THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL
April 18, 1937
SAILORS SET COURSE FOR PENNANT
Looking to build on a solid second place finish in the Continental Association a year ago, the Philadelphia Sailors made a statement as they posted the best record of spring training. The Sailors went 17-7 to finish 3 games up on the Chicago Cougars among Continental Association clubs. The defending CA champion Brooklyn Kings finished at 11-13, good for a 5th place tie with Toronto. While 8 games separated the Sailors from the last place New York Stars and Montreal Saints in the Continental Association, the Federal Association saw all 8 teams finish within 2 games of the lead- which was shared by the defending World Champion Chicago Chiefs along with Pittsburgh and Washington.
Here is a quick look around the league with some notes from each club.
BALTIMORE - While most of the focus will be on young guns Gus Goulding, John Edwards and Rusty Petrick, veteran Cannon pitchers Pinky Conlan and Ben White enjoyed strong springs. Conlan allowed just 1 earned run in 16 innings of work as the 27 year old looks to try and finally have his first winning season as a big leaguer. It will be his 7th year with Baltimore and Conlan is 25-49 for his career including 3-7 a year ago. The 31 year old White was brilliant out of the pen, surrendering just 2 hits and no runs against in 13 and two-thirds relief innings.
BOSTON - The Minutemen were sent reeling early in spring when 1934 first round pick Bob Donoghue suffered a fractured thumb. The good news is Donoghue should be back in a week and looking to build on the terrific start he had last season prior to a season ending injury suffered in May. Minutemen fans have to be delighted with the spring John Wicklund enjoyed. The 27 year old catcher who was acquired from the Gothams last summer, hit .333 with 4 homers and 11 rbi's in 16 spring appearances. Wicklund is a two-time participant in the FABL all-star game.
BROOKLYN- The Kings unveiled new uniforms in the spring but other than that there were no changes in Brooklyn as the exact same 23 players who finished the year with the pennant winners are back in Brooklyn this year. Curly Jones (2-0, 1.12), the former Gotham first overall pick, had a solid spring as did Tom Barrell (0-0, 0.690, Mike Murphy (1-0, 1.35) and Joe Shaffner (2-1, 1.33). The bats started slow in the spring but most picked up with the notable exception of Fred Barrell, who hit just .118 in spring play. Veteran Doug Lightbody (.292,0,6) cooled off after a strong start but the Kings say he will get the nod over Elmer Nolde as the opening day starter in left field.
CHICAGO CHIEFS - The defending champs pitching staff looked ready to go but their were a lot of Chiefs hitters struggling at the plate with none perhaps more noticeable than Bob Martin. The 30 year old third baseman, who hit .355 a year ago, went just 9-for-48 (.182) in spring action.
CHICAGO COUGARS - Will the Pug Bryan era in Chicago begin? The 1934 second round pick who enjoyed an outstanding college career at Lincoln College looks like he earned a spot on the Cougars 23 man roster following a spring that saw him post a 1.65 era in 4 starts. The rotation might get crowded in Chicago with Dave Rankin, Dick Lyons, Hardin Bates and Oscar Morse, a veteran waiver pickup from the Sailors all likely earning spots. Does this mean it might be the end of the line for Tommy Wilcox in the Windy City. If so it will be a sad ending for the 30 year old who was among the best, if not the best pitcher in the game just a few short years ago but then suffered a devastating arm injury.
CLEVELAND FORESTERS - The injury to top pitching prospect Earle Robinson put a real damper on Foresters camp early in the spring and the club executives had another mild scare this week when Sergio Gonzales left a game with a back injury. The good news is the 25 year old, who had a breakout 15-7 season a year ago, should be fine and is expected to be ready to start this week. Cleveland recently moved pitcher Eddie Quinn (13-10, 4.17) to Washington so a lengthy injury to Gonzales might have been very concerning. Other than that it has been a quiet spring from Cleveland, so perhaps the Sailors and Kings better watch out as Cleveland's fall to third place last season after two straight CA pennants likely leaves the organization motivated for a big year this time around.
DETROIT DYNAMOS - While much of the talk in Detroit surrounded the absence of owner Eddie Thompson from spring activities the big news was the play of first overall draft pick Sal Pestilli. The two-time Christian Trophy winner from Narragansett College looked right at home in his first big league camp, hitting .327 with 4 homers and a .459 on base percentage. His boss, player-manager Max Morris, led the club in spring hitting with a .414 average but surprisingly the all-time homerun king and Hall of Famer did not deliver any extra base hits in his 33 plate appearances. Detroit claimed third baseman Buck Sargent off waivers from the Philadelphia Keystones. The 28 year old hit just .185 for Philadelphia last year but looked very good the previous season with 15 homers and a .266 average in 110 games.
MONTREAL SAINTS - I tried to find a positive thing to talk about in Montreal but there just isn't much after posting a 9-15 mark, tied with the New York Stars for the worst spring record among the 16 teams. The pitching was not good and to make matters worse, 26 year old Pete Sparks - who won 20 games at AA Dayton a year ago before being selected by Montreal in the rule 5 draft - is going to start the season on the shelf with a nagging muscle strain. Very few Saints hitters did much in the spring with the best of the lot likely being outfielder John Collins, who hit .280 with a pair of homers. I guess we can take this as good news: Adam Mullins, the Saints promising young catcher who missed the final two months of his rookie season with a broken hand, is healthy and played in 18 spring games, batting .240.
NEW YORK STARS- Pitchers Gene Stevens and Harry Carter, who both missed time late last season with back injuries, each had a strong spring. Both the 31 year old Stevens, who was 9-9 a year ago, and the 26 year old Carter, who posted an 8-9 record in 1936, pitched 16 spring innings and each had a sparkling 1.12 era. 32 year old outfielder Mike Mason was the best of the spring hitters for the Stars as he hit .310 in 42 spring at bats. Like Stevens and Carter, Mason was hobbled by a wonky back last season which limited him to 106 games: his lowest total in 6 years. Mason did hit .318 a year ago, the high water mark for his career.
NEW YORK GOTHAMS- The rebuild is underway and Gothams fans will need a program to recognize all of the newcomers. Among those who impressed in spring action are outfielder Howard Brown Jr., who hit .370. The 24 year old Brown, who was acquired from Boston along with pitcher Dick Gentry and a second round pick in the deal that sent all-star catcher John Wicklund to the Minutemen, actually made his FABL debut last September with Gothams. Gentry, who joined the Gothams right after the trade and made 12 starts a year ago will be, barring a late waiver wire pickup, the pitcher with the second most FABL games started on the Gothams roster come Opening Day. Veteran Jim Lonardo remains the New York ace but the rest of the rotation could be Mule Earl, Ernie Wise and Gary Heuser, who have combined for 12 FABL starts in their careers.
PHILADELPHIA KEYSTONES - Let's hope this is not a sign of things to come. Rankin Kellogg hit just .217 (although he did blast a pair of spring homers) in his 72 plate appearances. Last year the three time Whitney Award winner got off to a terrible start before coming on strong in the second half of the season. For the Keystones to bounce back they need a much more consistent effort from Kellogg this time around. Pitching is the other big worry for the 'Stones and concerns were alleviated slightly after Frank Crawford posted some outstanding spring numbers. The 28 year old had a rough season a year ago so a bounce back year is needed. It remains to be seen if the Keystones brass feels 21 year old Jim Whiteley showed enough to earn a ticket north with the big club. The 1933 first round pick out of Mobile High School posted a 1.69 era in 4 spring starts and looked right at home in the starting lineup. The question is do the Keystones feel a half season of AAA competition was enough to justify giving Whiteley some April starts in the big leagues?
PHILADELPHIA SAILORS - Are the Sailors now the team to beat in the Continental Association? Other than a serious shoulder injury to rule 5 pickup Walker Pearce everything seemed to go right for the Sailors this spring. The pitching, as usual, looks solid and, unlike many of their CA foes, the Sailors bats looked to be in midseason form with veteran infielders Mack Deal and Jack Cleaves leading the way.
PITTSBURGH MINERS - In my spring preview I said outfielder Lew Seals was a player to watch in Pittsburgh and wow, did he deliver. The 23 year old, who was taken 7th overall out of Bluegrass State in the 1934 draft, had not played above Class A but he went out and hit .423 (11-for-26) with a pair of homers in 19 spring games. Meanwhile, veteran center fielder Cy Bryant hit just .233 with no extra base hits so is that enough to earn Seals the starting job in centerfield. Staying in the outfield there is little doubt that Mahlon Strong, when healthy, is one of the best sluggers in the game. The key word is healthy and the often-injured Strong is dinged up again to start the season. It's just day-to-day but is his hip strain something that can linger much longer than the 2 weeks it is expected to affect him? Looks like 28 year old third baseman Ed Stewart is ready to try and improve upon his career best 31 homer season from last year. The 7 year veteran was tied for the FABL spring lead with 4 round trippers. It looks like the Miners are getting good news about Lefty Allen. After a late season arm injury caused some concern and put a damper on the 23 year old former first round pick's breakout 17-11 season a year ago, Allen looks fully recovered. The lefthander made 3 spring starts and did not allow a run, fanning 7 and surrendering just 4 hits in 12 innings of work.
ST LOUIS PIONEERS - Three of the Pioneers top prospects failed to make the club after struggling in the spring. Pitcher Dixie Lee, outfielder Al Tucker and catcher Heinie Zimmer will all head back to AAA. Lee struggled last season with the Pioneers, posting a 3-12 record with a 5.25 era and was equally poor in the spring so he gets farmed out to Oakland. Big things were expected of the 24 year old Tucker and 22 year old Zimmer, both top 15 OSA prospects, but neither showed much in the spring. Zimmer hit just .185 and was dispatched to Oakland last week while Tucker was given some time again this past week to show what he can do, but the 1931 third round pick struggled hitting just .169 in spring play. The big surprise is Hal Sharp as the 23 year old outfielder cracked the 23-man roster after spending last season in AA. Sharp was outstanding at that level a year ago with a .354 batting average and he carried his hot bat to camp where he hit .379 to earn a roster spot.
TORONTO WOLVES - Offense has been an issue this spring for a number of teams but perhaps no one more so than the Toronto Wolves, who have hit just .199 as a team this spring. Their top hitter this spring was Jim Higginbotham, a 25 year old catcher acquired from independent Sacramento over the winter. Higginbotham, who played his college ball at Chicago Poly before being taken by the Sailors in the 13th round of the 1932 draft, went 7-for-17 with 2 homers in 9 spring appearances but will start the season in the minors. The good news for Toronto is the pitching was very good, especially from young star Joe Hancock and 31 year old lefthander Otis Cook.
WASHINGTON EAGLES - Pitching was the big concern entering the spring for the Eagles but perhaps they found an answer in Bobo White. The first overall pick of the 1934 draft had an awful year in AAA Kansas City last season, going 6-16 with a 6.35 era but he earned himself a spot in Washington and the opportunity to make his big league debut after a spring training for the ages. White made 5 starts and threw 18 scoreless innings. Yes, it is only spring training but the Eagles are clearly excited to see if the former second team All-American at St Blane is ready for big league glory. Almost overlooked with the hype surrounding White was the efforts of 26 year old righthander Mike Knight this spring. The former 15th round pick who was lost in the rule V draft but later returned to the Eagles was 2-0 in 4 spring starts, posting a 1.12 era in 16 innings of work. Knight was 9-8 with a 5.37 era last season for the Eagles, his third year in the big leagues.
FIGMENT SPORTING JOURNAL'S MOCK DRAFT
The 1937 draft class is about a month away from reveal date but The Figment Sporting Journal weighs in with an early look at what we consider to be the ten best prospect available. This year's draft will have a new format so there should be plenty of excitement and a lot of unpredictability as to who goes where among the top 32 players in the pool but here are the ones we feel are the cream of the crop.
1- ROOSEVELT BREWER 2B/SS Washington High School, Chicago, Illinois
Described as having plus defensive skills, impressive speed and well above average contact potential, the 17 year old Chicago native looks like the prototypical FABL middle infielder. Brewer was a High School All-American selection after hitting an impressive .551 last season. Seems to be very comparable to Billy Woytek, who went 3rd overall to the Keystones a year ago.
2-WILLIE HALL SS/2B Athol High School, Athol, Massachusetts
Although he played his high school ball out of state, Hall is another of the great talents to come out of Rhode Island recently. The Pestilli boys including last year's first overall pick Sal are the big names putting Rhode Island on the baseball map but Hall is a player who will add to that excitement. The state actually has a rich tradition of supplying big league talent led by former infielders Jack Arabian (1896-1915) and Fred Roby (1888-1910) each of whom surpassed the 3,000 hit plateau in their careers. When his career is over perhaps Hall might one day be compared to fellow Woonsocket native Arabian.
3-AL DUSTER - RHP Council Bluffs High School, Council Bluffs, Iowa
Babe Freese, who went 76-77 for Montreal between 1916-1922 is the most famous pitcher to come out of Council Bluffs, Iowa but that will likely change in the near future with the emergence of Al Duster. The 1936 High School All-American played for Council Bluffs High School but was actually born in Nebraska. The 18 year old is 29-3 over 3 seasons with the Reivers and stands a great chance of breaking Rufus Barrell II's career record for wins by a high school pitcher. Deuce was 35-6 for Macon High School in Georgia before being selected first overall in the 1935 draft. Duster, who is nicknamed 'The Prince of the Prairie' has the potential to be an ace, with four solid pitches highlighted by an elite change-up.
4-BILL WILLMAN - RHP Strub College. Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Our pick to be the first college player to be drafted, Willman is a 20 year old Pittsburgh native who starred for his hometown Strub College Sycamores. The competition level is just average but Willman followed up a decent freshman campaign with a terrific sophomore season, posting an 11-3 record and being named a second team College All-American. Described as a real worm killer, his plus sinker ball is the best of his three pitches. He might not have quite the upside of Duster but is projected by OSA to potentially be a top of the rotation starter.
5- PETE CASSTEVENS - C Syracuse High School, Syrcause New York
The son of Clint Casstevens, who was a former first round pick that played 1,259 games for Montreal and Pittsburgh, Pete was born in Montreal but is playing high school ball in Syracuse, which was the final stop of his dad's decade long career as an outfielder. Described by OSA as possessing all the tools to be an elite catcher, Pete was a High School All-American as a junior after he hit .500 with 10 homers and only 1936 2nd overall selection Walt Messer had more longballs than Casstevens hit last year.
6- SPUD BENT - 3B Maryland State, Hometown: New York City
Bent has already played 3 seasons of college ball and was a second team All-American selection last year after batting .308 with 9 homers in 58 games for the Bengals. He is expected to provide above average defense at the hot corner and projects to be an elite hitter, but does need work on strike zone recognition.
7- LUKE MICHEALS - SS Santa Barbara High School, Santa Barbara California
Another of the elite middle infielders at the top of this draft class, the 18 year old Los Angeles native has a .511 career average over 3 seasons of high school ball. He is projected to be a tremendous hitter and is a very athletic shortstop.
8- ALEX LACOMB - OF/1B Cuyahoga University: Hometown Cleveland, Ohio
LaComb first drew attention two years ago as a freshman when he hit .357 and edged out Sal Pestilli for the college batting crown. He was named a second team All-American selection that year and followed it up last season by earning first team honours as a sophomore but finished second to Pestilli in the batting race. He has not shown the extra base power that Pestilli showed last season but perhaps this year will reveal that facet of LaComb's game. The one knock on his numbers might be that, like Pestilli, LaComb played against just average level competition in college. Blazing speed is the first thing you notice of LaComb in the outfield and he will not hurt his team defensively while also displaying the potential to be a .350 hitter in the big leagues.
9- PAUL WILKERSON - C Oklahoma City State University : Hometown Cleveland, Ohio
Much like the 1934 draft when we had a pair of elite catching prospects in college star Adam Mullins and high school catcher Woody Stone, this class also gives us a pair of catchers with high ceilings. Casstevens is certainly the prize of this draft but Wilkerson would be a nice consolation prize for a team looking for it's catcher of the future. He is raw having played just one season at Oklahoma City State but what a year it was as Wilkerson hit .338 and was named a first team All-American selection. He should be a solid hitter but his biggest strength is the above average defensive value Wilkerson brings to the table. Surprisingly only one player born in Cleveland has ever been selected in the first round. That was Carl Mellen, a pitcher who won 187 games after being selected 16th overall by Baltimore (then known as the Clippers) 16th overall. There have never been two players selected in the first ten rounds of any draft that were born in Cleveland* but that will certainly change this year with LaComb and Wilkerson.
*The 1934 draft did have one player (Jimmy Gibbs 8th round) born in Cleveland and one from East Cleveland (Woody Quartey 7th round) selected
10- PREACHER PIETSCH - RHP Brooklyn Catholic University: Hometown Raleigh, North Carolina
There was no way I could just list 2 pitchers in the top ten as recent history (5 went in the top ten last year, 3 in 1935, 5 in 1934) indicates we will certainly see more than two of them off the board that quickly. However, the new modified rules for this draft involving a lottery process for the first two rounds of mock draft listed players will likely diminish the number of pitchers taken in the first two rounds so it will be round three that we see a run on arms.
Either way, I expect several teams will be looking very closely at Pietsch. Pietsch is one of the few players in this class who was drafted before but failed to sign out of high school. The 21 year old went 8-1 for his high school team in 1934 and was selected in the 7th round by Washington but opted instead to attend Brooklyn Catholic. The move appears to have paid off as he went 15-10 over his first two college seasons and, while he still needs time to develop, OSA feels he possesses great talent and seems destined to eventually break out in a starter's role. I would consider him a real reach in the top ten but FABL clubs have shown a tendency to often reach for pitchers in the opening round of the draft.
QUICK HITS
In honour of Pete Casstevens possibly being the top player in the official OSA mock draft let's take a look at a few facts about Canadian born players.
32 year old Tom Taylor, a British Columbia native, moved into second place for career hits by a Canadian born player late last season when the Philadelphia Sailor outfielder surpassed James Rice with his 1,473 career hit. Taylor, who is back in Philadelphia with the Sailors but a long ways removed from his back to back Whitney Award winning seasons of 1928 and 1929, enters the 1937 season with 1,476 hits. Only St. Thomas, Ontario native Jake Hooper, who had 1,850 hits over his 19 year career with Cleveland, Brooklyn and Pittsburgh from 1908-1926, has more. Taylor is already the runaway leader in homeruns by a Canadian born player with 227. Hooper is second in that category with 86. Taylor is also the highest drafted Canadian born player as he was selected 4th overall by the Sailors in 1923.
The only other Canadians ever selected in the first round are Marion Boismenu, a third baseman that the Sailors drafted 7th overall in 1931 and made his Philadelphia with 5 games last season, and pitchers Jim Taylor and Dan Rivard. Taylor was selected 10th overall by Boston in 1931 and is 15-16 over 2 seasons with the Minutemen while the 21 year old Rivard just completed his first pro season with the Pioneers organization after St Louis selected him 14th overall in the 1935 draft.
The first Canadian ever drafted was Jake Beck, a pitcher who won a World Championship series with Montreal in 1921 but had a career record of just 18-25 over parts of three seasons with Cleveland and the Saints. The Foresters selected him out of Boulder State in the 6th round of the 1916 draft. Beck also became the first Canadian player to win a FABL World Championship Series while playing for a Canadian based club. Canadian born Billy McBurnett did play 6 games during the regular season (the only 6 games of his FABL career) for the 1911 World Champion Toronto Wolves but he was released late in the regular season and signed with a minor league club prior to the Wolves series win over Detroit.
In total, 99 Canadian born players have played at least one major league game since the formation of the Century League in 1876. 7 Canadians were on major league rosters last season for at least one game including the previously mentioned Tom Taylor, Jim Taylor and Marion Boismenu. The others were infielder John Langille, who hit .294 in 151 games for Brooklyn, 27 year old pitcher Pierre Claudon, who went 1-4 in limited action with Baltimore and outfielders Abel Man and Birdie Jackson. The 32 year old Man hit .286 in 135 games for the Cannons while Jackson was a .224 hitter who played in 102 games for St Louis.