[ayaghmour2]

While there hasn't been much transactional activity this offseason, today was a busy day in FABL as we completed the Rule-5 Draft and are a bit over a week away from starting the new year. That means the real draft is coming up, at least the first eight rounds, and Cougar head scout Dixie Marsh has been very busy trying to acquaint himself with what Tom Weinstock thought was a very deep group of prospects. That means little time for other activities, so I expected a quiet draft. That ended up not being the case, as there were a few players I've been interested in from the past, so instead of relying on Dixie for lottery tickets, I tried to grab players I was familiar with. We did lose a guy, but it was 33-year-old minor leaguer Reginald Westfall, who the Foresters may look to give everyday at bats to. He's a solid FABL hitter, producing a 118 WRC+ in 775 games with the Wolves, but he sat on the bench in 1944, missed 1945 with the war, and started 55 of his 112 appearances in Milwaukee this season.

The first player we selected came from the Cincinnati Cannons organization, southpaw Red Hampton. No, not the 40-year-old workhorse who went 12-13 with a 3.79 ERA (91 ERA+) in 31 starts for the Cannons this season, but Mr. Glass, a former 6th Round Pick. Red was on my draft list for 1940, but the nickname scared me away a bit and we took Mel Haynes, Duke Bybee, and Harry Stewart in the 1st, 4th, and 5th. Still, with two sixth rounders, I was ready to take him 92nd overall (that was Cy Howard), but the Cannons took him 10 picks earlier. As his nickname would suggest, staying healthy has been somewhat of an issue for the 24-year-old, as he missed 5 months in 1942 after undergoing radial nerve decompression surgery, and then almost a year to date later a partially torn UCL ended his season on the last day of May. He then served in the Army in 1945, which may have been good for his arm. Despite not pitching above Class B, the Cannons started Hampton in their AA rotation, and he definitely impressed. The young lefty went 11-11 with a 3.40 ERA (102 ERA+), starting 34 games and throwing 222.2 innings pitched. He did have some walk issues, allowing 128 (5.2) free passes, but he struck out 140 (5.7) hitters while allowing just four homers.

We don't "need" a pitcher by any means, but there are pen spots up for grabs, and there is a lot to like about the Auburn native. The stuff is impressive, so if he can just walk one less hitter a start, his effectiveness could increase significantly. A four pitch pitcher, Hampton features a sinker that can hit 96, and it's a very strong pitch. He's a real worm burner, allowing him to tightrope out of trouble with a double play, and he can use the pitch to finish off hitters as well. His slider, change, and forkball are all quality big league pitches, with the slider a weapon against lefty swingers. In the pen, he could be a really tough sinker/slider guy, but I think his future lies in the rotation. If we can get him to work the strike zone better, he could really surprise, but that's a tough hurdle to handle. Hampton is currently out in Cuba, working as the stopper for the first place Havana Sharks. He's made 9 appearances, throwing 11.1 innings with 6 hits, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts and just 1 earned run. Obviously it's not FABL quality competition, but he's looked really good so far, and I expect he can more then handle his own if we leave him a pen spot.

Our second pick has a much tougher road to the roster, as we have plenty of in-house outfield options. Still, there is a lot to like about 22-year-old outfielder Joe Read. A 6th Round Pick in 1942 by the Miners, Read spent his season in AAA St. Paul, where he slashed a respectable .278/.344/.373 (97 OPS+) with 27 doubles, 2 triples, 2 homers, and 32 RBIs. Best known for his eye, Read drew 41 base on balls, and projects to maintain a high OBP as he excels at working the walk. There's not much power in his bat, but he puts the ball in play a lot and despite not being much of a base stealer, he has above average foot speed. Read did hit 5 homers in each of A and AA last season, so we could see a few homers from him in the future, but 5'9'' guys who weigh 140 can't reasonably be counted on for tape measure blasts. He's a decent defender, with experience in all three outfield spots, but I'm not sure I want to see him in center much. Like Hampton, Read is currently overseas, and he's recently taken the starting left field job for the Matanzas Buccaneers. Read has taken 31 trips to the plate and hit .346/.452/.500 (167 OPS+) with a double, homer, 3 RBIs, and 5 walks. I'd love to see him carry this into the Spring, but with spots reserved for Mitchell, Montes, Lee, and Sharp, there's only one or two spots up for grabs. Veterans Ray Struble and Fred Vargas have the inside edge, but neither spot is locked in stone, and they don't have the upside of Read.

Another guy Read will have to compete with is Bill Payne, a 24-year-old we claimed off waivers from the Gothams. A bat only type player, Payne has hit at every level, and debut for the Gothams during the 1945 season. The former 3rd Rounder had an outstanding debut season, slashing .300/.369/.432 (136 OPS+) with 9 doubles, 6 homers, and 37 RBIs while walking (26) over twice as often as he struck out (11). He looked to be a building block in the Gothams lineup, but this season did not go as planned. He got off to a dreadful start, and on May 13th he was optioned to AAA after hitting just .194 with two extra base hits. The bat started to heat up in the minors, as hit .311/.408/.466 (136 OPS+) in 234 trips to the plate. That earned him a September callup, and while he still wasn't great, Payne finished his FABL time with a .196/.321/.239 (60 OPS+) batting line. The lack of power was a bit of a surprise, as he had 12 doubles and 6 homers in Toledo, and he usually makes a lot of contact. He's not a slugger by any means, but he does have solid gap power. His hit tool is his best one, and as a flyball hitter, some of those long flyouts at Gotham Stadium will clear the fence at Cougars Park. His biggest issuse is his defense, as he's been pretty terrible at first, left, and right, so much so in right that he does not have a positoinal rating. With two options left, we can hopefully have him work on the glove a bit more, but my vision with Payne is a solid lefty off the bench who can move runners over or work long at bats. I think we'll work him out in left, with Lou Thomas getting the at bats at first, but I could see him playing a bit of both.

Payne was one of two players I submitted claims on, but the other, righty Tom Richardson, will join the our crosstown rivals instead. This brings our 40-man roster up to 38, and I have a few more tricks under my sleeve that could end up filling it up. I wish that meant a Billy Riley trade, but it's looking more and more likely that he may stay a Cougar. That's not a bad thing, but it will make the pitching situation in Chicago very fluid, and we may get super wacky and use an abbreviated seven man rotation as Duke Bybee needs to start games in Chicago. After his shutout on Opening Day in the CWL, he hasn't been quite as sharp, but Bybee has a respectable 3.09 ERA (114 ERA+) and 1.09 WHIP with 24 strikeouts to just 5 walks. Harry Parker seems like the odd man out, and he may return to the pen after a stretch of nearly 250 consecutive starts. Plenty of teams could use an arm like Riley in their rotation, so the lack of interest is a bit of a surprise, but it may be best for our title aspirations if he's pitching every fifth or six day for us.