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ayaghmour2 · 09-10-2022, 04:44 PM

RHP Bill Holloway (203rd Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 56th Overall (1943)
Alma Mater: Lincoln College Presidents

Acquired with the 4th Rounder we received from the Chiefs in the Freddie Jones deal, the Chicagoan Bill Holloway ranks just outside the top 200 after making 12 starts down in La Crosse. Holloway pitched very well, going 4-5 with a 4.28 ERA (122 ERA+), 1.47 WHIP, 44 walks, and 94 strikeouts in 67.1 innings pitched. There is a lot going on here, as Holloway has very inflated walk (5.9) and strikeout (12.6) per nine numbers. The strikeouts are really impressive, putting up modern day punch-out numbers in a much different era. Obviously the walks are of some concern, but as a junior at Lincoln College he had a very similar mark. He's really not an overpowering guy, relying more on location then blowing it past guys. When he's on he's unhittable, but when his command wanders he leaves pitches over the plate and they get crushed. He has a nice four pitch mix, a high 80s fastball and sinker with a decent change and knuckle curve. If he can improve his command without scarifying strikeouts Holloway will pitch his way into a rotation, but likely more as a back-end then a rotation leader.

LHP Lefty Jones (207th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 207th Overall (1943)
Alma Mater: Wilsonville Wildcats

Our 5th Round selection this season, Lefty Jones didn't have the smoothest of starts, allowing 20 homers in just 70.1 innings pitched. Jones was average otherwise, 5-5 with a 5.50 ERA (95 ERA+), 1.64 WHIP, 54 walks, and 72 strikeouts. The walks were really concerning, nearly 7 per 9, but the sidewinder did a good job recording swings and misses. Not a very hard thrower, Jones thrives on movement, as his cutter and slider have insane horizontal movement and his change' bottom really falls out when its working. He doesn't command them well, which could lead to even more movement, but as evidenced by the spike in homers he can get hit hard if he makes a mistake. He really struggles with righties right now, most of his walks and homers come against them, but he's very good at keeping lefties off balance. Right now he's really just a spot starter, but he's a tall and lean 6'3'' and his whip like windup is very enticing, especially for a team like ours which doesn't have much lefty depth.

RHP Tommy Seymour (229th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 1st Round, 13th Overall (1943)
Alma Mater: Olathe Pioneers

When I selected him with our first pick last winter, I truly thought Tommy Seymour would rank within the leagues top 100 and our top 5. Turns out, I couldn't have been any more wrong... Seymour didn't even crack the top 200, and finished on the outside at 229. To make matters worse, his performance was not like most first rounders, going just 3-5 with a 9.22 ERA (57 ERA+), 2.21 WHIP, 50 walks, and 54 strikeouts in 55.2 innings pitched. Yes, that looks really bad...

Am I worried?

Of course not!

Seymour didn't turn 18 until August, and the soft tosser is still beloved by Tom Weinstock and OSA. Weinstock views Seymour as a #2 and OSA goes a step higher and thinks he'll front a rotation. A three pitch pitcher, Seymour has a devastating change up, and it will continue to improve as he increases his velocity. I can't imagine Seymour throwing 83-85 his entire career, so his fastball will increase in effectiveness with any velo boosts. His last pitch is a splitter, which is a great third pitch that should induce a lot of swings and misses. His stuff is actually his worst quality, as his movement and control have the potential to be elite. He's got a lot of developing left to go, but I'm really excited to see what he turns into, and I think he'll be a quality rotation leader once it's all said and done.

LHP Harl Haines (232nd Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 10th Round, 149th Overall (1935)
Alma Mater: Niagara Falls Big Red

Recently turned 26, Harl Haines would have been a huge help this year, as our starting pitching depth was tested and the hard throwing submariner would have been an excellent fill in arm. Haines has a rubber arm and can eat a ton of innings, locating his pitches extraordinarily well to make up for a lower quality of pitches. Losing three to four years of development will be tough to overcome for Haines, as he'll be either 27 or 28 when he returns, and we have a lot of talented young pitchers who will be looking for rotation spots. I expect Haines to throw more then the 3.2 big league innings he has now, but I would have expected to have at least 20 big league starts by now.

RHP Sam Hess (248th Overall)
Draft: 10th Round, 145th Overall (1942)
Alma Mater: Athens Eagles

The season started well for the 19-year-old Sam Hess, who made 10 nice starts with the Lions before a torn labrum ended his season early. Hess went 6-3 with a 4.42 ERA (118 ERA+), 1.54 WHIP, 36 walks, and 58 strikeouts in his 59 innings pitched. He recently turned 20 and has just a few more days left of recovery, but I'm hoping he can pick up right where he left off up in San Jose. Hess is a groundballer who sits in the upper 80s with his cutter that can occasionally touch 90. His change is his feature pitch while his curve isn't used too much, but they should all be at least average pitches. He's more of a high floor low ceiling type guy, who should turn into a serviceable pen arm at worst, but he lacks the potential upside of a middle of the rotation arm. If he continues to locate his pitches well, he could be a serviceable back end arm, but after the major injury there are a lot of question marks around him.

09-10-2022, 04:44 PM	#897
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,028	Top Prospects: 16-20 RHP Bill Holloway (203rd Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 56th Overall (1943) Alma Mater: Lincoln College Presidents Acquired with the 4th Rounder we received from the Chiefs in the Freddie Jones deal, the Chicagoan Bill Holloway ranks just outside the top 200 after making 12 starts down in La Crosse. Holloway pitched very well, going 4-5 with a 4.28 ERA (122 ERA+), 1.47 WHIP, 44 walks, and 94 strikeouts in 67.1 innings pitched. There is a lot going on here, as Holloway has very inflated walk (5.9) and strikeout (12.6) per nine numbers. The strikeouts are really impressive, putting up modern day punch-out numbers in a much different era. Obviously the walks are of some concern, but as a junior at Lincoln College he had a very similar mark. He's really not an overpowering guy, relying more on location then blowing it past guys. When he's on he's unhittable, but when his command wanders he leaves pitches over the plate and they get crushed. He has a nice four pitch mix, a high 80s fastball and sinker with a decent change and knuckle curve. If he can improve his command without scarifying strikeouts Holloway will pitch his way into a rotation, but likely more as a back-end then a rotation leader. LHP Lefty Jones (207th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 207th Overall (1943) Alma Mater: Wilsonville Wildcats Our 5th Round selection this season, Lefty Jones didn't have the smoothest of starts, allowing 20 homers in just 70.1 innings pitched. Jones was average otherwise, 5-5 with a 5.50 ERA (95 ERA+), 1.64 WHIP, 54 walks, and 72 strikeouts. The walks were really concerning, nearly 7 per 9, but the sidewinder did a good job recording swings and misses. Not a very hard thrower, Jones thrives on movement, as his cutter and slider have insane horizontal movement and his change' bottom really falls out when its working. He doesn't command them well, which could lead to even more movement, but as evidenced by the spike in homers he can get hit hard if he makes a mistake. He really struggles with righties right now, most of his walks and homers come against them, but he's very good at keeping lefties off balance. Right now he's really just a spot starter, but he's a tall and lean 6'3'' and his whip like windup is very enticing, especially for a team like ours which doesn't have much lefty depth. RHP Tommy Seymour (229th Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 1st Round, 13th Overall (1943) Alma Mater: Olathe Pioneers When I selected him with our first pick last winter, I truly thought Tommy Seymour would rank within the leagues top 100 and our top 5. Turns out, I couldn't have been any more wrong... Seymour didn't even crack the top 200, and finished on the outside at 229. To make matters worse, his performance was not like most first rounders, going just 3-5 with a 9.22 ERA (57 ERA+), 2.21 WHIP, 50 walks, and 54 strikeouts in 55.2 innings pitched. Yes, that looks really bad... Am I worried? Of course not! Seymour didn't turn 18 until August, and the soft tosser is still beloved by Tom Weinstock and OSA. Weinstock views Seymour as a #2 and OSA goes a step higher and thinks he'll front a rotation. A three pitch pitcher, Seymour has a devastating change up, and it will continue to improve as he increases his velocity. I can't imagine Seymour throwing 83-85 his entire career, so his fastball will increase in effectiveness with any velo boosts. His last pitch is a splitter, which is a great third pitch that should induce a lot of swings and misses. His stuff is actually his worst quality, as his movement and control have the potential to be elite. He's got a lot of developing left to go, but I'm really excited to see what he turns into, and I think he'll be a quality rotation leader once it's all said and done. LHP Harl Haines (232nd Overall) Acquired: Via Draft: 10th Round, 149th Overall (1935) Alma Mater: Niagara Falls Big Red Recently turned 26, Harl Haines would have been a huge help this year, as our starting pitching depth was tested and the hard throwing submariner would have been an excellent fill in arm. Haines has a rubber arm and can eat a ton of innings, locating his pitches extraordinarily well to make up for a lower quality of pitches. Losing three to four years of development will be tough to overcome for Haines, as he'll be either 27 or 28 when he returns, and we have a lot of talented young pitchers who will be looking for rotation spots. I expect Haines to throw more then the 3.2 big league innings he has now, but I would have expected to have at least 20 big league starts by now. RHP Sam Hess (248th Overall) Draft: 10th Round, 145th Overall (1942) Alma Mater: Athens Eagles The season started well for the 19-year-old Sam Hess, who made 10 nice starts with the Lions before a torn labrum ended his season early. Hess went 6-3 with a 4.42 ERA (118 ERA+), 1.54 WHIP, 36 walks, and 58 strikeouts in his 59 innings pitched. He recently turned 20 and has just a few more days left of recovery, but I'm hoping he can pick up right where he left off up in San Jose. Hess is a groundballer who sits in the upper 80s with his cutter that can occasionally touch 90. His change is his feature pitch while his curve isn't used too much, but they should all be at least average pitches. He's more of a high floor low ceiling type guy, who should turn into a serviceable pen arm at worst, but he lacks the potential upside of a middle of the rotation arm. If he continues to locate his pitches well, he could be a serviceable back end arm, but after the major injury there are a lot of question marks around him.