Below is an excerpt from the 1907 OSA Eastern League Guide.
Brooklyn Whales – LBL
No significant changes have occurred to the major league roster with the off-season focused on talent
acquisition for the farm system. The plan appears to be to continue to feature strong infield defense
behind the gloves of Tinker Taylor, Clovis Juby and Leander Witheycombe. Offense should come from
Deacon Dunkley at catcher, Ignatius Strawson at first base, Bugs Thompson in one of the outfield
corners, and platoons of Giles Harrison, Edgar Burnell, Junius Brembridge, Van Winstanley and Hyman
Rickward in the outfield.
There was a lot of hope attached to the signing of Edgar Burnell. But, now that the Whales have gotten
him into camp, it looks like he might not be able to deliver on all of those expectations. He should still
be a good option against righthanded pitchers and a great option against lefties. The Whales pitching
should be towards the top of the league with no turnover in either the rotation or the bullpen. Jackie
Priest is getting older, however, and it would be reasonable to expect Brooklyn to feature him out of the
bullpen more this year than in previous years with Lefty Fain, Chick Benney and Cliff Wollett serving as
the primary options in the rotation.
Jersey City Chicks – AAA
Pitching
The Chicks feature the premium arm talent in the Brooklyn farm system—Jimmie Ablewhite, Flea
Cooper, and Rooster Bradley—although each of the pitchers feature some question marks. One or more
of the following should eventually make the Brooklyn rotation, but each will need a little more
seasoning in the Reserve League prior to their debut.
Jimmie Ablewhite (OSA #20) – Ablewhite is a lefty with reverse platoon splits who pitched reasonably
well with Jersey City in 1906 (6-7, 41/40 K/BB, and 2.97 ERA (84 FIP-)) and has seen his prospects rise
accordingly. At 23 years old on Opening Day, he will likely be pushing for a spot on the Brooklyn roster.
But, his destiny will be determined by the development of his control.
Rooster Bradley (OSA #7) – The first round pick of the Brooklyn Whales in the 1904 draft, Bradley has
been a top 10 prospect in the LBL in each of his professional seasons (#s 9, 6, 5 and now 7, respectively). The supremely self-confident Bradley relies on his high velocity and four plus pitchers to challenge hitters—and he refuses to pitch around anyone—with an easy over-the-top delivery that has had scouts drooling since his amateur days. He took well to AAA as a 19 year old (6-4, 82/44 K/BB, and 2.53 ERA (80 FIP-) and features the highest ceiling of the three golden arms in Jersey City. Like Ablewhite, his ability to harness his natural stuff and deliver his pitches into the strike zone consistently will determine the path his career takes.
Flea Cooper (OSA #12) – At 5’6” and 145 lbs., the diminutive groundballer is not particularly intimidating on the mound. Nevertheless, the man affectionately known as “Flea” is a competitive pitcher with a high likelihood of contributing at the major league level. He excelled in Jersey City as a 21 year old (8-6, 52/34 K/BB, and 1.97 ERA (72 FIP-)). Flea is the most major league ready of the arms in AAA and, with Jackie Priest and Lucian Clark aging towards the ends of their respective careers, could see time in Brooklyn in 1907.
Hitting
On the hitting side, there are some likely future major leaguers, though probably no difference makers.
The Whales have a quite few players with a swing-and-miss profile that should hit plenty of extra base
hits while walking at an above average rate and are counting on the staff in Jersey City to polish them
into a new generation of stars for Brooklyn. Whether they are up to the task after an up-and-down
1906 season (albeit with a very young roster) is anyone’s guess.
Elwyn Adams (OSA Not Ranked) – In his prime, Adams looks like a capable corner platoon bat with
some additional upside. Consistent with the general approach in the Chicks’ lineup, Adams has strong
power to the alleys and a decent glove, but lacks a refined approach at the plate (.277/.340/.345 (94
wRC+)). With first basement/leftfielders Edgar Burnell 38 years old and Giles Harrison 36, Adams could
carve out a role with the Whales as a situational glove and bat at first and in the corner outfield as early
as 1908.
Douglas Clarke (OSA Not Ranked) – Clarke is exactly the kind of player that coaches love. He’s a loyal,
team-first, hardworking player that leads by example. The former second round pick scuttled a bit in his
debut in the Reserve League hitting only .238/.330/.338 (88 wRC+). Still young for the league in his
second tour of the RLBL, Clarke is hoping to build off of the lessons learned from 1906 going forward. As a prospect, Clarke has strong gap power that should result in a lot of doubles and a decent eye that
should allow him to reach first base at an above average clip. In 1906, 37.5% of Clarke’s hits went for
extra bases (72 H, 25 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR). If he can make contact more consistently, he should be a feared
part of the Chicks’ lineup.
Giovanni Luttrell (OSA #95) – Another hardworking coach-on-the-field, the switch hitting Luttrell is in
many ways a similar prospect to Clarke. Nearly fully developed, coaches expect Luttrell to swing through his fair share of pitches. The young second baseman also seems allergic to taking a walk and probably should not be a switch hitter—he hits righthanded pitchers significantly better than lefthanded pitchers. Where Luttrell shines, though, is when he can use his quick bat and strong arms to muscle line drives into the gaps (.281/.344/.395 (105 wRC+)). Over 30% of Luttrell’s hits went for extra bases in 1906 (112 H, 27 2B, 3 3B, and 4 HR). Not a particularly gifted runner, the second baseman from Florida is nevertheless an athletic fielder. He shows above average range up the middle and can be expected to
be an above average fielder at his position throughout his prime.
Elroy Soame (OSA #85) – Soame is perhaps the most gifted natural athlete in the Whales’ system. A
trusted partner for the talented Jersey City pitching staff, Elroy flashes elite speed, which he uses to run
down flyballs in centerfield that no one else in the organization could reach. Despite relying on his
natural gifts, Soame has also shown strong fundamentals in the field – Soame gets to everything and
drops nothing. As good as he is in centerfield, however, he might be even better at second base. Having
suffered in his early career on the reserve rosters of Western League catastrophes, Soame has
benefitted from working for a more professional outfit. Likely to crack the majors in a super utility role,
the light hitting (.237/.326/.320 (84 wRC+)) athletic dynamo can make a difference in the field in either
the outfield or the infield, which should allow the Brooklyn manager a lot of flexibility in deploying him
strategically.
Sleepy Hollow Cranes – AA
Pitching
Sleepy Hollow appears to have taken a quantity approach over a quality approach to their pitching staff
in 1907. The rotation has some potential major league pieces in Tyler Cary, Ransom Hunter, and Pierre
Walker, but all will need to figure out how to fix clear weaknesses in their games in order to make it to
Brooklyn. Similarly, there is some exciting relief talent in Ralph Ball and Edward Goater and a large
assortment of other young arms that could look interesting under the right light. The Cranes will likely
lean on their large collection of pitching this year in order to compete in AA.
Ralph Ball (OSA #68) – The young lefty from Southampton, NJ features a three pitch mix and a
groundballer’s profile. He features the potential to strike out an above average number of opponents
while inducing weak contact on the rest. His control looks to be sufficient to pitch in the Legacy Baseball
League. Ball was dominant out of the bullpen during his time at the Desert West Academy (FIP- of 57
and 55, respectively) and more than held his own as a 18 year old in the Reserve League (7-5, 7 SV,
31/28 K/BB, 2.91 ERA (101 FIP-). He will start the year in the Sleepy Hollow bullpen, but should be one
of the few in line for a promotion if a spot opens in AAA.
Tyler Cary (OSA #55) – Cary was selected in the second round of the 1906 draft after Brooklyn traded up to secure his services. Young for his draft class, the tall, lanky pitcher from New York City shows a
natural feel for pitching with a deep five pitch arsenal headlined by a potentially plus sinker. It is
reasonable to expect that the young righthander will add velocity as he matures, and he already shows
the potential for plus control and the ability to miss bats while peppering the strike zone. As an
overmatched 17 year old, Cary had a tumultuous professional debut (0-2, 4/18 K/BB, 8.50 ERA (157 FIP-)). But, the current belief is that Cary holds the most potential of any of the players currently in the
Sleepy Hollow rotation to be a difference-maker in a major league rotation.
Edward Goater (OSA #58) – Goater will begin the year as the stopper for the Cranes. The righty’s two
pitch mix flashes as plus with a great cutter and an above average curveball. His control is suspect, but
should be good enough to be a contributor out of a major league pen. At his peak, opposing hitters
should have a hard time squaring up his pitches. He pitched often for Jersey City, racking up over 100
innings from the bullpen and performing well (12-1, 2 SV, 58/46 K/BB, 2.55 ERA (87 FIP-)). Goater will
start 1907 in Sleepy Hollow to help stabilize the young pitching staff, but it would not be unreasonable
to expect him to be promoted to Jersey City by the end of the year once the youngsters have had a
chance to find their footing.
Ransom Hunter (OSA #61) – Hunter was drafted late in the 3 rd round of the 1904 draft after an above
average showing in his final year at the Texas Academy. As a 20 year old in his debut in the Reserve
League, Jersey City used Hunter out of the pen where he showed some potential, but had largely
ineffective results (1-3, 1 SV, 19/22 K/BB, 4.61 ERA (114 FIP-)). Hunter features a three pitch arsenal
with two pitches—his fastball and splitter—showing as average. His curveball currently looks like a
below average pitch. With some proper coaching, Hunter could eventually serve as a backend arm or a
long reliever capable of making the occasional start as necessary. If everything goes according to plan
for the young righty, Hunter will compete with Ball and Goater for a possible promotion to Jersey City
later in the 1907 season.
Pierre Walker (OSA #21) – The former first round pick is one of the hardest throwers in professional
baseball. His career has been on a bit of a downward arc since he was drafted, but there is an outside
possibility that he ends as a major league quality starter if he can refine his control. Otherwise, his likely
pathway to the majors involves a switch to the bullpen where he can ride his high velocity through shorter outings. He had a promising debut in the RLBL in 1906 (5-7, 3 SV, 63/44 K/BB, 3.35 ERA (105 FIP-), but will start the year as the ace of the Sleepy Hollow squad and hope to refine his control.
Hitting
Similar to their approach with their pitching staff, the Cranes have assembled a large collection of hitters
with the hope that some present well this season. There’s a large collection of potential corner talent
that the staff will be working hard to help grow—Cecil Dixon, Ennis Adair, Gennaro Maw, Mahlon Alvey
and Helmer Dwennon. The talent up the middle looks mostly like organizational pieces with the
possible exception of John Morris in centerfield.
Earl Clark (OSA Not Ranked) – Drafted in the fourth round of the 1906 draft, Clark will get a chance to
establish himself as a two-way player for the Cranes in 1907. As a hitter, Clark will need significant
refinement with only his eye appearing to be an average tool. As a fielder, however, Clark shows
promise and should be able to capably man each outfield spot in a reserve outfielder role. As a pitcher,
Clark will start the year in the Cranes’ rotation. He features an effortless, over-the-top delivery and both
a sinker and curveball that look to be above-average-to-plus that allowed him to hold his own as a 19
year old in Jersey City (3-2, 1 SV, 7/13 K/BB, 2.01 ERA (101 FIP-)). Clark is a little behind in his
development as an older draftee, but if the Sleepy Hollow coaching staff can coax more velocity out of
the 19 year old, Clark could easily be a big league contributor on the mound.
Cecil Dixon (OSA Not Ranked) – The unheralded first basemen from California had a quietly productive
first year in professional competition as an 18 year old (.231/.354/.341 (95 wRC+)). Slightly undersized
for a first baseman, the bat could nevertheless play at the major league level. Dixon has the look of the
productive half of a first base platoon in his prime. He looks to have the potential for plus power to the
gaps, a good eye and a plus ability to shorten his swing in a pitcher’s count. Where Dixon looks to
struggle a bit is against lefthanded pitching. But, Sleepy Hollow will likely manage his matchups against
lefties and let him do what he does best this year—hit righthanded pitching.
John Morris (OSA Not Ranked) – Some of the shine has already come off of the Whales’ 1906 first round pick. What once looked like a plus contact hitter with plus gap power now looks like more of an above average contact hitter with above average power to the gaps. He struggled in his introduction to pro ball (.194/.277/.252 (45 wRC+)), but he is still young at 19 and his glove should allow him to stick in
centerfield long term where there will be less pressure on his bat. He will get the opportunity to start
full-time in centerfield for Sleepy Hollow and, hopefully with a little instruction, will be able to get back
on track in his quest to make the Brooklyn team.