[ayaghmour2]

Our commish was on vacation and then returned sick, so there hasn't been much action recently. We're back on track, and while the military draft carries on, we'll have the Rule-5 Draft early next week. We got some bad news, losing two outfielders and two pitchers, but the small silver lining is it's only three players. Each player had a chance to contribute next year, but the loss of soon-to-be 27-year-old Carlos Montes will be a tough pill to swallow. Sure, he gets injured every season, but the talented center fielder is still one of the best center fielders out there, and has played anywhere between 90 and 127 games since debuting at 21 in 1927. Montes is coming off his best season, setting career highs for games, PAs (579), hits (138), triples (10), and WAR (5.7) while matching his previous bests for walks (52) and RBIs (55). Montes is an elite defender in center, last season making all routine plays and a 21 zone rating upped his career tally to 86.5. I did try and acquire center field depth earlier in the offseason, and may look to do so again, but we have a few options on hand.

Orlin Yates (.236, 5, 1) and Bunny Hufford (.280, 5) will compete for the starting center field job in the Spring, and it will be a choice between Yates' glove and Hufford's upside with the bat. Both are lefties, so they can't really platoon, but one out of the box option for center is Billy Hunter. There's no guarantee he'll be healthy for active day, not because he isn't on track in his recovery from a ruptured tendon in his foot, but because he tends to get injured early and often during the season. The soon-to-be 28-year-old has only played 140 games in the past three seasons, but he's hit well when healthy, slashing .301/.356/.439 (121 OPS+) in parts of six seasons. Hunter has never played an inning in the outfield dating all the way back to his high school days, but he has good speed and good range at short, so there is a chance he could be somewhat decent out in center. Our infield is full, with the Jones-Car platoon at second, Skipper at short, and big acquisition Hank Barnett at third, so this may be the best way to get Hunter's bat in the lineup. A lot could change, but right now Hunter is penciled in for center for the Spring.

The other two enlisting with Montes in the Navy are southpaw Ed Wilkinson and potential two-way star Danny Goff Jr. Both were in competition for the #5 spot in the rotation, and I really thought Wilkinson would be a sneaky good #5 for us next year. The former 4th Rounder didn't play in Chicago this year, and threw just one inning last season, but he was an impressive 16-6 with a 3.14 ERA (120 ERA+), 1.29 WHIP, 55 walks, and 103 strikeouts in 24 starts for the Blues. He was also Clyde Meyer's pick for the #5 spot, and is a durable innings eater who was look like a reliable back end arm. Goff also had a really good shot to break camp with us, as even if he didn't make the rotation, he could pitch in double headers while also filling in at first, left, center, and right if needed. The 24-year-old lefty/righty had a great debut month, allowing just 5 runs in 23.2 innings while reaching base in half of his 20 plate appearances. With both of them gone, there will be far less competition for that final rotation spot, and we're likely to yet again have our #5 starter as a rookie Jones. I can't imagine Johnnie will get be anywhere near as dominant as Donnie was, but if the talented young lefty can get his walks under control, he could have a big breakout season while his brother is overseas. Johnnie has already walked 45 hitters in just 38 big league innings, but he gets a lot of strikeouts and can keep the ball in the park. I still may try to grab an arm from somewhere else, but teams have been very hesitant to trade, and some teams are waiting until after the enlistments cease for the year.

We're still likely to lose a few players, but with all the losses, I added King Price and Hod Seagroves to the 40-man roster, taking up two empty spots. There are still a few more guys I'm mulling adding, but for now our 40 will sit at 34 players. Both have only suited up for teams in our organization, but Price was the only one we drafted. Our 9th Rounder in 1939, the Bluegrass State alum made his way up to Milwaukee this season, and has had relatively solid results on his journey to Chicago. He was much better in Mobile (10-4, 3.78, 78) then Milwaukee (4-2, 3.90, 39), but he'll get a shot to crack the Opening Day roster. The 25-year-old is one of 14 pitchers on the 40, but Joe Crosby, Ira Hawker, and Hooks Camp are all set to begin next year in Milwaukee, while Grover Donahue, Cal Knight, and Ben Curtin are only options for the pen. Seagroves, on the other hand, is an infielder from Chicago who was originally a 3rd Round selection by the Dynamos. We acquired him just a few months after the 1937 draft, and the now 25-year-old spent his entire season in Mobile. It wasn't great, hitting a slightly below average .307/.379/.378 (97 OPS+) with 28 doubles, 3 triples, and 86 RBIs. Unlike Price, he won't be looking to make the team out of the Spring with numerous options in front of him, but with so many free spots I didn't want to lose him. Seagroves is one of the hardest players to strike out, just 7 in 562 PAs last year and just 13 in the last three seasons. He's a good defender at first, second, and third, and he will be useful upper minors depth with the chance to make a cameo in September or if we get hard with injuries.