[ayaghmour2]

Yes, I really, really, really, really can't help myself.

More trades!

This is the first one involving a player on our FABL roster, as I'm shipping the durable 3-Time All-Star Manny Espinosa and our highest ranked non-top 100 prospect Pedro Maldonado to the Wolves for first basemen John Baab. We kicked in $10,000 to account for some of the difference in salary, but our owner opened the purse strings once he realized Lorang and Babel would sell tickets and merchandise. Baab may not have that same effect, even if he is extremely popular, but for the first time in what feels like forever the Cougars lineup is going to be an issue for FABL pitching staffs.

Maldonado is the headliner, a 23-year-old with elite power, but man I want to win now and he was a 5th Rounder in 1973. He did hit his way up to AAA, and bashed 28 homers in just 62 games, but he's not FABL ready and has a gigantic hole in his swing. Losing Espinosa may hurt more in the short-term, he was a decent mid-to-back-end guy, but I want Jim Norris pitching in the five spot, and if that doesn't work we have a talented 22-year-old in Bill Bartlett down in AAA who Harry Carr already thinks is better then all our non-Alford pitchers. Personally, I don't buy it, especially compared to Hal Adams, but he's a mid-rotation guy who can step in if our rotation isn't as good as it appears. I am still very high on him, just more for '76 and beyond, as he's who the Cougars took with their 3rd pick last year.

Besides, Espinosa hasn't been the All-Star pitcher he was since 1970, where he went 11-11 despite an excellent 3.26 ERA (129 ERA+), 3.68 FIP (87 FIP-), and 1.23 WHIP, striking out 180 and walking 77. 34 of his 199 Cougar appearances (171 starts) came that year, and was in the front-middle of a 4-year stretch with at least 32 starts. He spent about half his career with us, 1,141.2 innings compared to the 1,147 he had as a Miner, finishing an even 64-64 with a 3.63 ERA (103 ERA+), 3.62 FIP (96 FIP-), and 1.30 WHIP. He walked 387 and struck out 702, and for the most part was a reliably average starter who could give length. A groundballer who sits in the mid-90s, he's an upgrade for the Wolves rotation, but we need far more then the bat.

I targeted Baab because Toronto's #2 player is a first basemen as well, 23-year-old former 1st Rounder Pat Kellison, and they were looking for an arm. 28 in May, the San Jose native was a first rounder himself, taken 9th by the Suns in 1969. He hit his way up to the majors for the 1972 season, but he just couldn't get a regular role. Appearing in 105 games, he started just 66 of them, but hit a productive .243/.322/.401 (116 OPS+) with 15 doubles, 8 homers, 35 runs, 41 RBIs, and an excellent 32-to-18 walk-to-strikeout ratio. Then in the offseason, they sent him and a teen aged outfielder to Toronto, acquiring a guy who they thought would fill their second base hole. It didn't quite work, as while Adolph Young hit .249/.329/.384 (101 OPS+) in 1973, it dropped all the way down to .221/.277/.320 (73 OPS+), and he dealt with month long injuries in both campaigns.

Meanwhile, Baab wasn't able to get the regular time he deserved, but he was still able to produce with the bat. In his first year with the Wolves, he appeared in 134 games, starting just over half the Wolves games at first (83). Despite a decrease in homers from 8 to 5, the overall production improved, as the 26-year-old hit .278/.378/.382 (119 OPS+) with 18 doubles, 33 RBIs, 46 runs, and 54 walks. In 1975, he finally got his chance to play more regularly, starting just over 83% of his appearances. He rewarded the Wolves with production, bashing to the tune of .313/.420/.488 (161 OPS+). Fully broken out, the only thing that could stop him was his head, as a major concussion ended his season on the second to last day of July. Worth 2.8 WAR in 308 PAs, he added 15 doubles, 9 homers, 47 RBIs, and 43 runs, while his 47-to-14 walk-to-strikeout ratio was reminiscent of Doc Love's first season as a Cougar.

As much as I know first hand how much a concussion can cause long-term issues, I'm confident that Baab won't have any lingering issues. It helps that Carr and OSA both think he's got the tools to be a premier hitter, while the position rankings have him tied for 5th (ironically with someone who's not tied for 5th so he's basically 6th). On top of that, the concussion is the only injury to keep him out for any length of time, as even a minor knee contusion in 1970 didn't keep him off the AAA field. A line drive hitter with an elite handle for the zone, a strong contact tool, and the power to go yard more then a few times, he's yet another piece we really lacked in 1974.

I'm not sure if Pug's going to put the lefty before or after Lorang, who's current fourth in the lineup. A 3-4-5 of Babel-Lorang-Baab could be one of the best as all three, as all three produced a WRC+ of 145 or better last season. The last time the Cougars had at least two with 300 PAs on the same team was 1963, with 24-year-olds Gene Case and Dode Caudill posting matching 151s. Two more were right there, Jack Gibson at 142 and Henry Watson at 141, but I could drop the qualifier to 140 and there's still no duo between these four and what I hope could be our 1975 team. You may not remember that '63 was our most recent season, but there's been a clear lack of offense in the Windy City. That's not going to be the case in 1975, as even though we're in the toughest division in FABL, I'm ready for this team to return to relevance. Superstars do not grow on trees, and once you grab hold of a 4-Time Whitney winner, you add whatever pieces you have to so he can thrive and conquer.

The lone downside is Bill Grimm's demotion to the bench, as before I thought contention was an option I planned on letting him return to a regular spot in the lineup. My former 1st Rounder had such a promising start to his career, but the torn meniscus in 1972 really derailed his career. Lasting just 51 games, he hit an outstanding .280/.362/.524 (167 OPS+) with 13 homers and 39 RBIs. The power is still there, but after his return he posted WRC+ of 95 and 87, and his defense at second is not great. He only started because Cleo Harris (28, .306, 4, 14, 1) had a leg injury of his own. If another injury ends his season early, Grimm does have a pathway back to second base, as his experience will give him advantage over some of our younger guys. Gene Homer may be the exception, as I was looking forward to seeing what he would do at third base. Now that's only an option in AAA, where I'd still like what he could do, but he's another 1B/2B who can hit homers. as a rookie, Homer launched 12 homers, and as a Chicago, but I don't think that's the floor. If he starts the season in the minors, he's pretty much staying there, so Grimm's best case is beating out his infield partner last year in the spring.