May 24, 1907
Malcolm Franklin was tired. He and his team had spent the better part of the last year travelling the country and evaluating, cross-checking, and then re-evaluating and re-cross-checking the 1907 draft class.
As he boarded the eastbound train back to Brooklyn, he looked forward to the quiet of the carriage car and the opportunity to consolidate his thoughts and the notes of his team towards a final draft board. He took a deep breath, which he could feel in his bones, before collapsing into his seat.
It would not be long before his team was tested. Then, the process would start again.
The Takeaways:
Whales’ lead scout Malcolm Franklin and his team can rest easy.
Management is very pleased with what their team was able to produce in the 1907 Draft with Brooklyn’s limited draft choices. When taken as a whole with the trades that the front office made when shipping draft picks to other franchises, the 1907 class for Brooklyn is exactly what the Whales hoped it would be. Brooklyn added to its organization: 1) a very good infield prospect in lefthanded 3B Gilbert Page, 2) a great centerfield prospect in CF Lloyd Doble which will allow former top pick John Morris to slide into right field (an organizational weakness in the minors), 3) a new long-term starting left fielder in Cornelius Cook, 4) an older veteran in Nicky Thompson who will help with the push for the Legacy Cup, 5) an advanced young starting pitcher in Duncan Bould with good character traits that induces weak contact, and 6) a lot of pitching lottery tickets that, with proper development, could contribute in Brooklyn one day.
The 1907 Draft’s Top 24 According to the Malcolm Franklin:
1. SP Henry Selvey
——–
2. SS Curtis Rose
——-
3. SS William Curtis
4. SP Joseph Tibbets
5. CF Lloyd Doble
——–
6. 2B Salvador Pallister
7. CF Victor Cornet
——–
8. 1B Aurelio Wansey
9. SS Sherwood Matthews
10. SP Silas Ellis
11. SP Weldon Vipont
12. SP Rich McCrary
13. 2B Clyde Peach
14. 3B Lonzo Mason
15. CF William Milledge
16. CF Ashley Trudgeon
——–
17. CF James Roofe
18. CF Clark Cokinbread
19. 1B Frank Quinnell
20. SP Duncan Bould
21. 2B Edward Orvis
22. RF Noah Petree
——–
23. SP Lon Holmes
24. 3B Ewald Dale
The Trades:
- Brooklyn sends 1.16 to Cleveland in exchange for 1906 10th Overall Pick 3B Gilbert Page (OSA #37)
After scouting the 1907 draft class, Brooklyn’s front office believed that Cleveland’s former first round pick would have ranked 8th on its board as the 6th best hitter in this draft class. Though there was a chance that a player the Whales liked more would drop to the 16th pick of the 1907 draft, when Cleveland expressed a willingness to part with the young third baseman, it presented a good opportunity to lock-in value for the pick.
Page has already proven himself to be a competent professional by hitting well as an 18 year old in the Reserve League (.301/.346/.446 117 wRC+) and continuing to hit well in 1907 (.286/.347/.408 106 wRC+) in the Madigan League while generating positive defensive value (2.38 ZR), mitigating some of the potential risks and unknowns inherent to a draftee previously unchallenged by professional pitchers. The Field of the Whales favors lefthanded hitters, and so the hope is that Page will be able to put that lefthanded swing to good use in the major league lineup by 1911, right as current infielders Leander Witheycombe (29) and Clovis Juby (28) start to enter their mid-30s.
With the 16th pick of the 1907 draft, Cleveland selected SP Silas Ellis. Ellis is on the older end of the draft class (20 years old at the time of the draft), but looks like a potential top of the rotation option with good stuff, good control, and a potentially devastating 5 pitch mix with only his curveball looking below average.
- Brooklyn sends 2.16 and 3.16 to Pittsburgh in exchange for 2.4.
The prevailing belief in Brooklyn was that, based on its scouting team’s evaluations, there were a clear top 16 players in the 1907 draft. It was also a firmly held belief in Brooklyn that there was also a clear talent break at 22. So, when the opportunity came to move up into the top 20 to catch any falling players from the top 16, the Brooklyn front office pounced. Pittsburgh is looking to build depth in its minor leagues whereas Brooklyn is reasonably content with the performance of the farm team in Sleepy Hollow. And, so, two premium picks to help Pittsburgh acquire that depth while Brooklyn gained a shot at a falling first rounder was a natural win-win.
With the 20th pick of the 1907 draft, Brooklyn selected CF Lloyd Doble, the 5th ranked player on its draft list (more below).
With the 32nd pick of the 1907 draft, Pittsburgh selected SP Morton Elliot. Elliot, a lefthanded pitcher with a lagging changeup as a third pitch could be a truly dominant starting pitcher if the Oilers’ developmental system can help him figure out how to improve his third offering. Even if Elliot doesn’t make it into the starting rotation, he figures to help lead a potent lefty-righty assault from the bullpen with star RP Jewell Durtnell, taking the pressure off of Pittsburgh’s starting rotation and inspiring dread from opposing Western League hitters.
With the 48th pick of the 1907 draft, the Oilers selected RF Howard Gray. The corner outfielder is young for the class (18 years and 18 days old as of the draft) and already has a bat that can hold its own in AA. It will be up to the Oilers’ coaches to raise the ceiling on his hitting potential, but he offers a built in-floor with the possibility for more. A move to first base may be in Gray’s future, but, for now, the expectation would likely be to stick in the outfield.
With the 84th pick of the 1907 draft, the Whales selected SP Hoyt Smead, the 43rd player on its draft list (more below).
- Brooklyn sends LH SP Jimmie Ablewhite (OSA #20), OF Elwyn Adams, and 4.16 to Providence in exchange for LF Cornelius Cook
The oldest part of Brooklyn’s roster is in the corners. First baseman Ignatius Strawson is 35 years old, 1B/LF Giles Harrison is 36, 1B/LF Edgar Burnell is 39, and RF Bugs Thompson is 30. Ablewhite has shown good promise in the Reserve League (FIP- of 84 in 1906 and 85 in 1907) and was the headliner in the return for Providence. Adams has shown good doubles power and a competent glove in the outfield and has some potential to contribute in the majors, particularly against lefthanded pitchers, with a little more seasoning in the minors. With the 16th pick in the 4th round, Providence selected 1B Monroe Titmus. Titmus is a lefthanded first baseman that could serve as useful organizational depth and, under Providence’s instruction, could see time in the majors with an uptick in his batting eye or bat-on-ball skills.
In Cornelius Cook, 23 years old, the Whales obtained youth to supplement the aging part of their roster, to go along with what they hope to be a competent bat with good on-base skills, a plus base runner, and a decent glove that can play right field in a pinch. As of the date of the draft, Cook has been a league average bat (.231/.321/.611, 101 wRC+) with some untapped upside in his batting eye. He also has continued to progress with the glove with a noted uptick in range (from a 55 grade to 60) under the instruction of the Whales’ coaching staff.
- Brooklyn sends 1B/3B Emerson West to the St. Louis Reds in exchange for 4.9
St. Louis had division title aspirations at the time of a multi-week injury to the excellent defensive 3B, and former Whaler, John Keyte. In a push to remain competitive in the tight Frontier Division race, the Reds’ front office reached out to a familiar source for an emergency third baseman. In exchange for the 9th pick in the 4th round, the Reds acquired long-time Whale Emerson West. West has always been an above average bat for Brooklyn and, but for some recent run-ins with local law enforcement, would have served as a part of the Whales’ major league roster for his 6th year in 1907. Since joining the Reds, West has hit .258/.280/.333 (102 wRC+) and helped plug the hole on the roster left by the missing Keyte.
With the 9th pick in the 4th round, Brooklyn selected SP Duncan Bould, the 20th ranked player on its draft list (more below).
- Brooklyn sends 5.16 to the Chicago Doves in exchange for 38 year old LF Nicky Thompson
After a blistering start to the 1907 season, Brooklyn was starting to think that this was the year that they made it back to the Legacy Cup after a three year absence. Recognizing that the weakest part of the roster was 1B/LF Giles Harrison, Brooklyn was thrilled to secure the services of long-time major leaguer Nicky Thompson from the rebuilding Chicago Doves. A respected veteran with a discerning batting eye, Thompson has been asked to mentor the young Cornelius Cook and to take over part-time duties at first base in light of the season ending injury to Leander Witheycombe (with Ignatius Strawson sliding over to 2B to fill-in for the injured star). Despite bad luck on balls in play (.200 BABIP), Thompson has provided a jolt to the Whales’ offense since joining the lineup (.203/.390/.322, 139 wRC+).
With the 16th pick in the 5th round, Chicago selected C Thomas Talman, a backstop with a good bat and a good work ethic. Talman was very young for the draft class (17 years 4 months old at the draft) and has struggled to produce in the Academy League, but his bat appears reasonably developed for his age and his upside if the Doves can further refine his defense at the plate is undeniable.
The Picks:
1.16 3B Gilbert Page
2.4 CF Lloyd Doble
The celebration started early in the Whales’ draft room. With a long wait until their next pick, the whiskey and champagne started flowing earlier than anticipated after Brooklyn wired in their pick at 20. The scouting reports liked Doble’s premium defense in centerfield while coveting his ability to be a plus offensive contributor.
Doble features a fairly advanced bat for a player that will not be 18 until after the current season. So, the hope is that he will perform well immediately upon stepping foot in Sleepy Hollow. He has not performed as well for the Heartland Academy in 1907—Heartland appears unableto manage his workload which has lead the exhausted Doble to underperform at the plate—but he destroyed Academy League pitching as a 16 year old in 1906 (.346/.392/.544, 197 wRC+) and was an above-average-to-great hitter in each of his first three Academy seasons.
If nits were to be picked, there are concerns about his power to the gaps and his plate discipline, but neither are obvious weaknesses. With elite speed, Doble should still hit his fair share of triples, even if it does not look like he’ll be a threat on the basepaths. His selection will move last year’s first round pick, John Morris, from center field to right field and hopefully solidify a glaring organizational weakness in the minor leagues.
4.9 SP Duncan Bould
Bould is on the younger side of the draft class (17 years, 11 months as of the draft), something that the Brooklyn front office generally covets. Despite being so young, Bould already features three capable pitches in his sinker, curveball and forkball that should allow him to start in AA without any development time in the bullpen, which Brooklyn hopes will help him develop towards the major leagues more quickly.
Bould features a very good potential sinker and an above average forkball, which should induce a lot of weak contact and play to the strengths of the Brooklyn system’s above average infield defense. The youngster’s smooth, over-the-top delivery should minimize any potential issues facing lefthanded hitters and, though his changeup looks weak, his curveball should help ensure that lefties can’t get too comfortable.
Bould has excelled in each of his four years in the Academy League (career FIP- 71, 25.9% K% and 8.27 BB%). In 1907, he has struck out 108 while only walking 34 over 93.2 IP. He’s thrown to a 2.88 ERA and induced a ground ball nearly 61% of the time (58 FIP-, 3.63 WAR).
The potential downsides with Bould are fringe control and the tendency to tire more quickly on the mound with low stamina. However, everyone that the Brooklyn scouts talked to raved about Bould’s make-up. Bould is naturally intelligent young man with a great work ethic and appears to be the ultimate team player—highly loyal to his teammates while remaining humble despite his own natural talent. Brooklyn is excited to have Bould in the system and believe that the young man from Red Bluff, CA is destined for Brooklyn in the future.
4.16 LF Cornelius Cook
5.16 1B/LF Nicky Thompson
The Rest:
6.4 SP Hoyt Smead
Smead is a potential four pitch pitcher with an over-the-top motion. His sinker has good potential, but his third (changeup) and fourth (curveball) are nearly completely undeveloped. He has fringe stuff and control at the moment, but with some development of his pitches and some work to build out his slender frame (5’11” 165 lbs) to add some velocity, he has an outside shot at seeing the Legacy League. Worst case scenario, he presents as someone that could be a plus minor league pitcher after some seasoning in the bullpen to prepare for a role in a minor league rotation.
6.16 RP Carl Clarke, 7.16 RP Modesto Thatcher, and 8.16 RP Martin Scotton
Two righties and a lefty with an undeveloped third pitch (changeup). Clarke looks like he could develop into a groundballer with further development to his good splitter and looks to feature acceptable control. Thatcher is a lefty with an over-the-top arm slot and a ground ball repertoire. Scotton has a reputation for dogging it a little too often from coaches, but his control looks like it would be acceptable from a major league arm. This is a raw, developmental bunch for the Whales’ minor league coaches to see what they can get out of them.
9.16 C William Critchley and 10.16 Charles Hall Critchley is an intelligent kid with a good eye and acceptable defense behind the dish. Hall is natural leader with limited abilities. The Brooklyn front office will task the Cranes’ coaching staff with sorting out which of the now 5 flawed catchers on the roster could serve a useful role in the organization in the future and make cuts accordingly.