Today in the CBO
News and Notes - Reports from around the Commonwealth
by Nat Wright-Kowalski
23 March 2298 - Rivalry Series Begins
Teams in the CBO are taking on their main geographical league rival, starting today with a two-game series, before moving to the other team's home field for two more games on Saturday and Sunday.
The matchups are:
Brotherhood League: Nordhagen Beach vs Easy Town, County Crossing vs Finch Farm, and The Slog vs Salem
Institute League: Fort Hagen vs Sunshine Tidings, Abernathy vs Concord, and Starlight vs Lexington
Minutemen League: Goodneighbor vs University Point, Jamaica Plain vs Quincy, and Warwick vs Atom
Railroad League: Oberland vs Vault 81, Diamond City vs FHE, and Egret vs Roxbury
25 March 2298 - Red Rockets Starter Sitting out Spring Training
Jamiaca Plain 3B Mike Van Noord is going to sit out the remainder of the Rivalry Series and the week of Spring Training for personal leave.
"Mike has a few matters to take care of," Red Rockets manager Mark Sellsword said. "We're giving him his space, but he guaranteed he report to Roxbury for opening day on April 5."
No further details were offered, and Van Noord did not comment when he was seen leaving Quincy heading west rather than north where the Red Rockets would host the Gunners on Saturday and Sunday.
Van Noord has started all regular season games for Jamaica Plain in the first two seasons. In 2297, he batted .277 but led the Minutemen League in triples with six.
Some speculate that Van Noord was called out by teammates by seeking attention rather than working on improving his game. The team needs him to improve his bat for a chance to escape the basement of a tough league. Right now, it is possible the Red Rockets are battling for the worst record in the CBO.
Wile Van Noord is away, rookie Notorious Fugate will take his place as the starting third baseman. Fugate was featured in a story last month how he is looking to improve his game and earn a roster spot with the Red Rockets rather than returning to Haymarket Mall in 2298. Some have also speculated that Fugate may be stealing the job from Fugate, though that has not been the case so far in the exhibition season.
"I'll do whatever it takes to take the radstag by the horns," Fugate said. "There are good times and ugly times, and they all add up to seven."
31 March 2298 - Oberland Trades Away Two 1st-Rounders
The T-51s and Dwellers confirmed this afternoon that a trade had been agreed upon. In the deal, Oberland will get 28-year-old LHP Elijah Cake, a 2nd round draft pick, and a 4th round draft pick, while Vault 81 will receive 21-year-old RHP Kurt Cats and 19-year-old minor league 2B Harry Byrd.
It is speculated that Cake will slip into the fourth starter spot in Oberland that would have been Vince McCort's. He could also be their top middle reliever.
"I don't think it's any secret that we need as much pitching as possible to stay on top," T-51s manager Dirk Steadyhand said. "We hate to move on from our young guys, but we need somebody to help us in 2298, not 2300."
Cake appeared in just six games in 2297 in relief for the Dwellers. In 14.2 innings pitched as a reliever, he was 1-0 with a 5.52 ERA. He allowed nine earned runs on 19 hits with five walks and 10 strikeouts. At Mass Pike, he was 4-2 with a 2.68 ERA as a starter in six starts. There he pitched 47.0 innings, allowing 14 earned runs on 45 hits with 13 walks and 45 strikeouts.
Cats and Byrd were each of the T-51s' two Rookie Draft 1st-round picks in 2296 and 2297.
Cats started 20 games for Fiddler's Green in 2297, going 2-5 with a 6.91 ERA. In 113.1 innings, he allowed 87 earned runs on 139 hits with 81 walks and 65 strikeouts. Though he struggled last year, the Dwellers hope he can eventually become a solid middle starter.
Byrd, the 24th overall pick in the 2297 Rooke Draft, is considered to have a good bat that should allow him to hit for average. He is not the fastest runner, so he may have to depend on contact hits for singles and some doubles, which may make him hard to place in the lineup. His glove needs lots of improvement as he would be considered a defensive liability at this point, which will delay him for at least a couple of years before he can hope to be promoted.