS+) with 16 doubles, 5 triples, 8 homers, 7 steals, and 51 RBIs in 346 trips to the plate. A natural shortstop, he's held his own there, while also getting some time at both second and third. And while he may not be one of our more highly regarded prospects, he does have a great eye and above average bat speed at the plate. He'll be 23 the day after Christmas, so I imagine he'll be up in Lincoln to start next season. He profiles as a utility infielder at the moment, but if he can hit the ball more consistently, I could see him turning into a suitable Ollie Page type player.

RHP Bob Saltzman (B San Jose Cougars): The day after the 15-11 extravaganza, Bob Saltzman decided he wasn't going to give up his regular five runs, he'd instead keep the Lumberjacks scoreless. He allowed just 6 hits and a walk with 6 strikeouts to improve to 7-5 on the season. It hasn't been a great year for the 21-year-old, as the former 7th Rounder owns a 5.32 ERA (82 ERA+), 1.38 WHIP, 38 walks, and 44 strikeouts in his 15 starts. While the shutout is nice, Saltzman is definitely in danger of being passed over for starts next season, and he'll want to string together a few more outings like this to keep his spot in the organization. I wish "Knuckles" threw a knuckle ball, but his knuckle curve is a very good pitch with a decent forkball as well. He also features a fastball, cutter, splitter, and change, but none of those four are really standout pitches. He has the stuff to start, and he sits in the 89-91 range, but his command prevents the stuff from being average. It is one of those situations where I think throwing less pitches would help him locate them better, but of course, that's not quite an option in OOTP. Saltzman definitely has upside, but he might not have what it takes to reach that.

2B Stu Johnson (B San Jose Cougars): I was a little surprised Harry Avery didn't win Player of the Week, and that was because his own teammate Stu Johnson was just as good. No cycle, but he was 12-for-24 with 2 homers, 5 runs, and 10 RBIs. Johnson actually started the year in Lincoln, but he hit just .217/.331/.288 (71 OPS+) with 7 doubles, 3 triples, 2 homers, and 33 RBIs before a demotion to San Jose. He's been much better in the 90 at bats here, hitting .322/.429/.489 (145 OPS+) with 2 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, and 20 RBIs with an ice 18-to-4 walk-to-strikeout ratio. Our 7th Rounder in 1935, Johnson has developed into an excellent defensive second basemen (natural shortstop) with an above average eye. The Seattle kid isn't much of a contact hitter, and I don't expect him to ever come close to .300 in the FABL. Johnson's biggest pull is his leadership, already a team leader which makes him perfect for a utility infield role. He's exactly what you want off the bench, and while OSA thinks he may force his way into a lineup, I don't think that lineup would be ours. With roster expansion, I'm moving a lot of guys up, so Johnson will return to Lincoln to finish his season.

ayaghmour2 · 09-08-2021, 02:43 PM

Weekly Record: 1-6
Seasonal Record: 67-69 (5th, 15 GB)
Stars of the Week
Rich Langton : 31 AB, 13 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .419 AVG, 1.050 OPS
Leo Mitchell : 25 AB, 10 H, 1 HR, 7 RBI, .400 AVG, .983 OPS
John Lawson : 30 AB, 8 H, 1 HR, 8 RBI, .267 AVG, .757 OPS

Schedule
9-5: Loss at Sailors (4-5): 10 innings
9-5: Loss at Sailors (8-10)
9-7: Loss at Wolves (6-7)
9-8: Loss at Wolves (3-7)
9-9: Win at Wolves (7-0)
9-10: Loss vs Foresters (5-1)
9-11: Loss vs Foresters (9-4)

Recap
Well this week sucked... Not only did the Sailors sweep us in the double header, but the Foresters took both games in Chicago and we managed only one win out of three in Toronto. The team now slipped below .500, just 67-69, and fifth place seems like the position set for us. And to add injury to insult, we will be without Billy Hunter for the next two weeks as he sprained his knee in the 7-3 loss to the Wolves. Like Montes, he's slumped as a sophomore, hitting a respectable .291/.333/.429 (103 OPS+), but his defense has really struggled. He's made 46 errors, a .931 fielding percentage compared to .951 last year, and a -5.3 zone rating and .971 efficiency after +4.3 and 1.039 last year. In his absence, I'll be rotating in Ollie Page, Ducky Jordan, and Freddie Bennett at short until Hunter is healthy again. Carlos Montes also suffered a setback, so it's likely another two weeks before he's back in Chicago.

Obviously the week wasn't great, but Rich Langton continued to hit well. Langton was 13-for-31 with 4 doubles, a triple, and 3 runs scored and driven in. Leo Mitchell hit well too, 10-for-25 with a double, homer, and seven driven in. Elias Canady and Roy Moore both looked good in their few outings, 2-for-5 and 3-for-6, with Canady walking three times and Moore doubling. No one else really did much hitting of any kind, hence why we lost six of our seven games this week.

On the mound, Dick Lyons was brilliant, tossing two impressive starts. The first was in the 5-4 extra inning loss to the Sailors, 8 innings with 5 hits, 3 runs (1 earned), 4 walks, and 2 strikeouts. The second was even better, a 7-hit shutout in our lone win of the week against Toronto. Lyons' now 2.64 ERA (155 ERA+) is the best in the Continental Association, and trails just Jim Lonardo's 2.59 for best in all of baseball. The most impressive outing must have been Chet Peacock, however, who tossed 7 and two thirds out of the pen with 7 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, and a strikeout. This was after Milt Fritz allowed 7 hits and 7 runs with a walk while recording just two outs. No one else started well, with 5 charged to Pete, 7 to Harry, 5 to Brown, and 7 (4 earned) to Cy. Parker has really struggled, now four starts with five or more runs allowed, and a 6.97 ERA in his past 24 innings. Parker is an outstanding pitcher, I'm not overly worried, but I would have liked to see him put together a more consistent rookie season.

Looking Ahead
Off to start the week, before two with the Cannons. At 55-80, they sit in seventh place and are officially eliminated from postseason contention. They are two and a half behind the Stars for sixth, and they have recently promoted top 20 prospect and personally favorite of mine Charley McCullough. The 1934 8th Rounder has got into 14 games, batting .238/.373/.310 (84 OPS+) with a double, triple, and seven RBIs. Rufus Barrell still hasn't looked like he should, and now he has a mild hamstring strain to deal with. He's just 1-9 with a 6.15 ERA (67 ERA+), 1.35 WHIP, 24 walks, and 49 strikeouts in 74.2 innings pitched. Pinky Conlan is back, but he's 6-9 with a 4.73 ERA (87 ERA+), 1.55 WHIP, 47 walks, and 22 strikeouts in 16 starts and 8 relief outings.

Off again before two with Montreal. They have a worst record then Baltimore, 54-81, and are also eliminated from the postseason. The Saints may have found their next Milt Fritz, bringing up top prospect and 19-year-old Wally Doyle, the now new youngest player in baseball. The former 8th Overall selection has made one start, 7 hits and 5 runs with 8 walks and 6 strikeouts in 6 innings pitched. The "Waco Kid" ranks 13th in baseball, and was taken a few picks after Peter the Heater. He looks like he could be an ace, something the Saints pitching staff really needs. Their best pitcher this season has been Karl Wallace, who is 10-12 with a 3.59 ERA (118 ERA+), 1.42 WHIP, 89 walks, and 74 strikeouts in 213.1 innings pitched. Jake DeYoung has had a homer issue, 30 already allowed this season, which has caused him to go 9-15 with a 4.08 ERA (103 ERA+), 1.31 WHIP, 37 walks, and 85 strikeouts in 227.1 innings pitched. Bert Lass remains third in the batting race, hitting a robust .350/.421/.469 (130 OPS+) with 34 doubles, 3 triples, 3 homers, and 43 RBIs with a 52-to-8 walk-to-strikeout ratio. Red Bond reached the 15 homer mark, and could potentially reach 20, with his .318/.366/.468 (115 OPS+) batting line.

We need all four of these wins, as we finish the week with the first of two with the Brooklyn Kings. The Kings are back in first, a half game ahead of the Wolves, and part of that is due to an untimely Joe Shaffner slump. Since August started he's 2-4 with a 5.33 ERA. He still has great numbers for the season, 14-12 with a 3.42 ERA (123 ERA+), 1.27 WHIP, 69 walks, and 75 strikeouts in his 226.1 innings. Chicagoan Bob Cummings has continued to impress, 13-4 with a 2.76 ERA (152 ERA+), 1.38 WHIP, 70 walks, and 86 strikeouts in 159.2 innings pitched. At the plate, Frank Vance has reached 20 homers, batting .304/.381/.512 with 30 doubles, 8 triples, 10 steals, and 77 RBIs. They could use a late season push from Al Wheeler, who's .260/.367/.462 (114 OPS+) line is not quite what he's used to. The Wonder Wheel does have a league high 25 homers and 94 RBIs as well, but his 2.8 WAR is no where near his former career low of 4.3 from 1931 and 1934.

Minor League Report
RHP Roy Carey (AA Mobile Commodores): It took just one start after his promotion for Roy Carey to throw yet another shutout. He improved to 13-2 on the season, after allowing just 3 hits with 2 strikeouts as the Commodores topped the Ironmen 7-0. The soft tossing righty has now made 20 starts, all but this one in Lincoln, and worked to a 2.33 ERA with 35 walks and 32 strikeouts in just over 150 frames. The 1936 2nd Rounder has flown up our system, going from La Crosse to Mobile in just two seasons. In each stint his ERA+ has improved and this season he's been almost unhittable. The 23-year-old mixes in six pitches, none of them really standout offerings, but his sinker is likely the best. It's an average pitch, but he's able to place every one of his secondary offerings in the strike zone. My scout doesn't like him, OSA doesn't like him, and the prospect rankings have him listed as 88th in our system. I really, really hope we have 87 prospects better then Carey, as that would bode really well for our future. Of course, more likely then not, Carey is just an overdeveloped filler arm, but you can never have too much pitching.

RF Chick Browning (B San Jose Cougars): I was a little worried when I promoted Browning form La Crosse that he wouldn't be ready for the tougher competition. Boy was I wrong! With the season winding down, the 20-year-old from Chicago is hitting .306/.394/.533 (148 OPS+) with 14 doubles, 14 homers, and 63 RBIs. These are outstanding numbers form the 20-year-old, and Browning's power has absolutely exploded this year. After just three homers in 109 games last year, Browning has 24 between La Crosse and San Jose in just about 50 more PAs. Browning has an excellent eye at the plate, and this has definitely helped him hit more longballs. He has consistent and above average bat speed and he's a very smart hitter. He looks to be a capable corner outfielder, but I've also allowed him to get some reps in center and at first. The lefty swinger may just be a corner outfielder, but he's developing into a very reliable at bat and I'm excited to see if he takes another giant step forward next year.

ayaghmour2 · 09-09-2021, 01:53 PM

Weekly Record: 3-2
Seasonal Record: 70-71 (5th, 15 GB)
Stars of the Week
Leo Mitchell : 19 AB, 9 H, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .474 AVG, 1.368 OPS
Ducky Jordan : 10 AB, 5 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .500 AVG, 1.200 OPS
Dick Lyons : 1 Win, 9.0 IP, 4 BB, 2 K, 0.00 ERA

Schedule
9-13: Loss at Cannons (1-12)
9-14: Win at Cannons (3-2)
9-16: Loss at Saints (5-6)
9-17: Win at Saints (8-4)
9-18: Win at Kings (5-3): 11 innings

Recap
We may have inched back to .500 and picked up win #70, but the 1938 Chicago Cougars are now officially eliminated from postseason contention. There was a time I thought we'd complete this year, but that was before we swung and miss on every major trade acquisition. I do think we can reach .500 and hopefully still hit 80 wins, but it will be tough. This week wasn't great, but we did get to see an awesome performance from rookie Ducky Jordan. In our 8-4 win over the Saints, Jordan was hitting on all cylinders, a perfect 5-for-5 with 2 doubles, 2 runs, and 3 RBIs. Jordan has been getting some time in the middle infield with the Hunter injury, but all five of his hits (15 at bats) this year came in this game. Hunter also suffered a setback, so him and Montes both have "unknown" recovery times. I also did make another callup, grabbing Johnnie Williamson as a third catcher.

Dick Lyons continues his masterful season, 5 hits, 4 walks, 2 strikeouts, and 2 unearned runs in a complete game win over the Saints. My Allen Award nominee is now 18-6 with a 2.54 ERA (160 ERA+), 1.14 WHIP, 42 walks, and 44 strikeouts in 227 masterful innings pitched. Lyons now owns the best ERA in the entire FABL, he's tied for second in the CA for wins, and first in WHIP. It's not luck either, as only the extremely unlucky Tom Barrell (3.20) has a lower FIP then Lyons' 3.26 and his 160 ERA+ is best in baseball. And even if WAR is your thing, his rWAR is 7.4 and behind just Hancock (8.3) and Lonardo (7.5). Milt Fritz had a few walk-filled outings, 9 in a start and a relief outing. In total, he pitched 10.2 innings with 12 hits, 5 runs (1 earned), and a strikeout. Harry Parker dropped his fifth straight outing, letting the Saints walk off with two outs in the ninth. He allowed 9 hits, 6 runs (2 earned), and 2 walks with 8 strikeouts. Pete got a win, but allowed 10 walks, 6 hits, and 4 runs with 4 strikeouts in 8 innings pitched. Papenfus has now walked 101 hitters, and sits 8 strikeouts shy of the century mark. Cy Sullivan had his first truly poor start of the season, 12 hits and 9 runs with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts in just 5 and a third.

Huge week at the plate for Leo Mitchell, who was 9-for-19 with 2 doubles, 2 homers, 3 runs, and 5 RBIs. He now owns a share of the team homer lead with 12, and Mitchell is hitting an impressive .343/.384/.479 (130 OPS+) with 29 doubles, 7 steals, and 76 RBIs in his first season where he's not bouncing around between three positions weekly. Another guy with the homer lead, Ray Ford, hit well too, 6-for-18 with 4 walks and 2 RBIs. A lot of part time players really showed off this week, with Aart MacDonald, Freddie Bennett, Bobby Mills, Elias Canady, and Harry Mead all putting up productive PAs, despite 13 (Mead) being the maximum for their at bats. Mills and Canady both hit homers, with Canady's being the first of his big league career. He's actually hit really well in September for us, .312/.421/.500 (146 OPS+) in 19 trips to the plate.

Looking Ahead
One more with the Kings, who we knocked out of first yesterday with our 4-3 11 inning win. Bob Cummings seems set to take the mound, 13-5 with a 2.77 ERA (151 ERA+), 1.41 WHIP, 76 walks, and 89 strikeouts in 165.2 innings pitched. The Kings have another 10 homer hitter, as Bob Worley has hit 7 already with the Kings. The former Cougar is hitting .296/.357/.513 (124 OPS+) with 4 doubles and 22 RBIs, after struggling with the Chiefs. Another former Cougar, Fred Barrell, hasn't been nearly as lucky, batting .231/.286/.325 (59 OPS+) in a really tough season for him. At 33, this could be the end of Fred, and it was rumored the Kings were connected to now Cougar catching prospect Solly Skidmore around the draft.

Our road trip then ends with three in New York with the Stars. They have found new life, 61-79 and three and a half above the Saints for 6th in the league. Chink Stickels continues to be the story, batting .323/.387/.528 (140 OPS+) with 44 doubles, 17 triples, 7 homers, 9 steals, and 61 RBIs. He's kept his job in center, with 18-year-old Bill Barrett manning left and batting right behind hip. Barrett has 7 doubles, 3 triples, 4 homers, and 19 RBIs with a .244/.326/.447 (102 OPS+) batting line. Fellow rookie Joe Angevine continues to hit well, batting .343/.361/.514 (129 OPS+) since his promotion to New York. I think we will also be lucky enough to miss George Phillips, who is 12-7 with a 2.83 ERA (146 ERA+), 1.32 WHIP, 81 walks, and 75 strikeouts in just under 200 innings pitched. Top prospect Vern Hubbard hasn't been as lucky, as even with a recent 4-hit shutout of the Cannons, is 6-13 with a 4.87 ERA (85 ERA+), 1.50 WHIP, 71 walks, and 81 strikeouts. Les Zoller has returned to the rotation, but he's just 3-10 with a somehow improved 5.64 ERA (73 ERA+) and 1.75 WHIP.

We'll use the off day to travel home, and then prep for the first place Wolves. At 85-56, they're holding strong, looking to snap a long stretch of non-playoff finishes. Led by the hopefully runner up in the Allen Award Joe Hancock, who is 21-7 with a 2.85 ERA (148 ERA+), 1.24 WHIP, 77 walks, and 140 strikeouts. 26-year-old Bob Walls is still perfect as a Wolf, 8-0 with a 2.87 ERA (146 ERA+), 1.20 WHIP, 12 walks, and 14 strikeouts in 8 starts. He was terrible for AAA Newark (Detroit), 4-4 with a 5.09 ERA (88 ERA+), 1.53 WHIP, 25 walks, and 22 strikeouts in 12 starts and 9 relief appearances. Superstar Fred McCormick won't hit .400 this year, but he's still slashing .386/.478/.603 (178 OPS+) with 45 doubles, 6 triples, 15 homers, and 80 RBIs in likely his first career Whitney Award Winning Season. Larry Vestal took home the most recent Player of the Week, and boosted his season line to .294/.374/.434 (109 OPS+). It has been a bit of a down season for Vestal, who hits in front of McCormick, but he does have 19 doubles, 17 triples, 6 homers, 6 steals, and 87 RBIs. If we want a winning week, we have to beat the Stars, as both Brooklyn and Toronto could have their way with us.

Minor League Report
LHP Jim Miller (AA Mobile Commodores): Developing into a sort of a complete game machine, in his last five starts, the southpaw has averaged more then nine innings per start. The most recent was a masterpiece, 8-hits, 2 walks, and a strikeout without allowing a single run scored. This was his second shutout in ten starts with the Commodores, and a perfect way to bounce back from back-to-back 6 run starts. Even with those, he's 6-3 with a 2.45 ERA (159 ERA+), 1.18 WHIP, 25 walks, and 27 strikeouts in 91.2 innings pitched. With a week left in the season, he may get two more starts, but regardless it will cap off an outstanding season for the soon-to-be 25-year-old. Combined with his time in Lincoln, he is 9-4 with a 2.36 ERA in 144.2 innings pitched. Miller has succeeded by rolling up a ton of ground balls with his high 80s sinker. It's a solid pitch, the best of his four offerings, and he's able to spot all his pitches very well. He's not much of a strikeout arm, but the walks won't hurt him too much either. He's absent form our top prospect lists, but he looks to be a reliable inning eater and a guy who can give you repeated solid, unexceptional starts where you don't have to worry about the pen.

LHP Danny Hern (A Lincoln Legislators): It has been a meteoric rise up the ladder for Danny Hern, who went from unranked to 54 in just one season. He's watched Parker, Sullivan, and Brown all graduate, and once Pete joins them, Hern will ranks as our #1 pitching prospect ahead of Juan Pomales and Del Burns. In a 4-0 win over Evansville, Hern went the distance and allowed just 6 hits with 2 strikeouts to improve to 3-4 in 8 starts with the Legislators. He owns a 3.14 ERA (125 ERA+) and 1.19 WHIP with 16 walks and 35 strikeouts. The 21-year-old is a polished four pitch pitcher, headlined by a high 80s fastball and plus changeup. He has outstanding raw stuff that will continue to get better, and he gets a ton of movement which keeps the ball on the ground. OSA thinks he'll be a 3 or 4, Marv thinks useful arm, but hesitates to start him in big games. The kid has grown a ton in the past year, and if he keeps up that trend, he could be the next in a long line of excellent Cougar pitching prospects.

CF Tony Mullis (A Lincoln Legislators): A teammate of Hern, Mullis stole most of the spotlight this week as he took home Player of the Week in the Heartland League. Mullis was 13-for-24 with seven RBIs in just his second week playing right field. The natural center fielder hasn't looked the best out in center, so with Doug Bennett there I wanted to work on the Detroit native's versatility. He's spent a bit more then half his season up here, batting an impressive .336/.411/.504 (151 OPS+) with 21 doubles, 9 triples, and 46 RBIs. Mullis has absolutely no power, with his first pro homer coming earlier this year in San Jose, but we picked up the outfielder last summer for Marty Roberts. The 20-year-old ranks 13th in our system and now 117th in the league, with a lot of that due to his outstanding contact abilities. He projects to hit over .350 and compete for batting titles, and he has speed that allows him to steal hits in the infield and take the extra base on the basepaths. I think he could be a solid starter in the FABL, but he'll have to work on his range as it's really tough to be a no pop corner outfielder. He's very raw, so the power could come around, but my guess is his home runs will be about as rare as a walk-less start for Peter the Heater.

ayaghmour2 · 09-10-2021, 05:21 PM

Weekly Record: 5-1
Seasonal Record: 77-72 (5th, 12 GB)
Stars of the Week
John Lawson : 27 AB, 14 H, 2 HR, 10 RBI, .519 AVG, 1.444 OPS
Ray Ford : 24 AB, 10 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .417 AVG, 1.148 OPS
Allen Purvis : 2 Wins, 5.0 IP, 2 BB, 1 K, 1.80 ERA

Schedule
9-19: Win at Kings (7-3)
9-20: Win at Stars (9-6)
9-21: Loss at Stars (3-4)
9-22: Win at Stars (13-9)
9-24: Win vs Wolves (1-2): 15 innings
9-25: Win vs Wolves (1-2): 12 innings

Recap
80 wins here we come! A great 5-1 week where we play spoiler is just what the doctor ordered, as we have won our last two against the Kings and the Wolves, the two teams fighting for the pennant. We really did luck out against the Wolves, a pair of extra inning one-run wins to keep the Kings alive (2.5 back), but a win is a win and I want to collect as many as possible in this final month. We were treated to a classic John Lawson week, as Jack the Ripper took home another Player of the Week award. The 35-year-old vet was 14-for-27 with 5 doubles, 2 homers, 8 runs, and 10 RBIs in a truly remarkable week. The season, however, has been unremarkable, as Lawson is having his significantly worst season of his career. He's hitting just .302/.356/.423 (116 OPS+) with 40 doubles, 14 homers, and 99 RBIs. The doubles and RBIs are nice, but his previous low for OPS+ was 133 in 1934 and is 162 game average for his career is .347/.398/.512 (144 OPS+). I don't really think Lawson is slowing down, my scout still likes him the same and he's still a top 3 third basemen, but it's clear he's no longer a top 10 player in the league (actually ranked 19th because I was going to say not top 20).

He wasn't the only hitter with a great week, as Ray Ford went 10-for-24 with 3 doubles, 3 walks, 3 RBIs, 4 runs, and a homer. Our center field platoon of Aart MacDonald and Elias Canady was elite, 6-for-18 with 2 doubles, a triple, a homer, 3 walks, and 4 runs. The homer was Canady's, his second in as many weeks. Lou Kelly had a pinch hit double, his 1,995th career hit as he inches closer to 2,000. Ducky Jordan continued his nice September, 5-for-16 with a double, triple, RBI, two walks, and four runs. The "Hot Springs Hotshot" currently ranks as our 5th best prospect and 49th in the league, and is hitting .323/.400/.484 (136 OPS+) with 3 doubles, a triple, and 4 RBIs in 35 trips to the plate. And speaking of the farm, with the graduation of Peter the Heater this week, we finally dropped out of the top 5 in farm rankings for the first time in over a half decade. Based on my top prospects post from last offseason, we have graduated the 2nd, 38th, 44th, 50th (retired...) ,57th, and 67th ranked prospect. Despite all of that, with the current rankings we still have 10 top 100 prospects, 23 top 250, and 48 top 500. The system ranks 6th (125) and every farm team except the Mobile Commodores (83-56) finished in first place (although technically La Crosse is tied with one game left) this season. Expect a nice long Minor League report over the weekend!

We got two outstanding starts that both ended with no decisions, due to the crazy extra inning games with the Wolves. The first start was courtesy of Milt Fritz, who went 11 innings with 7 hits, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts, and just one run scored. Joe Brown had the other, pitching two outs into the tenth with 3 hits, a run, 7 walks, and 4 strikeouts. It was huge for Brown, who after all that is still 3-3 with 7 saves, a 4.95 ERA (82 ERA+), 1.43 WHIP, 16 walks, and 15 strikeouts in his 40 innings pitched. Someone who didn't have a good start was Dick Lyons, who despite getting the win, went 7 with 12 hits, 5 runs, 2 walks, and 2 strikeouts. Even after that rough outing, he still has the best ERA in baseball at 2.65 and will hopefully go head-to-head with Joe Hancock to start the week and to start October. Pete also had another poor start, 6 innings with 7 hits, 6 runs, 6 walks, and 6 strikeouts. He now has a below average 4.19 ERA (97 ERA+) and 1.71 WHIP, but with one start left, he should get at least two strikeouts to hit 100. Cy pitched well in his second to last start, 8 hits, 3 runs, 3 walks, and 4 strikeouts in a complete game win. Sullivan has been the only rookie arm to keep his ERA south of 4, despite arguably being the least developed of the four. Allen Purvis looked good out of the pen, 5 innings with 3 hits, a run, 2 walks, and a strikeout while picking up the win in both Toronto games. Purvis has been elite out of the pen, 6-4 with 3 saves, a 2.38 ERA (171 ERA+), 1.34 WHIP, 20 walks, and 10 strikeouts in 41.2 innings pitched. He's also a clubhouse leader, but with a ton of young pitchers on the 40, he may be moved or waived in the offseason.

Looking Ahead
Seven more games left in the season, and my goal is to win five of them. It'll be tough, we get the Wolves to start the week at home, then three hosting the Sailors, and three final games in Toronto. The 78-70 Sailors were just eliminated from the postseason, but No-Hit Newell added a third no hitter (one was a perfect game) against Brooklyn where he walked one and struck out four. The new Sailors ace hasn't had a regular Newell season, 19-11 with a 4.02 ERA (105 ERA+), 1.33 WHIP, 66 walks, and 106 strikeouts in 259.2 innings pitched. We'll likely see him, Merritt Thomas, and Chuck Murphy. Murphy continues to excel, 7-6 with a 3.28 ERA (128 ERA+), 1.41 WHIP, 47 walks, and 36 strikeouts in 13 starts and 15 pen outings. Thomas is 10-9 with a 3.62 ERA (116 ERA+), 1.57 WHIP, 91 walks, and 49 strikeouts as he approaches the 200 inning mark for the third straight season. At the plate, Bob Smith reached double digit homers, now 11 with 29 doubles, 5 triples, 8 steals, and 73 RBIs. He's hitting an adjusted league average .282/.337/.440 with 41 walks and 8 strikeouts. River Grove's Woody Stone reached 4 WAR in his first season as an everyday player, hitting .319/.378/.428 (108 OPS+) with 33 doubles, 2 triples, 2 homers, and 57 driven in.

The real test is Toronto, and we will directly impact the pennant race starting and ending the week with them. At 87-60, the Wolves are the likely Continental Association pennant winners, two and a half games ahead of the rapidly falling Kings. We get Joe Hancock twice, and I'm hoping we can score 10 runs in each start. Hopefully the runner up for the Allen Award this year, he looks likely to pitch his last two games against the hopeful winner of the award, Dick Lyons. Hancock has blossomed at 25, going 22-7 with a 2.89 ERA (145 ERA+), 1.25 WHIP, 82 walks, and 142 strikeouts in 268 innings atop the Wolves rotation. Chick Wirtz has gone in the wrong direction, 14-12 with a 4.44 ERA (94 ERA+), 1.44 WHIP, 89 walks, and 50 strikeouts in 243 innings. Bob Walls got a no decision against us, so he finally didn't win one of his starts, but he allowed just 4 hits and a run in a nice 7 inning outing. His ERA is down to a Lyons-like 2.72 (154 ERA+) with a 1.16 WHIP. 20-year-old George Garrison has improved, now 4-5 with a 4.22 ERA (99 ERA+), 1.48 WHIP, 39 walks, and 38 strikeouts. It's going to be tough to keep McCormick and Wallace in check, but we can't forget about former Cougar Reginald Westfall. Our 1932 7th Rounder, Westfall is hitting a slightly below average .270/.353/.413 (98 OPS+) with 32 doubles, 4 triples, 8 homers, and 87 RBIs in a decent rookie campaign. Another former Cougar draftee who has done well is stopper Phil English, who is 5-2 with 14 saves. He also owns a 3.30 ERA (127 ERA+) and 1.58 WHIP with 36 walks and 23 strikeouts in 60 quality innings. This will be tough, but I have faith in my team that we can at least make it interesting.

Minor League Report
SS Hal Wood (A Lincoln Legislators): Our system looks a lot different then it did at the beginning of the season, and our new #3 prospect is former 1st Rounder Hal Wood. Despite being 24, Wood has moved up our system really slowly, but he finished his year off strong. Wood was named Heartland Player of the Week, going 12-for-24 with 6 runs and 2 RBIs. The former 8th Overall Pick broke out in September, slashing .456/.547/.608 with 4 doubles, 4 triples, 2 steals, and 9 RBIs. For the season, Wood hit .317/.393/.432 (127 OPS+) with 24 doubles, 15 triples, 2 homers, 3 steals, and 62 RBIs. Already a clubhouse leader, Wood is a captain at short who profiles as a well above average fielder. He won't steal many bases, but he uses his speed more for range then base running. Wood sprays line drives to all fields, and while he won't hit homers, he'll hit a ton of doubles and triples while maintaining a .310 or better average. Hal earned a promotion to Mobile for next season, and I'm hoping he'll progress enough to reach Milwaukee by seasons end. He may not debut until 26, but next year will be only his fourth pro season and with Hunter cemented at short, I've had no need to rush Wood up. Of course, I'm hoping for an active offseason, so Wood may be shipped somewhere else to upgrade the big league club. I do think he has all the tools to be an outstanding shortstop in the future, but I'm ready to win now.

LHP Harl Haines (B San Jose Cougars): Best way to end the season? Well, how about a complete game shutout! In a 2-0 win over the Vancouver Mounties, Haines allowed just 2 hits and struck out 3 in a truly excellent start. Haines actually played some time in Lincoln, and while he did look solid, the soon-to-be 21-year-old was sent back down in a numbers crunch. His 13 starts with the Cougars have been elite, 9-3 with a 2.41 ERA (179 ERA+), 1.06 WHIP, 15 walks, and 61 strikeouts. Even in Lincoln (10 starts) he was 6-1 with a 3.52 ERA (112 ERA+), 1.45 WHIP, 18 walks, and 34 strikeouts. It's been an nice year for the southpaw, who has entered our top 20 prospect list and the league's top 200. A polished four pitch pitcher, Haines has a funky submarine motion where he still throws both his cutter and fastball in the mid 90s. His command looks vastly improved this season compared to last, with a 1.5 BB/9 in San Jose and 2.5 in Lincoln after a 3.4 mark last year. Haines also throws a screwball and slider, both quality pitches, that allow him to rack up strikeouts. He's a depth starter now, but he's an extremely hard worker who should continue to improve, and he's provided excellent value for a 10th Round selection.

ayaghmour2 · 09-11-2021, 04:46 PM

While there is technically just one game left in the minor league season, so things could change, but the only Cougar affiliate to not win their league was the AA Mobile Commodores. At 83-56, they sit 4 games behind the Nashville Chieftains, but as long as the Chicago Cougars win five of their remaining seven, all Cougar affiliates will have won 80 or more games this season. La Crosse is tied with Marshalltown for first, but Milwaukee, Lincoln, and San Jose all took home championships this year. I was a little surprised, as I continued to push prospects up, and towards the end we were working with a total of 16 influential minor leaguers spending time in Chicago for at least a month of the season. Here is a closer look at each team:

AAA Milwaukee Blues (Century League): 83-57 (.593)
The highest level in our system, the Blues have been a historically good team, finishing .500 or better every year since 1930, as well as four previous pennants. It was a great rebound from a 70-70 finish last year, but the most impressive thing was just how many players suited up in Milwaukee. We went through so many pitchers that not a single one qualified for the team leading ERA. Milwaukee saw excellent performances from Pete Papenfus, Harry Parker, Cy Sullivan, Joe Brown, Cal Knight, and Pug Bryan, all guys who ended the year in Chicago. 22-year-old Del Burns finished the year in Milwaukee, who after dominating with Mobile was roughed up in 9 starts. Burns was just 2-2 with a 5.06 ERA (89 ERA+), 1.69 WHIP, 20 walks, and 29 strikeouts in just 48 innings. The biggest reinforcement was Clarence Crane's demotion, who went 8-2 with a 3.50 ERA (128 ERA+), 1.26 WHIP, 29 walks, and 27 strikeouts in his 10 starts. Sam Hodge looked good in his first taste of AAA, 5-5 with a 3.98 ERA (113 ERA+), 1.45 WHIP, 17 walks, and 28 strikeouts.

At the plate, there was a lot more consistency, as I kept the starting lineup almost the exact same in Chicago. Outfielder Henry Cox would be considered the team MVP, as the 22-year-old hit an impressive .278/.340/.545 (125 OPS+) with 33 homers and 99 RBIs. Interesting enough, Cox's gap power was almost non-existent, just 7 doubles and 3 triples in 462 PAs. He was one of the few guys who spent the entire year in Milwaukee, while fellow outfielders Aart MacDonald and Elias Canady both got around 80 games in Milwaukee with 20 more in Chicago. The team didn't hit all that well, with important pieces like Ducky Jordan and Freddie Bennett having below average seasons with the bat (both excellent with the glove), but former 6th Rounder Bobby Mills looked great in almost a full season. Mills hit .314/.405/.412 (111 OPS+) with 26 doubles, 5 homers, and 54 RBIs in 114 pre-promotion games. I was hoping for a better year from top prospect Tommy Wilson, but the soon-to-be 23-year-old is hitting just .273/.358/.397 (94 OPS+) with 25 doubles, 9 homers, 11 steals, and 62 driven in. He currently checks in at 7th in our system and 61st in the big leagues, and will be competing with Jordan and Ollie Page for the second base job next year. We had a lot of depth in Milwaukee, and they'll see a lot of the same faces next year as we project to have a very crowded big league roster picture.

AA Mobile Commodores (Dixie League): 83-56 (.597)
We may as well have called Mobile the Pomales', because the two-way star led the team in both ERA and batting average. "El Conejo" made 21 starts, finishing 13-8 with a 2.91 ERA (134 ERA+), 1.21 WHIP, 52 walks, and 65 strikeouts in 185.1 innings pitched. Still no velocity bumps, hanging out in the 84-86 range, but obviously it is good enough to trick AA hitters. His fastball/sinker combo has worked really well, with just 2 homers all season, and he improved his ERA, WHIP, BB/9, and K/9 while doubling his innings pitched. At the plate he improved all facets of his triple slash, batting .305/.370/.490 (129 OPS+) with 24 doubles, 19 triples, 5 homers, 12 steals, and 60 RBIs. Those numbers alone are cause for celebration, but considering his 1.034, 1.014, and 1.110 efficiency in left, center, and right, Pomales literally did everything average or better. I think he's always going to be underrated in the prospect rankings, I feel like the game only takes in his pitching or hitting, not both, as he checks in at 71st in baseball.

And as good as Pomales pitched, the best arm on the staff was one that started the season in Mobile, Jim Miller. Just 11 starts to Miller's credit, but the southpaw was 6-4 with a 2.62 ERA (150 ERA+), 1.24 WHIP, 27 walks, and 27 strikeouts in 96.1 innings pitched. Another reliable arm was Dan Everett, but unfortunately for us, the borderline top 100 prospect (113th) partially tore his labrum in his last start of the season. The former Forester farmhand finished 9-3 with a 3.24 ERA (121 ERA+), 1.28 WHIP, 45 walks, and 56 strikeouts in 114 innings pitched. Everett walked a ton of hitters, but allowed just one homer (it was in Lincoln) all season with a K/9 above 4. The diagnosis is just 5-6 weeks, so he'll be ready for next Spring, but injuries are starting to be a common place for the soon-to-be 23-year-old. He didn't end the season in Mobile, but 1934 13th Rounder Rusty Watts was worth almost 4 wins above replacement in his 20 starts. The fireballer with a high 90s fastball went 11-6 with a 3.04 ERA (129 ERA+), 1.25 WHIP, 36 walks, and 68 strikeouts as he did all he could to secure a 40-man roster spot.

On the offensive side, 26-year-old Chicagoan Red Looney kept up his "rake everything in sight" strategy, slashing .302/.374/.508 (135 OPS+) with 15 doubles, 10 triples, 11 homers, 15 steals, and 65 RBIs before a much deserved callup to the Blues. Looney definitely has big league talent, but like a majority of the players in our system, is stuck in a very crowded position group. Former 3rd Rounder Ivan Cameron spent the entire season in Mobile, but the glove first shortstop hit a slightly below average .303/.346/.379 (94 OPS+) with 19 doubles, 3 triples, 2 homers, and 57 RBIs. None of that compares to his +17.7 zone rating and 1.110 efficiency, Harry Barrell/George Dawson type fielding numbers, which should propel him into a big league spot. He's got another year before he needs to be on the 40, but even if the bat never develops, he's going to be a crucial defensive replacement.

A Lincoln Legislators (Heartland League): 92-47 (.662)
In terms of record and win percentage, the Lincoln Legislators were the best Cougar affiliate this season. I'm thanking the leadership of former 1st Rounder and shortstop Hal Wood, who hit .317/.393/.432 (127 OPS+) with 24 doubles, 15 triples, 2 homers, 3 steals, and 62 RBIs. Love the extra base pop, love the glove, and love the player, but the 24-year-old does have a lot of developing left, and his overall batting line is aided immensely by his outstanding September. Lincoln also saw a Harry Peterson breakout, as the 22-year-old hit .341/.384/.439 (126 OPS+) with 22 doubles, 8 triples, 2 homers, and 63 RBIs before a promotion to Mobile where he spent the last month of the season. Peterson is one of those guys who always puts the ball in play, just 32 walks and 4 strikeouts in 488 trips to the plate. He struck out just 6 times all season, but has never struck out more then 15 times in a season. He's a prankster who keeps his teammates happy, and despite not ranking as one of our top prospects, could turn into a multiple time .300 hitter. Another guy who joined Peterson in Mobile for the last month was 22nd Rounder Cuno Myer, as the all bat no glove first basemen hit .338/.418/.441 (136 OPS+) with 27 doubles, 6 homers, and 69 RBIs, while sporting a 67-to-7 walk-to-strikeout ratio. Lincoln was also the final stop for #1 prospect Chubby Hall and #11 prospect Tony Mullis, who ended the season in left and right for the Legislators. Hall ranks 23rd in the league while Mullis is just outside the top 100 at 104. Hall saw a drop in power after 12 homers in San Jose, but still hit a remarkable .319/.387/.447 (129 OPS+) with 27 doubles and 54 RBIs. Mullis never showed power at any level, but his .339/.416/.518 (156 OPS+) line with 22 doubles and 12 triples is respectable for a natural center fielder. Sure, the glove isn't all that great, but that can easily change with more playing time.

Roy Carey pitched like the Legislators ace, with 19 of his 23 starts this year coming in A ball. Carey was 12-2 with a 2.48 ERA (158 ERA+), 1.19 WHIP, 35 walks, and 30 strikeouts in 141.1 ace-quality innings. Marv doesn't like any of the soft tossing righties pitches, but Carey was next to unhittable this season. Bill Seabolt spent half his time in Lincoln, and finished an impressive 8-2 with a 2.86 ERA (137 ERA+), 1.25 WHIP, 38 walks, and 40 strikeouts, slightly better then his time with the Cougars. I mentioned Jim Miller already, but in Lincoln he was even better, 3-1 with a 2.21 ERA (178 ERA+), 1.00 WHIP, 11 walks, and 19 strikeouts in 53 innings pitched. He didn't pitch very deep into games there, just 5.3 innings per start, but he went much deeper with the Commodores. 1937 First Rounder Preacher Pietsch was also unhittable, 6-4 with a 2.20 ERA (179 ERA+), 1.19 WHIP, 19 walks, and 50 strikeouts before a midseason promotion. 2nd Rounder Grover Donahue also earned a midseason promotion after going 6-5 with a 3.13 ERA (125 ERA+), 1.20 WHIP, 30 walks, and 28 strikeouts in 97.2 innings pitched. Scouts have soured a bit on Donahue, as despite his six pitches, they think he'll end up a pen arm. I had high hopes for the Indiana A&M product, but the recently turned 24-year-old is absent from the top 500.

B San Jose Cougars (California-Oregon-Washington League): 88-51 (.633)
Like Milwaukee, San Jose saw a lot of pitchers, with not a single arm qualifying for the team ERA lead. That's not saying there were no good arms, as former 10th Rounder Harl Haines spun together 13 dominant starts. He was 9-3 with a 2.41 ERA (179 ERA+), 1.06 WHIP, 15 walks, and 61 strikeouts, but he went up and down between here and Lincoln. They also got the first half of our new top pitching prospect Danny Hern's season, as he made up for a slow start by finishing 7-4 in his 15 starts. Hern worked to a 3.58 ERA (120 ERA+) and 1.19 WHIP with 33 walks and 62 strikeouts as he established himself as a future big league starter. Now inside the top 50 at 47, Hern added an extra mile to his fastball in August as he approaches 90. The lefty from Morton, PA has four big league pitches, and looks to be the next exciting Cougar pitching prospect. Our 4th Rounder this year Ed Wilkinson spent most of his time in San Jose (11 of 13 starts), and he looked more then ready. The lefty was 6-3 with a 3.18 ERA (136 ERA+), 1.27 WHIP, 29 walks, and 38 strikeouts and was able to throw well over 100 pitches in each start excluding a 3.1 inning outing where he was tagged with 10 hits and 7 runs. Last year's 5th Rounder John Little earned a late promotion after finishing 10-5 with a 3.90 ERA (111 ERA+), 1.35 WHIP, 47 walks, and 81 strikeouts, but he left his first start in Lincoln with a sore shoulder that cost him about 4 starts.

1935 6th Rounder Jocko Pollard put up MVP numbers, batting .309/.361/.547 (141 OPS+) with 25 doubles, 25 homers, and 105 RBIs in an outstanding season. A natural third basemen, Pollard has spent most of his time at first, and the Rhode Island kid has looked solid with the glove. The power looks legit right now, and he had double digits his first two seasons as well. We have very few corner bats in the system, so Pollard doesn't have too much competition, and the 21-year-old will get his first taste of the upper minors next season. This year's 4th Rounder Sammy Dillon excelled, slashing .275/.404/.473 (135 OPS+) with 16 doubles, 6 homers, and 24 RBIs in his first 59 pro games. The corner outfielder ranks just outside our top 30 and the leagues top 300, at 32 and 342 respectively, but I imagine as he develops he'll rise rather quickly. The kid has legit power and a great eye, but faces an uphill climb in the system. Another corner outfielder, Chick Browning, was outstanding in La Crosse before crushing the ball the same up here. He got time at first, left, and right, hitting an impressive .298/.384/.515 (140 OPS+) with 14 doubles, 16 homers, and 70 RBIs. The Chicagoan was supposedly not ready for San Jose (red arrow), but was a critical run producer for the Cougs he just snuck in to our top 50. Harry Avery was a mainstay in the lineup, hitting an average .274/.350/.399 (101 OPS+) while offering quality defense at third and short while getting accustomed to second. He added 21 doubles, 6 triples, 8 homers, 9 steals, and 59 RBIs in 524 trips to the plate.

C La Crosse Lions (Upper Mississippi Valley Association): 80-59 (.576)
La Crosse hosts the Waterloo Chiefs for game 140, with former 2nd Rounder and team win leader Newt Jackson taking the mound for the Lions. He partially tore his UCL last season, a huge blow for us, but he did improve off a terrible 1937. Jackson wasn't great, 10-5 with a 4.73 ERA (97 ERA+), 1.54 WHIP, 64 walks, and 48 strikeouts, but the 20-year-old is starting to get some prospect love. The most recent ranks have him 25th and 283rd, right ahead of teammate Oliver Allen. Jackson added velocity post surgery, from 86-88 to now 89-91, has his cutter improves as a reliable pitch to lean on. Speaking of Allen, the recent 4th Rounder had an average start to his pro career, 4-6 with a 4.58 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, 32 walks and 32 strikeouts. La Crosse also saw 20 excellent starts from the oft-injured Art Saunders, going 9-4 with a 3.01 ERA (152 ERA+), 1.15 WHIP, 28 walks, and 62 strikeouts in 113.2 really good innings. He made 3 starts with San Jose, and is projected to finish the season for them on Monday. Now 21, the former 9th Rounder ranks 13th in our system and 131st in the league, but the only reason he wasn't a top 3 round selection was due to his signing demands (he was "impossible") and injury concerns (rightfully so).

Offense wasn't always easy to come by for the Lions, but part of that had to do with guys like Browning and Ray Powell getting called up. The former lottery selection hit .348/.415/.509 (132 OPS+) with 11 doubles, 5 triples, 5 homers, and 31 RBIs in 253 trips to the plate. A lot of the new draftees entered the starting lineup and excelled, including top prospect and only good Cougar lottery selection Solly Skidmore. He hit .329/.402/.405 (104 OPS+) with 7 doubles, 3 homers, and 37 RBIs. The only downside from Solly was the lack of power, but he's a young 18 and won't turn 19 until May 29th. This kid could be a top 5 catcher, currently ranked as the second best catching prospect (behind Pete Casstevens) in all of baseball and Marv raves about his bat and his eventual power to all fields. He's an imposing 6'2'' and while he may never be a great defensive catcher, he'll more then make up for it with the bat. 10th Rounder Harry Carr cracked .350, slashing .356/.382/.437 (106 OPS+) with 7 doubles, 4 triples, 2 homers, 8 steals, and 36 RBIs. A natural center fielder, Carr spent most his time in right. Carr also slipped due to a sizeable bonus demand, and recently shot up the prospect ladder. When signed (while still better prospect left unsigned), he checked in at 227. Now he's 15th in our system and 160th in baseball, and Marv thinks of our prospect outfielders, just Hall, Pomales, and Mullis have higher upside. The reason he is in right is 7th Rounder Max Rucker, who hit an even better .332/.392/.462 (115 OPS+) with 14 doubles, 6 homers, and 34 RBIs. He's not nearly as highly rated, but the 21-year-old still checks in towards the back of the top 500. Lastly, one of the few players to hit well and spend most of the season in La Crosse was the 21-year-old Billy Jordan Jr., who ranks 37th in our system and 434th in the league. He finally reached the 100 game mark in year three, and hit a respectable .323/.387/.429 (106 OPS+) with 21 doubles, 6 homers, and 61 RBIs while finally walking (39) more then he struck out (22). I'm not sure how long we'll be able to maintain such a deep system, but our 48 top 500 prospects is best in the league, with only Montreal (42), the Sailors (44), and the Keystones (44). Like us, the Sailors and Keystones always have really deep systems, but it's nice to see Montreal on the upward trend as their 4th system is right behind the Keystones, and Montreal hasn't had a lot of young talent in a while.

ayaghmour2 · 09-13-2021, 05:03 PM

Weekly Record: 4-3
Seasonal Record: 79-75 (5th, 11 GB)
Stars of the Week
Ray Ford : 29 AB, 10 H, 3 HR, 6 RBI, .345 AVG, 1.103 OPS
John Lawson : 30 AB, 9 H, 2 HR, 9 RBI, .300 AVG, .923 OPS
Mike Taylor : 22 AB, 7 H, 2 HR, 4 RBI, .318 AVG, 1.011 OPS

Schedule
9-26: Win vs Wolves (2-4)
9-27: Loss vs Sailors (16-7)
9-28: Win vs Sailors (3-5)
9-29: Loss vs Sailors (10-4)
9-30: Win at Wolves (8-5)
10-1: Loss at Wolves (2-3): 18 innings
10-2: Win at Wolves (8-6)

Recap
So closeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!

With just one more win, every single Chicago Cougar affiliate would have won 80 games this season, but the big boys up top fell just short of the 80 game mark. I'd imagine with Montes and Hunter healthy for September we probably could have finished third, but regardless, we still finish above .500 for the second consecutive season. Our last game at North Side Park was played, a 10-4 loss to the Sailors, but the story of the week was the collapse of the Toronto Wolves. A remarkable season none the less, but we started and ended a seven game losing streak for them, and while they kept their season alive on a historic 18 inning game, it was all for naught as the Kings won as well, clinching another Continental Association pennant.

I think Dick Lyons secured the Allen Award with the outcomes of this final week. The 38-year-old vet made two starts, both against the Wolves. Lyons recorded victory #20 on the 26th, going 7 with 6 hits, an earned run, an unearned run, and 3 walks. He was also the pitcher in the crazy 18 inning game, pitching the first half of the game. He allowed 6 hits, 2 runs, and struck out 2. The parade of Pug Bryan, Allen Purvis, and Harry Parker didn't allow a hit until a 16th inning single by Nick Wallace. Pug and Purvis did walk 5, but Purvis and Parker both struck out a pair. Lyons finished the season with exactly 250 innings, and he led the FABL in both ERA (2.59) and WHIP (1.15). He was 20-6 with a 157 ERA+, 47 walks, and 48 strikeouts and was worth 5.7 wins above replacement. This was easily the best season of his 12 full seasons, but the iron man just dropped his career ERA below 4 with his last start. He is 169-123 with a 1.41 WHIP, 593 walks, and 785 strikeouts in 2,709.1 big league innings. Of course, this isn't Lyons only good season, he was an All Star in 1933 where he finished 17-11 with a 2.83 ERA (126 ERA+), 1.11 WHIP, 37 walks, and 63 strikeouts in 30 starts. In total, he's had an above average ERA+ in 8 seasons, so generally reliable, just never elite. This season was reminiscent to 1933 Max Wilder, although he finished the season 36. Wilder was 15-10 with a 2.70 ERA (132 ERA+), 1.22 WHIP, 63 walks, and 102 strikeouts. Of course, this was the same year Lyons had his All Star season and that Cougar team broke the Human ERA single season record.

I miss Tommy Wilcox...

Although he did have a 2.74 ERA this year! But in 42.2 innings out of the Legislators bullpen...

Sigh...

In the actual present and important news, Lyons also got some help from his teammates, as the Cougars piled on 9 hits and scored 6 runs (5 earned) against Joe Hancock in his 35th and final start of the season. Hancock still had a great year, just not Lyons good. He was 22-8 with a 3.02 ERA (139 ERA+), 1.28 WHIP, 91 walks, and 145 strikeouts in 283 innings pitched. His wins and strikeouts were most in our league, but Rabbit Day won 26 and Lefty Allen struck out 218. A lot of other pitchers had good seasons, so guys like Mike Murphy, Dean Astle, and maybe even Del Lyons (for those thinking they picked Dick!) stealing votes from the two favorites. I won't be bogus, I'm voting Joe Hancock second even though it will hurt Dick, I really think he my guy deserves it bias aside. Plus, Hancock is a total stud pitching in Toronto, and will just as easily pitch this well next season while Lyons ERA will be north of 5 by May.

And poor Tom Barrell. Somehow he was 13-14 with a 4.33 ERA (97 ERA+) and 1.30 WHIP despite 129 strikeouts and just 54 walks. He had a league best 6.9 WAR and 77 FIP-, showing that he was beyond unlucky. It's crazy the Kings won 90 despite Barrell having one of the most unlucky seasons I've ever seen. I already mentioned Wilcox, but even in his awful starts post trade with us, his FIP- was a still poor 102 compared to his dreadful 6.70 ERA (62 ERA+). And yes, if he was just league average we would've paced Lawson's Stars in 1932... I do miss those Wilcox vs. Barrell games that I thought we'd see dozens of... I think I'm going to stash him in the pen next year or the year after, but he's still got an option year left.

Huh, I almost forgot that we played games this week!

We hit a ton of homers last week, so many that even Lou Kelly hit career homer 269. The Pekin kid is now up to 1,996 career hits, and he may get those four next ones in a Cougar uniform. For his career, Kelly has hit .314/.374/.530 (140 OPS+) with 381 doubles, 91 triples, and 1,176 RBIs. He can't play defense anymore, but he's an outspoken leader with pop off the bench, and the Chicago fans absolutely adore him. Ray Ford added three of his own, going 10-for-29 with 7 runs and 6 RBIs. He ended the season with 16 homers and 72 RBIs in just 504 trips to the plate. If he didn't get hurt, he might have hit 20, but it was another above average season for Ford. He's now increased his OPS+ (114, 127, 129) and WAR (2.4, 2.8, 2.9) in each season so far. John Lawson also hit 16 homers, so he added 2 and drove in 9 in another strong week. He was 9-for-30 with 3 doubles and 3 runs scored, and I'm hoping he saved all his hot months for next year. Technically it was a down year for the soon-to-be 36-year-old, but he was just super consistent with no peaks or valleys and he did come just 2 RBI's short (108) of Al Wheeler for the most in the CA. Mike Taylor added two homers and was 7-for-22 with 2 walks, 3 runs, and 4 RBIs. After three awful offensive seasons, Taylor recorded an above average OPS+ (103) and reached double digits for homers (12).

No homers for Ollie Page, but he was an even 7-for-14 with four walks, a run scored, and two more driven in. It was another rough season for Page, but since Johnny McDowell didn't really do anything well, and both Dave Haight and Del Thomas supposedly broke out (fricken Thomas is a borderline top 100 prospect, I always knew the Alaskan could hit), so Page might as well be the favorite at second again. He looked great with the glove, and while I will look to upgrade, him, Jordan, Tommy Wilson, and more will be fighting for the keystone. Rich Langton dealt with back spasms for the final series, but was 8-for-26 with a homer, 3 walks, 5 runs, and 5 RBIs. That homer was enough for Langton to reach double digits, and he's now done that in each of his first four seasons. He's never had a repeat, 11 then 14 then 12 before the 10 this season. It was, however, his first 10/10 season as he swiped a team high 12 in 24 attempts. Leo Mitchell, however, swiped a bag this week and was a much better 9-for-14 in stolen base attempts. He was also 8-for-24 with a double, 4 walks, and 7 runs. Mitchell cracked the .330 mark, hitting .337 in a 4 WAR season.

I also had a little fun the last week of the season with Tip Harrison, and purchased his contract to fill up the 40. An all time favorite of mine, I loved his versatility and most definitely would have used a second round pick on him in 1934 if I wasn't even more obsessed with Pug Bryan. I was ready to snatch him in the third, but the Kings used the 13th pick in the 2nd Round to grab the Bluegrass State shortstop. Unfortunately, he never hit much, but was part of the Al Wheeler blockbuster (still kicking myself about this one too) as a top 100 prospect. I grabbed him and Homer Ray in the Spring from Detroit, and let him play the ultimate super utility role in Milwaukee. He didn't hit at all, but he helped keep the starters fresh as we avoided serious injuries in the infield (other then Tip himself) to one of our exciting youngsters. He started 6 games and was 3-for-21 with a double and walk. This created a pitiful 143/.182/.190 batting line, making him a complete zero. And no, that's not an insult. That's his OPS+! Harrison did the remarkable, but the 27-year-old was no more then an old fashion publicity stunt. I showed off the versatility, and he started a game at second, third, short, left, center, and right.

On the mound, Harry Parker finished the season off strong, as his last start against the Sailors was good. Of course, he went all nine, allowing just 5 hits, 3 runs, and 2 walks with 4 strikeouts. And like Lyons, he used his last appearance, two relief innings, to drop his career ERA below 4 to 3.99 (102 ERA+). The longball will always be a problem for him, as he allowed 15 homers in 130.2 innings pitched. Parker struck out 69 with just 29 walks, and his 1.15 WHIP and .250 BABIP are really impressive. It was a decent rookie year for the 6'6'' righty, and I can't wait for a full season next year. Things did not go nearly as well for Cy Sullivan, who was crushed for 9 hits and 10 runs with 5 walks and a strikeout in just 4 innings pitched. His ERA jumped from 3.62 to 4.21 (97 ERA+) and he ended his season with a 1.47 WHIP. He was terrible in September, 2-2 with a 7.83 ERA and 1.86 WHIP with 14 walks and 8 strikeouts. It ruined what was looking like a great rookie year, but I'm confident he'll bounce back next year. He wasn't the only youngster with a tough September, as Peter the Heater was also 2-2, but with a 8.42 ERA, 2.39 WHIP, 38 walks, and 27 strikeouts. Yes, you read that right. 2.39... Perhaps Pete wasn't as ready as I thought, as the wild righty was 8-6 with a 4.52 ERA (90 ERA+), 1.78 WHIP, and 117 walks in 123.1 innings pitched. He did reach 100 strikeouts, ending with 103, but the wheels really fell off towards the end. I am looking into a replacement pitching coach, so I'm hoping that could help the youngsters a bit.

Minor League Report
LHP Clarence Crane (AAA Milwaukee Blues): He didn't get a late season callup to the big league roster, but southpaw Clarence Crane was crucial atop the Blues rotation in the final month of the season. He took home Pitcher of the Month, going 5-0 with a 2.20 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. Crane finished with 10 starts, an impressive 8-2 with a 3.50 ERA (128 ERA+), 1.26 WHIP, 29 walks, and 27 strikeouts in 64.1 innings pitched. I was a little surprised he didn't pitch that deep into games, as in the Minutemen organization he threw 288 innings and started 36 games up in AA. He had a tough year up in Chicago, 13 walks and 11 strikeouts with a 5.54 ERA (73 ERA+) and 1.65 WHIP in 26 frames. He was a reliable pen arm as a Rule-5 pick last year, but now Crane is in danger of losing his roster spot. He does have four decent pitches and keeps the ball on the ground, but the mix of age and stuff could make 1938 the last season he faces FABL hitters.

CF Tony Mullis (A Lincoln Legislators): Another Player of the Month in the organization, as Mullis took home the award in the Heartland League. He hit .398 for Lincoln with 21 runs scored and driven in. The 20-year-old from Detroit spent 72 of his 129 games with the Legislators, batting .333/.411/.510 (152 OPS+) with 22 doubles, 12 triples, and 54 RBIs in exactly 300 trips to the plate. Mullis spent some time in right, but had an awful -4.8 zone rating and .846 efficiency in 21 starts. Defense does look like a weak point for the 20-year-old, who doesn't have the power to make up for a poor glove. The former 5th Rounder is an extremely hard worker, consistently focusing on the tasks ahead of him as he looks to develop into a better baseball player. I'm hoping this translates to more range and more power, but the 20-year-old does rank just outside the top 100 at 111. We have a ton of quality outfielders, so he may be stuck in Lincoln to start the year, but I imagine he'll push his way up quickly and I'm hoping he'll ascend into the top 100 shortly. Marv thinks he'll hit .350, but gives the backhanded "bland diet rather than a spicy pate" note before saying he'll be a "solid starter at center field".

LHP Harl Haines (B San Jose Cougars): Another 20-year-old, Haines took home the C-O-W Pitcher of the Month after finishing 4-0 with a sparkly 1.12 ERA and 0.84 WHIP while striking out 17 with just 5 walks. The 6'3'' submariner made 13 starts with the Cougars, 9-3 with a 2.41 ERA (179 ERA+), 1.06 WHIP, 15 walks, and 61 strikeouts. Haines has always drawn parallels to Harry Parker, a late round high school arm with the "starter" designation, but Haines isn't near the same quality wise. They are also in no way similar in terms of pitching, as Haines never gives up a homer, they throw different, and use different arms. They do both strike out a lot of hitters without walking many, one of the qualities a pitcher can have. Even against tougher competition up in A ball, Haines had a 4.8 K/9 with a 2.5 BB/9 in 64 innings pitched. 21 tomorrow, he's a wiry pitcher with an absolutely unhittable slider. It pushes 90 as his fastball and cutter average 95. Add on a screwball that looks like it's down the middle of the plate before it almost hits you in the leg, and you can imagine it's pretty scary to hit against this guy. I thought he might hit a lot of batters, but after 26 last season, just 6 this year. I really like this kid, Marv and OSA think he's more hit or miss, but he's inside our top 20 and the games top 200 at 18 and 187 respectively.

LHP Ralph Kendall (C La Crosse Lions): Here's something you'll rarely see, a stopper winning Pitcher of the Month! That's what 1935 5th Rounder Ralph Kendall managed, going 3-1 with 7 saves, 14 strikeouts, and a 1.57 ERA in 23 innings out of the pen. Kendall was formerly thought of as a starter, 23 starts in 1936 and 12 (of 38 games) in 1937, but he functioned strictly out of the pen this year. Still, he managed more innings this year (106.2) then last year (97.1) and was extremely effective. The 20-year-old was 10-4 with 23 saves, a 2.02 ERA (206 ERA+), 1.18 WHIP, 46 walks, and 77 strikeouts. A four pitch pitcher, really only his high 80s sinker is any good, as he uses it to roll up a ton of ground balls. His splitter also looks good, but unless he does something with one of his two change ups, his future likely lies as a multi inning pen arm. His walks are a bit high, a 3.9 BB/9 this year is actually his career low, but Kendall is a hard worker who is working to build strength. There was a time he ranked in the top 500, but those days are likely behind him as he'll just serve as useful pen fodder.

No promises on an end of the season review, I usually mess up and refresh things midway through a long report, but I probably will give one a shot in the next day or so as I wait for the offseason to start. It'll be a rematch of 1936 where the Chiefs swept the Kings. I'm not sure who I want to win, as the Kings one last year and the Chiefs have just one less championship then we do. I feel obligation to vote for the fellow Chicago team, but also to support my association. I guess that's a longer way to say I want a Game 7, as nothing tops exciting baseball. I'm giving the edge to the Saints, as their 1-2 of Lonardo and Day is pretty awesome, and I guess Jack Beach is a 20 game winner? Plus Hank Barnett his finally free of Montreal, and showing what he could have done at second in Chicago... They also have an MVP quality hitter in Tom Bird, but the Kings are a well build team that loves to underperform. The Chiefs have one former Cougar, the 4-time World Champion Tom Taylor, while the Kings have Tom, Fred, Murphy, and John Kincaid.

08-24-2021, 05:06 PM	#582
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	1938 Draft: Round 14-25 For some reason, no one is showing up as our 13th Round pick in the transactions (I guess one less player to cut), so here are our 14th through 25th Round selection. A lot of these guys you will likely never see named again, but there are always a few late round gems. 14th Round, 210th Overall: LHP Marty Moyer School: Odell 1938: 6-3, 91.2 IP, 2.06 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 31 BB, 94 K Career: 19-9, 295.1 IP, 2.44 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 100 BB, 281 K An Illinois kid! Born in Odell, Illinois, southpaw Marty Moyer went to the local high school, and pitched well against other Illinois high schoolers. He wasn't great, but he decreased his ERA in each season, and after splitting time between the rotation and pen his first two years, he started all 13 games in both of his years as an upperclassmen. Moyer does walk more then his share of batters, about three per nine, but he'll strike guys out and keep the ball on the ground. A six pitch pitcher, his changeup looks to be the best, as it's a nice change of pace compared to his high 80s fastball. He should be able to get at least one more of the other pitches to be FABL quality so he can start in the majors. He's a very raw pitcher that needs a lot of work, but perhaps we can find some untapped potential in him. 15th Round, 235th Overall: RHP Pat Rhodes School: Chapman 1938: 3-1, SV, 60.2 IP, 2.23 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 21 BB, 77 K Career: 16-6, SV, 259.2 IP, 2.36 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 74 BB, 271 K It looked like a breakout last season, but Pat Rhodes was not able to replicate his junior year this season. In 73.2 innings in 1937, he was 6-1 with a 1.47 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 12 walks, and 96 strikeouts in 73.2 innings pitched. His walks were way down that year, 1.5 compared to the 2.6 for his four year career, and he boosted up his strikeouts a ton. He did maintain that, an 11.7 last year and 11.4 this year. 1937 looks like an outlier, but he does have intriguing stuff. He does a good job mixing his mid 80s cutter, curve, and change together and he's an extremely hard worker. Anything could happen with high school arms, and Rhodes has the makeup to make it work. 16th Round, 251st Overall: 1B Joe Powers School: Pendleton 1938: .455/.490/.610, 115 PA, 16 2B, 28 RBI, 7 SB Career: .455/.490/.645, 342 PA, 45 2B, 4 3B, 2 HR, 86 RBI, 19 SB Just what I wanted, a no pop first basemen! I don't have many first base options, so he'll at least get to pay backup first base in La Crosse, but I wouldn't expect much of anything here. 17th Round, 267th Overall: 2B Kibbles Wood School: Liberal Commit School: Amarillo Methodist 1938: .402/.462/.562, 131 PA, 14 2B, 2 3B, 28 RBI, 3 SB Career: .407/.477/.548, 499 PA, 43 2B, 4 3B, 3 HR, 104 RBI, 16 SB One of the four impossible signees, the A+ name of Kibbles Wood seems likely to spend his next three seasons at Amarillo Methodist. In the wise words of Marv Branson, "Wood's below average hitting and fielding could limit his potential." Well, maybe he'll be the next Bus Harris (Red Barnett ended up being the Wolves 9th Rounder) and jump way up draft boards as a junior. 18th Round, 283rd Overall: RHP Chris Vestal School: Kenwood 1938: 4-2, 72.2 IP, 2.85 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 24 BB, 49 K Career: 12-6, 221.2 IP, 3.00 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 69 BB, 165 K Very uninspiring stats from Vestal, who had two seasons with an ERA above 3 in high school. He's also just a two pitcher, and since there's about a 0.0001% chance he ends up useful, I'll just cut him and save some time. 19th Round, 299th Overall: C Gene Lee School: Belle Vernon 1938: .468/.535/.748, 127 PA, 17 2B, 3B, 4 HR 30 RBI, SB Career: .478/.535/.727, 484 PA, 58 2B, 3 3B, 13 HR, 126 RBI, 16 SB There were definitely worse options out there, and I'm at least going to give backstop Gene Lee a few looks. He hit four homers as a junior and senior, at least looks to have a respectable bat. He hit .495 as a sophomore and .484 as a junior, and he projects to have a decent eye at the plate. He's a big guy, 6'3'' and 200 pounds, which is okay from someone who crouches behind the plate. He's got a ton of strength, part of the reason he hit a few prep homers, and since we're rather weak behind the plate, he could be a nice backup for Solly Skidmore once he decides to sign. Add on to the fact that he's a leader on the field, and perhaps he could function as a backup catcher one day. 20th Round, 315th Overall: LF Frank Booth School: Gulfport Commit School: Collingwood College 1938: .372/.438/.574, 108 PA, 12 2B, 2 3B, HR, 22 RBI, 5 SB Career: .391/.475/.574, 463 PA, 49 2B, 5 3B, 14 HR, 104 RBI, 35 SB Born in Ottawa, Frank Booth somehow managed to bat below .400 twice and finish with a high school career average lower then the Chiefs' Pete Layton (.394) has this year. Lucky for him he's impossible to sign, or he'd be cut in an instant. He once had a little power, 5 homers as a freshman, but it dropped to 4 as a sophomore and junior and he just hit one longball this year. His scouting report has two sentences, and one is just about his weight, his birth city, and draft position, so it's pretty clear the second sentence talks about how poor his ceiling is. 21st Round, 331st Overall: 3B Art Pierce School: Lee's Summit 1938: .435/.490/.750, 107 PA, 13 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 24 RBI, 5 SB Career: .441/.492/.676, 463 PA, 48 2B, 4 3B, 13 HR, 110 RBI, 26 SB Another high schooler, Art Pierce handled the hot corner at Lee's Summit for the past three seasons, and showed off a little pop. He projects to be a .290 hitter, with a very compact and clean swing that allows him to hit the ball to all fields. OSA likes him, Marv not so much, but he'll at least hang around and feature as an occasional bench bat the rest of the year before having to show something to stay when next year's draft rolls along. 22nd Round, 347th Overall: SS Charlie Mynatt School: Parlier 1938: .402/.455/.505, 113 PA, 10 2B, 21 RBI, 9 SB Career: .422/.487/.580, 480 PA, 52 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 105 RBI, 23 SB No power here, as we added a light hitting shortstop in California's Charlie Mynatt. He managed three homers as a freshman, but not a single one since, generally due to his groundball tendencies. His makeup isn't all that great either, and I'm a little concerned that the 6'4'' righty won't be able to handle short well. I only drafted one shortstop this year, and it was a college shortstop, so Mynatt may survive this round of cuts. Chances are he won't ever see much playing time, but I'm hoping his contact and eye tools develop as he is a decently athletic kid. 23rd Round, 363rd Overall: RF Jesse Brock School: Westcott Vocational Commit School: CC Los Angeles 1938: .416/.500/.663, 108 PA, 10 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 27 RBI, 13 SB Career: .414/.510/.662, 470 PA, 45 2B, 11 3B, 9 HR, 107 RBI, 61 SB Another of the impossible, Brock was born in Evanston, Illinois, towards the northern border of Chicago. He'll be moving out to Los Angeles for college, where he should showcase his bat a bit more. He's a tiny corner outfielder, just 5'8'', but he's got the time to grow and already has at least average power. He has good foot and bat speed, but Brock isn't looking like more then a future fourth outfielder. 24th Round, 379th Overall: CF Jim Solinski School: Marshalltown Commit School: Smithfield College 1938: .429/.472/.580, 123 PA, 14 2B, 1 HR, 26 RBI, 8 SB Career: .432/.499/.622, 481 PA, 54 2B, 6 3B, 4 HR, 102 RBI, 28 SB The last of the four impossible, Solinski was a decent four year starter at Marshalltown who did much better his first two seasons then his final two. He can play all three outfield spots, but Marv doesn't think he has the fielding skills to make up for his hitting skills. Or I guess lack of hitting skills. I guess if anyone has the chance to be Bus Harris of our three impossible, he'd have the edge as a center fielder. 25th Round, 395th Overall: RF Ernie Chamness School: Torrington 1938: .413/.456/.603, 139 PA, 16 2B, 2 3B, HR, 32 RBI, 13 SB Career: .420/.482/.642, 472 PA, 54 2B, 10 3B, 5 HR, 101 RBI, 56 SB Our last pick of 1938! We're saddled with A very boring corner outfielder from Connecticut who is a below average hitter with a lot of questions regarding his defense. Lucky for him, he made a pinch hit appearance this week, or Chamness would likely never get into a minor league game. He'll be cut today as well. La Crosse currently holds 46 players, I have a handful of guys left to sign, and will eventually need to get the roster down to 35. I like to keep extra players on hand, so I'd wager maybe 10-15 guys get cut. Not all will be from the lower levels, but a lot of the minor league free agents I've accumulated as emergency players may want to polish up their CV's. __________________ 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

08-25-2021, 03:23 PM	#583
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	Week 11: June 27th-July 3rd Weekly Record: 2-4 Seasonal Record: 34-39 (6th, 16 GB) Stars of the Week Ray Ford : 18 AB, 9 H, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .500 AVG, 1.137 OPS Harry Mead : 10 AB, 6 H, 0 HR, 4 RBI, .600 AVG, 1.383 OPS Oscar Morse : 1 Win, 9.0 IP, 6 BB, 2 K, 0.00 ERA Schedule 6-28: Loss vs Wolves (5-3) 6-29: Loss vs Wolves (6-1) 6-30: Win vs Wolves (0-3) 7-1: Win at Foresters (4-0) 7-2: Loss at Foresters (5-9) 7-3: Loss at Foresters (0-7) Recap Another crappy week, but at least we get a little break for the All Star game! We do have a double header to start the week, but all Cougars except Dick Lyons and Billy Hunter won't suit up again until the 8th. We definitely need that break, as our only wins this week were shutouts and we've dropped below the Saints and now only lead Baltimore and New York. Baltimore is 4.5 games behind us, but I do not like how things have turned out this season. I had a lot of hope for the team, but after failing to make big move after big move, we're now more of a seller then a championship contender. Good think we have Dick Lyons, however, who outdueled Dean Astle and finished a dominant second half with a 3-hit, 1 walk, 1 strikeout shutout of the Foresters. Lyons has allowed an earned run in just one of his last four starts now and he's one each of them. He's 9-4 with a 2.87 ERA (142 ERA+), 1.16 WHIP, 18 walks, and 21 strikeouts, and even if I wanted to trade him (which I don't), I doubt I'd even be able to get a bucket of balls for him. One of the guys I will trade, Oscar Morse, also tossed a shutout, one of the 4-hit, 6 walk, 2 strikeout variety against the Wolves. Morse has followed up a strong 1937 with a better 1938, 6-6 with a 3.61 ERA (113 ERA+), 1.38 WHIP, 45 walks, and 24 strikeouts. Harry Parker's first big league start wasn't all that great, 10 hits, 7 runs (4 earned), 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts in a 9-5 loss to Cleveland. I imagine he'll bounce back fine and will get another shot against the Foresters at the end of the week. Clarence Crane hit a rough patch, 11 runs (9 earned) in his last three outings, as his ERA spiked from 2.93 to 5.25. He won't go down yet, but Joe Brown, John Hartz, or Pete Papenfus may be knocking on the door very shortly. Only two hitters had a good week this week, Ray Ford and the now graduated prospect Harry Mead. Ford was an even 9-for-18 with 2 doubles, 2 RBIs, a run, walk, and steal. Mead played a bit less, but was 6-for-10 with a walk, two doubles, and four driven in. Aart MacDonald earned a trip back down to Milwaukee, 0-for-18 with two walks and a run. Carlos Montes should be healthy next week, but I needed to bring Bill Ashbaugh back. This week Roy Moore and Orlin Yates will split time in center, but I hope Montes will be ready when we return from the All Star break. We signed a few more of our draftees, including 4th Rounder Sammy Dillon, 1st Rounder Solly Skidmore, and 4th Rounder Ed Wilkinson. Skidmore almost perfectly replaces the now graduated Harry Mead, checking in at 3rd in our system and 28th in the league. Wilkinson and Dillon both check in outside the top 200, at 288 and 339 respectively. Unfortunately, Peter the Heater is no longer the #1 ranked prospect, that would be the Stars' Bill Barrett, but we're up to 2nd in the farm rankings with 222 points. The only other team with 200 or more is the Gothams stacked farm at 267. I am still waiting on six more players to sign, but I doubt any will crack the top 100. Looking Ahead We finish the first half with a double header in Toronto. We'll look to give Joe Hancock his third loss of the year (we gave him his second!), as he's an impressive 14-2 with a 2.84 ERA (148 ERA+), 1.23 WHIP, 38 walks, and 71 strikeouts in 133 innings pitched. We're also likely to see Bernie Johnson, who allowed 8 hits, a run, and a walk with 3 strikeouts in a complete game win over us on the 29th. Fred McCormick boosted his batting line to .393/.488/.649 (192 OPS+) with 27 doubles, 4 triples, 9 homers, and 48 RBIs, making me really wish I gave met the Pioneers offer for him. Larry Vestal is starting to turn things around, using a 5-hit ball game to increase his season line to .293/.377/.438 (110 OPS+) with 7 doubles, 11 triples, 2 homers, 3 steals, and 51 RBIs. Former 4th Overall Pick Charlie Artuso is hitting just .214/.271/.329 (54 OPS+), but his +9.9 zone rating and 1.140 efficiency at short is even better then George Dawson and Harry Barrell. The Wolves are scary, and they should take these two games quite easily. We'll then head on home, where we get a few days of rest before starting a three game set with the Foresters on Friday. They've moved 33-year-old Rube McCormick to the rotation, and after a rough first start, he tossed a 3-hit, 3 strikeout shutout as they beat us 7-0 to finish last week. It is his first big league action since 1932, so it's only fitting he'd toss a shutout against our extremely inept offense. Of course, he's the easiest of their other three, with Astle, Gonzales, and Martino all having great years. Astle will represent the Foresters at the All-Star game, and he's 8-8 with a 2.92 ERA (145 ERA+), 1.27 WHIP, 41 walks, and 38 strikeouts in 135.2 impressive innings. George Dawson is having a really tough season at the plate, batting just .240/.319/.338 (70 OPS+), so hopefully the Foresters will be more then happy to send him to Chicago. His defense is still elite, and he's also added 11 doubles, 5 homers, 6 steals, and 23 RBIs. Minor League Report RHP Pete Papenfus (AAA Milwaukee Blues): I don't necessarily want to trade Dave Rankin, but if I do (there is an offer out), I think I'll have to go with the Century League Pitcher of the Month. After a rough start to the season and a walk-filled Spring, Peter the Heater was a perfect 6-0 with a 2.56 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 45.2 innings pitched. He has now made 12 starts spanning 74.2 innings, going 8-2 with a 3.38 ERA (140 ERA+), 1.46 WHIP, 48 walks, and 72 strikeouts. I may have to accept Papenfus will never get over his walk issues, but I'm really pulling for him to master his control a bit more. Marv raves about his "high-octane fastball" and says he'll "have some of the best stuff in the league." Simply put, this kid should be an ace, and perhaps he should be pitching in the big leagues. I don't care what OSA says about Bill Barrett, he's no Peter the Heater, and their is no pitcher more valuable then Milwaukee's ace. He's going to challenge for multiple Allen Awards, strikeout more batters then anyone else in the league, and potentially set records when it is all said and done. Regardless of a Rankin (or Morse) trade, I can't imagine Pete will still be in Milwaukee come August, and I'm hoping him and Harry Parker can make up a devastating 1-2 punch next season as the Cougars win a pennant in their brand new stadium. Ahh, something to dream about! LF Chubby Hall (B San Jose Cougars): Ranked only behind Papenfus in our system, Chubby Hall has built off an outstanding 1937 with somehow a better 1938. Hall was an even 10-for-20 this week with 3 homers and 5 driven in to take home Player of the Week in the California-Oregon-Washington league. The 21-year-old from New York is now hitting a robust .314/.384/.535 (144 OPS+) with 12 doubles, 12 homers, and 44 RBIs, while finally walking (28) more then he's striking out (19). As you'd expect from someone called Chubby, he's not much of a defender, but he profiles as a well above average player regardless. He projects to hit for a very high average with an even higher on base percentage, as he's a very disciplined hitter who won't chase. Add in a quick stroke that sends the ball flying in the air, he could be a 20+ home run hitter as well. Of course, he's got a lot of developing to do, but Hall ranks as the 24th best prospect in baseball and appears ready to take on tougher competition out in Lincoln. 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

08-26-2021, 11:51 AM	#584
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	Trade News! I'll have a weekly post up later today, but more importantly, we worked out a trade with the Cleveland Foresters. Veteran inning eater and unlucky multiple time 20 loss pitcher Dave Rankin will be taking his talents to the Foresters in exchange for their 4th Round Pick next season and right hander George Sacchetti. Rankin was acquired almost exactly four seasons ago from the Chiefs, and was a constant in our rotation, going 59-78 with a 4.19 ERA (101 ERA+), 1.41 WHIP, 359 walks, and 436 strikeouts in 1,177 innings pitched. It was much of the same for the consistent complete game machine this year, but a poor start and relief appearance last week dropped him to 5-11 with a 4.12 ERA (99 ERA+), 1.34 WHIP, 39 walks, and 39 strikeouts, but before this week he had a 3.85 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. Contrary to popular belief, I am not trying to collect all the fourth round picks I can, but I do want to strengthen our lower minors and draft picks are the best way to do that. The hope for next season is that there will be good talent after the first three January rounds, and now I can guarantee selecting a hitter and a pitcher. Sacchetti is also an interesting piece, selected in the 4th Round this year and currently slotted as the 215th best prospect in the league. My scout wasn't too high on him pre-draft, so he wasn't the highest on my list, but he's started to warm up to him. 22 in August, he pitched two seasons in college, going 35-27 with a 3.50 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 69 walks, and 112 strikeouts for Redwood University. His two starts in C ball haven't gone great, but I like the kids profile. He's a four pitch pitcher with a nice change and reliable mid-to-high 80s fastball. Sacchetti keeps the ball on the ground and has good command, both which should lead to few longballs. I think this deal will work really well for Cleveland, but we both agreed that Sacchetti could end up being a diamond in the rough. He's got that exciting high ceiling, low floor combination that is the perfect amount of risk for me. We have a lot of exciting young arms in the system, so we can take that risk, and it opens the door for a bigger move. It's time for the Papenfus era! Replacing Rankin on the roster and in the rotation will be the now 3rd best prospect in baseball (he's #1 in my book, and that's all that matters!), Pete "Peter the Heater" Papenfus. A blossoming young 20-year-old, Papenfus hurls triple digit fastballs like its nothing, likely finishing his minor league career with an 8-2 record with the Milwaukee Blues. His 3.46 ERA (136 ERA+) and 1.48 WHIP are strong marks, and he's struck out 77 with 51 walks in 80.2 innings pitched. 77 is how many Toronto's Joe Hancock has struck out as well, but he's done it in 142 innings. This may be the last time he leagues the league in strikeouts, as Papenfus may end up breaking Charlie Sis' FABL 3,462 strikeout record. The sky truly is the limit for Papenfus, and I'd be very surprised if he doesn't strike out more batters then any other Cougar this year. I've gone on and on about how good he is, and now we finally get to witness it! The future is really bright on the mound in Chicago, we just have to be patient and let the young guys flex. EDIT: Made a second trade, not really worth it's own post. We quickly moved Oscar Morse, sending him to the Gothams for a 6th Round Pick and SS Stu Stasny. Stasny ranks outside the top 500, but I think he could develop into a decent major league piece. He projects to be a .290 hitter and has worked well on improving his pitch recognition. He's 20 and a lanky 6'4'', and I think the former 14th Round selection will not stick at short. He's not hitting too well in C ball this year, but this deal was more about making room in the rotation. Papenfus will be joined by Cy Sullivan in the rotation, while another top prospect in Joe Brown will function out of the pen. I may do a six man rotation to get all the youngsters starts, but I have not yet decided. Morse was having a good season himself, 6-6 with a 3.55 ERA (115 ERA+), 1.37 WHIP, 45 walks, and 25 strikeouts, but he was going to start losing starts to the youngsters and was sitting in the 5th spot in the rotation. __________________ 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; 08-26-2021 at 02:25 PM.

08-26-2021, 03:22 PM	#585
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	Week 12: July 4th-July 10th Weekly Record: 3-2 Seasonal Record: 37-41 (5th, 16 GB) Stars of the Week Orlin Yates : 9 AB, 4 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .444 AVG, 1.323 OPS Cy Sullivan : 1 Win, 9.0 IP, 1 BB, 1 K, 0.00 ERA John Lawson : 21 AB, 7 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .333 AVG, .699 OPS Schedule 7-4: Loss at Wolves (3-8) 7-4: Win at Wolves (2-1) 7-8: Win vs Foresters (5-6) 7-9: Loss vs Foresters (5-2) 7-10: Win vs Foresters (5-6) Recap This was a split week, a loss on either side of the main festivities, the All-Star game. It was another crazy extra inning affair, with the Continental Association taking the 13-inning game 5-4. Billy Hunter came off the bench and finished the game at short, but was 0-for-2. Dick Lyons blew the save in the 8th, 3 hits and a run in his only inning. The biggest news on the field (a ton off the field) was Cy Sullivan's first (of hopefully many) big league start. He pitched the second game of the double header against the Wolves before the break, and drew up a ton of weak contact. He pitched all nine and picked up the win, allowing 10 hits with a single walk and strikeout. Sullivan will remain n the rotation, entering the four slot ahead of Harry Parker, and he should be pitching about every fifth game the rest of the way. He currently ranks 36th in the league, but he is very close from graduating. None of the other starts went all that well, with Fritz, Parker, and Lyons all allowing five runs against the Foresters. Lucky for us, we managed o score six in Parker and Lyons' start, so we won our first series of the second half. We still aren't hitting the ball at all, with the only three players having a successful week all part-time players. Orlin Yates looked great, 4-for-9 with a homer, a steal, two walks, and three runs scored and driven in as he filled in out in center. He'll retain his roster spot, as Carlos Montes is ready to return. Mike Taylor also did well, 3-for-8 with a double and two walks. Doc Love was just 1-for-6, but he homered and walked. Sadly Hunter and Mitchell really struggled, combining to go 9-for-39 while Hunter doubled and Mitchell stole a base. All are non impossible draftees have signed, and a lot have placed in the top 500. The biggest surprise is my first actual pick, 3rd Rounder Danny Richardson, who checks in at 11th in the league and 73rd overall. 10th Rounder Harry Carr just missed the top 200, 23rd and 227th respectively with 4th Rounder Oliver Allen (33rd/378th) and 5th Rounder Steve Jones (36th/413th) filing in behind him. I'd imagine most picks have signed by now, and we currently have 44 top 500 prospects (will be 45 with Sacchetti) and our system ranks 2nd with 216 points. We are the only 200 point team, as the Gothams now have 304 points due to 33rd Overall Pick Ed Bowman (who myself and many others would have loved to take in the first two rounds) hopping up to 2nd ahead of Peter the Heater. Bowman is no Papenfus, end of story, but it is annoying how the mock draft didn't even think he deserved a selection in the first five rounds. Looking Ahead The new look rotation of the Cougars first test will be against the Sailors in Chicago. We'll see them for two games, so no Papenfus (he pitched two days ago) sighting will happen against the Sailors. They sit at 40-37, tied for third with the Foresters and 12.5 games behind the Kings. William Jones is back on the mound for the Sailors, and despite being an unlucky 3-6, he's got a beautiful 2.71 ERA (155 ERA+) and 1.19 WHIP with 26 strikeouts and 19 walks. All-Star Doc Newell has continued his strong season, 11-5 with a 3.52 ERA (120 ERA+), 1.36 WHIP, 38 walks, and 52 strikeouts. Walt Wells has cooled off a bit, but the 30-year-old southpaw is still 9-4 with a 3.85 ERA (110 ERA+), 1.46 WHIP, 57 walks, and 46 strikeouts. River Grove's Woody Stone was also an All-Star, and the former top 10 prospect is slashing an impressive .342/.413/.458 (125 OPS+) as he's more then seized the job away from Red Jackson. The Sailors have also welcomed back the now healthy Joe Watson, who is hitting .320/.402/.454 (121 OPS+) with 3 doubles, 2 triples, 2 homers, a steal, and 19 RBIs in just under 100 at bats for the year. The top five in the order is now extremely scary, with Nava (131), Walker (118), Watson, Smith (128), and Stone all having well above average seasons. The bottom of the order, however, is a cakewalk, but if exciting young shortstop Rip Lee gets back on track, the Sailors can be a really tough team to get out. The rest of the week is much easier, starting with the 27-49 Stars. New York sits 25 games out of first place, and has had a really tough time scoring and preventing runs. A team like the Sailors could potentially use right fielder Hank Jones, their All Star, who hit .335/.385/.486 (129 OPS+) with 17 doubles, 4 homers, 4 triples, and 50 RBIs. They won't trade Chink Stickels, but he continues to improve at the plate, now hitting .332/.397/.529 (143 OPS+) with 25 doubles, 20 triples, 2 homers, 5 steals, and 31 RBIs. He was part of the Lawson deal, and while not the best defender, currently ranks as the 3rd best center fielder in the game. On the mound, fellow 27-year-old George Phillips continues to lead the staff, 6-3 with a 2.72 ERA (152 ERA+), 1.32 WHIP, 41 walks, and 31 strikeouts in 99.1 innings pitched. The only downside to Phillips is his stamina, with almost half (7 of his 15 starts) seeing him leave after the 6th or earlier. Our long homestand continues with the Cannons, with two of three this weekend. Baltimore is a bit ahead of New York, 32-45, but four games behind Montreal for the now important sixth place. Gus Goulding continues to be a reliable inning eater atop their rotation, 7-9 with a 3.87 ERA (106 ERA+), 1.29 WHIP, 41 walks, and 63 strikeouts as he's on pace for a second 300 inning season. 22-year-old Art Edwards hasn't found nearly as much success, now 7-11 with a 5.28 ERA (77 ERA+), 1.63 WHIP, 74 walks, and 68 strikeouts. They should be getting Rusty Petrick back next week, but his replacement Howie Pike has had walk issues and a 4.98 ERA (82 ERA+) in 4 starts and 5 relief outings. Almost 28-year-old Oscar King has never hit much, but this year his .190/.328/.286 (66 OPS+) batting line is the first time he's been below a 70 OPS+ and his efficiency is down to just 1.031, which would also be a career low. They also just lost one of their few productive hitters, Bunny Stapleton, who will miss at least four weeks with torn quadriceps. He was hitting an average .299/.354/.414 (105 OPS+) with 8 doubles, 7 homers, and 34 RBIs. We really need to win these games against New York and Baltimore, and I think our young arms will be up to the task. Minor League Report RHP Preacher Pietsch (A Lincoln Legislators): 1938 has been almost a perfect season for Preacher Pietsch, who had a few poor starts and an injury after the draft last season. This year has been anything but, 6-4 with 2.20 ERA (183 ERA+), 1.19 WHIP, 19 walks, and 50 strikeouts in 12 starts with the Legislators. Since draft day he's added a lot of velocity, going from 88-90 to 92-94 and now the prospect people are starting to see he's not a sub-500 prospect. At the most recent rankings, Pietsch checks in at the century mark, and I still think that might be a little low. He boasts an imposing 6'6'' presence on the mound with a nice cutter he can place effortlessly. He has good command of his curve and splitter too, all big league quality pitches, and he has a regular fastball he can use as well. Walks should never be an issue for the 22-year-old, and Marv thinks he'll be a useful rotation arm. OSA is higher on him, thinking middle of the rotation arm, and I think that's closer to accurate. I'm a little biased, but I do think he could end up towards the top of a middle of the pack rotation, but hopefully towards the bottom of should be a dominant Cougar starting five. __________________ 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

08-26-2021, 11:34 PM	#586
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	Amateur Report I didn't really have a chance to write any Amateur Reports for this years draft class, so to ensure that doesn't happen for a class again, I'll be covering some of the potential top picks in next years draft. This will be nice too, because the January portion of the draft happens before stats are released. A lot can change between now and then, as players develop even when they are not playing any games. I might also try to add a few in the weekly reports as I continue to scout the pool. CF Bob Coon School: St. Magnus 1938: .345/.406/.569, 318 PA, 16 2B, 6 3B, 11 HR, 68 RBI, 34 SB Career (COL): .328/.391/.531, 607 PA, 30 2B, 11 3B, 19 HR, 74 SB Career HS: .528/.583/.944, 103 PA, 13 2B, 6 3B, 4 HR, 31 RBI, 19 SB Now in his second season at St. Magnus, Bob Coon has made it clear that he will not be a 14th Round Pick. That's where the Keystones took him in 1936, where he instead decided to honor his commitment for college. It has worked out well for him, as he's blossomed into a potential first round pick. Coaches love his effort, and he's really shown an aptitude to improve on the field. He has a quick and loose stroke and should be an above average contact hitter. The power is legit as well, as he's cracked double digit longballs in a season. Combine those two skills and he projects to be an elite hitter. My scout and OSA don't say anything about his defense, so range could be an issue, but seeing how much he's improved already, it wouldn't be too surprising if he becomes a better outfielder. I'm looking forward to my upcoming scouting report, and depending what Marv says, he may be one of my top targets in the first January draft. 3B Whitey Dorsch School: Moline 1938: .482/.589/.795, 110 PA, 12 2B, 3B, 4 HR, 26 RBI, SB Career: .492/.599/.791, 341 PA, 37 2B, 3 3B, 11 HR, 83 RBI, 3 SB A native of Moline, Illinois, Dorsch stayed local for high school and is set to start for his fourth consecutive season. His best season was as a sophomore where he hit .500/.612/.761 with 13 doubles, 3 homers, and 35 RBIs while sporting a nice 25-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The 6'2'' third basemen is a lean and athletic player with strength that led to a strong arm and home run power. His contact tool should be at least average too, and he's got excellent discipline at the plate. Like Coon, he's an extremely hard worker and he challenges his teammates to get better. I just got a nice third basemen prospect in Danny Richardson, but Dorsch could be a target for the regional draft as we (along with the Chiefs) have priority there. I think he is going to be a well above average player and there is a chance a team decides to go with him in one of the first two rounds as well. CF Danny Goff Jr. School: Hempstead 1938: .341/.399/.458, 305 PA, 15 2B, 7 3B, 1 HR, 53 RBI, 35 SB Career: 357/.413/.483, 301 PA, 30 2B, 15 3B, 3 HR, 109 RBI, 70 SB I have a hunch I know who is #1 on the Kings draft board for next season. A Brooklyn native and son of former King pitcher and current bench coach Danny Goff, Danny Goff Jr. burst on to the season as a freshman with an outstanding .373/.426/.507 batting line. He followed it up with another impressive season this year, and seems likely to be one of the top picks in the winter draft. Goff projects to compete for batting titles as he consistently hits the ball hard to all fields. He has excellent speed on the basepaths and it coincides with excellent range in center. His bat and hustle alone are enough to warrant a high draft pick, but add in the baseball pedigree and he seems to be a lock to be a first rounder. SS Skipper Schneider School: Northwestern 1938: .478/.524/.674, 108 PA, 15 2B, 1 HR, 27 RBI, 18 SB Career: 484/.532/.671, 367 PA, 38 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 98 RBI, 47 SB An A+ name for sure, the versatile Skipper Schneider has experience at short, third, second, left, and right. The tiny 5'6'' lefty swinger is actually an "elite defensive shortstop" so I'd imagine he could also play a little bit of center too. He isn't very fast, so that potentially could limit his range, but he's still outstanding in the infield. He isn't the best with the bat, but he should end up with at least an above average contact tool, but the eye and power are a little less certain. The glove alone is enough, but if he wants to reach his lofty ceiling, he'll have to either polish the eye or power and be more then just a glove. LHP Marcus Magnum School: Louisa 1938: 9-2, 117 IP, 1.08 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 12 BB, 165 K Career: 27-4, 323.1 IP, 1.53 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 62 BB, 409 K A sidewinding southpaw from the Bluegrass state, Marcus Magnum had a junior year to remember. He was 9-2 with a 1.08 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 12 walks, and 165 strikeouts as he effortlessly set down batter after batter. Magnum has 40 prep starts under his belt now, and has an outside chance to reach 600 prep strikeouts. In each season he's raised his K/9, lowered his BB/9, lowered his WHIP, and increased his WAR and innings count. His junior season was easily the best by all measures, except rather ironically, losses, and I really hope Magnum follows it up with another banger of a year. A big part of his success was adding a cutter, and he bumped his velocity up to the 89-91 range. He also has a fastball, slider, and change, with all except the change projected to be outstanding pitches. His change isn't much now, but he likely won't have to use it very frequently. Magnum has advanced control as well, and paired with his brilliant stuff, should make him an extremely valuable young arm. RHP Vic Carroll School: Richmond State 1938: 8-4, 113.1 IP, 2.54 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 33 BB, 102 K Career: 16-6, 207.2 IP, 2.38 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 58 BB, 192 K Carroll had an even better freshman season then sophomore year, as he went 8-2 with a 2.19 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 25 walks, and 90 strikeouts in three fewer starts. The 6 footer from New York put up a similar season this year, which has him in line to be one of the first names called. What makes Carroll most interesting is he is able to find a ton of success without throwing very hard. He hovers in the 84-86 range with his fastball and cutter, and his only other offering is his splitter. Still, Marv thinks all three pitches are FABL quality, and I have to imagine if he adds any sort of velocity it's going to really boost his stuff. His splitter, however, is the best of the three pitches, and the movement he gets on it is extremely impressive. His command isn't the greatest, but walks or homers don't project to be much of an issue for him. OSA thinks he'll be a #1, I think he could develop into an ace, but until he adds more speed on his cutter and fastball or learns how to paint the corners, he won't quite get there. Regardless, he has a very high floor and could possibly be a passable fifth starter as early as 1940. __________________ 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

08-27-2021, 01:13 PM	#587
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	Week 13: July 11th-July 17th Weekly Record: 5-2 Seasonal Record: 42-43 (5th, 16 GB) Stars of the Week Mike Taylor : 18 AB, 9 H, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .500 AVG, 1.550 OPS Leo Mitchell : 22 AB, 11 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .500 AVG, 1.136 OPS Pete Papenfus : 2 Wins, 11.0 IP, 3 BB, 10 K, 2.45 ERA Schedule 7-11: Win vs Sailors (3-14) 7-12: Win vs Sailors (6-7) 7-13: Loss vs Stars (11-2) 7-14: Win vs Stars (2-6) 7-15: Win vs Stars (0-1) 7-16: Loss vs Cannons (6-5) 7-17: Win vs Cannons (0-1) Recap The offense came alive for part of the week, and with help from a pair of 1-0 shutouts, we bounced back with a nice 5-2 week to welcome Peter the Heater to the roster. The kid looked great, picking up a win in both start and relief, allowing 6 hits, 3 runs, and 3 walks with 10 strikeouts in his first 11 innings pitched. No shutout for Pete, but his first big league start saw 4 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, and 8 strikeouts in a complete game. Harry Parker made the best start of his young career, a 4-hit, 4-walk shutout of the Stars. He struck out 6, raising his total to 15 on the season, and Parker is now 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA (120 ERA+) and 1.38 WHIP in his first three big league starts. Dick Lyons was unlucky in one of his two starts, but also tossed 8 scoreless against the Cannons. In total, he tallied 14 innings with 13 hits, 5 runs (1 earned), 4 walks, and 3 strikeouts to drop his ERA back below 3. Cy Sullivan also got two starts, a complete game win and loss with 20 hits, 9 runs (8 earned), 6 walks, and 5 strikeouts. Milt Fritz had another terrible outing, 11 hits, 8 runs (6 earned), and 5 walks with 2 strikeouts in 8.1 innings pitched. He's now allowed five or more runs in each of his last five starts, and his ERA has jumped from 3.16 to 4.09. He's also dropped to 7-8, losing his last six decisions. Mike Taylor continued to mash, this week a Player of the Week worthy 9-for-18 with a double, triple, two homers, four runs, and six RBIs to raise his season line to .286/.358/.453 (117 OPS+). Taylor hasn't cracked 100 since 1934 (110), but every season prior was an above average offensive season. Leo Mitchell and Rich Langton both started to turn things around, with Mitchell finishing 11-for-22 with 3 doubles, 3 RBIs, 5 runs, and a steal. Langton was 8-for-21 with 4 doubles, a homer, a steal, a pair of walks, and 4 RBIs. Doc Love made the most of his three starts, 4-for-13 with two doubles, a homer, and five driven in. John Lawson had a nice week as well, 9-for-25 with a double and four walks and RBIs. Ray Ford hit a massive roadblock, just 3 hits and 3 walks in 23 trips. Carlos Montes had a rough return to the lineup, just 4-for-24, although he homered and walked, scored in, and drove in three. Looking Ahead One more against the Cannons, and we'll likely see Art Edwards or Rusty Petrick's return for the DL. Before injury, Petrick was 5-8 with a 4.21 ERA (97 ERA+, 1.67 WHIP, 90 walks, and 63 strikeouts. Petrick is a huge strikeout arm, but the walks have definitely been an issue for the 22-year-old and the only thing stopping him from developing into a top of the rotation arm. Baltimore also brought up former 3rd Round selection George Simmons to replace Bunny Stapleton, and in his first five games, he's hitting .235/.333/.529 (128 OPS+) with a triple, homer, and 4 RBIs. Former Cougar draftee Joe Rainbow leads the team with 8 homers, but his .231/.292/.368 (76 OPS+) batting line is leaving a lot to be desired. This is already his career high for homers, and once he reaches double digits it would meet the combined total of his first three seasons. Next the Kings come in town, and at 58-27, they're ten ahead of the Wolves and 16 ahead of us. The bottom four in their rotation all own ERAs south of 3, with just ace Tom Barrell not joining them. Barrell has an adjusted league average 4.15 ERA, but with a 1.24 WHIP, 27 walks, and 78 strikeouts. The three time Allen Winner has a 3.08 FIP and 73 FIP- (lower is better), so it appears that the staff ace just cannot get a break. We might miss him, but seeing southpaws Shaffner, White, and Murphy isn't much easier. The reigning Allen winner is off to another Allen winning season, 12-5 with a 2.47 ERA (169 ERA+), 1.12 WHIP, and 43 walks and strikeouts. Popular Cougar trade target Art White has seemingly put it all together this year, 7-1 with a 2.37 ERA (176 ERA+), 1.30 WHIP, 23 walks, and 14 strikeouts while former Cougar Mike Murphy is 10-2 with a 2.56 ERA (163 ERA+), 1.09 WHIP, 27 walks, and 32 strikeouts. It will be really hard to score on them, and now with Alf Pestilli's emergence in the lineup, it's going to be harder to keep them off the board. Sal's older brother is hitting .301/.376/.538 (136 OPS+) with 10 doubles, 2 triples, 9 homers, and 39 RBIs in three shy of 200 PAs. He's sandwiched between the 12 homer bat of Al Wheeler and the 15 homer bat of Frank Vance, making the 3-4-5 of Brooklyn a tough feat for even the best of pitchers. Our homestand and stretch of games then finishes on the weekend with a three game set with the Saints. At 37-47, they are 3.5 games behind us. Former Cougar prospect Karl Wallace has arguably been the best on the staff, 8-5 with a 3.72 ERA (112 ERA+), 1.54 WHIP, 64 walks, and 44 strikeouts in 133 innings pitched. Jake DeYoung has allowed 8 and 7 runs in his last two outings, now 7-8 with a 3.80 ERA (110 ERA+), 1.23 WHIP, 24 walks, and 54 strikeouts in 135 innings pitched. Rookie and leadoff hitter Bert Lass has been their most effective hitter, slashing an impressive .347/.422/.4789 (134 OPS+) with 25 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, and 31 RBIs while walking almost four times (39) as much as he strikes out (4). He gets the benefit of slugger Red Bond behind him, who has hit .316/.359/.478 (116 OPS+) with 18 doubles, 11 homers, and 46 RBIs. Montreal has also brought up former 9th Overall Pick Biff Henson up from AA Nashville to play second. It's just 14 games so far, but he's hitting .333/.360/.354 (86 OPS+) with a double and ten driven in. He's a natural shortstop and will turn 25 in August. Backstop Adam Mullins has started to turn things around, and he's hitting a nice .308/.405/.433 (118 OPS+) with 21 doubles, 3 triples, 2 homers, and 37 RBIs as he was named to the All Star game for the second straight season. Minor League Report RHP Johnny Godfrey (B San Jose Cougars): He wasn't pitching any good in La Crosse, but with the entrance of a ton of new young arms, he was one of the few members of the Lions who didn't have a red arrow in San Jose. So despite going 3-3 with a 6.38 ERA (72 ERA+), 1.69 WHIP, and 15 walks and strikeouts, he was on his way up to San Jose. Somehow, it couldn't have worked any better, and the 21-year-old on the brink of losing a starting job tossed a 6-hit, 1-walk, 3-strikeout shutout as the baby Cougars crushed Everett 15-0. Our 8th Rounder in 1935, Godfrey isn't the hardest worker out there, but he throws a nice mid 90s fastball and mixes in a forkball, slider, and change as well. One of his major weakness is his tendency to nibble, which causes spikes in his walk rates. Sometimes he just fails to hit the plate in general, but his forkball is a decent offering and could be an effective big league pitch. The big issue right now is the other three of his pitches are very underdeveloped, and he hasn't shown much progress polishing his stuff. This start might be a blip on the road to release, but it definitely bought the young righty a few more starts. RF Ray Powell (B San Jose Cougar): Another new addition to San Jose, Ray Powell wasted no time and went 5-for-6 with 2 runs, 4 doubles, and 4 RBIs in Godfrey's shutout victory. The 19-year-old lottery selection is in a four man outfield with Sammy Dillon, Jim Madsen, and Chick Browning, so while he's not really playing every day, he gets a ton of playing time and won't get too tired. He's made the most of it so far, going 10-for-19 with 5 doubles and 7 RBIs in his first week back in San Jose. It was a much different story last year, as Powell hit just .220/.245/.220 (37 OPS+) in 50 at bats. A natural right fielder, Powell spent a lot of time in La Crosse out in center and he has some experience in left as well. He's not a great defender, but he has good speed and could flirt with a .300 average. His pitch recognition is solid at the moment, and down in C ball he walked 26 times with just 11 strikeouts. I never wanted Powell and I never though he would be much of anything, but at least the 6'3'' lefty is playing well, and perhaps the Searcy, Arkansas native can develop into at least a passable bench player. __________________ 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

08-30-2021, 03:15 PM	#588
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	Week 14: July 18th-July 24th Weekly Record: 6-1 Seasonal Record: 48-44 (5th, 12 GB) Stars of the Week Mike Taylor : 11 AB, 6 H, 2 HR, 2 RBI, .545 AVG, 1.727 OPS Billy Hunter : 25 AB, 10 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .400 AVG, .960 OPS Harry Parker : 2 Wins, 18.0 IP, 2 BB, 11 K, 1.00 ERA Schedule 7-18: Win vs Cannons (2-5) 7-19: Win vs Kings (3-7) 7-20: Win vs Kings (1-10) 7-21: Loss vs Kings (3-2) 7-22: Win vs Saints (1-3) 7-23: Win vs Saints (2-4) 7-24: Win vs Saints (3-6) Recap Just like that we're on a little run! This season has been a mix of highs and lows, but the young pitching powered us to an impressive 6-1 week as we find ourselves now just three games behind the second place Toronto Wolves. Pete Papenfus has rightly garnered a lot of publicity and his share of headlines, and he had an outstanding two start week. The first was an 8 innings win over the Kings where he allowed 3 hits and runs (2 earned) with 8 walks and strikeouts. He won the second start as well, with a somewhat similar outing. He tossed a complete game victory over the Saints with 5 hits, 2 runs, 5 walks, and 9 strikeouts. That's now 27 strikeouts in 28 innings, and he's just 15 strikeouts shy of Milt Fritz's team best 42. And as good as he was, Harry Parker was even better! The towering 6'6'' righty tossed a pair of complete game 4-hit victories, also against the Kings and Saints. He allowed just one run, two walks, and eight strikeouts in the first game and three runs (one earned) and three strikeouts in the second. Our other three starters pitched exceptional as well, with the "worst" start Sullivan's loss against Brooklyn. He allowed 7 hits, 3 runs, and a walk, and really the only blemishes a pair of solo homers. Fritz bounced back against the Cannons, a complete game win with 6 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks, and 2 strikeouts. Dick Lyons continued his elite form, 8 innings with 6 hits, a run, a strikeout, and two walks. Lyons 2.69 ERA is now third best in the Continental Association, behind just Mike Murphy (2.56) and William Jones (2.64). It's a little cheeky of a stat, but the top four in our rotation all have sub 3 ERAs, and Lyons 2.69 is the highest of them. Granted, Papenfus, Parker, and Sullivan have combined for 111.1 innings pitched, less then Lyons' 147, but the average age between the three is just 22.3. This is extremely encouraging for the future of the Cougars, and this is exactly the type of week we might have to get used to in Chicago. Mike Taylor continues to set the world on fire, and while he just made three starts, he was 6-for-11 with a double and two solo homers. Taylor is up to .300/.362/.493 (129 OPS+) on the season with 9 doubles, 3 triples, 8 homers, and 30 RBIs as he's seem to regain his vintage form. I've put Taylor on the block a few sims ago, but there hasn't been too much interest on that front. Johnny McDowell also did well in his three starts, 7-for-15 with 2 doubles, 2 walks, 3 runs, and an RBI. Rich Langton put together a great week, 9-for-22 with a double, triple, three RBIs, and five runs scored. Billy Hunter got back on track, 10-for-25 with two doubles, a triple, and three runs scored and driven in. Looking Ahead We're off to start the week, but we'll use that to prepare for our upcoming roadtrip. The first stop is the toughest, three with the 60-32 Kings. Brooklyn has moved Joe Shaffner to the one spots in their rotation, as the reigning Allen Winner is 12-7 with a 2.78 ERA (150 ERA+), 1.21 WHIP, 49 walks, and 50 strikeouts. He's on a little bit of a downslide, three straight losses, but he's still one of the best pitchers in the game. Alf Pestilli has cracked double digit homers, 11 with 47 RBIs and a .305/.382/.553 (142 OPS+) batting line. And while most of the season has been good for the Kings, second basemen John Langille is having a tough year at the plate. He's batting just .274/.345/.380 (89 OPS+) with 17 doubles, 4 triples, a homer, and 34 RBIs. This is a far cry from his career average triple slash of .306/.368/.453 (117 OPS+). The Kings are without Fred Barrell for a few more weeks, he's suffering a severe hip strain, and replacement Bill Johnson is hitting just .248/.325/.371 (82 OPS+) in his absence. We then see the other side of the standings, three with the last place Stars before a travel day to Canada. New York is 32-56, 26 out of first and three and a half behind the Cannons for 7th. 24-year-old Billy Riley has done okay in the rotation, now 5-6 with a 3.76 ERA (110 ERA+), 1.38 WHIP, 21 walks, and 25 strikeouts in 64.2 innings split between the rotation and pen. Unfortunately Les Zoller has shown no signs of turning things around, now 2-8 with s 7.12 ERA (58 ERA+), 1.93 WHIP, 57 walks, and 41 strikeouts in 92.1 innings pitched. I feel like every time I mention the Stars, I also mention former Cougar Chink Stickels, who is hitting an outstanding .344/.404/.546 (149 OPS+) with 31 doubles, 12 triples, 2 homers, and 39 RBIs. He's third in the batting race, but he won't come close to Fred McCormick's .417. The Stars have inputted 24-year-old Johnny Hopper into the lineup and behind the plate, but the former first rounder is hitting just .237/.269/.289 (48 OPS+) in 160 trips to the plate. Hopper is on par with Harry Mead in terms of potential, potentially top five catchers in the game, but both are having rough times at the plate. It will be interesting to see if any other top Stars prospect start to make the trip up from Los Angeles, with top 100 prospects Joe Angevine and Hub Parks currently in the Knights lineup. Parks is on the 40, so expect at least a September callup, but he may not be playing his natural center as Stickels has that on a lock. Minor League Report RF Red Looney (AA Mobile Commodores): A little on the older side for a prospect, but Chicagoan Red Looney is making the most of his aged 26 campaign. Our 10th Rounder in 1934, Looney is having an excellent season, batting .305/.367/.512 (136 OPS+) with 11 doubles, 6 triples, 7 homers, 12 steals, and 40 RBIs. It's been a strong all around season for Looney, as the natural center fielder has done an outstanding job in both corners so far. He's also generally been an excellent center fielder, so I'm not all that surprised he's done well in the corners. In 154 games out in center he has a strong 1.046 efficiency with a 1.086 in 250 games out in left while nearly all his right field experience has came this year. At the plate, he does have a lot of power, and he projects as a 20-10-15 player with the chance to steal 20 bases as well. Marv is a big fan of Red, thinking he can be "penciled in for a lion's share of starts", but I think fourth outfielder is more realistic. Still, he's got a lot of talent and if it wasn't for a crowded outfield situation in AAA, he'd be pushing for a late season roster spot. RHP Roy Carey (A Lincoln Legislators): Some times I get a little caught up in my own evaluations of a player, and that causes me to completely ignore scouting reports. One of those players would be Roy Carey, as my scout continues to dislike the former 2nd Round selection despite his continued success this year. He's made 13 starts so far, with the closes inches away from perfection. Carey allowed just a single hit and a pair of walks as he improved to 8-1 as the Legislators topped the Brewers 6-0. His ERA has now dropped below 2 to 1.96 (203 ERA+) and he owns a 1.12 WHIP with 24 walks and 19 strikeouts as he approaches 100 innings. A natural groundballer, Carey doesn't throw that hard, sitting in the 83-85 range with his sinker, but he offers five other pitches as well. His stuff will never top the charts, but he just needs two other reliable offerings as the sinker is a very dependable pitch. Carey has a red arrow when I try to bring him up to Mobile, so perhaps he's still a little underdeveloped, but it's hard to ignore the results he's posted 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

09-01-2021, 03:09 PM	#590
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	Week 16: August 1st-August 7th I had a nice report written up, but accidentally hit refresh and lost it. Probably won't write a full report today now, but basically it was another boring 3-3 on a long road trip. It's about to end, but we have to face two tough team in the Foresters and Sailors. It's smooth sailing after, however, as we then get to play the rest of August at home. We played 18 road games in a row and will then get 17 home games in a row. The end of the road trip will be a true test of our ability, but it's going to be really nice to be home agian. __________________ 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

09-02-2021, 05:01 PM	#591
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	Week 17: August 8th-August 14th Weekly Record: 2-4 Seasonal Record: 56-54 (5th, 15 GB) Stars of the Week Ray Ford : 19 AB, 8 H, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .421 AVG, 1.292 OPS Leo Mitchell : 19 AB, 7 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .368 AVG, 1.008 OPS Billy Hunter : 20 AB, 8 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, .400 AVG, .929 OPS Schedule 8-9: Loss at Foresters (3-5) 8-10: Loss at Foresters (1-6) 8-11: Win at Foresters (12-9): 10 innings 8-12: Win at Sailors (5-3) 8-13: Loss at Sailors (0-3) 8-14: Loss at Sailors (1-12) Recap It was a tough week, but we finally ended our road trip with a rough 2-4 week. Our 18 game road trip ended 8-10, and we'll finally start to get some fun home games! I should have expected a result like this, but as always, I'm going to be over optimistic for everything. It was a really tough week for Dick Lyons, who lost both of his starts (also had a relief outing) and lasted six or less in both. He finished with 12 innings, 23 hits, 12 runs, 4 walks, and just one strikeout as he fell to 13-6. He now dropped out of the top three in the CA for ERA, but he's still below the 3.00 mark. Harry Parker also had a tough outing, 10 hits and 7 runs with 2 walks in just 5 innings. Joe Brown really struggled in his relief outings, three appearances with 5.1 innings, 10 hits, 7 runs, and a walk and strikeout. The other three starters pitched well, even Fritz and Sullivan who both were tagged with losses. Fritz went 8 with 8 hits, 3 runs (2 earned), 2 walks, and 2 strikeouts. Sullivan wasn't great by any means, 8 innings, 8 hits, 6 runs (3 earned), 6 walks, and 2 strikeouts, but a lot could have been prevented without the errors. Peter the Heater got a win, but went just 7.2 innings with 7 hits, 3 runs, 9 walks, and 6 strikeouts. He's just two Ks behind Fritz for the team lead, and he should be leading come next week. We did have some power at the plate, but it was certainly not enough. Ray Ford had a great week, 8-for-19 with 2 homer and 6 RBIs. Leo Mitchell was 7-for-19 with a double, homer, three RBIs, and four runs scored. John Lawson was just 5-for-23, but with 2 doubles, a homer, and 4 runs scored and driven in. That's now 10 for Lawson and Ford, our first hitters to double digits. No homers for Hunter, but he went 8-for-20 with a pair of doubles and runs scored. Doc Love did okay in his pair of starts, 2-for-8 with a double, triple, walk, run, and two driven in. Looking Ahead Home sweet home! Our remainder of the month at home starts today, and we get two with the Wolves to kick it off. At 61-46, they're 8.5 games behind the Kings for first. The Wolves have been using 20-year-old George Garrison out of their rotation, and the first five starts haven't quite gone as he's anticipated. "Dawg" is 1-3 with a 7.52 ERA (56 ERA+), 1.95 WHIP, 22 walks, and 5 strikeouts. As a pitcher as talented as him will find ways to fix this, but it's one of the worst walk/strikeout numbers I've seen for a young pitcher. They also picked up Bob Walls at the deadline for the Dynamos, and he allowed 7 hits, a run, and a walk with a strikeout in a complete game win over the Sailors. At the top, Joe Hancock continues his outstanding season, 17-5 with a 3.00 ERA (140 ERA+), 1.28 WHIP, 61 walks, and 106 strikeouts. Former Cougar prospect Reginald Westfall has cooled down a bit at the plate, but he's still hitting an average .273/.360/.420 (102 OPS+) with 21 doubles, 3 triples, 5 homers, and 55 RBIs. Fred McCormick is still hitting above .400, with an insane .416/.496/.634 (191 OPS+) with 37 doubles, 6 triples, 10 homers, and 67 RBIs in 425 trips to the plate. He hasn't started every day, but he's been easily the most valuable player of the entire season. Nick Wallace has kept up his breakout season, batting .369/.396/.469 (124 OPS+) with 12 doubles, 8 homers, and 66 RBIs. We then get two more with Cleveland before another off day. The Foresters are 56-53, just a single loss less then us on the season. Cleveland did a decent job dismantling us in Cleveland, as deadline acquisition Mel Carroll continues to do what he did to FA pitchers against the CA ones. The former Eagle third basemen hit .387/.444/.519 (149 OPS+) in his first 25 games with the Foresters, with his season line up to .374/.412/.513 (135 OPS+) with 32 doubles, 2 triples, 9 homers, and 87 runs driven in. Another deadline acquisition, our very own Dave Rankin, has made six strong starts for his new team. The 32-year-old is 3-2 with a 3.35 ERA (126 ERA+), 1.49 WHIP, 11 walks, and 20 strikeouts. And he wasn't quite a deadline acquisition, Eli Harkless is off to a nice start to his big league career, batting .322/.396/.418 (111 OPS+) with 7 doubles, 2 triples, a homer, 8 steals, and 13 RBIs with 14 walks and just 3 strikeouts. He hasn't done all that great in the field, but the former 1st Rounder is one of the most hard working players in the game and his bat will only improve as he ages. Bill Moore has turned things around from his rough start, on track for a potential 100-10 walk-to-strikeout ratio to go with his .265/.380/.443 (112 OPS+) batting line, 36 doubles, 11 homers, and 70 RBIs. After the off day we'll host the Sailors for two of the three games. The now Jones-less Sailors are 57-51 and 13 games out of first. Replacing him in the rotation is former Dynamo (where Jones went) Chuck Murphy, who is 3-4 with a 3.76 ERA (112 ERA+), 1.44 WHIP, 23 walks, and 20 strikeouts in 6 starts and 15 relief outings. The Sailors have also gotten a strong performance from Merritt Thomas, who is 8-5 with a 3.41 ERA (123 ERA+), 1.51 WHIP, 70 walks, and 33 strikeouts in 140 innings pitched. At the plate, Dick Walker is having a classic Dick Walker season, slashing .287/.404/.483 (129 OPS+) with 17 doubles, 11 triples, 12 homers, 20 steals, and 65 RBIs. Nearly every other Sailor starter sits in the 90-99 OPS+ range, but Jorge Nava is still putting together a good year at the plate. The 25-year-old is hitting .282/.415/.423 (117 OPS+) with 16 doubles, 7 triples, 5 homers, 16 steals, and 52 RBIs. Like Walker, and the rest of the lineup, Nava is great at stealing bases, walking, and avoiding strikeouts, and the team ranks first in those three categories as well as OBP. If this was on the road instead of at home, this would be our toughest week of the season, but we tend to play like pennant contenders at home and cellar dwellers on the road. We have really struggled scoring runs this season, and if we want to beat these three teams, we are going to have to pile on the runs. I've also been pretty active claiming players off waivers, grabbing Max Plourde last sim and now Grover Lee and former Cougar Lou Kelly this sim. All three will be joining the active roster, with John Hartz and Johnny Waters heading to AAA with Paul McLain being designated for assignment. All will fill bench roles, but Lee and Kelly are long time FABL starters and Plourde has shown promise at times with the Chiefs. Our 40 man roster is now full, but there are a handful of guys I'd be okay with DFA'ing if I wanted to bring up a few youngsters in September. Minor League Report CF/RHP Juan Pomales (AA Mobile Commodores): I don't think I've covered Pomales yet this season, and part of that is due to a mild shoulder strain that cost him a few weeks. It didn't hamper his production, as he's been above average as a hitter, pitcher, and fielder in AA. "El Conejo" will 100% be a two-way player, so I am taking a very methodical approach with his development. That means the 23-year-old will spend all of this season (regardless of performance) at Mobile this year, to get a good gauge on where he is at as both a hitter and pitcher. I'm really not sure what he will be better at, but he's hitting .298/.351/.483 (123 OPS+) with 15 doubles, 16 triples, 3 homers, 6 steals, and 46 RBIs in 339 trips to the plate. He's been outstanding in the field as well, with efficiencies of 1.053, 1.016, 1.093 in 22 starts in left, 20 in center, and 22 in right. Of course these are all great, but then on the mound he's also 7-7 with a 3.36 ERA (116 ERA+), 1.38 WHIP, 44 walks, and 41 strikeouts in 123.1 innings pitched. I was really worried his arm would be way behind his bat, but he's more then held his own against tough competition. For reference, the Nashville Chieftains are the only team with a better record then Mobile, and just four of their 15 position players are 23 or younger. Pomales currently rates as the 81st best prospect in baseball, but I really don't think it takes into account both his hitting and pitching together, it just looks at his best one. Regardless, he could make it to the big leagues focused on either one, as he projects as a solid starter in center or a solid starter in the rotation. The righty throws just 84-86 with his sinker, but he does a good job keeping the ball on the ground. His pitches aren't very polished yet, and Marv thinks his stuff might end up below average. If that's the case, he'll have to start walking less batters, or at least making sure he doubles them up right after. I think his best tool is his defense, as he has excellent range and an absolute cannon. He could turn into a Tom Taylor type outfielder, easily tracking down balls in the outfield and gunning runners at any base. He's extremely fast, which helps him on the field and in the basepaths, and Pomales should end up an extra base machine. He'll need to improve his stolen base rates, but I'm not sure how much I want my pitcher stealing. At the plate he's very disciplined, and he'll draw a ton of walks and work the count due to his knowledge of the strike zone. He doesn't look for a walk, but he'll scoff at the bad stuff and rope the pitches in the zone. I think the coolest thing for Pomales is if he makes the majors, he'll have a tight battle between how many homers he'll hit and how many he'll allow if I continue to let him play as a two way player. Pomales will get Mobile next season, but I don't think we'll see him in Chicago unless something happens to one of our young pitchers, as I won't want him pitching out of the pen or sitting on the bench. RHP Dan Everett (AA Mobile Commodores): Chronic back soreness did cost him almost a month, but when healthy, Dan Everett has looked really good on the mound. His most recent start might have been the best, a 3-hit shutout with 2 walks and 6 strikeouts as we topped the Knoxville Knights 7-0. Everett now has three straight complete game victories, and his 7 starts for the Commodores have gone really well. He's 5-1 with a 2.86 ERA (136 ERA+), 1.24 WHIP, 25 walks, and 27 strikeouts across 56.2 innings pitched. These are rather comparable to the numbers he put up in his five starts with Lincoln, and the 22-year-old has progressed well this year. A former 5th Round selection by the Foresters in 1933, we grabbed Everett in the 1936 offseason, and he put in a lot of work over the offseason. His fastball velocity jumped from 87-89 to 90-92, and his change and curve have both developed into FABL quality pitches. He's approaching the top 100, as our 15th ranked prospect checks in at 127th in the league. With a lot of prospects starting to graduate (dropped to 3rd in the league and we'll see Pete and Parker graduate real soon), Everett's value is continuing to increase for us, and I think he'll be able to fill out at big league rotation in a few seasons. LHP Jim Miller (AA Mobile Commodores): The Cougar farm teams had a great week, including Mobile's 13-0 thrashing of the New Orleans Showboats. Jim Miller's gem wasn't needed, but he allowed just 6 hits and 3 walks with 2 strikeouts in a shutout victory. Miller has now made 6 starts since being promoted, and the 24-year-old has been lights out. He's now 4-1 with a 1.65 ERA (236 ERA+), 0.99 WHIP, 16 walks, and 17 strikeouts in 54.2 innings pitched. This is somehow better then the 53 innings down in Lincoln where Miller was 3-1 with a 2.21 ERA (179 ERA+), 1.00 WHIP, 11 walks, and 19 strikeouts. Our 9th Rounder from 1934 has looked incredible this season, but he fails to get any love from the prospect people. Miller has had an interesting rise, starting with his draft year as a closer. .Miller only pitched as a junior at Indiana A&M, and went 2-1 with 16 saves and a 3.26 ERA in 30.1 innings out of the pen. Then in the offseason, he added an extra pitch, and turned into a starting pitching option. He has shown he has the stamina, going well over 100 pitches in his last four starts including a pair of starts where he pitched into the 11th. Miller has a rubber arm and loves to induce groundballs with a devastating sinker. He has great control and can limit walks and at worst his stuff and movement are average. A strong defense will make Miller look good, especially in the middle infield, but the lefty can strike out a batter when he needs to. RF Chubby Hall (A Lincoln Legislators): It's only a matter of time before Chubby becomes the Cougars #1 prospect, as the current #28 prospect in baseball ranks behind just Pete and Parker in our system. The 1935 3rd Rounder had a nice 5-hit game as we outslugged the Chiefs 13-7. As nice as that, Hall has played 35 games with Lincoln, but has yet to hit a home run. This is definitely a cause for concern, as he hit 12 in 63 games with San Jose and power is a big part of his game. He hasn't came close to his .314/.384/.535 (145 OPS+) line either, batting just .286/.335/.381 (97 OPS+) in 159 trips to the plate. He was also walking (28) more then he struck out (19), but now has more then twice (26) as many strikeouts as walks (11). Still, I shouldn't worry too much, as Hall has had some bumps along the road already. I expected something like this, as I knew I was drafting a very raw (yet extremely exciting) prospect, and while he won't be ready for a while, I'm comfortable waiting for him to get it right. Hall projects to be a patient hitter with good discipline with 20 homer power and outstanding contact potential. I can see Hall hitting over .350 with one of those insane walk-to-strikeout ratios like Bill Moore. He'll never get confused with an elite defender, but Hall should be able to handle either corner outfield spot well. Marv thinks he'll "unleash his obvious talent both on the field and at the plate" and I think he could be one of the best outfielders in the game. Not quite a Wonder Wheel, but even better then Doc Love. Hall even took home Player of the Week this week, as a 5-hit game will help, batting .467 and driving in 14 runs. LHP Ed Wilkinson (B San Jose Cougars): Our 4th Round selection from this June's draft, it took just six pro starts for Ed Wilkinson to record his first career shutout. It was his fourth with San Jose, and Wilkinson allowed just a single hit with 4 walks and 8 strikeouts as we topped the Bakersfield Bears 4-0. A five pitch pitcher, Wilson attacks hitters with his 90 mile per hour fastball and then places his four off-speed pitches on the corners to lock up hitters. His raw stuff is impressive, and his mix of pitches could give some big league hitters issues. The issue right now his control, but I imagine he'll eventually improve his 3.1 BB/9. I think Wilkinson is pretty well developed for his age, and could be a quick riser through the system. His development has trended upward since he was a freshman, and a few seasons ago he wasn't even considered a serious prospect. Currently he ranks 27th in our system and 294th in the league, but I think in a season or two he may find himself in the top 150. Marv isn't the biggest fan of him, but I love his low floor and think worst case he ends up as a nice longman/spot starter, which isn't too bad of a floor. CF Harry Carr (C La Crosse Legislators): It's not every year a 10th Round Pick hits over .400. And it's even far less common when it happens to be an 18-year-old. But none the less, Harry Carr is hitting an impressive .404/.409/.495 (126 OPS+) with a homer, 2 triples, 3 doubles, 6 steals, and 16 RBIs. As you can see, the Akron kid doesn't walk too much, and he does need to work on improving his pitch selection. His contact too, however, is extremely well developed and his speed will help allow him to maintain a higher BABIP then most. A natural center fielder, Carr has spent most of his time in right, but he also has experience in left, and at both middle infield spots. An extremely raw prospect, Carr has already started to fly up prospect lists, now inside the top 200 at 195. The key to success will be his glove, as he'll need to show that he has the range to stick in center, as I don't think Carr will be much of an extra base threat. I do like Carr's makeup, as he's always looking to learn, and I think his high signing bonus ($5,500) allowed him to fall further then he should've in the draft and I could have uncovered a nice development project. SS Stu Stasny (C La Crosse Lions): The prospect we picked up from the Gothams in the Oscar Morse trade, Stu Stasny has started out his Cougar career red hot. In a 14-2 domination of the Pioneers, Stasny was 5-for-6 with 2 doubles and 2 RBIs, while scoring all five times he was on base. He followed it up with a 2-for-5 game, and raised his La Crosse line to .426/.470/.492 (141 OPS+) with 4 doubles and 10 RBIs in 66 PAs. A 14th Round Pick by the Gothams in the 1936 draft, I've actually been using the 6'4'' righty at first, as he struggled at short with the Gothams Class C affiliate. Stasny has been "making real and significant improvement at the plate" and he looks like someone who can make a lot of contact. That's what it looked like too when he was a sophomore at Porter and hit .509/.554/.769, way better then the .425/.456/.628 he hit as a senior. Stasny has yet to hit a home run, so it will be funny if he ends up a first basemen (I think third or second is more likely, but I wanted his bat in the lineup), but I really hope the big guy can add some power. LF Billy Jordan Jr. (C La Crosse Lions): Stasny wasn't the only guy with a 5-hit game, as teammate Billy Jordan Jr. was also 5-for-6 in that game, although Jordan drove in 4 and scored twice. The Chicagoan hasn't been having the best year, batting just .332/.399/.425 (107 OPS+) with 16 doubles, 3 triples, 2 homers, and 39 RBIs in his third year with the Lions. He got a brief callup to San Jose earlier in the year, but with the clogged up outfields, it has been hard for him to get much playing time in his young career. A former 13th Rounder, I actually placed him on my list for that round in the 1935 draft because his dad was a Cougar. He didn't pitch very much for us, but his 1915 was a year to remember. With a league low .234 opponent BABIP, a 28-year-old Billy Jordan finished 17-9 with a 2.42 ERA (121 ERA+) and 1.11 WHIP in 248.2 innings pitched. He struck out 144 and walked 98, but he threw just 50 more FABL innings. Junior was born two years later, but his father continued to pitch in the minors until he retired in 1922. Marv thinks Jordan Jr. will hit for a high average and potentially earn a big league callup, but I wonder if that's just because of his baseball pedigree. He does check in at 426th in the league, but that's outside of our top 30. He's a good kid and a hard worker, so he may grind his way to a big league opportunity. __________________ 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

09-03-2021, 03:37 PM	#592
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	Week 18: August 15th-August 21st Weekly Record: 4-2 Seasonal Record: 60-56 (4th, 15 GB) Stars of the Week Leo Mitchell : 23 AB, 13 H, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .565 AVG, 1.322 OPS Rich Langton : 23 AB, 8 H, 0 HR, 4 RBI, .348 AVG, 1.030 OPS Carlos Montes : 22 AB, 7 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .318 AVG, .991 OPS Schedule 8-15: Win vs Wolves (8-12) 8-16: Loss vs Wolves (9-4) 8-17: Win vs Foresters (1-3) 8-18: Win vs Foresters (3-4): 13 innings 8-19: Win vs Sailors (4-5) 8-20: Loss vs Sailors (5-2) Recap Home sweet home! The boys looked like a good team again, and we took four of six from the best non-Kings team in the league. A few more one run games, but this time the home side came back on top! We even swept the Foresters, and one of my favorites Leo Mitchell led the team this week with an outstanding week. Our former 2nd Rounder was the best in the league this week, going 13-for-23 with 5 runs scored and 2 more driven in. It has been a bit of an up and down year for Mitchell, but he's hitting an effective .331/.373/.457 (122 OPS+) with 24 doubles, 2 triples, 8 homers, 6 steals, and 58 RBIs in 440 PAs. He hasn't quite settled into a position yet, 49 games at first, 53 in left, and 12 more in right, but my guess is Mitchell will settle into the left field role as long as Ray Ford can stay on the field. Mitchell hasn't walked all that much this season, but batting ahead of John Lawson when their is a righty on the mound or Ray Ford with a lefty will give Mitchell a lot of hittable pitches. The 25-year-old has already set career highs in hits (136), doubles (24), homers (8), RBIs (58), and steals (6) while he'll still need 21 more plate appearances for that high. Mitchell's bat has really come along, and while he ranks 6th in the league for left fielders, I think he'll hit is way to an eventual top 3 ranking. Mitchell wasn't the only hitter with an impressive week, as his outfield mates Rich Langton and Carlos Montes made consistent contact as well. Langton was 8-for-23 with 3 doubles, a triple, a steal, 4 runs, 4 walks, and 5 RBIs. That improved his season line to .316/.382/.440 (120 OPS+), but Langton has seen a huge drop in his power production. The 21 doubles and 7 triples are nice, but he's homered just 5 times and looks likely to fail to reach double digits for the first time in his career. Montes hasn't hit nearly as well during the year as Langton, but he got back on track by going 7-for-22 with a double, triple, homer, 3 RBIs, 3 walks, and 6 runs scored. Montes is at 7 homers, and could still reach 10 by season's end, but he's hitting just .258/.327/.408 (96 OPS+) in 338 trips to the plate. John Lawson hit another out of the part, 6-for-22 with a double and six driven in as well. Billy Hunter looked nice, 7-for-20 with a double, four walks, and two runs scored and driven in. The errors have been an issue for Hunter as well, as he's had a little bit of a disappointing sophomore season. Of course, he's just 23, and a lot of 23-year-old are waiting for a chance to play in the FABL, while Hunter is a borderline top-5 shortstop. The pitching wasn't great this week, but Milt Frtiz has really started to heat up. He didn't pick up a win, but he pitched 10 in our 13 inning win, allowing just 5 hits, 3 runs (2 earned...), and 2 walks with 4 strikeouts. Harry Parker pitched the other game against Cleveland, a complete game victory with 5 hits, a run, and 4 strikeouts to improve to 6-2. Our two start starter this week was Pete Papenfus, but he had absolutely zero command of his pitches. He walked nine in both starts, combining for 15.2 innings pitched. He lost one and picked up a no decision, dropping to 6-2, and he allowed 12 hits and 9 runs (7 earned) with 10 strikeouts. He's one shy of 60 and has a legit chance to crack double digits with more then a month left in the season. He hasn't thrown a complete game since the 2nd, but his last three starts have seen him hurl 160 or more pitches. I'm not sure how this kid throws 100 100 mile per hour fastballs per game, but I'm not going to question greatness. Looking Ahead We start the week with the Sailors, as we look to beat Chuck Murphy to take the series. They are 61-54, and a game and a half ahead of us for third. Murphy's last start was a good one, 9 hits, a run, and 2 walks in a complete game win over the Foresters. That's three straight complete games for the 29-year-old, who has adjusted well to the rotation. Former Cougar Mack Deal is having a decent year, as the now 32-year-old is hitting .290/.352/.403 (95 OPS+) with 10 doubles, 9 steals, and 28 RBIs while also offering excellent defense at the hot corner. River Grove's Woody Stone is having a decent year too, as the 22-year-old is hitting a slightly below average .293/.356/.398 (95 OPS+) with 23 doubles, 2 triples, 2 homers, and 43 RBIs, while walking 31 times and striking out just twice. If the power comes, Stone will be one of the best catchers in the game, but Stone is looking more like a contact first singles hitter. Our next stop is Montreal, for a two game set with the now last place Saints. They've really fallen on rough times, dropping to 46-69 and a game behind the Stars. Billy Stall, who replaced the injured George Thomas, is still pitching fine, 4-8 with a 3.54 ERA (118 ERA+), 1.30 WHIP, 23 walks, and 37 strikeouts in just under 100 innings pitched. Now 25-year-old Biff Henson hasn't hit the best, just .276/.336/.316 (70 OPS+), but the natural shortstop has looked good at the keystone as well. Red Bond continues to slug, now with 14 homers and 59 RBIs to go with a strong .311/.359/.471 (114 OPS+) batting line. He's making up for part of Vic Crawford's struggles, who is batting just .263/.329/.410 (91 OPS+) with 9 homers and 62 knocked in. Bert Lass has a hold on the three spot in the batting race, hitting an impressive .342/.413/.459 (126 OPS+) with 30 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, and 37 RBIs in 416 trips to the plate. His nickname is Red (which would make things a bit confusing in the clubhouse), but the rookie is recently 24 and complete a very strong outfield. Next up is the CA juggernaut, the 75-41 Kings, who sit 9 games ahead of the fierce young Wolves. Mike Murphy has turned into Tom Barrell, 13-4 with a CA-best 2.44 ERA (171 ERA+), 1.10 WHIP, 41 walks, and 44 strikeouts in 158.2 ace-like innings. Day after day I wish Tommy Wilcox never got hurt, because seeing Murphy pitch this well would bring nothing but happiness. He'll likely start 30 games again this year, which should be his third season with 30 or more starts and a 150 or higher ERA+. The Kings also have the runner up for the ERA crown, Chicagoan Bob Cummings, who is 12-3 with a 2.65 ERA (158 ERA+), 1.40 WHIP, 54 walks, and 65 strikeouts in 129 innings pitched. The former 7th Overall Pick is really breaking out at 25, and after giving up a league high 23 homers in 1936, he's allowed just 5 this year after 4 in 89 innings last year. Limiting the homers has been huge, and Cummings is shaping up to be another strong member in an already strong rotation. The Kings boosted their farm at the deadline, sending Bill May to the Chiefs, and one of the pieces they got back was the well-traveled former Cougar Bob Worley. He was doing terrible for the Chiefs, but he's slashing an outstanding .347/.421/.653 (176 OPS+) with 4 homers and 11 RBIs in 59 post-trade plate appearances. The Kings also look to have three 20 homer players, with Al Wheeler hitting 20 on the 18th and Vance and Pestilli within five. We then finish the week with just one of our two games with the Stars. There is a lot of news around New York with the firing of their General Manager, an illegal trade (no trades past July 31st allowed) that would've built a super outfield in Detroit, and the long overdue promotion of #1 prospect Bill Barrett. The 18-year-old doesn't play like an 18-year-old, and he launched three homers in his big league debut week. He's just 5-for-22, but he added a triple and drove in 6. He'll handle center now, with Chink Stickels moving to right. Stickels' average has dropped a bit, but he's still hitting a robust .334/.398/.539 (145 OPS+) with 36 doubles, 14 triples, 5 homers, 7 steals, and 50 RBIs. This moved clubhouse leader Hank Jones to the bench, and while he has cooled off greatly from his outstanding start, he's still hitting .296/.352/.440 (108 OPS+) with 25 doubles, 5 triples, 5 homers, and 64 RBIs. The Stars have also seen improved pitching, with four of their current starting five holding ERAs below 4. They even have a legit ace, George Phillips, who is 9-6 with a 2.75 ERA (150 ERA+), 1.31 WHIP, 59 walks, and 52 strikeouts in 150.2 innings pitched. He's got the best ERA for CA pitcher not on the Kings, but it's only a bit better then top prospect Billy Riley. In 11 starts and 15 relief outings, he's 7-7 with a 2.86 ERA (144 ERA+), 1.23 WHIP, 30 walks, and 40 strikeouts. Fellow top prospect Glenn Payne has been a bit unlucky, 2-9 on the year, but he's got a 3.43 ERA (120 ERA+) and 1.42 WHIP with 49 walks and 41 strikeouts in 12 starts and 11 relief outings. The Stars are showing signs of improvement, but it may be a few more seasons before the Stars are back to their prestigious selves. Minor League Report 2B Bill Dickens (AA Mobile Commodores): One of the more surprising Player of the Weeks so far this season, part timer Bill Dickens took home the award for the Dixie League. Dickens was 11-for-18, including a trio of 3-for-4 games, as he improved his season line to .330/.380/.431 (118 OPS+) for the year. He's started just 53 of the 80 games he's played, but he's looked impressive at the plate and great at both middle infield spots. He's stuck behind Homer Ray, Dick Voss, and Ivan Cameron at the moment, but top prospect Tommy Wilson got hurt in AAA, and with the rosters expanding shortly, I'm comfortable moving one of them up to AAA so Dickens can see a little more time in the last month or so. Part of the John Kincaid deal in the Summer of '35, Dickens wasn't used too much in Philly, part of the reason I asked for him with Stumpy. He's not the most exciting prospect, but he's well developed and a very versatile infielder. He may never quite hit .300, but should be able to hold his own at the plate with tougher pitching. The switch hitter was passed up in the Rule-5 draft last offseason, and while I definitely don't want to lose him, I won't be upset if another team gives him a more regular opportunity. RHP Ray McNeill (A Lincoln Legislators): A 7th Round selection last year, Ray McNeill had everything working against the Cedar Rapid Chiefs. It didn't matter too much, the offense scored nine, but McNeill allowed just 2 hits and didn't walk a batter while striking out 8. That was his 6th start since a callup from San Jose, and the Maryland State alum is now 5-1 with a 2.25 ERA (176 ERA+), 0.95 WHIP, 9 walks, and 26 strikeouts across 44 innings pitched. He's always been a big strikeout pitcher, but his current 5.3 K/9 is outstanding. A polished six pitch pitcher, the righty could strike out his share of FABL hitters, as he's able to place the soft stuff well. His fastball doesn't overwhelm, sitting in the mid 80s, and he uses both of his change ups to rack up the strikeouts. He's not one of our top prospects by any means, but I'm a big fan of serviceable college arms who can race up the system and eventually develop into either trade bait or a suitable inning eater. EDIT: Our commissioner posted on the Barrell thread(https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...&postcount=160), and the most recent post was very Cougar-centric and brought back a lot of good memories. Definitely worth checking out, as always a really good piece in the Barrell story. Although it is almost Tommy Wilcox time... __________________ 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; 09-03-2021 at 04:47 PM.

09-04-2021, 06:15 PM	#593
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	Amateur Report: Illinois With the new regional draft round for the upcoming 1939 January Draft, I thought it would be fitting to cover some of the players I will have priority of, if they make it past the first two rounds. I won't re-cover Whitey Dorsch, easily the best of the 50 or so Illinois kids. RHP William Russell School: Millville 1938: 7-2, 100.1 IP, 1.97 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 16 BB, 93 K Career: 16-5, 226.1 IP, 1.75 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 46 BB, 213 K He was born in Chicago, Illinois, but William Russell moved to New Jersey as a kid and attends Millville High School. But, since the determinant is City of Birth, not school, Russell is a potential option for us. My scout is a fan, thinking he could end up a back of the rotation arm due to a great and consistent change up. He's also got a mid 80s fastball and mediocre forkball, plus he can offer up a slider if he needs to as well. None of the other three pitches are all that great, but combined it's enough to allow him start in the big leagues. He's improved his control as well, and I imagine his change up will be even more effective if he adds some velocity to his fastball. It could also make it a decent #2 offering, and I expect the 6'6'' righty won't be sitting in the 83-85 range his whole career. He also may end up a two way player, and after no at bats as a sophomore he hit .365/.380/.460 with 7 doubles, a triple, a homer, and 24 RBIs in 132 trips to the plate. These aren't the best numbers, so my guess is pitching his future role, but it is something he could potentially add to his game. You can never have too many pitchers, so getting a potential rotation piece in Russell could be intriguing come Winter. 3B Dick Carson School: Carolina Poly 1938: .264/.378/.447, 236 PA, 10 2B, 3B, 8 HR, 37 RBI, 13 SB Career: .269/.382/.457, 530 PA, 22 2B, 2 3B, 19 HR, 82 RBI, 26 SB Another kid from the Chi, Dick Carson got a scholarship to Carolina-Poly out in Durham, and he's started his first two seasons there. He was better as a freshman, batting .273/.385/.465 with 12 doubles, 11 homers, and 45 RBIs, but he did look good last year as well. Carson has demonstrated a keen eye at the plate and he has the potential to have an average eye compared to FABL players. He does make some bad swings, which will stop him from hitting for a high average, but he's able to drive the ball when he makes contact and have more then enough power to punish mistakes. He's also looked really comfortable on the field at third, and it would be good enough to make up for a low average or low power. Luckily for him, I don't think he'll be low in either category, so the defense will be the cherry on top and not what gets him an opportunity. We are now very deep in the system at third, so Carson may not be a Cougar, but he's definitely an exciting prospect I've been following for a bit. CF Raoul Pertorini School: DeKalb 1938: .452/.504/.769, 117 PA, 13 2B, 4 3B, 4 HR, 28 RBI, 32 SB Career: .476/.539/.791, 234 PA, 24 2B, 10 3B, 7 HR, 61 RBI, 48 SB Another Chicagoan who didn't stay in Chicago for school, Pertorini moved to the suburbs and went to school out in DeKalb. He burst onto the scene as a sophomore, hitting .500/.556/.814 with 11 doubles, 6 triples, 3 homers, and 33 RBIs. His triple slash was down a bit this year, but he doubled his stolen bases and added to his double and homer totals. Raoul's best asset is his speed, using it to consistently take the extra base and it looks like he's harnessed that raw speed into base stealing ability as well. His defense is fine, but he may be better suited for left or right as he develops. He has to work on his approach at the plate, too many reckless and unnecessary swings, and he doesn't make enough contact to make it worth it. Still, he has exciting tools, doesn't turn 17 until April, and could be groomed into a functional organizational piece. 1B Jim Dorsey School: Plantations College 1938: .277/.366/.435, 293 PA, 14 2B, 3B, 8 HR, 40 RBI, 4 SB Career: .277/.379/.444, 608 PA, 31 2B, 2 3B, 17 HR, 84 RBI, 8 SB I'm not a big first basemen fan, but I love power and Jim Dorsey seems likely to reach double digits for the first time this year. With 9 homers as a freshman and 8 as a junior, I wouldn't be too surprised to see 10 or 11 from the 6'2'' righty. Born in the city, Dorsey got a scholarship to Plantations College out in Rhode Island, and he's put up pretty similar seasons where he hit .277 both times. The story is the same for him as most, better season last year then this, but while he did have a lower batting line and homer, run, and RBI totals, he cut down his strikeouts from 40 to 28 in just 22 fewer plate appearances. This is a significant drop, and Dorsey is projected to draw a lot of walks as he matures. It appears his judgment of the strike zone is improving, and that's always a plus for power hitters. He doesn't make consistent contact and neither Marv or OSA are all that high on him, but there aren't too many good Illinois bats. 3B John Blakes School: Morris 1938: .426/.530/.722, 135 PA, 15 2B, 3B, 5 HR, 29 RBI, 7 SB Career: .417/.526/.674, 272 PA, 29 2B, 3 3B, 7 HR, 58 RBI, 9 SB While there may not be many good bats, there are a lot of third basemen. I'm not too sure what to make out of John Blakes, as the still 15-year-old (16 in October) barely hit .400 as a sophomore and just happened to have a huge power surge as a junior. He hit more then double as many homers as last season, and improved his slugging almost a full 100 points. Both OSA and Marv talk about his plate discipline and how he should draw a lot of walks, but neither of them mention this newfound power. Both reports are a little old, so I am re-scouting Blakes myself, but if the power is legit, his entire prospect profile changes. His age is also just as interesting, as he's so much younger then most of the other 1939 draftees. This could be why he has hit for such a low average, and could also explain the growth in power. If the power comes around, his value will be immense, but without it he's a dime a dozen infield prospect who likely doesn't get past A ball. LHP John Marsh School: Lockport 1938: 6-3, 98 IP, 1.56 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 36 BB, 128 K Career: 24-6, 303.2 IP, 1.63 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 96 BB, 385 K A three year starter! Lockport's ace, John Marsh is one of the few who actually played as a freshman, and he's looking to add to his already 43 games started as a high schooler. Marsh has been very consistent, with ERAs sitting between 1.56 and 1.73, WHIPs between 0.98 and 1.07, and K/9s between 11 and 11.8. The only issue with Marsh, however, are his pitches. He has a sinker, fastball, and changeup, and unfortunately, none of them look like good pitches and stronger hitters will be able to make him pay. He sits in the 86-88 range, but he doesn't generate many grounders with his sinker and after a 1.9 BB/9 as a freshman, he's posted marks above 3 the past two seasons. Still, the numbers are very good and pitchers have turned the "Bullpen" projected role into something starter-oriented (plus there's always the enigma of Otis Cook) to improve his future value. The 6'1'' southpaw is a lean and athletic arm, he has added velocity in each of the past two seasons, and if he ends up throwing in the 90s, it adds a lot of value. SS Leo Mick School: Central Kentucky 1938: .307/.365/.448, 212 PA, 8 2B, 5 3B, 3 HR, 39 RBI, 36 SB Career: .296/.353/.427, 432 PA, 18 2B, 9 3B, 5 HR, 64 RBI, 75 SB See! Not everyone from Illinois is from Chicago! A native of Peoria, Leo Mick spent the past two seasons at Central Kentucky, and he'll look to keep up his positive trend. Last year he upped his average, OBP, slugging, hits, runs, triples, homers, and RBIs. Mick profiles as a bench bat currently, but he's got above average contact potential and he makes all the routine plays in the field. He does have some experience at third as well, and I'd imagine he'd be able to learn second rather easily. He almost never strikes out, a huge plus, so with Mick you will se a lot of soft contact and bloop singles over the shortstop. He's hit a few homers in college, but it's not expected to translate to bigger FABL ballparks. SS Arnie Scurlock School: Cumberland University 1938: .291/.358/.386, 251 PA, 8 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 46 RBI, 33 SB Career: .281/.350/.366, 448 PA, 14 2B, 3 3B, 6 HR, 80 RBI, 71 SB A switch hitter from Oak Park, there are very few players as versatile as the highly intriguing Arnie Scurlock. With experience everywhere on the field except catcher, pitcher, and first (although, he could easily man that), Scurlock can fill in wherever he is needed and he should be average or better in each spot. I like him even at short, but it's a bit tougher to judge his outfield play until he reaches a professional team. At the plate, he should be a discipline hitter, but sometimes he's prone to free swinging. The power jump was nice, doubling his homer total from 2 to 4 last season, and another doubling would make him a very hot commodity. The versatility is enough to attract interest in him, and he also showed great improvement in year two. It wasn't just homers that rose, he also increased his triple slash, runs, hits, doubles, triples, and walks. He's on the older side, will be 22 in March, but this could allow him to ascend quickly in an 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

09-06-2021, 12:34 PM	#594
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	Week 19: August 22nd-August 28th Weekly Record: 3-4 Seasonal Record: 63-60 (4th, 15.5 GB) Stars of the Week Leo Mitchell : 30 AB, 11 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .367 AVG, .887 OPS Ray Ford : 30 AB, 10 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .333 AVG, .875 OPS John Lawson : 28 AB, 9 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, .321 AVG, .851 OPS Schedule 8-21: Win vs Sailors (2-3): 15 innings 8-22: Loss vs Saints (5-3) 8-23: Win vs Saints (0-2) 8-24: Win vs Kings (1-6) 8-25: Loss vs Kings (2-0): 11 innings 8-26: Loss vs Kings (4-1) 8-27: Loss vs Stars (6-5) Recap A middling week for us, as the New York teams did very well in Chicago. I always expect the Kings to beat us, but letting the Stars win the first of two will definitely hurt. And speaking of hurt, we saw our first real injury of the season. The recently claimed Max Plourde didn't even throw an inning for us, but suffered an undisclosed injury that will keep him out for 2-3 months. That really ended any chance he had of earning a spot for next season. I'll bring John Hartz right back up to replace him on the active roster. We will also get the benefit of roster expansion next week, so a few more Blues players will join him shortly. Milt Fritz tossed a gem against his former team (Montreal), working a 3-hit, 5 strikeout shutout of the Saints. It was his first win of August, but he now has a monthly 1.80 ERA and 0.97 WHIP with 8 walks and 12 strikeouts. Dick Lyons put together another gem, 5 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, and 1 strikeout in a complete game win over Brooklyn. Peter the Heater also faced the Kings, but was tagged with an 11 inning loss. He allowed 2 runs, 7 hits, and 7 walks with 9 strikeouts. Cy Sullivan made two starts, including a 12 inning no decision against the Sailors where he allowed 11 hits, 2 runs, and 2 walks with 4 strikeouts. He was rested enough for a complete game in the finale against the Kings, but he got the loss with 11 hits, 4 runs, 3 walks, and 3 strikeouts. Harry Parker struggled in his two starts, and while he did throw two complete games, he allowed 18 hits, 11 runs, and 2 walks with 7 strikeouts in losses to the Saints and Stars. We didn't get much support from the offense, but Mike Taylor looked good, 6-for-20 with 3 doubles, a homer, and 3 RBIs. Leo Mitchell was 11-for-30 with a double, homer, and five driven in. Ray Ford was 10-for-30 with a homer, 2 doubles, 3 RBIs, and 4 runs. John Lawson was 9-for-28 with a triple, RBI, and pair of doubles. Grover Lee got his first Cougar hit, a pinch hit RBI double against New York. Looking Ahead One more against the Stars, who sit 49-70 and three games ahead of the Saints who now sit in last. Chris Clarke has turned things around on the mound, now 3-6 with a 3.45 ERA (120 ERA+), 1.56 WHIP, 22 walks, and 30 strikeouts. The unlucky Glenn Payne is 3-9, but his 3.15 ERA (131 ERA+), 1.35 WHIP, 49 walks, and 44 strikeouts are much more encouraging. George Phillips ERA is now slightly above 3, at 3.01 (137 ERA+) with a nice 1.35 WHIP, 64 walks, and 54 strikeouts. 23-year-old shortstop Joe Angevine had his contract purchased just a few days ago, and is 3-for-8 with a double, two runs, and an RBI in his first two starts. He currently ranks as the 44th best prospect in baseball, and was actually a target of mine in the Max Wilder trade (went with Karl Wallace instead). Angevine is a potential top-5 shortstop and is a much better option then fellow 23-year-old Floyd Briscoe. Dave Trowbridge is now 40, and still hitting a productive .288/.371/.456 (117 OPS+) with 13 doubles, 7 homers, and 40 RBIs. He's still a productive regular at this stage in his career, but we are likely nearing the end of the best pro career out of Sweet Home, Oregon. Our next guest would be Baltimore, who sit a half game ahead of the Stars with one extra win. The Cannons have also brought up one of their top prospects, outfielder Bob Griffith, but he's hitting just .189/.302/.351 (74 OPS+) with 2 doubles, triples, and RBIs in 43 trips to the plate. Ken Mayhugh is having a bit above average first season with the Cannons, batting .304/.366/.401 (105 OPS+) with 18 doubles, 8 homers, and 59 RBIs. He was projected to be the teams top hitter, but that falls on Whit Williams, who is hitting a nice .301/.382/.423 (115 OPS+) with 21 doubles, 6 triples, 5 homers, 9 steals, and 49 RBIs. They've also brought up youngster Rufus Barrell II, but the 21-year-old future ace is just 1-6 with a 6.00 ERA (68 ERA+), 1.39 WHIP, 16 walks, and 37 strikeouts in 57 innings pitched. Rusty Petrick has started to breakout, as despite being 9-11, he's got a real good 3.59 ERA (114 ERA+) and 1.47 WHIP with 128 walks and 101 strikeouts. Ace Gus Goulding is on track for 316 innings, currently 12-13 with a 3.80 ERA (108 ERA+), 1.28 WHIP, 71 walks, and 92 strikeouts. We're then off on the second, and we'll use that day to head to Cleveland for a quick two game stop with the Foresters. They've dropped to 61-61, but it's not been because of Dave Rankin. Our former inning eater is 5-4 with a 3.61 ERA (117 ERA+), 1.58 WHIP, 27 walks, and 30 strikeouts in 82.1 innings pitched. Fellow deadline acquisition Jim Hawkins hasn't been nearly as effective, 1-4 with a 4.68 ERA (90 ERA+), 1.54 WHIP, 22 walks, and 14 strikeouts in his 42.1 innings pitched. Dan Fowler is now up to 20 homers, as he's maintained a .243/.367/.418 (103 OPS+) triple slash with 81 walks and 75 RBIs. Roy Bradley has put together a strong second season in Cleveland, hitting .322/.350/.484 (113 OPS+) with 36 doubles, 10 triples, 6 homers, 8 steals, and 56 RBIs. Rookie Eli Harkless has started to slump, and will miss this week with biceps tendinitis, while his batting line has dropped to .302/.372/.385 (96 OPS+). Minor League Report RHP Bill Seabolt (A Lincoln Legislators): It's been seven starts since a promotion up to A ball, and Bill Seabolt has been absolutely lights out. The 1935 6th Round selection is a perfect 6-0 with a 1.92 ERA (205 ERA+), 1.10 WHIP, 19 walks, and 21 strikeouts in 51.2 innings pitched. He'll turn 24 in September, but Seabolt is still a little underdeveloped for his age. At his peak he should feature a good change and decent curve, but his other three offerings (fastball, cutter, splitter) aren't anything to right home about. He could start in the big leagues, but to be a good starter, he'll need to find a reliable third pitch. I think that'll be his fastball or cutter, both hovering in the 89-91 range, but my scout thinks he'll end up with an "eccentric profile - very low HR, very high walks," and that he has the talent to start. With how well he's pitching, he's sure to turn some heads, but he ranks just 42nd in our system and 471st in all of baseball. 3B Harry Peterson (A Lincoln Legislators): Another guy who really isn't one of our top prospects, Harry Peterson has put together a tremendous season. Acquired back in 1935 for Howard Moss, the 22-year-old is batting .346/.392/.448 (131 OPS+) with 20 doubles, 8 triples, 2 homers, and 59 RBIs with 8 times as many walks (32) as strikeouts (4). He did get 50 games with the Legislators last season, but he hit just .239/.275/.307 (55 OPS+) and did not look up to the task. A rather light hitter, Peterson projects to hit a bit over .300 in the FABL, but not with many homers or even doubles. He does make good contact, and despite nods from my scout and OSA for his defense, didn't look all that great at the hot corner this year. But, Peterson is a classic prankster, the kind of guy you want in the clubhouse to break your out of slumps, and he has his teammates support. Of qualified Cougar hitters, he has the highest batting average (a point above Dick Voss) in the system, and one of the strongest pure contact tools. I'm not expecting too much from Peterson, but lofty expectations would paint a picture similar to John Kincaid, just without the speed. __________________ 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

09-07-2021, 05:40 PM	#595
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	Week 20: August 29th-September 4th Weekly Record: 3-3 Seasonal Record: 66-63 (5th, 13 GB) Stars of the Week Rich Langton : 24 AB, 8 H, 3 HR, 9 RBI, .333 AVG, 1.282 OPS John Lawson : 22 AB, 10 H, 0 HR, 7 RBI, .455 AVG, 1.172 OPS Ray Ford : 23 AB, 7 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .304 AVG, .915 OPS Schedule 8-28: Loss vs Stars (5-3) 8-29: Loss vs Cannons (5-4) 8-31: Win vs Cannons (2-4) 9-1: Win vs Cannons (3-7) 9-3: Loss at Foresters (4-6) 9-4: Win at Foresters (13-12): 10 innings Recap A boring 3-3 week drops us to fifth, as even after we snapped the Foresters seven game win streak, we now find ourselves half a game behind them. I can't believe the Stars swept us, but we kept up the theme of playing close games, with all but one of them separated by two or less runs. The finale against the Foresters was crazy as well, a 10 inning game with 19 Cougar hits (just 13 for Cleveland...) that saved a poor Papenfus outing (more on that later). Rosters are now also expanded, so we can carry up to 35 Cougars the rest of the way. One of those will not be Carlos Montes, who will miss the next two weeks with a strained hamstring. It has been a disappointing second season for the former 12th Overall selection, as he's hit just .243/.317/.412 (94 OPS+) with 14 doubles, 7 triples, 10 homers, 5 steals, and 40 RBIs. Those aren't bad numbers, and paired with his +9.4 zone rating and 1.028 efficiency, it's a decent year, but in 100 games last year (same as this), he hit a much better .292/.365/.453 (129 OPS+) with 19 doubles, 9 triples, 10 homers, 9 steals, and 55 RBIs. I think Rich Langton can sense my disappointment, as just two sims after I complain about his drop in power, he puts together a three homer week. Langton was 8-for-24 and also doubled, tripled, and stole a base while walking 5 times, scoring 6 times, and driving in 9 runs. Was that good enough for Player of the Week? Of course, not... At least Mel Carroll also hit three homers and hit over .400, so it's not the most annoying thing, but I would have loved for Langton to get some love. August was a terrible month for Langton, as he hit just .257/.341/.376, but he still owns a well above average batting line. The 27-year-old is slashing .312/.378/.451 (121 OPS+) with 24 doubles, 8 triples, 8 homers, 9 steals, and 49 RBIs with a nice 47-to-17 walk-to-strikeout ratio. Langton is on track for his third full season with an above average batting line. We also got to see an excellent week from vet John Lawson, who was 10-for-22 with 4 doubles, 4 walks, and 7 RBIs. Ray Ford looked good too, 7-for-23 with 2 doubles, 5 RBIs, and his now team best 12th homer of the season. Leo Mitchell was 8-for-22 with a double, RBI, and steal as well as five runs scored. I mentioned the bad Papenfus outing as well, and there were actually two of them. The 20-year-old has had a few rough starts this year, but this was easily his worst week. He went just 11 innings (same as his start last week) with 12 hits, 12 runs, 13 walks, and 13 strikeouts. He dropped to 6-4 with a 3.74 ERA (109 ERA+), 1.63 WHIP, 84 walks, and 81 strikeouts in his first 96.1 FABL innings. Still, pretty strong numbers, but with September I think I'm going with a six man rotation to give Papenfus more rest between starts. He hasn't looked too great on short rest, and since we're just playing for at worst fifth, I'd like to see some young guys like Joe Brown (who's been awful out of the pen, unfortunately) get a few starts and get a head start on roster decisions for next year. In better news, Dick Lyons continues to be the best pitcher on the planet (I kid, of course), 8 innings with 5 hits, an unearned run, 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts to pick up win #16. That's third most in the league, and Lyons now has 201 innings pitched. Last year was his first season since 1927 where he failed to reach 200, and he has the chance to reach the 240 mark. Regardless, this will be the 38-year-olds best season, 16-6 with a 2.82 ERA (145 ERA+), 1.16 WHIP, 34 walks, and 39 strikeouts. We also got good outings from Cy Sullivan and Milt Fritz, and Fritz also relieved Papenfus in his second start. Cy tossed another complete game victory, 8 hits, 3 runs, and 2 walks as he improved to 4-5 despite his 2.94 ERA (139 ERA+). Fritz got a loss, but that was due to unearned runs. He went all nine with 11 hits, 5 runs (2 earned), a walk, and a strikeout. He then threw 3 innings five games later (was supposed to start the double header today), allowing 3 hits and 2 runs with 3 strikeouts. Looking Ahead With reinforcements in hand, we'll start the week with a double header in Philadelphia. The 67-61 Sailors, are likely to use Doc Newell and Walt Wells, with the generally reliable Newell experiencing a rough patch as of late. He's 17-10, but his ERA rose up to 4.06 ERA (104 ERA+) with a 1.36 WHIP, 60 walks, and 89 strikeouts. Since July he's 6-5 with a 5.16 ERA. Wells is having a bit better of a season, 15-7 with a 3.76 ERA (112 ERA+), 1.45 WHIP, 91 walks, and 81 strikeouts as he recently passed the 200 inning mark. Recently promoted rookie Marion Boismenu is dealing with knee tendinitis, and may head to the DL to start the week. He was off to a blistering start, batting .328/.375/.567 (140 OPS+) with 4 doubles, 3 triples, 2 homers, and 10 RBIs in his first 72 trips to the plate. Taken 7th Overall in 1931, he debuted in 1936 and got some time last season, but finally showing the promise expected out of him. Dick Walker is in the midst of another good season, batting .284/.405/.467 (125 OPS+) with 19 doubles, 12 triples, 13 homers, 26 steals, and 72 RBIs. He's just 9 walks away from 100, which would be the fourth time he's reached that mark. We're off after, but we'll use that day to head north of the border. Our host will be the currently first place Toronto Wolves, who's 13 game win streak has propelled them into first, a half game ahead of the Kings, who have been stuck in a six game rut. Joe Hancock may be the ace of the team, but Bob Walls has pitched like once since the deadline. He's a perfect 5-0 in his five starts, working to a 2.79 ERA (151 ERA+) and 1.29 WHIP with 6 walks and 8 strikeouts. Him and Hancock are pitching great, but Chick Wirtz, Jim Morrison, and George Garrison all sport an average or worse ERA+. That makes things really concerning for the future, as Garrison was ranked the 5th best prospect in baseball and Morrison a consistent top 50. The big strength of the team is the best corner infield in baseball; Fred McCormick and Nick Wallace. I'm kicking myself for not meeting the McCormick price, as the soon-to-be 29-year-old is hitting an insane .405/.493/.631 (189 OPS+) with 41 doubles, 6 triples, 14 homers, and 77 RBIs. Wallace doesn't draw nearly as many walks as McCormick, but his .370/.396/.487 (127 OPS+) line is nothing to sneeze at. Weirdly enough, none of the other Wolves starters have an above average batting line, but it doesn't matter too much if their starts keep it up. The Wolves may be a three headed monster right now, but with all the exciting youth (plus Larry Vestal who's having a tough season), Toronto may be our toughest competition for the 1939 Continental Association pennant I want to show off in our new stadium. We then finish the week back home, hosting the red hot Foresters for two. I just snapped their seven game win streak, but they've looked really good as of late. The rotation has expanded, with Ben Turner and Lyman Weigel getting more starts. Turner is 3-1 with a 3.43 ERA (123 ERA+), 1.32 WHIP, 19 walks, and 20 strikeouts in his 63 innings. Weigel is 3-4 with a 3.59 ERA (118 ERA+), 1.39 WHIP, 33 walks, nd 37 strikeouts in 80.1 of his own. Of course, there's also Dean Astle and his 244.1 innings, but the unlucky southpaw is just 13-13 despite a 3.17 ERA (133 ERA+), 1.29 WHIP, 71 walks, and 80 strikeouts. Dan Fowler is up to 23 homers, a homer behind Al Wheeler for the CA lead, and he's boosted his line up a bit to .257/.376/.441 (110 OPS+) with 9 doubles, 3 triples, and 84 driven in. Eli Harkless is out for this week and last, but replacement Hughie Fitts did not play like a 29-year-old rookie. The 1927 5th Round selection probably won't have another like this, but he's 9-for-27 with a double, triple, seven runs, and 8 RBIs. Lastly, we've got our September callups, with Bobby Mills, Ducky Jordan, Russ Griffin, Aart MacDonald, Elias Canady, Roy Moore, Homer Ray, Freddie Bennett, Chet Peacock, Cal Knight, and Pug Bryan joining the big league roster. Knight is the only guy who needs a 40-man roster spot, which is now full. We're also up to 33 on the active roster, so that's one spot left for Montes and one for potentially Johnnie Williamson so I could have a third catcher. I don't quite have another option for Milwaukee to have a catcher, so I may just leave him there the rest of the season. Knight came over with a 1st and 5th Rounder from the Miners for his new teammate Lou Kelly, and the 1934 2nd Rounder has spent the last two seasons starting games in Milwaukee. He was just 4-7, but with a 4.19 ERA (106 ERA+), 1.41 WHIP, 38 walks, and 40 strikeouts in 111.2 innings pitched. The lefty will help out in the pen, but I may decide to give him a start. MacDonald and Canady will fill in at center against righties and lefties, with Moore and Yates likely getting a game or so. Pug will be our stopper and Ducky Jordan might get a start at second, but most of the guys will have a limited role. Minor League Reports RHP/CF Juan Pomales (AA Mobile Commodores): It was an impressive month for the two-way player, as he finished a perfect 5-0 on the mound with a 0.96 WHIP, 8 walks, and 16 strikeouts. I don't think the award takes into account his batting, but he also hit .323/.366/.548 with 5 doubles, 5 triples, 2 homers, 2 steals, and 18 RBIs. It's hard to judge which part is better, but right now it looks like the pitching. For the season he's 10-8 with a 3.01 ERA (130 ERA+), 1.27 WHIP, 48 walks, and 50 strikeouts in 158.1 innings pitched. It's not too far from his batting line, where he's slashing .295/.355/.474 (121 OPS+) with 17 doubles, 17 triples, 4 homers, 8 steals, and 52 RBIs in 406 plate appearances. "El Conejo" has been remarkable, and I still feel he should be ranked much higher then 80th on the prospect rankings. He projects to be both a back end of the rotation starter and every day center fielder, with the chance to be an elite defender out in right. He doesn't throw too hard, just 84-86, which does hurt considering he relies on his sinker and fastball to get outs. The more speed he has, the more effective he'll be, but he turns 24 in October and eventually it becomes tougher and tougher to throw harder. I don't have plans on him reaching Chicago next season, but I will consider a September callup if he puts together another season like this one. RF Chubby Hall (A Lincoln Legislators): He may not be it yet, but once Papenfus and Parker graduate, Chubby Hall will ranks as our best prospect. He was also the best hitter in the Heartland League this week, going 13-for-28 with 2 homers and 18 RBIs. Hall will spend about half of 1938 in Lincoln, and his .326/.383/.450 (129 OPS+) batting line is extremely impressive. Those two homers this week were also the first two of his stint here, but Hall has 21 doubles and 42 RBIs in 241 plate appearances down in Lincoln. Hall has spent most of his time here in left, but he's never been expected to be much of a defender in any of the three outfield spots. The bat is what attracted me to the 5'7'', 195 pound hopefully future slugger, but the power and plate discipline have not made many appearances up in A ball. I think that is what makes Hall so good, as even with his two most important tools not where they should be, he can still be an effective hitter. To be fair, his contact tool is arguably his best, but his power and eye are much more valuable assets. Hall could eventually be one of the best outfielders in the game, and while he may be two or three years away, he'll be well worth the wait. SS Harry Avery (B San Jose Cougars): It's not every day you have someone hit for the cycle, but that's exactly what Harry Avery managed on the 30th of August. The single was actually the last hit he got, but it was also his fifth hit as well. The 22-year-old was 5-for-7 with 6 runs and 3 RBIs in our 15-11 shootout win over the Spokane Lumberjacks. Avery hasn't had the greatest of seasons, as last year's 6th Rounder is hitting an average .266/.344/.398 (98 OPS+) with 16 doubles, 5 triples, 8 homers, 7 steals, and 51 RBIs in 346 trips to the plate. A natural shortstop, he's held his own there, while also getting some time at both second and third. And while he may not be one of our more highly regarded prospects, he does have a great eye and above average bat speed at the plate. He'll be 23 the day after Christmas, so I imagine he'll be up in Lincoln to start next season. He profiles as a utility infielder at the moment, but if he can hit the ball more consistently, I could see him turning into a suitable Ollie Page type player. RHP Bob Saltzman (B San Jose Cougars): The day after the 15-11 extravaganza, Bob Saltzman decided he wasn't going to give up his regular five runs, he'd instead keep the Lumberjacks scoreless. He allowed just 6 hits and a walk with 6 strikeouts to improve to 7-5 on the season. It hasn't been a great year for the 21-year-old, as the former 7th Rounder owns a 5.32 ERA (82 ERA+), 1.38 WHIP, 38 walks, and 44 strikeouts in his 15 starts. While the shutout is nice, Saltzman is definitely in danger of being passed over for starts next season, and he'll want to string together a few more outings like this to keep his spot in the organization. I wish "Knuckles" threw a knuckle ball, but his knuckle curve is a very good pitch with a decent forkball as well. He also features a fastball, cutter, splitter, and change, but none of those four are really standout pitches. He has the stuff to start, and he sits in the 89-91 range, but his command prevents the stuff from being average. It is one of those situations where I think throwing less pitches would help him locate them better, but of course, that's not quite an option in OOTP. Saltzman definitely has upside, but he might not have what it takes to reach that. 2B Stu Johnson (B San Jose Cougars): I was a little surprised Harry Avery didn't win Player of the Week, and that was because his own teammate Stu Johnson was just as good. No cycle, but he was 12-for-24 with 2 homers, 5 runs, and 10 RBIs. Johnson actually started the year in Lincoln, but he hit just .217/.331/.288 (71 OPS+) with 7 doubles, 3 triples, 2 homers, and 33 RBIs before a demotion to San Jose. He's been much better in the 90 at bats here, hitting .322/.429/.489 (145 OPS+) with 2 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, and 20 RBIs with an ice 18-to-4 walk-to-strikeout ratio. Our 7th Rounder in 1935, Johnson has developed into an excellent defensive second basemen (natural shortstop) with an above average eye. The Seattle kid isn't much of a contact hitter, and I don't expect him to ever come close to .300 in the FABL. Johnson's biggest pull is his leadership, already a team leader which makes him perfect for a utility infield role. He's exactly what you want off the bench, and while OSA thinks he may force his way into a lineup, I don't think that lineup would be ours. With roster expansion, I'm moving a lot of guys up, so Johnson will return to Lincoln to finish his season. 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; 09-08-2021 at 01:43 PM.

09-08-2021, 02:43 PM	#596
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	Week 21: September 5th-September 11th Weekly Record: 1-6 Seasonal Record: 67-69 (5th, 15 GB) Stars of the Week Rich Langton : 31 AB, 13 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .419 AVG, 1.050 OPS Leo Mitchell : 25 AB, 10 H, 1 HR, 7 RBI, .400 AVG, .983 OPS John Lawson : 30 AB, 8 H, 1 HR, 8 RBI, .267 AVG, .757 OPS Schedule 9-5: Loss at Sailors (4-5): 10 innings 9-5: Loss at Sailors (8-10) 9-7: Loss at Wolves (6-7) 9-8: Loss at Wolves (3-7) 9-9: Win at Wolves (7-0) 9-10: Loss vs Foresters (5-1) 9-11: Loss vs Foresters (9-4) Recap Well this week sucked... Not only did the Sailors sweep us in the double header, but the Foresters took both games in Chicago and we managed only one win out of three in Toronto. The team now slipped below .500, just 67-69, and fifth place seems like the position set for us. And to add injury to insult, we will be without Billy Hunter for the next two weeks as he sprained his knee in the 7-3 loss to the Wolves. Like Montes, he's slumped as a sophomore, hitting a respectable .291/.333/.429 (103 OPS+), but his defense has really struggled. He's made 46 errors, a .931 fielding percentage compared to .951 last year, and a -5.3 zone rating and .971 efficiency after +4.3 and 1.039 last year. In his absence, I'll be rotating in Ollie Page, Ducky Jordan, and Freddie Bennett at short until Hunter is healthy again. Carlos Montes also suffered a setback, so it's likely another two weeks before he's back in Chicago. Obviously the week wasn't great, but Rich Langton continued to hit well. Langton was 13-for-31 with 4 doubles, a triple, and 3 runs scored and driven in. Leo Mitchell hit well too, 10-for-25 with a double, homer, and seven driven in. Elias Canady and Roy Moore both looked good in their few outings, 2-for-5 and 3-for-6, with Canady walking three times and Moore doubling. No one else really did much hitting of any kind, hence why we lost six of our seven games this week. On the mound, Dick Lyons was brilliant, tossing two impressive starts. The first was in the 5-4 extra inning loss to the Sailors, 8 innings with 5 hits, 3 runs (1 earned), 4 walks, and 2 strikeouts. The second was even better, a 7-hit shutout in our lone win of the week against Toronto. Lyons' now 2.64 ERA (155 ERA+) is the best in the Continental Association, and trails just Jim Lonardo's 2.59 for best in all of baseball. The most impressive outing must have been Chet Peacock, however, who tossed 7 and two thirds out of the pen with 7 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, and a strikeout. This was after Milt Fritz allowed 7 hits and 7 runs with a walk while recording just two outs. No one else started well, with 5 charged to Pete, 7 to Harry, 5 to Brown, and 7 (4 earned) to Cy. Parker has really struggled, now four starts with five or more runs allowed, and a 6.97 ERA in his past 24 innings. Parker is an outstanding pitcher, I'm not overly worried, but I would have liked to see him put together a more consistent rookie season. Looking Ahead Off to start the week, before two with the Cannons. At 55-80, they sit in seventh place and are officially eliminated from postseason contention. They are two and a half behind the Stars for sixth, and they have recently promoted top 20 prospect and personally favorite of mine Charley McCullough. The 1934 8th Rounder has got into 14 games, batting .238/.373/.310 (84 OPS+) with a double, triple, and seven RBIs. Rufus Barrell still hasn't looked like he should, and now he has a mild hamstring strain to deal with. He's just 1-9 with a 6.15 ERA (67 ERA+), 1.35 WHIP, 24 walks, and 49 strikeouts in 74.2 innings pitched. Pinky Conlan is back, but he's 6-9 with a 4.73 ERA (87 ERA+), 1.55 WHIP, 47 walks, and 22 strikeouts in 16 starts and 8 relief outings. Off again before two with Montreal. They have a worst record then Baltimore, 54-81, and are also eliminated from the postseason. The Saints may have found their next Milt Fritz, bringing up top prospect and 19-year-old Wally Doyle, the now new youngest player in baseball. The former 8th Overall selection has made one start, 7 hits and 5 runs with 8 walks and 6 strikeouts in 6 innings pitched. The "Waco Kid" ranks 13th in baseball, and was taken a few picks after Peter the Heater. He looks like he could be an ace, something the Saints pitching staff really needs. Their best pitcher this season has been Karl Wallace, who is 10-12 with a 3.59 ERA (118 ERA+), 1.42 WHIP, 89 walks, and 74 strikeouts in 213.1 innings pitched. Jake DeYoung has had a homer issue, 30 already allowed this season, which has caused him to go 9-15 with a 4.08 ERA (103 ERA+), 1.31 WHIP, 37 walks, and 85 strikeouts in 227.1 innings pitched. Bert Lass remains third in the batting race, hitting a robust .350/.421/.469 (130 OPS+) with 34 doubles, 3 triples, 3 homers, and 43 RBIs with a 52-to-8 walk-to-strikeout ratio. Red Bond reached the 15 homer mark, and could potentially reach 20, with his .318/.366/.468 (115 OPS+) batting line. We need all four of these wins, as we finish the week with the first of two with the Brooklyn Kings. The Kings are back in first, a half game ahead of the Wolves, and part of that is due to an untimely Joe Shaffner slump. Since August started he's 2-4 with a 5.33 ERA. He still has great numbers for the season, 14-12 with a 3.42 ERA (123 ERA+), 1.27 WHIP, 69 walks, and 75 strikeouts in his 226.1 innings. Chicagoan Bob Cummings has continued to impress, 13-4 with a 2.76 ERA (152 ERA+), 1.38 WHIP, 70 walks, and 86 strikeouts in 159.2 innings pitched. At the plate, Frank Vance has reached 20 homers, batting .304/.381/.512 with 30 doubles, 8 triples, 10 steals, and 77 RBIs. They could use a late season push from Al Wheeler, who's .260/.367/.462 (114 OPS+) line is not quite what he's used to. The Wonder Wheel does have a league high 25 homers and 94 RBIs as well, but his 2.8 WAR is no where near his former career low of 4.3 from 1931 and 1934. Minor League Report RHP Roy Carey (AA Mobile Commodores): It took just one start after his promotion for Roy Carey to throw yet another shutout. He improved to 13-2 on the season, after allowing just 3 hits with 2 strikeouts as the Commodores topped the Ironmen 7-0. The soft tossing righty has now made 20 starts, all but this one in Lincoln, and worked to a 2.33 ERA with 35 walks and 32 strikeouts in just over 150 frames. The 1936 2nd Rounder has flown up our system, going from La Crosse to Mobile in just two seasons. In each stint his ERA+ has improved and this season he's been almost unhittable. The 23-year-old mixes in six pitches, none of them really standout offerings, but his sinker is likely the best. It's an average pitch, but he's able to place every one of his secondary offerings in the strike zone. My scout doesn't like him, OSA doesn't like him, and the prospect rankings have him listed as 88th in our system. I really, really hope we have 87 prospects better then Carey, as that would bode really well for our future. Of course, more likely then not, Carey is just an overdeveloped filler arm, but you can never have too much pitching. RF Chick Browning (B San Jose Cougars): I was a little worried when I promoted Browning form La Crosse that he wouldn't be ready for the tougher competition. Boy was I wrong! With the season winding down, the 20-year-old from Chicago is hitting .306/.394/.533 (148 OPS+) with 14 doubles, 14 homers, and 63 RBIs. These are outstanding numbers form the 20-year-old, and Browning's power has absolutely exploded this year. After just three homers in 109 games last year, Browning has 24 between La Crosse and San Jose in just about 50 more PAs. Browning has an excellent eye at the plate, and this has definitely helped him hit more longballs. He has consistent and above average bat speed and he's a very smart hitter. He looks to be a capable corner outfielder, but I've also allowed him to get some reps in center and at first. The lefty swinger may just be a corner outfielder, but he's developing into a very reliable at bat and I'm excited to see if he takes another giant step forward next year. __________________ 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

09-09-2021, 01:53 PM	#597
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	Week 22: September 12th-September 18th Weekly Record: 3-2 Seasonal Record: 70-71 (5th, 15 GB) Stars of the Week Leo Mitchell : 19 AB, 9 H, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .474 AVG, 1.368 OPS Ducky Jordan : 10 AB, 5 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .500 AVG, 1.200 OPS Dick Lyons : 1 Win, 9.0 IP, 4 BB, 2 K, 0.00 ERA Schedule 9-13: Loss at Cannons (1-12) 9-14: Win at Cannons (3-2) 9-16: Loss at Saints (5-6) 9-17: Win at Saints (8-4) 9-18: Win at Kings (5-3): 11 innings Recap We may have inched back to .500 and picked up win #70, but the 1938 Chicago Cougars are now officially eliminated from postseason contention. There was a time I thought we'd complete this year, but that was before we swung and miss on every major trade acquisition. I do think we can reach .500 and hopefully still hit 80 wins, but it will be tough. This week wasn't great, but we did get to see an awesome performance from rookie Ducky Jordan. In our 8-4 win over the Saints, Jordan was hitting on all cylinders, a perfect 5-for-5 with 2 doubles, 2 runs, and 3 RBIs. Jordan has been getting some time in the middle infield with the Hunter injury, but all five of his hits (15 at bats) this year came in this game. Hunter also suffered a setback, so him and Montes both have "unknown" recovery times. I also did make another callup, grabbing Johnnie Williamson as a third catcher. Dick Lyons continues his masterful season, 5 hits, 4 walks, 2 strikeouts, and 2 unearned runs in a complete game win over the Saints. My Allen Award nominee is now 18-6 with a 2.54 ERA (160 ERA+), 1.14 WHIP, 42 walks, and 44 strikeouts in 227 masterful innings pitched. Lyons now owns the best ERA in the entire FABL, he's tied for second in the CA for wins, and first in WHIP. It's not luck either, as only the extremely unlucky Tom Barrell (3.20) has a lower FIP then Lyons' 3.26 and his 160 ERA+ is best in baseball. And even if WAR is your thing, his rWAR is 7.4 and behind just Hancock (8.3) and Lonardo (7.5). Milt Fritz had a few walk-filled outings, 9 in a start and a relief outing. In total, he pitched 10.2 innings with 12 hits, 5 runs (1 earned), and a strikeout. Harry Parker dropped his fifth straight outing, letting the Saints walk off with two outs in the ninth. He allowed 9 hits, 6 runs (2 earned), and 2 walks with 8 strikeouts. Pete got a win, but allowed 10 walks, 6 hits, and 4 runs with 4 strikeouts in 8 innings pitched. Papenfus has now walked 101 hitters, and sits 8 strikeouts shy of the century mark. Cy Sullivan had his first truly poor start of the season, 12 hits and 9 runs with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts in just 5 and a third. Huge week at the plate for Leo Mitchell, who was 9-for-19 with 2 doubles, 2 homers, 3 runs, and 5 RBIs. He now owns a share of the team homer lead with 12, and Mitchell is hitting an impressive .343/.384/.479 (130 OPS+) with 29 doubles, 7 steals, and 76 RBIs in his first season where he's not bouncing around between three positions weekly. Another guy with the homer lead, Ray Ford, hit well too, 6-for-18 with 4 walks and 2 RBIs. A lot of part time players really showed off this week, with Aart MacDonald, Freddie Bennett, Bobby Mills, Elias Canady, and Harry Mead all putting up productive PAs, despite 13 (Mead) being the maximum for their at bats. Mills and Canady both hit homers, with Canady's being the first of his big league career. He's actually hit really well in September for us, .312/.421/.500 (146 OPS+) in 19 trips to the plate. Looking Ahead One more with the Kings, who we knocked out of first yesterday with our 4-3 11 inning win. Bob Cummings seems set to take the mound, 13-5 with a 2.77 ERA (151 ERA+), 1.41 WHIP, 76 walks, and 89 strikeouts in 165.2 innings pitched. The Kings have another 10 homer hitter, as Bob Worley has hit 7 already with the Kings. The former Cougar is hitting .296/.357/.513 (124 OPS+) with 4 doubles and 22 RBIs, after struggling with the Chiefs. Another former Cougar, Fred Barrell, hasn't been nearly as lucky, batting .231/.286/.325 (59 OPS+) in a really tough season for him. At 33, this could be the end of Fred, and it was rumored the Kings were connected to now Cougar catching prospect Solly Skidmore around the draft. Our road trip then ends with three in New York with the Stars. They have found new life, 61-79 and three and a half above the Saints for 6th in the league. Chink Stickels continues to be the story, batting .323/.387/.528 (140 OPS+) with 44 doubles, 17 triples, 7 homers, 9 steals, and 61 RBIs. He's kept his job in center, with 18-year-old Bill Barrett manning left and batting right behind hip. Barrett has 7 doubles, 3 triples, 4 homers, and 19 RBIs with a .244/.326/.447 (102 OPS+) batting line. Fellow rookie Joe Angevine continues to hit well, batting .343/.361/.514 (129 OPS+) since his promotion to New York. I think we will also be lucky enough to miss George Phillips, who is 12-7 with a 2.83 ERA (146 ERA+), 1.32 WHIP, 81 walks, and 75 strikeouts in just under 200 innings pitched. Top prospect Vern Hubbard hasn't been as lucky, as even with a recent 4-hit shutout of the Cannons, is 6-13 with a 4.87 ERA (85 ERA+), 1.50 WHIP, 71 walks, and 81 strikeouts. Les Zoller has returned to the rotation, but he's just 3-10 with a somehow improved 5.64 ERA (73 ERA+) and 1.75 WHIP. We'll use the off day to travel home, and then prep for the first place Wolves. At 85-56, they're holding strong, looking to snap a long stretch of non-playoff finishes. Led by the hopefully runner up in the Allen Award Joe Hancock, who is 21-7 with a 2.85 ERA (148 ERA+), 1.24 WHIP, 77 walks, and 140 strikeouts. 26-year-old Bob Walls is still perfect as a Wolf, 8-0 with a 2.87 ERA (146 ERA+), 1.20 WHIP, 12 walks, and 14 strikeouts in 8 starts. He was terrible for AAA Newark (Detroit), 4-4 with a 5.09 ERA (88 ERA+), 1.53 WHIP, 25 walks, and 22 strikeouts in 12 starts and 9 relief appearances. Superstar Fred McCormick won't hit .400 this year, but he's still slashing .386/.478/.603 (178 OPS+) with 45 doubles, 6 triples, 15 homers, and 80 RBIs in likely his first career Whitney Award Winning Season. Larry Vestal took home the most recent Player of the Week, and boosted his season line to .294/.374/.434 (109 OPS+). It has been a bit of a down season for Vestal, who hits in front of McCormick, but he does have 19 doubles, 17 triples, 6 homers, 6 steals, and 87 RBIs. If we want a winning week, we have to beat the Stars, as both Brooklyn and Toronto could have their way with us. Minor League Report LHP Jim Miller (AA Mobile Commodores): Developing into a sort of a complete game machine, in his last five starts, the southpaw has averaged more then nine innings per start. The most recent was a masterpiece, 8-hits, 2 walks, and a strikeout without allowing a single run scored. This was his second shutout in ten starts with the Commodores, and a perfect way to bounce back from back-to-back 6 run starts. Even with those, he's 6-3 with a 2.45 ERA (159 ERA+), 1.18 WHIP, 25 walks, and 27 strikeouts in 91.2 innings pitched. With a week left in the season, he may get two more starts, but regardless it will cap off an outstanding season for the soon-to-be 25-year-old. Combined with his time in Lincoln, he is 9-4 with a 2.36 ERA in 144.2 innings pitched. Miller has succeeded by rolling up a ton of ground balls with his high 80s sinker. It's a solid pitch, the best of his four offerings, and he's able to spot all his pitches very well. He's not much of a strikeout arm, but the walks won't hurt him too much either. He's absent form our top prospect lists, but he looks to be a reliable inning eater and a guy who can give you repeated solid, unexceptional starts where you don't have to worry about the pen. LHP Danny Hern (A Lincoln Legislators): It has been a meteoric rise up the ladder for Danny Hern, who went from unranked to 54 in just one season. He's watched Parker, Sullivan, and Brown all graduate, and once Pete joins them, Hern will ranks as our #1 pitching prospect ahead of Juan Pomales and Del Burns. In a 4-0 win over Evansville, Hern went the distance and allowed just 6 hits with 2 strikeouts to improve to 3-4 in 8 starts with the Legislators. He owns a 3.14 ERA (125 ERA+) and 1.19 WHIP with 16 walks and 35 strikeouts. The 21-year-old is a polished four pitch pitcher, headlined by a high 80s fastball and plus changeup. He has outstanding raw stuff that will continue to get better, and he gets a ton of movement which keeps the ball on the ground. OSA thinks he'll be a 3 or 4, Marv thinks useful arm, but hesitates to start him in big games. The kid has grown a ton in the past year, and if he keeps up that trend, he could be the next in a long line of excellent Cougar pitching prospects. CF Tony Mullis (A Lincoln Legislators): A teammate of Hern, Mullis stole most of the spotlight this week as he took home Player of the Week in the Heartland League. Mullis was 13-for-24 with seven RBIs in just his second week playing right field. The natural center fielder hasn't looked the best out in center, so with Doug Bennett there I wanted to work on the Detroit native's versatility. He's spent a bit more then half his season up here, batting an impressive .336/.411/.504 (151 OPS+) with 21 doubles, 9 triples, and 46 RBIs. Mullis has absolutely no power, with his first pro homer coming earlier this year in San Jose, but we picked up the outfielder last summer for Marty Roberts. The 20-year-old ranks 13th in our system and now 117th in the league, with a lot of that due to his outstanding contact abilities. He projects to hit over .350 and compete for batting titles, and he has speed that allows him to steal hits in the infield and take the extra base on the basepaths. I think he could be a solid starter in the FABL, but he'll have to work on his range as it's really tough to be a no pop corner outfielder. He's very raw, so the power could come around, but my guess is his home runs will be about as rare as a walk-less start for Peter the Heater. __________________ 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

09-10-2021, 05:21 PM	#598
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	Week 23: September 19th-September 25th Weekly Record: 5-1 Seasonal Record: 77-72 (5th, 12 GB) Stars of the Week John Lawson : 27 AB, 14 H, 2 HR, 10 RBI, .519 AVG, 1.444 OPS Ray Ford : 24 AB, 10 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .417 AVG, 1.148 OPS Allen Purvis : 2 Wins, 5.0 IP, 2 BB, 1 K, 1.80 ERA Schedule 9-19: Win at Kings (7-3) 9-20: Win at Stars (9-6) 9-21: Loss at Stars (3-4) 9-22: Win at Stars (13-9) 9-24: Win vs Wolves (1-2): 15 innings 9-25: Win vs Wolves (1-2): 12 innings Recap 80 wins here we come! A great 5-1 week where we play spoiler is just what the doctor ordered, as we have won our last two against the Kings and the Wolves, the two teams fighting for the pennant. We really did luck out against the Wolves, a pair of extra inning one-run wins to keep the Kings alive (2.5 back), but a win is a win and I want to collect as many as possible in this final month. We were treated to a classic John Lawson week, as Jack the Ripper took home another Player of the Week award. The 35-year-old vet was 14-for-27 with 5 doubles, 2 homers, 8 runs, and 10 RBIs in a truly remarkable week. The season, however, has been unremarkable, as Lawson is having his significantly worst season of his career. He's hitting just .302/.356/.423 (116 OPS+) with 40 doubles, 14 homers, and 99 RBIs. The doubles and RBIs are nice, but his previous low for OPS+ was 133 in 1934 and is 162 game average for his career is .347/.398/.512 (144 OPS+). I don't really think Lawson is slowing down, my scout still likes him the same and he's still a top 3 third basemen, but it's clear he's no longer a top 10 player in the league (actually ranked 19th because I was going to say not top 20). He wasn't the only hitter with a great week, as Ray Ford went 10-for-24 with 3 doubles, 3 walks, 3 RBIs, 4 runs, and a homer. Our center field platoon of Aart MacDonald and Elias Canady was elite, 6-for-18 with 2 doubles, a triple, a homer, 3 walks, and 4 runs. The homer was Canady's, his second in as many weeks. Lou Kelly had a pinch hit double, his 1,995th career hit as he inches closer to 2,000. Ducky Jordan continued his nice September, 5-for-16 with a double, triple, RBI, two walks, and four runs. The "Hot Springs Hotshot" currently ranks as our 5th best prospect and 49th in the league, and is hitting .323/.400/.484 (136 OPS+) with 3 doubles, a triple, and 4 RBIs in 35 trips to the plate. And speaking of the farm, with the graduation of Peter the Heater this week, we finally dropped out of the top 5 in farm rankings for the first time in over a half decade. Based on my top prospects post from last offseason, we have graduated the 2nd, 38th, 44th, 50th (retired...) ,57th, and 67th ranked prospect. Despite all of that, with the current rankings we still have 10 top 100 prospects, 23 top 250, and 48 top 500. The system ranks 6th (125) and every farm team except the Mobile Commodores (83-56) finished in first place (although technically La Crosse is tied with one game left) this season. Expect a nice long Minor League report over the weekend! We got two outstanding starts that both ended with no decisions, due to the crazy extra inning games with the Wolves. The first start was courtesy of Milt Fritz, who went 11 innings with 7 hits, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts, and just one run scored. Joe Brown had the other, pitching two outs into the tenth with 3 hits, a run, 7 walks, and 4 strikeouts. It was huge for Brown, who after all that is still 3-3 with 7 saves, a 4.95 ERA (82 ERA+), 1.43 WHIP, 16 walks, and 15 strikeouts in his 40 innings pitched. Someone who didn't have a good start was Dick Lyons, who despite getting the win, went 7 with 12 hits, 5 runs, 2 walks, and 2 strikeouts. Even after that rough outing, he still has the best ERA in baseball at 2.65 and will hopefully go head-to-head with Joe Hancock to start the week and to start October. Pete also had another poor start, 6 innings with 7 hits, 6 runs, 6 walks, and 6 strikeouts. He now has a below average 4.19 ERA (97 ERA+) and 1.71 WHIP, but with one start left, he should get at least two strikeouts to hit 100. Cy pitched well in his second to last start, 8 hits, 3 runs, 3 walks, and 4 strikeouts in a complete game win. Sullivan has been the only rookie arm to keep his ERA south of 4, despite arguably being the least developed of the four. Allen Purvis looked good out of the pen, 5 innings with 3 hits, a run, 2 walks, and a strikeout while picking up the win in both Toronto games. Purvis has been elite out of the pen, 6-4 with 3 saves, a 2.38 ERA (171 ERA+), 1.34 WHIP, 20 walks, and 10 strikeouts in 41.2 innings pitched. He's also a clubhouse leader, but with a ton of young pitchers on the 40, he may be moved or waived in the offseason. Looking Ahead Seven more games left in the season, and my goal is to win five of them. It'll be tough, we get the Wolves to start the week at home, then three hosting the Sailors, and three final games in Toronto. The 78-70 Sailors were just eliminated from the postseason, but No-Hit Newell added a third no hitter (one was a perfect game) against Brooklyn where he walked one and struck out four. The new Sailors ace hasn't had a regular Newell season, 19-11 with a 4.02 ERA (105 ERA+), 1.33 WHIP, 66 walks, and 106 strikeouts in 259.2 innings pitched. We'll likely see him, Merritt Thomas, and Chuck Murphy. Murphy continues to excel, 7-6 with a 3.28 ERA (128 ERA+), 1.41 WHIP, 47 walks, and 36 strikeouts in 13 starts and 15 pen outings. Thomas is 10-9 with a 3.62 ERA (116 ERA+), 1.57 WHIP, 91 walks, and 49 strikeouts as he approaches the 200 inning mark for the third straight season. At the plate, Bob Smith reached double digit homers, now 11 with 29 doubles, 5 triples, 8 steals, and 73 RBIs. He's hitting an adjusted league average .282/.337/.440 with 41 walks and 8 strikeouts. River Grove's Woody Stone reached 4 WAR in his first season as an everyday player, hitting .319/.378/.428 (108 OPS+) with 33 doubles, 2 triples, 2 homers, and 57 driven in. The real test is Toronto, and we will directly impact the pennant race starting and ending the week with them. At 87-60, the Wolves are the likely Continental Association pennant winners, two and a half games ahead of the rapidly falling Kings. We get Joe Hancock twice, and I'm hoping we can score 10 runs in each start. Hopefully the runner up for the Allen Award this year, he looks likely to pitch his last two games against the hopeful winner of the award, Dick Lyons. Hancock has blossomed at 25, going 22-7 with a 2.89 ERA (145 ERA+), 1.25 WHIP, 82 walks, and 142 strikeouts in 268 innings atop the Wolves rotation. Chick Wirtz has gone in the wrong direction, 14-12 with a 4.44 ERA (94 ERA+), 1.44 WHIP, 89 walks, and 50 strikeouts in 243 innings. Bob Walls got a no decision against us, so he finally didn't win one of his starts, but he allowed just 4 hits and a run in a nice 7 inning outing. His ERA is down to a Lyons-like 2.72 (154 ERA+) with a 1.16 WHIP. 20-year-old George Garrison has improved, now 4-5 with a 4.22 ERA (99 ERA+), 1.48 WHIP, 39 walks, and 38 strikeouts. It's going to be tough to keep McCormick and Wallace in check, but we can't forget about former Cougar Reginald Westfall. Our 1932 7th Rounder, Westfall is hitting a slightly below average .270/.353/.413 (98 OPS+) with 32 doubles, 4 triples, 8 homers, and 87 RBIs in a decent rookie campaign. Another former Cougar draftee who has done well is stopper Phil English, who is 5-2 with 14 saves. He also owns a 3.30 ERA (127 ERA+) and 1.58 WHIP with 36 walks and 23 strikeouts in 60 quality innings. This will be tough, but I have faith in my team that we can at least make it interesting. Minor League Report SS Hal Wood (A Lincoln Legislators): Our system looks a lot different then it did at the beginning of the season, and our new #3 prospect is former 1st Rounder Hal Wood. Despite being 24, Wood has moved up our system really slowly, but he finished his year off strong. Wood was named Heartland Player of the Week, going 12-for-24 with 6 runs and 2 RBIs. The former 8th Overall Pick broke out in September, slashing .456/.547/.608 with 4 doubles, 4 triples, 2 steals, and 9 RBIs. For the season, Wood hit .317/.393/.432 (127 OPS+) with 24 doubles, 15 triples, 2 homers, 3 steals, and 62 RBIs. Already a clubhouse leader, Wood is a captain at short who profiles as a well above average fielder. He won't steal many bases, but he uses his speed more for range then base running. Wood sprays line drives to all fields, and while he won't hit homers, he'll hit a ton of doubles and triples while maintaining a .310 or better average. Hal earned a promotion to Mobile for next season, and I'm hoping he'll progress enough to reach Milwaukee by seasons end. He may not debut until 26, but next year will be only his fourth pro season and with Hunter cemented at short, I've had no need to rush Wood up. Of course, I'm hoping for an active offseason, so Wood may be shipped somewhere else to upgrade the big league club. I do think he has all the tools to be an outstanding shortstop in the future, but I'm ready to win now. LHP Harl Haines (B San Jose Cougars): Best way to end the season? Well, how about a complete game shutout! In a 2-0 win over the Vancouver Mounties, Haines allowed just 2 hits and struck out 3 in a truly excellent start. Haines actually played some time in Lincoln, and while he did look solid, the soon-to-be 21-year-old was sent back down in a numbers crunch. His 13 starts with the Cougars have been elite, 9-3 with a 2.41 ERA (179 ERA+), 1.06 WHIP, 15 walks, and 61 strikeouts. Even in Lincoln (10 starts) he was 6-1 with a 3.52 ERA (112 ERA+), 1.45 WHIP, 18 walks, and 34 strikeouts. It's been an nice year for the southpaw, who has entered our top 20 prospect list and the league's top 200. A polished four pitch pitcher, Haines has a funky submarine motion where he still throws both his cutter and fastball in the mid 90s. His command looks vastly improved this season compared to last, with a 1.5 BB/9 in San Jose and 2.5 in Lincoln after a 3.4 mark last year. Haines also throws a screwball and slider, both quality pitches, that allow him to rack up strikeouts. He's a depth starter now, but he's an extremely hard worker who should continue to improve, and he's provided excellent value for a 10th Round selection. __________________ 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

09-11-2021, 04:46 PM	#599
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	Minor League Report While there is technically just one game left in the minor league season, so things could change, but the only Cougar affiliate to not win their league was the AA Mobile Commodores. At 83-56, they sit 4 games behind the Nashville Chieftains, but as long as the Chicago Cougars win five of their remaining seven, all Cougar affiliates will have won 80 or more games this season. La Crosse is tied with Marshalltown for first, but Milwaukee, Lincoln, and San Jose all took home championships this year. I was a little surprised, as I continued to push prospects up, and towards the end we were working with a total of 16 influential minor leaguers spending time in Chicago for at least a month of the season. Here is a closer look at each team: AAA Milwaukee Blues (Century League): 83-57 (.593) The highest level in our system, the Blues have been a historically good team, finishing .500 or better every year since 1930, as well as four previous pennants. It was a great rebound from a 70-70 finish last year, but the most impressive thing was just how many players suited up in Milwaukee. We went through so many pitchers that not a single one qualified for the team leading ERA. Milwaukee saw excellent performances from Pete Papenfus, Harry Parker, Cy Sullivan, Joe Brown, Cal Knight, and Pug Bryan, all guys who ended the year in Chicago. 22-year-old Del Burns finished the year in Milwaukee, who after dominating with Mobile was roughed up in 9 starts. Burns was just 2-2 with a 5.06 ERA (89 ERA+), 1.69 WHIP, 20 walks, and 29 strikeouts in just 48 innings. The biggest reinforcement was Clarence Crane's demotion, who went 8-2 with a 3.50 ERA (128 ERA+), 1.26 WHIP, 29 walks, and 27 strikeouts in his 10 starts. Sam Hodge looked good in his first taste of AAA, 5-5 with a 3.98 ERA (113 ERA+), 1.45 WHIP, 17 walks, and 28 strikeouts. At the plate, there was a lot more consistency, as I kept the starting lineup almost the exact same in Chicago. Outfielder Henry Cox would be considered the team MVP, as the 22-year-old hit an impressive .278/.340/.545 (125 OPS+) with 33 homers and 99 RBIs. Interesting enough, Cox's gap power was almost non-existent, just 7 doubles and 3 triples in 462 PAs. He was one of the few guys who spent the entire year in Milwaukee, while fellow outfielders Aart MacDonald and Elias Canady both got around 80 games in Milwaukee with 20 more in Chicago. The team didn't hit all that well, with important pieces like Ducky Jordan and Freddie Bennett having below average seasons with the bat (both excellent with the glove), but former 6th Rounder Bobby Mills looked great in almost a full season. Mills hit .314/.405/.412 (111 OPS+) with 26 doubles, 5 homers, and 54 RBIs in 114 pre-promotion games. I was hoping for a better year from top prospect Tommy Wilson, but the soon-to-be 23-year-old is hitting just .273/.358/.397 (94 OPS+) with 25 doubles, 9 homers, 11 steals, and 62 driven in. He currently checks in at 7th in our system and 61st in the big leagues, and will be competing with Jordan and Ollie Page for the second base job next year. We had a lot of depth in Milwaukee, and they'll see a lot of the same faces next year as we project to have a very crowded big league roster picture. AA Mobile Commodores (Dixie League): 83-56 (.597) We may as well have called Mobile the Pomales', because the two-way star led the team in both ERA and batting average. "El Conejo" made 21 starts, finishing 13-8 with a 2.91 ERA (134 ERA+), 1.21 WHIP, 52 walks, and 65 strikeouts in 185.1 innings pitched. Still no velocity bumps, hanging out in the 84-86 range, but obviously it is good enough to trick AA hitters. His fastball/sinker combo has worked really well, with just 2 homers all season, and he improved his ERA, WHIP, BB/9, and K/9 while doubling his innings pitched. At the plate he improved all facets of his triple slash, batting .305/.370/.490 (129 OPS+) with 24 doubles, 19 triples, 5 homers, 12 steals, and 60 RBIs. Those numbers alone are cause for celebration, but considering his 1.034, 1.014, and 1.110 efficiency in left, center, and right, Pomales literally did everything average or better. I think he's always going to be underrated in the prospect rankings, I feel like the game only takes in his pitching or hitting, not both, as he checks in at 71st in baseball. And as good as Pomales pitched, the best arm on the staff was one that started the season in Mobile, Jim Miller. Just 11 starts to Miller's credit, but the southpaw was 6-4 with a 2.62 ERA (150 ERA+), 1.24 WHIP, 27 walks, and 27 strikeouts in 96.1 innings pitched. Another reliable arm was Dan Everett, but unfortunately for us, the borderline top 100 prospect (113th) partially tore his labrum in his last start of the season. The former Forester farmhand finished 9-3 with a 3.24 ERA (121 ERA+), 1.28 WHIP, 45 walks, and 56 strikeouts in 114 innings pitched. Everett walked a ton of hitters, but allowed just one homer (it was in Lincoln) all season with a K/9 above 4. The diagnosis is just 5-6 weeks, so he'll be ready for next Spring, but injuries are starting to be a common place for the soon-to-be 23-year-old. He didn't end the season in Mobile, but 1934 13th Rounder Rusty Watts was worth almost 4 wins above replacement in his 20 starts. The fireballer with a high 90s fastball went 11-6 with a 3.04 ERA (129 ERA+), 1.25 WHIP, 36 walks, and 68 strikeouts as he did all he could to secure a 40-man roster spot. On the offensive side, 26-year-old Chicagoan Red Looney kept up his "rake everything in sight" strategy, slashing .302/.374/.508 (135 OPS+) with 15 doubles, 10 triples, 11 homers, 15 steals, and 65 RBIs before a much deserved callup to the Blues. Looney definitely has big league talent, but like a majority of the players in our system, is stuck in a very crowded position group. Former 3rd Rounder Ivan Cameron spent the entire season in Mobile, but the glove first shortstop hit a slightly below average .303/.346/.379 (94 OPS+) with 19 doubles, 3 triples, 2 homers, and 57 RBIs. None of that compares to his +17.7 zone rating and 1.110 efficiency, Harry Barrell/George Dawson type fielding numbers, which should propel him into a big league spot. He's got another year before he needs to be on the 40, but even if the bat never develops, he's going to be a crucial defensive replacement. A Lincoln Legislators (Heartland League): 92-47 (.662) In terms of record and win percentage, the Lincoln Legislators were the best Cougar affiliate this season. I'm thanking the leadership of former 1st Rounder and shortstop Hal Wood, who hit .317/.393/.432 (127 OPS+) with 24 doubles, 15 triples, 2 homers, 3 steals, and 62 RBIs. Love the extra base pop, love the glove, and love the player, but the 24-year-old does have a lot of developing left, and his overall batting line is aided immensely by his outstanding September. Lincoln also saw a Harry Peterson breakout, as the 22-year-old hit .341/.384/.439 (126 OPS+) with 22 doubles, 8 triples, 2 homers, and 63 RBIs before a promotion to Mobile where he spent the last month of the season. Peterson is one of those guys who always puts the ball in play, just 32 walks and 4 strikeouts in 488 trips to the plate. He struck out just 6 times all season, but has never struck out more then 15 times in a season. He's a prankster who keeps his teammates happy, and despite not ranking as one of our top prospects, could turn into a multiple time .300 hitter. Another guy who joined Peterson in Mobile for the last month was 22nd Rounder Cuno Myer, as the all bat no glove first basemen hit .338/.418/.441 (136 OPS+) with 27 doubles, 6 homers, and 69 RBIs, while sporting a 67-to-7 walk-to-strikeout ratio. Lincoln was also the final stop for #1 prospect Chubby Hall and #11 prospect Tony Mullis, who ended the season in left and right for the Legislators. Hall ranks 23rd in the league while Mullis is just outside the top 100 at 104. Hall saw a drop in power after 12 homers in San Jose, but still hit a remarkable .319/.387/.447 (129 OPS+) with 27 doubles and 54 RBIs. Mullis never showed power at any level, but his .339/.416/.518 (156 OPS+) line with 22 doubles and 12 triples is respectable for a natural center fielder. Sure, the glove isn't all that great, but that can easily change with more playing time. Roy Carey pitched like the Legislators ace, with 19 of his 23 starts this year coming in A ball. Carey was 12-2 with a 2.48 ERA (158 ERA+), 1.19 WHIP, 35 walks, and 30 strikeouts in 141.1 ace-quality innings. Marv doesn't like any of the soft tossing righties pitches, but Carey was next to unhittable this season. Bill Seabolt spent half his time in Lincoln, and finished an impressive 8-2 with a 2.86 ERA (137 ERA+), 1.25 WHIP, 38 walks, and 40 strikeouts, slightly better then his time with the Cougars. I mentioned Jim Miller already, but in Lincoln he was even better, 3-1 with a 2.21 ERA (178 ERA+), 1.00 WHIP, 11 walks, and 19 strikeouts in 53 innings pitched. He didn't pitch very deep into games there, just 5.3 innings per start, but he went much deeper with the Commodores. 1937 First Rounder Preacher Pietsch was also unhittable, 6-4 with a 2.20 ERA (179 ERA+), 1.19 WHIP, 19 walks, and 50 strikeouts before a midseason promotion. 2nd Rounder Grover Donahue also earned a midseason promotion after going 6-5 with a 3.13 ERA (125 ERA+), 1.20 WHIP, 30 walks, and 28 strikeouts in 97.2 innings pitched. Scouts have soured a bit on Donahue, as despite his six pitches, they think he'll end up a pen arm. I had high hopes for the Indiana A&M product, but the recently turned 24-year-old is absent from the top 500. B San Jose Cougars (California-Oregon-Washington League): 88-51 (.633) Like Milwaukee, San Jose saw a lot of pitchers, with not a single arm qualifying for the team ERA lead. That's not saying there were no good arms, as former 10th Rounder Harl Haines spun together 13 dominant starts. He was 9-3 with a 2.41 ERA (179 ERA+), 1.06 WHIP, 15 walks, and 61 strikeouts, but he went up and down between here and Lincoln. They also got the first half of our new top pitching prospect Danny Hern's season, as he made up for a slow start by finishing 7-4 in his 15 starts. Hern worked to a 3.58 ERA (120 ERA+) and 1.19 WHIP with 33 walks and 62 strikeouts as he established himself as a future big league starter. Now inside the top 50 at 47, Hern added an extra mile to his fastball in August as he approaches 90. The lefty from Morton, PA has four big league pitches, and looks to be the next exciting Cougar pitching prospect. Our 4th Rounder this year Ed Wilkinson spent most of his time in San Jose (11 of 13 starts), and he looked more then ready. The lefty was 6-3 with a 3.18 ERA (136 ERA+), 1.27 WHIP, 29 walks, and 38 strikeouts and was able to throw well over 100 pitches in each start excluding a 3.1 inning outing where he was tagged with 10 hits and 7 runs. Last year's 5th Rounder John Little earned a late promotion after finishing 10-5 with a 3.90 ERA (111 ERA+), 1.35 WHIP, 47 walks, and 81 strikeouts, but he left his first start in Lincoln with a sore shoulder that cost him about 4 starts. 1935 6th Rounder Jocko Pollard put up MVP numbers, batting .309/.361/.547 (141 OPS+) with 25 doubles, 25 homers, and 105 RBIs in an outstanding season. A natural third basemen, Pollard has spent most of his time at first, and the Rhode Island kid has looked solid with the glove. The power looks legit right now, and he had double digits his first two seasons as well. We have very few corner bats in the system, so Pollard doesn't have too much competition, and the 21-year-old will get his first taste of the upper minors next season. This year's 4th Rounder Sammy Dillon excelled, slashing .275/.404/.473 (135 OPS+) with 16 doubles, 6 homers, and 24 RBIs in his first 59 pro games. The corner outfielder ranks just outside our top 30 and the leagues top 300, at 32 and 342 respectively, but I imagine as he develops he'll rise rather quickly. The kid has legit power and a great eye, but faces an uphill climb in the system. Another corner outfielder, Chick Browning, was outstanding in La Crosse before crushing the ball the same up here. He got time at first, left, and right, hitting an impressive .298/.384/.515 (140 OPS+) with 14 doubles, 16 homers, and 70 RBIs. The Chicagoan was supposedly not ready for San Jose (red arrow), but was a critical run producer for the Cougs he just snuck in to our top 50. Harry Avery was a mainstay in the lineup, hitting an average .274/.350/.399 (101 OPS+) while offering quality defense at third and short while getting accustomed to second. He added 21 doubles, 6 triples, 8 homers, 9 steals, and 59 RBIs in 524 trips to the plate. C La Crosse Lions (Upper Mississippi Valley Association): 80-59 (.576) La Crosse hosts the Waterloo Chiefs for game 140, with former 2nd Rounder and team win leader Newt Jackson taking the mound for the Lions. He partially tore his UCL last season, a huge blow for us, but he did improve off a terrible 1937. Jackson wasn't great, 10-5 with a 4.73 ERA (97 ERA+), 1.54 WHIP, 64 walks, and 48 strikeouts, but the 20-year-old is starting to get some prospect love. The most recent ranks have him 25th and 283rd, right ahead of teammate Oliver Allen. Jackson added velocity post surgery, from 86-88 to now 89-91, has his cutter improves as a reliable pitch to lean on. Speaking of Allen, the recent 4th Rounder had an average start to his pro career, 4-6 with a 4.58 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, 32 walks and 32 strikeouts. La Crosse also saw 20 excellent starts from the oft-injured Art Saunders, going 9-4 with a 3.01 ERA (152 ERA+), 1.15 WHIP, 28 walks, and 62 strikeouts in 113.2 really good innings. He made 3 starts with San Jose, and is projected to finish the season for them on Monday. Now 21, the former 9th Rounder ranks 13th in our system and 131st in the league, but the only reason he wasn't a top 3 round selection was due to his signing demands (he was "impossible") and injury concerns (rightfully so). Offense wasn't always easy to come by for the Lions, but part of that had to do with guys like Browning and Ray Powell getting called up. The former lottery selection hit .348/.415/.509 (132 OPS+) with 11 doubles, 5 triples, 5 homers, and 31 RBIs in 253 trips to the plate. A lot of the new draftees entered the starting lineup and excelled, including top prospect and only good Cougar lottery selection Solly Skidmore. He hit .329/.402/.405 (104 OPS+) with 7 doubles, 3 homers, and 37 RBIs. The only downside from Solly was the lack of power, but he's a young 18 and won't turn 19 until May 29th. This kid could be a top 5 catcher, currently ranked as the second best catching prospect (behind Pete Casstevens) in all of baseball and Marv raves about his bat and his eventual power to all fields. He's an imposing 6'2'' and while he may never be a great defensive catcher, he'll more then make up for it with the bat. 10th Rounder Harry Carr cracked .350, slashing .356/.382/.437 (106 OPS+) with 7 doubles, 4 triples, 2 homers, 8 steals, and 36 RBIs. A natural center fielder, Carr spent most his time in right. Carr also slipped due to a sizeable bonus demand, and recently shot up the prospect ladder. When signed (while still better prospect left unsigned), he checked in at 227. Now he's 15th in our system and 160th in baseball, and Marv thinks of our prospect outfielders, just Hall, Pomales, and Mullis have higher upside. The reason he is in right is 7th Rounder Max Rucker, who hit an even better .332/.392/.462 (115 OPS+) with 14 doubles, 6 homers, and 34 RBIs. He's not nearly as highly rated, but the 21-year-old still checks in towards the back of the top 500. Lastly, one of the few players to hit well and spend most of the season in La Crosse was the 21-year-old Billy Jordan Jr., who ranks 37th in our system and 434th in the league. He finally reached the 100 game mark in year three, and hit a respectable .323/.387/.429 (106 OPS+) with 21 doubles, 6 homers, and 61 RBIs while finally walking (39) more then he struck out (22). I'm not sure how long we'll be able to maintain such a deep system, but our 48 top 500 prospects is best in the league, with only Montreal (42), the Sailors (44), and the Keystones (44). Like us, the Sailors and Keystones always have really deep systems, but it's nice to see Montreal on the upward trend as their 4th system is right behind the Keystones, and Montreal hasn't had a lot of young talent in a while. __________________ 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

09-13-2021, 05:03 PM	#600
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 2,992	Week 24: September 26th-October 2nd Weekly Record: 4-3 Seasonal Record: 79-75 (5th, 11 GB) Stars of the Week Ray Ford : 29 AB, 10 H, 3 HR, 6 RBI, .345 AVG, 1.103 OPS John Lawson : 30 AB, 9 H, 2 HR, 9 RBI, .300 AVG, .923 OPS Mike Taylor : 22 AB, 7 H, 2 HR, 4 RBI, .318 AVG, 1.011 OPS Schedule 9-26: Win vs Wolves (2-4) 9-27: Loss vs Sailors (16-7) 9-28: Win vs Sailors (3-5) 9-29: Loss vs Sailors (10-4) 9-30: Win at Wolves (8-5) 10-1: Loss at Wolves (2-3): 18 innings 10-2: Win at Wolves (8-6) Recap So closeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!! With just one more win, every single Chicago Cougar affiliate would have won 80 games this season, but the big boys up top fell just short of the 80 game mark. I'd imagine with Montes and Hunter healthy for September we probably could have finished third, but regardless, we still finish above .500 for the second consecutive season. Our last game at North Side Park was played, a 10-4 loss to the Sailors, but the story of the week was the collapse of the Toronto Wolves. A remarkable season none the less, but we started and ended a seven game losing streak for them, and while they kept their season alive on a historic 18 inning game, it was all for naught as the Kings won as well, clinching another Continental Association pennant. I think Dick Lyons secured the Allen Award with the outcomes of this final week. The 38-year-old vet made two starts, both against the Wolves. Lyons recorded victory #20 on the 26th, going 7 with 6 hits, an earned run, an unearned run, and 3 walks. He was also the pitcher in the crazy 18 inning game, pitching the first half of the game. He allowed 6 hits, 2 runs, and struck out 2. The parade of Pug Bryan, Allen Purvis, and Harry Parker didn't allow a hit until a 16th inning single by Nick Wallace. Pug and Purvis did walk 5, but Purvis and Parker both struck out a pair. Lyons finished the season with exactly 250 innings, and he led the FABL in both ERA (2.59) and WHIP (1.15). He was 20-6 with a 157 ERA+, 47 walks, and 48 strikeouts and was worth 5.7 wins above replacement. This was easily the best season of his 12 full seasons, but the iron man just dropped his career ERA below 4 with his last start. He is 169-123 with a 1.41 WHIP, 593 walks, and 785 strikeouts in 2,709.1 big league innings. Of course, this isn't Lyons only good season, he was an All Star in 1933 where he finished 17-11 with a 2.83 ERA (126 ERA+), 1.11 WHIP, 37 walks, and 63 strikeouts in 30 starts. In total, he's had an above average ERA+ in 8 seasons, so generally reliable, just never elite. This season was reminiscent to 1933 Max Wilder, although he finished the season 36. Wilder was 15-10 with a 2.70 ERA (132 ERA+), 1.22 WHIP, 63 walks, and 102 strikeouts. Of course, this was the same year Lyons had his All Star season and that Cougar team broke the Human ERA single season record. I miss Tommy Wilcox... Although he did have a 2.74 ERA this year! But in 42.2 innings out of the Legislators bullpen... Sigh... In the actual present and important news, Lyons also got some help from his teammates, as the Cougars piled on 9 hits and scored 6 runs (5 earned) against Joe Hancock in his 35th and final start of the season. Hancock still had a great year, just not Lyons good. He was 22-8 with a 3.02 ERA (139 ERA+), 1.28 WHIP, 91 walks, and 145 strikeouts in 283 innings pitched. His wins and strikeouts were most in our league, but Rabbit Day won 26 and Lefty Allen struck out 218. A lot of other pitchers had good seasons, so guys like Mike Murphy, Dean Astle, and maybe even Del Lyons (for those thinking they picked Dick!) stealing votes from the two favorites. I won't be bogus, I'm voting Joe Hancock second even though it will hurt Dick, I really think he my guy deserves it bias aside. Plus, Hancock is a total stud pitching in Toronto, and will just as easily pitch this well next season while Lyons ERA will be north of 5 by May. And poor Tom Barrell. Somehow he was 13-14 with a 4.33 ERA (97 ERA+) and 1.30 WHIP despite 129 strikeouts and just 54 walks. He had a league best 6.9 WAR and 77 FIP-, showing that he was beyond unlucky. It's crazy the Kings won 90 despite Barrell having one of the most unlucky seasons I've ever seen. I already mentioned Wilcox, but even in his awful starts post trade with us, his FIP- was a still poor 102 compared to his dreadful 6.70 ERA (62 ERA+). And yes, if he was just league average we would've paced Lawson's Stars in 1932... I do miss those Wilcox vs. Barrell games that I thought we'd see dozens of... I think I'm going to stash him in the pen next year or the year after, but he's still got an option year left. Huh, I almost forgot that we played games this week! We hit a ton of homers last week, so many that even Lou Kelly hit career homer 269. The Pekin kid is now up to 1,996 career hits, and he may get those four next ones in a Cougar uniform. For his career, Kelly has hit .314/.374/.530 (140 OPS+) with 381 doubles, 91 triples, and 1,176 RBIs. He can't play defense anymore, but he's an outspoken leader with pop off the bench, and the Chicago fans absolutely adore him. Ray Ford added three of his own, going 10-for-29 with 7 runs and 6 RBIs. He ended the season with 16 homers and 72 RBIs in just 504 trips to the plate. If he didn't get hurt, he might have hit 20, but it was another above average season for Ford. He's now increased his OPS+ (114, 127, 129) and WAR (2.4, 2.8, 2.9) in each season so far. John Lawson also hit 16 homers, so he added 2 and drove in 9 in another strong week. He was 9-for-30 with 3 doubles and 3 runs scored, and I'm hoping he saved all his hot months for next year. Technically it was a down year for the soon-to-be 36-year-old, but he was just super consistent with no peaks or valleys and he did come just 2 RBI's short (108) of Al Wheeler for the most in the CA. Mike Taylor added two homers and was 7-for-22 with 2 walks, 3 runs, and 4 RBIs. After three awful offensive seasons, Taylor recorded an above average OPS+ (103) and reached double digits for homers (12). No homers for Ollie Page, but he was an even 7-for-14 with four walks, a run scored, and two more driven in. It was another rough season for Page, but since Johnny McDowell didn't really do anything well, and both Dave Haight and Del Thomas supposedly broke out (fricken Thomas is a borderline top 100 prospect, I always knew the Alaskan could hit), so Page might as well be the favorite at second again. He looked great with the glove, and while I will look to upgrade, him, Jordan, Tommy Wilson, and more will be fighting for the keystone. Rich Langton dealt with back spasms for the final series, but was 8-for-26 with a homer, 3 walks, 5 runs, and 5 RBIs. That homer was enough for Langton to reach double digits, and he's now done that in each of his first four seasons. He's never had a repeat, 11 then 14 then 12 before the 10 this season. It was, however, his first 10/10 season as he swiped a team high 12 in 24 attempts. Leo Mitchell, however, swiped a bag this week and was a much better 9-for-14 in stolen base attempts. He was also 8-for-24 with a double, 4 walks, and 7 runs. Mitchell cracked the .330 mark, hitting .337 in a 4 WAR season. I also had a little fun the last week of the season with Tip Harrison, and purchased his contract to fill up the 40. An all time favorite of mine, I loved his versatility and most definitely would have used a second round pick on him in 1934 if I wasn't even more obsessed with Pug Bryan. I was ready to snatch him in the third, but the Kings used the 13th pick in the 2nd Round to grab the Bluegrass State shortstop. Unfortunately, he never hit much, but was part of the Al Wheeler blockbuster (still kicking myself about this one too) as a top 100 prospect. I grabbed him and Homer Ray in the Spring from Detroit, and let him play the ultimate super utility role in Milwaukee. He didn't hit at all, but he helped keep the starters fresh as we avoided serious injuries in the infield (other then Tip himself) to one of our exciting youngsters. He started 6 games and was 3-for-21 with a double and walk. This created a pitiful 143/.182/.190 batting line, making him a complete zero. And no, that's not an insult. That's his OPS+! Harrison did the remarkable, but the 27-year-old was no more then an old fashion publicity stunt. I showed off the versatility, and he started a game at second, third, short, left, center, and right. On the mound, Harry Parker finished the season off strong, as his last start against the Sailors was good. Of course, he went all nine, allowing just 5 hits, 3 runs, and 2 walks with 4 strikeouts. And like Lyons, he used his last appearance, two relief innings, to drop his career ERA below 4 to 3.99 (102 ERA+). The longball will always be a problem for him, as he allowed 15 homers in 130.2 innings pitched. Parker struck out 69 with just 29 walks, and his 1.15 WHIP and .250 BABIP are really impressive. It was a decent rookie year for the 6'6'' righty, and I can't wait for a full season next year. Things did not go nearly as well for Cy Sullivan, who was crushed for 9 hits and 10 runs with 5 walks and a strikeout in just 4 innings pitched. His ERA jumped from 3.62 to 4.21 (97 ERA+) and he ended his season with a 1.47 WHIP. He was terrible in September, 2-2 with a 7.83 ERA and 1.86 WHIP with 14 walks and 8 strikeouts. It ruined what was looking like a great rookie year, but I'm confident he'll bounce back next year. He wasn't the only youngster with a tough September, as Peter the Heater was also 2-2, but with a 8.42 ERA, 2.39 WHIP, 38 walks, and 27 strikeouts. Yes, you read that right. 2.39... Perhaps Pete wasn't as ready as I thought, as the wild righty was 8-6 with a 4.52 ERA (90 ERA+), 1.78 WHIP, and 117 walks in 123.1 innings pitched. He did reach 100 strikeouts, ending with 103, but the wheels really fell off towards the end. I am looking into a replacement pitching coach, so I'm hoping that could help the youngsters a bit. Minor League Report LHP Clarence Crane (AAA Milwaukee Blues): He didn't get a late season callup to the big league roster, but southpaw Clarence Crane was crucial atop the Blues rotation in the final month of the season. He took home Pitcher of the Month, going 5-0 with a 2.20 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. Crane finished with 10 starts, an impressive 8-2 with a 3.50 ERA (128 ERA+), 1.26 WHIP, 29 walks, and 27 strikeouts in 64.1 innings pitched. I was a little surprised he didn't pitch that deep into games, as in the Minutemen organization he threw 288 innings and started 36 games up in AA. He had a tough year up in Chicago, 13 walks and 11 strikeouts with a 5.54 ERA (73 ERA+) and 1.65 WHIP in 26 frames. He was a reliable pen arm as a Rule-5 pick last year, but now Crane is in danger of losing his roster spot. He does have four decent pitches and keeps the ball on the ground, but the mix of age and stuff could make 1938 the last season he faces FABL hitters. CF Tony Mullis (A Lincoln Legislators): Another Player of the Month in the organization, as Mullis took home the award in the Heartland League. He hit .398 for Lincoln with 21 runs scored and driven in. The 20-year-old from Detroit spent 72 of his 129 games with the Legislators, batting .333/.411/.510 (152 OPS+) with 22 doubles, 12 triples, and 54 RBIs in exactly 300 trips to the plate. Mullis spent some time in right, but had an awful -4.8 zone rating and .846 efficiency in 21 starts. Defense does look like a weak point for the 20-year-old, who doesn't have the power to make up for a poor glove. The former 5th Rounder is an extremely hard worker, consistently focusing on the tasks ahead of him as he looks to develop into a better baseball player. I'm hoping this translates to more range and more power, but the 20-year-old does rank just outside the top 100 at 111. We have a ton of quality outfielders, so he may be stuck in Lincoln to start the year, but I imagine he'll push his way up quickly and I'm hoping he'll ascend into the top 100 shortly. Marv thinks he'll hit .350, but gives the backhanded "bland diet rather than a spicy pate" note before saying he'll be a "solid starter at center field". LHP Harl Haines (B San Jose Cougars): Another 20-year-old, Haines took home the C-O-W Pitcher of the Month after finishing 4-0 with a sparkly 1.12 ERA and 0.84 WHIP while striking out 17 with just 5 walks. The 6'3'' submariner made 13 starts with the Cougars, 9-3 with a 2.41 ERA (179 ERA+), 1.06 WHIP, 15 walks, and 61 strikeouts. Haines has always drawn parallels to Harry Parker, a late round high school arm with the "starter" designation, but Haines isn't near the same quality wise. They are also in no way similar in terms of pitching, as Haines never gives up a homer, they throw different, and use different arms. They do both strike out a lot of hitters without walking many, one of the qualities a pitcher can have. Even against tougher competition up in A ball, Haines had a 4.8 K/9 with a 2.5 BB/9 in 64 innings pitched. 21 tomorrow, he's a wiry pitcher with an absolutely unhittable slider. It pushes 90 as his fastball and cutter average 95. Add on a screwball that looks like it's down the middle of the plate before it almost hits you in the leg, and you can imagine it's pretty scary to hit against this guy. I thought he might hit a lot of batters, but after 26 last season, just 6 this year. I really like this kid, Marv and OSA think he's more hit or miss, but he's inside our top 20 and the games top 200 at 18 and 187 respectively. LHP Ralph Kendall (C La Crosse Lions): Here's something you'll rarely see, a stopper winning Pitcher of the Month! That's what 1935 5th Rounder Ralph Kendall managed, going 3-1 with 7 saves, 14 strikeouts, and a 1.57 ERA in 23 innings out of the pen. Kendall was formerly thought of as a starter, 23 starts in 1936 and 12 (of 38 games) in 1937, but he functioned strictly out of the pen this year. Still, he managed more innings this year (106.2) then last year (97.1) and was extremely effective. The 20-year-old was 10-4 with 23 saves, a 2.02 ERA (206 ERA+), 1.18 WHIP, 46 walks, and 77 strikeouts. A four pitch pitcher, really only his high 80s sinker is any good, as he uses it to roll up a ton of ground balls. His splitter also looks good, but unless he does something with one of his two change ups, his future likely lies as a multi inning pen arm. His walks are a bit high, a 3.9 BB/9 this year is actually his career low, but Kendall is a hard worker who is working to build strength. There was a time he ranked in the top 500, but those days are likely behind him as he'll just serve as useful pen fodder. No promises on an end of the season review, I usually mess up and refresh things midway through a long report, but I probably will give one a shot in the next day or so as I wait for the offseason to start. It'll be a rematch of 1936 where the Chiefs swept the Kings. I'm not sure who I want to win, as the Kings one last year and the Chiefs have just one less championship then we do. I feel obligation to vote for the fellow Chicago team, but also to support my association. I guess that's a longer way to say I want a Game 7, as nothing tops exciting baseball. I'm giving the edge to the Saints, as their 1-2 of Lonardo and Day is pretty awesome, and I guess Jack Beach is a 20 game winner? Plus Hank Barnett his finally free of Montreal, and showing what he could have done at second in Chicago... They also have an MVP quality hitter in Tom Bird, but the Kings are a well build team that loves to underperform. The Chiefs have one former Cougar, the 4-time World Champion Tom Taylor, while the Kings have Tom, Fred, Murphy, and John Kincaid. 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