[ayaghmour2]

A little information on what else is going around before we reconnect with a few recognizable players. The draft is going on (when I started writing this my first pick hadn't been made yet, but by time I finish it will be) so we'll get writeups on the new Cougars soon, but there was also some financial news. Free Agency is approaching, and while we can't really sign guys to long extensions, Tom Holliday was asking for way less money in 1976 then he'll get in 1975, so I locked up our long-time shortstop. Making a cool $100k this year, it'll drop all the way down to $41,200 next year. I'm sure in a vacuum it's a bad sign he's asking for so little money, but we will eventually need to extend a lot of guys and I doubt he's going to get any cheaper. 36 now, he's still a solid defender and hitter, worth over 4.5 WAR in 1974, and I can hold off on finding a shortstop for a little while we fill our larger holes.

RF Henry Watson
Acquired: Via Trade with Montreal (1956)
Drafted: 1st Round, 5th Overall (1956)
1974: 74 G, 222 PA, .200/.349/.322 (61 OPS+), 20 R, 6 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 21 RBI, 8 SB, -0.2 WAR
Career: 1,971 G, 7,790 PA, .279/.323/.453 (120 OPS+), 981 R, 287 2B, 58 3B, 283 HR, 1,073 RBI, 137 SB, 43.6 WAR

Once one of our exciting young outfielders, Henry Watson is now 36 and a 4-Time All-Star, with some real impressive seasons in the 60s. The former 5th Overall Pick by the Saints almost 20 years ago, Watson spent about all but four months in our organization, quickly traded in the following offseason in the four prospect package for Garland Phelps. I was mad during the quick-sim, as Phelps was a favorite of mine who I thought would be a star catcher, but in the end the deal worked out much better for us on Watson alone. A top-50 prospect, he got all the way up to 29, and graduated at 31 in 1960. The eventual 3rd place finisher in the Kellogg, he hit a robust .340/.382/.561 (149 OPS+) with 17 doubles, 3 triples, 20 homers, 64 runs, 76 RBIs, and 5 steals.

A versatile player, he's appeared at games as a catcher, first basemen, third basemen, left fielder, center fielder, and right fielder, but over 2/3rds of his career has come as the Cougar center fielder. Even in 1974, 47 of his 61 games came in center, and the results weren't overly bad. That being said, we have a Diamond Defense winner in Fuzzy Cronin (26, .233, 10, 39, 18; .238, 38, 324, 70) who has center locked down, which would open up right for Watson. The 8th Cougar to reach the 2,000 hit mark with the organization, he's no longer the guy who had 100+ RBIs with 28 or more homers from '62 to '64, or the career .279/.323/.453 (120 OPS+) hitter with 283 homers and 287 doubles, but he's just a year removed from a 100 OPS+, and it's been that or better in all but one season since his 1960 debut.

Watson's best was the five year period from 1961 to 1965, where he was an All-Star in four of the five campaigns. His '61 season wasn't really that great, even if it was his first of five consecutive 4-WAR seasons, but he looked like a potential Whitney player in 1863. The then 25-year-old hit an impressive .313/.354/.532 (141 OPS+) batting line, collecting 100 runs, 24 doubles, 7 triples, 33 homers, 119 RBIs, 42 walks, 10 steals, and a 6.4 WAR. It was his second consecutive season with at least 30 homers and 115 RBIs, though it was the last time he reached either mark. He came close with 28 homers and 105 RBIs in 1964, but after 1968 he really hasn't been the same. Posting an excellent .268/.321/.424 (138 OPS+) batting line, it was the last time he had a 135 OPS+ or WRC+, all below 120 the next six seasons. That's led to more of a part-time role the last two years, less then 500 combined PAs, but the overall numbers are still impressive.

Appearing in nearly 2,000 FABL games, he's in some of the team's top-10 rankings, including WAR (10th, 43.6), games (8th, 1,971), at-bats (8th, 7,190), hits (8th, 2,003), and RBIs (4th, 1,073), and his 283 homers are most in franchise history. One of five 200 homer hitters, the first old pal and Hall-of-Fame snub Leo Mitchell, he may soon be passed by Bill Grimm (3rd, 236), who recently turned 31, but he's easily one of the most prolific sluggers the franchise has ever seen. His consistency allowed him to climb as high as he did, as our team leader very rarely hit less then 15 homers, but it's a shame we missed the best of his home run hitting years.

1B Gene Case
Acquired: Via Draft: 1st Round, 8th Overall (1956)
1974: 52 G, 56 PA, .270/.365/.455 (73 OPS+), 9 R, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 SB, 0.1 WAR
Career: 1,400 G, 3,916 PA, .270/.365/.455 (129 OPS+), 569 R, 136 2B, 30 3B, 142 HR, 537 RBI, 84 SB, 22.7 WAR

When we last left the Cougars, Gene Case was our up-and-coming star first basemen, but unfortunately, that did not last very long. Case quickly burst on to the scene as a rookie in 1961, hitting his way from the bench to the lineup with his .288/.399/.506 (142 OPS+) batting line. In 141 games (110 starts), he grabbed 24 doubles, 21 homers, and 77 runs, RBIs, and walks, even swiping 8 bases and picking up 3.1 WAR, and ending with a Diamond Defense award.

Case's best year came as a sophomore, as in 1962 the first-time All-Star hit .302/.399/.578 (157 OPS+) with 26 doubles, 7 triples, 38 homers, 117 RBIs, 120 runs, 96 walks, 15 steals, and a 5.8 WAR. He also picked up a second Diamond Defense award, looking like an all-around outstanding hitter and fielder at first. More of the same came in , 1963, a second All-Star and .284/.388/.535 (152 OPS+) line, coming with 26 doubles, 9 triples, 34 homers, 108 RBIs, 108 runs, 98 walks, and 19 steals. No Diamond Defense award, but it came with a 5.6 WAR, and it truly looked like Case was going to be putting up seasons like this until he turned 35.

Instead, he slipped a little at 25, down to .263/.348/.439 (125 OPS+), and buy next season he was moved to the bench and the season after a below average hitter. From 1966 on, he never again started more then 30 games, something he might have done in a month had it had 31 days and/or a few double headers. In all honesty, I have no idea how this could happen, as there were literally no signs that Case would dimmish like he did. In fact, he's played so little since the '65 season that his .270/.365/.455 (129 OPS+) career line is about what I'd have expected from him, just in like 2,000 less PAs. He still managed 136 doubles, 147 homers, 509 walks, and 84 steals, almost all before the '66 season, but I've never seen a career like his. If I had no connection to him, I'd have cut him already, but it will be real tough to hold on to a mid-30s first basemen who can't hit anymore. Theoretically, he could be optioned, but it would feel weird having a guy like him in the minors. One of the many things I'll have to determine come April, it's just so ironic how one of the guys I thought most likely to survive the fast-forward barely lasted two seasons.

At least he's still a Cougar?

C Chappy Sanders
Acquired: Via Trade with Washington (1960)
Drafted: 2nd Round, 17th Overall (1958)
1974: 35 G, 116 PA, .262/.328/.427 (112 OPS+), 12 R, 5 2B, 4 HR, 17 RBI, 0.6 WAR
Career: 1,113 G, 3,988 PA, .237/.297/.391 (100 OPS+), 405 R, 139 2B, 16 3B, 129 HR, 524 RBI, 17 SB, 17.9 WAR

It's really funny. We have two C. Sanders catchers who have a career OPS+ of 100. One is actually a good player, despite coming off a major injury, and the other is out longtime backstop who at 37 is at least still a capable backup catcher. A veteran of 1,113 FABL games, Chappy Sanders has been a solid Cougar catcher, but he never quite held on to our starting role. He did appear in over 100 games six times, but it was spread across 8 seasons and only once did he get above 550 plate appearances. Even when he was the regular, there was usually someone taking at bats from him, but it didn't impede his still respectable FABL career.

Best in 1967, his second of three All-Star seasons, he was worth an even 5 WAR in 137 games. Hitting .251/.317/.438 (131 OPS+) he set personal bests in WAR, runs (56), homers (21), OPS (.755), OPS+, WRC+ (132), and wOBA, starting a three year stretch where he was actually the guy in Chicago. Those 137 games were a low, as he maintained 500 PAs. Unfortunately, the third year saw his batting line dip to .215/.309/.422 (85 OPS+), allowing current starter Charlie Sanders to take over the role. Charlie has had up-and-down seasons, though he was outstanding in 1974, while Chappy took starts to keep him rested. The defense is fine and he actually hit a ton in 149 PAs in '72 (.312, 10, 20, 2), but it's clear his best days are behind him. Likely to start one more year on the big league roster, as our #3 catcher Sam Calhoun is the 37th ranked prospect and will be 25 in March. Ready to replace Chappy when needed, he still needs a little more polish, but he's probably already the better overall player. If Charlie struggles and Calhoun keeps hitting, it would be Chappy who takes the fall, but his passability in the corner outfield could be enough to avoid release.