In what may be the biggest move of the offseason, and certainly the biggest in what has been a slow offseason and Winter Meetings, we made a trade with the Pioneers to upgrade a lineup that was very poor last season. Yes, we're getting a ton of guys back, but after finishing bottom three in offense for the first time in nearly a decade, it was time to make a change. We paid a pretty penny to acquire (who I think is) the best likely available player this offseason, Hal Sharp and cash, for youngsters Lefty Jones and Bill Perrin, with Ollie Page (who is likely to be released) joining the duo strictly for salary purposes.
Now you may be asking, why are we adding a below average defensive first basemen when we already have Ray Ford and Dick Walker? To play him in right field of course!
Look, I love Billy Hunter. We all know that. But the almost 31-year-old former 1st Rounder has sustained 35 separate injuries since debuting in our system in 1933, including 10(!!) separate knee sprains (six left, four right). 1934 was the only non-service season he wasn't hurt, so it's pretty clear I can't count on him handling a full workload. Instead of starting every day (or most) days in right, Hunter will work a super utility low, likely spending four days a week in the lineup, with two starts at second (likely against lefties) and a start each at third and right.
This leaves right field for Sharp, who hasn't started a game out in right since 1941, and has just 3.1 innings out there since. Don't get me wrong, he's going to be awful, but when you produce a 151 WRC+, who cares!
One of the guys who benefited a lot from the war, the Pioneers were looking to shop the recently turned 32-year-old in favor of playing one of Bob Johnston Jr. or Dutch Breunig at first, and while they could play him in left, 22-year-old Larry Gregory (The Pope of Chicago) had a nice rookie season and should be an excellent outfielder, and right fielder Al Tucker is one of the best hitters (and probably should be in the top 20 but for some reason isn't) in the game. This made Sharp expendable, despite an outstanding season in a career high 141 games.
A former 5th Round pick by the Kings back in 1931, Sharp cracked the top 100 in 1934, and was traded in a big July deal that brought him to the Pioneers. The Kings moved him, Al Sears, and Dixie League to St. Louis for a 2nd Round Pick, and a pitcher I really wanted at the time, Joe Shaffner. Sharp was just 20 at the time, but worked his way up to St. Louis and cracked the Opening Day roster in 1937. The then 23-year-old appeared in 126 games, and hit a productive .301/.360/.404 (103 OPS+) with 17 doubles, 8 homers, and 50 RBIs. He then alternated playing in St. Louis and then the farm, but he's appeared in 100 or more games for the Pioneers in each of the next five seasons. Discounting his 329 PA sample in 1942, Sharp has been an above average hitter in terms of OPS+ and WRC+, with a 110 or better in four of the last five seasons. Despite that, he's never started more then 125 games, but he cemented himself in the lineup last season.
Despite the Pioneers falling into the cellar last season, Sharp had himself a little breakout, slashing .322/.391/.387 (130 OPS+) with 12 doubles, 4 homers, and 40 RBIs, with a few more walks (41) then strikeouts (38). This season he took it to the next level, being selected to his first All-Star game and finishing the season 3rd in the FA batting title. The lefty swinger hit a robust .341/.406/.458 (138 OPS+) and was worth 3.5 WAR despite being a really bad defender (-8.6, .934). Sharp tallied 18 doubles, 2 triples, 12 homers, 84 RBIs, and 58 walks in 561 trips to the plate, providing tremendous production every time he stepped up to the plate. He's not quite a Leo Mitchell type player, but Sharp has one of the best swings in the league, and excels at hitting it where they ain't. He's got a nice eye and won't strike out too much, and he could be one of Mitchell's toughest competition for his third batting title in four years.
A hearty platoon guy, Sharp won't see much time against lefties, he had just a 38 WRC+ against lefties this season (177 against righties) and a 92 for his career (versus 129 against righties). Hunter or Don Lee will get the starts against southpaws, but the second a righty pitcher shows up, you know Sharp will be standing on the top step ready to make a huge impact. Sharp owns a career .303/.376/.402 (118 OPS+) line and a 122 WRC+ with 108 doubles, 47 triples, and 342 RBIs, so even if he has a stark drop-off with the return of all the vets, he should be a crucial bat in the lineup. My guess is the right field experiment will last just one year (if even that much), and with Dick Walker turning 40 next September, first base will be open very soon. Him and Ray Ford (143 career WRC+ against lefties) will form a devastating platoon, with the other a potential game changer off the bench. We already know our pitching is going to be elite, but the lineup may now be both the deepest and best in all of baseball. Harry Mead, who loves alternating between good and bad seasons, is the only lineup member who produced a below average WRC+ in his most recent season, and we now have 12 players on the roster (if you count Bill Rich and Fred Vargas) with an above average WRC+ and OPS+ in their most recent sample. I'm of the camp that you can never have too many good players, and after 14 consecutive seasons of failure, I will do everything in my power to bring a title back to Chicago.
One player who may not get to see that is Rich Langton, who may be on the fringes of the roster. Our 3rd Rounder way back in 1932, Langton has appeared in 60 or more games in each season for us since 1935, but the 34-year-old hasn't quite hit the same since straining his oblique in 1943. In the nine seasons (including '43) prior, he had just one season with a below average OPS+ and WRC+, with a 115 or better in all but two of those campaigns. Last season he hit just .244/.299/.389 (97 OPS+) with a 103 WRC+ in a part time role, but I thought 1945 would be big for Langton. With Mitchell overseas, left field was Langton's all year, but he didn't take advantage of the lineup spot. His .267/.333/.346 (95 OPS+) triple slash left lots to be desired, even if it came with 21 doubles, 5 triples, 3 homers, 13 steals, 51 walks, and 57 RBIs. He'll have to beat out Fred Vargas, who does have one option left, and/or Ray Struble, as spots are already reserved for Mitchell, Lee, Sharp, and Carlos Montes. If this spells the end for Langton, he'll finish his Cougar career with 1,209 games and a .291/.349/.435 (117 OPS+) line. I don't think he'll be on the chopping block, but even if he makes the roster, his playing time may be very limited.
The longtime Cougar who did lose his roster job, however, was Ollie Page, as our awful financial situation necessitated his involvement in the deal. While it may seem like he's a Cougar lifer, we acquired Page
way back in 1934 from the Eagles for Claude Ramsey, Ike Quinn, and a 4th Round Pick. He spent 20 games in Milwaukee to start the season, before appearing in 95 games. He hit an impressive .296/.376/.441 (118 OPS+) in exactly 400 plate appearances while worth exactly three wins above replacement. Page played solid defense (3.2, 1.015) at short and added 14 doubles, 9 triples, 6 homers, and 37 RBIs with many more walks (43) then strikeouts (27). He was an every day player the next two seasons, but he never quite matched his production as a rookie.
Discounting the 1942 season, where he spent just September in Chicago, Page was a fixture of our roster, but from 1941 to 1944 he played very sparingly. 1945 was somewhat of a resurgence for the 35-year-old, who hit a rather impressive .284/.382/.381 (120 OPS+) against the watered down Continental Association pitching. His 279 PAs were the most since 1940, and just 15 less then his tally in the previous four seasons combined. In terms of both OPS+ and WRC+ (124), it was the best of his big league career and just one of six seasons he tallied more then 250 trips to the plate. If this marks the end of Page's big league career, the former 5th Rounder would have played 915 big league games. He was worth just over 10 (10.9) WAR with a .252/.335/.361 (91 OPS+) batting line. He made just under 3,000 trips to the plate, accumulating 74 doubles, 48 triples, 37 homers, 29 steals, 282 RBIs, and 322 walks. If he's cut and will accept a minor league deal, I'd quickly snap him up, but my guess is that he'll be one of the 100+ players delusional enough to think a team will cough up $10,000+ to sign them, while every organization is dealing with too many bodies and not enough spots.