Today in the CBO
News and Notes - Reports from around the Commonwealth
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
22 June 2299 - Six Unsuccess Stories
They were on top of the world on 1 January 2296. Taken in the top rounds of the CBO Inaugural Draft, these six players featured below dropped from top picks in the CBO to BMU players--some infrequent.
SS Jamie Pipegun - Drafted in the 2nd round, #37 overall, by the University Point Deathclaws.
If there is any reason why the Deathclaws organization has yet to make the playoffs, much less move to the top half of the Minutemen League, then look no further than their biggest draft bust. With their first pick, SP Quentin Malone, not being a star pitcher in the league, and their second pick dropping out of sight, it has shown at University Point.
In 2296, Pipegun played in 48 games, starting 47. He batted .303 with 12 home runs and 35 RBI. Not bad numbers. By 2297, he was sent down to Boston Common where he played in just 21 games, starting 15. In 2298, he made just two appearances with the Lead Bellies, never getting a plate appearance.
3B/RP James Kimbrough - Drafted in the 3rd round, 54th overall, by the Goodneighbor Hancocks, Kimbrough was one player surrounded by stars who suddenly finds himself on the way out.
A 3B starter for Goodneighbor in 2296 and 2297 and most of 2298, Kimbrough has seen his ability to hit suddenly drop. He was sent to Trinity Plaza in 2299 because he could not make contact at all, not even on lob balls in batting practice. The Hancocks decided it was time to pitch full time, something he had done only once with Goodneighbor.
Now he is a relief pitcher, having appeared in five games. He is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 7.2 innings, so there may be hope. It is strange, though, that the Hancocks gave up on him. In 198 games with the Hancocks, he has a career batting average of .308 with 14 home runs and 96 RBI. In 2296, he hit .343.
LF Adam Crook - Drafted in the 4th round, #94 overall, by the Fairline Hill Estates Yao Guai.
Crook looked good with the Yao Guai in his first two seasons before having a tough 2298 season. He batted .344 in 60 starts in 2296 and .318 in the same number of starts in 2297. In 2298, with the expanded schedule, he still started all games, 108, but batted just .267. Not a great outfielder, he became expendable in 2299.
Crook is doing OK with the Eastlake Aquaboys, batting .293 with seven home runs and 28 RBI. However, it is questionable when or if he will find his way back to the CBO.
SP Josh Dude - Drafted in the 5th round, #107 overall, but the Finch Farm Four Leafs.
Dude started struggling early against CBO action, though he was a most-time starter before being dealt to Goodneighbor, where he was ultimately sent to their BMU affiliate, the Trinity Plaza Snipers.
In 2+ seasons with the Four Leafs, Dude started 54 games and pitched in 57 total. He had a 20-19 record with a 5.28 ERA before being dealt to Goodneighbor in July of 2298.
The Hancocks pitched Dude in two games before deciding he was not what they wanted as an upgrade to their playoff pitching staff. He went 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA before finishing the season with the Snipers. This season, he has only pitched for the Snipers, going 3-4 with a 3.59 ERA in 10 starts.
3B T.J. McMath - Drafted in the 5th round, #118 overall, by the Starlight Lady Killers.
McMath thought he would find his way to stardom, but instead found himself traded in just his second month with his squad. He went to County Crossing where he started all 60 games at third base, batting .233 with nine home runs and 33 RBI. After the season, he had to know something was off in his CBO future when he was dealt again, this time to Salem.
In Salem, McMath found himself as a pinch hitter in 2297 and 2298, starting only one game of the 47 he played in. There he batted .212 with three homers and 12 RBI.
This season, the Witch Hats sent him to Breakheart Banks where he has started all 37 games, batting .275 with four homers and 30 RBI.
1B Willie Qesadena - Drafted in the 8th round, #171 overall, by the Starlight Lady Killers.
Qesadena isn't technically a top pick, but he is another player with a mysterious drop off in skills for such a young player. He started all 60 games for the Killers in 2296 and 59 of 60 in 2297. In those two seasons, he batted .276 with 18 home runs and 93 RBI.
Suddenly, in 2298, he could not find his swing anymore. He played in just 7 games with the Lady Killers, batting .333 with an RBI as a pinch hitter, before being sent to the Mystic Pines Raybathers. There he appeared in just seven games, starting three. In 2299, he has played in just seven games, starting one. He is batting .444 in his 27 total at bats, with four home runs and 11 RBI, but other first-baggers, Harry Bush and Travis Brothers, get more of the playing time.