AUGUST 9, 1948
I am fighting a bit of a bug so a much more abbreviated edition of TWIFB than is normally the case.
1949 DRAFT PREVIEW - PART TWO : HIGH SCHOOL PITCHERS
What a difference a year has made as the OSA has changed its tune substantially on nearly all of the high school pitchers. A year ago Roy Patterson, Dick Houston, Dick Champ, Hank Short and Lew Potter all were said to be on the path towards becoming a #1 starter in the big leagues. Now only Patterson is considered to be a top half of the rotation arm and the scouting service has him peaking as a number two starter. The scouting service is believed to have done a major overhaul on its grading system with an update to version 24 so FABL general managers and scouting directors must now decide is the new system a more accurate predictor of the future, or is it being unfairly hard on draft eligible pitchers.
1948 was a down year for pitchers with only three being selected in the first round and we might just see a repeat of that in 1949...unless FABL GM's just can't help themselves and follow the old draft of highly (some would say over) valuing pitchers.
Here are the top ten High School pitchers eligible for the draft according to This Week in Figment Baseball with some feedback from the OSA.
1: RAY PATTERSON RHP South Bend (IN) HS - The "South Bend Sling" best season of high school ball so far was his sophomore campaign in which he was an All-American selection and a finalist for the Adwell Award after a perfect 11-0 season with a 0.53 era. He was not quite as good as a junior but after three seasons he is 31-2 with a 0.83 era and 583 strikeouts in just 347 innings of work. OSA says Patterson "may not have the talent to ever anchor a rotation, but would likely be a #2 guy on most teams." He also has some intangibles as OSA pegs him to be a leader and a very hard worker.
2: VERN OSBORNE LHP Montgomery City (MO) HS - The quality of pitching drops off quickly in this draft but Osborne, a St Louis native, looks like a potential middle of the rotation arm according to the scouting service. He went 8-0 as a junior and as a three starter owns a 25-2 record with a 1.07 era while fanning 377 and walking just 49 in 268 innings.
3: ED WINGERTER RHP Bellefontaine (OH) HS - Like Osborne, Wingerter was born in St Louis but he moved to Ohio before his high school days. With a shortage of top arms he may sneak into the first round but OSA puts his ceiling at that of a "number three or number four starter." Wingerter has just one year of high school experience and spent much of that season pitching out of the bullpen but did post a 7-0 record with a 1.01 era and 108 k's in 80 innings of work.
4: DICK CHAMP RHP Middlesex (NJ) HS - The New York City born 17-year-old has the potential to be a number four or five starter but the scouting service also notes that he is slow to absorb instruction. Champ is a perfect 34-0 with a 1.16 era in 46 high school starts while fanning 516 batters and walking 67 in 356 innings of work.
5: NORM MCBRIDE LHP Bath (PA) HS - None question his leadership skills or his work ethic but there is a knock on McBride for a lack of focus at times. Born in New York City, OSA feels he projects "to be a solid starter at the back-end of the rotation."
6: HANK SHORT RHP Mineral Point (WI) HS - The Buffalo, NY born righthander was a High School All-American his sophomore year and just missed as a junior. Now living in Wisconsin, he has two years of school ball under his belt and is 23-0 with a 0.78 era along with an impressive 15.4 K/9 rate. However, OSA is not sure his skills will translate to FABL, suggesting "his talent might not play enough to even make the rotation."
7: JACK DAVIS RHP Pershing HS, Detroit, MI - Another of the New York City born pitchers on our list, Davis now lives in Detroit. There are plenty of things to like about him starting with his size (6'4") but there are also negatives such as a lower than hoped for work ethic and qestions about his intelligence. OSA feels he is a bit of a gamble, noting his hopes are "at the back of a rotation."
8: DICK HOUSTON RHP Florence (CO) HS - It is not often that a Colorado high school player makes an impact on a scouting list but Houston, who was born in Colorado Springs, has impressed OSA during his three seasons of high school ball. He is not flashy but gets the job done thanks to an ability to generate a high number of ground balls. OSA feels he can start in the majors, but it would be at the end of the rotation.
9: LARRY RUSH RHP Jackson HS, Queens, NY - Another New York City area pitcher, Rush has gone 27-3 with a 1.09 era in three seasons at his Queens High School. OSA notes his pitches are difficult to hit squarely so he should allow few homeruns but his upside is not great. The peak for Rush is likely the back-end of a rotation.
10: BOB WOMACK RHP Minford (OH) HS - As a freshman Womack was a perfect 11-0 with a 0.49 era, numbers good enough to earn him a spot on the High School All-American team that year. He also had a 16.4 K/9 that season and seemed destined to be a first round draft pick someday. The numbers, while still decent, have dropped substantially the past two years and OSA feels that Womack may end up being nothing more than a spot starter.
Part three of our 1949 draft preview next week will feature the top high school hitters.
- The Philadelphia Keystones won their 5,000th game in franchise history 9 days ago in Chicago. Jim Whiteley spun a two-hit shutout in the 4-0 win, picking up his 122nd win in his career, which is eighth on the all-time Keystones leaderboard. The only other team with 5,000 victories in FABL history? Why, it's the same Chiefs, who have 5,183 through Sunday. These two charter franchises are the only 1876ers still playing.
- The best winning percentage in FABL history belongs to the other Chicago club as the Cougars at .538 (4556-3909) lead by a wide margin. The worst winning percentage of the 16 active teams is that of Montreal's at .465 (3928-4522 at press time).
- Boston first round pick Joe Kleman has a 20-game hitting streak going in Class C. The top five OSA prospect is slashing .361/.431/.525 in 32 games as a pro.
CANNON COOPER DERAILS WINTER'S TITLE DREAMS WITH TKO WIN
NEW YORK CITY - In the hallowed ring of Bigsby Garden, Cannon Cooper penned a compelling chapter in the ever-shifting saga of heavyweight pugilism. Surprising the boxing world, he halted the meteoric ascent of young Harvey Winter with a resounding TKO victory in the fourth round of their scheduled ten-round clash.
Cooper, a name once spoken in the same breath as legends, had himself weathered the unpredictable storms of the fight game. This victory might signal his phoenix-like return from the ashes, or it could be Winter's call to recalibrate his journey through the tumultuous heavyweight division.
Saturday night's bout will be remembered for the terrible gash that marred Winter's left eye, a grim testament to the punishing blows traded between these two warriors. The fight had been eagerly anticipated as a pivotal moment in Winter's career, a potential catapult towards a coveted showdown with the indomitable Hector Sawyer.
But as the final bell tolled, it was Winter who had to reevaluate his path. The 22-year-old sensation from Trenton, New Jersey, had entered the contest with a stellar record of 18-1, hailed as the prodigy set to shake the heavyweight hierarchy. However, his second loss in less than a year, this one leaving him at 18-2, raises questions about his readiness for the elite echelons of the division.
Cooper, no stranger to such twists of fate, served as the spoiler. Not too long ago, Cannon had been the darling of the boxing world, a 24-year-old sensation fresh from an interruption with the Coast Guard with an unblemished record of 17-0. The world had expected him to collide with Hector Sawyer in a clash for the ages. But as the fates so often decree in this unforgiving sport, Cooper's trajectory veered off course.
Consecutive losses to Clancy Little and Glenn Hairston, the latter ending in a devastating knockout, knocked Cooper from his lofty perch. Just when he appeared to regain his footing, setbacks against Allen Bailey and Roy Madison followed suit, reducing his record to 23-4-1.
Perhaps, with this victory over Winter, the boxing world will once again shine a light on Cooper's once-dazzling prospects. Or, conversely, Winter may see this as a vital chapter in his own education, a lesson learned in the crucible of the ring. In the world of pugilism, where fortunes can change as swiftly as the flicker of a jab, both Cooper and Winter bear witness to the capricious nature of their chosen path. The sweet science, indeed, proves itself to be a fickle mistress, unforgiving and unrelenting in its ever-shifting fortunes.
SAWYER SETS TITLE DEFENSE IN ENGLAND
World Heavyweight Champion Hector Sawyer is said to be back in the gym, after enjoying the sights of England for a couple of weeks and now is preparing for his first European bout. The fight will take place October 22 in London, England and will see Sawyer, with a 58-3-1 record, put his title on the line against a Brit by the name of Grant Knowles.
Sawyer's manager Chester Conley is doing his best to drum up interest in the bout, calling Knowles a formidable challenge for the champ, but in truth very little is known about the British boxer. Knowles is 30-years-old, based out of London but originally from Manchester, and owns a 31-4-1 career record. However, a glance at his list of opponents through the years yields nary a recognizable name and most state-side observers feel the challenger will be lucky to last more than a couple of rounds against Sawyer.
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS- Aug 13- Los Angeles: MW Joe Starr (20-5) vs Nathan Sears (21-9-1)
- Aug 28- Baltimore: former WW champ Harold Stephens (21-4-2) vs Ben "Baby Face" Bishop (28-5-1)
- Aug 28- Philadelphia: WW Wayne Dunn (31-9) vs Dale Roy (30-6)
- Sept 4- Lakeside Arena, Chicago: World Welterweight Champion Mac Erickson (17-0) defends his title against John Gregory (19-4-1)
- Oct 1- Montreal, Quebec: World Middleweight champion Edouard Desmarais (42-1) defends his title against Canadian Adrian Petrie (17-1-1)
- Oct 22- London, Eng: World Heavyweight champion Hector Sawyer (58-3-1) defends his title against Grant Knowles (31-4-1)
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 8/08/1948
- A former editor of the Communist Daily Worker told a Senate investigating committee that the Communist Party gets "a very big financial take" from Hollywood. Later in the week the committee heard talk of an "underground organization" whose primary purpose was the Communist infiltration of the American Government.
- Alger Hiss, former State Department official denied charges he was a leader of a Communist underground organization, telling the House Committee of Un-American Activities "I am not and never have been a member of the Communist Party."
- President Truman's anti-inflation chief says that Congress has been wasting "much precious time" in its delays in consideration of Truman's economic program.
- As the week closed and despite a last minute plea from the President, the House passed the Republican anti-inflation bill after voting down Truman's cost-of-living program.
- Diplomats from the US, Britain and France met with Soviet Prime Minister Stalin for over two hours in an effort to find a settlement in the Berlin crisis. Details were shrouded in secrecy.