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1907 Miscellania
Best Players:
1. Duane Blackburn, RF, Waterloo.
2. Francisco Rivera, CF, Penn Yan.
3. Mike Young, RF, Penn Yan.
4. Robby Ward, SS, Seneca Falls.
5. Fernando Molina, LF, Waterloo.
6. Ryan Hill, CF, Seneca Falls.
I'm surprised to see Hill this far down the list.
Best Pitchers:
1. Joe Norris, Canandaigua.
2. Hayden Williams, Geneva.
3. Casey Ladner, Geneva.
4. Raul Alonso, Geneva.
5. Edward Daybell, Watkins Glen.
6. Michael Watkins, Watkins Glen.
I expected to see a guy named Williams among the top two pitchers on this list, but I figured it would be Dennis. The Seneca Falls ace is at #9, with his teammate Roger Hopkins at #10. Does the computer see something I don't see?
Top Prospects: Position Players
1. Nick Wells, 2B, Penn Yan. At age 19, Wells hit .237 in 80 AB for the '07 Brawlers.
2. Geoffrey Veeck, SS, Watkins Glen. 20-year-old Veeck made his FLL debut, playing three innings and going 0-1 at the plate.
3. Henry Kester, C, Watkins Glen. The first hitter taken in the June '07 draft, 20-year-old Kester is a fine receiver with a powerful bat.
Top Prospects: Pitchers
1. Chester Smith, Waterloo. The #1 draft pick in '07, Smith, 19, is likely to be a future ace.
2. Roger Hopkins, Seneca Falls. If Smith's better than Hopkins, who won 20 games at age 20, then he's very, very good.
3. Milo England, Seneca Falls. Nothing this compact righthander throws is straight.
Finger Lakes Farewells
Two notable players retired in 1907:
Shortstop Cesar Morales of Canandaigua made his mark on the league with his glove, earning Gold Gloves in 1904 and 1905. Injuries took their toll on his quickness, and after spending the 1907 season on the reserve list, he retired at age 37. He hit .245 in 1350 career AB.
Second baseman Oliver Saenz hit .302 for the Seneca Falls Sheepdogs in 1904, and bounced back from a fractured skull to hit .299 in 1905 at age 38. He saw his skills begin to slip away in '06. Traded to Penn Yan, he tore a groin muscle in August '06 and never played again. His lifetime average was a solid .268.
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