Home | Webstore
Latest News: OOTP 25 Available - FHM 10 Available - OOTP Go! Available

Out of the Park Baseball 25 Buy Now!

  

Go Back   OOTP Developments Forums > Out of the Park Baseball 25 > OOTP Dynasty Reports

OOTP Dynasty Reports Tell us about the OOTP dynasties you have built!

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 12-17-2019, 01:55 AM   #141
Tiger Fan
Hall Of Famer
 
Tiger Fan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,517
March 19, 1929

KINGS MAKE A TRADE ON EVE OF SPRING TRAINING GAMES

My Brooklyn Kings made another deal today, just a day before spring training games start. The move might get second guessed a lot as I dealt what likely was my #2 starter in Harvey Rodgers to Montreal in exchange for a 3rd and a 4th round draft pick. I am sure the immediate thought around the league was why deal a 27 year old pitcher for two picks and I admit I did it with some hesitation bit I feel in the long run it was a good move.

Here is why:
First let's look at Rodgers. He was a rule V pickup for me from Toronto just after I took over as General Manager following the 1925 season. Rodgers went 11-7 for me as a rookie and followed that up with a very good 1927 campaign, posting a 13-6 record with a 3.08 era and started 20 of his 34 appearances. Last year, he slumped to 13-12 with a 4.99 era in 29 games, all starts. There were some red flags I was concerened about with the biggest being he allowed 16 homers last year after allowing just 3 the season before. He also had the worst WHIP (1.53) in his career and saw his strikeout total drop as well. I still think he is a good pitcher, and obviously Montreal does as well - a good #4 or #5 starter on must teams but would have been a #2 this year on Brooklyn- but I don't see him necessarily figuring into our plans longer term with the amount of young pitching talent I have, and will continue to focus on acquiring.

Despite what I noticed in his stats (and there is a good chance he bounces back this year) there was a bigger reason behind the decision and it centers entirely on roster management. Now that we are 4 years into this league and many of my prospects are maturing and rounding out our system I am going to be dealing, as will other teams, with players running out of minor league options.

At the end of this spring I have 4 pitchers, including two arms I really like in Jack Gunderson, a 27 year old reliever who did very well for us replacing injured closer Al Colby last year, and Joe Blansit, a 23 year old prospect I think can fit in our rotation in the near future, who are out of options. Even with Rodgers gone I still have 15 pitchers fighting it out for 8 or possibly 9 spots on the 23 man roster. I want to, if at all possible, make room for Gunderson and Blansit, but even after moving Rodgers I think it will be tough to keep them both but it makes it easier to keep one.

As a result in my mind the trade is not just Rodgers for a 3rd and a 4th but rather Rodgers for a 3rd, a 4th and either Blansit or Gunderson - who I believe stand a good chance of being snatched away if I have to put them on waivers.

Looking ahead a couple of years, as long as first overall pick Tommy Wilcox and recently acquired first round picks George Johnson and Larry Brown continue to develop I will have some pretty good pitching depth. They will be joined by someone like Bill Dengler (7-11, 2.96 over 2 years as an injury replacement in the Brooklyn rotation) and at least one of recently acquired youngster Mickey Beavers or recent draft picks in my system like Eddie Boyle, Dave Rankin, Art Blake or Joe Russell I feel our pitching can be a strength. At that point (likely 2-3 years from now) Rodgers would not longer fit into my staff anyway and I am always a big believer of dealing a guy a year to early rather than a year too late.

Finally, remember this is a stats-only league and 3rd and 4th round picks do mean something. Here is the history of the picks I have made in those rounds since I took over the team.

1925 Lynn Randall(3), Tom Aiello(4) and Milt Nelson (4). The 24 year old Randall was a college 1B-OF who hit .364 with 18 homers in half a season at AAA in 1927. He followed that up by splitting last year between AAA and Brooklyn, batting .279 with 2 homers in 56 games with the Kings. He is caught in a numbers game with all of the 1B-corner outfield depth I have but should stick in Brooklyn this year and play a fair bit. Aiello was a high school catcher and was 21 years old last season but still moved from AA to AAA, hitting .291 for the Bulls in 85 games. He will likely remain at AAA for the full year this season but will be Brooklyn soon. Nelson was a college pitcher that I selected with a 2nd pick in round 4. He was dealt to the Chicago Cougars early last year with an 8th round pick for pitcher Buzz Ham, who led the Continental Association in ERA and at 25 will be my #1 starter this season. (probably a #3 on most teams with decent pitching though).

1926 - Buck Sargent (3) and Frank Parsons (4): The jury is still out on Sargent who was taken out of high school. He struggled as a rookie pro in Class B in 1927 but improved somewhat last year at Class A, hitting .239 with 18 homers. He needs to imrpve his batting average but I also really like his work in the field. I am not ready to pencil him in for a job in Brooklyn down the road but at 21 next season and slated for AA I think he has a real good shot. Parsons is a high school lefthander I like in my second tier of prospects. He has spent 2 seasons in Class B Tampa and improved his stats pretty much across the board in his second year. At the very least he might be good trade bait similar to Milt Nelson from the previous class.

1927 Nick Bennett (3) and Loren Morgan(4): Bennett is a 23 year old infielder who started the year in Class A before moving up to AA. He hit .305 but just 4 homers so may not have the power I want out of a first baseman. Morgan is a college outfielder who hit .338 at Tampa. I have not seen enough of either of them to gauge whether they have a shot with us down the road. This coming year will go a long way to helping me decide.

1928 Art Summers (3), Dan Young (4) and Ossie Mahoney (4): Obviously I like each of them or I wouldn't have drafted them a couple of months ago. Summers is a college outfielder who hit .340 with 31 homers in 150 games. Young has elite fielding potential at SS but the question is can he hit enough to make the big leagues. He is 18 and hit .290 in 3 years of high school ball. Like Parsons a couple of years earlier, Mahoney is a college arm who fits in that second tier of prospects.

It is too early to judge most of these picks but looking at the 1925 picks, which now have 3 years of history, I would glady take Randall and either Aiello or Nelson (which became Buzz Ham) for Harvey Rodgers. No guarantee the picks I get from Montreal pan out but I like the track record of my scouting team in the draft and I believe there are going to be a deep crop of pitchers available next year.

So that's why I made the deal. I am sure Montreal has equally as good reason for the trade and that means it was a perfect deal - one both teams feel they made out well on. My only regret is perhaps I pulled the trigger a little too quick as two teams expressed interest in Rodgers on slack just as I was finalizing the deal with the Saints, so it's possible I might have been able to get more for Rodgers.

FINAL THOUGHT
The longer I play in this league the more I realize how much more of a challenge stats-only is, and also how much fun the Figment League is as an online league. All of the rules we use seem to fit perfectly. As a GM, I hate that I now have to worry about losing prospects - my players that I have drafted and developed - to a potential waiver claim because of using up their minor league options. But as someone who loves the league and likes to see all teams do well I think this rule being used in the game is perfect for helping to level the playing field and for providing a challenge requiring me to address by doing things like this trade with Harvey Rodgers in order to maximize my overall return on all assets.


The league is full right now but if you have been following this thread of mine - or one of the many others devoted to the league on this board - and you are not already on the waiting list then all I can say is What are you waiting for?

This league got me interested in online leagues - something I had not played for over a decade and even very sparingly before then, but the combination of stats-only, a great commissioner and core group of GM's, and a fictional world that gets more real every sim has me hooked.
Tiger Fan is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 12-18-2019, 10:12 AM   #142
Tiger Fan
Hall Of Famer
 
Tiger Fan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,517
April 1, 1929

KINGS HAVE TOUGH DECISIONS AHEAD

Brooklyn entered spring training with some tough decisions to make on players without minor league options remaining, especially on the mound. At the mid-way point of spring training games, if anything the picture has become even more cloudy as several arms expected to make the final roster are underperforming and others are pitching better then expected.

Brooklyn started cutting down on the 16 pitchers in main camp with the decision last week to release Harry Flannery after the 26 year old suffered yet another injury. This one would only sideline Flannery for a month but that ended any chance of the Kings getting to see him in spring action. Flannery, who was quickly signed by Fort Worth of the Lone Star Association, missed all of last season with a torn rotator cuff and half of 1927 with hip troubles.

The Kings also today optioned 27 year old lefthander Leon Campbell to AAA Rochester. Campbell was 2-6 with a 5.17 era in half a season in Brooklyn a year ago but his best known for his amazing run in 1926 and 1927 when he went 16-2 and 17-13 over the two seasons. Brooklyn had hoped Campbell would regain that form but he showed signs of continuing to struggle in his two spring starts and since he has options remaining Kings brass felt it made sense to let him work things out in Rochester.

The challenge is Bill Dengler, Buzz Ham and Jack Gunderson - three pitchers that seemed to be a lock to make the final roster- have all struggled. Ham is likely assured a spot regardless along with Topsy Moran, who pitched 4 scoreless innings in his only appearance so far in the spring - but the rest of the staff is wide-open, especially now that Dengler and Gunderson appear to be playing themselves out of a job.

Complicating matters is the fact that Gunderson, Joe Blansit, Art Carlson and Art Harvey are all out of minor league options. Going into camp Gunderson seemed assured of a job after a solid season filling in for the injured Al Colby. Blansit and Carlson were almost assured of making the team to avoid losing them and have both reaffirmed that decision so far with strong springs. Harvey was originally going to be placed on waivers but is giving the Kings reason to pause with a strong start to his spring.

A current prediction of who heads north is below but this list is very fluid and will likely change right up to April 15th cut-down deadline.
Code:

PROJECTED BROOKLYN PITCHING STAFF
STARTER
1- Buzz Ham
2- Topsy Moran
3- Bob Schmid
4- Leon Thompson
5- Jim Langley

BULLPEN
Al Colby
Joe Blansit
Art Carlson


TO ROCHESTER
Bill Dengler
Mickey Beavers
Clarence Flanders
Ducky Henry

EXPOSED ON WAIVERS
Jack Gunderson
Art Harvey
Tiger Fan is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 12-19-2019, 10:46 AM   #143
Tiger Fan
Hall Of Famer
 
Tiger Fan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,517
April 8, 1929

KINGS TRIM ROSTER AS SPRING TRAINING REACHES FINAL WEEK

As we head into the final week of spring training the Brooklyn Kings pitching situation suddenly looks much clearer following a combination of demotions, trades and an injury that reduced the number of pitchers remaining in camp to nine. The big news was reliever Al Colby suffered an oblique injury that will sideline the 35 year old until mid-May. It was yet another disappointing setback for the veteran who missed all of last seaon with a torn tendon in his elbow, an injury that was also sustained in spring training.

"I feel bad for Al," said fellow veteran pitcher Bob Scmid. "He was looking good out there and seemed to be ready for a big season."

In addition to Colby the Kings also removed 4 other pitchers from their main camp. Reliever Jack Gunderson, who had replaced Colby as the late innings specialist a year ago, was dealt to Cleveland just days before Colby's injury for a pair of draft picks while Mickey Beavers and Clarence Flanders were both optioned to AAA Rochester. Lefthander Art Harvey may eventually join them in Rochester but not before the 29 year old, who is out of minor league options, clears waivers. There is a chance the Kings will lose Harvey, who was 8-9 at AAA Houston last year and has never played in Brooklyn but after posting a 5.40 era in 11 spring innings it was clear Harvery would not be able to be kept on the major league roster.

Brooklyn still has some decisions to make. The Kings now have 9 pitchers in camp and have yet to declare publically if they are going to carry 8 on the regular season roster, as they normally do, or perhaps go with 9. The Kings hands are somewhat tied as Art Carlson and Joe Blansit, both of whom have had impressive camps thus far, are, like Harvey, out of minor league options. Newcomer Jim Langley, a 23 year old rule V draft pick-up, must also remain on the big league roster otherwise he would have to be returned to the New York Stars. Langley has easily pitched his way on the team, having yet to allow an earned run in 13 innings of spring work.

Veteran free agent invitee Bob Schmid also has done enough to earn a spot. Schmid has made 4 starts and has a 0.56 era and will earn a spot in the rotation barring a total collapse next week. The 35 year old returns to Brooklyn, for whom he went 20-8 and led them to a pennant in 1923, after being released by the New York Gothams.

It has been a very competitive camp that featured a large number of pitchers and the only two that have not lived up to or exceeded expectations unfortunately are the two men tabbed for the top of the starting rotation when camp began. Lefthander Buzz Ham was outstanding a year ago and posted a Continental Association best 2.57 era but he had two very rough starts in spring action. The 26 year old did look better in an inning of relief last week and will get another start to iron out the kinks sometime this week. Meanwhile, former second round pick Bill Dengler, who pitched quite well in half a season with the Kings a year ago, had a nightmare start to his spring by allowing 9 runs in the opening inning of spring action. The 24 year old has settled down in his 3 starts since then but has yet to have a really strong performance. Dengler will likely get two more opportunities this week and how he performs will be the determining factor on whether the Kings carry 8 or 9 pitchers with a rough outing likely sending him back to AAA.

The other pitcher who is on the bubble is Ducky Henry. The Kings did not expect a lot from the 24 year old former waiver wire pickup entering camp after he spent all of last season at AA Knoxville, but after he pitched 16 scoreless innings at a minor league camp with Class A Omaha, he was inivited to the main camp. Henry continued the strong play, allowing no runs and just 2 hits in his first 9 innings at Kings camp which kept him around much longer than expected. He did finally get beat up in his most recent appearances, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits in 3 innings of relief in a win over the Stars yesterday but the opinion of most in camp is he has done enough to warrant a roster spot, especially after the opening created with the injury to Colby.

Here are the spring stats of those still in camp.


Here is an updated projection on the Kings Openind Day pitching staff
Code:

PROJECTED BROOKLYN PITCHING STAFF
STARTER
1- Buzz Ham
2- Topsy Moran
3- Bob Schmid
4- Leon Thompson
5- Jim Langley

BULLPEN
Ducky Henry
Joe Blansit
Art Carlson

ON THE BUBBLE
Bill Dengler

INJURED LIST
Al Colby
Here are the spring batting stats:



The decision to go with either 8 or 9 pitchers on the final 23 man roster will also be influenced by decisions made with position players. Typically Brooklyn has carried 15 position players and 8 pitchers and the Kings came in to camp knowing that might have to change this time around because of the number of pitchers that were out of options. The only position player in that situation is 25 year old outfielder Al Stanton, and Stanton's struggles in spring training (4-for-21) has likely sealed his fate.

With Stanton expected to go through waivers and then reassigned to Rochester if he is not claimed, the Kings are down to 15 position players. If they keep 9 pitchers the odd man out will be one of three rookie players. The Kings have loved what they have seen out of 24 year old 3B Phil Long and 23 year old outfielder Herb Smiddy but those are both positions of extreme depth in Brooklyn. Middle infield depth is more a need but the candidate - 26 year old Henry Middleton - has had a less than impressive camp.

If Middleton had performed just a little better the decision would be clear as Smiddy will have a tough time getting work in a crowded outfield. He can also play first base but that is equally logjammed. If Middleton is sent down the Kings would only have one back up - Rip Agee- to spell starting 2B Willie Jackson and SS Arnold Bower.

The other scenario sees the Kings making yet another deal as 29 year old 1B Lou Garman could be moved for more draft picks. Garman has had a decent camp and hit .309 last year but with young sluggers Lynn Randall, Charlie Powell, Gus Powell and Mike Taylor, when he is not catching, there is not a lot of innings left for Garman to play. If Smiddy sticks the situation gets even more crowded.
Tiger Fan is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 12-20-2019, 12:15 PM   #144
Tiger Fan
Hall Of Famer
 
Tiger Fan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,517
APRIL 15,, 1929
KINGS OWNER SAID TO BE SERIOUSLY ILL

Opening day is typically a joyous occasion in baseball. Every club is filled with hope for what might become of the season ahead and the sad reality, that occurs for most clubs at some stage of the year, has yet to set in. However, in Brooklyn the excitement of April baseball is greatly tempered this year with recent word that Kings owner Malcolm Presley has suffered what is only being announced as a serious illness.

The Kings have been owned by the Presley brothers - 88 year old Malcolm and his late brother Reginald - since taking over from Barnabas Colson in 1898. Reginald passed away in 1920 leaving Malcolm to run the team alone although in recent years Presley's grandson Eugene Weston has become slightly more involved in the operation of the club. The 32 year old Weston is said to be much more focused on the social aspects of being tied to a baseball club rather than having any interest in the day to day operations. He did excel at golf in his youth and was a frequent playing partner of Rollie Barrell.

There is speculation that if Weston does not take over control of the club, either due to Malcolm not wishing to trust him with the responsibility or Weston lacking the desire to do so, there is a good chance the club could be sold. There have not been any discussions of potential suitors but one name to consider is OSA co-founder Thomas Potentas, who is related to the Presley family as the son of Malcolm's wife's sister.
Tiger Fan is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 12-23-2019, 03:36 PM   #145
Tiger Fan
Hall Of Famer
 
Tiger Fan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,517
April 16, 1929 - Opening Day awaits.

APRIL 16, 1929
OPENING DAY ROSTER SET FOR KINGS AFTER YET ANOTHER DEAL

It all starts for real today as the Brooklyn Kings get set to raise the curtain on the 1929 season with the first of a 5 game set in Baltimore against the Cannons. The Baltimore nine seems poised for a very strong season especially with the addition of 3 players acquired in a trade with Brooklyn yesterday. The Kings, who shipped pitcher Buzz Ham, long-time first baseman Lou Garman and third baseman John Wilder to the Cannons for a pair of promising prospects and a draft pick, could be in for a long season after completely turning their roster over.

Only seven players that were on the Opening Day roster a year ago remain in Brooklyn so there are questions to whether this team can compete. In addition to the dozen players traded away over the past year, the Kings will also be missing star outfielder Doug Lightbody to start the season. Lightbody, who won the Whitney Award two years ago and hit .356 last season, suffered a stained abdominal muscle late in spring training so the Kings, not wanting to take any chances, decided to leave him in Florida to recover for a couple of weeks. Al Colby is also on the injured list, but that is nothing new as the 35 year old reliever, missed all of last season. Colby is expected to be available some time in May.

Here is a look at the Kings Opening Day 23-man roster:

PITCHING ROTATION

While there is now some great young talent in the system (the Kings minor league system is rated the most talented in the game) none a re ready yet so there are a ton of question marks about the pitching staff. The 8 arms heading north with the club combined to win just 20 big league games a year ago and combined to start just 42. 29 year old Topsy Moran(9-11) made 25 of those starts and is the lone holdover in the rotation. Leon Thompson is also 29 and has some limited FABL experience with Boston, Montreal, Pittsburgh and for the past year and a half has been in the Kings bullpen. He will move to the rotation this year. The Kings are hoping this is the year 24 year old Bill Dengler lives up to the potential the Kings envisioned when they selected him in the second round of the 1925 draft out of Maryland State. Dengler had a rough spring but is 7-11, 2.96 over parts of two seasons with the Kings.

The Kings are also hoping that the return of Bob Schmid keeps fans interested in the organization. Schmid was a key piece of the 1923 Brooklyn pennant winner when he won 20 games. He has a career FABL mark of 97-87 but was in the minors last year before the New York Gothams released him. The final starter will be Rule V draft pickup Jim Langley. The 23 year old was 13-15, 3.02 in Syracuse a year ago but was left unprotected by the New York Stars.

BULLPEN

The bullpen will be manned by three players who spent most of last season in the minors. 28 year old lefthander Art Carlson and 23 year old righty Joe Blansit were both out of minor league options. Carlson has had brief stints in the Brooklyn pen each of the past two seasons and looked very strong in AAA, where he went 12-5, 2.71 a year ago for Houston. Blansit was his teammate in Houston a year ago and also looked very good, posting a 16-7 record. The third member of the pen will be 24 year old Ducky Henry, who was 12-7 between A and AA a year ago. All 3 posted some very good numbers during spring training.

CATCHER

Mike Taylor looks like a potential superstar after the 23 year old posted a .325 average and hit 7 homers in 84 games following a midseason promotion from Houston. An 8th round pick a year ago out of Whitney College, he was rated a top 5 prospect by BNN prior to his call-up. Mickey Dowell is just 28 years old and a .308 career FABL hitter but he will give up the starting job to Taylor. Dowell should start 50 games behind the plate and may play a fair bit at third base as well. 25 year old rookie Bill Smith, who hit .258 at AA Knoxville a year ago, will be the third catcher for the time being although 22 year old prospect Tom Aiello, who will start the season with the new AAA affiliate in Rochester, is knocking on the door.

FIRST BASE - OUTFIELD

These positions are bunched together as much of the players who will man them are interchangeable and playing time will be awarded based upon performance. The Kings will start the season with Gus Powell at first base. All told, Powell hit 41 homers a year ago including 21 in 87 games with Brooklyn. The 23 year old needs to cut down on his strikeouts and get on base more, but the Kings are confident that will come. Charlie Powell, no relation to Gus, will likely see a lot of time at first base but with Doug Lightbody hurt, Charlie starts the season in rightfield. A pickup from Cleveland at the trade deadline, Powell hit .283 with 3 homers in September for the Kings. A third option is Lynn Randall. The 24 year old converted outfielder tore up AAA in 1927 but struggled a bit last year although he did hit .279 in limited action for the Kings.

Ab Thomas is just 24 years old but already a 3 year FABL vet and one of the best lead-off hitters in the game. The centerfielder led FABL with 38 stolen bases a year ago while batting .303. He also covers a lot of ground in the outfield. Brooklyn also has 23 year old rookie Herb Smiddy, who hit .372 with 3 homers in 22 spring games. Smiddy hit .339 in AAA a year ago and has the potential to steal 20 bags and perhaps hit 20 homers. The final outfielder heading north is 25 year old Al Stanton, who owns a career FABL batting average of 1.000 and slugging percentage of 2.000. Yes, it is only 6 at bats over two seasons, but Stanton is 6-for-6 with a homer and 3 doubles as a pinch-hitter in Brooklyn.

INFIELD

The keystone duo of Willie Jackson and Arnold Bower return along with backup Rip Agee. Jackson,26, hit .292 with 9 homers in his first full season at second base while the 25 year old Bower won the full-time shortstop job last season on the strength of his defense but he also proved he could hit, batting .307 in 80 games. Agee, 27, is a dependable defensive backup at either middle infield position but struggles at the plate.

35 year old former Whitney Award winner Eddie Andrews spent most of last season in Houston, where he hit .339. The 13 year FABL veteran was originally acquired from Pittsburgh in 1927 to play second but lost the job to Jackson. He will be depth piece and counted on to provide leadership. 24 year old Phil Long had a great camp but was ticketed for AAA until yesterday's deal with Baltimore opened up a spot at third base for him where he will compete with Mickey Dowell for playing time.


Next up will be a look at the farm system.
Tiger Fan is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 12-23-2019, 05:13 PM   #146
Tiger Fan
Hall Of Famer
 
Tiger Fan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,517
1929 Minor League Preview

APRIL 16, 1929
KINGS MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM CALLED BASEBALL'S BEST

What a difference six months can make! Last summer, with top prospect Mike Taylor already established in Brooklyn and no longer qualifying for prospect status, the Brooklyn farm system was ranked 15th out of the 16 FABL teams. Flash forward to this month and suddenly the Kings system is considered the best in baseball after the draft and a number of trades netted a boatload of young pitching talent. The Kings already had a very strong core group of good young position players, nearly all of whom will ply their trade in the major leagues this season but had, until very recently, lacked much in the way of pitching talent. That has changed drastically and the Kings minor league coaching staffs are tasked with chore of getting these young talented players ready to contribute at the big league level.

Brooklyn has a number of changes with it's affiliates this season. To start with the Kings are no longer associated with the Houston Bulls after the Century League decided to change it's footprint and move away from the deep south. Houston still has a team and it's still called the Bulls but they will not be affiliated with any major league organization and will compete in the entirely independent Texas-based Lone Star League. There was some other shuffling at the AAA level and Brooklyn ended up agreeing to house their AAA players in Rochester of the Union League. The Rooks used to be associated with the Baltimore Cannons and were previously playing at the AA level in the Eastern Association.

No change at AA as the Knoxville Knights of the Dixie League remain with the Kings. The Omaha Cowboys are still the Class A affiliate but will play in a new league as the club left the Heartland League and will join affiliates of Detroit and Toronto in the Western Baseball League where the remaining 5 clubs in the 8 team loop will be unaffiliated. Tampa also returns as the Class B entry with no changes but the Kings have added a 5th club with the addition of Class C. The Marshalltown Kings will compete in the Upper Mississippi Valley Association and be home primarily to first year pros.

So that is the new layout of the organization. Here is a quick look at some of the top prospects at each level.

ROCHESTER ROOKS (AAA)

Transferring the primary affiliate from Houston to nearby Rochester is a welcome move for Scouting Director Rube Carter as it makes it much easier for him and his staff to take in games. The Houston Bulls won the Century League a year ago and while winning at the minor league level is not the main objective, it certainly helps to develop the right mindset in the young prospects.

This will be a transition year at AAA as most of the top prospects that played at that level are year ago are now in Brooklyn and the organization's prize prospects are still likely a year or two away from AAA. I say likely because there is a decent chance that number one overall pick Tommy Wilcox moves up from AA at some point during the season. Right now, the top pitching prospects in Rochester are Mickey Beavers and Del Lyons. The 24 year old Beavers came over in a deadline deal with Cleveland last year and is likely next in line for promotion to Brooklyn while Lyons, a 23 year old second round pick in 1926, looked very good in AA a year ago.

Jim Gentry, Elmer Root and Tom Aiello are the three position players to watch at Rochester. Gentry, a 23 year old centerfielder who is ranked the 81st best prospect in the game, hit .299 at Knoxville a year ago. He was a second round draft pick in 1924 out of Washington High School. The 22 year old Root is ranked #84 by OSA. He was taken in the 4th round of the 1924 draft out of Milwaukee High School and had a breakout year last season, splitting time between Omaha and Knoxville. Aiello is also 22 and the Kings feel he is a much better prospect than his 168th ranking indicates. Scout Rube Carter raves about all aspects of Aiello's game and he looked very comfortable in a half season at Houston a year ago. A 4th round pick out of Queens High School in 1925, Aiello's father briefly played in the Kings outfield in the early 1910's.

KNOXVILLE KNIGHTS AA

There will be plenty of attention on the Knights to start the season as that is where first overall draft Tommy Wilcox will begin his pro career. The career AIAA strikeout leader from Liberty College looked very impressive in spring outings with Class A Omaha and don't be surprised to see him in AAA before the year is out. While none compare to Wilcox, there are some other good young arms in Knoxville including 23 year old Jerry Townsend, and 24 year old [/b]Lyman Weigel[/b]. Townsend is a 1926 8th round pick from Pierpont University who progress through 3 minor league levels a year ago while Weigel, ranked 103rd by OSA, was a 1925 7th round pick from Commonwealth Catholic.

Among position players to watch we highlight Joe Cameron, Tony King and Sam Tyree. Cameron is a catcher, a 3rd round pick out of Chicago High School in 1924, who's development has been slow but seemed to hit it's stride a year ago when he batted .316 at Class A Omaha. King, a 21 year old third baseman acquired in a trade with the New York Stars, is the 104th rated prospect. He hit .282 a year ago splitting the season between the Stars AA affiliate and Knoxville. Tyree is a 21 year old outfielder who hit .283 in Omaha a year ago. He was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Spartanburg High School in 1925.

OMAHA COWBOYS A

The Kings brass is very high on pitchers Ossie Mahoney, George Johnson and Dave Rankin. The 21 year old Johnson is the 40th ranked prospect by BNN and was acquired from the Chicago Chiefs last summer. A 1926 first round pick, taken 6th overall out of Birmingham High School, Johnson struggled last season at Class A but the Kings are hoping he gets back on track this year. Mahoney was the Kings 4th round pick this past December out of St. Pancras, where he had 3 solid seasons. Rankin, at 22, is a year older than Mahoney and was selected in the 5th round of the 1927 draft out of Northern California University. He is presently ranked the #88 best prospect in the game.

There are several position players at Omaha the Kings feel have a good shot at a solid big league career. High on that list is shortstop Walt Layton, a 16th round pick in 1926 from Boston High School who had a breakout year in Tampa last season. Outfielder Loren Morgan is a 23 year old 1927 4th round pick out of Mississippi A&M, the same school that produced several current and former Kings outfielders including Doug Lightbody. Morgan looked very good in Tampa last season. This season's third round pick, outfielder Art Summers from St. Matthew's College, earned a ticket to Omaha with his solid play in the Clas C spring training.


TAMPA CIGAR KINGS B
No longer the 'Baby Kings' with a new level of minors below them this club will nevertheless be very heavily scouted as a pair of prized 20 year old pitching prospects in recent additions Larry Brown and Johnny Jacob will begin their Kings career here. Both were acquired over the winter in trades and Jacob is ranked the #10 overall and second best (behind Wilcox) pitching prospect in the game while Brown is ranked #57 overall. Brown, a lefthander, was dominant in Class B a year ago, going 20-11 with a 3.27 era for Chattanooga of the same Southeastern League Tampa is a part of. He was the 4th overall selection in the 1926 draft out of Oakland High School. Jacob struggled in his first pro season after being taken from High Point High School in the 4th round of the 1927 draft but the Kings hope to see a similar breakout with him this year to what Brown accomplished in his second pro season.

Also keep an eye on first baseman Ron Rattigan and middle infielder Rabbit Mudd. Rattigan, a 20 year old acquired along with Jacob yesterday from Baltimore, is the #21st ranked prospect in the game after being drafted by the Cannons from their hometown Baltimore High School in the 14th round of the 1927 draft. The results were not there last season (.249,8,48) but Rattigan has loads of potential. Mudd, also 20, was taken by the Kings 15th overall in the 1927 draft out of Milwaukee High School. He is ranked the #89 prospect in the game and is equally at home in the field at either 2B or SS.

MARSHALLTOWN KINGS C

The newest entry will be home primarily to high school draftees from the last two rounds and some recent college picks. some pitchers looked very impressive in spring training including 19 year old Art Blake, who was a 2nd round pick in 1927 who's pro debut was cut short with Tampa a year ago due to a knee injury. 21 year old Tommy Chandler a recent 12th round pick out of St. Patrick's and 2nd rounder Joe Russell, an 18 year old who went 23-2 with a 1.23 era over 3 seasons at Toledo High School are also expected to shine in the coming years.

Another pitcher to watch is 19 year old Jim Ferro. With no high school or college experience the youth came from the semi-pro leagues to a very brief stint with independent Hollywood of the Great Western League but was released. He attended an indoor tryout camp over the winter that was primarily a publicity stunt to drum up interest in the new team, but was granted an invite to spring training where he caught everyone's attention. Ferro pitched 42 spring innings in Class C camp and fanned 69 batters in that span. He is rough, and needs a lot of development but Brooklyn signed him to a minor league deal and he will begin in the Marshalltown bullpen. The big leagues are a longshot for Ferro, but so was getting a roster spot out of an indoor tryout camp.


SUMMARY

With a lot of good young position players already in Brooklyn, the Kings have been focused on pitching talent and now own the top two pitching prospects in the game as well as 6 of the top 41. There will be plenty more coming in the next year as Brooklyn stock-piled draft picks as well as young arms and owns 2 picks in every round from the second through 7th as well as their own first rounder. Loads of potential, but the question remains as to how much of it can reach those lofty expectations. Pitchers, especially high school arms, are very unpredictable.

Last edited by Tiger Fan; 12-23-2019 at 05:32 PM.
Tiger Fan is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 12-30-2019, 11:46 AM   #147
Tiger Fan
Hall Of Famer
 
Tiger Fan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,517
MAy 6, 1929 Kings Update

May 6, 1929

With the first three weeks of the season behind us, my Kings sit in 4th place with a 10-10 record, three games back of the front running Philadelphia Stars in the Continental Association. No formal write-up here but instead just a collection of random notes on my organization.


BROOKLYN

Overall, I am happy with our performance through 3 weeks. We just got Doug Lightbody back from an injury (he was 6-for-12 in a 3 game sweep of Cleveland in his return) so that should help our offense, which is pretty good already and leading the Continental Association in runs scored.

So let's start there. Getting Lightbody will help but our outfield has been pretty solid without him. 23 year old rookie Herb Smiddy was named player of the week and is batting .320 with a homer and 11 rbi's in 20 games for us. Smiddy really came out of nowhere for me. I signed him as a minor league free agent to round out my Class B affiliate when I first took over the club. He had been an 11th round pick but was quickly cut by the Chicago Chiefs prior to my signing him. He was okay for me, hitting .254 with 7 homers in Class B Tampa that season and .234 with 16 homers the following year at Class A. I really didn't think a lot of him at that point but needed someone in AAA Houston to start last season and at the urging of my scouting director Rube Carter I gave Smiddy a shot. He proved Carter right by hitting .339 in 120 games, although with limited power, but he did earn a September call-up to Brooklyn, where he went 5-for-15 with 3 extra base hits in limited action. Smiddy followed that up with a real strong spring and earned a starting job with Lightbody down to start the season. It just goes to show you in stats-only don't rule anyone out, and on occasion you really should trust your scout.

The knock on Gus Powell was he could not hit for average. So far that has not been the case as he is batting a decent .250 but it is the power I love. Powell has 5 homers and trails only Tom Taylor of the Sailors (8). He cooled off a little this week but remains my best power threat and has 16 rbi's, tied with rookie 3B Phil Long for the team lead.

Long is another pleasant surprise and, like Smiddy, a guy I had originally not expected a lot from. And why should I have? He was a 24th rd pick by the AI GM in 1923 but has worked his way through our system very slowly. The 24 year old hit.282 at 3 levels last year (AA, AAA and 24 games in Brooklyn)and has been outstanding to start the year (.324/.359/.535) forcing me to keep Mickey Dowell on the bench.

Dowell, you might recall is a converted catcher who is a career .308 hitter but lost the catching job to surprise breakout prospect Mike Taylor. The highly touted Taylor is doing just fine also, batting .361 to start the season.

The only guy I am really concerned about offensively is SS Arnold Bower, who is hitting just .220. I like his glove so we can accept the low offensive production, at least for now when everyone else is firing.

PITCHING
I am pleasantly surprised with our staff so far as well. After the spring he had I was very worried about Bill Dengler going into the season but Dengler (3-1, 3.60) is pitching like I expected he could when I drafted him in the second round in 1925 out of Maryland State. Leon Thompson, a vet on our staff at age 29 but with only 76 career appearances, is off to a great start as well, posting a 3-1 record with a 2.08 era. His only loss was a 10 inning 2-1 defeat to Montreal.

Rule V pickup Jim Langley (1-3, 3.55) got his first win against Cleveland the other day and I am excited to see what one of my 2 waiver pickups Art Roe has done. The 28 year old followed up a complete game shutout of the New York Stars with a solid 5 plus innings in a win over his former team Cleveland last week. The other waiver pickup, also from Cleveland, in 31 year old Ben Thompson had a rough debut and may not be around for much longer as 35 year old Bob Schmid will come off the DL next week.


AAA ROCHESTER

Leon Campbell, who pitched a couple of seasons in Brooklyn, had a very good start to open the season in AAA and at 2-1, 1.48 might get a call-up if anyone on the big club falters. 24 year old prospect Mickey Beavers has had a couple of decent outings and a pitcher I really like in Del Lyons continues to grow on me. The 23 year old Lyons was 11-10 at AA a year ago and started this season in the pen at Rochester, where he has yet to allow a run in 5 relief appearances.

Finally, Topsy Moran appears to have settled down. He had two terrible starts in Brooklyn so I demoted him when I signed Art Roe, hoping Moran could find his form with a brief sting in AAA. My AAA manager, Luther Legier, who has been with me at AAA ever since I took over and I trust, didn't want Moran in the rotation so he went to pen and got rocked in his first week with Rochester. He has looked a little better last week but Legier says keep him in the pen.

AA KNOXVILLE

We got a couple of injuries this past week with the toughest loss being promising 22 year old OF Roy Meagher, who tore up his knee and is out for the year. An 8th rd pick out of HS in my first draft, he started slow as a pro but had a great year last season and has really grown on me, hitting .364 in a full year at Class A. Was in AA this year and my scout sees him as a second division starter but he will have to wait and try his hand at AA Knoxville again next season. Went 3-for-10 so showed some promise before the injury

Of course the player everyone is following is my first overall draft pick Tommy Wilcox. The 22 year old is 1-2 with a 4.88 era and had 2 decent starts this week. He is clearly not ready for the big leagues yet, and may be getting stretched a bit at AA this early in his career but I am prepared to keep him here and see how things progress. I do need to resist the temptation to promote him to Brooklyn too soon so this slow start at AA may be blessing disguise.

If all goes according to plan I am going to have a real logjam of young arms going forward and Lyman Weigel is making a case to be in that mix. The 24 year old was my 7th round pick out of Commonwealth Catholic in 1925 and was 10-9 at AAA Houston in 1927. The numbers game dropped him back to AA a year ago and he had an off year (10-15, 5.24) so he is back in Knoxville again this season but after going 2-0 with a 2.50 era in a pair of complete game starts he may be moved up to Rochester soon.

A OMAHA

I have 5 starters all doing very well in Omaha as the Cowboys are off to a strong start. 21 year old George Johnson (2-0, 2.00) is my top arm there but college players Dave Rankin (3-0, 2.33) and Ossie Mahoney (3-0, 0.69) are both highly thought of. At the dish I love the start my 3rd round pick Art Summers (.526,1,10) is off to and second year pro Loren Morgan (.396,5,16) as well. They are added to a crowded collection of OF prospects.

The one thing I need to keep in mind with Omaha is we switched leagues, moving to the Western League. It is a league with 5 of the 8 teams being independent clubs and may not be fully stocked with Class A quality talent.

B TAMPA

No longer the 'Baby Kings' with the addition of Class C, their are 2 pitchers and a couple of hitters really impressing me. Recently acquired 20 year old pitchers Larry Brown (3-0, 2.00) and Johnny Jacob (2-0, 3.50) have performed as advertised. Another 20 year old in 3B Buck Sargent (.385,4,12) is benefiting from a drop back to Class B after being overmatched at times in A ball a year ago - although he did hit 18 homers in Omaha last season.

Finally, I like the play of 21 year old CF Paul Edwards (.357,0,9). A 7th round pick out of Mississippi A&M last winter, Edwards will likely be bound for Omaha perhaps as early as this week.

C MARSHALLTOWN

Pitching, pitching and more pitching. I love it as the long-time weakness of the organization is showing signs of becoming a major strength. 19 year old Art Blake (3-0, 0.35) is dominating at this level and will be in Tampa soon. Same for 21 year old Tommy Chandler (2-1, 0.67), my 12th round pick who probably should have started in Tampa after a strong spring at minor league camp.

The league scouting service does not give a lot of credit to my second round pick, high schooler Joe Russell but all he does is dominate wherever he pitches. Russell was 24-2, 1.27 over 3 seasons of school ball and is 1-0 with a 1.13 era in 16 innings of work as a pro. Another high schooler, my 6th rd pick Tony Fasone (2-0, 1.69) has been nearly as good.

Finally I will mention Jim Ferro, a name I touched on in spring updates. A free agent signing with no high school or college experience, the 20 year old dominated minor league camp in the spring and has continued to do so. He struck out 6 without allowing a hit in 3 2/3 innings earlier in the week and has 2 saves and 10 k's while allowing just 1 hit and no runs in 4 relief appearances totalling 6 and 2/3 innings. My scout doesn't think too highly of him but at some point I am going to move him up a level and see if the success continues. To have a 20 year old pitcher that dominating makes me think he has potential. He also added a pitch to his repertoire and increased his velocity over the winter.


Overall, I am pretty happy with the state of the organization at this point. Let's see if it continues.
Tiger Fan is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 01-03-2020, 01:18 PM   #148
Tiger Fan
Hall Of Famer
 
Tiger Fan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,517
May 20, 1929

MAY 20, 1929

KINGS MOURN LOSS OF OWNER

Long-time Brooklyn Kings owner Malcolm Presley passed away this week at the age of 88. Presley had been the club's primary owner since 1921, taking over duties from his brother Reginald who died in 1920. The Preseley family has owned the Kings since 1898.

"It is a tough time for the organization," said Kings scouting director Rube Carter. "Mr. Presley was loved by everyone in Brooklyn. A truly great man and there was no better owner in the game."

Presley had a hands off approach, following the club very closely but leaving things completely up to those he hired to do the job. The Kings did not always enjoy success on the field but under Malcolm Presley's sole ownership they did win two pennants: in 1923 and 1926.

The Kings players will wear black arm bands on their sleeves and the flag at Kings County Stadium will fly at half mast. A final decision on who will assume control of the day to day operations of the ballclub has not been made. For the time being Presley's 32 year old grandson Eugene Weston will continue to represent the team, as he has been doing on an interim basis since Presley became ill during spring training.

On the field it was a difficult week for Brooklyn as the Kings dropped 5 of 8 games over a very busy seven day stretch. Brooklyn now sits at 15-20 on the season and in 6th place in the 8 team Continental Association, 7 games back of front-running Philadelphia.


ON FIELD UPDATES

Brooklyn decided to part ways with the 2 waiver wire pickups they acquired last month. 28 year old Art Roe (2-3, 6.69) shut out the New York Stars in his Kings debut but has been getting progressively worse each start thereafter. 31 year old Ben Thompson (1-2, 7.23) impressed the Kings with his work in AAA a year ago but just could not get untracked.

The moves were made in part to clear room for veteran reliever Al Colby who comes off the disabled list this week. Colby was hurt in spring training for the second straight season and has not pitched in a regular season game since 1927. The Kings also called up middle infielder Henry Middleton from AAA Rochester. The 26 year old made his FABL debut last September and has been in the Kings organization since being selected in the 10th round of the 1923 draft out of North Carolina Tech.

Offense has not been an issue for Brooklyn as the club still leads the CA in runs scored but preventing runs remains a problem. The rotation was 7th out of 8 in ERA and in an effort to shore that up a bit the Kings have decided to go to a 4 man rotation, at least for the short-term.

"We have a short week," explained Brooklyn manager Wally Grant, "and with the moves we made to release some guys I felt it make sense to get Billy (Dengler) and Langs (Jim Langley) as much action as possible to keep them sharp."

Dengler is becoming the pitcher Brooklyn envisioned when they selected the now 24 year old in the second round of the 1925 draft. He is 4-1 with a 3.10 era while Langley, a 23 year old Rule V pickup, is off to a strong start going 3-4 with a 3.00 era. The other two starters will be 35 year old Bob Schmidt (0-3, 4.07) and 23 year old Joe Blansit (0-0, 2.76). Schmid has pitched much better than his numbers indicate as one bad outing after coming off the DL hurt his ERA and he has received little run support. Blansit has looked good in the pen and, with Leon Thompson (3-4, 4.15) having cold considerably since his 3-0 start, the Kings felt he deserved a chance to show what he can do in the rotation.

It will be a very slow week, and a welcome break for Brooklyn as the Kings play just 4 games this week and all of them at Kings County Ballpark. They host Montreal Tuesday and then welcome the New York Stars for a 3 game set beginning Friday. It will be a welcome break for a team that played 8 games last week and has played 21 in the last 20 days.
Tiger Fan is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 01-07-2020, 12:17 PM   #149
Tiger Fan
Hall Of Famer
 
Tiger Fan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,517
JUNE 3, 1929

The Kings continue to do about what I expected of them this year. We are 21-24, in 6th place in the Continental Association 8.5 games back of front-running Philadelphia. My offense has been decent but not spectacular, as we sit mid-pack in most offensive categories. The starting pitching has been up and down but the bullpen has, at least so far, been very good. I am also just a little concerned about our defense, which is usually a strength. We have allowed the second fewest errors in the CA but our zone rating and defensive efficiency are lower than in past years.

Catcher Mike Taylor has been terrific in his first full season in big leagues. Taylor is slashing .321/.394/.500 through 41 games. I have been playing Gus Powell pretty much every day at first base and the 24 year old leads the team with 8 homers while batting .252. Second baseman Willie Jackson (.294,2,25) has cooled off a bit since his hot April start but is still providing solid defense. 25 year old shortstop Arnold Bower's glove has never been a problem but his bat was early in the season. He got hot over the past couple of weeks and is now slashing .276/.333/.386 which is just a shade under his production last year as a rookie. I had planned to use converted catcher Mickey Dowell a fair bit at third base but 24 year old Phil Long won't give up the position. Long has 7 homers and 33 rbi's while hitting .284 for us.

Outfielders Ab Thomas and Doug Lightbody have been good the past month. Lightbody (.350/.431/.524) missed April with an injury while Thomas (.282, 13 sb) started slow but has improved of late. 23 year old rookie Herb Smiddy has slumped recently so I am going to give another young player in 24 year old Charlie Powell some time in leftfield this week. Powell hit 55 homers a year ago at 3 levels but is batting just .221 with 2 homeruns in limited action this season.

On the mound, 24 year old Bill Dengler is haveing a very good start to the season at 5-2, 3.53 but he just came down with a dead arm and will need a couple of weeks on the DL. That gives me the opportunity to call up 25 year old Lyman Weigel for his CA debut. Weigel was added to the 40-man roster, something I would have to do by season's end anyway as he would be rule V eligible, after starting the season 6-1, 2.58 in 8 starts split between AA Knoxville and AAA Rochester.

A lot of young arms are doing very well on the farm including Mickey Beavers, a 24 year old who is 4-3, 2.95 at Rochester. Number one overall pick Tommy Wilcox is 4-4, 3.82 at AA Knoxville and my plan remains to give him the entire season at that level, but plans do change some times.

1927 5th round pick Dave Rankin just got promoted to Knoxville after dominating at Class A Omaha, posting a 7-0 record with a 1.71 era and an outstanding 292 ERA+. A few guys are really performing well at Omaha including Bill Wilson (8-1, 2.68), Ossie Mahoney (8-0, 1.61) and George Johnson (6-1, 2.35) but I need to factor in the weakness of the Western League, which has 5 independent teams.

Recent trade acquisitions Larry Brown and Johnny Jacob are both pitching well at Class B Tampa. Both just 20 years old, Brown is off to an 8-1, 2.12 start while Jacob is 4-2, 2.95 for the Cigar Kings.

A pair of former high school arms in 19 year old Art Blake(6-2, 1.91) and 18 year old Joe Russell (3-4, 2.57) are off to a good start at Class C. Blake was a second round pick in 1927 while Jacob was taken in the same round this past December.

Overall, I am pretty satisified with the direction of the organization. It would be nice to get a few more wins at the big league level but I think they will come as my hope for the team is we can finish the season at .500.
Tiger Fan is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 01-14-2020, 03:02 PM   #150
Tiger Fan
Hall Of Famer
 
Tiger Fan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,517
DEVASTATING NEWS FOR THE KINGS
July 8, 1929

The Brooklyn Kings knew there would be some growing pains this season and at 33-42, 15.5 games behind front running Philadelphia as the season reaches it's the midway point that is exactly what is happening. What Brooklyn did not expect was the rash of injuries to key pieces of the Kings future, especially after upgrading their medical staff a little over a year ago and enjoying a relatively injury-free 1928.

Brooklyn got about the worst news possible this week with word that 24 year old righthander Bill Dengler tore his UCL and will be sidelined at least 13 months. There are even fears is career might be over just as Dengler was establishing himself as a top of the rotation starting pitcher.

Dengler was 7-3 with a 3.59 era and a 126 ERA+ at the time of his injury. The former second round pick out of Maryland State was consiered a cornerstone piece, along with first overall draft pick Tommy Wilcox, of the Kings future on the mound. What the Kings brass finds the most frustrating is they felt they did everything the right way with Dengler. He suffered two minor day to day injuries earlier in the season and Brooklyn shut him down - for a few days in spring training with a finger blister and with a 2-week stint on the DL when he came up with a mild case of dead arm a little over a month ago.

"We did everything we could to ensure Billy's health," lamented Kings manager Wally Grant. "He wanted to pitch through the arm tiredness in May but we felt it was best for his long term health to put him on the DL. After two weeks rest, he came back as strong as ever and went the distance in a 7-1 win over Montreal. Said he was feeling really good in his next 3 starts but then this happens."

"Just devastating news," added Kings scouting director Rube Carter. "Dengler was really coming in to his own. Now, we just have to hope for a full recovery."

It's not the first serious injury the Kings young stars have faced this year. Doug Lightbody, the 25 year old star outfielder has had two stints on the DL this season and young shortstop Arnold Bower is out right now as well. Brooklyn also has 8 minor leaguers on the disabled list at this time inclduing promising outfielers Roy Meagher and Sam Tyree, who are both sidelined with knee injuries, along with pitchers Tony Fasone, Jesse Patterson and Mickey Lassen.

When asked about the training staff, Kings assistant General Manager Jim Golden immediately shot down any questions regarding the need for a change in that area.

"Absolutely not," Golden emphatically stated. "Tom Seale is a great trainer and was brought in late in the 1927 season primarily because of his legendary work preventing arm injuries and the fact that he is great at aiding recovery from arm troubles. We have full confidence in Tom and no plans at all for replacing him.


GENERAL MANAGER'S MIDSEASON UPDATE

While the results are not where we want them, I have seen plenty of positives in the retooling phase.

Our young hitters in Brooklyn are coming along very nicely. Phil Long (.290,10,47) is having a really good rookie season at third base. Mike Taylor (.316,5,37) is evolving in to one of the best catchers in the game. Charlie Powell (.301,7,26)and Gus Powell (.227,9,32) are both showing plenty of power despite not playing every day. Herb Smiddy(.272,1,40) endured a bit of a slump in May but is looking like a solid outfield option for us and you have to remember none of these guys are over 24 years old and none had played a full season in the majors before this year.

The loss of Dengler really hurts on the mound but we can only hope he will be back and make a full recovery. We have accumulated a lot of pitching assets over the past couple of seasons so it will give others a chance to step up.

Among the guys doing just that are 25 year old Lyman Weigel, who struggled in a brief call-up a month ago but is 7-0, 2.03 at AAA Rochester this season. 24 year old Mickey Beavers (5-5, 3.64) has also looked good at Rochester. Both will likely come to Brooklyn again sometime this season but right now I want to see what Ducky Henry, Leon Campbell and Clarence Flanders can do.

It's hard to believe Henry is still just 24 years old as it seems like he has been around for ever but after going 2-0, 4.45 in 13 relief appearance in his Kings debut this season, he will get a chance in the rotation this week. Same for Flanders, who went 17-9 for Portland in 1926 and we acquired him shortly after that. He has not got much of an opportunity in Brooklyn but the 26 year old will start for at least the next two months, barring anything unusual happening. We face some tough decisions this fall on our 40-man roster so this will give us a chance to determine who will be part of our future, and who might be expendable.

MINOR LEAGUE PROSPECTS
We will take things slow with Tommy Wilcox (7-8, 3.95 at AA). The plan remains to have him spend the entire season in Knoxville. Another 22 year old pitcher in Bill Wilson just joined Wilcox with the Knights. The 1927 11th round pick and a former teammate of Wilcox at Liberty College, was dominating at Class A Omaha, posting an 11-2, 2.92 mark before his recent promotion. Centerfielder Art Summers (.411,9,53) was also just promoted from Omaha. The 22 year old 3rd round pick the is past winter had a great start in Knoxville, hitting .577 with 2 homers and earning Dixie League player of the week honours.

Speaking of Omaha, the Cowboys are having a dominating season thanks to young arms Ossie Mahoney (10-1, 2.92), Dave Rankin (9-0, 1.56) and 25 year old Tom Goldsborough (8-0,1.95). The three were recently joined by Larry Brown, who was 12-4, 2.88 at Class B Tampa to start the season. Another young prospect on fire at Omaha is 21 year old 3B Buck Sargent, who his slashing .375/.481/.682 with 16 homers in 47 games.

In Tampa, 20 year old Johnny Jacob (7-7, 3.31) is doing well and 19 year old Art Blake pitched a complete game allowing just 1 run in his Class B debut. Blake was 12-2, with a 1.28 era and 132 strikeouts in 15 starts for Class C Marshalltown.

While losing Dengler for at least a year hurts, I feel the future is still very bright for the Kings.
Tiger Fan is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 01-20-2020, 03:36 PM   #151
Tiger Fan
Hall Of Famer
 
Tiger Fan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,517
I think it is a good storyline by bringing former Kings players back to the organization in staff roles whenever possible. I have done that with several of my minor league staff hires - looking for guys who played in the Kings system and when changes were needed this week I added two well known Kings players as well as a former long-time college manager to the organization. Here is the Kings release on the moves.




AUGUST 5, 1929
KINGS RECOGNIZE THEIR HISTORY WITH STAFF SHAKE-UPS

The Brooklyn Kings needed to make a couple of changes in their organizational staff and decided to fill both of those openings with people who had a deep connection to the club. Hugh Luckey, who spent his entire professional career in the Brooklyn organization, was added as a bench coach in Brooklyn while legendary pitcher Danny Goff returns to the organization for a third time, but this one in a teaching role. Goff will take over immediately as the manager at Class B Tampa.

Rather than join another organization, Luckey retired in 1927 after being released by the Kings at the end of spring training that year. Brooklyn was the only team he ever knew as a professional, being drafted by the Kings in the second round in 1914 after winning an AIAA World Series at College of San Diego. A second baseman, Luckey worked his way through the Kings minor league system with stops in Omaha and Knoxville before making his FABL debut in 1918. He would spend most of his time as a utility infielder but was a member of the Kings 1923 pennant winning club. In all, Luckey played 656 FABL games and hit .294 for his career. He will be counted on to provide leadership for the young players on the Brooklyn roster.

Danny Goff is a name well known to Figment Baseball fans. Goff began his illustrious career with the Kings in 1911 and would go on to win 252 FABL games including 124 in two stops with the Kings. He also pitched for the New York Gothams and St Louis, retiring after the 1927 season. Brooklyn has a number of young pitching prospects that are in Tampa or Class C Marshalltown and Kings management felt Goff would be an ideal tutor. The 43 year old does not have any previous managing or coaching experience but his straight forward approach and tremendous work ethic coupled with past big league success should command respect in the clubhouse.

The Kings also made a move at Marshalltown, a first year team in the new Class C designation, by dipping into the college ranks. Former Boulder State Grizzlies head man Alex De Jesus - who ran the Boulder State program since the AIAA's inception in 1914- will take over as manager at Marshalltown. The 59 year old has a wealth of coaching experience and working with young players so it is felt he would be a good fit in Class C.

Previous skipper Al Wavra had the club off to a 44-42 record but there was a lot of unrest in the dressing room and the inexperienced Wavra, brought in because of his personable nature to act almost as a big brother for the young players making their first foray into the professional ranks, seemed to have trouble gaining the respect of the team. Wavra had a long and distinguished career on the mound - he was 206-134 over 15 minor league seasons including 1 in the Kings organization - but it was his first front office job.
Tiger Fan is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 01-20-2020, 04:35 PM   #152
Tiger Fan
Hall Of Famer
 
Tiger Fan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,517
THE GREAT CHALLENGE OF MINOR LEAGUE PROGRESSION IN A STATS ONLY ENVIRONMENT


I have written a fair bit in this thread about how much more I enjoy stats-only as the format for an online league compared to ratings being visible. Without the ratings and/or stars to guide you it provides a lot of challenges you just don't get in a league with ratings. In the next several paragraphs I will touch on my strategy (and as always welcome any advice or feedback from you) and challenges faced in promoting within the minor league levels.

I think I have a really good problem right now in Brooklyn with a wealth of young prospects putting up some very good numbers at each level. This has created some real log-jams for me at several positions. I am going to touch on one of them here.

Let's start with Third Base in my organization. It has been a problem spot for the Kings since I took over in 1925 when I had a fading veteran by the name of Glenn Mowles playing the position. I made it a priority in the draft as I felt at the time I did not have a future star there. I drafted a great young high school 3B in Dave Bristol but had to deal him to close the deal that brought first overall pick Pitcher Tommy Wilcox to Brooklyn over the winter. Bristol is still young and in the minors with his new club (Washington) but it turns out, although I did not really know it until this season, I had my 3B of the future in the organization all along.

Phil Long was taken in the 24th round of the 1923 draft out of high school just before human GMs took over with the 1925 draft. He took a while to develop but hit well, and played solid defense, between AA and AAA a year ago earning a September call-up to Brooklyn. In 25 games Long acquainted himself well and then followed it up with a great spring. My plan was to convert catcher Mickey Dowell to third base and use Long as a defensive replacement but Long has been terrific (.300/.348/.504) at the plate and provides slightly above average defense so I think the 24 year old is here to stay.

That does create a problem down the chain for me, beginning with Dowell who I just have nowhere to play despite his .308 career average including .311 this year. The 28 year old was forced out of the catching job because of 23 year old star Mike Taylor (.336/.396/.546). Another option was to move Taylor or Dowell to 1B but there is a bunchup of talent there with 24 year old Gus Powell (.263/.332/.498 and 18 homers in 82 games) and others from the OF needing at bats at first. I can't move Powell to the OF because of all the young talent I have there as well. I really have logjams of young talent everywhere except the middle infield positions but let's get back to the third base options. (of course the big challenge in stats only is will that talent continue to perform as it advances thru each level of my system)

Just behind Long at AAA I have 24 year old Glen Townsend. An 11th round pick out of Whitney College in 1926, Townsend split last season between AA and AAA and as spent all of this year in AAA Rochester where he is slashing .340/.445/.519 but only had a chance to play in 58 games so far. I don't put a ton of weight in my scouts opinion but Scouting Director Rube Carter loves Townsend just as much as he does Long. Townsend has also provided slightly above average defense throughout his brief pro career.

I also just moved 24 year old Babe Boley from AAA to AAA. The 1926 7th round pick from Frankford State didn't get a lot of opportunity to play in either 1927 or 1928 so he started the year as the number one guy in Class A Omaha. In 20 games he hit 7 homers, batted .403 with an .821 slugging percentage so he was promoted to AA Knoxville where his numbers (.324/.392/.471) were still impressive. A much smaller career sample size but his defense was also more than acceptable.

In AA I have 3 guys with the one I like the best being another 24 year old in Ray Oldham. He was originally an 18th round pick of Baltimore but did not sign with them and was not taken the following year (1923) so I signed him as a free agent to fill out my minor league depth chart in 1925. He struggled for a couple of years in A ball, but played very good defense so I kept him around. This year I stuck him in AAA just to be a back-up but eventually dropped him to AA to get some at bats and he has been terrific slashing .353/.380/.504 in 42 AA games. With Oldham I also have 27 year old Rolla Alexander in Knoxville. If you scroll back to the first few pages of this dynasty you will see his name as Alexander came up with Doug Lightbody in 1926 and got off to a great start for the Kings. It was the best month or two of his career and after he tailed off he went to the bench and then spent the past two seasons in the minors. This year he is adequate at AA but has been waived off of my 40 man roster and really has no future with the Kings. The final guy on the AA roster is not worth mentioning. Just a depth filler.

So for AAA and AA I really have 3 guys needing playing time at 3B.

Now down to Class A Omaha where I have one main prospect in Buck Sargent. I took him in the third round out of high school with the thinking he (along with the now-traded Dave Bristol) would battle to be my third baseman of the future. Sargent is still just 21 years old and struggled at A ball last year. This season I actually started him in Class B Tampa but he hit very well so was moved up to Omaha early. He is slashing .363/.469/.661 for the Cowboys in 74 games. Another nice wrinkle in stats only is the Western League, in which Omaha plays, is a new league and has 5 independent teams just added to it along with 3 FABL affiliated clubs. Omaha is dominating the league so all stats need to be taken with that in mind but still seeing 25 homers in 74 games makes me have some confidence in Sargent's future. His defense is very good as well, plus Rube Carter feels he can be a cornerstone player at third. I want to get him some AA at bats but then what do I do with Oldham?

I have several guys in Class B and C that are struggling right now but could easily be the next guy to breakout like Sargent did this year with the most obvious candidate being 18 year old rookie pro Milt Butler, who was my 9th round pick in the winter draft. Butler is overmatched at the plate right now but my scout has some hope for him.

Now third base is much less crowded then the depth chart battles I have in the OF, behind the plate and at 1B, but it is a fun challenge to slot all of these guys. I have tried to follow a progression for guys and placing a lot higher value on those who have success at a level above I would expect for their age. Class B and C are primarily 18-20 year old for me, Class A is 20-22, AA the 23-25 year old guys and AAA is just a catch all of top prospects along with vets that just don't quite make my big league team. I also try to amass several options at each position just in case guys happen to be having their peak year and will level off (as Rolla Alexander did in a third of a season in Brooklyn a couple of years back but has done nothing since)

Being forced to look at the stats and follow progression(and regression) of prospects adds so much more to the game then just looking at current and potential ratings. I know every player in my system by name and a good chunk of the recent draft picks on other teams because of it. That is unique for me in the stats-only league FABL provides. I am in one other league with full minors- historical not fictional and with ratings displayed. I have no idea who 90% of my minor leaguers are in that league, nor do I care because I can tell immediately by their ratings they will never contribute to my MLB team. I still enjoy that league for the historical aspect but it does not compare to this one for getting me immersed in the league.

So I might have mentioned it several times in this thread already but if you have enjoyed following this and think a stats only online league would be fun to try, get on the waiting list. It really gets you hooked once you get a chance. Just look at all of the other dynasty threads on the FABL (Figment Universe) if you need proof.

And if you know how I can solve my depth chart challenges without giving away prime talent please let me know.
Tiger Fan is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 02-02-2020, 11:54 AM   #153
Tiger Fan
Hall Of Famer
 
Tiger Fan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,517
1929 Season Recap 72-82 5th place

KINGS 1929 RECAP - THE TOMMY WILCOX ERA BEGINS

At first glance the 1929 season was a bitter disappointment as for the third straight season the Kings record declined from the previous season. Finishing 72-82 marked the first year since Tiger Fan took over as General Manager that the club failed to finish with a .500 or better record. Brooklyn's already paper-thin pitching staff was a dealt a serious blow in July when talented young starter Bill Dengler (7-3, 3.59) blew out his arm and will be out for close to a year. The Kings organization also dealt with loss off the field as long-time owner Malcolm Presley succumbed to a long illness in April and his grandson Eugene Weston assumed operation of the club.

Despite the terrible season that saw the Kings finish 5th in the Continental Association, 31 games back of the front-running Philadelphia Sailors, all is not bleak. Brooklyn management made no secret going into the season that this would be a year of transition for the club and, for the most part, the young talent they acquired took a big step forward in 1929.

The centerpiece of the Kings resurgence, whenever that will be, is clearly 22 year old pitching prodigy Tommy Wilcox. Wilcox began the season in AA and finished it in Brooklyn, going 3-2 with a 2.95 era in 5 September starts for the Kings. Perhaps bouyed by Wilcox' arrival the Kings went 17-13 in their final 30 games and finished September with a winning record - the only month they accomplished that.

Wilcox, will of course be the staff ace and there is hope that Dengler will be as good as new come June but beyond those two there are plenty of questions about the pitching staff, at least in the short term. Veterans Bob Schmidt (7-8, 5.36) and Al Colby (12sv 5.65) have both likely thrown their last pitch as Kings, and there are openings in the rotation as Brooklyn waits for the rest of their young pitching talent to mature in the minor leagues.

Rule V pickup Jim Langley (14-12, 4.69) looks to have done enough to earn a roster spot next year and the same can likely be said for 29 year old Leon Thompson (12-11, 4.67) but beyond that there are more questions then answers. Chief among them is can any of Lyman Weigel (8-7, 4.71), Mickey Beavers (2-1, 4.31) and Bill Hutz (3-2, 4.15) step up and provide consistent pitching? Joe Blansit (0-5, 5.99) is just 24 years old but out of options and the Kings may be out of patience waiting for him to mature as a pitcher. Clarence Flanders (3-5, 5.06) is another pitcher that Brooklyn expected more from then they received, at least so far.

There is plenty of pitching talent on the way but most of it is likely more than a year away although 23 year old Dave Rankin (20-7, 2.75 at 3 levels of minors) and 24 year old Del Lyons (9-8, 3.01 at AAA) may both be ready to make the jump. Wilcox (3rd) and Rankin (37th) are 2 of the 5 pitchers the Kings have in the top 41 prospects overall. The other 3 are all still very raw in 20 year old Johnny Jacob (12-12, 3.30), 21 year old Larry Brown (23-7, 3.32) and 21 year old George Johnson (16-10, 4.21). All three worked their way up to finish the season at AA Knoxville and perhaps a September call-up is not out of the question for a least one of them next season.

The Kings have built a minor league system that is the envy of the FABL, brimming with prospects at most levels, ranked #1 in the game and won league titles at the Class A and AA levels this season with the AAA club in contention until September call-ups to Brooklyn left.

The Kings are loaded at catcher, first base and in the outfield. While 23 year old Mike Taylor (.334,16,102) is developing into a star behind the plate, Brooklyn has 5 other very talented catchers on their expanded roster including 25 year old Bill Smith (.342,5,24) who played very well in a limited role as a rookie back-up to Taylor, and 28 year old veteran Mickey Dowell (.303,2,18) that the Kings have been trying to move. Add in highly touted 23 year old Tom Aiello (.273,7,77 at AAA) and there is quite a logjam behind the plate.

First base is just as crowded with 20 year old Ron Rattigan (.337,3,109 at 3 levels) knocking on the door. Rattigan is ranked the #9 prospect in the game but his path is blocked by a collection of young stars vying for playing time at first or as the left fielder including Charlie Powell (.288,21,86), Gus Powell (.243,19,60) and Herb Smiddy (.293,6,70) in Brooklyn and Lynn Randall who hit .336 in Rochester.

Rightfield is all set with Doug Lightbody (.363,3,60) provided the 25 year old can stay healthy. Lightbody missed 55 games this season with a couple of injuries but when healthy the 4 year pro is among the best hitters in the game. Another 4-year veteran in 24 year old Ab Thomas (.314, 27sb) was pencilled in as the lead-off man and centerfielder but he is being pressured for playing time by both 23 year old Jim Gentry and 22 year old Art Summers. Each made their FABL debut this season and between AAA and Brooklyn both posted very good numbers: Gentry hit .352 while Summers slashed .386/.470/.678.

Rookie Phil Long (.285,18,95) appears to be the answer at third base as the 24 year old had a solid first full season in Brooklyn but he may be pressured by a pair of minor leaguers soon. 22 year old Tony King is the 97th ranked prospect and hit .305 with 6 homers in 92 games at AAA Rochester and the club is also said to be very high on 21 year old Buck Sargent, a 1926 third round pick who hit .360,30,104 in 102 games at Class A before finishing the season with 5 homers in 12 games at AA Knoxville. Sargent is also an outstanding defensive third baseman.

That leaves the middle infield where 27 year old Willie Jackson (.264,6,65) and 25 year old defensive whiz Arnold Bower (.282,2,39) acquainted themselves well this season. However, like every other position there is plenty of competition coming or in the case of second base already here. 23 year old Elmer Root, the 60th ranked prospect in the game, began the year by hitting .351 in 85 games at Rochester and finished it with a month long stint in Brooklyn where the young second baseman hit .287. There is little question Root has the bat to play in the big leagues but his fielding has been a concern, although scouts believe it will improve. The future at shortstop beyond Bower is a pair of players ranked 62nd and 71st overall on the top prospect list in 20 year old Rabbit Mudd and 21 year old Walt Layton. Mudd, the 1927 first round pick, spent the bulk of the year in Class B Tampa, hitting .314 and providing very solid defense while Layton, a 21 year old New York City native, has rocketed through the Kings system after being taken in the 16th round of the 1926 draft out of high school. He moved from A through to AAA this season and hit .310 with 44 stolen bases in 143 games including .290 with 8 homers at Rochester while providing elite defense.


The Kings young talent should increase substantially over the winter as Brooklyn owns the 7th overall draft pick and extra picks in rounds 2 through 7. While the present may still look a little bleak for Brooklyn, the future is very bright.
Tiger Fan is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2020, 06:40 PM   #154
Tiger Fan
Hall Of Famer
 
Tiger Fan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,517
1929 Draft

So my favourtie time of the Figment season is here once again as we prepare for the 1929 draft. I love the draft in a stats-only environment. It is so much better (as I have often mentioned here) than when ratings are visible. Part of the challenge of stats only is deciding how much you should trust your scout's opinion. On that matter I decided to break down my scout Rube Carter's recomendations from the first FABL draft for human GM's 5 seasons again.
I saved a screenshot prior to our first draft following the 1925 season. It is the first round list of my scout Rube Carter.





I took Rube's advice and grabbed a number of players on this list starting with Doug Lightbody, who I took 6th overall. I also got Lynn Randall, Tom Aiello, Bill Smith, Willie Razano,Dave Bristol and Bill Dengler in the draft and signed Frank Swan and Larry Lynch as undrafted free agents.
Code:
Rube Carter list 	Where they were picked
Code:
1- Jack Cleaves		10th overall
2- Bill Ashbaugh	4th overall
3- Bud Jameson		3rd overall
4- Doug Lightbody	6th overall BKN
5- Lynn Randall		rd 3 pick 2 BKN
6- Mickey Crawford	rd 3 pick 14
7- Dick Fessel		rd 3 pick 4
8- Tom Aiello		rd 4 pick 2  BKN
9- Al Wheeler		1st overall 
10- Art Wells		rd 3 pick 5
11- Bill Smith		rd 5 pick 2  BKN
12- Frank Swan		undrafted Bkn free agent
13- Al Kempe		rd 2 pick 1
14- Willie Razzano	rd10 pick 2 Bkn
15- Dave Bristol	rd2 pick 6 Bkn
16- Bill Dengler	rd 2 pick 2 Bkn
17- Speed Davis		rd 4 pick 16
18- Ed Petty		undrafted now retired
19- Larry Lynch		undrafted Bkn free agent
Overall, I think Rube did a pretty good job. I wanted Wheeler number one even though he was a high school player and a little further away at the time, but he has obviously panned out with Detroit.

I traded down with Toronto to drop from 2 to 6 as I assumed Wheeler would go to Detroit after a big high school senior season. If I didn't get Wheeler I was happy with any of Cleeves, Ashbaugh, Lightbody and Jameson and assumed at least one would still be there at six. And if all happened to be gone I would have taken pitcher Bill Dengler - who was the only pitcher that Carter rated in the top 3-4 rounds if I recall correctly.

It was a very deep top part of the draft as it turned out and Carter guided me well. He did not have Eddie Wilson, Chick Dyer, Brad Crawford or pitcher Eddie Quinn on his list - all four went in the first round but none have panned out so far.

I ended up drafting 7 guys off that last plus signed 2 others as undrafted free agents. I might have a different tune if I took Lynn Randall or Willie Razzano with that first round pick but they have proven good value where I got them.

Dengler was my first of two second round picks as I wanted a pitcher. He has taken a bit to develop but looks like a solid middle of the rotation piece for me now at age 24, assuming he recovers fully from the torn ACL he suffered this season. 3B Dave Bristol was my other second rounder, a high school 3B I really liked but is still developing at age 21. He did not develop quite as quickly as I had hoped which made it a little less difficult to send him to Washington last draft in order to help me land the first overall pick which became pitcher Tommy Wilcox. The Eagles had Bristol back in Class B again this year so the jury is still out on him.

I took Randall in the third round on the strength of Carter's top 10 ranking for him. I shyed away from him in the second round because I got an OF in Lightbody in round one. Randall was a high average hitter in college and has hit well in trials with Brooklyn but likely lacks the power to be an everyday first baseman or corner outfielder for me. Still a good bench piece.

High School catcher Tom Aiello was still on the board in round 4 so I selected him there. His father played briefly for the Kings in the early 1910's and the young catcher was a local product from Queens HS who hit very well for a catcher. He is still fairly young (23) and blocked by some very good catchers ahead of him but he did get added to the 40-man roster this year and I really like him. Unfortunately, his only ticket to the majors will likely be if I trade him due to my depth at catcher.

Another piece of that depth at catcher was added in round five of the 1925 draft when I selected Bill Smith. I had not planned on taking another catcher but Smith was the highest available on Carter's list at 11th overall, so I felt he represented good value in the fifth round. As a college kid out of Grafton he was also 3 years older than Aiello so I thought a little closer to the majors. He made the team out of camp this year and while I could not get him a lot of at bats due to Mike Taylor being my starting catcher, Smith did hit .342 with 5 homers in 43 games. He may eventually force me to move Taylor to first base full-time so I feel he was an extremely good pick for round five.

In round 10, which was the last round before we went to auto draft, Willie Razzano was still on the board. I had passed him over in round 7 for college pitcher Lyman Weigel, who is a borderline MLB talent for me, and a pair of high school hitters who will likely never pan out but I figured I better take Carter's advice and draft Razzano here. Being a 10th round pick I am not concerened that Razzano didn't advance past AAA and is close to being released to make room for younger talent, but wanting me to take him as the 14th overall prospect would have been a terrible bust and is clearly the worst recommended player for Rube Carter on this list.

The only players I can say Carter truely whiffed on where ones outside of his top 10. That includes Mickey Crawford, who has yet to really get out of A ball for Cleveland.

Ed Petty who was never drafted and retired but was a player I would never have selected anyway because he started just 4 college games in 3 seasons and I make it a rule not to draft anyone who can't play regularly in college/HS regardless of what my scout says.

Al Kempe, who put up big numbers in college but is still stuck in A ball for Detroit.

Finally Frank Swan, one of the two undrafted players I signed has not panned out but the other one - Larry Lynch - got some games in Brooklyn this year and looks like a good reserve middle infielder for me. Lynch did not play much in college so I would never have drafted him but he looks like a late bloomer that perhaps should make me rethink the plan to only draft guys who play a lot in the feeder leagues. (I won't change my mind on that because it just doesn't feel right to me draft guys who can't start in the feeder leagues)


There is more on this draft written near the bottom of page one of this thread as my story kicks off with a brief history of the franchise before I dive right in to the 1925 draft.
Tiger Fan is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2020, 09:16 PM   #155
legendsport
Hall Of Famer
 
legendsport's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Behind The Lens
Posts: 2,867
I would say that Carter nailed the top four pretty well. Having Wheeler at #9 was a bit of a miss, he and those first four all turned out to be really, really good players.

It'll likely be a while before we see another draft class as good as that '25 crop.
__________________
Hexed & Countered on YouTube

Figment League - A fictional history of baseball - Want to join in the fun? Shoot me a PM!

Read the story of the Barrell Family - A Figment Baseball tale

The Figment Sports Universe - More Fake Sports Than You Can Shake a Stick At!
legendsport is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-08-2020, 09:54 AM   #156
Tiger Fan
Hall Of Famer
 
Tiger Fan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,517
Came across an interesting article from The Brooklyn Daily Eagle dated October 31, 1929. Details plans for Brooklyn Kings ticket price drop for 1930 and hints of possible troubles for FABL due to the stock market crash earlier that week.
Attached Images
Image 
Tiger Fan is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 02-08-2020, 03:19 PM   #157
Tiger Fan
Hall Of Famer
 
Tiger Fan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,517
1929 Draft

1929 Figment Draft
KINGS RETURN TO LIBERTY COLLEGE

For the second consecutive season the Brooklyn Kings top draft pick comes from Liberty College. While there was certainly less fanfare than last season when Brooklyn traded up to grab college record setting pitcher Tommy Wilcox first overall in 1928, the Kings are equally excited to add Wilcox's former teammate Jake Shadoan to the organization. Brooklyn made the second base the 7th overall pick in the 1929 draft.

Shadoan is a two-time second team All-American for the Liberty College Bells and was rated the #1 second basemen and 4th best player overall in the current draft by Jiggs McGee and the Figment Sporting Journal. Shadoan hit .473 in 51 games for the Bells this season and according to Kings scouting director Rube Carter his defense is already big league calibre and he will be a prototypical lead-off man. The speedy Shadoan stole 16 bases last season and had 34 thefts in 151 career AIAA games. He was a mainstay on Liberty teams that made the finals of the College World Championship Series each of the past two seasons.

Shadoan is expected to begin his pro career at AA Knoxville in the spring.
Attached Images
Image 
Tiger Fan is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 02-10-2020, 03:37 PM   #158
Tiger Fan
Hall Of Famer
 
Tiger Fan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,517
Fallout from Stock Market crash and Draft news

NOVEMBER 2, 1929
WALL STREET COLLAPSE IMPACTS FABL




Meanwhile a story in today's Brooklyn Daily Eagle suggests the Kings could be sold and possibly to interests looking at moving the team out of Brooklyn.



Despite the turmoil it is business as usual for the Kings front office as they work through the 1929 draft. While Brooklyn management is happy with their selections thus far, there are rumblings that this was a draft where the timing just did not work in the Kings favour.

"It seemed every player we tabbed for our next pick was taken just a slot or two ahead of us," confided one source from inside the Brooklyn draft war room. Examples began right from the first round when the Kings were said to be after second baseman Sam Orr, who they had rated just ahead of the player they did select in fellow 2B Jake Shadoan.

"We really like Shadoan, don't get me wrong," said the source. "There was a lot of debate as we put our list for the first round together but the final decision was we liked Orr just a little bit more. I think we will be happy with Jake though."

In round two Brooklyn really wanted a shortstop and there were four good ones. Joe Foy was tops on the list but the Chicago Chiefs grabbed the Opelika State Wildcat late in the first round. Brooklyn then targeted high school defensive whiz George Dawson or Chicago Poly's Steve Clarke but both went just prior to the Kings pick in round two. Brooklyn settled on another college shortstop in Jake Behringer. The Georgia Baptist Gator hit .317 while playing outstanding defense this season.

Brooklyn was eyeing OF John Collins from Liberty College with their second pick of round two but he went to Montreal two selections ahead of the Kings. That left a decision between college OF Elmer Nodle and high school pitcher Roy Byrd. The Kings took Nodle and Byrd went the pick immediately following to the Chicago Cougars.

For round three the Kings wanted Dickson College pitcher Owen Miller but he went to Boston one pick ahead of Brooklyn. The Kings settled for their second choice in high school lefthander Harvey Childers. Two picks later Brooklyn was up again and wanted 1B Jake Johnson from Lubbock State, but once again their plans were thwarted as Cleveland took Johnson with the pick between the two Brooklyn selections. The Kings opted to take Wisconsin State Brewers 3B Nick Wallace.

With two picks at #7 and #9 in round 4 the Kings planned to take OF Al Couch and then, since they didn't get Johnson, select 1B Bill Tucker who hit 30 homers at Indiana A&M this season. Boston again got in the way as the Minutemen grabbed Couch forcing Brooklyn to take Tucker and then select outfielder Steve Studer, another college power hitter from Frankford State.

Round five went a little more in Brooklyn's favour as the Kings got Herman Smith and Gene Jones, a pair of college pitchers they liked although they missed out on their first choice at this spot in Clay Jackson. Baltimore selected the Detroit City College pitcher a few spots earlier. Jackson, much like Smith, had an outstanding 1928 campaign in the AIAA but struggled this past year. "Both are perhaps a little bit of a reach," explained the source. "But with extra picks in this draft we felt we could gamble that Smith might regain the form he showed the previous season."

SUMMARY THROUGH FIVE ROUNDS OF THE DRAFT

The Kings are happy with their picks so far but will be wondering "what if" as they watch the guys who eluded them over the next few seasons. Here is a summary of picks so far.

Code:

BROOKLYN KINGS 1929 DRAFT
RD PICK   NAME			POS   SCHOOL
1   7	Jake Shadoan		2B	Liberty College
2   7   Jake Behringer		SS	Georgia Baptist
2  11   Elmer Nodle		OF	Coastal California
3   7   Harvey Childers		P	San Francisco HS
3   9   Nick Wallace		3B	Wisconsin State
4   7   Bill Tucker		1B	Indiana A&M
4   9   Steve Studer		OF	Frankford State
5   3   Herman Smith		P	Frankford State
5   7   Gene Jones		P       Northern Mississippi
Tiger Fan is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2020, 01:10 PM   #159
Tiger Fan
Hall Of Famer
 
Tiger Fan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,517
Market Crash Forces New Ownership for Brooklyn

Kings sold by Presley Family to cover their financial losses from Stock Market Crash.
Attached Images
Image 
Tiger Fan is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2020, 02:10 PM   #160
Tiger Fan
Hall Of Famer
 
Tiger Fan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,517
January 1, 1930

January 1, 1930

It has been a very busy off-season for the Brooklyn Kings, and it is only half over. The Kings have survived rumours of a possible move to Cincinnati, a change in ownership at the major league level, new minority ownership in one of their farm teams and a number of veteran players being released.

The big news was, of course, the announcement that a local buyer emerged to keep the club in Brooklyn after the Presley-Weston family was forced to sell the team following the collapse of their family owned bank in the wake of the Great Market Crash. Daniel Prescott, a Queens native, and principal owner of Prescott Breweries and Bottling - although his brewery business is strictly root beer at present due to Prohibition - has assumed control of the team after purchasing it from the Presley family. It had been feared an out of town group, believed to be from Cincinnati, was close to finalizing a deal before Prescott came through at the eleventh hour with his bid.

NEW NAME FOR CLASS C AFFILIATE

The Kings also had a minor ownership shakeup with their Class C affiliate. The Upper Mississippi Valley league team will remain in Marshalltown, Iowa but will be known as the 'Maples' this season after debuting as the Marshalltown Kings a year ago. A local company called the "Marshalltown Sawmill and Lumberyard" has purchased a minority stake in the club. The lumberyard has built a pretty good reputation locally for among other things, supplying most of the semi-pro baseball teams in the area with custom bats made out of maple trees. The Maples seemed like a natural for the club's nickname and the Marshalltown Sawmill will supply bats to the Kings entire minor league organization. The maple bats will also be made available to the Kings FABL squad as well and at least one King, outfielder Doug Lightbody, has taken a real shine to them.


ROSTER TURNOVER

With Brooklyn adding a large number of draftees thanks to owning 2 picks in each of the second through 7th rounds the Kings will be faced with some tough roster decisions in the coming months. Brooklyn got an early start on the trimming by releasing three veteran players who no longer factored in the big league club's plans. Outfielders Clarence Hall and Lou Cox, along with second baseman Henry Middleton were all granted their releases.

"We feel it is the right thing to do for the three of them," explained Kings assistant General Manager Jim Golden. "By doing it now instead of waiting until the spring it increases the chances the three might catch on with another FABL club or a high level indy team."

Hall and Cox especially seem to have more to give to a FABL team but with Brooklyn committed to a youth movement and a large cadre of outfielders already on the 40-man roster there was no room for either of them in Brooklyn. The Kings also wanted to play young talent in AAA and AA and felt it best not to force the two outfielders down to A ball.

Cox is a 32 year old centerfielder who spent his entire career in Brooklyn, appearing in 899 games and posting a .321 batting average. Known for his speed as a lead-off man, Cox swiped 234 bases in his career and led the Continental Association in thefts three times. He was phased out with the emergence of Ab Thomas two years ago and the recent promotion of Art Summers to the 40-man roster. Hall is a 30 year old corner outfielder who played his college ball at the outfield factory known as Mississippi A&M. He played 377 games in the Brooklyn outfield but lost his starting job with drafting of another Mississippi A&M product in Doug Lightbody. Hall hit .342 in his career with the Kings. Both Hall and Cox were placed on waivers last season when they were dropped from the 40-man roster but each passed through unclaimed.


TRADES

Brooklyn also made a couple of trades as they juggle their 40-man expanded roster makeup. First the Kings moved 35 year old reliever Al Colby and 24 year old starter Joe Blansit to the World Champion Detroit Dynamos in exchange for a second and a fourth round draft pick next year. Colby was a productive waiver pickup after the Kings claimed in in 1926 and was 60-70 with 128 saves in his FABL career but he struggled last season after missing all of 1938 with an injury. Blansit is a former minor league free agent signing and was a prospect of some regard as he worked his way up the Brooklyn system. He was 16-7 for AAA Houston in 1928 and despite a poor spring last year he stuck with the Kings all year, primarily because he was out of minor league options. Blansit struggled in Brooklyn going 0-5 with a 5.99 era in 37 appearances, all but two in relief. He still has considerable upside and is young enough that he could certainly live up to it but the Kings just felt a change of scenery was needed and with two young pitchers recently selected in the Rule V draft it was felt he would be lost for nothing if demoted to the minors, and thus exposed to waivers, in April.

The second trade sent 25 year old lefthander Tom Goldsborough to the Washington Eagles in exchange for minor league shortstop Ed Harris. Harris was a player the Kings targeted in the Rule V draft but through a team error they ended up with 2 pitchers instead. The 23 year old Harris is a solid defensive shortstop but there is question if he will hit at the major league level. Harris hit .255 at Class A a year ago but gives Brooklyn some roster flexibility and provides depth in the infield. Goldsborough was 16-1 with a 2.45 era at Class A Omaha last year and looked pretty good in two AA starts. The Kings might regret the decision to move him but he is nearly 26 years old and has only pitched 6 innings as high as AAA so the Kings felt he was expendable as their hands were forced with 40-man roster rules and a couple of more pitchers slated to come off the 60-day injured list in the coming months.

RULE V DRAFT

Last season Brooklyn grabbed pitcher Jim Langley from the New York Stars organization in the rule V draft and Langley had a decent year, posting a 14-12 record with a 4.69 era for Brooklyn. This year the Kings selected two pitchers in the rule V draft with both coming from the Stars. The two are both 24 year old lefthanders, like Langley, and spent last season at AA Harrisburg. Jack Wardle was 10-7 with a 3.39 era for the Red Wings while Gordie Woods was 13-11 with a 3.40 era. It is expected just one of the two will stick with Brooklyn and the second will have to be returned to the Stars organization if he does not make the 23-man roster out of camp.

Final thoughts on the Kings amateur draft selections will come in the next update.
Tiger Fan is online now   Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:49 PM.

 

Major League and Minor League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com and MiLB.com.

Officially Licensed Product – MLB Players, Inc.

Out of the Park Baseball is a registered trademark of Out of the Park Developments GmbH & Co. KG

Google Play is a trademark of Google Inc.

Apple, iPhone, iPod touch and iPad are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

COPYRIGHT © 2023 OUT OF THE PARK DEVELOPMENTS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

 

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.10
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright © 2020 Out of the Park Developments