[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 4-3
Seasonal Record: 32-40 (7th, 13 GB)
Stars of the Week
John Lawson : 33 AB, 14 H, 3 HR, 10 RBI, .424 AVG, 1.199 OPS
Rich Langton : 33 AB, 11 H, 3 HR, 12 RBI, .333 AVG, 1.038 OPS
Doc Love : 30 AB, 12 H, 1 HR, 7 RBI, .400 AVG, 1.045 OPS

Schedule
6-22: Win at Cannons (7-0)
6-23: Loss at Cannons (9-10)
6-24: Win at Cannons (16-2)
6-25: Win at Cannons (4-1)
6-26: Loss at Saints (14-4)
6-27: Loss at Saints (0-4)
6-28: Win at Saints (14-7)

Recap
If we forget about my complete lack of ability to set 7-day lineups, this week was a success. The goal was to have Wayne Robinson make two starts, but instead, that meant Tommy Wilcox made three. Luckily, the Saints knocked him out of the game after just 49 pitches so he was able to toss an 8-inning relative gem the next day. We did lose both games, but he was in the midst of a shutout against the Cannons to start the week. He left that one with back spasms, but was somehow then able to make two starts while injured, not get hurt again, and now fully heal. He has the back a 90-year-old, four of his last five injuries due to back spasms. For his own benefit, I'm going to bench him the entire week. Now Wayne Robinson can finally make the two starts he was supposed to last week. I am also so glad Bill Ross was the one who shut us out. If you're going to get shutout, best be for a player I like and someone who's good. 7 hits and 4 strikeouts in his second shutout of the season. The former Cougar pick has had a strong rookie year, 7-7 with a 3.91 ERA (122 ERA+), 1.44 WHIP, 29 walks, and 40 strikeouts in 119.2 innings pitched.

Dave Rankin was a perfect 2-0 with a 3.14 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 9 walks, and 2 strikeouts in 14.1 innings pitched. I'm a little sad he didn't strikeout more, as this was his last chance to make a case for the All Star game. He's dropped out of the top 3 for WAR, but sits second in the CA with 63 strikeouts. He's tossed 150 excellent innings, going 9-8 with a 3.84 ERA (120 ERA+), 1.47 WHIP, 46 walks, and 63 strikeouts. He's even picked up a save and has an impressive .0.4 HR/9. He'll be on my ballot, but since we only get to put three starters in, it's going to be really hard for all the good pitchers to be recognized.

John Lawson was back to putting up amazing weeks, going 14-for-33 with 3 homers and 10 RBI's. He's still going strong, batting .354/.425/.560 (151 OPS+) with 12 homers and 52 RBI's. He's struck out (17) less then he's walked (34) and is on pace for 46 doubles and an 8.0 WAR. I feel bad that Lawson is on a bad team, but I know he is going to be good for awhile and I want him to be with us when we're good.

One of the future faces, Rich Langton, matched Lawson three homers and raised him two RBI's. He was 11-for-33 and added a triple. Langton has made a case for a vote as well, hitting .316/.361/.503 (120 OPS+) with 15 doubles, 9 triples, 7 homers, and 51 RBI's. Langton is still getting use to right field, but has an almost exactly average 1.003 efficiency this year in 586.2 innings. My scout finally stopped calling him a left fielder, now an "adequate defensive right fielder". He's played just 134 games (1,157.2 innings) out in right so I imagine he's going to keep gaining positional rating. If he has a good arm, he'll be a great right fielder, but if he has an average arm, he'll just be okay. His corner partner Doc Love finished with a strong week of his own, 12-for-30 with a homer, 7 RBI's, 7 runs, 2 doubles, and a triple. I'm hoping to find a home for Love so I can bring Mitchell up to play left field. Love's almost 30, so value isn't that high, but he ranks 5th in the league for left fielders. Unfortunately for us, #1 left fielder Moxie Pidgeon is on the block, so my guess is it's going to be tough for Love to find a spot while he's available. Love has seen a little time at first to give Ray Ford some time in left to see if he can handle it. If Doc can adapt to first well, it could add to his value.

Lastly, Bert Wilson has earned himself some more starts. Roy Moore has come back to earth and right now Wilson is overachieving. This week in two starts he was 2-for-6 with a walk and run scored. It's just 38 plate appearances since coming up, but he's 14-for-35 with a homer, 2 doubles, and 4 RBI's. He did this kind of thing last year too, but I'm hoping he can sustain a little more of it this year. "Bleeder" is still just 24 and was a top 100 prospect last year. Moore still will get some starts, but I'm hoping to split it 50/50. He's still been very dependable, a nice +5.5 zone rating and 1.035 efficiency in center with a decent .338/.383/.385 (97 OPS+) line. He's homered twice, stole five bases, and drove in 31 RBI's.

Looking Ahead
Off day to start the week before three in Cleveland. Then we get another off day before three games in two days in Philly. These are the first and third place teams in the league, so expect us to lose most of them. Cleveland is currently tied with the Kings at 46-27. We'll see Dean Astle, ace of the staff who is 13-6 with a 3.39 ERA (141 ERA+), 1.33 WHIP, 33 walks, and 43 strikeouts in 146 innings pitched. I won't mention Ben Turner, who's really struggled, so I'll mention Lyman Weigel's who is 9-1 with a 2.15 ERA (222 ERA+), 1.08 WHIP, 31 walks, and 52 strikeouts in 108.2 innings pitched this season. It's a nice breakout for the 32-year-old former waiver claim who looked like a solid starter when he was young in Brooklyn. Cleveland is down Max Morris, but he was struggling and the Foresters are getting good at bats from a lot of players. Charlie Barry is one of those, slashing .380/.411/.477 (118 OPS+) with 2 homers, 32 RBI's, and 16 walks and strikeouts. Of course, there's also Dan Fowler, who's got 20 homers and 66 RBI's with a .330/.435/.594 (152 OPS+) batting line. They have two more double digit homers with T.R. Goins and Leon Drake and stolen base machine Fred Quinn. Quinn's 29 are light years ahead of the rest of the pack and he's still hitting a strong .329/.412/.417 (105 OPS+) with 3 homers, 33 steals, and 38 walks. This kid gets on a ton, and once he's on, he's probably at second.

The Sailors have gotten hot as of late and sit just three back of first. All five of their starters have near identical ERA's, all between Herb Flynn's 4.07 (118 ERA+) and Doc Newell's 4.43 (108 ERA+). I've covered a lot of their hitters already, but they have the interesting Jack Burke. He debuted with them in 1932 and got a few bats in 1933, before being stuck in AAA. He was lost to waivers earlier in the year by the Dynamos, and was 6-for-22 with a homer, 3 RBI's, 4 walks, and 4 RBI's before being cut. The 27-year-old was then DFA'd again, but the Sailors brought him back. He's taken center from Jorge Nava and is hitting .357/.419/.440 (113 OPS+) with 2 homers, 3 steals, and 14 RBI's in just under 100 trips to the plate. None of this looks like all that much, but Burke has massive power. In AA last season he hit 42 homers and is just three homers shy of 200 for his professional career.

Minor League Report
RHP Joe Foote (Mobile Commodores): Acquired from Montreal back in 1934, the 21-year-old Foote is already up in Mobile and he just tossed a 7-hit, 2 walk, 3 strikeout shutout against the first place Memphis Excelsior. They hold a 2 game lead over the Commodores, and Foote has done an excellent job helping them come back. He's done well, 4-6 with a 3.69 ERA (122 ERA+), 1.42 WHIP, 32 walks, and 28 strikeouts in 85.1 innings pitched. Foote throws a really nice mid 90s sinker, but he relies much more on generating groundballs then striking out hitters. He's got a decent curve and slider too, but they aren't big league pitches yet. My scout thinks he has "frontline starter potential" but I don't think he'll be an ace. Still, I'm a big fan of Foote and he even ranks in the top 150 prospects. He's a few years out, but considering he's pitching well in AA it's only a matter of time before he can pitch well in the majors.

Amateur Report
RHP Jackson Sanders (Grange College): A three year starter, "Stonewall' Sanders saved the best season for last and was 7-4 with a 3.17 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 42 walks, and 94 strikeouts. In 283.1 total inning pitched he had a nice 3.65 ERA and 1.40 WHIP with 112 walks and 206 strikeouts. He's a four pitch pitcher with a 87-89 fastball, curve, change, and splitter. He's got solid stuff and movement and it doesn't look like he's going to have any control problems. Add in the cool nickname and he's got everything you're looking for in a middle of the rotation arm.

3B Jim McCarthy (Bellaire): Now this guy isn't a draft eligible pick, this a new freshman in high school I wanted to cover. He hit .432/.523/.602 with a homer, 13 steals, and 23 RBI's as a rookie at third. He has positional rating at short, so I'm wondering if he eventually moves over as he develops. My scout thinks he's an excellent defender who can make some of the outstanding plays. Not sure if that means shortstop, but at least a really good third basemen. He has a good eye and does a good job hitting the ball. He can add homers as he ages as he's just 15. He'll be an interesting player to keep an eye on.

RHP Donnie Jones (Minneapolis): Another guy who isn't draft eligible, I have to cover high school sophomore Donnie Jones. The "Mole Killer" broke the 200 strikeout mark, striking out 215 hitters in 126 innings. He had a stunning 0.43 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, and 20 walks to go with it. I can't imagine he'd be able to replicate this performance in one of his other two years, but this was such a dominant performance. At 16 this kid could already fool FABL hitters and he boasts a nice four pitch arsenal headlined by an excellent curveball. His fastball sits in the high 80s and his sinker generates a ton of groundballs. If that's not enough, there's also a nice changeup. He gets great movement on his pitches and while no high school arm is a sure thing, he definitely looks like a lock to be a big leaguer. With two more seasons to impress, Jones could be one of the best prep pitchers we see.

RF Ed Stoddard (Pullman): A Chicago kid! Ed Stoddard only started as a high school senior, but hit a strong .516/.596/.768 with 2 homers and 30 RBI's in 115 plate appearances. He's a lefty swinger who can man left, right, or first and at the plate he's bound to hit above .300 with a strong on base percentage. My scout thinks he's an average big leaguer, but with just one season worth of stats it's going to be tough to judge him. OSA is a big fan, so perhaps after more scouting my scout may warm up to him.