Chicago Cougars (FABL) - Page 83

ayaghmour2 · 04-23-2025, 01:31 AM

Weekly Record: 2-3
Seasonal Record: 94-68 (3rd, 18 GB)
Stars of the Week
Dode Caudill : 21 AB, 6 H, 2 HR, 3 RBI, .286 AVG, 1.062 OPS
Ken Stone : 1 Win, 9.0 IP, 2 BB, 8 K, 0.00 ERA
Jerry McMillan : 20 AB, 6 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .300 AVG, .841 OPS

Schedule
9-24: Win vs Wolves (0-8)
9-25: Loss vs Wolves (5-3)
9-27: Loss at Kings (2-6)
9-28: Loss at Kings (5-4)
9-29: Win at Kings (3-1)

Recap
I know this took forever but between life and no urgency I kept putting off the final week. Not because it wasn't very good, but because a season that could have been so good ended so, well, just ended in about as boring a fashion as it gets. That applies to the team, of course, not the players, as Dode Caudill took home his second Rookie of the Month, and while he already has my vote, the accolade could at least convince undecided voters to side with him. Hitting .382/.440/.725 (205 OPS+) in 27 September games, the 24-year-old hit 4 doubles, 5 triples, and 7 homers with 22 runs, 18 RBIs, and 12 walks. Ironically, his two steals were the fewest in a month this season, but he was on first so infrequently there wasn't much of a chance to steal. He still finished with 23, as our budding star ended up leading the CA with 130 runs and 17 triples.

A stat sheet stuffer, the Kellogg hopeful is a counting stat darling, totaling 206 hits, 29 doubles, 26 homers, 83 RBIs, and 67 walks. If you like the fancy stats, he finished with 6.7 WAR and a 149 WRC+ in 705 trips to the plate. Among Continental rookies he led in hits, total bases, steals, ISO (.222), and WPA (4.36), and then obviously runs and triples. Even when he isn't the leader, he ranks second in eight other categories, as the graduated 2nd ranked prospect displayed superstar capabilities. With him, Gene Case (.284, 34, 108, 19), Henry Watson (.313, 33, 119, 10), and a once again healthy Jack Gibson (.289, 39, 104), our offense will be a force to be reckoned with next season. Add in a Jerry McMillan (.272, 21, 77, 25) bounce back and perhaps one bat from the outside, and we can make noise in a hopefully far more competitive pennant race.

Despite Ken Stone's best effort, Hank Walker finished as the rotation's leader in ERA, winning the 162nd game of the season. Against the Continental champs he allowed just 1 run in 6 innings, scattering 4 walks and 2 hits while striking out 5. Effectively wild, he put together the second best season of his career, 14-5 with a 3.55 ERA (118 ERA+), 1.31 WHIP, and 121 strikeouts. 85 walks in 195 innings isn't too bad, and since he allowed less then a homer per nine he was able to survive at our cozy home park. He made up for struggles from three guys I thought would pitch well this season, but with our dominant pen we still finished second in runs allowed. Credit the defense if you want, but we're better then 18 out, and after getting swept by the Pioneers there's really only two way things go in Kansas City: they cup back batter then ever. Or remained stunned as the competition catches back up.

Stone finished the season with a shutout, his second of the season. His 29th start ended with 5 hits, 2 walks, and 8 strikeouts, and by going all nine he ended up leading the team with 201.1 innings. Far more then I expected this year, he rose to the occasion, going 13-7 with a 3.67 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. Add in 69 walks and 126 strikeouts and he completed what almost feels like a successful rookie season. Instead, the recently turned 24-year-old will enter the offseason before his fourth big league year on a high note. The same can be said for John Mitchell, who continues to make his case for a rotation spot next year. I do want to upgrade the rotation, but maybe I should look at the former 4th Rounder instead. Making 14 starts and 5 relief appearances, he was 7-3 with a 3.46 ERA (121 ERA+), 1.10 WHIP, 28 walks, and 63 strikeouts. The 11 homers in 109.1 innings won't play too well, but at least in his case his tended to come in bunches. As long as it's not a homer a game, you can sort of survive, and his groundball tendencies and ability to slow down the game makes him a good fit for our infield defense.

As expected, Gene Case set the Cougars single season team record for games played, appearing in all 162 of our contests. It did not effect his production one bIt, as the 25-year-old hit .284/.388/.535 (144 OPS+) with 108 runs, 26 doubles, 9 triples, 34 homers, 108 RBIs, 98 walks, and 19 steals. Sure, he was slightly better last year, but he still played nearly all the season and had a matching 149 WRC+ in just 27 fewer PAs. It's just this year Jack Gibson was back and Dode Caudill was remarkable, as there were plenty of guys who could get the job done. I think it says a lot about the dominance of past Cougar players that no other record was broken in the longest season to date, even if some may be in jeopardy. Expect a new home run record if Jack Gibson ever stays healthy, more then likely 140 games then anywhere near 162, and he was third with 39 in 117 this year. RBIs and saves are in reach, but in all honesty it will take a truly special player to break some of these franchise records.

I hope we have some of those on the way!

I also think this is the first season where the entire batting stats page fit on the browser without needing full screen. We didn't really use too many guys that year. I think that's a good sign. We're almost there I can just feel it.

Yes I know that's been said before... So has this: Go Cougars!

ayaghmour2 · 04-23-2025, 10:59 PM

I still eventually have to get to the minor league report, but it's almost good that I'll now have the new offseason rankings for them. Graduating our top prospect dropped us to 7th of 20, though we feature six top 100 prospects. Only one is in the top-20, but we have three in the 30s and are in much better shape then we were. Now it's 27 prospects ranked among the top 500, including 14 of the top 251.

Yes we obviously have 251. Here's how it all shakes out:

1. SS Bill Grimm (19th Overall): 2nd/22nd
2. RHP Hub Russell (30th Overall): 11th Overall Pick
3. CF Orlando Benitez (34th Overall): 3rd/39th
4. RHP Johnny Kern (35th Overall): 31st Overall Pick
5. LHP Jim Place (74th Overall): 6th/85th
6. C Raul Zamora (97th Overall): 5th/71st
7. RF Cliff Coleman (158th Overall): 8th/141st
8. C Clem Barney (159th Overall): 71st Overall Pick
9. CF Bill Reinhard (161st Overall): 9th/144th
10. 2B Ralph Tuomi (174th Overall): 91st Overall Pick
11. CF Phil Weeks (176th Overall): 211th Overall Pick
12. SS Art Strait (203rd Overall): 51st Overall Pick
13. RHP Tom McDaniel (214th Overall): 231st Overall Pick
14. RHP George Jones (251st Overall): 111st Overall Pick
15. CF George Clarke (254th Overall): 10th/181st
16. SS Bill Tannen (267th Overall): 7th/132nd
17. 3B Tony Nino (293rd Overall): 291st Overall Pick
18. CF Bob Adams (297th Overall): 131st Overall Pick
19. SS Horace Stewart (319th Overall): 171st Overall Pick
20. RHP Johnny Maples (355th Overall): 191st Overall Pick
21. RHP George Spencer (397th Overall): 22nd/436th
22. 2B Marv Sandau (415th Overall): 15th/356th
23. 2B Rafael Zambrano (432nd Overall): 17th/384th
24. RHP Herb Thomasson (471st Overall): Not Ranked
25. LF Doug Lang (479th Overall): 12th/324th
26. RHP Ed Wells (482nd Overall): 14th/345th
27. SS Sam Pratt (495th Overall): 20th/425th

12 of our 25 draft picks are apart of the offseason top 500, including 11 of our first 12 picks. The only one absent is Alex Perry, which doesn't really surprise me as he doesn't have great scout ratings and was a pure project pick of mine. With help from a deep class and the ability to actually make the picks, I have completely reinvigorated our system, and in the two short seasons back I have acquired more then half our ranked prospects.

ayaghmour2 · 04-25-2025, 07:25 PM

AAA Milwaukee Blues (Century League): 76-64 (.543), 2nd, 6 GB: A system in transition, we don't have many at bats going to veterans or talented prospects, so the Blues' 2nd place finish was actually the best among our affiliates. Below them there were plenty of holes, but at least in Milwaukee when there wasn't a useful prospect there was a FABLish player waiting to take the spot. But what really sets the Blues apart from the rest of the system is their star. Far from flashy, Ed Duncan is one of the best the Century League hast to offer, and he announced he'll be back for his aged 38 season. #1 or #2 in plenty of career categories, he hit an impressive .289/.384/.528 (155 OPS+) with 22 homers, 76 RBIs, 17 doubles, 82 runs, 76 RBIs, and 60 walks. Now in a Century League most and counting 1,648 games, he has collected 1,628 hits, 957 runs, 322 homers, and 1,019 RBIs. He'll catch Monroe Johnson in some of these categories, as this guy is almost a good player in disguise. If he was on an affiliated team in his prime, he'd have been a decent FABL player, but without the multiple 4+ WAR seasons he posted with regularity.

As big a part of the 2nd ranked offense as Duncan was, he contributed little to the 2nd ranked staff, as defense is not a part of his game. When he was here, John Mitchell (5-1, 1.41, 25) was awesome, but for the most part it was the veterans in Milwaukee that carried the staff. Former 5th Overall pick Jake Roberts (14-4, 2.52, 86) Was elite at 39, and we got great innings from Foster Sherman (8-7, 2.50, 102), Allen Brown (6-9, 3.12, 104), and Jack Thomas (6-2, 2.79, 52), and before his September callup Doc Cook (4-2, 12, 2.09, 42) was an anchor of the pen. 40-man roster members Bob Burdick (4-1, 7, 3.46, 49) and Phil Means (2-8, 13, 3.65, 46) were effective, as was Rule-5 eligible hurler Herb Thomason (3-1, 1, 3.70, 55), but it wasn't at the level of the big league pen. The lineup saw a lot of players get extended looks, with the best performances aside from Duncan coming from interrupted stints. Mooney Vetter (.302, 16, 63) and Chappy Sanders (.289, 11, 42) combined for just over one excellent season's worth of plate appearances. Unfortunately the only real young talent, Wayne Wilson (.249, 5, 27), saw his season end after a serious concussion in May. I'm hoping next year the Blues get a big year from Orlando Benitez and Bill Reinhard, with the chance for Bill Grimm to hit his way up. This team could be a real force, and there's some potential 40-man guys who weren't there this year to upgrade both sides.

AA Little Rock Governors (AA Dixie League): 74-56 (.529), 3rd, 9 GB): Home to the now 34th ranked prospect Orlando Benitez, the Little Rock Governors may not have been as good as the record indicated, though they were in the right tier in the Dixie League. While not a bad team, they weren't a real contender, as a lot of the heavy lifting was done by one guy. Almost 21, the former 1st Rounder hit .310/.420/.573 (162 OPS+) in an MVP quality campaign. Logging 20 doubles, 5 triples, 29 homers, 93 RBIs, 85 walks, 77 runs, and 14 steals, he was one of the league's most valuable players, providing his club with offense and defense. The supporting cast lacked thump, but Bill Reinhard's (.300, 17, 36) 60 fames were Benitez level, and in 89 games Cliff Coleman (.252, 17, 46, 13) impressed. When the three were together, the Governors were great, but Benitez was the only one who spent all season here. In the rotation Whitey Gates (5-5, 3.93, 53) and Humberto Fonseca (2-2, 3.30, 25) gave good starts, but I expected more from Sam Davis (12-9, 4.55, 167). I think all three will be back in 1964, and with a few adjustments the rotation can be a strength of the roster.

A Rockford Wildcats (Heartland League) 77-63 (.550), 3rd, 4 GB: Milwaukee may have finish closer to first ordinally, but it was the Rockford Wildcats who had the fewest games between them and first. Just four out, the 'Cats had a rough end to the season, dropping 23 of their last 50 games to fall out of first. In a sense, it's a simple cause, as both Bill Reinhard (.332, 12, 51, 4) and Cliff Coleman (.344, 14, 43, 3) finished their season in Little Rock and combined for fewer then 120 games. Another midseason callup, though in the Wildcats favor, 22nd ranked prospect Bill Grimm (.301, 11, 46, 8) was excellent after coming from San Jose, and WAR leader Sam Pratt (.327, 14, 72, 14) came up a few weeks earlier. Stuck in a sort of transition phase, the offense couldn't quite get rolling, and I imagine next season it will be Grimm at Pratt going up and someone else having to come up to cover. The staff was really good, led by the pen courtesy of Pep Allen (8-7, 14, 1.85, 82) and Floyd Lane (4-1, 3, 2.23, 51). Like with the lineup, plenty of guys came and went, with Humberto Fonseca (6-5, 2.90, 102), John Roberts (7-3, 3.50, 49), and Whitey Gates (5-5, 3.93, 53) all impressed in the 13 to 16 starts. There's a lot of question marks in the rotation this year, and in a year or two we'll start to see our new influx of prospects impact the middle of our system.

B San Jose Cougars (California-Oregon-Washington League): 83-57 (.593), 3rd, 6 GB: In terms of winning percentage, the Cougars were the best of our full season affiliates, though it was this level not the major league club. A bit of a surprise, San Jose was dealt with arguably the most roster churning, as early in the season I had to shuttle guys from La Crosse and back and then after the draft some underdeveloped guys were pushed up. Still, they competed all season long, scoring plenty of runs. Some of the full-season guys did well, as Rafael Zambrano (.328, 11, 58, 11) and Sam Morrison (.299, 11, 55, 12) has similarly solid seasons. Zambrano hit for a higher average and Morrison played better defense, as they were the rocks of the lineup. Pieces of Joe Gallerani (.380, 9, 24, 6), Sam Pratt (.350, 1, 6, 3), Bill Grimm (.301, 11, 46, 8), Josh Davis (.332, 6, 26, 5), and Raul Zamora (.279, 19, 58) filled in the gaps, as a collection of arms allowed just few enough runs to win some games.

C La Crosse Lions (Upper Mississippi Valley Association): 38-24 (.613), t-3rd, 4 GB: Despite no champs, we get all the way to the bottom of the system, and not a single below .500 record can be found! Our only .600+ affiliate, the Lions got hot at the end of the year, starting with a 21-7 August that almost brought them up to first. Thank Harry Cummins for that, as the Hank Williams of the UMVA hit .453/.562/.858 (216 OPS+) with 21 doubles, 5 triples, 20 homers, 63 runs, 79 RBIs, and 50 walks. Worth a tenth of a win away from 5 in just 61 games, I'm sure he set every record out there with his monster season, and finishes his 567 PA UMVA career with a .403/.527/.761 (200 OPS+) batting line. Farm from the only notable performer, 10th Rounder Johnny Maples (8-1, 1.72, 42) was flatout dominant, sporting an otherworldy 331 ERA+. In the league, even a ERA above 5 like Hub Russell's (4-3, 5.05, 45) was still 13% above average. Him and Johnny Kern (3-4, 4.08, 43) both survived their first tests, as did 7th Rounder Bob Adams (.336, 9, 50, 17). With a high school heavy draft, a lot of these guys will be back for another go, and if I draft well again we'll have a good group of prospects here ready to compete.

ayaghmour2 · 12-03-2025, 12:30 AM

So I didn't expect this until the exact moment I made this post but I guess after however long the Cougars are back! I was already planning to write for The Figment Sporting Journal which is way better because it contains a collection of the entire league's work, but I wasn't really planning on starting this back up. I've been busy and that won't change, so perhaps this was the perfect time to retire or scale back this report.

But I just can't resist. Even if all my players had bad careers and the true star of the franchise is the immortal Pug White. I just can't resist writing about the Cougars. Revivals are always exciting and I just enjoy this too much.

I'm not committing to any timeline or consistency, but Figment is starting sims again next week and I have control of the Cougars for the first time since 1963 and once I got back from vacation it truly set in how excited I was. Everything is different but Roger Alford is absurd and I guess it's cool that guys like Doc Griffin, Tom Holliday, and Henry Watson are still here. A lot of weird things have happened but at least Jerry Smith was a Hall-of-Famer. I was right to give him a ton of praise when I drafted him and I'm sure every other time I mentioned him. And yes, I did trade for Morty.

The current day is now January 1st, 1975, and that will continue to advance starting Monday. The organization is a mess and the Cougars suck, so despite a new franchise high in wins (99) in 1966, they haven't broke my annoyingly long playoff drought.

It does start to get easier, as their are four divisions of six now, but ours contains three 95-win teams. And again. The Cougars suck. Three of the last four years have had 88 losses or more, and the only reason that '66 team was good is most of those players were guys I drafted or brought in. A relatively blank slate will be interesting, and with the 2nd ranked farm system I can do pretty much whatever I want. Our scout sucks, so I'm not sure what. But at least we have some time before the draft.

This should be extremely fun even if all the stars of old are gone or on the edge. We'll see the twilight of Hank Williams career but Buddy Miller and Adrian Czerwinski have plaques. Frenchy Mack just gave it up when he got hurt. Just 33 and a year removed from his 6th Allen in 7 seasons.

He could have been the best. 2,766 strikeouts, 2.66 ERA (147 ERA+), 1.09 WHIP, 3 rings, and 6 All-Stars. 89.8 WAR. All before 32.

But that was it. That was it. Baseball was robbed.

Okay enough non-Cougar talk. There's plenty of room for that everywhere else. Roger Alford is our new Pete Papenfus. Tom Halliday has done a great Skipper Schneider impression. And I guess we cosplay as a retirement home? Not even in a bad way either. Pair of 250-win hurlers. I can't wait to see how the chaos plays out, but the one thing I can guarantee is that I am trying to break this pennant drought.

It's been far too long...

Edit: I left out the best part! Pug Bryan is the manager! I drafted him back in 2021! He's 61 and just a third year manager, but it would be awesome if our former draft pick is t he one who finally ends the drought. He had a costly outing in the infamous game six extra inning loss in 1941. Just like my Blue Jays, we blew a 3-2 lead, but losing all four games by a single run was far more painful.

Oh no please don't be an omen...

At least we were on the road? Completely unrelated!

ayaghmour2 · 12-03-2025, 10:47 PM

Let's just get the cat out of the bag. Pug White is immortal. And he may be a vampire. Not all of them are scared of the light and since it's a simulation there's no concrete evidence to turn to that's my current theory.

When I traded Sal Pestilli to the Saints in attempt for them to break their now broken title drought, I thought he would be the Hall-of-Famer (he's not) in the deal.

Instead, it might be the 44-year-old southpaw who is 13 games away from tying Allen Allen's FABL record. A 251-win pitcher who threw 230.2 innings in 1974, he's appeared in 13 or more games in 22 or more seasons, including his 2nd year when he made exactly 13 starts for the 1954 Cougars. You could raise the bar 25 and it covers the other 21, as the iron m an lefty has thrown 4,190.2 career innings pitched.

A successful starter and reliever, he's led the league in both starts (1955, 37; 1960, 35) and appearances (1964; 25), and in all cases it was one or the other. Of course there was times he'd do both, as he had success a few times as a swingman too. The initial plan is to keep him in the rotation, as at least to start I think the retirement home duo (Pug's shockingly not our oldest player) will get trips in the rotation. Far more then a gimmick, he's a year removed from a 2.81 ERA (136 ERA+) and in 34 starts this season he was 11-15 with 97 strikeouts and a 1.35 WHIP. The 3.86 ERA (98 ERA+) and 3.62 FIP (96 FIP-) were right around average.

A 7-Time All-Star, he's spent his entire career FABL career in Chicago, as the guy I wanted to draft is two wins away from the Cougars team win lead. His 206 losses are most, as our his 2,595 strikeouts, whiles he's 4th in saves (96), 2nd in starts (503) and WAR (72.6), tied for third with old pal Peter the Heater (153-133, 14, 3.54, 1,773) in shutouts (22), and the obvious all time innings and games leader. It's impressive how much he's give to the organization, and his #35 will be retired. That will be the seventh (try to guess the other six!) in franchise history, and it's a shame we didn't get too much of it. From 1959 to 1967 he was either a top of the rotation arm or a stopper, filling whichever role suited the team best. There's only so much more I can say about a 22-year-career, so instead of doing all that, here's the glorious final stats:

Name: Pug White.png
Views: 62
Size: 301.2 KB

Name: Pug White.png
Views: 62
Size: 301.2 KB

Just beautiful.

So good for so long.

Has to be a vampire. He tore his UCL as a rookie and still managed to do all of this.

Is cover was that it was a "partial" tear. Make it believable that he was absent when he was actually undergoing his transformation. Maybe just one incident before he got used to it. And now we'll get to watch how it all unfolds!

ayaghmour2 · 12-09-2025, 12:44 AM

We still haven't quite kicked off yet, giving me time to do most of the team previews for TWIFS, but also allowing me to introduce, or at least in this case, re-introduce some members of the 1975 team. There's obviously a chance players get traded or released, but for now here are some of the non-Pug White guys you may remember from the time before the fast-forward. There's too many for one post, so I'll put them out as we progress. I'd love to make some trades, but I imagine most of the roster will be the same unless a lot of attractive players become available on waivers. Even with an almost fill 40 there's a lot of guys I wouldn't lose sleep over losing, which gives you an idea of what we're working with at Cougars Park.

SS Tom Halliday
Acquired: Via Trade with Boston (1960)
Drafted: 2nd Round, 28th Overall (1957)
1974: 156 G, 643 PA, .256/.308/.361 (89 OPS+), 74 R, 27 2B, 2 3B, 10 HR, 61 RBI, 17 SB, 4.6 WAR
Career: 2,189 G, 8,980 PA, .267/.320/.364 (98 OPS+), 1,010 R, 333 2B, 69 3B, 106 HR, 739 RBI, 126 SB, 55.6 WAR

Our young exciting shortstop before the fast forward, Tom Halliday is still manning short for the Cougars, and the 36-year-old veteran is still one of the best there is. Ranked 5th among FABL shortstops, his defense hasn't seen any declines, producing a 19.1 zone rating (1.054) at short in 1974. Despite that, he's never been a Diamond Defense winner, but the former Minutemen draftee has been selected to 4 All-Star games, and he'll at least have a chance to compete for a 5th in 1975. It must have been nice for the AI not to have to worry about the shortstop position, as since his first full season in 1961 he's failed to appear in 150 games just once. Unfortunately 1974 ended with a major concussion, so it's not like he's never injured, but at least for now he's not likely to see his playing time go away.

Coming off a solid season, he actually stole a career high 17 bases, and set a career best WAR of 5.8 the year before. Never a top hitter, most of his value comes with the glove, but he holds a respectable .267/.320/.364 (98 OPS+) career line in over 2,100 games as a Cougar. A member on a few of our leaderboards, he's top-10 in WAR (8th, 55.6), games (5th, 2,189), at-bats (5th, 8,147), runs (5th, 1,010), hits (7th, 2,177), doubles (5th, 333), and walks (8th, 633). An absolute rock, I think he was best in 1965, as the then 26-year-old hit .305/.345/.427 (123 OPS+) with 23 doubles, 11 triples, 8 homers, 65 RBIs, and 76 runs. His bat is still quick, allowing him to put the ball in early and often, even leading to a career high 15-homer season last year. It's the only time he's gone further then 10, but the crafty shortstop is still one of the toughest outs. We may have his eventual replacement, recent 2nd Rounder and 22nd ranked prospect Carl Carroll, but his time isn't coming anytime soon. As long as Tom's got it, he'll be at shortstop, and if that slips and he can still hold his own second would look on him too. He's a team legend and will be treated as one, even if we missed most of the seasons he gave the team.

RHP Don Griffin
Acquired: Via Trade with Boston (1963)
Drafted: 1st Round, 7th Overall (1955)
1974: 0-3, 2 SV, 37 G, 66.2 IP, 3.78 ERA (100 ERA+), 1.09 WHIP, 18 BB, 30 K, -0.3 WAR
Career: 788 G, 283 GS, 2,578.2 IP, 3.17 ERA (125 ERA+), 1.18 WHIP, 688 BB, 1,769 K, 53.9 WAR

During the second revival, the one thing I really wanted to see through the career of Don Griffin, who went from stopper to Allen winning ace and back a few times. His best time came in Boston, but they're the ones that put him in the bullpen directly after an Allen. In 1960, Griffin started a Fed high 33 games and won a triple crown, 21-6 with a 2.01 ERA (215 ERA+) and 186 strikeouts. He also led in WHIP (0.92), K/BB (6.2), FIP (2.27), FIP- (52), and WAR (9.1), and despite being just 23 he was then moved to the pen. It was a full-time role the following year and part-time the next, but that's when I made the move to add him to our rotation.

It didn't go great, and once the AI took over he was back in the pen, but for three seasons he got to fill a full-time rotation role. The best was the final year, 1968, where he was 13-9 with a 2.69 ERA (115 ERA+), 1.12 WHIP, and 125 strikeouts. It's a shame he'll likely end up with just 283 starts, he got three more after the '68 season, as when he first came up he was just so dominant. Sure, he did really well in the pen, before, after, and between the starting jobs, but he was selected to six All-Star games by 25 and had multiple 8+ WAR seasons. He had three WHIP crowns and had impeccable command, consistently striking out farm more hitters then he walked. His 6.2 K/BB and 18.1 K%-BB% in 1960 were best in team history, and they rank inside the top-10 All-Time. His dominance was historic, but the career lines end up leaving plenty to be desired.

A veteran of 2,578.2 innings pitched, he's got an outstanding 178-112 record to go with 94 saves, holding a 3.17 ERA (125 ERA+) and 3.22 FIP (125 FIP-) that still resemble some of his peaks. Griffin has struck out 1,769 to just 688 walks, and has maintained a BB% below 10 his entire career. Just one year in the pen got him above 8.5, and his 11.1 K% this year was his second straight career low. It's sad that the version of him we have now can no longer make a difference, but since I don't really see us competing this season, I think I'll give him at least one more season in our pen. I'm hoping it pushes him closer to retirement, as I'd hate to cut him, but I can only handle so much losing and getting back in the swing of things will definitely get my trade finger itching. It's only a matter of time before we add an arm, and old 'Doc is right on the fringes.

3B Bill Grimm
Acquired: Via Draft: 1st Round, 10th Overall (1962)
1974: 127 G, 5.377 PA, .229/.283/.359 (81 OPS+), 51 R, 12 2B, 5 3B, 12 HR, 45 RBI, 17 SB, 0.5 WAR
Career: 1,319 G, 5,377 PA, .252/.349/.457 (136 OPS+), 741 R, 161 2B, 38 3B, 236 HR, 726 RBI, 119 SB, 33.4 WAR

We're coming up close to the 1975 draft, something I'm not all that prepared for, but I was when I made Bill Grimm our last first rounder before the fast-forward. That was way back in 1962, about two and a half years before his debut season, as he made the Opening Day roster in 1965. He quickly displayed the power I was expecting, bashing 33 homers with 83 RBIs, 87 runs, and 612 walks. His .238/.316/.466 (124 OPS+) batting line was well above average, but instead of shortstop most of his time was split between second and first. A 2-Time All-Star and Diamond Defense winner at first, he's made a solid career for himself, even if he's not the elite talent I once thought he could be.

Those have been the two positions he's played the most, as after a deal that I really wanted to happen didn't happen Grimm will play first base. A prestigious slugger, he's hit 30 homers four times in his career, but injuries and limited playing time have kept him from 20 in each of the last three seasons. A veteran of ten years, the now 31-year-old enters the season with 236 career homers, behind just Jerry McMillan (256) and teammate Henry Watson (283) in team history. He hasn't quite looked the same since a torn meniscus ended his 1972 season, but it's hard to complain about a career .252/.349/.457 (136 OPS+) line. The knee shouldn't be bugging him too much, he did steal 17 bases this current season, but the bigger concern is his drop in walks. His 7% BB% is the first sub-10 year of his career, and as recently as 1970 he led the Conti with 105. He's got 676 in 5,377 career plate appearances, but I'm betting on a rebound season now that he'll be in line for a consistent role.

ayaghmour2 · 12-09-2025, 10:36 PM

After I don't know how long, we finally had our first sim in the re-return, and just like any sim it was full of excitement! My favorite part is our new scout, as not only is he better then the old one in nearly every way possible, he's also the guy I took in the 10th Round of the 1938 draft.

Drafted in part due to his excellent defensive ability, he spent seven seasons in our system before being drafted into the war. When players returned he was 26 and without a spot, allowed to pursue a spot in the upstart Great Western League. He fought through a season and a half of their minor league ball, but debuted for the San Diego Conquistadores in 1948. Carr hit .262/.308/.410 (114 OPS+) with 8 doubles, 7 triples, 3 homers, 22 RBIs, 25 runs, and 14 walks in 228 trips to the plate. A productive year, he won the right field job next year, and rewarded San Diego with a .312/.360/.487 (130 OPS+) line. He clubbed 28 doubles, 16 homers, and 6 triples, scoring 77 runs and driving in 61.

Unfortunately for Carr, that was the last year the Great Western League was considered a major league, so nice salaries were no longer on the table. Knowing he wouldn't get a FABL chance, he stayed in San Diego, spending the next nine seasons in the GWL. Back as a minor league, the competition wasn't quite as competitive, but there were still tough pitchers he had to deal with. He produced five above average offensive seasons in a row, but a pair of injuries in 1953 started his decline. Even up to his final season in 1958, he played regularly in the Conquistadores outfield, finishing his career with 1,184 career games. His .280/.345/.419 batting line was well above average and he picked up 201 doubles, 51 triples, 91 homers, 574 RBIs, 560 runs, 117 steals, and 389 walks in his journey out west.

Now 55, this will be his first official coaching role with a FABL organization, though he spent time in advisory capacity for the still active GWL San Diego team. Now trying his hand out at scouting, he's outstanding when it comes to amateurs and will be thrown right into the fire a few weeks before the amateur draft. It will be complete chaos, so I'm not expecting many obvious hits, but I have a lot of faith in his eventual opinions. He's again outstanding for minor leaguers and excellent for big leaguers, and I've already sent him on a mission to take a look at some of the potential top picks in the draft. Eventually he'll get a read on some of the organization, but at least for the active roster OSA tends to be better. With a now maxed scouting and development budget we might back up and running quickly, understanding what works and what doesn't as we get reacquainted with our team and the rest of the league.

Carr wasn't the only move, as we hired a second coach in Yosuke Smith. A hitting coach out in Japan, he's one of the best at getting fundamentally sound hitters, and he's excellent for improving one's overall hitting. We now have a full and pretty capable staff, but there's still a lot of work to be done in the organization. There's one newly added free agent that I really want to sign and a few more that'd be nice on minor league deals. There might even be a potential prospect, as I decided to look at the few guys Carr had rated "High" for accuracy. 1975 could be a very big year for us, measured more in organizational gain then postseason success. A lot of effort will be put into the 1976 draft, something I'll have a little under a year to plan for.

ayaghmour2 · 12-14-2025, 05:53 PM

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.

ayaghmour2 · 12-14-2025, 09:37 PM

1st Round, 9th Overall: LHP Tom Brewer
School: Rabouin Falcons
1974: 2-0, 9 SV, 30.2 IP, 0.59 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, 6 BB, 52 K
Career: 2-0, 9 SV, 30.2 IP, 0.59 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, 6 BB, 52 K

This was one of the weirdest drafts I ever participated in, as I had basically a few weeks with only "Very Low" scouting reports to get me through it. I'd expect the draft to have many of misses and and a lot of late round steals, but it looks like there is plenty of elite talent to go around. A guy I really wanted didn't make it, but I was lucky enough to have only three guys taken from Carr's hastily put together first lists.

Our new scout is psyched about Tom Brewer, his 2-B on his 10 pick first round list, and he's probably the second or maybe even first starter I'd take. What gives me hope that this is a deep class and not that Carr is just wrong is that all the guys I checked that got drafted have glowing reviews, it's just this early in the season the in-game lists give you a lot less to work with. Our second and even third round picks could be legit stars, but I think our "Divine" new arm has a good chance to lead a rotation.

18 in May, he's a perfect 18-0 in two years of high school starts, working to a 0.78 ERA , 0.72 FIP, and 0.71 WHIP in nearly 200 innings pitched. The Jersey native has 322 strikeouts to just 29 walks, with the command really sticking out. Never expected to walk many players, Brewer can live on the edges or force swings out of the zone. Even better, he's a classic groundballer, wielding an excellent high 80s sinker. That and the change are already good enough to fool FABL hitters, but the splitter is the real key. With a real whiff generator he could pretty much only throw it out of the zone, making it look like the change up most guys are getting each at bat. The lefty also has a fastball, which effectiveness will be increased if he can get up to the low-90s, giving him another path to dominating big league hitters.

Most interesting is his personality, as between innings the young hurler takes swings in the batting cage. He's no Max Morris, winning 83 games long before he reached 711 home runs, but pitchers do have to bat and it really gives a nod to his work ethic. It gives me faith that he'll come close to his lofty ace potential, and positions himself as a prime development lab target in the offseason. He's without weaknesses, but if I could hurry up his control development he could be in Chicago before he turns 21. I know my scout doesn't know much yet but OSA loves him, and he fits our stadium so well. Even with the reigning Allen winner Roger Alford (27, 17-9, 2.35, 139) I think Brewer is going to be the eventual #1. This stuff is explosive and he doesn't allow homers, and now you know there's going to be a strong middle infield defense with myself back at the wheel. Health and stamina are two question marks we'll never know, but it feels like that's the only thing between him and stardom.

I'd love to get a bat in the second, but there's a lot of time between 9 and 33. Even at 22 I have five guys left on Carr's initial list and there's a lot more then just that to like. It will be interesting to see how many of the initial guys I scouted I can land, but there's a real good chance almost anyone can turn into a pumpkin by June. Our new southpaw has one of the lowest chances, and I'd love to see what's said about him once his latest report comes in.

ayaghmour2 · 12-15-2025, 12:53 PM

2nd Round, 33rd Overall: CF Joe Williams
School: Regis Raiders
1974: .477/.657/1.073, 169 PA, 27 2B, 7 3B, 8 HR, 39 RBI, 8 SB
Career: .468/.662/.1.036, 402 PA, 60 2B, 16 3B, 17 HR, 83 RBI, 17 SB

I still don't know if it's a bad thing that my scouts top-10 list still had 4 people left come pick 33, or the fact that only one member of his top-5 has been taken by someone other then us, but hey! Two guys in the top five! And 2A and 4 still waiting for pick 57. I'd wager they're both gone by then, but with so much elite talent in this draft class we'll still get another legit player with our next selection.

It generally doesn't take me too long to make my picks once I'm up, but I really wavered on this one. The best players had their question marks, the guys playing positions I like had far less upside, so in the end I decided to go with "Smokey," a center fielder in name only. Set to be a three year starter at Regis, the New York native has explosive tools, a plus-plus hit tool and at least above average power, but really makes him an elite hitter is his discipline. Sure, it's only against high school pitchers, but in 402 plate appearances he has just 22 strikeouts compared to 118 walks. Paired with elite slug, he's got a 1.697 high school OPS, and that rare combination of discipline, lack of whiffs, and legit power are something you just can't find easily.

Defense is something we'll have to worry about at a later date, though I can almost guarantee you he won't spend any time in center for us. Don't get me wrong, I'd love if he could even semi-passably play there, but despite his position he doesn't have a rating in center, instead with ratings at first, left, and right. Despite the bat, part of why I didn't want to take Williams in the first, or even second round, is we have another corner bat in last year's 1st Rounder and the 28th ranked prospect Ralph Russell. Like Smokey he walks a lot and has a great hit tool, but his power is on another level. Sure, the new guy has the better eye. Significantly. But did we really need another bat-only guy? Far too early to answer that question, but with all the offensive talent Williams has and the slight chance his CF position means he'll at least be a plus-plus defender in the corner, it's more then worth the risk, as we were able to add another legit cornerstone to help fill a wider open corner outfield position in Chicago that right now is filled by a 36-year-old Henry Watson. No prospect is a guarantee, but between Williams and Russell we should have at least one of the big bats our team so desperately needs.

ayaghmour2 · 12-15-2025, 10:56 PM

LF Sam Morrison
Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 76th Overall (1960)
1974: 160 G, 677 PA, .267/.318/.354 (90 OPS+), 83 R, 28 2B, 4 3B, 6 HR, 48 RBI, 24 SB, 1.8 WAR
Career: 1,228 G, 5,088 PA, .277/.335/.405 (118 OPS+), 582 R, 240 2B, 39 3B, 92 HR, 530 RBI, 125 SB, 26.4 WAR

You may not remember Sam Morrison, but the then 20-year-old was an interesting prospect when I took over for the quick original revival. Now one of our few good pieces, he's carved out a solid career as a FABL outfielder, expected to make more then 140 starts for the eight consecutive season.

By all meanings of the word 1974 was a down year, but he did salvage it with a career high 24 stolen bases. Always a threat on the diamond, he's picked up double digits in each full season of his career and 15 or more in 4 of the last 6 seasons. Now 32, the 3-Time All-Star has 125 to his name, presented with a .277/.355/.405 (118 OPS+) batting line and 26.4 WAR. Debuting to a cup of coffee in 1966, he was best in his first three full seasons as a starter, but even his "down" years have seen WRCs+ of 98 and 96. 1970 gets the nudge as best season due to the All-Star selection, as the then 27-year-old hit .291/.362/.518 (143 OPS+) with 41 doubles, 11 triples, 24 homers, 95 RBIs, 98 runs, and more walks (65) then strikeouts (59). Unlikely to repeat that, he's still good for at least a 115 WRC+, and that's a huge plus in a lineup with as many weaknesses as ours. Add in the speed and ability to play either corner outfield spot well, and you see quickly why he's one of our most valuable players.

3B Cal Randall
Acquired: Via Trade with Kings (1963)
1974: 28 G, 40 PA, .135/.179/.270 (26 OPS+), 3 R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, -0.2 WAR
Career (FABL): 1,260 G, 4,095 PA, .271/.322/.394, 4,095 PA, 144 2B, 13 3B, 95 HR, 493 RBI, 5 SB, 15.1 WAR
Career (CHC): 938 G, 2,847 PA, .268/.316/.390 (104 OPS+), 289 R, 100 2B, 7 3B, 67 HR, 348 RBI, 3 SB, 16.5 WAR

Acquired on a busy day that brought Doc Griffin to town, Cal Randall was picked up for a package that brought Dutch Miller to the Pioneers. He spent just a season with the then Kansas City Kings, just as Miller did with the Pioneers, hitting .287/.336/.443 (104 OPS+) with 19 doubles, 11 homers, and 54 RBIs. A little better then the only season of three he played much with St. Louis, I was hoping Cal could stabilize a position for us or at least provide Jack Gibson insurance.

His debut with the Cougars wasn't great, hitting just .267/.305/.384 (89 OPS+), but a strained Achilles really seemed to impact him far after he was deemed healthy. I didn't get to enjoy it, but with a full offseason of rest he had a career year, slashing .306/.364/.450 (133 OPS+) with 17 doubles, 18 homers, 70 runs, and 85 RBIs. Selected to his first and only All-Star game, he was worth a still career high 5.1 WAR in the clear peak of his career. Now 38, he hasn't had as good of a WRC+ (127) or OPS+, and his homers, runs, RBIs, walks (51), average, OBP, and slugging have never been as high. In most cases it wasn't close, but he gave us two more solid seasons before his demotion to a bench role.

39 in April, he could be one of the first players released, as he hasn't started double digit games since his 39 in 1969. The two-time Diamond Defense winner hasn't looked bad in limited play, so he could still get some late inning defensive opportunities if Gene Homer (25, .273, 12, 61, 1) hits but can't handle the hot corner. Last year's starter Pablo Vazquez (35, .240, 13, 57, 1) was a statue, leading allowing Randall to replace him late, but his power is way more valuable off the bench. Out of options, we could try to pass him through waivers, but at this point in his career I'm not sure he wants the minor leagues. A veteran of over 4,000 plate appearances, his WRC+ (99) is just a percentage point below average, and his reliable defense has led to a nice chunk of his 15.1 WAR. Even if the line does end here, he did exactly what he was supposed to when I traded for him, and it's cool he's still around many years later.

RHP Hub Russell
Acquired: Via Draft: 1st Round, 11th Overall (1963)
1974 (AA): 7-5, 35 G, 55 IP, 2.45 ERA (176 ERA+), 1.25 WHIP, 28 BB, 41 K, 1.0 WAR
Career (FABL): 1-0, 3 SV, 18 G, 30.1 IP, 2.37 ERA (146 ERA+), 1.25 WHIP, 13 BB, 18 K, 0.4 WAR

Finishing things off is a guy I took in the first round who ranked as high as #2 on the prospect list, as my most recent first rounder before yesterday was actually Hub Russell. A guy who everyone thought would be an ace, he never really got a chance, as parts of three seasons and a DFA led him to toil away in our minor league system. Quickly becoming our highest ranked prospect, he had great stuff, and just like the guys I drafted this week well along for his age. OSA and Dixie Marsh viewed him as a frontline starter, and it seemed like we had found our ace for the foreseeable future.

I couldn't tell you what made him go from stud to bum, but I can tell you that I'm glad that I didn't have to experience his fall-off first hand. When I left him he was coming off a nice debut in the then C-Ball, eventually debuting for 3 games in 1968. 13 in 1969 and 2 more in 1970 will likely compose the entirety of his FABL career, as despite solid results he just never got a chance to pitch in a rotation. Allowing just 25 hits, 8 runs, and 13 walks with 18 strikeouts in 30.1 innings, he had a solid ERA (2.37, 146), FIP (3.07, 84), and WHIP (1.25), but by then the prospect shine had long worn off. Peaking at the #2 ranked prospect in 1966, he didn't even graduate in the top-100, but there's no injury to point to. He even had some successful dev lab roles, but once his velocity went down he went from the new hot commodity to filler depth and a good clubhouse figure.

ayaghmour2 · 12-16-2025, 09:42 AM

3rd Round, 57th Overall: RHP Ed Thompson
School: Cazenovia Lakers
1974: 7-2, 94 IP, 2.11 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 19 BB, 107 K
Career: 21-6, 271 IP, 1.86 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 58 BB, 338 K

Harry Carr must absolutely love his job, as not only is he getting paid a ton of money by the team that drafted him to help with future drafts, but he's getting almost every player on his wishlist. We got his 2B with our first pick, and now his 2A comes with our 3rd Rounder. 3 of his 5 players in the top five have been selected, and a fourth may be who we take in the 4th Round!

Going in the third is another potential ace, though I'm not as high on Ed Thompson as Carr is, or say I am (obviously) on Brewer. A little more of a project, the four-year starter at Cazenovia had a career worst 2.11 ERA as a junior, and one of the 4 home runs he allowed was to 2nd Rounder Joe Williams. That'll mess the stats up a little bit, but unlike Brewer Thompson has been just regular dominant, not the step above that a lot of star pitchers are. Still great, he went 21-6 with a 1.86 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in 37 starts, and we'll be closely watching how the school's most accomplished hurler finishes his career. Set to be the first pitcher in school history to be drafted, he's struck out at least 100 hitters in at least 80 innings, and I'd expect more of the same in '74.

One of the most interesting pitchers in the pool, Thompson relies way too much on his change up, but it's hard to blame him. Simply put it's elite and is probably enough to get him to the big leagues for at least a mop-up role, but it's not what makes me most excited about him. That would be the screwball, which could be a pitch he throws for strikes. Since the still 17-year-old doesn't throw very hard, it can almost work like a knuckle ball, and he way he throws it there's almost no ability to hit a home run. He's not without anything hard either, his mid 80s cutter is located well, and with a splitter and knuckle curve you can't just sit change up. Already a two pitch pitcher, he has an advantage on most of the other guys in his class. Carr and OSA both think he'll be an ace, I think that's too generous, but he's a great #2 and anywhere lower your rotation is really good. Soft-tosses are thriving in a lower power environment, and when you get swings and misses it doesn't matter how quick the radar gun reads.

4th Round, 80th Overall: CF Phil Ransom
School: Riverdale Quakers
1974: .464/.545/.877, 190 PA, 33 2B, 8 3B, 5 HR, 45 RBI, 25 SB
Career: .466/.558/.930, 548 PA, 109 2B, 26 3B, 15 HR, 131 RBI, 67 SB

I was three picks off of getting four of Carr's top five, and as much as I wanted a shortstop now that he was gone I decided to double up again, matching the pitchers in the odd rounds with center fielders in the even rounds. This one is actually capable of playing there, as we grabbed our fourth high schooler and second four year starter. The trade off for the glove is a less scary bat, but he's still hit an impressive .466/.558/.930 for his Illinois high school. A Wilmette native, he's a true athlete who has loud tools. The speed translates to steals and defense, as Harry calls his defense "phenomenal" and OSA gives him "outstanding" and very low risk. Set to be his calling card, he could challenge for Diamond Defense awards, and even though we have a winner in his prime already, you can never have too much depth and Ransom just turned 17.

I don't want to undersell the bat either, as the defense alone isn't what projects him as potentially elite. He produces with extra base hits instead of homers, as he can beat out light hits and stretch singles into doubles. Despite his K% jumping from the 4s to 7.4, he should excel at putting the ball in play, as there is minimal swing and miss in his game. At least a plus contact hitter, he should be the perfect bat to lead a deep order. I think our new scout is a bit too ambitious with him, as I'm not expecting an elite hitter, but even OSA thinks he'll make multiple trips to the All-Star game. I'm not quite sure I understand his bat, but I'm very much looking forward to getting him into the organization. We have legit zero center field prospects, with just two players in the prospects only section of our depth chart. One is okay, Andy Alexander our 2nd Rounder from 1973, but Ransom will get the good fortune of no one in his way. He can take all the time he needs to too, and even if he doesn't rank among the game's top 100 prospects his development will be closely followed.

ayaghmour2 · 12-16-2025, 07:54 PM

Before getting to the next crop of draftees, we did have another sim, which led to another extension. As opposed to the Halliday deal which was about affordability, this one was all about prolonging (although it saved money too), as we gave Pug White $44,000 if he decides to return for the 1976 season. 45 in June, he could still retire, but I figured an extra year on his contract makes it way less likely. 2 wins from the Franchise lead, he's 36th overall and 5th among active players. He's also 13 appearances away from matching Allan Allen's 914, though 891 of his were starts. Pug is at 503, so relieving certainly helps, though his 4,190 innings are still good for 39th and only 12 of the guys ahead of him even threw a single inning after 1940. It's a different game now, but Pug's longevity is still a rarity, and I'd be surprised if anyone comes close to it ever again.

5th Round, 105th Overall: SS Bill Ketchum
School: Plymouth Vikings
1974: .442/.520/.742, 196 PA, 32 2B, 3B, 5 HR, 46 RBI, 9 SB
Career: .462/.549/.775, 388 PA, 66 2B, 3 3B, 9 HR, 87 RBI, 19 SB

The guy I really wanted, Vern Ladd, was taken 2nd in the 5th Round, but it at least saved me from taking three pitchers with our first five picks. I then went to an old reliable, a young and athletic shortstop named Bill Ketchum.

18 in April, he's certainly not the best available prospect, just above average compared to the still elite crop, but he's a lot more valuable then what is left for us. A Virginia native who went to school in North Carolina, Ketchum has started two seasons on the varsity squad, hitting .462/.549/.775 with 54 walks, 78 extra base hits, and 126 runs scored. A capable defender despite minimal foot speed, he was worth just a hair shy of 8 WAR in 77 games, and he should have the glove to stick in the middle infield. It may be second instead of short, but at least for now he'll be getting regular reps at short. Our fifth high schooler, he has a bat I am very excited for, giving us another high-upside prospect with an elite hitting tool. Projected to have tools that will lead him to be an extraordinary contact hitter, expect high batting averages and miniscule strikeout rates, but don't expect power. I'd love for that to come, especially with his slowness, but it's not something I'm banking on. It also won't determine whether he can start in the majors, that's dependent on the glove and eye, but at 6'2'' his frame at athleticism could lead to more pop as he matures. Shortstop is not an issue for us long-term, Halliday has it locked up now and 18-year-old top-25 prospect Carl Carroll has the quality defensive skills I so admire, making Ketchum a risk that doesn't feel all that risky.

6th Round, 129th Overall: RHP Tom Ballard
School: Bouckville Yellowjackets
1974: 4-0, 2 SV, 58 IP, 0.62 ERA, 0.69 WHIP, 13 BB, 112 K
Career: 10-2, 2 SV, 127 IP, 0.85 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, 27 BB, 228 K

Easily the most interesting pitcher in the draft I just couldn't keep passing up Tom Ballard. I don't even care if he ends up pitching a single FABL game, but he's the absolute softest tosser and my scout still thinks he can anchor a rotation. 18 in May, some of his fastballs sill register in the 70s but his pinpoint command makes up all the difference. Another guy who keeps the ball on the ground, the New Yorker is a sinkerballer who rolls up grounders like no-ones business, as the pitch just flutters through the zone and out of harms way. Impossible to elevate, his pitches start low and stay low, but for now none of them are really that good.

Stuff is the obvious issue, and why he's still available, but even OSA thinks he can be a #3. He's the guy I picture with ratings has like 85+ for both movement and control potential, and since he's at least a projected future starter the stuff can't be that bad. The gap between the currents and potentials are probably immense, but it's just hard to not be enamored with what could be. As a junior he excelled, working to a 0.62 ERA, 0.69 WHIP, 0.29 FIP, and 8.6 K/BB, but a lot of his time came out of the pen. We'll let him start regardless of results, but there's a very real chance he ends up in a bullpen.

7th Round, 153rd Overall: 3B Al Hall
School: Hopkinton Falcons
1974: .464/.566/.781, 191 PA, 34 2B, 3B, 4 HR, 45 RBI
Career: .473/.576/.797, 91 2B, 6 3B, 12 HR, 128 RBI

We stuck with the theme of prep picks, selecting the recently turned 18 Al Hall. Set to be a four year starter at his Rhode Island high school, Unfortunately for him, a lot of his numbers have been on a downward trend, which contributed some to his slip. An athletic third basemen, OSA calls him a potential key regular while Carr goes for cornerstone player, with plenty of love placed on his bat. While not a slugger, he does have projectable power, which would be lethal with his plus-plus contact potential. He hits the ball to all fields with his short swing, using his knowledge of the strike zone to determine the direction of his hits. That includes out of play if it's a pitch he can't handle it, allowing him to work counts and force mistakes. Unlikely to strikeout, he's great when you need to move a runner. He can then make the difference on the dirt, as he defends his position well. Another guy far from the majors, we went with upside over immediate impact, but without much to go on there really are no safe bets.

ayaghmour2 · 12-16-2025, 11:54 PM

8th Round, 177th Overall: 2B Charlie Reader
School: Norwich Wildcats
1974: .447/.527/.827, 184 PA, 34 2B, 3B, 7 HR, 46 RBI, 2 SB
Career: .466/.551/.840, 390 PA, 69 2B, 3 3B,14 HR, 95 RBI, 4 SB

I promise this wasn't on purpose -- the guy I really wanted in this draft was a college player after all -- but we did continue to end up with high school players. The first of two more bats, we're starting to get to the point where OSA and our scout disagree on players. Despite that, Charlie Reader is a very interesting prospect, as Harry Carr likes his raw power. I'm not expecting him to be the impact player Carr expects, but I absolutely love the bat, making this almost a first base type of pick. The power will determine his impact, but he's got a great approach and outstanding bat-to-ball skills. I'm willing to sacrifice strikeouts for power, but right now he's hitting homers without any. I'm interested to see how he can handle second base, but aside from his athleticism there's nothing to suggest he's more then just solid. That shouldn't be an issue, as we got him for the bat and I think it will be more then enough to get him to Chicago.

9th Round, 225th Overall: RHP Willy McBreen
School: Shamokin Phoenix
1974: 4-1, SV, 62.1 IP, 1.73 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 14 BB, 82 K
Career: 13-3, 2 SV, 187 IP, 1.68 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 36 BB, 246 K

A pitcher who pitches for a school that looks like it's preannounced smoking phoenix, the lean, mean, Willy McBreen is looking to make a statement in his senior year. As both a starter and reliever, he's pitched almost a FABL season's worth of innings, 187 of them spread between 23 starts and 21 relief appearances. Despite that, I'm very confident in his abilities to start, as I think it's more reflective of his current arsenal. Set at four pitches, he's still looking for a best pitch, and all four are worthy candidates. I hope it's the curve, as what does impress so far is the movement on the pitches. The hard worker's natural motion keeps him out of the heart of the plate, and his command is a key part of his game. Able to keep pitch counts lows and guy's behind in the count, he's hard to get rallies off, and if he finds out his pitch mix he could actually be the #2 Harry Carr is predicting.

10th Round, 225th Overall: CF Harvey McDade
School: Peabody Highlanders
1974: .455/.528/.799, 161 PA, 29 2B, 4 3B, 3 HR, 34 RBI, 10 SB
Career: .462/.545/.839, 528 PA, 97 2B, 14 3B, 13 HR, 119 RBI, 28 SB

More Mcs to finish, as I went against my better instinct and took the bat over another pitcher. One with concerns too, as former center fielder Harry Carr doesn't really see Harvey McDade as a center fielder, despite his position and OSA's report saying otherwise. Harry is taking another look, so I shouldn't get too ahead of myself, and instead appreciate how OSA and Carr both love the bat. A final four year starter to finish things off, McDade hit 110 extra base hits, drew 75 walks, and scored 187 runs in 528 plate appearances. Above average power is what brings you in, but his ability to hit to all fields is what makes you stay. A potential middle of the order hitter, he hits the ball often and with authority, and could be a nightmare to get out. I'm hoping that's not the case with the defense too, but he should hit enough to keep himself in the plus column.

ayaghmour2 · 12-18-2025, 10:31 PM

As you all know that I just absolutely cannot help myself, I made a very big trade and maybe even the biggest trade I've ever made. It's been so long I'm not really sure.

But it is a doozy!

As I'm prone to, I added yet-another third basemen in his 30s like I did with Joe Masters, John Lawson, Walt Pack, and Hal Wood, and tried to with Lloyd Coulter in a trade that happened but didn't really happen.

Though you could put all of those guys together in their primes and it wouldn't even come close to as talented as prime Tom Lorang. They're not measurable. He's just on another level both offensively and defensively. Even at 20 he was in a class of his own, and I have know concerns that the 33 till August superstar will continue to be that until the sad day in baseball history that he eventually retires.

The only guy older then 30 in the top-10 and behind just the two Atlanta (former Pittsburgh Miners) 26-year-old superstars Al Hubbard (.341, 12, 73, 28) and Howard Smith (.312, 20, 106) OSA doesn't think their is anyone better. I'm bias, I think he's better then Smith, but Hubbard is basically what if Tom Lorang played second instead of third and was born almost exactly seven years later. I mean literally. Hubbard is August 4th and Lorang is August 5th. I'm thinking it has to do with leap years or the universe thought they were slick having a superstar tear up the Fed in his own unique way.

Lorang will now get to dominate an Association he's never really faced, as Washington rewarded his elite play with a grand total of one postseason appearance in 15 years. I'm hoping to quickly rectify it, as even though we aren't really a good team, we have great pitching and a brand new shiny toy that most franchises only dream about. Yes, the age is up there, but the 12-Time All-Star, 10-Time Diamond Defense Winner, and most importantly, 4-Time Whitney Winner, is still a superstar. Worth 7.8 WAR in 158 games, our new third basemen hit .282/.403/.469 (147 OPS+) with a Fed high 115 walks. Adding 17 doubles, 6 triples, 25 homers, 104 RBIs, 91 runs, and 18 steals. Most hitters dream of production like that, but for the former 2nd pick and 3rd prospect that doesn't even get a mention in his career summary.

On five separate occasions Lorang has had an OPS+ of 200 or higher, including four WRC+ and a fifth at a Fed-best 192. Depending on your favorite stat, he had many "best" seasons, with 42 homers and 143 walks in 1970, a 202 WRC+ in 1962, the 214 OPS+ in 1969, or any of the other world-class performances he put together. My favorite was his 1963, his first of the four Whitneys. 22 that August, Lorang led the Fed in all three triple slash categories, hitting an almost laughable .378/.461/.650 (201 OPS+) with 35 doubles, 17 triples, 35 homers, and 128 RBIs. Those 17 triples were a Fed best too, as were the 147 runs, 201 WRC+, .471 wOBA, and 12.4 WAR. Ironically he hit a little better the year before, batting .386/.475/.688, with the OBP, slugging, and resulting OPS franchise bests, but this year was his most complete. A mainstay on the leaderboards, he's been the best in runs four times, doubles once, triples a second time, homers once, RBIs twice, average three times, OBP eight times, slugging four times, OPS five times, WRC+ three times, wOBA four times, and WAR three times.

In Eagles team history his OBP (.418), slugging (.552), OPS (.970), WAR (125.4), runs (1,602), hits (2,609), doubles (418), homers (448), RBIs (1,475), and walks (1,488) are team records. I almost feel bad taking him away, but the Cougars need a star and they want to rebuild, and I think he deserves a title and will do everything I can to build around him. An all-time great, he's 13th in WAR and the active leader, and unless Harry Swain (1,681) takes it first I think Ed Bloom's walk record (1,789) is nearing it's end, as Lorang could easily draw 2,000. A month away from 1,500, he's walked in 15.1% of his career plate appearances and drew a Fed best 115 last season. He's walked 85 or more times in each of the last thirteen seasons and should easily pass that number this year. Our lineup is not (yet) as strong as I'd like it to be, so expect plenty of free passes.

I won't waste too much time on the prospects I moved as I had little connection to them, and figured this was the best time to tap into the second ranked farm in the game. All three guys ranked inside the top-200, led by top-30 prospects Ralph Russell (28th) and Hank Oliver (30th). Both still teens, they're far from the big leagues, and I need this Cougar team to win now. They have star upside I may regret, but they'll head to the Fed where we really won't have to worry about them. I think Joe Williams is going to be the same type of player as Russell, hopefully better, and pitching prospects can just be so tough. Sure, Oliver was the 13th pick last year and looks like an ace, but I really like the arms we brought in from the draft. I'm lucky we have plenty of depth to absorb this, and now I really wish a deal that I had agreed to earlier in the offseason went through.

This offense would have been really great!

Back to the drawing board?

Oh I am so glad we are back!

ayaghmour2 · 12-19-2025, 01:22 PM

One of the players I really was mad that the Cougars got rid of was one of my favorites from before the fast forward, Jerry McMillan. Taken by the Cougars with the 6th pick of the 1954 draft, McMillan was a top-25 prospect who debuted for the Cougars in 1958 and was a mainstay in the Chicago lineup for a decade and a half. In 1973 he was eventually moved to the bench, and then quickly traded to the Imperials for a pair of prospects we have in low-A Yakima. His Imperial tenure was short, 30 games last year and 65 this past year. When human GMs took over, McMillan was one of the many Jan 1st cuts, and after about a month of mulling my offer he returned to the team where it all started.

A veteran of 2,363 games -- 2,268 and counting as a Cougar -- he was best early, picking up hardware in three of his first four seasons. 2 All-Stars and the 1958 Kellogg, when he first came up he was an elite contact/speed player who looked to be one of the young stars in the league. At 21 the Canadian hit an impressive .311/.357/.471 (129 OPS+) with 76 runs, 16 doubles, 7 triples, 18 homers, 78 RBIs, 41 walks, and 18 steals. No All-Star in 1959, but he had a 5 WAR season with a 129 WRC+, 21 steals, 30 doubles, 19 homers, 90 RBIs, and 107 runs. He followed that up with his two All-Star appearances, even if they weren't his best two seasons, but ;61 was at least close. The then 24-year-old blasted a career high 28 homers, batting .314/.376/.498 (133 OPS+), collecting 112 runs, 28 doubles, 81 RBIs, 63 walks, 23 steals, and a 5.9 WAR.

After a down year in 1963, he had what I would say was his best season, worth a career high 6.1 WAR while leading the Conti with 10 triples and 29 steals. Close to the '61 season, he hit a strong .298/.350/.451 (128 OPS+) with 27 doubles, 17 homers, 71 RBIs, 111 runs, and 52 walks. Just 27, it looked like his career had nowhere to go but up, but instead, it's the end of his peak. He dropped to a 3-WAR player the next two seasons, and in the eight years after he failed to even reach 2. The offense was mostly average or a little better and the defense started to slip, but he was and continued to steal bases. With 7 in just 124 PAs and 65 games last year, he's up to 334 in his career, and his 323 steals are third in Cougar history.

With us he's hit .280/.333/.418 (113 OPS+) and been worth less then a win shy of 50. Impressive overall numbers, it's hard to expect that of him since he turns 38 in April, but he's a franchise favorite and he deserves to get one more chance in Chicago. As is, he'll replace Henry Watson as the starting right fielder, looking to add to his team marks. He's at 300 doubles, 84 triples, 256 homers, 979 RBIs, 692 walks, and 1,326 runs, numbers that rank among the best in team history. He's top-10 in WAR (9th), games (4th, 2,268), runs (3rd), hits (4th, 2,497), doubles (6th), homers (2nd), RBIs (6th), and walks (4th), and only John Dibblee has taken more then his 8,921 at bats. Probably not good enough to get his #11 retired (which he will be getting back from Augie Hicks), he'll still be remembered fondly for his time here, as he was one of the few bright spots on some uninspiring 1960s teams. I'd love to get him a ring, but unless he plans on a Pug White type career, he may end up washed and/or retired before getting a chance to appear in the postseason.

ayaghmour2 · 12-21-2025, 07:38 PM

More bats for the Cougars! Maybe we can not suck this year!

Ironically, I sought out a player I thought was perfect, offered a package I thought would work, but the team decided to stand pat. Luckily, I had a trade post out of what I was looking for, so a player that's just about perfect himself was offered to me, I offered a similar package, but he wanted the player I offered the first team -- who I almost offered instead -- and the deal was consummated.

Something the Cougars did during the second quick sim, we followed suit, acquiring an All-Star from the Foresters. We upgraded from a 4-Time to 5-Time in a deal I hope finds way more success, as we picked up 31-year-old outfielder Andy Babel for a pair of prospects in Andy Alexander and Julio Torres. A former 13th Overall pick and 4-Time Diamond Defense winner, Babel has been a mainstay in the Cleveland lineup since his 1966 debut. Named an All-Star, he hit .298/.358/.454 (131 OPS+) with 38 doubles, 9 triples, 11 homers, 74 RBIs, 98 runs, and 51 walks. Worth 4.1 WAR with help from his cannon in right, he was exactly the type of player they thought they drafted, a guy who hits the ball hard, puts it in play, and draws his share of walks.

Babel followed up his excellent rookie season with another All-Star selection, leading the Conti with 181 hits. His .298/.380/.415 (138 OPS+) batting line was just as good, and this time it came with 30 doubles, 11 homers, 75 RBIs, 75 walks, 81 runs, and 4 triples, as well as his first Diamond Defense award. Babel took a step back in '68, though he was still an above average hitter, and right back to himself. He put up his best two seasons at 25 and 26, worth 6.1 and 6.3 WAR in full 159 games seasons. '70 was the better season, especially at the plate, as Babel won a batting title with his .337/.405/.531 (154 OPS+) and some down-ballot Whitney votes. The extra base hits were plentiful, 41 doubles, 11 triples, and 17 homers, adding in 95 runs, 98 RBIs, and 63 walks. The homers and doubles matched his total from '69, where he led the Conti in doubles, but he had just 6 triples, 82 runs and RBIs, and a still excellent 154 WRC+ that was just ten points lower then his still best 164.

No more astronomical numbers after that, though in each of the last four seasons he's had at least a 125 OPS+ and at least a 130 WRC+. It was 147 in '71 and 141 last year, and aside from a 6-homer 1972 he's had at least 50 extra base hits in the other three campaigns. Each came with more walks then strikeouts, something he's done every year since his rookie season, and his .296 average in '72 was his first below .300 since his uncharacteristic .246/.316/.368 (109 OPS+) line in 1968. A career .301/.365/.445 (134 OPS+) hitter, he's exactly the type of bat we were missing. The extra base machine enters 1975 with 340 doubles, 59 triples, and 103 homers, and considering how his game is pretty much dependent on his bat and his arm, he should age very well. He's almost never been injured, and should have at least three more years of his prime. A good clubhouse figure and a guy with enough range to cover center in a pinch, he's a guy you'd be happy with as your main acquisition, not just the secondary.

What makes me most excited is the power, as you can't led the relatively low homer counts fool you. Forester Stadium is one of the most spacious parks in the game, as the lefty slugger deals with a .792 park factor for home runs. The lowest for lefties. Cougars Park is on the complete other side of the spectrum, as our 1.118 is the second highest in FABL. As crazy as it sounds for a guy who never got past 17, he should be a lock for 20 this year, even if it is as the cost of a few doubles. No Forester even had 10 homers in '68 or '72, and the last guy to hit 20 in a season was Ed Wise, who hit 21 in 1966 and had multiple 30-homer seasons in Boston. I think a lot of people are going to finally recognize the power he has, but even if I'm wrong, a .300 doubles hitter who doesn't strike out is extremely valuable on any ballclub, and why we had to give up a talented young outfielder and a current starter who's just 21 and in low-A.

Neither ranks in the top-100, but with a much larger league that matters much less, as I'm absolutely enamored with FABL's 122nd prospect who's just eight spots above Alexander. Cleveland's new Andy, he's an elite defender and had worker who we took in the 2nd Round of the 1973 draft. I don't love having to move him, but he's one of our more valuable trade pieces, and I love our recent 4th Rounder and Illinois native Phil Ransom. An elite defender himself, he makes parting with Alexander easier, but I'm sure I'll regret it once he's catching our hitters balls in Cleveland. The same will go for Torres, just making our hitters miss, as he has a deep seven pitch arsenal and legit strikeout stuff. Command may hold him back, but our 4th Rounder from 1972 could be a useful swingman if the walks stay to high.

ayaghmour2 · 12-23-2025, 01:31 PM

We're making decent progress in the offseason, with Spring Training quickly approaching, but before we get there, we need to get to know some of the players on this team! We'll start with the stars, and while Tom Lorang (recently extended for two years!) and Andy Babel certainly fit that bill, I just spent some time talking about them in the trade talks. Tom Halliday does too, but since he was a familiar face, no need to repeat! Same would go for Sam Morrison and Bill Grimm later, though they're far from stars, but I will cover some guys like that in a later post. For now, enjoy the best of our best!

RHP Roger Alford
Acquired: Via Draft: 2nd Round, 37th Overall (1966)
1974: 17-9, 35 GS, 276 IP, 2.35 ERA (161 ERA+), 1.00 WHIP, 49 BB, 139 K, 6.1 WAR
Career (FABL): 54-50, SV, 130 G, 118 GS, 903.1 IP, 2.88 ERA (128 ERA+), 1.13 WHIP, 233 BB, 485 K, 16.6 WAR

The best of the best, an ace among aces, Roger Alford is exactly the type of pitcher you want fronting your rotation, and he's exactly the pitcher we are lucky enough to have. Ranked as the 2nd best FABL hurler, he rewarded us with an Allen season, our first since the surprise Arch Wilson win that I will definitely get into deeper at a later date. A first-time winner, All-Star, and Diamond Defense winner, it was his third season as a full-time starter and fifth as a big leaguer, but far from his only great year. Sure, it was the best, 17-9 with a Conti best 2.35 ERA (161 ERA+), 1.00 WHIP, and 2.8 K/BB. While not a big strikeout arm, he set down 139 in 276 innings, working to a 6.1 WAR with a Conti best 1.6 BB/9 and elite 4.5 BB%.

In each of his first two seasons as a starter, he was pretty great. At 24 in 1972, he was an unlucky 15-17, but he started a Conti high 37 games. Throwing 264.2 innings, he worked to a 3.33 ERA (106 ERA+), 3.06 FIP (87 FIP-), and 1.23 WHIP, striking out a career high 152 hitters. His 5.2 WAR is second to just his '74 season, and I'm hoing it was the first of, let's say ten? Yeah ten! Or at least the 4+ variety, like his 4.2 in 262.2 innings the next year, where Alford was 15-12 with a 3.05 ERA (125 ERA+), 1.16 WHIP, and 142 strikeouts. The walks were the highest they've been, 78 and a 7.3 BB%, but those are both still well above average.

Entering his aged 27 season, Alford has a little over 900 FABL innings under his belt, and an outstanding 2.88 ERA (128 ERA+) and 3.30 FIP (89 FIP-), both overshadowed by the 1.13 WHIP. That would have ranked top-10 among qualified FABL pitchers this season, really showcasing his elite command. A crafty eight pitch pitcher, he can wield them all, effortlessly swapping grips while keeping the same arm slot. Impossible to predict or get a read on, he excels at generating weak contact, and he has the ability to completely neutralizing even some of the best hitters in the game. Our park accounts for some of the home runs he gives up, but very rarely is it hard contact. Generally it's his inability to put away some of the top guys, but since he's not a strike out guy it's not really expected. When he tries to sneak a pitch past someone, he can run into issues, but this past season he did a great job limiting base runners, so any mistakes didn't impact him very much.

With the talent of someone like Alford, and a pretty deep rotation overall, it allowed me to make the big moves to bring in bats, as a guy like this deserves run support every time he steps onto the mound. Even three runs is usually enough, but if we can start putting up five or more he could be the first 20-game winner since old friend Pete Papenfus won 21 in his return from the war (1946). In terms of talent, he's probably the best we've had since, and despite all the talented young pitching prospects we have on the farm, there's a good chance he'll remain our are throughout the rest of the 70s. Our key to returning to contention relies on him and Tom Lorang, as the duo of top-3 players could help make up for some of the holes we have yet to fill.

C Charlie Sanders
Acquired: Via Draft: 9th Round, 169th Overall (1968)
1974: 128 G, 503 PA, .300/.350/.438 (131 OPS+), 47 R, 15 2B, 3B, 15 HR, 82 RBI, SB, 4.4 WAR
Career: 672 G, 2,655 PA, .262/.319/.370 (102 OPS+), 233 R, 78 2B, 3 3B, 58 HR, 338 RBI, 2 SB, 14.1 WAR

He's not the most consistent player out there, but if the recently turned 29-year-old can do what he did in 1974, or at least 1972, he'll continue to rank among the top catchers in FABL. We just reached the preseason, where Sanders dropped a spot to the #5 catcher, but he's now ranked as the 19th best position player. A bit of a shock, and hopefully a sign of things to come, the switch hitting catcher is a legit cornerstone, even if his teammates don't like him that much. Outspoken is putting it lightly, but when you hit .300/.350/.438 (131 OPS+) with 15 homers and 82 RBIs, all bests on the team, people will make some concessions.

A veteran of five years, he's kept up the C. Sanders trend at catcher, making it eight straight years and 11 of the last 13. Five are Charlie, who I hope doesn't become as disruptive as Chappy, sporting a basically league average .262/.319/.370 (102 OPS+) line. The 128 games he appeared in were the fewest so far, as were the 503 PAs, due to a broken bone in his right elbow. I was a little worried that would have some ill-effects, but he's back to 100% and it's the only real injury he's dealt with. Durability like that behind the plate is huge, and since he never really excelled at catching guys stealing, we don't really have to worry about that part of his game slipping.

What makes Sanders so good is his knowledge of the strike zone, from all sides of the plate. Well, maybe not in front, as that would cause some issues, but he's not going to strike out much as a lefty or righty, and his framing skills are top of the line. Then there's the power, double digit homers in four of his five seasons, with the career best 15 this year. It's surprising no Cougar hit more then that this year, though we didn't really have the best collection of talent, and I'd be very surprised if he leads now with Babel and Lorang in the fold. If he can avoid his odd year curse and go back to raking, we will be in really good shape this season. Entering the year with 78 doubles, 58 homers, 338 RBIs, 233 runs, and 197 walks, his career is still on the short side. As much as I want to put a lot of faith in him, I know there's a chance he falls back to earth, but now that there is lest pressure on him to lead the offense I think we'll be in really great shape.

RHP Roger Alford
Acquired: Via Trade with Imperials (1965)
Drafted: 3rd Round, 41st Overall (1952)
1974: 13-12, 36 GS, 233.1 IP, 3.24 ERA (114 ERA+), 1.27 WHIP, 59 BB, 124 K, 4.0 WAR
Career (FABL): 189-142, 49 SV, 3.14 ERA (120 ERA+), 1.23 WHIP, 923 BB, 1,786 K, 50.8 WAR

Our 4th, and at least for now, final top-20 prospect, Hal Adams is the "youngest" or our retirement home staff. Ranked 14th, the 39-year-old is one of only two pitchers older then 30, with the second 31-year-old Jim Place (who you may remember from being our 2nd Round pick). Somewhat of a team legend, Adams bounced a round a lot before making his way to Chicago.

Drafted by the Keystones, he was released in 1955, signed with an independent club (who's now our AA club!), signed with the Gothams, traded to the Cannons, claimed off waivers by the Imperials, and then finally traded to the Cougars. It came after the 1965 season came to a close, as a then 29-year-old completed his first season as a starter. He had just 13 FABL starts before that season, but made a Conti high 36 for the Imperials. Just 11-14 in 263 innings -- hits first of ten 230+ inning seasons -- but the 3.39 ERA (114 ERA+) and 3.00 FIP (78 FIP-) proved that maybe he should be a starting pitcher. Add in 167 strikeouts to 90 walks, and a Conti low 0.3 HR/9, leading him to what stands as a career best 6.6 WAR, leading to his first of four All-Star appearances.

Lucky for us, the cost of Adams proved to be very little, as one of the arms retired and the other has a 5.51 (68 ERA+) career ERA in 45 games (2 starts). Adams, meanwhile, has started 318 consecutive games for us, always with an above average ERA+, and only once with a below average FIP- (107, 1973). His first season in Chicago was great, as Adams went 15-8 with a 2.95 ERA (128 ERA+), 3.25 FIP (86 FIP-), and 1.09 WHIP. He stared 34 games, dropping his BB% from 8.0 to 6.1 while the K% jumped from 14.8 to 15.2. The ERA took a step back to 3.15 (108 ERA+) the next season, but the FIP drop to 2.75 (79 FIP-) helped announce his presence as a legit top-of-the-rotation arm.

Adams fully broke up in 1968 season, where he went 14-10 with a miniscule 2.19 ERA (141 ERA+), 2.69 FIP (87 FIP-), and 1.05 WHIP. Bests for ERA, FIP, and WHIP, they came with a 4.9 WAR, 71 walks, and 143 strikeouts, allowing just 9 homers in 254.1 innings pitched. Ironically, that's the last season he had less then 17, including a Conti high 32 in 1973, but that hasn't limited his effectiveness. 1969 saw another great year, a 2.66 ERA (140 ERA+), 3.19 FIP (86 FIP-), and 1.13 WHIP, leading the Conti with 18 wins and just 7 losses. He struck out a career high 192 hitters in 1970, and while he hasn't been the ace-level dominant guy from '71 on, it's hard to ask more from a guy in his mid-to-late 30s. Aside from '73, he's been worth 4 or more WAR in each season, and there's a real good chance he'll do that once more.

A veteran of nearly 3,000 innings, 2,244.1 of those innings came in Chicago. That's good enough for 8th in team history, one of the many categories he ranks inside the top-10. He's 9th in WHIP (1.18), 8th in wins (129) and starts (318), 6th in WAR (42.9) and K/BB (2.2), 5th in strikeouts (1,364). His career numbers aren't as good as the ones with ours, but he'll enter the new year with 189 wins, a 3.14 ERA (120 ERA+), 50.8 WAR, and 1,786 strikeouts. I'm hoping he can get to 200 wins this year and 2,000 strikeouts the year after, as long as Pug White provides him with the secret stuff that keeps him young. I hate having to rely on old pitchers, but Adams looks like he's ten years younger, and has far less innings on his arm then the average nearly 40-year-old. Pug and Jim Norris have thrown over twice as many innings, and if they can keep things up, I see no reason why our #2 can't as well.

ayaghmour2 · 12-23-2025, 08:42 PM

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.

ayaghmour2 · Yesterday, 03:45 PM

Baseball is back!

The games won't happen tomorrow with Christmas, or Friday, so we'll have to wait until Monday before some action, but that doesn't limit the excitement from the return. I'm still not sure how good we are going to be, but reaching the 80 win mark would be the first step in the right direction. I'd love to get in the 90s and compete for a division, but we're in the West and Milwaukee is in the east, so we're stuck in FABL's best division. KC is great, so is Dallas, and New York is pretty darn good, but we're the only team that's made legitimate moves to improve, and sometimes that's enough to throw off the balance of the division.

Here's what we're bringing into camp:

RHP Hal Adams*
RHP Roger Alford*
RHP Tom Andress
RHP Bill Bartlett
RHP Leo Bliss
RHP Bobby Fuller
RHP Bob Goldman*
RHP Don Griffin
RHP Tom Heard
RHP Augie Hicks*
RHP Dale Holm
LHP Don Ireland
RHP Bill Jackson
RHP Charlie Lawson
LHP Jim Norris*
LHP Bill Scott
RHP Lee Sechrest
RHP Harl Thompson
LHP Pug White*
RHP Ferdie Williams
RHP Walt Wilson
C Sam Calhoun
C Chappy Sanders
C Charlie Sanders*
C Carlos Voiles
C Earl Wade
1B John Baab*
1B Morton Bass
1B Gene Case
1B Bill Grimm*
2B Ernie Dreier
2B Cleo Harris*
2B Gene Homer
2B Clarence Johnson
2B Walt Lange
2B Joe Sterling
3B Mel Hodges
3B Tom Lorang*
3B Cal Randall
3B Jay Richardson
3B Pablo Vazquez
SS Bud Edmunds
SS Chuck Ennis
SS Tom Halliday*
SS Mack Pixley
SS Ed Smith
LF Sam Morrison*
LF Jeff Oliver
LF Bob Ryan
CF Fuzzy Cronin*
CF Tom O'Connor
CF Mike Van den Heuvel
RF Andy Babel*
RF George Crandall
RF Jerry McMillan*
RF Charlie Warner
RF Henry Watson*
RF Bill White

With the fast-forward there are a ton of openings on the roster, but now that I made all my acquisitions the lineup is completely set. I know exactly who's going to man all eight positions, even if the order is unclear, and we at least have two outfield bench spots filled with Watson and McMillan. Otherwise, plenty of spots for grab, from backup catcher to the remaining bench spots. The rotation is set, it will start with Alford and Adams, but after that it's either Pug Goldman or Goldman Pug, with Jim Norris in the five spot. I don't love that his velo dropped to 88-90, but he's a control guy and not a stuff guy, and was in that range before he turned 32. The pen is just as open as the bench, as aside from Augie Hicks (who may be the stopper), I have no idea how the rest will go. We have a few interesting young guys who could take back-end roles, while most of the vets are pretty uninspiring. I'd love to add a legit stopper, but at this point in the season I don't think it's going to happen.

But then again I didn't expect to trade for Tom Lorang and here we are...

Oh baseball is so back! Go Cougars!

04-23-2025, 01:31 AM	#1641
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,034	Week 26: September 23rd-September 30th Weekly Record: 2-3 Seasonal Record: 94-68 (3rd, 18 GB) Stars of the Week Dode Caudill : 21 AB, 6 H, 2 HR, 3 RBI, .286 AVG, 1.062 OPS Ken Stone : 1 Win, 9.0 IP, 2 BB, 8 K, 0.00 ERA Jerry McMillan : 20 AB, 6 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .300 AVG, .841 OPS Schedule 9-24: Win vs Wolves (0-8) 9-25: Loss vs Wolves (5-3) 9-27: Loss at Kings (2-6) 9-28: Loss at Kings (5-4) 9-29: Win at Kings (3-1) Recap I know this took forever but between life and no urgency I kept putting off the final week. Not because it wasn't very good, but because a season that could have been so good ended so, well, just ended in about as boring a fashion as it gets. That applies to the team, of course, not the players, as Dode Caudill took home his second Rookie of the Month, and while he already has my vote, the accolade could at least convince undecided voters to side with him. Hitting .382/.440/.725 (205 OPS+) in 27 September games, the 24-year-old hit 4 doubles, 5 triples, and 7 homers with 22 runs, 18 RBIs, and 12 walks. Ironically, his two steals were the fewest in a month this season, but he was on first so infrequently there wasn't much of a chance to steal. He still finished with 23, as our budding star ended up leading the CA with 130 runs and 17 triples. A stat sheet stuffer, the Kellogg hopeful is a counting stat darling, totaling 206 hits, 29 doubles, 26 homers, 83 RBIs, and 67 walks. If you like the fancy stats, he finished with 6.7 WAR and a 149 WRC+ in 705 trips to the plate. Among Continental rookies he led in hits, total bases, steals, ISO (.222), and WPA (4.36), and then obviously runs and triples. Even when he isn't the leader, he ranks second in eight other categories, as the graduated 2nd ranked prospect displayed superstar capabilities. With him, Gene Case (.284, 34, 108, 19), Henry Watson (.313, 33, 119, 10), and a once again healthy Jack Gibson (.289, 39, 104), our offense will be a force to be reckoned with next season. Add in a Jerry McMillan (.272, 21, 77, 25) bounce back and perhaps one bat from the outside, and we can make noise in a hopefully far more competitive pennant race. Despite Ken Stone's best effort, Hank Walker finished as the rotation's leader in ERA, winning the 162nd game of the season. Against the Continental champs he allowed just 1 run in 6 innings, scattering 4 walks and 2 hits while striking out 5. Effectively wild, he put together the second best season of his career, 14-5 with a 3.55 ERA (118 ERA+), 1.31 WHIP, and 121 strikeouts. 85 walks in 195 innings isn't too bad, and since he allowed less then a homer per nine he was able to survive at our cozy home park. He made up for struggles from three guys I thought would pitch well this season, but with our dominant pen we still finished second in runs allowed. Credit the defense if you want, but we're better then 18 out, and after getting swept by the Pioneers there's really only two way things go in Kansas City: they cup back batter then ever. Or remained stunned as the competition catches back up. Stone finished the season with a shutout, his second of the season. His 29th start ended with 5 hits, 2 walks, and 8 strikeouts, and by going all nine he ended up leading the team with 201.1 innings. Far more then I expected this year, he rose to the occasion, going 13-7 with a 3.67 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. Add in 69 walks and 126 strikeouts and he completed what almost feels like a successful rookie season. Instead, the recently turned 24-year-old will enter the offseason before his fourth big league year on a high note. The same can be said for John Mitchell, who continues to make his case for a rotation spot next year. I do want to upgrade the rotation, but maybe I should look at the former 4th Rounder instead. Making 14 starts and 5 relief appearances, he was 7-3 with a 3.46 ERA (121 ERA+), 1.10 WHIP, 28 walks, and 63 strikeouts. The 11 homers in 109.1 innings won't play too well, but at least in his case his tended to come in bunches. As long as it's not a homer a game, you can sort of survive, and his groundball tendencies and ability to slow down the game makes him a good fit for our infield defense. As expected, Gene Case set the Cougars single season team record for games played, appearing in all 162 of our contests. It did not effect his production one bIt, as the 25-year-old hit .284/.388/.535 (144 OPS+) with 108 runs, 26 doubles, 9 triples, 34 homers, 108 RBIs, 98 walks, and 19 steals. Sure, he was slightly better last year, but he still played nearly all the season and had a matching 149 WRC+ in just 27 fewer PAs. It's just this year Jack Gibson was back and Dode Caudill was remarkable, as there were plenty of guys who could get the job done. I think it says a lot about the dominance of past Cougar players that no other record was broken in the longest season to date, even if some may be in jeopardy. Expect a new home run record if Jack Gibson ever stays healthy, more then likely 140 games then anywhere near 162, and he was third with 39 in 117 this year. RBIs and saves are in reach, but in all honesty it will take a truly special player to break some of these franchise records. I hope we have some of those on the way! I also think this is the first season where the entire batting stats page fit on the browser without needing full screen. We didn't really use too many guys that year. I think that's a good sign. We're almost there I can just feel it. Yes I know that's been said before... So has this: Go Cougars! Attached Images

04-23-2025, 10:59 PM	#1642
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,034	Top Prospects! I still eventually have to get to the minor league report, but it's almost good that I'll now have the new offseason rankings for them. Graduating our top prospect dropped us to 7th of 20, though we feature six top 100 prospects. Only one is in the top-20, but we have three in the 30s and are in much better shape then we were. Now it's 27 prospects ranked among the top 500, including 14 of the top 251. Yes we obviously have 251. Here's how it all shakes out: 1. SS Bill Grimm (19th Overall): 2nd/22nd 2. RHP Hub Russell (30th Overall): 11th Overall Pick 3. CF Orlando Benitez (34th Overall): 3rd/39th 4. RHP Johnny Kern (35th Overall): 31st Overall Pick 5. LHP Jim Place (74th Overall): 6th/85th 6. C Raul Zamora (97th Overall): 5th/71st 7. RF Cliff Coleman (158th Overall): 8th/141st 8. C Clem Barney (159th Overall): 71st Overall Pick 9. CF Bill Reinhard (161st Overall): 9th/144th 10. 2B Ralph Tuomi (174th Overall): 91st Overall Pick 11. CF Phil Weeks (176th Overall): 211th Overall Pick 12. SS Art Strait (203rd Overall): 51st Overall Pick 13. RHP Tom McDaniel (214th Overall): 231st Overall Pick 14. RHP George Jones (251st Overall): 111st Overall Pick 15. CF George Clarke (254th Overall): 10th/181st 16. SS Bill Tannen (267th Overall): 7th/132nd 17. 3B Tony Nino (293rd Overall): 291st Overall Pick 18. CF Bob Adams (297th Overall): 131st Overall Pick 19. SS Horace Stewart (319th Overall): 171st Overall Pick 20. RHP Johnny Maples (355th Overall): 191st Overall Pick 21. RHP George Spencer (397th Overall): 22nd/436th 22. 2B Marv Sandau (415th Overall): 15th/356th 23. 2B Rafael Zambrano (432nd Overall): 17th/384th 24. RHP Herb Thomasson (471st Overall): Not Ranked 25. LF Doug Lang (479th Overall): 12th/324th 26. RHP Ed Wells (482nd Overall): 14th/345th 27. SS Sam Pratt (495th Overall): 20th/425th 12 of our 25 draft picks are apart of the offseason top 500, including 11 of our first 12 picks. The only one absent is Alex Perry, which doesn't really surprise me as he doesn't have great scout ratings and was a pure project pick of mine. With help from a deep class and the ability to actually make the picks, I have completely reinvigorated our system, and in the two short seasons back I have acquired more then half our ranked prospects.

04-25-2025, 07:25 PM	#1643
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,034	Minor League Report AAA Milwaukee Blues (Century League): 76-64 (.543), 2nd, 6 GB: A system in transition, we don't have many at bats going to veterans or talented prospects, so the Blues' 2nd place finish was actually the best among our affiliates. Below them there were plenty of holes, but at least in Milwaukee when there wasn't a useful prospect there was a FABLish player waiting to take the spot. But what really sets the Blues apart from the rest of the system is their star. Far from flashy, Ed Duncan is one of the best the Century League hast to offer, and he announced he'll be back for his aged 38 season. #1 or #2 in plenty of career categories, he hit an impressive .289/.384/.528 (155 OPS+) with 22 homers, 76 RBIs, 17 doubles, 82 runs, 76 RBIs, and 60 walks. Now in a Century League most and counting 1,648 games, he has collected 1,628 hits, 957 runs, 322 homers, and 1,019 RBIs. He'll catch Monroe Johnson in some of these categories, as this guy is almost a good player in disguise. If he was on an affiliated team in his prime, he'd have been a decent FABL player, but without the multiple 4+ WAR seasons he posted with regularity. As big a part of the 2nd ranked offense as Duncan was, he contributed little to the 2nd ranked staff, as defense is not a part of his game. When he was here, John Mitchell (5-1, 1.41, 25) was awesome, but for the most part it was the veterans in Milwaukee that carried the staff. Former 5th Overall pick Jake Roberts (14-4, 2.52, 86) Was elite at 39, and we got great innings from Foster Sherman (8-7, 2.50, 102), Allen Brown (6-9, 3.12, 104), and Jack Thomas (6-2, 2.79, 52), and before his September callup Doc Cook (4-2, 12, 2.09, 42) was an anchor of the pen. 40-man roster members Bob Burdick (4-1, 7, 3.46, 49) and Phil Means (2-8, 13, 3.65, 46) were effective, as was Rule-5 eligible hurler Herb Thomason (3-1, 1, 3.70, 55), but it wasn't at the level of the big league pen. The lineup saw a lot of players get extended looks, with the best performances aside from Duncan coming from interrupted stints. Mooney Vetter (.302, 16, 63) and Chappy Sanders (.289, 11, 42) combined for just over one excellent season's worth of plate appearances. Unfortunately the only real young talent, Wayne Wilson (.249, 5, 27), saw his season end after a serious concussion in May. I'm hoping next year the Blues get a big year from Orlando Benitez and Bill Reinhard, with the chance for Bill Grimm to hit his way up. This team could be a real force, and there's some potential 40-man guys who weren't there this year to upgrade both sides. AA Little Rock Governors (AA Dixie League): 74-56 (.529), 3rd, 9 GB): Home to the now 34th ranked prospect Orlando Benitez, the Little Rock Governors may not have been as good as the record indicated, though they were in the right tier in the Dixie League. While not a bad team, they weren't a real contender, as a lot of the heavy lifting was done by one guy. Almost 21, the former 1st Rounder hit .310/.420/.573 (162 OPS+) in an MVP quality campaign. Logging 20 doubles, 5 triples, 29 homers, 93 RBIs, 85 walks, 77 runs, and 14 steals, he was one of the league's most valuable players, providing his club with offense and defense. The supporting cast lacked thump, but Bill Reinhard's (.300, 17, 36) 60 fames were Benitez level, and in 89 games Cliff Coleman (.252, 17, 46, 13) impressed. When the three were together, the Governors were great, but Benitez was the only one who spent all season here. In the rotation Whitey Gates (5-5, 3.93, 53) and Humberto Fonseca (2-2, 3.30, 25) gave good starts, but I expected more from Sam Davis (12-9, 4.55, 167). I think all three will be back in 1964, and with a few adjustments the rotation can be a strength of the roster. A Rockford Wildcats (Heartland League) 77-63 (.550), 3rd, 4 GB: Milwaukee may have finish closer to first ordinally, but it was the Rockford Wildcats who had the fewest games between them and first. Just four out, the 'Cats had a rough end to the season, dropping 23 of their last 50 games to fall out of first. In a sense, it's a simple cause, as both Bill Reinhard (.332, 12, 51, 4) and Cliff Coleman (.344, 14, 43, 3) finished their season in Little Rock and combined for fewer then 120 games. Another midseason callup, though in the Wildcats favor, 22nd ranked prospect Bill Grimm (.301, 11, 46, 8) was excellent after coming from San Jose, and WAR leader Sam Pratt (.327, 14, 72, 14) came up a few weeks earlier. Stuck in a sort of transition phase, the offense couldn't quite get rolling, and I imagine next season it will be Grimm at Pratt going up and someone else having to come up to cover. The staff was really good, led by the pen courtesy of Pep Allen (8-7, 14, 1.85, 82) and Floyd Lane (4-1, 3, 2.23, 51). Like with the lineup, plenty of guys came and went, with Humberto Fonseca (6-5, 2.90, 102), John Roberts (7-3, 3.50, 49), and Whitey Gates (5-5, 3.93, 53) all impressed in the 13 to 16 starts. There's a lot of question marks in the rotation this year, and in a year or two we'll start to see our new influx of prospects impact the middle of our system. B San Jose Cougars (California-Oregon-Washington League): 83-57 (.593), 3rd, 6 GB: In terms of winning percentage, the Cougars were the best of our full season affiliates, though it was this level not the major league club. A bit of a surprise, San Jose was dealt with arguably the most roster churning, as early in the season I had to shuttle guys from La Crosse and back and then after the draft some underdeveloped guys were pushed up. Still, they competed all season long, scoring plenty of runs. Some of the full-season guys did well, as Rafael Zambrano (.328, 11, 58, 11) and Sam Morrison (.299, 11, 55, 12) has similarly solid seasons. Zambrano hit for a higher average and Morrison played better defense, as they were the rocks of the lineup. Pieces of Joe Gallerani (.380, 9, 24, 6), Sam Pratt (.350, 1, 6, 3), Bill Grimm (.301, 11, 46, 8), Josh Davis (.332, 6, 26, 5), and Raul Zamora (.279, 19, 58) filled in the gaps, as a collection of arms allowed just few enough runs to win some games. C La Crosse Lions (Upper Mississippi Valley Association): 38-24 (.613), t-3rd, 4 GB: Despite no champs, we get all the way to the bottom of the system, and not a single below .500 record can be found! Our only .600+ affiliate, the Lions got hot at the end of the year, starting with a 21-7 August that almost brought them up to first. Thank Harry Cummins for that, as the Hank Williams of the UMVA hit .453/.562/.858 (216 OPS+) with 21 doubles, 5 triples, 20 homers, 63 runs, 79 RBIs, and 50 walks. Worth a tenth of a win away from 5 in just 61 games, I'm sure he set every record out there with his monster season, and finishes his 567 PA UMVA career with a .403/.527/.761 (200 OPS+) batting line. Farm from the only notable performer, 10th Rounder Johnny Maples (8-1, 1.72, 42) was flatout dominant, sporting an otherworldy 331 ERA+. In the league, even a ERA above 5 like Hub Russell's (4-3, 5.05, 45) was still 13% above average. Him and Johnny Kern (3-4, 4.08, 43) both survived their first tests, as did 7th Rounder Bob Adams (.336, 9, 50, 17). With a high school heavy draft, a lot of these guys will be back for another go, and if I draft well again we'll have a good group of prospects here ready to compete.

12-03-2025, 12:30 AM	#1644
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,034	Announcement So I didn't expect this until the exact moment I made this post but I guess after however long the Cougars are back! I was already planning to write for The Figment Sporting Journal which is way better because it contains a collection of the entire league's work, but I wasn't really planning on starting this back up. I've been busy and that won't change, so perhaps this was the perfect time to retire or scale back this report. But I just can't resist. Even if all my players had bad careers and the true star of the franchise is the immortal Pug White. I just can't resist writing about the Cougars. Revivals are always exciting and I just enjoy this too much. I'm not committing to any timeline or consistency, but Figment is starting sims again next week and I have control of the Cougars for the first time since 1963 and once I got back from vacation it truly set in how excited I was. Everything is different but Roger Alford is absurd and I guess it's cool that guys like Doc Griffin, Tom Holliday, and Henry Watson are still here. A lot of weird things have happened but at least Jerry Smith was a Hall-of-Famer. I was right to give him a ton of praise when I drafted him and I'm sure every other time I mentioned him. And yes, I did trade for Morty. The current day is now January 1st, 1975, and that will continue to advance starting Monday. The organization is a mess and the Cougars suck, so despite a new franchise high in wins (99) in 1966, they haven't broke my annoyingly long playoff drought. It does start to get easier, as their are four divisions of six now, but ours contains three 95-win teams. And again. The Cougars suck. Three of the last four years have had 88 losses or more, and the only reason that '66 team was good is most of those players were guys I drafted or brought in. A relatively blank slate will be interesting, and with the 2nd ranked farm system I can do pretty much whatever I want. Our scout sucks, so I'm not sure what. But at least we have some time before the draft. This should be extremely fun even if all the stars of old are gone or on the edge. We'll see the twilight of Hank Williams career but Buddy Miller and Adrian Czerwinski have plaques. Frenchy Mack just gave it up when he got hurt. Just 33 and a year removed from his 6th Allen in 7 seasons. He could have been the best. 2,766 strikeouts, 2.66 ERA (147 ERA+), 1.09 WHIP, 3 rings, and 6 All-Stars. 89.8 WAR. All before 32. But that was it. That was it. Baseball was robbed. Okay enough non-Cougar talk. There's plenty of room for that everywhere else. Roger Alford is our new Pete Papenfus. Tom Halliday has done a great Skipper Schneider impression. And I guess we cosplay as a retirement home? Not even in a bad way either. Pair of 250-win hurlers. I can't wait to see how the chaos plays out, but the one thing I can guarantee is that I am trying to break this pennant drought. It's been far too long... Edit: I left out the best part! Pug Bryan is the manager! I drafted him back in 2021! He's 61 and just a third year manager, but it would be awesome if our former draft pick is t he one who finally ends the drought. He had a costly outing in the infamous game six extra inning loss in 1941. Just like my Blue Jays, we blew a 3-2 lead, but losing all four games by a single run was far more painful. Oh no please don't be an omen... At least we were on the road? Completely unrelated! Last edited by ayaghmour2; 12-03-2025 at 12:46 AM.

12-03-2025, 10:47 PM	#1645
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,034	Pug White Let's just get the cat out of the bag. Pug White is immortal. And he may be a vampire. Not all of them are scared of the light and since it's a simulation there's no concrete evidence to turn to that's my current theory. When I traded Sal Pestilli to the Saints in attempt for them to break their now broken title drought, I thought he would be the Hall-of-Famer (he's not) in the deal. Instead, it might be the 44-year-old southpaw who is 13 games away from tying Allen Allen's FABL record. A 251-win pitcher who threw 230.2 innings in 1974, he's appeared in 13 or more games in 22 or more seasons, including his 2nd year when he made exactly 13 starts for the 1954 Cougars. You could raise the bar 25 and it covers the other 21, as the iron m an lefty has thrown 4,190.2 career innings pitched. A successful starter and reliever, he's led the league in both starts (1955, 37; 1960, 35) and appearances (1964; 25), and in all cases it was one or the other. Of course there was times he'd do both, as he had success a few times as a swingman too. The initial plan is to keep him in the rotation, as at least to start I think the retirement home duo (Pug's shockingly not our oldest player) will get trips in the rotation. Far more then a gimmick, he's a year removed from a 2.81 ERA (136 ERA+) and in 34 starts this season he was 11-15 with 97 strikeouts and a 1.35 WHIP. The 3.86 ERA (98 ERA+) and 3.62 FIP (96 FIP-) were right around average. A 7-Time All-Star, he's spent his entire career FABL career in Chicago, as the guy I wanted to draft is two wins away from the Cougars team win lead. His 206 losses are most, as our his 2,595 strikeouts, whiles he's 4th in saves (96), 2nd in starts (503) and WAR (72.6), tied for third with old pal Peter the Heater (153-133, 14, 3.54, 1,773) in shutouts (22), and the obvious all time innings and games leader. It's impressive how much he's give to the organization, and his #35 will be retired. That will be the seventh (try to guess the other six!) in franchise history, and it's a shame we didn't get too much of it. From 1959 to 1967 he was either a top of the rotation arm or a stopper, filling whichever role suited the team best. There's only so much more I can say about a 22-year-career, so instead of doing all that, here's the glorious final stats: Just beautiful. So good for so long. Has to be a vampire. He tore his UCL as a rookie and still managed to do all of this. Is cover was that it was a "partial" tear. Make it believable that he was absent when he was actually undergoing his transformation. Maybe just one incident before he got used to it. And now we'll get to watch how it all unfolds!

12-09-2025, 12:44 AM	#1646
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,034	Familiar Names: Part 1 We still haven't quite kicked off yet, giving me time to do most of the team previews for TWIFS, but also allowing me to introduce, or at least in this case, re-introduce some members of the 1975 team. There's obviously a chance players get traded or released, but for now here are some of the non-Pug White guys you may remember from the time before the fast-forward. There's too many for one post, so I'll put them out as we progress. I'd love to make some trades, but I imagine most of the roster will be the same unless a lot of attractive players become available on waivers. Even with an almost fill 40 there's a lot of guys I wouldn't lose sleep over losing, which gives you an idea of what we're working with at Cougars Park. SS Tom Halliday Acquired: Via Trade with Boston (1960) Drafted: 2nd Round, 28th Overall (1957) 1974: 156 G, 643 PA, .256/.308/.361 (89 OPS+), 74 R, 27 2B, 2 3B, 10 HR, 61 RBI, 17 SB, 4.6 WAR Career: 2,189 G, 8,980 PA, .267/.320/.364 (98 OPS+), 1,010 R, 333 2B, 69 3B, 106 HR, 739 RBI, 126 SB, 55.6 WAR Our young exciting shortstop before the fast forward, Tom Halliday is still manning short for the Cougars, and the 36-year-old veteran is still one of the best there is. Ranked 5th among FABL shortstops, his defense hasn't seen any declines, producing a 19.1 zone rating (1.054) at short in 1974. Despite that, he's never been a Diamond Defense winner, but the former Minutemen draftee has been selected to 4 All-Star games, and he'll at least have a chance to compete for a 5th in 1975. It must have been nice for the AI not to have to worry about the shortstop position, as since his first full season in 1961 he's failed to appear in 150 games just once. Unfortunately 1974 ended with a major concussion, so it's not like he's never injured, but at least for now he's not likely to see his playing time go away. Coming off a solid season, he actually stole a career high 17 bases, and set a career best WAR of 5.8 the year before. Never a top hitter, most of his value comes with the glove, but he holds a respectable .267/.320/.364 (98 OPS+) career line in over 2,100 games as a Cougar. A member on a few of our leaderboards, he's top-10 in WAR (8th, 55.6), games (5th, 2,189), at-bats (5th, 8,147), runs (5th, 1,010), hits (7th, 2,177), doubles (5th, 333), and walks (8th, 633). An absolute rock, I think he was best in 1965, as the then 26-year-old hit .305/.345/.427 (123 OPS+) with 23 doubles, 11 triples, 8 homers, 65 RBIs, and 76 runs. His bat is still quick, allowing him to put the ball in early and often, even leading to a career high 15-homer season last year. It's the only time he's gone further then 10, but the crafty shortstop is still one of the toughest outs. We may have his eventual replacement, recent 2nd Rounder and 22nd ranked prospect Carl Carroll, but his time isn't coming anytime soon. As long as Tom's got it, he'll be at shortstop, and if that slips and he can still hold his own second would look on him too. He's a team legend and will be treated as one, even if we missed most of the seasons he gave the team. RHP Don Griffin Acquired: Via Trade with Boston (1963) Drafted: 1st Round, 7th Overall (1955) 1974: 0-3, 2 SV, 37 G, 66.2 IP, 3.78 ERA (100 ERA+), 1.09 WHIP, 18 BB, 30 K, -0.3 WAR Career: 788 G, 283 GS, 2,578.2 IP, 3.17 ERA (125 ERA+), 1.18 WHIP, 688 BB, 1,769 K, 53.9 WAR During the second revival, the one thing I really wanted to see through the career of Don Griffin, who went from stopper to Allen winning ace and back a few times. His best time came in Boston, but they're the ones that put him in the bullpen directly after an Allen. In 1960, Griffin started a Fed high 33 games and won a triple crown, 21-6 with a 2.01 ERA (215 ERA+) and 186 strikeouts. He also led in WHIP (0.92), K/BB (6.2), FIP (2.27), FIP- (52), and WAR (9.1), and despite being just 23 he was then moved to the pen. It was a full-time role the following year and part-time the next, but that's when I made the move to add him to our rotation. It didn't go great, and once the AI took over he was back in the pen, but for three seasons he got to fill a full-time rotation role. The best was the final year, 1968, where he was 13-9 with a 2.69 ERA (115 ERA+), 1.12 WHIP, and 125 strikeouts. It's a shame he'll likely end up with just 283 starts, he got three more after the '68 season, as when he first came up he was just so dominant. Sure, he did really well in the pen, before, after, and between the starting jobs, but he was selected to six All-Star games by 25 and had multiple 8+ WAR seasons. He had three WHIP crowns and had impeccable command, consistently striking out farm more hitters then he walked. His 6.2 K/BB and 18.1 K%-BB% in 1960 were best in team history, and they rank inside the top-10 All-Time. His dominance was historic, but the career lines end up leaving plenty to be desired. A veteran of 2,578.2 innings pitched, he's got an outstanding 178-112 record to go with 94 saves, holding a 3.17 ERA (125 ERA+) and 3.22 FIP (125 FIP-) that still resemble some of his peaks. Griffin has struck out 1,769 to just 688 walks, and has maintained a BB% below 10 his entire career. Just one year in the pen got him above 8.5, and his 11.1 K% this year was his second straight career low. It's sad that the version of him we have now can no longer make a difference, but since I don't really see us competing this season, I think I'll give him at least one more season in our pen. I'm hoping it pushes him closer to retirement, as I'd hate to cut him, but I can only handle so much losing and getting back in the swing of things will definitely get my trade finger itching. It's only a matter of time before we add an arm, and old 'Doc is right on the fringes. 3B Bill Grimm Acquired: Via Draft: 1st Round, 10th Overall (1962) 1974: 127 G, 5.377 PA, .229/.283/.359 (81 OPS+), 51 R, 12 2B, 5 3B, 12 HR, 45 RBI, 17 SB, 0.5 WAR Career: 1,319 G, 5,377 PA, .252/.349/.457 (136 OPS+), 741 R, 161 2B, 38 3B, 236 HR, 726 RBI, 119 SB, 33.4 WAR We're coming up close to the 1975 draft, something I'm not all that prepared for, but I was when I made Bill Grimm our last first rounder before the fast-forward. That was way back in 1962, about two and a half years before his debut season, as he made the Opening Day roster in 1965. He quickly displayed the power I was expecting, bashing 33 homers with 83 RBIs, 87 runs, and 612 walks. His .238/.316/.466 (124 OPS+) batting line was well above average, but instead of shortstop most of his time was split between second and first. A 2-Time All-Star and Diamond Defense winner at first, he's made a solid career for himself, even if he's not the elite talent I once thought he could be. Those have been the two positions he's played the most, as after a deal that I really wanted to happen didn't happen Grimm will play first base. A prestigious slugger, he's hit 30 homers four times in his career, but injuries and limited playing time have kept him from 20 in each of the last three seasons. A veteran of ten years, the now 31-year-old enters the season with 236 career homers, behind just Jerry McMillan (256) and teammate Henry Watson (283) in team history. He hasn't quite looked the same since a torn meniscus ended his 1972 season, but it's hard to complain about a career .252/.349/.457 (136 OPS+) line. The knee shouldn't be bugging him too much, he did steal 17 bases this current season, but the bigger concern is his drop in walks. His 7% BB% is the first sub-10 year of his career, and as recently as 1970 he led the Conti with 105. He's got 676 in 5,377 career plate appearances, but I'm betting on a rebound season now that he'll be in line for a consistent role. Last edited by ayaghmour2; 12-09-2025 at 12:46 AM.

12-09-2025, 10:36 PM	#1647
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,034	First Sim! After I don't know how long, we finally had our first sim in the re-return, and just like any sim it was full of excitement! My favorite part is our new scout, as not only is he better then the old one in nearly every way possible, he's also the guy I took in the 10th Round of the 1938 draft. Drafted in part due to his excellent defensive ability, he spent seven seasons in our system before being drafted into the war. When players returned he was 26 and without a spot, allowed to pursue a spot in the upstart Great Western League. He fought through a season and a half of their minor league ball, but debuted for the San Diego Conquistadores in 1948. Carr hit .262/.308/.410 (114 OPS+) with 8 doubles, 7 triples, 3 homers, 22 RBIs, 25 runs, and 14 walks in 228 trips to the plate. A productive year, he won the right field job next year, and rewarded San Diego with a .312/.360/.487 (130 OPS+) line. He clubbed 28 doubles, 16 homers, and 6 triples, scoring 77 runs and driving in 61. Unfortunately for Carr, that was the last year the Great Western League was considered a major league, so nice salaries were no longer on the table. Knowing he wouldn't get a FABL chance, he stayed in San Diego, spending the next nine seasons in the GWL. Back as a minor league, the competition wasn't quite as competitive, but there were still tough pitchers he had to deal with. He produced five above average offensive seasons in a row, but a pair of injuries in 1953 started his decline. Even up to his final season in 1958, he played regularly in the Conquistadores outfield, finishing his career with 1,184 career games. His .280/.345/.419 batting line was well above average and he picked up 201 doubles, 51 triples, 91 homers, 574 RBIs, 560 runs, 117 steals, and 389 walks in his journey out west. Now 55, this will be his first official coaching role with a FABL organization, though he spent time in advisory capacity for the still active GWL San Diego team. Now trying his hand out at scouting, he's outstanding when it comes to amateurs and will be thrown right into the fire a few weeks before the amateur draft. It will be complete chaos, so I'm not expecting many obvious hits, but I have a lot of faith in his eventual opinions. He's again outstanding for minor leaguers and excellent for big leaguers, and I've already sent him on a mission to take a look at some of the potential top picks in the draft. Eventually he'll get a read on some of the organization, but at least for the active roster OSA tends to be better. With a now maxed scouting and development budget we might back up and running quickly, understanding what works and what doesn't as we get reacquainted with our team and the rest of the league. Carr wasn't the only move, as we hired a second coach in Yosuke Smith. A hitting coach out in Japan, he's one of the best at getting fundamentally sound hitters, and he's excellent for improving one's overall hitting. We now have a full and pretty capable staff, but there's still a lot of work to be done in the organization. There's one newly added free agent that I really want to sign and a few more that'd be nice on minor league deals. There might even be a potential prospect, as I decided to look at the few guys Carr had rated "High" for accuracy. 1975 could be a very big year for us, measured more in organizational gain then postseason success. A lot of effort will be put into the 1976 draft, something I'll have a little under a year to plan for.

12-14-2025, 05:53 PM	#1648
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,034	Familiar Names: Part 2 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.

12-14-2025, 09:37 PM	#1649
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,034	1975 Draft: Round 1 1st Round, 9th Overall: LHP Tom Brewer School: Rabouin Falcons 1974: 2-0, 9 SV, 30.2 IP, 0.59 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, 6 BB, 52 K Career: 2-0, 9 SV, 30.2 IP, 0.59 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, 6 BB, 52 K This was one of the weirdest drafts I ever participated in, as I had basically a few weeks with only "Very Low" scouting reports to get me through it. I'd expect the draft to have many of misses and and a lot of late round steals, but it looks like there is plenty of elite talent to go around. A guy I really wanted didn't make it, but I was lucky enough to have only three guys taken from Carr's hastily put together first lists. Our new scout is psyched about Tom Brewer, his 2-B on his 10 pick first round list, and he's probably the second or maybe even first starter I'd take. What gives me hope that this is a deep class and not that Carr is just wrong is that all the guys I checked that got drafted have glowing reviews, it's just this early in the season the in-game lists give you a lot less to work with. Our second and even third round picks could be legit stars, but I think our "Divine" new arm has a good chance to lead a rotation. 18 in May, he's a perfect 18-0 in two years of high school starts, working to a 0.78 ERA , 0.72 FIP, and 0.71 WHIP in nearly 200 innings pitched. The Jersey native has 322 strikeouts to just 29 walks, with the command really sticking out. Never expected to walk many players, Brewer can live on the edges or force swings out of the zone. Even better, he's a classic groundballer, wielding an excellent high 80s sinker. That and the change are already good enough to fool FABL hitters, but the splitter is the real key. With a real whiff generator he could pretty much only throw it out of the zone, making it look like the change up most guys are getting each at bat. The lefty also has a fastball, which effectiveness will be increased if he can get up to the low-90s, giving him another path to dominating big league hitters. Most interesting is his personality, as between innings the young hurler takes swings in the batting cage. He's no Max Morris, winning 83 games long before he reached 711 home runs, but pitchers do have to bat and it really gives a nod to his work ethic. It gives me faith that he'll come close to his lofty ace potential, and positions himself as a prime development lab target in the offseason. He's without weaknesses, but if I could hurry up his control development he could be in Chicago before he turns 21. I know my scout doesn't know much yet but OSA loves him, and he fits our stadium so well. Even with the reigning Allen winner Roger Alford (27, 17-9, 2.35, 139) I think Brewer is going to be the eventual #1. This stuff is explosive and he doesn't allow homers, and now you know there's going to be a strong middle infield defense with myself back at the wheel. Health and stamina are two question marks we'll never know, but it feels like that's the only thing between him and stardom. I'd love to get a bat in the second, but there's a lot of time between 9 and 33. Even at 22 I have five guys left on Carr's initial list and there's a lot more then just that to like. It will be interesting to see how many of the initial guys I scouted I can land, but there's a real good chance almost anyone can turn into a pumpkin by June. Our new southpaw has one of the lowest chances, and I'd love to see what's said about him once his latest report comes in. Last edited by ayaghmour2; 12-16-2025 at 12:42 AM.

12-15-2025, 12:53 PM	#1650
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,034	1975 Draft: Round 2 2nd Round, 33rd Overall: CF Joe Williams School: Regis Raiders 1974: .477/.657/1.073, 169 PA, 27 2B, 7 3B, 8 HR, 39 RBI, 8 SB Career: .468/.662/.1.036, 402 PA, 60 2B, 16 3B, 17 HR, 83 RBI, 17 SB I still don't know if it's a bad thing that my scouts top-10 list still had 4 people left come pick 33, or the fact that only one member of his top-5 has been taken by someone other then us, but hey! Two guys in the top five! And 2A and 4 still waiting for pick 57. I'd wager they're both gone by then, but with so much elite talent in this draft class we'll still get another legit player with our next selection. It generally doesn't take me too long to make my picks once I'm up, but I really wavered on this one. The best players had their question marks, the guys playing positions I like had far less upside, so in the end I decided to go with "Smokey," a center fielder in name only. Set to be a three year starter at Regis, the New York native has explosive tools, a plus-plus hit tool and at least above average power, but really makes him an elite hitter is his discipline. Sure, it's only against high school pitchers, but in 402 plate appearances he has just 22 strikeouts compared to 118 walks. Paired with elite slug, he's got a 1.697 high school OPS, and that rare combination of discipline, lack of whiffs, and legit power are something you just can't find easily. Defense is something we'll have to worry about at a later date, though I can almost guarantee you he won't spend any time in center for us. Don't get me wrong, I'd love if he could even semi-passably play there, but despite his position he doesn't have a rating in center, instead with ratings at first, left, and right. Despite the bat, part of why I didn't want to take Williams in the first, or even second round, is we have another corner bat in last year's 1st Rounder and the 28th ranked prospect Ralph Russell. Like Smokey he walks a lot and has a great hit tool, but his power is on another level. Sure, the new guy has the better eye. Significantly. But did we really need another bat-only guy? Far too early to answer that question, but with all the offensive talent Williams has and the slight chance his CF position means he'll at least be a plus-plus defender in the corner, it's more then worth the risk, as we were able to add another legit cornerstone to help fill a wider open corner outfield position in Chicago that right now is filled by a 36-year-old Henry Watson. No prospect is a guarantee, but between Williams and Russell we should have at least one of the big bats our team so desperately needs. Last edited by ayaghmour2; 12-16-2025 at 12:42 AM.

12-15-2025, 10:56 PM	#1651
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,034	Familiar Faces: Part 3 LF Sam Morrison Acquired: Via Draft: 5th Round, 76th Overall (1960) 1974: 160 G, 677 PA, .267/.318/.354 (90 OPS+), 83 R, 28 2B, 4 3B, 6 HR, 48 RBI, 24 SB, 1.8 WAR Career: 1,228 G, 5,088 PA, .277/.335/.405 (118 OPS+), 582 R, 240 2B, 39 3B, 92 HR, 530 RBI, 125 SB, 26.4 WAR You may not remember Sam Morrison, but the then 20-year-old was an interesting prospect when I took over for the quick original revival. Now one of our few good pieces, he's carved out a solid career as a FABL outfielder, expected to make more then 140 starts for the eight consecutive season. By all meanings of the word 1974 was a down year, but he did salvage it with a career high 24 stolen bases. Always a threat on the diamond, he's picked up double digits in each full season of his career and 15 or more in 4 of the last 6 seasons. Now 32, the 3-Time All-Star has 125 to his name, presented with a .277/.355/.405 (118 OPS+) batting line and 26.4 WAR. Debuting to a cup of coffee in 1966, he was best in his first three full seasons as a starter, but even his "down" years have seen WRCs+ of 98 and 96. 1970 gets the nudge as best season due to the All-Star selection, as the then 27-year-old hit .291/.362/.518 (143 OPS+) with 41 doubles, 11 triples, 24 homers, 95 RBIs, 98 runs, and more walks (65) then strikeouts (59). Unlikely to repeat that, he's still good for at least a 115 WRC+, and that's a huge plus in a lineup with as many weaknesses as ours. Add in the speed and ability to play either corner outfield spot well, and you see quickly why he's one of our most valuable players. 3B Cal Randall Acquired: Via Trade with Kings (1963) 1974: 28 G, 40 PA, .135/.179/.270 (26 OPS+), 3 R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, -0.2 WAR Career (FABL): 1,260 G, 4,095 PA, .271/.322/.394, 4,095 PA, 144 2B, 13 3B, 95 HR, 493 RBI, 5 SB, 15.1 WAR Career (CHC): 938 G, 2,847 PA, .268/.316/.390 (104 OPS+), 289 R, 100 2B, 7 3B, 67 HR, 348 RBI, 3 SB, 16.5 WAR Acquired on a busy day that brought Doc Griffin to town, Cal Randall was picked up for a package that brought Dutch Miller to the Pioneers. He spent just a season with the then Kansas City Kings, just as Miller did with the Pioneers, hitting .287/.336/.443 (104 OPS+) with 19 doubles, 11 homers, and 54 RBIs. A little better then the only season of three he played much with St. Louis, I was hoping Cal could stabilize a position for us or at least provide Jack Gibson insurance. His debut with the Cougars wasn't great, hitting just .267/.305/.384 (89 OPS+), but a strained Achilles really seemed to impact him far after he was deemed healthy. I didn't get to enjoy it, but with a full offseason of rest he had a career year, slashing .306/.364/.450 (133 OPS+) with 17 doubles, 18 homers, 70 runs, and 85 RBIs. Selected to his first and only All-Star game, he was worth a still career high 5.1 WAR in the clear peak of his career. Now 38, he hasn't had as good of a WRC+ (127) or OPS+, and his homers, runs, RBIs, walks (51), average, OBP, and slugging have never been as high. In most cases it wasn't close, but he gave us two more solid seasons before his demotion to a bench role. 39 in April, he could be one of the first players released, as he hasn't started double digit games since his 39 in 1969. The two-time Diamond Defense winner hasn't looked bad in limited play, so he could still get some late inning defensive opportunities if Gene Homer (25, .273, 12, 61, 1) hits but can't handle the hot corner. Last year's starter Pablo Vazquez (35, .240, 13, 57, 1) was a statue, leading allowing Randall to replace him late, but his power is way more valuable off the bench. Out of options, we could try to pass him through waivers, but at this point in his career I'm not sure he wants the minor leagues. A veteran of over 4,000 plate appearances, his WRC+ (99) is just a percentage point below average, and his reliable defense has led to a nice chunk of his 15.1 WAR. Even if the line does end here, he did exactly what he was supposed to when I traded for him, and it's cool he's still around many years later. RHP Hub Russell Acquired: Via Draft: 1st Round, 11th Overall (1963) 1974 (AA): 7-5, 35 G, 55 IP, 2.45 ERA (176 ERA+), 1.25 WHIP, 28 BB, 41 K, 1.0 WAR Career (FABL): 1-0, 3 SV, 18 G, 30.1 IP, 2.37 ERA (146 ERA+), 1.25 WHIP, 13 BB, 18 K, 0.4 WAR Finishing things off is a guy I took in the first round who ranked as high as #2 on the prospect list, as my most recent first rounder before yesterday was actually Hub Russell. A guy who everyone thought would be an ace, he never really got a chance, as parts of three seasons and a DFA led him to toil away in our minor league system. Quickly becoming our highest ranked prospect, he had great stuff, and just like the guys I drafted this week well along for his age. OSA and Dixie Marsh viewed him as a frontline starter, and it seemed like we had found our ace for the foreseeable future. I couldn't tell you what made him go from stud to bum, but I can tell you that I'm glad that I didn't have to experience his fall-off first hand. When I left him he was coming off a nice debut in the then C-Ball, eventually debuting for 3 games in 1968. 13 in 1969 and 2 more in 1970 will likely compose the entirety of his FABL career, as despite solid results he just never got a chance to pitch in a rotation. Allowing just 25 hits, 8 runs, and 13 walks with 18 strikeouts in 30.1 innings, he had a solid ERA (2.37, 146), FIP (3.07, 84), and WHIP (1.25), but by then the prospect shine had long worn off. Peaking at the #2 ranked prospect in 1966, he didn't even graduate in the top-100, but there's no injury to point to. He even had some successful dev lab roles, but once his velocity went down he went from the new hot commodity to filler depth and a good clubhouse figure. Last edited by ayaghmour2; 12-15-2025 at 10:58 PM.

12-16-2025, 09:42 AM	#1652
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,034	1975 Draft: Rounds 3 and 4 3rd Round, 57th Overall: RHP Ed Thompson School: Cazenovia Lakers 1974: 7-2, 94 IP, 2.11 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 19 BB, 107 K Career: 21-6, 271 IP, 1.86 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 58 BB, 338 K Harry Carr must absolutely love his job, as not only is he getting paid a ton of money by the team that drafted him to help with future drafts, but he's getting almost every player on his wishlist. We got his 2B with our first pick, and now his 2A comes with our 3rd Rounder. 3 of his 5 players in the top five have been selected, and a fourth may be who we take in the 4th Round! Going in the third is another potential ace, though I'm not as high on Ed Thompson as Carr is, or say I am (obviously) on Brewer. A little more of a project, the four-year starter at Cazenovia had a career worst 2.11 ERA as a junior, and one of the 4 home runs he allowed was to 2nd Rounder Joe Williams. That'll mess the stats up a little bit, but unlike Brewer Thompson has been just regular dominant, not the step above that a lot of star pitchers are. Still great, he went 21-6 with a 1.86 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in 37 starts, and we'll be closely watching how the school's most accomplished hurler finishes his career. Set to be the first pitcher in school history to be drafted, he's struck out at least 100 hitters in at least 80 innings, and I'd expect more of the same in '74. One of the most interesting pitchers in the pool, Thompson relies way too much on his change up, but it's hard to blame him. Simply put it's elite and is probably enough to get him to the big leagues for at least a mop-up role, but it's not what makes me most excited about him. That would be the screwball, which could be a pitch he throws for strikes. Since the still 17-year-old doesn't throw very hard, it can almost work like a knuckle ball, and he way he throws it there's almost no ability to hit a home run. He's not without anything hard either, his mid 80s cutter is located well, and with a splitter and knuckle curve you can't just sit change up. Already a two pitch pitcher, he has an advantage on most of the other guys in his class. Carr and OSA both think he'll be an ace, I think that's too generous, but he's a great #2 and anywhere lower your rotation is really good. Soft-tosses are thriving in a lower power environment, and when you get swings and misses it doesn't matter how quick the radar gun reads. 4th Round, 80th Overall: CF Phil Ransom School: Riverdale Quakers 1974: .464/.545/.877, 190 PA, 33 2B, 8 3B, 5 HR, 45 RBI, 25 SB Career: .466/.558/.930, 548 PA, 109 2B, 26 3B, 15 HR, 131 RBI, 67 SB I was three picks off of getting four of Carr's top five, and as much as I wanted a shortstop now that he was gone I decided to double up again, matching the pitchers in the odd rounds with center fielders in the even rounds. This one is actually capable of playing there, as we grabbed our fourth high schooler and second four year starter. The trade off for the glove is a less scary bat, but he's still hit an impressive .466/.558/.930 for his Illinois high school. A Wilmette native, he's a true athlete who has loud tools. The speed translates to steals and defense, as Harry calls his defense "phenomenal" and OSA gives him "outstanding" and very low risk. Set to be his calling card, he could challenge for Diamond Defense awards, and even though we have a winner in his prime already, you can never have too much depth and Ransom just turned 17. I don't want to undersell the bat either, as the defense alone isn't what projects him as potentially elite. He produces with extra base hits instead of homers, as he can beat out light hits and stretch singles into doubles. Despite his K% jumping from the 4s to 7.4, he should excel at putting the ball in play, as there is minimal swing and miss in his game. At least a plus contact hitter, he should be the perfect bat to lead a deep order. I think our new scout is a bit too ambitious with him, as I'm not expecting an elite hitter, but even OSA thinks he'll make multiple trips to the All-Star game. I'm not quite sure I understand his bat, but I'm very much looking forward to getting him into the organization. We have legit zero center field prospects, with just two players in the prospects only section of our depth chart. One is okay, Andy Alexander our 2nd Rounder from 1973, but Ransom will get the good fortune of no one in his way. He can take all the time he needs to too, and even if he doesn't rank among the game's top 100 prospects his development will be closely followed.

12-16-2025, 07:54 PM	#1653
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,034	1975 Draft: Rounds 5-7 Before getting to the next crop of draftees, we did have another sim, which led to another extension. As opposed to the Halliday deal which was about affordability, this one was all about prolonging (although it saved money too), as we gave Pug White $44,000 if he decides to return for the 1976 season. 45 in June, he could still retire, but I figured an extra year on his contract makes it way less likely. 2 wins from the Franchise lead, he's 36th overall and 5th among active players. He's also 13 appearances away from matching Allan Allen's 914, though 891 of his were starts. Pug is at 503, so relieving certainly helps, though his 4,190 innings are still good for 39th and only 12 of the guys ahead of him even threw a single inning after 1940. It's a different game now, but Pug's longevity is still a rarity, and I'd be surprised if anyone comes close to it ever again. 5th Round, 105th Overall: SS Bill Ketchum School: Plymouth Vikings 1974: .442/.520/.742, 196 PA, 32 2B, 3B, 5 HR, 46 RBI, 9 SB Career: .462/.549/.775, 388 PA, 66 2B, 3 3B, 9 HR, 87 RBI, 19 SB The guy I really wanted, Vern Ladd, was taken 2nd in the 5th Round, but it at least saved me from taking three pitchers with our first five picks. I then went to an old reliable, a young and athletic shortstop named Bill Ketchum. 18 in April, he's certainly not the best available prospect, just above average compared to the still elite crop, but he's a lot more valuable then what is left for us. A Virginia native who went to school in North Carolina, Ketchum has started two seasons on the varsity squad, hitting .462/.549/.775 with 54 walks, 78 extra base hits, and 126 runs scored. A capable defender despite minimal foot speed, he was worth just a hair shy of 8 WAR in 77 games, and he should have the glove to stick in the middle infield. It may be second instead of short, but at least for now he'll be getting regular reps at short. Our fifth high schooler, he has a bat I am very excited for, giving us another high-upside prospect with an elite hitting tool. Projected to have tools that will lead him to be an extraordinary contact hitter, expect high batting averages and miniscule strikeout rates, but don't expect power. I'd love for that to come, especially with his slowness, but it's not something I'm banking on. It also won't determine whether he can start in the majors, that's dependent on the glove and eye, but at 6'2'' his frame at athleticism could lead to more pop as he matures. Shortstop is not an issue for us long-term, Halliday has it locked up now and 18-year-old top-25 prospect Carl Carroll has the quality defensive skills I so admire, making Ketchum a risk that doesn't feel all that risky. 6th Round, 129th Overall: RHP Tom Ballard School: Bouckville Yellowjackets 1974: 4-0, 2 SV, 58 IP, 0.62 ERA, 0.69 WHIP, 13 BB, 112 K Career: 10-2, 2 SV, 127 IP, 0.85 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, 27 BB, 228 K Easily the most interesting pitcher in the draft I just couldn't keep passing up Tom Ballard. I don't even care if he ends up pitching a single FABL game, but he's the absolute softest tosser and my scout still thinks he can anchor a rotation. 18 in May, some of his fastballs sill register in the 70s but his pinpoint command makes up all the difference. Another guy who keeps the ball on the ground, the New Yorker is a sinkerballer who rolls up grounders like no-ones business, as the pitch just flutters through the zone and out of harms way. Impossible to elevate, his pitches start low and stay low, but for now none of them are really that good. Stuff is the obvious issue, and why he's still available, but even OSA thinks he can be a #3. He's the guy I picture with ratings has like 85+ for both movement and control potential, and since he's at least a projected future starter the stuff can't be that bad. The gap between the currents and potentials are probably immense, but it's just hard to not be enamored with what could be. As a junior he excelled, working to a 0.62 ERA, 0.69 WHIP, 0.29 FIP, and 8.6 K/BB, but a lot of his time came out of the pen. We'll let him start regardless of results, but there's a very real chance he ends up in a bullpen. 7th Round, 153rd Overall: 3B Al Hall School: Hopkinton Falcons 1974: .464/.566/.781, 191 PA, 34 2B, 3B, 4 HR, 45 RBI Career: .473/.576/.797, 91 2B, 6 3B, 12 HR, 128 RBI We stuck with the theme of prep picks, selecting the recently turned 18 Al Hall. Set to be a four year starter at his Rhode Island high school, Unfortunately for him, a lot of his numbers have been on a downward trend, which contributed some to his slip. An athletic third basemen, OSA calls him a potential key regular while Carr goes for cornerstone player, with plenty of love placed on his bat. While not a slugger, he does have projectable power, which would be lethal with his plus-plus contact potential. He hits the ball to all fields with his short swing, using his knowledge of the strike zone to determine the direction of his hits. That includes out of play if it's a pitch he can't handle it, allowing him to work counts and force mistakes. Unlikely to strikeout, he's great when you need to move a runner. He can then make the difference on the dirt, as he defends his position well. Another guy far from the majors, we went with upside over immediate impact, but without much to go on there really are no safe bets.

12-16-2025, 11:54 PM	#1654
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,034	1975 Draft: Rounds 8-10 8th Round, 177th Overall: 2B Charlie Reader School: Norwich Wildcats 1974: .447/.527/.827, 184 PA, 34 2B, 3B, 7 HR, 46 RBI, 2 SB Career: .466/.551/.840, 390 PA, 69 2B, 3 3B,14 HR, 95 RBI, 4 SB I promise this wasn't on purpose -- the guy I really wanted in this draft was a college player after all -- but we did continue to end up with high school players. The first of two more bats, we're starting to get to the point where OSA and our scout disagree on players. Despite that, Charlie Reader is a very interesting prospect, as Harry Carr likes his raw power. I'm not expecting him to be the impact player Carr expects, but I absolutely love the bat, making this almost a first base type of pick. The power will determine his impact, but he's got a great approach and outstanding bat-to-ball skills. I'm willing to sacrifice strikeouts for power, but right now he's hitting homers without any. I'm interested to see how he can handle second base, but aside from his athleticism there's nothing to suggest he's more then just solid. That shouldn't be an issue, as we got him for the bat and I think it will be more then enough to get him to Chicago. 9th Round, 225th Overall: RHP Willy McBreen School: Shamokin Phoenix 1974: 4-1, SV, 62.1 IP, 1.73 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 14 BB, 82 K Career: 13-3, 2 SV, 187 IP, 1.68 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 36 BB, 246 K A pitcher who pitches for a school that looks like it's preannounced smoking phoenix, the lean, mean, Willy McBreen is looking to make a statement in his senior year. As both a starter and reliever, he's pitched almost a FABL season's worth of innings, 187 of them spread between 23 starts and 21 relief appearances. Despite that, I'm very confident in his abilities to start, as I think it's more reflective of his current arsenal. Set at four pitches, he's still looking for a best pitch, and all four are worthy candidates. I hope it's the curve, as what does impress so far is the movement on the pitches. The hard worker's natural motion keeps him out of the heart of the plate, and his command is a key part of his game. Able to keep pitch counts lows and guy's behind in the count, he's hard to get rallies off, and if he finds out his pitch mix he could actually be the #2 Harry Carr is predicting. 10th Round, 225th Overall: CF Harvey McDade School: Peabody Highlanders 1974: .455/.528/.799, 161 PA, 29 2B, 4 3B, 3 HR, 34 RBI, 10 SB Career: .462/.545/.839, 528 PA, 97 2B, 14 3B, 13 HR, 119 RBI, 28 SB More Mcs to finish, as I went against my better instinct and took the bat over another pitcher. One with concerns too, as former center fielder Harry Carr doesn't really see Harvey McDade as a center fielder, despite his position and OSA's report saying otherwise. Harry is taking another look, so I shouldn't get too ahead of myself, and instead appreciate how OSA and Carr both love the bat. A final four year starter to finish things off, McDade hit 110 extra base hits, drew 75 walks, and scored 187 runs in 528 plate appearances. Above average power is what brings you in, but his ability to hit to all fields is what makes you stay. A potential middle of the order hitter, he hits the ball often and with authority, and could be a nightmare to get out. I'm hoping that's not the case with the defense too, but he should hit enough to keep himself in the plus column.

12-18-2025, 10:31 PM	#1655
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,034	Trade News! As you all know that I just absolutely cannot help myself, I made a very big trade and maybe even the biggest trade I've ever made. It's been so long I'm not really sure. But it is a doozy! As I'm prone to, I added yet-another third basemen in his 30s like I did with Joe Masters, John Lawson, Walt Pack, and Hal Wood, and tried to with Lloyd Coulter in a trade that happened but didn't really happen. Though you could put all of those guys together in their primes and it wouldn't even come close to as talented as prime Tom Lorang. They're not measurable. He's just on another level both offensively and defensively. Even at 20 he was in a class of his own, and I have know concerns that the 33 till August superstar will continue to be that until the sad day in baseball history that he eventually retires. The only guy older then 30 in the top-10 and behind just the two Atlanta (former Pittsburgh Miners) 26-year-old superstars Al Hubbard (.341, 12, 73, 28) and Howard Smith (.312, 20, 106) OSA doesn't think their is anyone better. I'm bias, I think he's better then Smith, but Hubbard is basically what if Tom Lorang played second instead of third and was born almost exactly seven years later. I mean literally. Hubbard is August 4th and Lorang is August 5th. I'm thinking it has to do with leap years or the universe thought they were slick having a superstar tear up the Fed in his own unique way. Lorang will now get to dominate an Association he's never really faced, as Washington rewarded his elite play with a grand total of one postseason appearance in 15 years. I'm hoping to quickly rectify it, as even though we aren't really a good team, we have great pitching and a brand new shiny toy that most franchises only dream about. Yes, the age is up there, but the 12-Time All-Star, 10-Time Diamond Defense Winner, and most importantly, 4-Time Whitney Winner, is still a superstar. Worth 7.8 WAR in 158 games, our new third basemen hit .282/.403/.469 (147 OPS+) with a Fed high 115 walks. Adding 17 doubles, 6 triples, 25 homers, 104 RBIs, 91 runs, and 18 steals. Most hitters dream of production like that, but for the former 2nd pick and 3rd prospect that doesn't even get a mention in his career summary. On five separate occasions Lorang has had an OPS+ of 200 or higher, including four WRC+ and a fifth at a Fed-best 192. Depending on your favorite stat, he had many "best" seasons, with 42 homers and 143 walks in 1970, a 202 WRC+ in 1962, the 214 OPS+ in 1969, or any of the other world-class performances he put together. My favorite was his 1963, his first of the four Whitneys. 22 that August, Lorang led the Fed in all three triple slash categories, hitting an almost laughable .378/.461/.650 (201 OPS+) with 35 doubles, 17 triples, 35 homers, and 128 RBIs. Those 17 triples were a Fed best too, as were the 147 runs, 201 WRC+, .471 wOBA, and 12.4 WAR. Ironically he hit a little better the year before, batting .386/.475/.688, with the OBP, slugging, and resulting OPS franchise bests, but this year was his most complete. A mainstay on the leaderboards, he's been the best in runs four times, doubles once, triples a second time, homers once, RBIs twice, average three times, OBP eight times, slugging four times, OPS five times, WRC+ three times, wOBA four times, and WAR three times. In Eagles team history his OBP (.418), slugging (.552), OPS (.970), WAR (125.4), runs (1,602), hits (2,609), doubles (418), homers (448), RBIs (1,475), and walks (1,488) are team records. I almost feel bad taking him away, but the Cougars need a star and they want to rebuild, and I think he deserves a title and will do everything I can to build around him. An all-time great, he's 13th in WAR and the active leader, and unless Harry Swain (1,681) takes it first I think Ed Bloom's walk record (1,789) is nearing it's end, as Lorang could easily draw 2,000. A month away from 1,500, he's walked in 15.1% of his career plate appearances and drew a Fed best 115 last season. He's walked 85 or more times in each of the last thirteen seasons and should easily pass that number this year. Our lineup is not (yet) as strong as I'd like it to be, so expect plenty of free passes. I won't waste too much time on the prospects I moved as I had little connection to them, and figured this was the best time to tap into the second ranked farm in the game. All three guys ranked inside the top-200, led by top-30 prospects Ralph Russell (28th) and Hank Oliver (30th). Both still teens, they're far from the big leagues, and I need this Cougar team to win now. They have star upside I may regret, but they'll head to the Fed where we really won't have to worry about them. I think Joe Williams is going to be the same type of player as Russell, hopefully better, and pitching prospects can just be so tough. Sure, Oliver was the 13th pick last year and looks like an ace, but I really like the arms we brought in from the draft. I'm lucky we have plenty of depth to absorb this, and now I really wish a deal that I had agreed to earlier in the offseason went through. This offense would have been really great! Back to the drawing board? Oh I am so glad we are back!

12-19-2025, 01:22 PM	#1656
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,034	A Return! One of the players I really was mad that the Cougars got rid of was one of my favorites from before the fast forward, Jerry McMillan. Taken by the Cougars with the 6th pick of the 1954 draft, McMillan was a top-25 prospect who debuted for the Cougars in 1958 and was a mainstay in the Chicago lineup for a decade and a half. In 1973 he was eventually moved to the bench, and then quickly traded to the Imperials for a pair of prospects we have in low-A Yakima. His Imperial tenure was short, 30 games last year and 65 this past year. When human GMs took over, McMillan was one of the many Jan 1st cuts, and after about a month of mulling my offer he returned to the team where it all started. A veteran of 2,363 games -- 2,268 and counting as a Cougar -- he was best early, picking up hardware in three of his first four seasons. 2 All-Stars and the 1958 Kellogg, when he first came up he was an elite contact/speed player who looked to be one of the young stars in the league. At 21 the Canadian hit an impressive .311/.357/.471 (129 OPS+) with 76 runs, 16 doubles, 7 triples, 18 homers, 78 RBIs, 41 walks, and 18 steals. No All-Star in 1959, but he had a 5 WAR season with a 129 WRC+, 21 steals, 30 doubles, 19 homers, 90 RBIs, and 107 runs. He followed that up with his two All-Star appearances, even if they weren't his best two seasons, but ;61 was at least close. The then 24-year-old blasted a career high 28 homers, batting .314/.376/.498 (133 OPS+), collecting 112 runs, 28 doubles, 81 RBIs, 63 walks, 23 steals, and a 5.9 WAR. After a down year in 1963, he had what I would say was his best season, worth a career high 6.1 WAR while leading the Conti with 10 triples and 29 steals. Close to the '61 season, he hit a strong .298/.350/.451 (128 OPS+) with 27 doubles, 17 homers, 71 RBIs, 111 runs, and 52 walks. Just 27, it looked like his career had nowhere to go but up, but instead, it's the end of his peak. He dropped to a 3-WAR player the next two seasons, and in the eight years after he failed to even reach 2. The offense was mostly average or a little better and the defense started to slip, but he was and continued to steal bases. With 7 in just 124 PAs and 65 games last year, he's up to 334 in his career, and his 323 steals are third in Cougar history. With us he's hit .280/.333/.418 (113 OPS+) and been worth less then a win shy of 50. Impressive overall numbers, it's hard to expect that of him since he turns 38 in April, but he's a franchise favorite and he deserves to get one more chance in Chicago. As is, he'll replace Henry Watson as the starting right fielder, looking to add to his team marks. He's at 300 doubles, 84 triples, 256 homers, 979 RBIs, 692 walks, and 1,326 runs, numbers that rank among the best in team history. He's top-10 in WAR (9th), games (4th, 2,268), runs (3rd), hits (4th, 2,497), doubles (6th), homers (2nd), RBIs (6th), and walks (4th), and only John Dibblee has taken more then his 8,921 at bats. Probably not good enough to get his #11 retired (which he will be getting back from Augie Hicks), he'll still be remembered fondly for his time here, as he was one of the few bright spots on some uninspiring 1960s teams. I'd love to get him a ring, but unless he plans on a Pug White type career, he may end up washed and/or retired before getting a chance to appear in the postseason.

12-21-2025, 07:38 PM	#1657
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,034	Trade News! More bats for the Cougars! Maybe we can not suck this year! Ironically, I sought out a player I thought was perfect, offered a package I thought would work, but the team decided to stand pat. Luckily, I had a trade post out of what I was looking for, so a player that's just about perfect himself was offered to me, I offered a similar package, but he wanted the player I offered the first team -- who I almost offered instead -- and the deal was consummated. Something the Cougars did during the second quick sim, we followed suit, acquiring an All-Star from the Foresters. We upgraded from a 4-Time to 5-Time in a deal I hope finds way more success, as we picked up 31-year-old outfielder Andy Babel for a pair of prospects in Andy Alexander and Julio Torres. A former 13th Overall pick and 4-Time Diamond Defense winner, Babel has been a mainstay in the Cleveland lineup since his 1966 debut. Named an All-Star, he hit .298/.358/.454 (131 OPS+) with 38 doubles, 9 triples, 11 homers, 74 RBIs, 98 runs, and 51 walks. Worth 4.1 WAR with help from his cannon in right, he was exactly the type of player they thought they drafted, a guy who hits the ball hard, puts it in play, and draws his share of walks. Babel followed up his excellent rookie season with another All-Star selection, leading the Conti with 181 hits. His .298/.380/.415 (138 OPS+) batting line was just as good, and this time it came with 30 doubles, 11 homers, 75 RBIs, 75 walks, 81 runs, and 4 triples, as well as his first Diamond Defense award. Babel took a step back in '68, though he was still an above average hitter, and right back to himself. He put up his best two seasons at 25 and 26, worth 6.1 and 6.3 WAR in full 159 games seasons. '70 was the better season, especially at the plate, as Babel won a batting title with his .337/.405/.531 (154 OPS+) and some down-ballot Whitney votes. The extra base hits were plentiful, 41 doubles, 11 triples, and 17 homers, adding in 95 runs, 98 RBIs, and 63 walks. The homers and doubles matched his total from '69, where he led the Conti in doubles, but he had just 6 triples, 82 runs and RBIs, and a still excellent 154 WRC+ that was just ten points lower then his still best 164. No more astronomical numbers after that, though in each of the last four seasons he's had at least a 125 OPS+ and at least a 130 WRC+. It was 147 in '71 and 141 last year, and aside from a 6-homer 1972 he's had at least 50 extra base hits in the other three campaigns. Each came with more walks then strikeouts, something he's done every year since his rookie season, and his .296 average in '72 was his first below .300 since his uncharacteristic .246/.316/.368 (109 OPS+) line in 1968. A career .301/.365/.445 (134 OPS+) hitter, he's exactly the type of bat we were missing. The extra base machine enters 1975 with 340 doubles, 59 triples, and 103 homers, and considering how his game is pretty much dependent on his bat and his arm, he should age very well. He's almost never been injured, and should have at least three more years of his prime. A good clubhouse figure and a guy with enough range to cover center in a pinch, he's a guy you'd be happy with as your main acquisition, not just the secondary. What makes me most excited is the power, as you can't led the relatively low homer counts fool you. Forester Stadium is one of the most spacious parks in the game, as the lefty slugger deals with a .792 park factor for home runs. The lowest for lefties. Cougars Park is on the complete other side of the spectrum, as our 1.118 is the second highest in FABL. As crazy as it sounds for a guy who never got past 17, he should be a lock for 20 this year, even if it is as the cost of a few doubles. No Forester even had 10 homers in '68 or '72, and the last guy to hit 20 in a season was Ed Wise, who hit 21 in 1966 and had multiple 30-homer seasons in Boston. I think a lot of people are going to finally recognize the power he has, but even if I'm wrong, a .300 doubles hitter who doesn't strike out is extremely valuable on any ballclub, and why we had to give up a talented young outfielder and a current starter who's just 21 and in low-A. Neither ranks in the top-100, but with a much larger league that matters much less, as I'm absolutely enamored with FABL's 122nd prospect who's just eight spots above Alexander. Cleveland's new Andy, he's an elite defender and had worker who we took in the 2nd Round of the 1973 draft. I don't love having to move him, but he's one of our more valuable trade pieces, and I love our recent 4th Rounder and Illinois native Phil Ransom. An elite defender himself, he makes parting with Alexander easier, but I'm sure I'll regret it once he's catching our hitters balls in Cleveland. The same will go for Torres, just making our hitters miss, as he has a deep seven pitch arsenal and legit strikeout stuff. Command may hold him back, but our 4th Rounder from 1972 could be a useful swingman if the walks stay to high.

12-23-2025, 01:31 PM	#1658
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,034	Meet the Team!: The Stars We're making decent progress in the offseason, with Spring Training quickly approaching, but before we get there, we need to get to know some of the players on this team! We'll start with the stars, and while Tom Lorang (recently extended for two years!) and Andy Babel certainly fit that bill, I just spent some time talking about them in the trade talks. Tom Halliday does too, but since he was a familiar face, no need to repeat! Same would go for Sam Morrison and Bill Grimm later, though they're far from stars, but I will cover some guys like that in a later post. For now, enjoy the best of our best! RHP Roger Alford Acquired: Via Draft: 2nd Round, 37th Overall (1966) 1974: 17-9, 35 GS, 276 IP, 2.35 ERA (161 ERA+), 1.00 WHIP, 49 BB, 139 K, 6.1 WAR Career (FABL): 54-50, SV, 130 G, 118 GS, 903.1 IP, 2.88 ERA (128 ERA+), 1.13 WHIP, 233 BB, 485 K, 16.6 WAR The best of the best, an ace among aces, Roger Alford is exactly the type of pitcher you want fronting your rotation, and he's exactly the pitcher we are lucky enough to have. Ranked as the 2nd best FABL hurler, he rewarded us with an Allen season, our first since the surprise Arch Wilson win that I will definitely get into deeper at a later date. A first-time winner, All-Star, and Diamond Defense winner, it was his third season as a full-time starter and fifth as a big leaguer, but far from his only great year. Sure, it was the best, 17-9 with a Conti best 2.35 ERA (161 ERA+), 1.00 WHIP, and 2.8 K/BB. While not a big strikeout arm, he set down 139 in 276 innings, working to a 6.1 WAR with a Conti best 1.6 BB/9 and elite 4.5 BB%. In each of his first two seasons as a starter, he was pretty great. At 24 in 1972, he was an unlucky 15-17, but he started a Conti high 37 games. Throwing 264.2 innings, he worked to a 3.33 ERA (106 ERA+), 3.06 FIP (87 FIP-), and 1.23 WHIP, striking out a career high 152 hitters. His 5.2 WAR is second to just his '74 season, and I'm hoing it was the first of, let's say ten? Yeah ten! Or at least the 4+ variety, like his 4.2 in 262.2 innings the next year, where Alford was 15-12 with a 3.05 ERA (125 ERA+), 1.16 WHIP, and 142 strikeouts. The walks were the highest they've been, 78 and a 7.3 BB%, but those are both still well above average. Entering his aged 27 season, Alford has a little over 900 FABL innings under his belt, and an outstanding 2.88 ERA (128 ERA+) and 3.30 FIP (89 FIP-), both overshadowed by the 1.13 WHIP. That would have ranked top-10 among qualified FABL pitchers this season, really showcasing his elite command. A crafty eight pitch pitcher, he can wield them all, effortlessly swapping grips while keeping the same arm slot. Impossible to predict or get a read on, he excels at generating weak contact, and he has the ability to completely neutralizing even some of the best hitters in the game. Our park accounts for some of the home runs he gives up, but very rarely is it hard contact. Generally it's his inability to put away some of the top guys, but since he's not a strike out guy it's not really expected. When he tries to sneak a pitch past someone, he can run into issues, but this past season he did a great job limiting base runners, so any mistakes didn't impact him very much. With the talent of someone like Alford, and a pretty deep rotation overall, it allowed me to make the big moves to bring in bats, as a guy like this deserves run support every time he steps onto the mound. Even three runs is usually enough, but if we can start putting up five or more he could be the first 20-game winner since old friend Pete Papenfus won 21 in his return from the war (1946). In terms of talent, he's probably the best we've had since, and despite all the talented young pitching prospects we have on the farm, there's a good chance he'll remain our are throughout the rest of the 70s. Our key to returning to contention relies on him and Tom Lorang, as the duo of top-3 players could help make up for some of the holes we have yet to fill. C Charlie Sanders Acquired: Via Draft: 9th Round, 169th Overall (1968) 1974: 128 G, 503 PA, .300/.350/.438 (131 OPS+), 47 R, 15 2B, 3B, 15 HR, 82 RBI, SB, 4.4 WAR Career: 672 G, 2,655 PA, .262/.319/.370 (102 OPS+), 233 R, 78 2B, 3 3B, 58 HR, 338 RBI, 2 SB, 14.1 WAR He's not the most consistent player out there, but if the recently turned 29-year-old can do what he did in 1974, or at least 1972, he'll continue to rank among the top catchers in FABL. We just reached the preseason, where Sanders dropped a spot to the #5 catcher, but he's now ranked as the 19th best position player. A bit of a shock, and hopefully a sign of things to come, the switch hitting catcher is a legit cornerstone, even if his teammates don't like him that much. Outspoken is putting it lightly, but when you hit .300/.350/.438 (131 OPS+) with 15 homers and 82 RBIs, all bests on the team, people will make some concessions. A veteran of five years, he's kept up the C. Sanders trend at catcher, making it eight straight years and 11 of the last 13. Five are Charlie, who I hope doesn't become as disruptive as Chappy, sporting a basically league average .262/.319/.370 (102 OPS+) line. The 128 games he appeared in were the fewest so far, as were the 503 PAs, due to a broken bone in his right elbow. I was a little worried that would have some ill-effects, but he's back to 100% and it's the only real injury he's dealt with. Durability like that behind the plate is huge, and since he never really excelled at catching guys stealing, we don't really have to worry about that part of his game slipping. What makes Sanders so good is his knowledge of the strike zone, from all sides of the plate. Well, maybe not in front, as that would cause some issues, but he's not going to strike out much as a lefty or righty, and his framing skills are top of the line. Then there's the power, double digit homers in four of his five seasons, with the career best 15 this year. It's surprising no Cougar hit more then that this year, though we didn't really have the best collection of talent, and I'd be very surprised if he leads now with Babel and Lorang in the fold. If he can avoid his odd year curse and go back to raking, we will be in really good shape this season. Entering the year with 78 doubles, 58 homers, 338 RBIs, 233 runs, and 197 walks, his career is still on the short side. As much as I want to put a lot of faith in him, I know there's a chance he falls back to earth, but now that there is lest pressure on him to lead the offense I think we'll be in really great shape. RHP Roger Alford Acquired: Via Trade with Imperials (1965) Drafted: 3rd Round, 41st Overall (1952) 1974: 13-12, 36 GS, 233.1 IP, 3.24 ERA (114 ERA+), 1.27 WHIP, 59 BB, 124 K, 4.0 WAR Career (FABL): 189-142, 49 SV, 3.14 ERA (120 ERA+), 1.23 WHIP, 923 BB, 1,786 K, 50.8 WAR Our 4th, and at least for now, final top-20 prospect, Hal Adams is the "youngest" or our retirement home staff. Ranked 14th, the 39-year-old is one of only two pitchers older then 30, with the second 31-year-old Jim Place (who you may remember from being our 2nd Round pick). Somewhat of a team legend, Adams bounced a round a lot before making his way to Chicago. Drafted by the Keystones, he was released in 1955, signed with an independent club (who's now our AA club!), signed with the Gothams, traded to the Cannons, claimed off waivers by the Imperials, and then finally traded to the Cougars. It came after the 1965 season came to a close, as a then 29-year-old completed his first season as a starter. He had just 13 FABL starts before that season, but made a Conti high 36 for the Imperials. Just 11-14 in 263 innings -- hits first of ten 230+ inning seasons -- but the 3.39 ERA (114 ERA+) and 3.00 FIP (78 FIP-) proved that maybe he should be a starting pitcher. Add in 167 strikeouts to 90 walks, and a Conti low 0.3 HR/9, leading him to what stands as a career best 6.6 WAR, leading to his first of four All-Star appearances. Lucky for us, the cost of Adams proved to be very little, as one of the arms retired and the other has a 5.51 (68 ERA+) career ERA in 45 games (2 starts). Adams, meanwhile, has started 318 consecutive games for us, always with an above average ERA+, and only once with a below average FIP- (107, 1973). His first season in Chicago was great, as Adams went 15-8 with a 2.95 ERA (128 ERA+), 3.25 FIP (86 FIP-), and 1.09 WHIP. He stared 34 games, dropping his BB% from 8.0 to 6.1 while the K% jumped from 14.8 to 15.2. The ERA took a step back to 3.15 (108 ERA+) the next season, but the FIP drop to 2.75 (79 FIP-) helped announce his presence as a legit top-of-the-rotation arm. Adams fully broke up in 1968 season, where he went 14-10 with a miniscule 2.19 ERA (141 ERA+), 2.69 FIP (87 FIP-), and 1.05 WHIP. Bests for ERA, FIP, and WHIP, they came with a 4.9 WAR, 71 walks, and 143 strikeouts, allowing just 9 homers in 254.1 innings pitched. Ironically, that's the last season he had less then 17, including a Conti high 32 in 1973, but that hasn't limited his effectiveness. 1969 saw another great year, a 2.66 ERA (140 ERA+), 3.19 FIP (86 FIP-), and 1.13 WHIP, leading the Conti with 18 wins and just 7 losses. He struck out a career high 192 hitters in 1970, and while he hasn't been the ace-level dominant guy from '71 on, it's hard to ask more from a guy in his mid-to-late 30s. Aside from '73, he's been worth 4 or more WAR in each season, and there's a real good chance he'll do that once more. A veteran of nearly 3,000 innings, 2,244.1 of those innings came in Chicago. That's good enough for 8th in team history, one of the many categories he ranks inside the top-10. He's 9th in WHIP (1.18), 8th in wins (129) and starts (318), 6th in WAR (42.9) and K/BB (2.2), 5th in strikeouts (1,364). His career numbers aren't as good as the ones with ours, but he'll enter the new year with 189 wins, a 3.14 ERA (120 ERA+), 50.8 WAR, and 1,786 strikeouts. I'm hoping he can get to 200 wins this year and 2,000 strikeouts the year after, as long as Pug White provides him with the secret stuff that keeps him young. I hate having to rely on old pitchers, but Adams looks like he's ten years younger, and has far less innings on his arm then the average nearly 40-year-old. Pug and Jim Norris have thrown over twice as many innings, and if they can keep things up, I see no reason why our #2 can't as well.

12-23-2025, 08:42 PM	#1659
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,034	Trade News! 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.

Yesterday, 03:45 PM	#1660
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,034	Spring Training! Baseball is back! The games won't happen tomorrow with Christmas, or Friday, so we'll have to wait until Monday before some action, but that doesn't limit the excitement from the return. I'm still not sure how good we are going to be, but reaching the 80 win mark would be the first step in the right direction. I'd love to get in the 90s and compete for a division, but we're in the West and Milwaukee is in the east, so we're stuck in FABL's best division. KC is great, so is Dallas, and New York is pretty darn good, but we're the only team that's made legitimate moves to improve, and sometimes that's enough to throw off the balance of the division. Here's what we're bringing into camp: RHP Hal Adams* RHP Roger Alford* RHP Tom Andress RHP Bill Bartlett RHP Leo Bliss RHP Bobby Fuller RHP Bob Goldman* RHP Don Griffin RHP Tom Heard RHP Augie Hicks* RHP Dale Holm LHP Don Ireland RHP Bill Jackson RHP Charlie Lawson LHP Jim Norris* LHP Bill Scott RHP Lee Sechrest RHP Harl Thompson LHP Pug White* RHP Ferdie Williams RHP Walt Wilson C Sam Calhoun C Chappy Sanders C Charlie Sanders* C Carlos Voiles C Earl Wade 1B John Baab* 1B Morton Bass 1B Gene Case 1B Bill Grimm* 2B Ernie Dreier 2B Cleo Harris* 2B Gene Homer 2B Clarence Johnson 2B Walt Lange 2B Joe Sterling 3B Mel Hodges 3B Tom Lorang* 3B Cal Randall 3B Jay Richardson 3B Pablo Vazquez SS Bud Edmunds SS Chuck Ennis SS Tom Halliday* SS Mack Pixley SS Ed Smith LF Sam Morrison* LF Jeff Oliver LF Bob Ryan CF Fuzzy Cronin* CF Tom O'Connor CF Mike Van den Heuvel RF Andy Babel* RF George Crandall RF Jerry McMillan* RF Charlie Warner RF Henry Watson* RF Bill White With the fast-forward there are a ton of openings on the roster, but now that I made all my acquisitions the lineup is completely set. I know exactly who's going to man all eight positions, even if the order is unclear, and we at least have two outfield bench spots filled with Watson and McMillan. Otherwise, plenty of spots for grab, from backup catcher to the remaining bench spots. The rotation is set, it will start with Alford and Adams, but after that it's either Pug Goldman or Goldman Pug, with Jim Norris in the five spot. I don't love that his velo dropped to 88-90, but he's a control guy and not a stuff guy, and was in that range before he turned 32. The pen is just as open as the bench, as aside from Augie Hicks (who may be the stopper), I have no idea how the rest will go. We have a few interesting young guys who could take back-end roles, while most of the vets are pretty uninspiring. I'd love to add a legit stopper, but at this point in the season I don't think it's going to happen. But then again I didn't expect to trade for Tom Lorang and here we are... Oh baseball is so back! Go Cougars!