[ayaghmour2]

Let me make one thing clear; I am not going to watch this one slip away. On June 24th, we had a 10 game lead over the Wolves. Less then a month later the lead is down to just three and a half, and it seems like were starting an epic choke job. On paper, this is our best chance at a championship. The Cannons are without Rufus Barrell, Adam Mullins, and Fred Galloway, the Wolves are without Fred McCormick, Joe Hancock, and George Garrison, and the Stars are without Bill Barrett, Vern Hubbard, and Billy Riley. "Wait, Billy Riley? Didn't he kick off the second half for the Stars? Is he hurt or did good 'ol Uncle Sam snatch him away?" It's even better then that; Riley is now a Cougar.

Despite Harry Parker's dominance, our rotation is full of wholes, with Art White and Mike Murphy hitting walls and Dick Lyons being, well, you know, 44. Rusty Petrick gives us a ton of innings and even more strikeouts, so the odd man out is Ken Matson. I really thought Matson could hold a rotation spot all season, but since his breakdown against the Foresters, he's allowed 47 hits, 20 walks, and 27 runs in 33.1 innings pitched. Riley is an obviously huge upgrade, he has put together a strong seven year career with the Stars. He just recently won his 100th career game, and in 1,554 FABL innings he owns a strong 3.49 ERA (109 ERA+) and 1.30 WHIP with 454 walks and 650 strikeouts.

A pitcher I've been targeting since his debut year back in 1938, we finally were able to pick up the now 30-year-old hurler. A 9th Round selection back in the loaded 1932 class, Riley was someone I really wanted to add to our system after a pair of 225 ERA+ seasons for the San Antonio HS Warriors. Riley took huge steps during the 1937 season, and he debuted in the top 100 at 39 on the 1938 Opening Day prospect list. He split that season between the pen and the rotation, starting 20 of his 35 appearances. It was a great debut for Riley, who finished 15-8 with 2 saves in 167 innings pitched. The then 23-year-old had a 3.23 ERA (123 ERA+) and 1.19 WHIP with 49 walks and 75 strikeouts. Riley then followed that season up with 4 seasons of 200+ innings with above average ERA+s. The best of the years was 1942, but it was his lowest inning total of the period as he missed time with a herniated disc. Despite that, Riley was elite when healthy, 21-5 with a 2.18 ERA (151 ERA+), 1.12 WHIP, 68 walks, and 90 strikeouts, and with a few more starts his 4.9 WAR could have surpassed his previous best 5.5 from the season before. Riley put up an Allen worthy year, but unfortunately for him, that was the year Pete Papenfus blossomed into a star.

Unfortunately for Riley, he showed some signs of that injury the following year, and 1943 was the worst of his big league career, just like a lot of his teammates. Riley went just 7-16 with a 3.83 ERA (87 ERA+), 1.21 WHIP, 56 walks, and 85 strikeouts. Part of this was bad luck, as the Stars defense really struggled and the offense didn't give him much support, and his underlying numbers were much more inspiring. His 89 FIP- was in line with his 88 career mark, and his 2.3 BB/9 and 3.5 K/9 were pretty inline as well. I expected a nice bounce back this year, but he had a rough May where he went 2-4 with a 4.60 ERA (76 ERA+) and 1.47 WHIP. He did manage to right the ship a bit, but he's just an average 8-9 with a 3.62 ERA (96 ERA+), 1.40 WHIP, 44 walks, and 64 strikeouts while on pace to toss 263.2 innings. With more run support and a defense that ranks first instead of last in zone rating, I think we can get better results from the righty if he can keep the ball in the park.

To acquire Riley, we'll tap into our pitching prospect depth, shipping off two of our top 10 prospects in Bill Chapman (8, 109th) and Foster Smith (9, 125th). Both have projected 1946 ETAs, when the Stars plan on competing with the potential return of talented big leaguers Joe Angevine, Vern Hubbard, Lew Seals, and of course, Bill Barrett. Smith is off in the Air Force, but Chapman has been pitching for the Legislators. The 20-year-old southpaw has made 17 starts, and is 7-5 with a 4.56 ERA (97 ERA+) and 69 strikeouts. I think both can be solid big league starters and the pair of 20-year-olds are very well developed for their age, but with all the top level pitching in our system, I imagine they wouldn't be able to crack our rotation. Riley definitely makes our future rotation situation very crowded, and we'll have an embarrassment of riches once the war is over.