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Jiggs McGee · 07-23-2021, 04:59 AM

THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL

DECEMBER 6, 1937 : Off-Season Edition

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MCCORMICK REMAINS WITH PIONEERS

With much fanfare the St Louis Pioneers made it known a few days ago the club would be willing, and almost appeared anxious, to move 28 year old 4-time all star first baseman Frank McCormick. Despite the fact that McCormick has averaged about .360 with 21 homers over each of the past four seasons the Pioneers, perhaps feeling pressure to keep pace with Chicago and Boston who each added a top level starting pitcher over the winter, felt the need to cast McCormick into the trade waters. Instructions were clear as the Pioneers demanded a top quality young arm in return and also made it clear they were only sailing in Continental seas, as the mere mention of meeting McCormick on a Federal Association field would shiver the timbers of the Pioneers front office. Today, despite reportedly receiving several offers the Pioneers hauled McCormick back to the shores of the Mississippi saying there was no deal to be had. It was speculated in this column, correctly as it turned out, there was at least a 50% chance McCormick would still be wearing Pioneer burgundy come April and there is now no reason to dispute that assumption.

The truth is if the Pioneers truly wanted to move McCormick this winter they missed the boat. That opportunity sailed away the moment the Baltimore Cannons dispatched John Edwards to Boston early in the winter meetings. Edwards, you see, was just the type of pitcher St Louis likely coveted when they announced that McCormick was available. Edwards is young - he just turned 22 a couple of months ago, comes with a great resume as a former third overall pick who spent multiple seasons as a top ten overall prospect on the OSA list, has been very healthy thus far in his career and already has proven he can pitch in the big leagues.

The problem the Pioneers faced in shopping McCormick is there is an overwhelming feeling in FABL right now that corner infielders and outfielders are in such great supply even the best of them - and McCormick certainly ranks right up there - are grossly undervalued. Young pitchers, especially the type with the pedigree and seemingly top of the rotation potential like John Edwards has, are in short supply. In fact, the only team that seemed to be in any position to move one of those arms was the Baltimore Cannons, because the Cannons were the one team in the league that had a handful of said assets but were in extremely short supply of offensive talent.

With Baltimore out of the picture the Pioneers really were left with no suitable trading partner. It is likely St Louis hoped to hear from the Chicago Cougars with an offer that included highly touted prospect Pete Papenfus or perhaps from the Cleveland Foresters - a team that suffered a power outage down the stretch and slipped to fourth place - dangling Sergio Gonzales as bait to acquire McCormick. Maybe Toronto with a talented young arm in Joe Hancock but little in the way of a supporting cast might have been on the Pioneers radar. It is not known if any of those teams actually approached the Pioneers with an offer, but it is clear that if they did the three names mentioned above were not included.

What happened is the Pioneers likely found themselves in the same boat the Brooklyn Kings were in last July when they attempted to shop Al Wheeler, who was in the midst of winning his 5th career Whitney Award, in order to land a young arm that could front a rotation. St Louis, like Brooklyn, learned that young pitchers have a perceived value worth more than their weight in gold while proven all-star hitters in what should still be the prime of their careers, are greatly undervalued.

Regardless, the perception is the Pioneers, who have not won a pennant since 1921, have taken another step back in the Fed race. Not by what they did but rather by what they were unable to do. Offense has not been in short supply in St Louis the last few years but the club has felt, and quite accurately most would agree, that their pitching needs an upgrade if the Pioneers are going to aspire to play October baseball. While the rotations of three of the Pioneers main rivals have improved over the winter St Louis has added nothing. With the addition of Edwards the Boston Minutemen now have two young aces in Edwards and Dick Higgins. The Chicago Chiefs added the perfect compliment to Rabbit Day and Al Miller by picking the decaying carcass that is the New York Gothams clean with the addition of Jim Lonardo while the Pittsburgh Miners added a pair of young pitchers with some potential, although that came at the cost of a solid third baseman in Ed Stewart. The bottom line is three of the Pioneers key rivals in what promises to be a tight Federal race again this season upgraded their pitching while St Louis - the team you could argue needed the pitching upgrade the most - has been unsuccessful at least so far.

The story may still have a happy ending for the Pioneers. Brooklyn fans are thrilled that no deal came about for Wheeler as he helped his club end a 45 year curse with their first World Championship title. Perhaps McCormick's bat will do the same for the Pioneers but the club desperately needs big seasons out of pitchers Sam Sheppard, David Abalo and Dixie Lee if they are finally going win a pennant - something they have been in contention for but ultimately fell short of each of the past six seasons. Another season of McCormick in the heart of the St Louis lineup is certainly not a bad thing to have so perhaps it will be the deal the Pioneers didn't make that shapes the Fed race this season instead of one that Boston, Chicago or Pittsburgh did make.

CLEAR TO SEE WHO HAS BEEN BUSY THIS WINTER

The following chart really sums up which teams have been active on the trade front over the winter. It is clear that most of the contenders in the Federal Association have been quite busy while many of the Continental Association elite have been very quiet. The big gainer appears to be the Chicago Chiefs with the addition of a pair of veterans in pitcher Jim Lonardo (8-19, 4.25) and third baseman Hank Barnett (.276,19,95). TWIFB has speculated that the addition of the 33 year old Lonardo may be the move that sends the Chiefs back to the World Championship Series as he will likely enjoy a return closer to the form that allowed him to win 162 big league games and 3 Allan Awards now that he has been rescued by the Chiefs from rebuilding New York.

The one team the WAR numbers do not do justice for is the Boston Minutemen. The Minutemen did give up a lot of offense in corner infielder Ken Mayhugh (.299,17,82) but the addition of John Edwards, who was 11-19 as a rookie for Baltimore, gives them a pair of young starters in him and Dick Higgins that ranks right up there with any duo in the league.

The Week That Was
Current events for the week ending 12/06/1937

F.D.R. seeks congress approval on Billions of dollars for housing boom.
Japan prepares to breach Chinese capital of Nanking as war between Far East nations continues
In Shanghai, Japanese troops yielded to demands of US Marines and withdrew from the American defended sector of the city's international settlement.

07-23-2021, 04:59 AM	#210
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	This Week in Figment Baseball: Off-Season edition THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL DECEMBER 6, 1937 : Off-Season Edition [ MCCORMICK REMAINS WITH PIONEERS With much fanfare the St Louis Pioneers made it known a few days ago the club would be willing, and almost appeared anxious, to move 28 year old 4-time all star first baseman Frank McCormick. Despite the fact that McCormick has averaged about .360 with 21 homers over each of the past four seasons the Pioneers, perhaps feeling pressure to keep pace with Chicago and Boston who each added a top level starting pitcher over the winter, felt the need to cast McCormick into the trade waters. Instructions were clear as the Pioneers demanded a top quality young arm in return and also made it clear they were only sailing in Continental seas, as the mere mention of meeting McCormick on a Federal Association field would shiver the timbers of the Pioneers front office. Today, despite reportedly receiving several offers the Pioneers hauled McCormick back to the shores of the Mississippi saying there was no deal to be had. It was speculated in this column, correctly as it turned out, there was at least a 50% chance McCormick would still be wearing Pioneer burgundy come April and there is now no reason to dispute that assumption. The truth is if the Pioneers truly wanted to move McCormick this winter they missed the boat. That opportunity sailed away the moment the Baltimore Cannons dispatched John Edwards to Boston early in the winter meetings. Edwards, you see, was just the type of pitcher St Louis likely coveted when they announced that McCormick was available. Edwards is young - he just turned 22 a couple of months ago, comes with a great resume as a former third overall pick who spent multiple seasons as a top ten overall prospect on the OSA list, has been very healthy thus far in his career and already has proven he can pitch in the big leagues. The problem the Pioneers faced in shopping McCormick is there is an overwhelming feeling in FABL right now that corner infielders and outfielders are in such great supply even the best of them - and McCormick certainly ranks right up there - are grossly undervalued. Young pitchers, especially the type with the pedigree and seemingly top of the rotation potential like John Edwards has, are in short supply. In fact, the only team that seemed to be in any position to move one of those arms was the Baltimore Cannons, because the Cannons were the one team in the league that had a handful of said assets but were in extremely short supply of offensive talent. With Baltimore out of the picture the Pioneers really were left with no suitable trading partner. It is likely St Louis hoped to hear from the Chicago Cougars with an offer that included highly touted prospect Pete Papenfus or perhaps from the Cleveland Foresters - a team that suffered a power outage down the stretch and slipped to fourth place - dangling Sergio Gonzales as bait to acquire McCormick. Maybe Toronto with a talented young arm in Joe Hancock but little in the way of a supporting cast might have been on the Pioneers radar. It is not known if any of those teams actually approached the Pioneers with an offer, but it is clear that if they did the three names mentioned above were not included. What happened is the Pioneers likely found themselves in the same boat the Brooklyn Kings were in last July when they attempted to shop Al Wheeler, who was in the midst of winning his 5th career Whitney Award, in order to land a young arm that could front a rotation. St Louis, like Brooklyn, learned that young pitchers have a perceived value worth more than their weight in gold while proven all-star hitters in what should still be the prime of their careers, are greatly undervalued. Regardless, the perception is the Pioneers, who have not won a pennant since 1921, have taken another step back in the Fed race. Not by what they did but rather by what they were unable to do. Offense has not been in short supply in St Louis the last few years but the club has felt, and quite accurately most would agree, that their pitching needs an upgrade if the Pioneers are going to aspire to play October baseball. While the rotations of three of the Pioneers main rivals have improved over the winter St Louis has added nothing. With the addition of Edwards the Boston Minutemen now have two young aces in Edwards and Dick Higgins. The Chicago Chiefs added the perfect compliment to Rabbit Day and Al Miller by picking the decaying carcass that is the New York Gothams clean with the addition of Jim Lonardo while the Pittsburgh Miners added a pair of young pitchers with some potential, although that came at the cost of a solid third baseman in Ed Stewart. The bottom line is three of the Pioneers key rivals in what promises to be a tight Federal race again this season upgraded their pitching while St Louis - the team you could argue needed the pitching upgrade the most - has been unsuccessful at least so far. The story may still have a happy ending for the Pioneers. Brooklyn fans are thrilled that no deal came about for Wheeler as he helped his club end a 45 year curse with their first World Championship title. Perhaps McCormick's bat will do the same for the Pioneers but the club desperately needs big seasons out of pitchers Sam Sheppard, David Abalo and Dixie Lee if they are finally going win a pennant - something they have been in contention for but ultimately fell short of each of the past six seasons. Another season of McCormick in the heart of the St Louis lineup is certainly not a bad thing to have so perhaps it will be the deal the Pioneers didn't make that shapes the Fed race this season instead of one that Boston, Chicago or Pittsburgh did make. CLEAR TO SEE WHO HAS BEEN BUSY THIS WINTER The following chart really sums up which teams have been active on the trade front over the winter. It is clear that most of the contenders in the Federal Association have been quite busy while many of the Continental Association elite have been very quiet. The big gainer appears to be the Chicago Chiefs with the addition of a pair of veterans in pitcher Jim Lonardo (8-19, 4.25) and third baseman Hank Barnett (.276,19,95). TWIFB has speculated that the addition of the 33 year old Lonardo may be the move that sends the Chiefs back to the World Championship Series as he will likely enjoy a return closer to the form that allowed him to win 162 big league games and 3 Allan Awards now that he has been rescued by the Chiefs from rebuilding New York. The one team the WAR numbers do not do justice for is the Boston Minutemen. The Minutemen did give up a lot of offense in corner infielder Ken Mayhugh (.299,17,82) but the addition of John Edwards, who was 11-19 as a rookie for Baltimore, gives them a pair of young starters in him and Dick Higgins that ranks right up there with any duo in the league. The Week That Was Current events for the week ending 12/06/1937 F.D.R. seeks congress approval on Billions of dollars for housing boom. Japan prepares to breach Chinese capital of Nanking as war between Far East nations continues In Shanghai, Japanese troops yielded to demands of US Marines and withdrew from the American defended sector of the city's international settlement. __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports Last edited by Jiggs McGee; 07-23-2021 at 05:24 AM.