[ayaghmour2]

RHP Jimmy Ballard (370th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 6th Round, 84th Overall (1939)
Alma Mater: Donora Bombers

And the injury bug hit again... Jimmy Ballard tore his rotator cuff back in 1940, and on the first of September, he did it once again. The 24-year-old went under the knife again, ending what was one of his best career seasons. It started in Mobile, where he went 9-3 in 12 starts with a stellar 1.87 ERA (185 ERA+). He threw 106 innings with a 1.28 WHIP, 48 walks, and 53 strikeouts. Command has always eluded Ballard, and that caused him issues in his 49 innings in Milwaukee. Ballard walked 34 hitters with just 25 strikeouts, as his ERA and WHIP jumped to 3.67 (106 ERA+) and 1.45. His FIP painted a dimmer picture, sitting at a below average 5.00 (127 FIP-). 25 in April, it will be interesting to see if the sidearmer has anything left in his arm, as I'm hoping the fastball still sits in the 91-93 range. His stuff is his best asset, as effectively wild tends to best describe the former 6th Rounder. If he stayed healthy, I'd likely have a tough decision on whether or not I'd protect him, but I think he'll be left available for now. If he's healthy by Opening Day, he could return to the Blues rotation, but Ballard may not have the stamina to start anymore.

LF Bob Rogers (379th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 6th Round, 93rd Overall (1943)
Alma Mater: Newman Norseman

I expected a good season from the bat-first Rogers, but he got a red arrow when I tried bringing him to Lincoln, so he was stuck in the Cougars lineup all season long. In terms of WRC+, he was exactly average, but his triple slash of .289/.356/.359 (97 OPS+) was slightly below average. Rogers hit 13 doubles, 2 triples, 4 homers, and 46 RBIs in 465 trips to the plate. The former 6th Rounder isn't the most liked member of his team, as he's extremely selfish and loves any attention brought on to him. "Snoot" is a gifted hitter, who while not a home run hitter, hits the ball often and hard. He's not much of a defender, meaning his big league career rides on the bat, but it hasn't yet come around. He's still young, 22 in January, so it's not time to give up on him, but maybe giving $40k to an 18-year-old out of high school wasn't the best way to encourage him to develop into a big league hitter... Live and learn!

RHP Billy Stoddard (385th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 16th Round, 253rd Overall (1944)
Alma Mater: Lubbock Chaparrals

It was another tough season for Billy Stoddard, who hasn't looked great out of the pen. He worked as a stopper most of the season, but finished just 3-8 with 6 saves, a 5.21 ERA (82 ERA+), and 1.41 WHIP. While that's not good on the surface, the underlying numbers are much better. He struck out 54 hitters in 46.2 innings while walking just 15 batters. That looks like it would lead to a good FIP, but since he allowed 12 (!!) homers, it was actually a bit higher (5.25, 122) then his ERA. As an extreme fly-baller, homers can be expected for Stoddard, but 2.3 per 9 is absolutely insane. That has to normalizes some bit, and with his work in the offseason, I am expecting a much better season. Formerly projected as a borderline starter, one of his pitches filled out, as he's now a projected starter and should get some starts next season. It will likely come in La Crosse again, which would be his fourth season at that level. His slow start may prevent him from being a quality big league starter, but if his stuff is improved, he could then move up quickly. If he can maintain a stellar K/BB while limiting the homers, Stoddard could pitch in a big league rotation, but he's extremely raw and I don't think he'll reach the high minors anytime soon.

RHP Bill Ballantine (391st Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 6th Round, 91st Overall (1941)
Alma Mater: Fenger Titans

As he has at nearly every level, "The Windy City Whip" has managed to keep the ball in the park despite allowing a lot of flyballs. In 157 innings between Mobile and Milwaukee, he allowed just a single homer, as he was one of the best starters in our system. 13 of his 22 starts came in Mobile, where he went 6-6 with a 2.47 ERA (140 ERA+), 1.27 WHIP, 37 walks, and 51 strikeouts. This earned him a promotion to Milwaukee, where I thought he'd finally run into a wall. Instead, his FIP- dropped from 85 to 82, as he was 2-2 with a 2.25 ERA (174 ERA+), 1.23 WHIP, 18 walks, and 17 strikeouts. This sent his walk and strikeout rates in the wrong direction, but Ballantine continued to drum up weak contact. Destined to be our stopper, the Chicago native has continued to excel starting games, and it's not time to move him to the pen yet. His fastball is a tough pitch to square up, topping up at 95 with plenty of late movement. He doesn't really have an out pitch, but the slider gets righties to whiff. The forkball and change aren't great, and to fool FABL hitters he'll need one to develop into a plus pitch. His stamina may also work against him, but its still good enough to pitch multiple innings a few days in a row. I just added him to the 40, so he's got three years to make a case for staying on the big league roster. He'll always have a chance to crack our roster, but for now his development is best suited to pitch every fifth day in the minors.

RHP Kid Moore (394th Overall)
Acquired: Via Draft: 4th Round, 60th Overall (1946)
Alma Mater: Bellmore Cougars

Rounding out our top 40 is a young pitcher Kid Moore, who was one of our three fourth rounders in the recent draft, all of which place in our top 40 and the top 400. Moore struggled out of the rotation, going 2-3 with a 5.88 ERA (73 ERA+) and 1.57 WHIP with 18 walks and 27 strikeouts in seven starts and 33.2 innings. He then moved to the pen, where he was dominant, going 5-1 with a pair of saves in 28.2 innings pitched. He had a stellar 1.26 ERA (340 ERA+) and 0.94 WHIP with 32 strikeouts and 11 walks. This rescued his season, as the 6'5'' righty finished with a respectable 3.75 ERA (114 ERA+) and 1.28 WHIP in 21 appearances. I still view Moore as a starter, and the only reason I went with the demotion is we have so many options to start games in the lower level. Moore will be a part of the Lions rotation from the get go, and as long as he isn't mashed like he was this year, he'll start all his appearances. A projectable pitcher, the wiry righty features a fastball, sinker, and slider. He's not the hardest thrower, just 85-87 at the moment, but with his size I expect him to end up throwing in the low-to-mid 90s. His stuff is really good, and should allow him to strike out plenty of batters, but his command needs a lot of work. Right now he's nothing more then minor league depth, but that's how it was for tall righties Harry Parker and George Oddo at one point too. I think that's far too lofty for a guy like Moore, but I think he could pitch his way into a rotation role.