Chicago Cougars (FABL)

[ayaghmour2]

No injuries!!! That's about the only good news in a 2-5 week, but considering we had great Spring records the last two seasons, and we didn't win a pennant either year, so nothing really to worry about. Another thing not to worry about would be Pete Papenfus. The 19-year-old's debut wasn't great, but he can blame it on Johnny McDowell who made an error on the first ball hit to him at second base. That caused five of the six first inning runs to be unearned. In total, he went 4 innings with 6 walks and 2 strikeouts. He also pitched out of the pen a bit, 4 scoreless with a hit, 3 walks, and 4 strikeouts. Not sure how many more games he'll get, but the youngster was set to start the year in the minors anyways.

Speaking of McDowell, it was luckily his only error of the week and he was 3-for-9 with a double, steal, RBI, 3 walks, and 4 runs scored. His counterpart Ollie Page was 0-for-7 with a walk and RBI, so he's got a lot of work to do if he wants to start. Ray Ford had a strong week, 5-for-13 with a double, two homers, two RBIs, four runs, and 3 walks. Veteran John Lawson hit well too, 7-for-15 with a run and two driven in. Unfortunately, a lot of our starters hit poorly, but again, no injuries is really all I'm looking for. None of the bench players did much, but all Cougars in camp except emergency catcher Lave Young got an at bat.

On the mound, we saw both Pug Bryan and Oscar Morse toss four strong innings in their first starts of 1938. Pug allowed an unearned run with 3 hits, 2 walks, and 2 strikeouts. Morse allowed just a single hit, the only blemish in four near perfect innings. Harry Parker was effective, four frames with two hits, a run, walk, and strikeout. Both Rankin and Fritz allowed three runs in his four innings, but this doesn't cause much concern. Cy Sullivan tossed six innings in two outings out of the pen, allowing six hits, a run, and unearned run, and a strikeout. Joe Brown picked up a win and tossed three hitless innings with three walks and strikeouts. Rusty Watts didn't pitch very well, 6 runs in 8 innings, but he has a tied for league high seven spring strikeouts. Watts can graze triple digits, but it doesn't look like he is ready to contribute in Chicago yet. Most of our arms got at least an inning, with Del Burns, John Hartz, and surprisingly Bill Kline not getting an outing. We only need six starters next week, so Pete will just pitch out of the pen.

[ayaghmour2]

We sandwiched a four game win streak with two losses to improve to a mediocre 6-7 on the Spring. Thankfully, no injuries again, and that's all that really matters at this point. Pete got into four games, was 0-1 with a pair of saves, and allowed 5 hits, 3 runs, and 2 walks with 8 strikeouts in 6.1 innings pitched. I'm loving the strikeout numbers and he walked far less hitters this week compared to last. I was debating giving him another start, but I like how frequently he's being used out of the pen. Pug and Morse were near perfect again, both tossing 4 inning shutouts with no walks. Pug allowed 4 hits and struck out 2 while Morse allowed 2 hits and struck out 3. The 34-year-old Chicagoan has been lights out, just 3 hits in 8 flawless frames. Milt Fritz tossed a 4 hit shutout as well after a rough first start, scattering 4 hits with a single strikeout. Rankin was roughed up a bit, 7 hits, and 2 runs with a walk and strikeout, but I think he struggles knowing he can't go all nine like he'd prefer. Harry Parker was teed off of, 8 hits and 6 runs (5 earned) despite striking out 5. Since he won't be fighting for a rotation spot, I'll send him to the pen for the rest of the week to potentially get more outings. Bill Kline put in 5 strong innings with just 2 hits to pick up a win after Morse's start. Cal Knight and Sam Hodge both tossed three scoreless while Chet Peacock allowed 4 hits, a walk, and a run in 5 good innings. John Hartz is the only pitcher on to throw yet, so he'll start this weeks opener.

The bats started to heat up, especially Ray Ford, who followed up a strong first week with a 8-for-13 week. He doubled three times, homered, scored three times, and drove in four. Carlos Montes was 7-for-16 with a triple, homer, run, two steals, and two RBI's. Leo Mitchell was 7-for-15 with a pair of solo homers while Ivan Cameron was 3-for-10 with a double, two homers, and 4 RBI's. Johnny McDowell hit well again, 4-for-10 with a pair of runs scored and didn't make an error at second. Doc Love only had nine at bats, but made them count with a pair of doubles and singles. Not many of the back of the bench reserves got in this week, but just emergency catcher Lave Young is left with out a PA while six others have just one. I'm keeping everyone in camp for now, but I might make a cut or two next week. Opening Day will be next week, and I just cannot wait!

[ayaghmour2]

No injuries again! And even better, we had a nice week, finishing 5-2 as good 'ol Peter the Heater set down 10 to extend his league best strikeout total to 24. No other pitcher has more then 20, and he holds a 6 strikeout lead over Wolves' ace Joe Hancock. The Cougars also sit at a respectable 11-9, part of a four way tie for second place in the CA and Papenfus is 1-2 with 3 saves, a 2.11 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in 21.1 innings pitched. Most of our arms were effective this week, but it was another awful start for Dave Rankin. The vet allowed 8 hits and 4 runs with a strikeout in just three innings. Oscar Morse finally allowed a run, but it was just one with 3 hits and 2 strikeouts in 4 solid innings. Pug continued to match him, a lone run in 4 innings, but with 4 hits, 2 walks, and a strikeout. Dick Lyons tossed a 3-hit, 4 inning shutout while Milt Fritz got one more out, but also with 2 walks and a strikeout. John Hartz finally got some action, a start and a relief outing, combining for 6 innings, 5 hits, a run, walk, and 2 strikeouts. Del Burns also made a start, but it was a little shaky, 3 hits, 4 walks, 2 runs (1 earned), but 3 strikeouts in four frames. Allen Purvis tossed 4 shutout innings with 4 hits, a walk, and a strikeout. Clarence Crane tossed 3.2 hitless innings with a pair of walks and strikeouts. Chet Peacock was scoreless for 5.1 frames, just a hit with three strikeouts and a save. Rusty Watts tossed 7 innings with 5 hits, a run, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts. And this week, everyone except Joe Brown got a frame. Bill Kline, however, probably wishes he didn't, allowing 9 hits and 7 runs (3 earned) while potentially putting his pen job in jeopardy.

I think it's official, Johnny McDowell will start the season at second base. Despite making an error on the first ball hit to him this spring, he has not made another. He started hot on the field, but after a 1-for-9 week with 4 strikeouts, his line dropped .286/.394/.321 for the Spring. Ray Ford, however, hasn't even attempted to slow down, this week 8-for-14 with a double, 3 runs, 4 walks, and an RBI. Rich Langton and Billy Hunter both hit homers, but most of the other starters also struggled to hit. Likely Opening Day Cougar Johnny Waters was 5-for-10 with a double, walk, run, and two RBIs. Orlin Yates was 4-for-10 with a walk, run, and RBI. Leo Mitchell was 3-for-9 with a homer, run, RBI, and three walks. This week, every position player got a PA, even Lave Young who was 1-for-2 with a double, walk, run, and 3 RBIs.

With just four games left in the Spring, it is time for a few cuts. Leaving the roster will be the following:

RHP Del Burnes
RHP Harry Parker
RHP/CF Juan Pomales
C Lave Young
1B Chris Smith
2B Tommy Wilson
SS Ivan Cameron
LF Red Looney
RF Henry Cox

This leaves us with 45 players, but there are still a few guys on hand I don't expect to make the team that I'm hanging onto just to be safe. The biggest battles left will be for the bullpen spots, backup catcher, and the remaining bench spots. The lineup is now set, but a lot of moving pieces still to be determined. What makes my life 1,000 times easier is only three guys are out of options; Dave Rankin, Allen Purvis, and Bill Kline. Of course, even if he does have a 7.36 ERA (or higher...), Dave Rankin will not be waived. And I'll have not regrets waiving a 30+ year old reliever either, so for once, options will have little-to-no factor on the final roster composition.

A little prospect update before finishing: Papenfus currently ranks as our 8th most developed starting pitcher, behind the five man rotation, Allen Purvis, and Harry Parker. I had no plans of Pete starting the year in Chicago, but it is at least something I will have to mull over the weekend. He's definitely going to be in Chicago this year, but before his 20th birthday on the 26th of April? We'll see... Some other encouraging news includes the meteoric rise of both Preacher Pietsch and Danny Hern. Pietsch makes sense, he was the #2 ranked pitcher in last year's draft if you believe the Mock Draft is the law, but for some reason failed to rank in the top 500. Fast forward to April 11th, and the righty checks in at 12th in our system and 123rd in the league. Hern, however, is much more surprising, as the southpaw was a 14th Round pick in 1935 who cuts corners in workouts and wasn't a full time starter is first season. He's now 14th and 134th respectively and OSA is starting to warm up to him. I actually tried pawning off Hern repeatedly in the offseason to no avail, so this may be another Bill Scott situation, just hopefully Hern doesn't decide basketball is for him. It's not all good, however, with Hal Wood dropping way off (at least in the rankings), down to 15th and 137th. The only thing I can rationalize is that he's now 23, with age contributing to the drop, as Marv doesn't see him any different then in January where he was comfortably in the top 100. The system as a whole has trended up a bit, now tied for fourth with the Wolves. When Pete graduates we'll definitely take a hit, but I still think our system is as deep as any. We have exactly 10% of the top 200 prospects, with only Montreal having a higher proportion and the Keystones matching our mark.

[ayaghmour2]

We almost did it! No, I don't mean the CA Spring crown, our 14 wins were one shy of the Cannons for first. I mean we almost stayed healthy all Spring! Literally on the meaningless last day of Spring Training, Ray Ford, who was lighting the world on fire, strained his oblique and will be day-to-day for the next three weeks. I don't generally like forcing players through injury, so Ford will start the season on the DL. Lucky for us, if there is one injury we can overcome it is a 1B/LF/RF, as I have four guys filling those three spots. Leo Mitchell won't rotate to start the season, he'll just get all the reps at first, until Ford is completely healthy. This will be year three for him, and he hit an absurd .510/.586/.857 with 5 doubles, 4 homers, 8 walks, and 8 RBIs.

We really didn't hit all that well, most starters hit below .300, but the always reliable John Lawson slashed .358/.397/.472, something he could potentially do in the regular season. He added 2 homers, 3 walks, 5 runs, and 7 RBIs in a team high 58 trips to the plate. Mitchell was 13-for-44 with 3 homers, 5 walks, and 4 runs scored and plated. They were the only two others with 30 or more at bats and a .260 or higher batting average. Pinch hitting legend Johnny Waters hit a cool .400 in his 25 at bats while Roy Moore hit .357 in 14.

Thankfully, the pitching was dominant, all pitchers with 16 or more innings had sub 2 ERA's, including the future best pitcher in the league Pete Papenfus. He tossed 24.1 innings, likely the most in the league, with a Spring high 25 strikeouts to go with his sparkly 1.85 ERA and 1.27 WHIP. He walked (18) more batters then he allowed hits (13) to, and he's really making me consider running a six man rotation while also stopping games. A 40-man roster move will have to be made if he makes the team, so I do risk losing one of my current players.

One guy who does not need to worry would be Oscar Morse, who was next to unhittable, working to a 1.12 ERA and 0.56 WHIP. Sure, I would have loved for him to save it for the regular season, but it is encouraging seeing a 34-year-old showing no signs of rust. And while on the right side of 30, both Milt Fritz and Pug Bryan were also nearly flawless on the mound, a 1.65 ERA and 0.92 WHIP for Fritz while Pug had a slightly higher 1.69 and 1.38 respectively. Chet Peacock did his best to prove he belongs on a big league roster, working to a 1.56 ERA and 0.81 WHIP in 17.1 innings. Morse didn't walk a single hitter, but the other three walked the same or about as much as they struck guys out. Dave Rankin had a brutal Spring, 22 hits and 10 runs in just 15 innings, but he's still our Opening Day starter.

I've had one of my college friends visiting the last few days, so I haven't had nearly as time to write, and it's somewhat convenient he leaves tomorrow, Opening Day eve. I have made a few roster cuts today, but I expect to do a nice long roster breakdown tomorrow.

[ayaghmour2]

I had a nice writeup of the guys who made the Opening Day roster, but when I was trying to open a new tab, I accidentally refreshed, and lost all I wrote. Of course, this killed my will to write again, so instead of an all encompassing report, here are the 23 players set to represent the Cougars in Cleveland to start the 1938 season:

Active Roster
RHP Pug Bryan
LHP Clarence Crane
RHP Milt Fritz
LHP Bill Kline
LHP Dick Lyons
RHP Oscar Morse
RHP Allen Purvis
RHP Dave Rankin
C Harry Mead
C Mike Taylor
1B Leo Mitchell
1B Johnny Waters
2B Bill Ashbaugh
2B Johnny McDowell
2B Paul McLain
2B Ollie Page
3B John Lawson
SS Billy Hunter
LF Doc Love
CF Carlos Montes
CF Roy Moore
CF Orlin Yates
RF Rich Langton

Disabled List
1B Ray Ford

Lineup vs RHP
2B Johnny McDowell
RF Rich Langton
3B John Lawson
LF Doc Love
SS Billy Hunter
1B Leo Mitchell
CF Carlos Montes
C Mike Taylor

Lineup vs LHP
CF Carlos Montes
1B Leo Mitchell
RF Rich Langton
3B John Lawson
SS Billy Hunter
LF Doc Love
C Harry Mead
2B Ollie Page

Rotation
RHP Dave Rankin
RHP Milt Fritz
RHP Oscar Morse
RHP Pug Bryan
LHP Dick Lyons

The Opening Day predictions were not created, but the official top 100 prospects list were released. The Cougars rank 5th with 159 points, headlined by the #1 overall prospect in baseball Pete Papenfus. We have 10 top 100 prospects, 20 top 200 prospects, and 42 top 500 prospects. The only prospect starting in Chicago this year is Harry Mead (5th/48th), but he's not the only rookie. Orlin Yates is also a rookie, he is no longer a prospect.

[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 3-3
Seasonal Record: 3-3 (t-4th, 1 GB)
Stars of the Week
None Generated

Schedule
4-19: Loss at Foresters (4-5)
4-20: Win at Foresters (9-1)
4-21: Loss at Foresters (1-5)
4-22: Win vs Wolves (5-6)
4-23: Win vs Wolves (5-11)
4-24: Loss vs Wolves (10-7)

Recap
Baseball is back! It wasn't a pretty week by any means, but we finished an even 3-3, much better then our nightmare of a start last season. No CA team scored more runs then us this week, but we also allowed the second most. The prospect report also refreshed a little, bouncing us up to 2nd on the heels of a huge boost from Harry Mead (23rd) and Chubby Hall (28th), leap frogging our three top 50 pitchers that aren't Peter the Heater. There are a few GMs who think he should be up in Chicago, but I tend to take my time with prospects and he's not better then any of our five starters yet. Sure, he'd be a nice stopper, but I'd love for him to get consistent innings in Milwaukee until we need a new arm. Harry Parker may even make his debut first, but I do expect both of these exciting young arms in Chicago before the end of the season.

We allowed a ton of runs this week, especially when Dave Rankin was on the mound. He lost both his starts, allowing 21 hits and 15 runs (8 earned) with 4 walks and strikeouts in 14 innings pitched. Dick Lyons also had a rough start, 8 hits and 5 runs with a walk and 3 strikeouts. The other three pitched well, with Milt Fritz tossing a gem against the Foresters, He went all nine, allowing 6 hits, a run, and 2 walks with 4 strikeouts to pick up his first win of the season. Oscar Morse had a shaky, but effective start, 8 innings with 6 hits, 5 runs (3 earned), 5 walks, and a strikeout. Pug had a similar start, 7 innings with 7 hits, 5 runs (3 earned), 3 walks, and 3 strikeouts.

He may have made three errors in five games at second, but Johnny McDowell was a force at the plate. The 30-year-old was 10-for-23 with 3 doubles, a triple, 2 walks, 3 runs, and 6 RBIs. It wasn't even the best performance of the week, that would be either Mike Taylor or Doc Love. Both homered twice, with Taylor 7-for-19 with 2 doubles, 4 runs, and 8 RBIs while Love was 5-for-15 with 4 runs and 5 RBIs. Billy Hunter showed no signs of rust, 7-for-22 with 3 doubles, a steal, 4 runs, 4 walks, and 7 RBIs. Leo Mitchell was 7-for-23 with a homer, 4 runs, 4 walks, and 5 RBIs. Most of the bats came to play, with just Carlos Montes putting up a below average week in a full slate of games.

Looking Ahead
We head back on the road to face the Philadelphia Sailors for three. It's been a tough start for them, 2-4, but the Sailors are one of the better teams in the league. They did trade longtime second basemen Jack Cleaves to the Miners for Ray McCarthy, who will start the season in AAA San Francisco. This opened up a full time position for Bob Smith, a former 2nd Rounder who hit an impressive .298/.382/.433 (121 OPS+) in 280 trips to the plate last year. He had 18 doubles, a triple, and 4 homers, with an insane 34-to-2 walk-to-strikeout ratio. They've also decided to let #37 prospect in baseball Harvey Brown start the season in center field. He got some time last season, but had a tough 3-for-16 start to the season this year. The rotation has stayed the same, and Herb Flynn has already tossed a shutout. The pitching should be the strength of the Sailors, and they look like a team who should be playing meaningful baseball in September.

After that it is two more against the Foresters, however, this time we will host the series. They took two out of three from us in Cleveland, but then dropped two of three against the Sailors. Dean Astle suffered a sore shoulder on Opening Day, so he may not pitch again until after they leave Chicago. The Foresters staff is similar, but they opened the year with a four man rotation instead of the six they tended to use last year. One new addition to the roster is 22-year-old Earle Robinson, the former #5 overall pick by the Kings in 1933. Injuries have been a common theme for Robinson, but he made a start and relief appearance this week. He allowed 4 hits, 4 runs, and 2 walks, with 3 strikeouts in 8.2 innings pitched. There were rumors that top prospect Eli Harkless would start the season in Cleveland, but for now, Fred Quinn will keep hold of the right field spot.

We then start a three game series with the Wolves that we'll finish the finale next week. They have also started 4-2, led by a big week from blockbuster acquisition Fred McCormick. McCormick was 7-for-18 with 4 doubles, 4 runs, 6 walks, and 2 RBIs in his first week in the Continental Association. There was also the big league debut of Bill Bell, a 26-year-old selected in the 14th Round of the 1932 draft. The first start was not great, 7 hits, 6 runs, 3 walks, and 2 strikeouts in 5.2 innings pitched. Toronto looks much improved from last season, but the lineup does still lack depth. It will be interesting to see how a full season of Charlie Artuso goes as well, as the excellent defender at shortstop seems likely to improve over a poor showing at the plate last year. We don't have an off day until May 16th, so it may be a tough start to the year.

[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 2-5
Seasonal Record: 5-8 (7th, 4 GB)
Stars of the Week
Leo Mitchell : 25 AB, 11 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .440 AVG, .997 OPS
Johnny McDowell : 18 AB, 8 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .444 AVG, 1.140 OPS
John Lawson : 27 AB, 9 H, 0 HR, 5 RBI, .333 AVG, .790 OPS

Schedule
4-25: Loss at Sailors (1-5)
4-26: Win at Sailors (12-6)
4-27: Loss at Sailors (3-9)
4-28: Loss vs Foresters (11-3)
4-29: Win vs Foresters (1-2)
4-30: Loss at Wolves (3-4)
5-1: Loss at Wolves (3-4): 11 innings

Recap
Well, week two did not go so well, but there will always be bumps along the road. Better for the 2-5 week to happen in April and not September, and besides, we're in far better shape then we were last year. Very little has gone well on the mound this season, but Milt Fritz had a remarkable week. He made two starts, losing to Philly and beating Cleveland again, tallying 17 innings with 11 hits, 6 runs (3 earned), 7 walks, and 3 strikeouts. Fritz is 2-1 in his three starts on the season, and owns a 1.38 ERA (305 ERA+) and 1.00 WHIP in 26 innings. Oscar Morse also split his decisions, a complete game win over the Sailors and a 10.1 inning loss to the Wolves. He allowed 24 hits and 10 runs (9 earned) with 3 walks and 4 strikeouts. Dick Lyons pitched well, 7 innings with 8 hits, 3 runs, and a strikeout. Pug and Rankin both had awful starts, so we'll just pretend that they didn't happen.

Of course, we still tear the cover off the ball, and Johnny McDowell and Mike Taylor have been red hot. McDowell went 8-for-18 with 2 doubles, a triple, 4 runs, 3 RBIs, and his first steal as a Cougar. His .439 average is tied with Fred McCormick for the best mark on the season, and his 1.136 OPS is second in the CA to just McCormick. Taylor got into one less game, but was a strong 4-for-11 with 4 walks, a triple, and 2 RBIs. His counterpart Harry Mead was a similar 4-for-12, but with a double, walk, run, and pair of RBIs. Leo Mitchell had a great week, 11-for-25 with a double and 3 walks, runs, and RBIs. We surprisingly did not hit a single home run, which is likely the reason we didn't win any games. And while I don't usually like covering the bad, Billy Hunter had a really tough week. He made a trio of errors and was 5-for-29 with a walk and not a single extra base hit. Hunter has been pretty unlucky, with just a .245 BABIP thusfar.

Looking Ahead
We start the week in Toronto, looking to not get swept by the first place Wolves. At 9-4, they are tied with the Kings atop the division. The Wolves can either go with the fully rested Art Blake or the less rested John Hancock in the finale, and I really hope they go with Blake. I used to be a big Blake fan, and actually drafted Art Black on accident because I thought I was taking him, but Blake has not had much success at the games highest level. He's made two starts this year, and needs just two more to tie his career high. Blake has almost 200 FABL innings, and sports a 4.80 ERA (91 ERA+) and 1.74 WHIP with 130 walks and 66 strikeouts. Fred McCormick is definitely the heart of the offense, but Frank Huddleston owns the most interesting triple slash on the team. The 29-year-old is hitting .391/.383/.391 (98 OPS+) without a walk or extra base hit. He's put the ball in play in every at bat, but one (strikeout) and has played a strong second base.

After that we start a real homestand, welcoming in the only team with a worst record then us in the division. That would be the New York Stars, who have one fewer win and one more loss then your Cougars. The Stars are expected to finish last, and both Les Zoller and Harry Carter have had three terrible starts to begin the season. Both have ERA's north of 7, with Zoller's sitting at 10.53 already. Four of the five rotation members sit above 6.50, but third year righty George Phillips has looked great in his two starts. He's a perfect 2-0 with a 1.17 ERA (365 ERA+), 1.17 WHIP, 5 walks, and 3 strikeouts. At the plate, they've gotten excellent production from 30-year-old Hank Jones. The New Hampshire native is hitting a robust .422/.481/.600 (180 OPS+) in the early goings with 3 doubles, a triple, a homer, and 11 RBIs. He bats behind former Cougar Chink Stickels, who his hitting a respectable .289/.373/.422 (107 OPS+) with a pair of doubles and triples. There isn't too much protection otherwise, but of course, Dave Trowbridge continues to hit, batting .333/.353/.606 (145 OPS+) with 3 doubles, 2 homers, and 12 RBIs.

After that it is two with the Cannons, the only team not in first with a winning record so far. They are just 7-6, despite poor performance from ace Gus Goulding. In his 4 starts he has a 6.00 ERA (71 ERA+) and 1.56 WHIP with 10 walks and 17 strikeouts. The back three has been much better, with Petrick (2.59), Conlan (2.84), and Art Edwards (2.77) all featuring sub 3 ERAs. "Enforcer" Edwards is the replacement for John Edwards, but he did make 10 starts last year when Conlan was hurt. The 1933 10th Rounder did have some issues, but was a respectable 4-3 with a 4.38 ERA (92 ERA+), 1.38 WHIP, 31 walks, and 28 strikeouts. New Cannon Ken Mayhugh isn't off to the greatest of starts, hitting just .241/.250/.259 (34 OPS+) with a double and RBI in his first 13 games. Baltimore replaced longtime center fielder Whit Williams with Fred Galloway, the current 18th overall prospect in the FABL. The Mouse looks big league ready so far, slashing .261/.321/.543 (124 OPS+) with 3 doubles, 2 triples, 2 homers, and 11 RBIs. Second basemen Clark Car has been off to a blistering start, hitting an elite .354/.380/.583 (150 OPS+) with 4 doubles, 2 triples, a homer, and 6 RBIs to start his season.

On Sunday we'll start the first of three with the Saints, who sit at 6-7 on the season. They sent Hank Barnett away to the Dynamos (instead of the Cougars...) this offseason, but held on to the rest of their core group. Still, they added a few new faces to the roster, including 23-year-old rookie Bert Lass who beat out veteran Jim Watson for the starting left field job. Lass has shown he deserved it, hitting .347/.421/.510 (137 OPS+) with 6 doubles, a triple, and ten driven in. On the mound, they have former Cougar farmhand Karl Wallace in the middle of their rotation, and the 24-year-old has looked great in his first three starts with the Saints. Wallace is 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA (129 ERA+) and 1.45 WHIP with 12 walks and 9 strikeouts. I love seeing my former guys perform well, as long as they play poorly against us.

Minor League Report
RF Henry Cox (AAA Milwaukee Blues): The minor league season kicked off last week, and there were very few players who had a better first week then Henry Cox. This was his first stop in Milwaukee, and since I wanted Elias Canady to get some reps in right field, Cox has been lining up on the opposite corner. He's already launched two longballs and is 6-for-17 with 5 RBIs and a steal. Cox turned 22 this March, but is already shaping up to be a quality FABL slugger. Cox still gets no love from the prospect rankings, but there are very few players in the in game universe with as much power as he has. Our park is perfect for sluggers, and even as a corner outfielder, I do feel like Cox has a ton of value to our future plans.

RHP Preacher Pietsch (A Lincoln Legislators): No complete game shutouts this week, but our 1st Rounder last season came very close. After 6 starts in San Jose last season, Preacher Pietsch started this season in Lincoln. He did not look overmatched one bit, tossing 8 excellent innings with 3 hits, 4 walks, and a strikeout. Now 22, Pietsch features a nice 90mph cutter that he can locate anywhere in the zone. He does feature a fastball, splitter, and curve, but none of those three project to be anywhere near as good as his cutter. Still, he has the repertoire to start in the majors even if my scout thinks he's better suited in the pen. Pietsch is also starting to get some prospect love, ranked 13th in our system and 124th overall. I think he'll find himself in the middle of an FABL rotation, as the 6'6'' righty consistently keeps the ball on the ground and should add velocity as he fills in.

[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 3-4
Seasonal Record: 8-12 (t-7th, 5 GB)
Stars of the Week
Milt Fritz : 2 Wins, 18.0 IP, 5 BB, 3 K, 0.00 ERA
Leo Mitchell : 27 AB, 11 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .407 AVG, .963 OPS
Billy Hunter : 24 AB, 7 H, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .292 AVG, .862 OPS

Schedule
5-2: Loss at Wolves (1-6)
5-3: Loss vs Stars (4-3)
5-4: Win vs Stars (1-3)
5-5: Loss vs Stars (5-2)
5-6: Win vs Cannons (1-2)
5-7: Loss vs Cannons (8-7)
5-8: Win vs Saints (0-1)

Recap
I guess we are the Milt Fritz show now? The rest of the tam, to put it lightly, sucked, as we barely scored any runs and couldn't even win the series against the Stars. We now find ourselves tied for last with the Saints, and just like last season, we really don't know how to win games early in the season. Still, it's thankfully very early in the season and a lot can change from now until then. We aren't scoring nearly enough runs and a lot of our top players are off to slow starts. Ray Ford has also suffered a setback in his rehab, with his strained oblique now taking an unknown amount of time to heal.

Anyways, let's talk Milt Fritz. This is the Milt Fritz show after all! The righty took two of the three wins on the season, tossing a pair of complete games. The first would've been a shutout if Art McMahon didn't reach on a Billy Hunter error to start the game. He settled down after, allowing 2 hits and 4 walks with a strikeout. He then had a very similar game (both 78 game score), tossing a 5-hit shutout with 1 walk and 2 strikeouts in the opener of the Saints series. He got the rare occurrence of being named Player of the Week as a pitcher, and he most definitely deserved it. Fritz has been elite this season, 4-1 with a 0.82 ERA (519 ERA+), 0.86 WHIP, 14 walks, and 10 strikeouts in 44 stellar innings. I wish the rest of the team would pitch like him, but fellow veterans Oscar Morse and Dick Lyons both had strong starts this week and have looked good during the season. Morse tossed a complete game victory, 6 hits, a run, 2 walks, and a strikeout in our win against the Cannons. Lyons was stuck with a no decision, but went 7 innings with 9 hits, 2 runs, and 2 walks. Both have sub 4 ERAs and sub 1.30 WHIPs to start the season, something poor Rankin and Pug aren't even close to. Bill Kline cost us two games, allowing 5 runs (3 earned) and 3 walks with 5 strikeouts in 7 innings pitched. Kline has to pitch well to keep his spot, so this wasn't helpful for him.

The offense had a really rough week, part was due to the mix in of bench players, and the rest, well, we'll find that out eventually. Leo Mitchell continues his outstanding year, going 11-for-27 with 4 doubles, a steal, and 3 driven in. The recently turned 25-year-old is hitting an outstanding .387/.446/.493 (149 OPS+) with 5 doubles, a homer, and 11 driven in. The only other starter with a good week was Billy Hunter, and it wasn't all that great. He finished 7-for-24 with a double, triple, homer, walk, RBI, and 3 runs scored. Johnny Waters took advantage of his start, and was 2-for-7 with a double, triple, and RBI in four games. John Lawson missed a few games with shoulder inflammation caused by lifting weights. He only started two games and came off the bench in another, going 3-for-9 with a pair of RBIs.

There has been a lot of bad this season, especially in the outfield. Carlos Montes is in the midst of a pretty big sophomore slump, hitting .190/.274/.302 (52 OPS+) with a double, 3 triples, and 7 RBIs. He's been okay in the outfield, and while he is far too talented to remove from the lineup, I may have to start giving Orlin Yates or Roy Moore a start or two. Veteran Doc Love is in the middle of a very rare slump, hitting just .197/.275/.328 (59 OPS+) with 2 homers, 13 RBIs, and 7 runs scored. And Rich Langton is the best of the bunch, hitting a still below average .297/.342/.365 (87 OPS+) with a homer, 2 steals, 5 RBIs, and 12 runs scored. Outfield bats are usually the easiest to upgrade, so perhaps we could see a new big bat join later in the year if these performances continue. The mound has seen a different Dave Rankin then usual, 0-4 with a 6.23 ERA (68 ERA+), 1.71 WHIP, 9 walks, and 11 strikeouts. Pug Bryan is also having a tough start to the season like last year, 0-3 with a 8.10 ERA (52 ERA+), 2.14 WHIP, 17 walks, and 11 strikeouts.

Looking Ahead
The homestand continues with two more against the fellow last place Saints. It will definitely be tough, as we have to face their top 2; George Thomas and Jake DeYoung. Thomas has rebounded from a rough 1937, 3-1 to start the year with a 3.75 ERA (117 ERA+), 1.39 WHIP, 10 walks, and 9 strikeouts. DeYoung has also excelled, building off a strong rookie season. The 25-year-old is just 1-1, but with a 2.80 ERA (156 ERA+), 1.25 WHIP, 7 walks, and 17 strikeouts. They've hit really well, led by elite right fielder Red Bond. He's finally getting consistent at bats, and hitting am outstanding .382/.412/.566 (148 OPS+) with 3 homers and 14 RBIs. Pablo Reyes is also hitting extremely well, slashing .333/.381/.538 (133 OPS+) with 5 doubles, a triple, 3 homers, and 16 RBIs. I mentioned Lass last report, and if he keeps up his .370/.434/.534 (147 OPS+) line, it will be hard pressed to find a more talented outfield then theirs.

Expect a two games sweep next, as we'll host the first place Kings for two. At 13-7, they share the lead with the Wolves, and are three games or more ahead of the rest of the pack. Tom Barrell has been outstanding on the mound, 3-1 with a 3.07 ERA (142 ERA+), 1.15 WHIP, 5 walks, and 22 strikeouts. Mike Murphy has been great as well, 2-0 with a 2.74 ERA (159 ERA+), 1.22 WHIP, 4 walks, and 7 strikeouts while reigning Allen Winner Joe Shaffner is 3-2 with a 3.57 ERA (122 ERA+), 1.09 WHIP, 10 walks, and 8 strikeouts. The top three is outstanding, but thankfully we can't face all three. Hopefully we'll see the struggling Curly Jones or the veteran Bert Henggeler, but it will be tough to top the Kings. The offense is down slightly, but the Wonder Wheel is slashing an on brand .310/.420/.535 (144 OPS+) with 4 homers and 22 RBIs. Frank Vance is hitting a similar .311/.420/.541 (145 OPS+) with 2 doubles, 3 triples, 3 homers, and 10 RBIs.

We then finish the homestand and grueling sequence of games with three games hosting the Sailors. At 10-10, many expected them to be better, but it's not the fault of the rotations. Four of their five rotation members have a sub 2.60 ERA, even the unlucky William Jones. He just sprained his elbow, and was 0-3 despite a 2.22 ERA (197 ERA+), 1.31 WHIP, 10 walks, and 6 strikeouts. A likely replacement would be former Dynamo Chuck Murphy, who's gotten just 3.1 innings out of the pen. Even without Jones, however, Doc Newell will lead the staff well. He's 4-1 with a 2.13 ERA (207 ERA+), 1.16 WHIP, 10 walks, and 18 strikeouts. Walt Wells is a slightly better 4-0 with a 2.06 ERA (213 ERA+), 1.06 WHIP, 10 walks, and 10 strikeouts. Even former #5 Herb Flynn is 2-0 with a 2.52 ERA (174 ERA+), 1.16 WHIP, 5 walks, and 11 strikeouts. Runs will be extremely hard to come by in this series, as their lineup as well has had its issues. Of course, Dick Walker is as productive as ever, slashing .293/.407/.480 (126 OPS+) with 3 doubles, a triple, 3 homers, 6 steals, and 14 RBIs. Bob Smith is doing well in his first year as a full time starter, batting .317/.354/.550 (127 OPS+) with 3 doubles, a triple, 3 homers, and 12 RBIs. If we can keep those two off base, perhaps we can steal a game or two.

Minor League Report
CF Elias Canady (AAA Milwaukee Blues): In an effort to boost his versatility, the glove first center fielder Elias Canady has been getting reps out in right field. It's too early to make any conclusions from his performance yet, but the 23-year-old is off to a hot start at the plate. The Plant City native is hitting .353/.421/.471 (127 OPS+) with a double, homer, and 5 RBIs. Our 8th Rounder in 1932, Canady has worked his way up to the 40 man roster, and has a shot at making his FABL debut this year. He's an excellent defensive center fielder with a stellar eye at the plate, but he doesn't really project to hit for a very high average. He's not a building block player, but he has the ceiling to start and the floor to function as a reputable fourth outfielder. Aart MacDonald is the next man up right now (until a Moore/Yates demotion), so Canady doesn't have a direct path to the majors yet.

RHP Cy Sullivan (AAA Milwaukee Blues): Maybe Cy should be in the majors? It's only two starts, but as Cy celebrates his 24th birthday today, he has yet to allow an earned run this season. He's a perfect 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 7 walks, and 2 strikeouts across 14.1 innings pitched. Obviously the walks are an issue, but Sullivan has never had walk issues in the past. Marv thinks he's going to front a rotation, highlighting his elite command and control. The 6'6'' righty doesn't have the best stuff (although neither does Fritz), but his 88-90 mph fastball is a reliable and consistent pitch and he can keep his pitch counts low. He uses his finesse to befuddle opposing hitters, and despite his subpar work ethic, he has done an outstanding job developing in our system. He currently ranks 6th in our system and 53rd in the league, but he should probably be ranked a bit higher and he'll be a very dependable arm for us.

RHP Del Burns (AA Mobile Commodores): One of the best parts about Del Burnes is that he's barely 22, but already pithing in AA. Add on to the fact that he doesn't need to be protected in the Rule-5 draft this year, I can really let the former 3rd Overall pick simmer in the system until he's ready. He's off to a great start this year, tossing a pair of complete game already. Burns (who I repeatedly spell Burnes because of one of my favorite real life pitchers...) only got the win in one, but he's got a nice 2.00 ERA (207 ERA+) and 1.11 WHIP in the early going. He's walked 8 and struck out 11, but I'd expect both of the rates (4.0 and 5.5) to decrease as the season progresses. He added some velocity in the offseason, up from 90-92 to 93-95, and the righty is really starting to fill in. His stuff is excellent, headlined by a great forkball and plus fastball. He also mixes in a cutter, slider, and curve, and he's able to get excellent movement on all five pitches. That leads to a lot of groundballs and very few home runs, a key ability to have if you want to pitch in Chicago. We do have a lot of quality arms in the farm, so even though he's 145th in the league, he's our 9th highest rated arm, one spot below Art Saunders.

[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 6-1
Seasonal Record: 14-13 (4th, 2.5 GB)
Stars of the Week
Carlos Montes : 26 AB, 13 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .500 AVG, 1.288 OPS
Rich Langton : 29 AB, 13 H, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .448 AVG, 1.259 OPS
John Lawson : 27 AB, 10 H, 2 HR, 4 RBI, .370 AVG, 1.098 OPS

Schedule
5-9: Win vs Saints (3-4)
5-10: Win vs Saints (2-3)
5-11: Win vs Kings (6-9)
5-12: Win vs Kings (8-9)
5-13: Win vs Sailors (5-6): 15 innings
5-14: Win vs Sailors (1-4)
5-15: Loss vs Sailors (5-3)

Recap
I can get used to more weeks like this! I don't want any more Peter the Heater injuries (DTD for 2-3 weeks), a seven game win streak is pretty exciting and we managed to win a bunch of close games. We had our way with the Saints and shockingly the Kings, before taking two of three from the Sailors. Sure, luck probably had something to do about it, but we play really well at home and we love to give the fans a show. It is also nice being back above the .500 mark and I'd love to keep it that way the rest of the way. We'll also be getting Ray Ford back, and to make room for him, Bill Ashbaugh will hit the DL with a stomach virus. He'll be out for a week and then I'll let him hang out in Milwaukee on rehab. Ford will be eased back into the lineup, and I'll be able to return to the four man for three spots rotation. Langton and Ford are having outstanding seasons, so at least for the start, Love is likely the one to see the least playing time of the three previous starters.

The offense exploded this week, especially the guys who haven't had the best season. Carlos Montes was outstanding, going 13-for-26 with two doubles, a triple, homer, steal, and five driven in. I'd love for it to be a Player of the Week, and could have deserved it over Roy Bradley, who was 14-for-30 with a homer, 4 RBIs, and 7 runs. I tend to have beef with the Player of the Week awards, but I guess Bradley got it because of his five doubles. Rich Langton had a similar week to Montes, 13-for-29 with 2 doubles, 2 triples, a homer, 3 walks, and 6 runs. He also extended his hit streak to a dozen games. John Lawson was 10-for-27 with a double, 2 homers, 4 RBIs, 7 runs, and 5 walks. Billy Hunter was the ultimate run producer, just 8-for-29, but with 3 doubles, a triple, 2 homers, 6 runs, and 12 RBIs. Doc Love turned things around a bit, 10-for-25 with a double, triple, and a trio of RBIs. Ollie Page took advantage of his limited time, 2-for-8 with a homer, run, walk, and 3 RBIs.

Pug and Lyons had outstanding starts, both going all nine with just a single earned run. Bryan made up for his awful stretch, just 4 hits, a walk, and 4 strikeouts to pick up his first win of the season. Lyons has started to heat up, 6 hits, an unearned run, and two punch outs to lower his ERA to 3.09 (134 ERA+) and his WHIP to 1.06. Dave Rankin started to turn things around too, two complete games with 18 hits, 8 runs (3 earned), 2 walks, and 10 strikeouts. Milt Fritz had his easily the worst outing of his season, 7 hits, 6 runs, 4 walks, and a strikeout in just 4 innings. Oscar Morse made two starts, and wasn't as sharp as he has been his first couple of outings. He allowed 18 hits, 9 runs, 5 walks, and 4 strikeouts in 15 innings pitched. Bill Kline pitched a ton out of the pen, picking up both wins against the Kings. In total, he tossed 8.2 innings in 3 outings with 8 hits, 2 runs, and a strikeout.

Looking Ahead
Finally! An off day! After 27 consecutive games, we get our first day off of the season before embarking on a road trip. We'll see the Saints again, as they've fallen to 9-17 in the early goings. We'll miss former Cougar prospect Karl Wallace, who is off to a strong start. The 24-year-old is 2-1 with a 3.58 ERA (119 ERA+), 1.38 WHIP, 20 walks, and 17 strikeouts in 37.2 innings pitched. He's only been outpitched in the rotation by Jake DeYoung, who is an unlucky 1-2 with a 2.81 ERA (152 ERA+), 1.19 WHIP, 9 walks, and 24 strikeouts in his 51.1 innings pitched. Unfortunately for the Saints, their offense has really cooled down, with the entire lineup minus Lass (.302) and Bond below .300. Bond is still batting a robust .351/.390/.536 (138 OPS+) with 6 doubles, 4 homers, and 17 RBIs.

The next stop is two in New York, as we take on the 12-13 Stars who sit just behind us in the standings. The rotation has really taken a beating, but George Phillips has been phenomenal. He's a perfect 4-0 and lowered his ERA and WHIP to 1.98 ERA (212 ERA+) and 1.07 with 11 walks and 13 strikeouts. I also have no idea what is wrong with Les Zoller, who I even tried to pickup in the offseason. He's just 1-4 with an 8.57 ERA (49 ERA+), 1.93 WHIP, 19 walks, and 10 strikeouts in 34.2 innings pitched. I expect him to turn things around, but its definitely a concerning sign for the Stars. On the other side of the field, they have seen a nice start to the year for 23-year-old Rule-5 Pick Gus Williams. A 1932 15th Round selection by the Dynamos, the third basemen is hitting an impressive .360/.492/.480 (158 OPS+) with 2 doubles, 2 triples, 13 walks, and 7 RBIs. New York doesn't really have any third base prospects (although they have a pair of top 60 shortstops), so Williams could really cement himself in their future plans with a quality outing.

We then finish the week with the first of two in Baltimore. The Cannons have had a rough go of things, 10-15 with most of their hitters hitting below .275 and all but two with sub 90 OPS+. Fred Galloway has cooled down, but Clark Car is still tearing the cover off the ball. He's slashing .313/.352/.525 (131 OPS+) with 10 doubles, 4 triples, a homer, and 8 driven in. The pitching hasn't been great, but the youngsters are still effective. Veteran Pinky Conlan may miss a start with a herniated disc, but he's a decent 3-3 with a 3.97 ERA (105 ERA+) and 1.32 WHIP despite twice as many walks (20) as strikeouts (10).

I think we are set up for another good week, but road trips can always bring issues. We'll also get to see the last couple of players added to the draft pool, get the first peek of the mock draft, and see the stats for the 1938 high school and college seasons. I'm hoping to get by database updated sometime tomorrow, with the plan for the weekend being a pair of amateur reports for both the high school and college kids. I'm also excited to see my scouts full list, but Marv has more or less kept Howard Rivers and Henry Bush, both second basemen, as the top two on his list. Regardless of what he says, however, I have a clear number one; Donnie Jones, and nothing will change that. I'd imagine there is no shot we get him, but man I'd love to have Jones in a rotation with Peter the Heater!

Minor League Report
CF Aart MacDonald (AAA Milwaukee Blues): I feel bad that Aart has been stuck in AAA, as he's definitely a quality hitter and fielder, but he wouldn't be getting regular time in Chicago. The 26-year-old is out to a sizzling start, slashing .375/.426/.786 (202 OPS+) with 2 doubles, 3 triples, 5 homers, 2 steals, and 16 RBIs. These are outstanding numbers, and obviously if he keeps this up, it will be tough to keep him down here. He's not going to be better then Carlos Montes, which makes things really tough for Aart, but due to his excellent defense in center he could easily end up in a corner too. He's also better then both Roy Moore and Orlin Yates, and currently inside the top 100 prospect list. I love his speed, love his defense, and love his extra base pop. And despite his high average now, MacDonald will likely never hit much higher then .260, but he should be able to draw a lot of walks. He's a very unique and intriguing young player, who I really want to hold onto, I'm just not yet sure what I'm going to do with him.

RHP Chet Peacock (AA Mobile Commodores): I debated long and hard whether Peacock would make the Opening Day roster, but eventually settled on him starting the season in Mobile. He had an awful first start, but the recently turned 26-year-old tossed a pair of complete game starts to rebound. The first was a 7-hitter with 2 walks and a strikeout while the second was a 8-hitter with two punch outs. Peacock may have the tools to start, but for us, he's viewed more as a reliever due to the large quantity of arms with much higher upside that are a year or more younger. Still, Peacock sits comfortably in the 89-91 range with average to above average stuff. He rarely allows a longball, but sometimes falls into slumps as he gets people out by generating weak contact and a bad defense could be his undoing. Peacock expectedly took home the Player of the Week award in the Dixie League, as it is next to impossible to beat a pair of complete game shutouts.

[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 4-2
Seasonal Record: 18-15 (t-3rd, 3 GB)
Stars of the Week
Rich Langton : 23 AB, 10 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, .435 AVG, .978 OPS
Ray Ford : 18 AB, 7 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .389 AVG, 1.188 OPS
Dave Rankin : 1 Win, 9.0 IP, 2 BB, 2 K, 0.00 ERA

Schedule
5-17: Win at Saints (4-3): 13 innings
5-18: Win at Saints (1-0)
5-19: Loss at Saints (6-7)
5-20: Loss at Stars (8-10)
5-21: Win at Stars (11-2)
5-22: Win at Cannons (7-2)

Recap
Another good week! We're now tied for third with the Wolves after a nice 4-2 week. We took two of three from the Saints, split with the Stars, and one the first of two against the Cannons as we continue our long road trip. These are the three worst teams in terms of record in the Continental Association this year, so these were really important games to win. The week gets harder, but I'm glad we had a strong week.

It also it looks like Dave Rankin is back, tossing a 7-hit shutout with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts in our 1-0 win over the Saints. Rankin has now tossed four consecutive complete games with three or less earned runs to improve his ERA and WHIP to 3.77 (109 ERA+) and 1.36 WHIP. He's pitched 57.1 innings already, walking 13 and striking out 23. Milt Fritz continued to dominate, allowing 2 or less runs in both of his starts. His first was a no decision against Montreal that we won, as Fritz pitched just seven with 4 hits, a run, and 4 walks. He then won the opener in Baltimore, going all nine with 7 hits, 2 runs, 4 walks, and 3 strikeouts to improve to 5-1 on the season. His 1.83 ERA (226 ERA+) is tied for the lowest mark in the CA and he has a very impressive 1.06 WHIP despite being on track to walk more then 100 batters yet again. Oscar Morse also made a nice start, going all nine with 10 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts. Pug and Lyons both had rough outings, and while Lyons has been sharp most of the season, Pug seems to hate pitching in the first couple months of the season. I don't want to send him back down to Milwaukee again, but we may see Cy Sullivan or Harry Parker in a Cougar uniform if he keeps having poor outings.

Ray Ford was excellent in his return to the lineup, 7-for-18 with 2 doubles, a homer, 4 runs, 4 RBIs, and 5 walks. Rich Langton stayed hot, 10-for-23 with a double, three walks, and six runs scored. Carlos Montes was 5-for-19 with a homer, two doubles, three runs, a steal, and seven walks. Leo Mitchell was 6-for-19 with 3 doubles, 3 walks, 2 RBIs, and 6 runs. Our catching tandem really struggled this week, with Taylor and Mead combining to go 4-for-27 with an RBI and two runs each. Mead is off to a very slow start to his season, hitting just .154/.214/.205 (13 OPS+) in just 42 trips to the plate. I don't want to option him, as he is currently ranked 29th in the top 100 and projects to be our catcher of the future. Johnnie Williamson isn't hitting all that great in Milwaukee at the moment, but if he starts to heat up, I may have them switch spots. Luckily Taylor has hit fine, still hitting .237/.326/.400 (93 OPS+) with 3 homers, 13 RBIs, and 10 walks.

Looking Ahead
One more with Baltimore to start the week, and we'll have to beat ace Gus Goulding. The recently turned 25-year-old is 1-4 with a 4.37 ERA (95 ERA+), 1.35 WHIP, 19 walks, and 28 strikeouts in 57.2 innings pitched. Goulding started his career a perfect 8-0, but since he's received very little run support, losing a league worst 23 games despite a respectable 3.88 ERA (104 ERA+) in an impressive 325 innings pitched. The Cannons have also seen offseason acquisition Ken Mayhugh return to form, slashing .329/.430/.616 in May. The 26-year-old third basemen is now hitting .287/.358/.467 (118 OPS+) in 137 plate appearances with 5 doubles, a triple, 5 homers, and 18 RBIs. He also boasts an impressive 13-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio and has only struck out 14 times in almost 1,600 FABL plate appearances. He's on track to strike out a career high ten times, which would be the same amount of strikeouts he's had in the past two seasons.

Our next stop is Brooklyn, where we'll face the Kings for three. The defending champions lead the league with an impressive 21-12 record, and are likely looking for a little revenge as we swept them in Chicago. Mike Murphy has continued his strong season, 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA (141 ERA+), 1.26 WHIP, 9 walks, and 13 strikeouts. He sits between Tom Barrell and Joe Shaffner in the rotation, both who are off to good starts as well. Barrell is 4-1 with a 3.41 ERA (124 ERA+) and 1.15 WHIP with 9 walks and 39 strikeouts while Shaffner is 4-2 with a 3.50 ERA (121 ERA+), 15 walks, and 9 strikeouts. Murphy is set to pitch today, so we'll likely see Tom and Shaffner as well as Chicagoan Bob Cummings. He's pitched 20 innings split between two starts and three relief outings, working to a 4.50 ERA (94 ERA+), 1.70 WHIP, 12 walks, and 6 strikeouts. Frank Vance has led the offense, batting .317/.407/.532 (142 OPS+) with 4 doubles, 4 triples, 5 homers, and 20 RBIs.

We then finish the week and the road trip with three in Philly. The Sailors are back over .500, a game behind us and the Wolves at 17-16. Including the injured Jones, the Sailors have four arms with a sub 2.75 ERA. Doc Newell is doing a great job leading the rotation in his absence, 6-2 with a 2.39 ERA (178 ERA+), 1.17 WHIP, 16 walks, and 25 strikeouts. Walt Wells is arguably pitching better, 5-1 with a 2.30 ERA (185 ERA+), 1.17 WHIP, 21 walks, and 14 strikeouts. And even if we miss those two, the other three all have an average or better ERA+ and they even have youngster Ray McCarthy on hand in the pen. He's tossed just ten innings, but he's allowed just 6 hits and 3 walks with 7 strikeouts. Illinois native Woody Stone has claimed the starting catching job from former Cougar Red Jackson, batting an outstanding .375/.453/.531 (153 OPS+) with 5 doubles, a triple, homer, and 14 RBIs. It's just 75 PAs, but he's walked nine times and struck out just once and the former 8th overall pick is one of the most exciting young catchers in the game.

The Mock Draft was also announced today, and Vineland senior Bill Barrett is the #1 ranked player. The center fielder hit .563/.689/1.282 with 11 doubles, 5 triples, 10 homers, and 31 RBIs in an insane performance. Barrett has consistently improved each season, and has a .513/.614/.947 career line in 67 career high school games. Barrett projects to be an elite big league center fielder thanks to his outstanding hit tools. He has tremendous raw power, never makes a bad swing, and could flirt with .400 at a hitter friendly park. This kid should be a superstar if he meets his potential, and one team is going to get extremely lucky in the lottery with him. My #1 target Donnie Jones is currently listed as a 2nd Rounder, and I really hope he falls out of the first two rounds. If he stays, I'd love to put both of my lottery spots in his group, but I'd imagine a lot of others will be looking for one of the two arms. With the awful luck last year, I can't imagine we'll do worse then last season, but I still have a lot of scouting to do before the draft that is exactly one in game month away. I also got my draft database updated, with all the new stats and class added in. Oh yeah, and there is this kid in the 1941 draft class who I already know I want to draft. That would be 15-year-old righty Bill Ballantine, a freshman at Fenger who went 8-0 with a 1.01 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 16 walks, and 123 strikeouts. Better known as the "Windy City Whip", the Chicagoan would look wonderful in a Cougar jersey. Absolutely wonderful!

Minor League Report
SS Hal Wood (A Lincoln Legislators): Despite jumping in and out of the top 100 (currently ranked 54th) prospect list, nothing has changed about the 8th Overall Pick in the 1935 draft. Hal Wood is still an excellent defensive shortstop with a nice swing that should allow him to be at least league average at the plate once he's big league ready. He'll be 24 in June, and this week took home a Player of the Week award. Wood was 11-for-26 with two doubles, three triples, and three walks as he looks to right his season a bit. He's now hitting a more respectable .277/.337/.372 (96 OPS+) out in Lincoln after a rather slow start to the year. Wood has never hit for much power, but has yet to hit a homer in just over 100 PAs. He's a leader at short and in the clubhouse and he's always talking up his teammates when they are performing well. He hits line drives to all fields and has all the tools to flourish as a big league shortstop.

RF Chick Browning (C La Crosse Lions): One of our many Chicago kids, Chick Browning was one of our 8th Round selections in 1936. Last season was a nightmare for the now 20-year-old, batting a pitiful .182/.261/.280 (62 OPS+) with 18 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, and 40 RBIs in 352 trips to the plate. This season has been a totally different story, and after a Player of the Week of is own, he's hitting an astronomical .397/.458/.730 (201 OPS+) with 7 homers and 24 RBIs. I've always thought he had some legit homer power, slugging five longballs as a senior in high school he's got a strong lean frame. He doesn't always make the best decisions at the plate, and he doesn't quite have the best baseball knowledge. Defense will never be a strong part of his game, so he really will need to work on his discipline so he can maximize his power. We will have a bunch of new players come draft day, so while I know he won't maintain this torrid stretch, if Browning keeps his line respectable he'll maintain his starting spot, whether that is here or in San Jose.

[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 3-4
Seasonal Record: 21-19 (t-3rd, 7 GB)
Stars of the Week
Ray Ford : 25 AB, 10 H, 3 HR, 8 RBI, .400 AVG, 1.363 OPS
Leo Mitchell : 23 AB, 11 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .478 AVG, 1.065 OPS
Johnny McDowell : 25 AB, 10 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, .400 AVG, .964 OPS

Schedule
5-23: Win at Cannons (1-0)
5-24: Loss at Kings (2-9)
5-25: Loss at Kings (1-3)
5-26: Loss at Kings (7-8)
5-27: Loss at Sailors (7-10)
5-28: Win at Sailors (9-6)
5-29: Win at Sailors (13-3)

Recap
As I expected, the Kings got their revenge and swept us up in Brooklyn. Luckily, we took three out of four in the other games this week, so we escaped with a mediocre 3-4 week. Those last two wins against the Sailors got us back to tied for third (with them), but we are now seven back of the Kings. Second is much closer, however, as the Foresters are a game and a half ahead of us. Ray Ford was outstanding this week, taking home Player of the Week in his second week back. He was 10-for-25 with 3 homers, 3 doubles, 8 runs, and 8 RBIs to improve his season line to .395/.500/.791 (239 OPS+) with 5 doubles, 4 homers, and 12 RBIs. Him back in the lineup is a huge boost, and he already has a share of the team home run lead.

The team didn't pitch that great, but Dave Rankin started the week with another 1-0 shutout. This time he allowed just a single hit and two walks in what almost was a no-hitter. A Whit Williams infield single in the 5th was his only blemish, but his second start wasn't nearly as good. He failed to go all nine against the Sailors, allowing 9 (5 earned) with a walk and strikeout. Dick Lyons had a busy week, two starts and a relief outing. Lyons pitched 15.2 innings with 20 hits, 9 runs (7 earned), 4 walks, and 4 strikeouts. The 37-year-old lefty is still having a nice season, 4-2 with a 3.72 ERA (110 ERA+), 1.34 WHIP, 9 walks, and 11 strikeouts as he continues to stave off the youngsters down in Milwaukee. Milt Fritz had a tough outing against one of his former teams, allowing 9 hits and 6 runs with 4 walks and 4 strikeouts in 6 innings against the Kings. Bill Kline had a rough week, 7 hits, 5 runs, and a strikeout in 4.2 innings pitched. He pitched in all four losses, and now has a 4.70 ERA (87 ERA+) and 1.43 WHIP in 23 innings pitched. Kline will give up his roster spot to Cy Sullivan, who has been excellent in Milwaukee. I wanted to get one of the double header starts to start the week, but he made a start on the 28th. He made seven in total, going 5-1 with a 2.40 ERA (203 ERA+), 1.42 WHIP, 19 walks, and 9 strikeouts in just under 50 innings. He'll be on hand out of the pen this week, but I'll likely give him a start next week.

Ford wasn't the only hitter with a good week, as Leo Mitchell was 11-for-23 with two doubles, two runs, and three RBIs. Johnny McDowell was 10-for-25 with a double, triple, RBI, six runs, and two steals. He also continues to improve his play at second base, and I think by the end of the season he'll be pretty reliable there. Billy Hunter will miss both games today with an intercostal strain, but during the week was 7-for-23 with 3 doubles, a triple, homer, 4 runs, and 7 RBIs. He now has driven in a CA high 30 runs despite a much lower batting line this season. Rich Langton had one of his first bad weeks, just 6-for-25 with a steal and a pair of runs scored and driven in.

Looking Ahead
Back at home! The 13 game road trip is now over, a mediocre 6-7 trip for us, but we're 12-6 at home this year and we tend to play well in front of our fans. The first two home games will be against the 22-17 Foresters. Cleveland's top two has been dominant, and thankfully we get to avoid them. Instead, we'll likely see Lee Drouillard and Lyman Weigel, but no matter what, it won't be Astle and Gonzales. Drouillard is fully rested, 6-2 with a 4.26 ERA (100 ERA+), 1.39 WHIP, 17 walks, and 11 strikeouts in his 67.2 innings pitched. Weigel has been a bit better, 2-4 with a 3.78 ERA (112 ERA+), 1.38 WHIP, 18 walks, and 23 strikeouts in 50 innings pitched. The Foresters have seen a steep decline in Bill Moore's production, as the first basemen is hitting just .234/.365/.358 (86 OPS+) with 9 doubles, 2 homers, and 16 RBIs with a nice 25-to-3 walk-to-strikeout ratio. This is nowhere near his .321/.408/.504 (146 OPS+) line from last season, and Cleveland fans will hope he at least gets a bit closer to that line. In fact, all of Cleveland's starting eight has a sub 100 OPS+, with Brooks Meeks 99 the highest of the group. The Foresters have a ton of really good hitters, so when they start to wake up they will become a problem.

We'll get a nice day off to enjoy some home cooking before hosting the Cannons for three. At 13-26, they're off to a tough start and sit 14.5 games outside of first place. Gus Goulding has continued to pitch well, but is an unlucky 1-6 with a 3.74 ERA (110 ERA+), 1.23 WHIP, 21 walks, and 37 strikeouts in 74.2 innings pitched. Rusty Petrick hasn't been nearly as lucky, 2-6 with a 4.70 ERA (87 ERA+), 1.62 WHIP, 43 walks, and 40 strikeouts. The 22-year-old is considering to throw harder too, now up to 93-95 with his cutter. Petrick is an exciting young hurler, and I hope he can turn things around as long as it's not against us. Another struggling Cannon is former Cougar prospect Joe Rainbow, who is batting just .204/.281/.336 (63 OPS+) with 3 doubles, 4 homers, and 16 RBIs. Even Jim Mason is having a bad year, with his triple slash down to just .219/.310/.316 (66 OPS+). This is nowhere near his career .313/.361/.438 (117 OPS+) line and with everything going wrong in Baltimore right now, consistency from Mason would have really helped.

We then start a three game set with the Stars that will finish on Monday. At 16-23, they are 3 games behind the Cannons for last in the division. 25-year-old southpaw Chris Clarke has entered the rotation, looking great in three starts and a relief appearance. The former 11th Overall Pick might be 0-3, but he's got a nice 2.95 ERA (141 ERA+) that directly contrasts with his 1.91 WHIP. He's wiggled out of trouble so far, but he may run into trouble shortly. Another southpaw Glenn Payne is looking much more reliable, 1-3 with a 3.74 ERA (111 ERA+) and 1.34 WHIP, but with 24 walks and 15 strikeouts. Les Zoller has been moved to the pen, and allowed 6 unearned runs in his last relief outing. Hank Jones is still hitting well, batting .346/.397/.472 (127 OPS+) with 11 doubles, a triple, homer, and 26 RBIs. 39-year-old Dave Trowbridge hasn't shown signs of slowing down, hitting .299/.364/.494 (123 OPS+) in limited time. He's one shy of his 100th plate appearance, but already has 4 homers and 21 RBIs.

Minor League Report
LHP Walker Pearce (AA Mobile Commodores): Injuries have been the story of the young southpaws career, but 23-year-old Walker Pearce is having a nice season. His last start was remarkable, a 5-hit shutout with 2 walks and a strikeout as the Commodores topped the Ironmen 2-0. He's just 2-3, but with a 2.31 ERA (170 ERA+), 0.94 WHIP, 9 walks, and 12 strikeouts in 46.2 innings pitched. He had a nice 13 inning start too, showing that even with the arm problems he can pitch deep into games. Our former 2nd Rounder throws pretty hard, sitting in the mid 90s with his sinker that is adept at rolling up grounders. His stuff isn't the greatest, but he locates his pitches well and doesn't usually get burned by hard contact. He'll never reach his once lofty potential, but Pearce could end up turning into a decent long man out of the pen who can soak up innings in extras.

RHP Dan Everett (A Lincoln Legislators): With Cy Sullivan going up to the big leagues, I moved up a handful of starters in our system. One of them going up was Dan Everett, who had five excellent starts in A ball to start his season. Acquired in the Hank Stratton trade with Cleveland, Everett was 4-0 with a 2.87 ERA (132 ERA+), 1.21 WHIP, 14 walks, and 14 strikeouts in 31.1 innings pitched. He made 16 starts in Lincoln last year too, but he had some struggles. The then 21-year-old was 4-8 with a 5.00 ERA (91 ERA+), 1.51 WHIP, 37 walks, and 25 strikeouts across 86.1 innings pitched. Everett added some speed in the offseason, with his fastball now sitting in the low 90s. All three of his pitches are FABL quality, with a good 12-6 curve and change up that have plenty of movement on them. He keeps the ball on the ground, and once he limits his free passes, he will be a very reliable presence in any rotation. He currently checks in at 16th in our system and 151st in the league, and will most definitely be protected in advance of this off-season's Rule-5 draft.

1B Jocko Pollard (B San Jose Cougars): It was a nice week for our 1935 6th Rounder, as Jocko Pollard was named the C-O-W League Player of the Week. He showcased his power, going 9-for-24 with 4 homers, 8 runs, and 10 RBIs. Pollard is now hitting a robust .274/.378/.540 (145 OPS+) with 8 homers and 25 RBIs in 135 PAs with San Jose. A natural third basemen, Pollard has strictly played first so far and the 6'2'' 20-year-old has looked up to the task. Marv thinks he'll have plus defensive value there, but his offense is much more advanced. He's got the tools to hit .290 in the big leagues and the eye to draw 50+ walks. He has a lot of raw potential, but the tools have a lot of work before they're big league quality.

[ayaghmour2]

We've started the lottery selection of the draft, with the 16 FABL teams deciding which pool they are going into. I have made my first selection, going with Group 7 because of Donnie Jones. Us, the Wolves, Pioneers, and Sailors will each have a 1 in 4 chance of landing the future ace, and luckily even the guys I don't want as much look much better then Ray Powell and Marv Smith. Below are a few words on each player possible for us to get, as well their position in the mock draft.

1st Round, 13th Overall: CF Ed Lang
School: New Castle State
1938: .326/.385/.443, 302 PA, 14 2B, 6 3B, 2 HR, 48 RBI, 40 SB
Career: .346/.405/.460, 601 PA, 26 2B, 12 3B, 4 HR, 108 RBI, 71 SB

A junior from New Castle State, Ed Lang was a two year starter who excelled against weaker competition. Lang projects as an average contact hitter and his speed will allow him to stretch singles into doubles and doubles into triples. He did a good job avoiding strikeouts in college, but I imagine that tougher competition will cause Lang to swing and miss much more. On the field, he projects to be a quality defender and he's got the range to stick up the middle. There are a lot of really good center fielders like Bill Barrett and Bill Burkett, but Lang is a talented outfielder in his own right and wouldn't be an awful pick if he became ours.

1st Round, 14th Overall: 1B Pete Frisbie
School: Gates University
1938: .338/.403/.500, 238 PA, 10 2B, 6 3B, 4 HR, 48 RBI, 33 SB
Career: .330/.395/.505, 843 PA, 38 2B, 18 3B, 19 HR, 167 RBI, 102 SB

I'm not a fan of first basemen, but Pete Frisbie is easily the best first basemen in the pool. Of course, I already expect to be stuck with him since he's the guy I want the least, but there are far worse consolation prizes then him. A three year starter at Gates University, Frisbie had a great year with the bat despite a noticeable drop off in homers. The 21-year-old hit 9 last season and 6 as a Freshman, so it was a bit disappointing to see him deposit only four into the seats this year. Regardless, he showed a lot of pop and consistently hit well against good competition. He has great speed for a first basemen, which may mean he can handle the outfield too. OSA isn't too high on his power, but I think he should be able to frequently hit the ball over the fence in right. He has great bat speed and does a strong job squaring the ball up, but his value is limited by his position. We don't really have room for a first basemen with Ford and Mitchell both excellent young options there, but our system doesn't have too many first basemen.


2nd Round, 19th Overall: RHP Donnie Jones
School: Minneapolis
Commit School: CC Los Angeles
1938: 9-0, 92.2 IP, 0.78 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, 16 BB, 152 K
Career: 42-3, 463 IP, 0.93 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 93 BB, 677 K

Please baseball gods, I beg of you! Please let Donnie Jones become a Cougar! One of the most dominant prep arms the game has ever seen, Jones managed to keep his ERA below 0.80 in three of his four high school seasons, with a 1.69 as a Freshman being his career high. His WHIP never was north of 1, he always hit triple digits with strikeouts, and he only allowed 5 homers his entire high school career. This year Jones pitched a bit less then normal, the only season he didn't pitch 100 or more innings, but he still struck out over 150 hitters with just 16 walks. The 6'2'' righty has a golden arm, rolling up grounders with his sinker and blowing by hitters with his fastball. Both are well above average pitches, and his change and curve are excellent secondary offerings. His stuff is big league quality, but like most young arms, scouts worry about him not developing his control. He hasn't shown any warning signs yet, but part of it is due to his outstanding movement. I always prefer movement over control, and even if he has some walk issues, there shouldn't be much getting in the way of him and the front of a big league rotation. His brother Johnnie currently ranks as baseball's 24th best prospect, and I'd imagine Donnie will rank higher at least at some point in his minor league career. With a regular draft I'd consider trading up to nab Jones, but now we have to hope we draw him.


2nd Round, 20th Overall: C Solly Skidmore
School: Monroe
Commit School: Ward University
1938: .492/.569/.686, 132 PA, 15 2B, 3B, HR, 28 RBI, 9 SB
Career: .492/.566/.693, 237 PA, 26 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 53 RBI, 17 SB

Before the pool was officially released, backstop Solly Skidmore was one of Marv's favorite prospects, consistently inside his top 10. He sits at six currently and is a very favorable "fallback" option if we are not assigned Jones. A two year starter at Monroe High School in Georgia, the 6'2'' Skidmore just turned 18 yesterday and is one of three potential future FABL catchers available this Summer. I'd argue he's the best in the pool, but some will side with Central Kentucky's Joe Robbins while others will trust the baseball pedigree of Dick York's son Rick. Skidmore is not much of a slugger, but he's supposed to be a fundamentally sound defender who should develop into a nice game caller. The bat is impressive as well, as he consistently puts wood on the ball and can spray hits to all fields. Solly has a solid eye now, and it is expected he will develop into a very disciplined hitter at the plate. Our #2 prospect, Harry Mead, may be a catcher, but he's 23 and in the majors and our next catching prospect ranks 66th in our organization alone. Skidmore has a ton of upside, but with his youth he's very far away from his peak and is someone we can take our time with. Obviously I really want Jones, but I won't be disappointed if we end up with Skidmore instead.

[ayaghmour2]

1st Round, 11th Overall: 3B Bill Neil
School: Cumberland University
1938: .269/.368/.413, 245 PA, 10 2B, 3B, 6 HR, 43 RBI, 12 SB
Career: .277/.373/.446, 697 PA, 30 2B, 3 3B, 21 HR, 127 RBI, 37 SB

He's the Mock's 11th pick, which is our pick based on final standings, but I know I would never take a guy like Neil 11th Overall. Sure, he's a talented switch hitter, but he doesn't quite have any standout skills. He generally makes good contact, but never really got close to hitting .292 like he did as a Freshman. He also never matched the 9 homers or 50 RBIs either, but that's not to say he didn't have a successful collegiate career. A big pull for him is his work ethic, as he's constantly working at improving at the plate. Neil has a good eye as well, and walked more then he struck out with Cumberland, and should eventually draw an above average amount of walks. He does appear to be a rather quick riser, and could be playing in the big leagues in a season or two. He has all the tools to start, and will be given every opportunity to secure a starting spot, but as a corner player he's really going to have to hit well.

1st Round, 12th Overall: 2B Herb Crosby
School: West Point
Commit School: Bluegrass State
1938: .522/.574/.793, 110 PA, 12 2B, 5 3B, HR, 26 RBI, 12 SB
Career: .532/.603/.873, 484 PA, 47 2B, 23 3B, 13 HR, 131 RBI, 99 SB

A four year starter at West Point in Virginia, Crosby earned a Bluegrass State scholarship after four consecutive seasons hitting .520 or better. In a class deep with second base talent, he's one of four projected first rounders and he boasts excellent contact potential. Crosby has good foot speed and is learning to take better at bats at the plate, but after 17, 21, and 12 walks his first three seasons, he walked just 8 times this year. The biggest red flag, however, is how Carey's triple slash has fallen in each subsequent season. My scout thinks he might force his way into a lineup, OSA thinks more bench bat, but regardless he does not look like the 12th best player available. Unfortunately, we only had two pools to pick between for our second lottery pick, and neither option was all that great.

2nd Round, 21st Overall: CF Bus Harris
School: San Diego Maritime Academy
1938: .295/.387/.418, 256 PA, 11 2B, 5 3B, 2 HR, 41 RBI, 36 SB
Career (COL): .302/.392/.449, 662 PA, 28 2B, 14 3B, 9 HR, 103 RBI, 107 SB
Career (HS): .448/.525/.724, 228 PA, 23 2B, 6 3B, 5 HR, 50 RBI, 43 SB

When looking at this pod, I thought I recognized the name Bus Harris, and if you go back to 1935, you'll see why. I actually drafted him in the 16th Round (two rounds behind Danny Hern!) because he was impossible to sign and a lot of the late picks get cut anyways. Here's what I wrote about him:

CF Bus Harris (16th Round, 245th Overall): I think Harris is better then Barnett, but he's also demanding a bonus to overturn a commitment to the San Diego Maritime Academy. He has a similar .448/.525/.724 line, but the difference comes in the increase in homers to five and drop of steals to 43. Lefty swinger who profiles as a fourth outfielder.

That Barnett would be Red, who doesn't find himself on the mock draft, but also looks much better now then he did as a high schooler. Harris definitely made the right decision going to college, and he would not have developed like he did if he decided to sign out of high school. Bus was one of his teams' best hitters, and was extremely consistent in his three seasons. He is a reliable defender out in center and he's got excellent speed on the field and the base paths. At the plate, he has a keen eye and will take a walk if he has to. He still profiles as more of a fourth outfielder then a fulltime starter, but it's very apparent the choice of college benefitted the youngster from Bridgeport.

2nd Round, 22nd Overall: 2B Adolph Jacobson
School: Greenly
Commit School: Western Iowa
1938: .420/.472/.804, 128 PA, 18 2B, 5 3B, 5 HR, 30 RBI, 17 SB
Career: .426/.490/.789, 477 PA, 65 2B, 19 3B, 15 HR, 112 RBI, 62 SB

This group has two second basemen, but it's pretty apparent who the better one is. A Greely, Colorado native, Adolph Jacobson's batting line pales it comparison to Crosby's as while Crosby never hit below .500, Jacobson couldn't even crack .460. So why is this guy a projected second round pick? Well, that's a good question... He's lean and athletic, every scouts favorite tagline, but he is a free swinger who needs to better learn the zone. He won't walk much at all, and his contact tool is not dependable enough to limit strikeouts. He is a quality defender at the keystone, and there's a chance he'll hit a decent amount of home runs. I would say he's (in my mind) the dud of this group, so that means were likely set to get him. My pessimistic prediction is that we will end up with him and Frisbee, but the disappointment will not materialize until tomorrow morning. I'm not sure when we will start the draft, so I may not have the time to post a more encompassing Amateur Report on the weekend like I initially planned.

[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 5-2
Seasonal Record: 26-21 (t2nd, 7 GB)
Stars of the Week
Rich Langton : 22 AB, 9 H, 1 HR, 6 RBI, .409 AVG, 1.116 OPS
Billy Hunter : 20 AB, 8 H, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .400 AVG, .935 OPS
Leo Mitchell : 24 AB, 7 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .292 AVG, .804 OPS

Schedule
5-30: Win vs Foresters (5-6)
5-30: Win vs Foresters (3-4)
6-1: Win vs Cannons (3-7)
6-2: Loss vs Cannons (7-3)
6-3: Loss vs Cannons (3-0)
6-4: Win vs Stars (5-6)
6-5: Win vs Stars (2-4)

Recap
Three out of four! No, we didn't win three of four, but we now have gotten duds in three of our four lottery picks. The dud we got this year was Adolph Jacobson, the second basemen in group six which was a pretty rough group. And while we didn't get Donnie Jones (those darn Wolves...), we did end up with an exciting young catcher in Solly Skidmore. He has one of the highest signing bonuses in the pool, which I'll take as a good thing, as the 18-year-old looks to be a future FABL catcher and money is plentiful. I'm really excited to see what he can do in our system, and he'll be getting everyday reps in La Crosse the rest of the season. The rest of the draft kicked off in the morning, and we'll likely see a few picks made before the weekend. I'm not quite sure who I want to use with my picks, but we'll have a trio of 4ths and then we pick 11th in each other round.

On the field, we played well, sweeping the double header against the Foresters and winning five of seven to sneak into second place. It did suck dropping two of three to the Cannons, but they were on a rough stretch and took it out on us. Rich Langton was a big part of our successful week, 9-for-22 with a double, homer, two steals, five runs, and six RBIs. Billy Hunter continued to heat up, 8-for-20 with a triple and three more runs driven in. Leo Mitchell was 7-for-24 with a double, homer, steal, and four runs scored and driven in.

Dave Rankin had a big week, a pair of complete games and a relief outing. He evened his record to 5-5 and worked to a 3.15 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in 20 innings pitched. Milt Fritz made two starts and a relief outing, but had a little less success. He was 2-1 to Rankin's 2-0, but allowed 23 hits and 11 runs (9 earned), 10 walks, and 8 strikeouts in 17.2 innings pitched. Both have sub 3.50 ERAs and sub 1.30 WHIP and have been outstanding in the top two spots of our rotation. Oscar Morse had another good start, a complete game win with 7 hits, 3 runs (2 earned), 3 walks, and 2 strikeouts. Morse continues to pitch well, now ranked as our best starting pitcher and his name is the one next to our 9th rated starting pitching. Morse is pitching a little worse then the top two, but he's 4-3 with a 3.61 ERA (115 ERA+), 1.37 WHIP, 24 walks, and 15 strikeouts in 77.1 innings pitched. The Chicagoan has found himself again with the Cougars, and even though he'll turn 35 this month, he's shown no signs of slowing down. Cy Sullivan did alright in his first week, saving three games in 2.2 innings with three hits and a run. I'm debating whether to give him a start or not, but I think I'm going to keep Pug in the rotation at least for one more week.

Looking Ahead
We'll look to sweep the now 17-29 Stars, and we're scheduled to face Chicagoan Les Zoller. He's back in the rotation, but still owns a 7.63 ERA (53 ERA+) and 2.03 WHIP with almost twice as many walks (30) as strikeouts (16). This is definitely a must win game for us, as these are games we cannot afford to lose. Even though we are in second place, we're already seven games behind the Kings and I'd prefer not to drop any further. The Stars do have some decent hitters in the lineup, so we'll need a little pitching, but if we're able to score runs off Zoller like we should, it may not matter.

Next is Montreal, three in Chicago with the 21-26 Saints. Walker Moore has really turned things around, now 3-3 with a 3.49 ERA (123 ERA+), 1.37 WHIP, 26 walks, and 17 strikeouts in 67 innings pitched. It makes up for George Thomas' struggles, who's now 4-5 with a 4.57 ERA (94 ERA+), 1.44 WHIP, 24 walks, and 15 strikeouts. Of course, Jake DeYoung is still dominating CA hitters, his ERA and WHIP down to 2.45 (174 ERA+) and 1.08 with 13 walks and 36 strikeouts in his 10 starts. The offense hasn't gotten off to a great start, with one of the surprises being Adam Mullins. He's hitting just an adjusted league average .280/.393/.385 with 9 doubles, 3 triples, and 20 RBIs. Vic Crawford has been struggling even more, batting just .254/.330/.399 (86 OPS+) with 13 doubles, 4 homers, and 28 RBIs. They'll need a boost from them if they want to move up into the second division, as Lass and Bond can't do it themselves.

Our week, homestand, and stretch of games without an off day ends with three against the first place Kings. At 33-14, they are leaps and bounds ahead of the pack and they just finished a 13 game win streak. Chicagoan Bob Cummings is on a hot stretch, now 3-1 with a 2.86 ERA (149 ERA+), 1.50 WHIP, 22 walks, and 18 strikeouts. Shockingly, his ERA is the third best on the staff, behind both Murphy and Shaffner. Shaffner is on a dominant stretch of his own, now 7-2 with a 2.55 ERA (167 ERA+), 1.17 WHIP, 24 walks, and 18 strikeouts in 77.2 innings pitched. Murphy is 4-1 with a 2.72 ERA (157 ERA+), 1.15 WHIP, 13 walks, and 18 strikeouts. Tom Barrell, however, had his issues, despite being 5-1. His ERA is up to 4.64 (92 ERA+), but he still has a great 1.28 WHIP, 13 walks, and 50 strikeouts in 83.1 innings pitched. If Barrell starts to get back on track, things could get really ugly in the CA, as it's going to be next to impossible to score on the Kings. Other then Frank Vance, who's absolutely killing it, the rest of the Kings offense isn't blowing the world away. Al Wheeler is having a "down" year, batting just .263/.393/.425 (111 OPS+) with 8 doubles, 2 triples, 5 homers, and 31 RBIs. This will easily be the toughest series of the week, and maybe one of the toughest of the season. I have faith in the team, and a lucky sweep could bring us in striking distance.

Minor League Report
RHP Bob Saltzman (B San Jose Cougars): He was just an out away in the second game, but "Knuckles" first two starts in San Jose were almost both complete game shutouts. The first was a 6-hitter against Fresno, allowing just one walk with two strikeouts. The second was against first place Bakersfield, who is 23-14 and now just a game ahead of the Cougars. He allowed 3 hits and 3 walks with 6 strikeouts. A 1935 7th Rounder, he just came up from La Crosse where he allowed just 5 hits, 4 walks, and struck out 7 in 8 more scoreless innings there. After a rough showing last season, he's on a 25.2 scoreless inning streak with a sparkly 0.86 WHIP. He's not one of our top pitching prospects, but performances like this are always exciting and could be the start of something more. OSA thinks he added another mile to his cutter, and my scouting accuracy dropped, so there is a chance he got a little talent boost. I'm hoping his new scouting report will be exciting, as it never hurts to have pitching depth. You never know who else is going to pull a Bill Scott (my money is on Danny Hern...).

Minor League Report
RF Chick Browning (C La Crosse Lions): What a month for Chicago's Chick Browning! The Batter of the Month in May, Browning hit .411 with 8 homers, 27 RBIs, and 19 runs scored. He's now slashing an astronomical .402/.476/.759 (210 OPS+) with 9 homers and 29 RBIs. The lefty potentially now slugger turned 20 on May 11th, but endured a terrible 1937 season that saw him fall from every day right fielder to platoon bat to basically a bench bat. His batting line is nowhere near that .182/.261/.280 (62 OPS+) line and he may be ready to move up to San Jose shortly. None of our outfielders are struggling in San Jose, but AA and A center fielders John Johnson and Doug Bennett are really struggling. I'm rather shocked none of our outfielders have gotten hurt yet, but I can't imagine Chick will still be a Lion once the new draft class hops in the system.

LHP Joe Ferrara (C La Crosse Lions): Here is a weird one; Browning's teammate took home Pitcher of the Month despite not starting a single game. The southpaw stopper was near unhittable in 26 innings, working to a 0.69 ERA and 1.35 WHIP with 13 walks, 15 strikeouts, and 4 saves. I don't usually follow relief arms that much, but his performance was definitely worth pointing out. Our 10th Rounder in 1936, I selected Ferrara because I was hoping maybe he could turn into a starting pitcher, but he's instead been a lockdown late inning reliever. He's a three pitch pitcher, but likely doesn't have either the stamina or pitches to start. He gets a ton of movement on his pitches, especially his curve. That's his best pitch and the one he leans on the most, but he also has a low 90s fastball. His change isn't any good, but if it was, Ferrara would be starting games and not just 2-3 innings relief outings.

EDIT: Forgot to update end of month pictures:

[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 1-6
Seasonal Record: 27-27 (4th, 10 GB)
Stars of the Week
Billy Hunter : 27 AB, 11 H, 2 HR, 4 RBI, .407 AVG, 1.111 OPS
Johnny McDowell : 23 AB, 11 H, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .478 AVG, 1.129 OPS
Leo Mitchell : 23 AB, 6 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, .261 AVG, .683 OPS

Schedule
6-6: Loss vs Stars (4-3)
6-7:Win vs Saints (1-2)
6-8: Loss vs Saints (3-1)
6-9: Loss vs Saints (7-5)
6-10: Loss vs Kings (6-3)
6-11: Loss vs Kings (4-2)
6-12: Loss vs Kings (4-3)

Recap
Welp, better luck next year... Not much worse then a 1-6 week, especially when it happens at home. It was a whole lot of bad, and not much good, as we couldn't score all week and had almost zero production from the offense. Billy Hunter was one of the only bright spots, 11-for-27 with a triple, 2 homers, and 4 RBIs. He has a team high 6 homers on the season, matching his total from last year, and his 37 RBIs are tied for the most in the Continental Association. Johnny McDowell had a great week as well, 11-for-23 with 3 doubles and a pair of walks, runs, and RBIs. Every other hitter at a below average week, even Ray Ford who slumped to a 2-for-20 while every other hitter except Mitchell recorded 4 or less hits on the week.

Can't really fault the pitchers, as really only Dave Rankin had a bad start. He went all nine, but allowed 11 hits and 6 runs (5 earned) with 3 strikeouts. Dick Lyons looked good in both his starts, 18.1 innings total with a win, a loss, 12 hits, 5 runs, a walk, and 3 strikeouts. Oscar Morse unluckily lost both his starts, 17 innings with 18 hits, 8 runs (7 earned), 4 walks, and 3 strikeouts.

Looking Ahead
Thankfully, we're off to start the week, so it would be really hard to lose six games again. We'll head to Baltimore, to play a split four game set. The first two games are Tuesday and Wednesday, we're off Thursday, but then have a double header on Friday. Baltimore is out of the cellar, up to 21-32 and 2 games ahead of the Stars. Pinky Conlan is hut again, this time a DTD strained shoulder that may cause him to miss his start against us. Conlan is 5-5 with a 3.93 ERA (105 ERA+), 1.40 WHIP, 30 walks, and 12 strikeouts in 68.2 innings pitched. If they need to skip his starts, they could go to veteran Dutch Leverett, who has had some issues on the mound this season. He's 1-2 with 7 saves, a 5.18 ERA (80 ERA+), 1.54 WHIP, 10 walks, and 24 strikeouts. Baltimore has seen a nice run from first basemen Bunny Stapleton, as the 29-year-old is hitting .309/.379/.421 (112 OPS+) with 5 homers and 24 RBIs in 169 trips to the plate. He hasn't got all the starts at first, but it looks like he'll be getting a majority from here on out. They've also brought up former 11th Rounder and top 100 prospect Charlie Rivera, but he's hitting just .189/.250/.297 (44 OPS+) with a homer and 3 driven in during his first 12 games replacing the injured Clark Car at second.

We'll then have to deal with those darn Kings again, getting the first two of another three game set. After sweeping us, the Kings improved to 37-17, but with a 5.5 game lead over the Wolves, who just swept them. Art White is healthy again, and now in three starts he's 1-1 with a 2.33 ERA (182 ERA+), 1.19 WHIP, and 6 walks and strikeouts. It's not like they needed anymore pitching help, but other then ace Tom Barrell, all of the other four Kings starters have ERAs south of 3. Brooklyn has been playing longtime King Doug Lightbody at first this season, and he just hit the 100 at bat mark. The 34-year-old is batting a nice .320/.387/.410 (106 OPS+) with 9 doubles and 12 RBIs while handling first pretty well. He's one of six lefties in the Kings lineup, something that makes them very dangerous against us. We will also get to continue the draft over the weekend. I've already made my 3rd Round selection, and I'm hoping I'll be able to make all three of my fourth rounders today. There is a guy I was eyeing with my 3rd I thought would still be available in the 4th, and a few picks before mine he's still there. I plan on announcing all four picks here tonight, assuming they are all made. The in game draft in son June 22nd, so we still have at least through Monday before the auto portion. There are also rumors swirling that this is the last year of the lottery, and a potential new system will be in effect next year.

Minor League Report
RF Larry Robison (AA Mobile Commodores): Its been a long journey to the 40-man roster for the former 19th Rounder Larry Robison. This week was a particularly helpful one, as the 24-year-old speedster took home the Dixie League Player of the Week. He went 12-for-24 with a homer and 8 RBIs as he continues what has been a strong start to 1938. He's been outstanding defensively out in right and hit .317/.373/.455 (122 OPS+) with 6 doubles, 4 triples, 2 homers, 3 steals, and 19 RBIs in 159 PAs. He's walked three times (12) as much as he's struck out (4), but this is one of the few seasons he's struggled with his stolen base percentage. He's just 3-for-7 after 74-for-86 last season. His speed is easily his most impressive tool, but Robison makes a ton of contact and is able to draw more then his share of walks. The contact tool is extremely helpful, as if he puts the ball in play, chances are he can beat out the hit. It's hard being a corner outfielder in the FABL these days, but Robison is a very unique and talented player who's speed alone is enough to roster him.

RHP Roy Carey (A Lincoln Legislators): Its been a great season for the 1936 2nd Rounder, and he made it even better with his recent 3-hit shutout of the Terre Haute Brewers. Now a perfect 4-0 in 7 starts, Carey boats a 2.90 ERA (135 ERA+) and 1.41 WHIP with 16 walks and 8 strikeouts in an out less then 50 full innings. The walks are a little concerning, but almost a third of Carey's allowed runs came in one start and all but two of his starts he allowed 2 or fewer walks. He is a bit on the older side, 23 as of April, and his stuff isn't that great yet. None of his pitches really stand out, and part of that is because there are seven of them and he only throws in the low to mid 80s. He does have a decent sinker that he uses to generate a lot of easy ground outs, but he doesn't have a good strikeout pitch and he doesn't have other offerings he can lean on yet. If one of the other five pitches can turn into a reliable offering, he's got the chance to start in the big leagues, but for now he just profiles as a AAAA type starter who can eat innings out of the pen in the big leagues.

RF Marv Smith (B San Jose Cougars): He may not be someone I would have ever drafted, but 23-year-old lefty Marv Smith is absolutely tearing the cover off the ball right now. Our first lottery selection from last year, Smith also took home a Player of the Week, going 11-for-17 with 9 RBIs and 5 runs scored. Smith is now hitting an outstanding .341/.481/.500 (163 OPS+) with 4 doubles, 3 triples, 4 homers, 4 steals, and 26 RBIs. He's walked 40 times in 42 games and would be on pace for 130 in a full season. He's clearly ready for Lincoln, and even though I already have a full outfield of Panduro-Bennett-Sevilla, none of those are really top guys (like Smith), so I'm comfortable working with a four man rotation. This also allows a promotion for Chick Browning, and will make more at bats available in La Crosse. Smith is an aggressive hitter, so he may start walking less and striking out more. He also profiles as an above average defender out in right, but hasn't yet showed us that this season. I still don't think there's much here with Smith, but if he keeps hitting like this, he may develop into at least a valuable left handed bat off the bench.

[ayaghmour2]

3rd Round, 44th Overall: 3B Danny Richardson
School: Elgin
Commit School: Eastern State
1938: .500/.589/.764, 131 PA, 16 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 30 RBI, 10 SB
Career: .487/.575/.728, 495 PA, 60 2B, 6 3B, 8 HR, 122 RBI, 32 SB

Most would consider this pick a little off base for me, but if you knew that Elgin was a suburb in Illinois, you'd realize this pick is exactly my kind of a pick! Unfortunately, Danny Richardson is a third basemen, but this was a rather weak draft to start with, the few pitchers I really wanted were already taken, and the other pitchers I had my eye on I had a feeling would drop to one of my fourths, which they did! A four year starter, Richardson spent most of his time at third, but also received playing time at first, center, and right which adds to his versatility. He looks to be a solid defender at third, but it would be nice if he's secretly an elite defensive center fielder. I do like his bat, as he never hit below .480 and reached the magical .500 mark. Power could be a plus, a pair of homers in each season, but a lot of high schoolers don't show their power until they have a few seasons of affiliated ball under their belt. He has a good feel for balls and strikes, but he's occasionally a free swinger. For now he makes the contact needed, but eventually against better pitchers he will have to learn to be more disciplined. I'm a big fan of this kid, and unlike a majority of the guys available, my scout and OSA both think he could be a big league starter.

4th Round, 55th Overall LHP Ed Wilkinson
School: CC Los Angeles
1938: 7-5, 105 IP, 3.69 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 38 BB, 88 K
Career: 18-23, 356.2 IP, 4.90 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, 178 BB, 239 K

This pick was a little bit of a gamble, but Ed Wilkinson has shown improvement in each of his three seasons and was actually listed on the mock draft as a pitcher. The southpaw was terrible as a freshman, 6-10 with a 6.12 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, 83 walks, and 70 strikeouts in 139.2 innings pitched. That was easily his worst season, and while not great, he rebounded last year as well. Wilkinson was 5-8, but with a 4.50 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 57 walks, and 81 strikeouts in 112 innings pitched. This year he had the least amount of innings, but the best ERA, WHIP, BB/9, K/9, WAR, and even strikeouts. All of these are signs for encouragement, and OSA at least thinks he can be a spot starter. Wilkinson isn't very tall, but he sits comfortably in the 89-91 mph range with his fastball that headlines his five pitch arsenal. His stuff is well developed, and he's worked well on improving his command. He still walks people more then he should, but I think he will be able to cut down on them a bit. As a well developed college arm, I'm trading upside for current ability, and Wilkinson may be able to follow the Pug Bryan path to Chicago.

4th Round, 60th Overall: LHP Oliver Allen
School: Layton
Commit School: Columbia Military Academy
1938: 6-0, 73 IP, 1.36 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 22 BB, 93 K
Career: 16-1, 204 IP, 1.50 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 59 BB, 247 K

I went the complete opposite way with my second of three 4ths, and decided to chase a high upside arm with a lot of risk. A three year starter at Layton out in Utah (despite being born in Atlanta), the skinny and lanky southpaw didn't start all his high school outings and I'm hoping he will have the stamina to start games in the big leagues. Marv is a huge fan of Allen, projecting him to fill the back end of a rotation and he lists him as the #5 pitcher in this pool. He's a four pitch groundballer, with the best of those pitches likely to be his forkball, but he relies primarily on his upper 80s to lower 90s fastball and cutter. He also features a change, but all four pitches are still being polished and could eventually end up as decent pitches. Like most high school arms, there is a high probability he washes up in a season or two, but I think as he ages and hopefully puts on a little weight, his velocity will continue to rise and he will grow into a more effective pitcher. Plus, we aren't flush with lefties, and at the very least he can help with platoon issues.

4th Round, 63rd Overall: RF Sammy Dillon
School: Mississippi A&M
1938: .256/.373/.467, 272 PA, 13 2B, 3B, 11 HR, 35 RBI, 34 SB
Career: .266/.384/.485, 770 PA, 38 2B, 3 3B, 32 HR, 121 RBI, 85 SB

I decided to hit up Outfield A&M to grab arguably the best power bat in the pool who isn't #1 ranked player Bill Barrett. Yes, he's a corner bat who probably won't ever be better then average out in right, but he's another of those rare players who both my scout and OSA like. Dillon has one of the most impressive resumes for a college bat, homering 10 or more times in each of his three seasons while also driving in and walk more then 30 times. Obviously the power is a big pull, but he also does an outstanding job working the count and drawing walks. He'll has his share of strikeouts, but he more then makes up for it with the pop. Dillon hits a ton of flyballs, which will play really well in Chicago. He just turned 21 a month ago, and I can see him being big league quality in just a few seasons. I'd love to see him develop into a 20/20 player or perhaps a reverse Doug Lightbody, high power low contact instead of high contact low power.

[ayaghmour2]

5th Round, 76th Overall: SS Steve Jones
School: Topeka State
1938: .258/.361/.318, 236 PA, 7 2B, 3B, HR, 31 RBI, 31 SB
Career: .259/.364/.322, 785 PA, 24 2B, 3 3B, 4 HR, 100 RBI, 105 SB

This might be the most picks I've made in a row without selecting a centerfielder or shortstop! I went with another 3-year college kid, this time going with the light hitting shortstop Steve Jones. He doesn't have the most exciting college stats, especially with his slugging percentage, but the Topeka kid has an outstanding eye and has most of what you look for in a utility middle infielder. He's an above average defender, according to Marv a "lock-in" for shortstop, and since he won't chase too much, he should end up hitting for a decent average. He plays in the toughest collegiate competition, so the sub .260 average isn't much of a concern. I do love power, something a groundball hitter like him will never have, but Jones was the projected draftee for our 3rd Round selection, making him the second predicted Cougar (the other Dillon at 4.8) to actually become a Cougar. I don't think Jones will be a star by any means, but he could be a useful bench player and his versatility is a big plus. The 5th Round has not been all that kind to us in the past, just Hank Stratton (1932), Art Black (1927), and Phil English (1925) reaching the majors. Sure, English has been one of the better relief arms in the FABL, but that's not really what you're looking for with a high pick.

6th Round, 92nd Overall: RHP Corky Welch
School: East
Commit School: Empire State-Albany
1938: 6-1, 83 IP, 1.30 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 25 BB, 124 K
Career: 20-5, 30.2 IP, 1.72 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 96 BB, 124 K

We used our 6th Round selection on a first round name, selecting Cleveland native Corky Welch. A four year starter, his first three season were just okay before breaking out as a senior. He dropped his ERA 0.43 points and his WHIP 0.1 points from his previous career bests and struck out more hitters while maintaining a near identical walk rate. He also added some heat to his fastball, up to 88-90. He's a tiny pitcher, 5'7'' and just 140, but he won't turn 19 until January and has a lot of time to grow. All three of his pitches should at least be decent, and curveball should be a really strong offering. He has issues with location and occasionally will allow the longball, but he has stretches of flat out dominance when he gets the needed movement. He's consistently added velocity, so my best guess is he'll be throwing in the 90s after a season or two. We haven't had much success with six rounders recently, but there have been a lot of hits. My scout and OSA proclaim that Sam Hodge (1934) is a frontline starter and all three from 1932 (Bobby Mills, Ducky Jordan, and Red Moore) have all made their big league debuts. Both Chet Peacock (1930) and Joe Cotton (1931) have been on 40-man rosters (Cotton actually has a single inning) and Jim Hatfield (1929) was a semi-regular for the Cannons for a season. In fact, from 1925-1932, 7 of the 11 players have at least one inning or one plate appearance, with an 8th (Peacock) likely to debut.

7th Round, 108th Overall: CF Max Rucker
School: San Francisco Tech
1938: .309/.356/.429, 284 PA, 9 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 48 RBI, 32 SB
Career: .317/.372/.447 708 PA, 23 2B, 6 3B, 16 HR, 127 RBI, 100 SB

I really wanted Cal Holmes, and had a whole writeup for him, but the Dynamos snagged him right before me so I settled with Max Rucker. Rucker actually has far nicer stats, but the raw talent isn't quite the same. Like Holmes, Rucker was a three year starter, but Rucker has much more power and even hits for a higher average. He's never hit worse then hit .309/.356/.429 this year, and 16 career homers is pretty good for a center fielder. Even better, he has a nice 55-to-8 walk-to-strikeout ratio and projects to be a solid contact hitter, potentially a .300 or better hitter. Defensively he has the speed for center, but I'm not too sure he's going to stick out there yet. He also has a very interesting tidbit from Marv that I've never seen; "He numbers among the best at scooting up a base with a ball thrown in the dirt." My thought on this is he's got elite foot speed (OSA says he has a poor first step) which almost always correlates to plus or better range. Right now he's just a bubble player, but he's pretty far along the development path and could rise quickly through our system and function as a useful off the bench option.

Just a little "fun" fact that I stumbled upon when looking back at old draft classes. For the Cougars 1932 draft class, 13 of the first 14 picks have been placed on the 40-man roster at some point since draft day. In total, 13 of the 30 players have debuted in the majors and six more are currently on a 40-man roster while both Walker Pearce and Ernie Carson were both taken in the Rule-5 draft, later returned, before debuting. The quantity has been great, but the quality is there too, with this class containing Billy Hunter, Harry Mead, Rich Langton, Cy Sullivan, Hank Stratton, Ducky Jordan, and the previously mentioned Westfall. Hunter and Langton are currently productive regulars while the rest are all top 100 prospects.

[ayaghmour2]

8th Round, 124th Overall: CF Jim Madsen
School: Rainier College
1938: .298/.369/.428, 243 PA, 8 2B, 7 3B, 2 HR, 39 RBI, 34 SB
Career: .298/.369/.433 798 PA, 24 2B, 24 3B, 8 HR, 121 RBI, 108 SB

Sticking with the theme of collegiate centerfielders, I went back-to-back by acquiring Jim Madsen. A lefty from Spokane, his junior year was almost the same as his first three seasons, hitting to the same average and OBP as his career line in his three seasons. One thing I really like about Madsen is how frequently he triples, with an impressive eight per season. Madsen has continued to improve at the plate, projecting to be an above average contact hitter at the plate. He's a very athletic outfielder who is able to barrel up the ball with relative consistency. Of course, his speed allows him to turn doubles into triples and he should be able to steal a lot of bases as well. He also projects to be an above average defender out in center and with an outstanding makeup, he could develop past the reserve outfielder he currently projects as.

9th Round, 140th Overall: RHP Art Courtney
School: Westerville
Commit School: Oklahoma Bible School
1938: 3-1, 83 IP, 1.99 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 26 BB, 75 K
Career: 20-2, 271.2 IP, 1.36 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 102 BB, 390 K

Art Courtney picked the worst season to have his worst season, with a career high this year in ERA, WHIP, and BB/9 with a career low in innings, wins, starts, and strikeouts. His best year was a dominant sophomore season, where he was 5-0 with a 0.74 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 18 walks, and 97 strikeouts. That year he had his best ERA, WHIP, B/9, AND K/9. Courtney isn't a tall and imposing presence on the mound, but he sits in the upper 80s, low 90s with a decent cutter. His splitter, however, is the best of his four pitches, but he will need to work on his change or curve to turn into a third reliable pitch. What is nice is he does get a lot of downward movement on his pitches which allows him to roll up a lot of groundballs. He has seen his control desert him recently, with a decent 2.8 and 2.7 as a freshman and sophomore before a 4.0 and 4.3 the past two seasons. For now he's just a depth piece, but all high school arms have a ton of upside and he could just as easily become the next Dean Astle.

10th Round, 156th Overall: CF Harry Carr
School: Buchtel
Commit School: College of Waco
1938: .457/.508/.738, 120 PA, 13 2B, 5 3B, HR, 25 RBI, 13 SB
Career: .472/.525/.738, 409 PA, 49 2B, 21 3B, 6 HR, 110 RBI, 79 SB

Our outfield depth in the minors right now isn't the best, so three of our last four picks were centerfielders in an effort to restock the system. I finished the human portion of the draft with an exciting prep kid from Akron, Harry Carr. A four year starter, Carr had a noticeable drop off as a senior, with his average, OBP, and slugging all career lows. This probably caused the skinny 18-year-old to drop, as my scout is a pretty big fan of his. Marv thinks he'll be an above average defender, but unless he improves on his pitch selection, he won't hit for much more then an average batting average. He has good speed and every scouts favorite "lean and athletic" and even OSA thinks he might turn into a bench bat. Marv thinks he may be able to force his way into the lineup, but with Carr I think he's one of those low floor/high ceiling guys with a lot of room between his actuals and potentials. His versatility is a huge plus, however, as he can effortlessly fill in all three outfield spots and he even has some experience at both second and short. Everyday at bats may be hard to come by down in La Crosse, but being able to fill in at multiple spots should help Carr secure the needed playing time to further his development.

Generally considered throw away picks, we have had some success with these late round picks. In 1935 we did really well, grabbing Art Saunders (9th), Steve Mountain (9th), Harl Haines (10th), and Oscar Panduro (10th). Saunders currently ranks as the 127th best prospect in baseball while Haines is at 197. Mountain isn't in the top 500, but he's an outstanding defensive catcher and one of the most interesting players in the game. Last year he walked (99) way more then he got a hit (71) and this year it's close with 32 walks and 34 hits. Panduro also doesn't get much prospect love, but the Chicagoan has never had an OPS+ below 110, with each stop (except this year) having between 61 and 69 games. 1934 brought in 40-man catcher Johnnie Williamson who debuted last season in the 8th Round while that same round in 1932 brought another 40-man player in Elias Canady. 1929 had a pair of big leaguers in Elmer Hutchins (8th) and Billy Marshall (10th) although neither have played in the big leagues this season. And of course, the 9th Round in 1926 and 1927 brought Ben Turner and Dean Astle while we grabbed now retired Cleveland outfielder in the 1926 10th Round. It seems likely at least one of these guys will debut (my bet is on Carr) and there is even an outside chance one develops into a star. No more picks for me personally now, the AI/scouts take over from here on out, and as usual, I'll throw in a few impossible guys to limit the amount of cuts we have to deal with.

[ayaghmour2]

Turns out I was wrong, we had two more rounds of the human draft! Big news was also announced with a new system for the draft. It's a bit complicated, but there will be three sections. The first two will take place in January, the last in June. The January draft has two parts, an open and regional section. The open section will be two rounds and before the mock draft. This is done to limit some of the mock drafts information, and we will be drafting before their final year of stats. The regional portion then is a single round, where teams have priority based on location. These picks cannot be traded, however, the picks from the first two rounds can. All these players will remain in the pool until the June portion draft. In May, the pool will be published, so all players will generate stats and the new one year players will be created to fill the pool. The remaining rounds (4-25) will happen as they did this year and I think there will be ten more rounds of human picks. I like this much better then the lottery, and I am actually really excited for the regional round as it gives me (and the Chiefs) a very good chance to land top talent from Chicago. In a little sadder news, there is now a firing mechanism in place for poor performance, and if this was in place from the beginning, I actually would have been one of the only three firings. Basically you just have to not finish 7th or 8th three years in a row, occasionally finish 5thor better, and not make your owner angry at the end of the season. Firings cannot happen until 1940 at the earliest, but I know I will do anything I can to avoid firing. Like I've said before, if my owner wants to fire me, he'll have to carry me out kicking and screaming. And he better have some help!

11th Round, 172nd Overall: RHP Rube Finegan
School: Lane State
1938: 3-7, 104.1 IP, 6.81 ERA, 2.07 WHIP, 96 BB, 54 K
Career: 11-17, 289 IP, 5.45 ERA, 1.79 WHIP, 200 BB, 170 K

I won't lie, the stats aren't very promising at all. Rube Finegan was terrible as a senior, and it was clear that the great competition at Lane State was a bit too much for him. It's a little shocking, considering as a freshman he was a respectable 5-1 with a 4.12 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 48 walks, and 65 strikeouts across 94 innings. He never replicated those numbers, and while not an intriguing prospect yet, there is a lot I do like about him. He has a great makeup, full of energy and quick a learner and he does have four big league quality pitches. His fastball isn't that fast, sitting in the 84-86 range, but he has a reliable forkball and his slider and change are decent secondary offerings. The more speed he adds on his fastball, the better the other pitches will become, but of course, there is no guarantee that he'll ever throw faster. His biggest issue is he likes to nibble, aiming for the corners instead of attacking hitters, and if we can knock that bad habit, we could be able to extract some untapped potential. There are very low expectations for Finegan, and he'll probably just pitch out of the pen this season, but he could be a good organizational player.

12th Round, 188th Overall: C Charlie Hawkins
School: CC Los Angeles
1938: .274/.362/.378, 314 PA, 11 2B, 3B, 5 HR, 45 RBI, 5 SB
Career: .279/.367/.367 811 PA, 32 2B, 3B, 9 HR, 106 RBI, 11 SB

I debated between a college and high school catcher for my actual final human pick, and eventually settled on the 21-year-old Charlie Hawkins. The big pull was the potential pop, five homers this year, more then his first two seasons combined. Even better, Hawkins was a teammate of our 4th Round selection Ed Wilkinson. I will let Hawkins start at the same level as Wilkinson so they can keep up that connection. I'm hoping Hawkins keep the power up, but one thing for certain is he will draw walks. He walked 30 or more times in each season, with a career best 38 this season. He is a bit of a free swinger, and will chase a few pitches, but he should be able to keep the strikeouts down reasonably well. As mentioned before, our catching depth isn't that great, and while Skidmore should rank in the top 200 once we get our players on Tuesday, Gidge Sumpter (314th) is the only other catcher of ours currently in the top 500.

[ayaghmour2]

Weekly Record: 2-4
Seasonal Record: 29-31 (5th, 12 GB)
Stars of the Week
John Lawson : 25 AB, 9 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .360 AVG, .949 OPS
Dick Lyons : 1 Win, 9.0 IP, 2 BB, 0 K, 0.00 ERA
Leo Mitchell : 19 AB, 5 H, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .263 AVG, .879 OPS

Schedule
6-14: Loss at Cannons (6-7): 13 innings
6-15: Loss at Cannons (1-2)
6-17: Loss at Cannons (4-5)
6-17: Win at Cannons (5-0)
6-18: Win at Kings (3-2)
6-19: Loss at Kings (1-2)

Recap
Well it looks like we suck again... This week was more of just bad luck, all but one game decided by one run and all four of our losses were one run losses. We are just falling apart as a team, and this will likely lead me to make some changes with the roster. This likely means trading a pitcher or two, perhaps Oscar Morse or Dave Rankin, but we do have a more pressing matter to deal with. Carlos Montes left the first game of the double header with an elbow strain, and will miss the next three weeks. The 22-year-old wasn't having a great year, hitting just .249/.327/.393 (92 OPS+) with 6 doubles, 5 triples, 3 homers, 3 steals, and 21 RBIs. Replacing him on the active roster and in the starting lineup will be 26-year-old Aart MacDonald, who has been killing it in Milwaukee. The current 70th rated prospect in the FABL is hitting .303/.408/.626 (160 OPS+) with 11 doubles, 6 triples, 9 homers, 2 steals, and 35 RBIs in 184 trips to the plate. I was planning on bringing him up soon to replace Moore or Yates, but now he'll instead come up early to get everyday at bats.

It was a bad week for most, but Dick Lyons was brilliant in his start. He tossed a 6-hit, 2 walks shutout against the Cannons to improve to 6-4 on the season. Now 38, Lyons has a nice 3.29 ERA (124 ERA+) and 1.20 WHIP with 13 walks and 17 strikeouts. Dave Rankin tossed two quality outings, but lost both games on the road so he only got 8 innings in each. He allowed just 11 hits, 4 runs, and 4 walks with 3 strikeouts as he fell to 5-8. Rankin had a slow start to the season, but he owns a 3.40 ERA (120 ERA+) and 1.33 WHIP with 27 walks and 33 strikeouts in 119 innings pitched. Milt Fritz looked good against Brooklyn, but not so good against Baltimore, combining for 15 innings, 17 hits, 7 runs, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts, but he was not given a decision in either outing.

The bats really struggled, but John Lawson showed us a vintage week, going 9-for-25 with a double, homer, three runs, three walks, and 4 RBIs. Leo Mitchell was just 5-for-19, but he hit two homers and drove in six. Bench bats Ollie Page and Johnny Waters combined to go 3-for-9 with two runs and three walks. Orlin Yates filled in for Montes this week, going 5-for-15 with three walks and a run scored. McDowell and Langton really struggled, combining to go 7-for-40 with a run scored and driven a piece.

Looking Ahead
Despite the terrible week, we could win the series against the Kings, likely to face Art White in the finale. He's made four starts on the year, 2-1 with a 3.33 ERA (126 ERA+), 1.37 WHIP, and 9 walks and strikeouts. The Kings just lost Frank Lightbody for the season after he tore his ACL in the opener against us. The younger Lightbody hit .299/.343/.420 (97 OPS+) in what will be a new career low for plate appearances, 170. This could mean more time for Sal Pestilli's brother Alf, who hit .264/.343/.495 (115 OPS+) with 6 doubles, 5 homers, and 17 RBIs off the bench. And even with Brooklyn's 6.5 game lead over the Wolves, it hasn't been because of Al Wheeler, who's .259/.375/.431 (108 OPS+) batting line looks almost mediocre, and his 7 homers and 38 RBIs aren't blowing away the competition.

We'll stay in New York as we draw the Stars for three. At 23-36, they have the worst record in baseball and we cannot afford to blow anymore games against them. The pitching has really been their downfall, and the Stars have given another rookie a chance to start games for them. Soon-to-be 24-year-old Bill Riley's first 15 appearances were out of the pen, but he made his first big league start against the Sailors on the 17th. The former 9th Rounder is the Stars #2 prospect and #35 in the league and is 3-4 with a 3.09 ERA (135 ERA+), 1.34 WHIP, 11 walks, and 12 strikeouts. He should be able to help take some of the pressure off George Phillips, who is 5-2 with a 2.45 ERA (169 ERA+), 1.24 WHIP, 35 walks, and 28 strikeouts. The middle three in the rotation all have ERAs north of 5, but all three arms should be throwing much better. They are without Dave Trowbridge in the lineup, who will miss 3-4 more weeks with recurring back spasms. He wasn't playing everyday, but still hit .325/.385/.526 (136 OPS+) with 8 doubles, 5 homers, and 27 RBIs in 130 PAs. Hank Jones hasn't shown any signs of slowing down, and the 30-year-old is slashing an impressive .345/.398/.500 (135 OPS+) with 15 doubles, 3 triples, 3 homers, and 42 RBIs. Former Cougar Chink Stickels is also having a good year, batting .309/.372/.490 (125 OPS+) with 20 doubles, 7 triples, a homer, 5 steals, and 22 RBIs.

Our next stop is Montreal, where we will face the 26-34 Saints. They sit three games behind us in the standings, and are floating the idea of a George Thomas trade around. The 28-year-old innings eater is 5-7 with a 4.35 ERA (97 ERA+), 1.39 WHIP, 33 walks, and 21 strikeouts in 111.2 innings pitched. His ERA is actually the highest on the staff, with the lowest still Jake DeYoung. He's had three really bad starts in a row, but still holds an impressive 3.28 ERA (129 ERA+) and 1.15 WHIP with 14 walks and 37 strikeouts. Red Bond's batting line has dropped to .318/.361/.472 (114 OPS+), but he's still hit 15 doubles, 7 triples, and 34 RBIs on the season. There middle infield has not been hitting well, with gloveman Frank Davis batting just .260/.316/.327 (66 OPS+) while former Cougar prospect Red Moore is hitting a lower .240/.275/.332 (56 OPS+). Third basemen Gary Carmichael has also seen a steep drop in his production, as his .332/.356/.448 (117 OPS+) line from last year is now just .261/.329/.342 (74 OPS+). We're then off to start next week, but we need a huge week to get back on track. We'll also see our new draftees join the system tomorrow, and it'll be interesting to see if we remain 3rd in the farm rankings, or perhaps we may fall out of the top 5.

Minor League Report
CF Elias Canady (AAA Milwaukee Blues): He may have been passed up for promotion with the Montes injury, but Canady is fresh off a 5-hit performance against the Toledo Tornados as the Blues crushed their guests 20-6. Canady homered and drove in 2 to improve his season line to .325/.386/.473 (118 OPS+) in 189 trips to the plate. He's been getting a lot of looks in right, and despite it being his first time out there, has a not too bad -0.9 zone rating and .973 efficiency. With MacDonald on his way to Chicago, Canady will shift back to his more comfortable center field, where he is an excellent defender. The biggest thing right now for Canady is polishing up his power, with 11 currently his year best. He's on track for 14 this season, and if he can build more strength, he's going to be a very scary hitter at the plate. He is good at taking bad pitches, won't chase too much, and will reach via the walk, and that discipline should allow him to hit more homers then he would normally be able to. Right now he's just looks like a fringe starter, but if he can hit 10+ homers in the big leagues while also offering great defense, he will be a very valuable asset.

RF Henry Cox (AAA Milwaukee Blues): A teammate of Canady, the powerful Henry Cox slugged his way to a Player of the Week award. The 22-year-old outfielder was 11-for-24 with 4 homers, 10 RBIs, and 12 runs scored. He's hitting .268/.333/.565 (126 OPS+) on the season with 15 homers and 45 RBIs. He's on pace for 41 and 124, truly outstanding numbers at any level. Cox is stuck in AAA with Mitchell and Langton currently operating the corners in Chicago, but his power is unmatched by anyone in our system (except potentially Dillon who we just drafted). Discounting a 19 game stint in AA as a 19-year-old, Cox has never had an OPS+ lower then his current 126 and slugged 30 homers in the past two seasons with 42 his first year. Cox will never get any prospect love, but all this guy does is hit dingers and even if he just ends up as a lefty masher when Mitchell needs a day off, he'll provide us with huge value. And off the bench, a guy who can hit the ball 500 feet is a huge bonus for any team. He's also got a cannon in the outfield, can even handle center if needed, but projects to be an elite right fielder.