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ayaghmour2 · 02-16-2024, 07:20 PM

I forgot to mention this yesterday, but when FABL absorbed the GWL, there was a lot of minor league restructuring, with us one of the teams affected. For the first time in my Cougar career, the Mobile Commodores will no longer be our AA affiliate. Mobile is moving to Gulf States League, where they will be the Class C affiliate of the Stars. As much as I'll miss the Commodores, this is a smart move for a financial reason, as Mobile was crazy far from Chicago, Milwaukee, and Lincoln. Our new AA affiliate will be the Little Rock Governors, a long time member of the GWL when it was a minor league, that then become a GWL AA team in the Western Baseball League. They are a new entrant to the Dixie League, replacing the Commodores, and they are at least 400 miles closer to our FABL, AAA, and A affiliate then Mobile was.

The downside is the staffs stayed with the team, so we lost one of the best minor league staffs for an inadequate one. Not too many free agents left, but I did make an offer on a new Manager and Pitching Coach. For now. Fourth-Year Hitting Coach Gus Davis will stay for now, as he's at least "Decent" and there's no one better. He also has the pleasure of being the Cougars 16th Round Pick in 1923, and he spent 1924 with the Legislators. Those 47 games account for his entire pro career, as he was released before my time. We do have a connection to Pitching Coach Joe Foley, who may be the absolute worst Cougar pitcher of all time. Now 51, the former Chief and Cougar was once a 20-game winner who led FABL with 46 starts and 315.2 innings in 1926, where he had a nice 4.19 ERA (109 ERA+) despite a league leading 155 walks and a pitiful 0.4 K/BB. He was solid the season before and after, but an injury in the Spring of 1928 cost him a whole season. He was waived prior to the '29 season, before an absolutely atrocious Cougar pitching staff added him to the mix. I guess my scout loved him and the rest of the staff was clearly bad (5.37 team ERA trailed just the 1935 iteration of the Cougars in team history), Foley was miserable. He made 9 starts and 3 relief appearances, going 1-5 with an off-putting 9.73 ERA (46 ERA+) and 2.33 WHIP. His 40-to-8 walk-to-strikeout ratio makes my stomach turn, and he was eventually banished to AAA -- never surfacing in FABL again. Because of that, he has the honor of owning the highest ERA among Cougars with more then 5 innings. As you might expect, he's an awful coach too, so don't expect this all-time dud to open the spring in Little Rock.

Anyways, here are our Best Pitcher and Hitter for the 1949-1950 season! No additional accolades this year, as we didn't have a big second half star like Johnny Peters or a reliever like Ben Clough who didn't pitch.

Best Pitcher: RHP Zane Kelley
5-4, 87.2 IP, 4.31 ERA (106 ERA+), 1.47 WHIP, 23 BB, 46 K, 1.8 WAR

It was a weird winter for Zane Kelley, who once again was the best of the pitchers we sent to Cuba. The 4.31 ERA (106 ERA+) looks worse then it is, especially since it was still an above average mark, and Kelley led the CWL with 11 starts and an even 2.0 K/BB. As you might expect from strong walk and strikeout numbers, Kelley's 3.96 FIP (86 FIP-) was impressive, even after allowing 23 hits and 15 runs (11 earned) in his last two starts. If it wasn't for that late inflation, Kelley's season would have looked much better then it was, as his ERA was an impressive 3.75 in his first nine starts. Unfortunately for Kelley, he may be there next year too, as the acquisition of David Molina completely shut him out of innings on the Cougars staff. There are only two really stretches where double headers complicate things, so a sixth starter won't be needed much, and ideally Molina is the only one throwing high leverage innings. Time and time again, Kelley has proven he can't start against the toughest competition, but for one more season, he'll have to wait his turn behind the best rotation in the game.

Best Hitter: SS Elmer Grace
.319/.418/.608 (154 OPS+), 196 PA, 7 2B, 3B, 13 HR, 35 RBI, 164 WRC+, 2.1 WAR

Jimmy Hairston (.274, 12, 28) deserves recognition for his stellar winter, but Elmer Grace just could not be stopped. Despite just 9 AAA homers in 106 games, Grace led all CWL hitters with 13 in 42, all while slashing an impressive .319/.418/.608 (154 OPS+). Grace produced a 164 WRC+ to go with 34 runs, 7 doubles, 35 RBIs, and 28 walks, and after taking a few games to get used to the keystone, Grace finished with a 1.024 efficiency. His zone rating would have been higher had Jim Urquhart (7.3, 1.108) and Marshall Thomas (6.7, 1.145) not been so darn good. They were the only two qualifiers ahead of Grace, who finished second in fielding percentage (.995) and third in innings (372.1). Like Kelley, Grace has the unfortunate predicament of being stuck behind the best shortstop, and when listed as one, George Sutterfield ranks as the 18th best position player in FABL. There's no room in the middle infield for Grace, so he'll have to take his newfound slugging with him to Milwaukee. Grace is an above average ballplayer, even this young at 22, and the #60 prospect could end up an attractive trade candidate for a team in need of a shortstop.

02-16-2024, 07:20 PM	#1344
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,136	Cuban Winter League: Accolades I forgot to mention this yesterday, but when FABL absorbed the GWL, there was a lot of minor league restructuring, with us one of the teams affected. For the first time in my Cougar career, the Mobile Commodores will no longer be our AA affiliate. Mobile is moving to Gulf States League, where they will be the Class C affiliate of the Stars. As much as I'll miss the Commodores, this is a smart move for a financial reason, as Mobile was crazy far from Chicago, Milwaukee, and Lincoln. Our new AA affiliate will be the Little Rock Governors, a long time member of the GWL when it was a minor league, that then become a GWL AA team in the Western Baseball League. They are a new entrant to the Dixie League, replacing the Commodores, and they are at least 400 miles closer to our FABL, AAA, and A affiliate then Mobile was. The downside is the staffs stayed with the team, so we lost one of the best minor league staffs for an inadequate one. Not too many free agents left, but I did make an offer on a new Manager and Pitching Coach. For now. Fourth-Year Hitting Coach Gus Davis will stay for now, as he's at least "Decent" and there's no one better. He also has the pleasure of being the Cougars 16th Round Pick in 1923, and he spent 1924 with the Legislators. Those 47 games account for his entire pro career, as he was released before my time. We do have a connection to Pitching Coach Joe Foley, who may be the absolute worst Cougar pitcher of all time. Now 51, the former Chief and Cougar was once a 20-game winner who led FABL with 46 starts and 315.2 innings in 1926, where he had a nice 4.19 ERA (109 ERA+) despite a league leading 155 walks and a pitiful 0.4 K/BB. He was solid the season before and after, but an injury in the Spring of 1928 cost him a whole season. He was waived prior to the '29 season, before an absolutely atrocious Cougar pitching staff added him to the mix. I guess my scout loved him and the rest of the staff was clearly bad (5.37 team ERA trailed just the 1935 iteration of the Cougars in team history), Foley was miserable. He made 9 starts and 3 relief appearances, going 1-5 with an off-putting 9.73 ERA (46 ERA+) and 2.33 WHIP. His 40-to-8 walk-to-strikeout ratio makes my stomach turn, and he was eventually banished to AAA -- never surfacing in FABL again. Because of that, he has the honor of owning the highest ERA among Cougars with more then 5 innings. As you might expect, he's an awful coach too, so don't expect this all-time dud to open the spring in Little Rock. Anyways, here are our Best Pitcher and Hitter for the 1949-1950 season! No additional accolades this year, as we didn't have a big second half star like Johnny Peters or a reliever like Ben Clough who didn't pitch. Best Pitcher: RHP Zane Kelley 5-4, 87.2 IP, 4.31 ERA (106 ERA+), 1.47 WHIP, 23 BB, 46 K, 1.8 WAR It was a weird winter for Zane Kelley, who once again was the best of the pitchers we sent to Cuba. The 4.31 ERA (106 ERA+) looks worse then it is, especially since it was still an above average mark, and Kelley led the CWL with 11 starts and an even 2.0 K/BB. As you might expect from strong walk and strikeout numbers, Kelley's 3.96 FIP (86 FIP-) was impressive, even after allowing 23 hits and 15 runs (11 earned) in his last two starts. If it wasn't for that late inflation, Kelley's season would have looked much better then it was, as his ERA was an impressive 3.75 in his first nine starts. Unfortunately for Kelley, he may be there next year too, as the acquisition of David Molina completely shut him out of innings on the Cougars staff. There are only two really stretches where double headers complicate things, so a sixth starter won't be needed much, and ideally Molina is the only one throwing high leverage innings. Time and time again, Kelley has proven he can't start against the toughest competition, but for one more season, he'll have to wait his turn behind the best rotation in the game. Best Hitter: SS Elmer Grace .319/.418/.608 (154 OPS+), 196 PA, 7 2B, 3B, 13 HR, 35 RBI, 164 WRC+, 2.1 WAR Jimmy Hairston (.274, 12, 28) deserves recognition for his stellar winter, but Elmer Grace just could not be stopped. Despite just 9 AAA homers in 106 games, Grace led all CWL hitters with 13 in 42, all while slashing an impressive .319/.418/.608 (154 OPS+). Grace produced a 164 WRC+ to go with 34 runs, 7 doubles, 35 RBIs, and 28 walks, and after taking a few games to get used to the keystone, Grace finished with a 1.024 efficiency. His zone rating would have been higher had Jim Urquhart (7.3, 1.108) and Marshall Thomas (6.7, 1.145) not been so darn good. They were the only two qualifiers ahead of Grace, who finished second in fielding percentage (.995) and third in innings (372.1). Like Kelley, Grace has the unfortunate predicament of being stuck behind the best shortstop, and when listed as one, George Sutterfield ranks as the 18th best position player in FABL. There's no room in the middle infield for Grace, so he'll have to take his newfound slugging with him to Milwaukee. Grace is an above average ballplayer, even this young at 22, and the #60 prospect could end up an attractive trade candidate for a team in need of a shortstop.