BNN Weekly Report
This Week in the CBO
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
7 May 2300
News from Around the League
1 May 2300 – NCA Announces Outstanding Batter Award
Snap, crackle and pop!
In April, Dustin Mart snapped up the North Charles Association Batter of the Month trophy by cracking 25 hits and popping 11 home runs.
For the month he hit a solid .362 with 26 RBIs and 14 runs scored. The Nordhagen Beach first baseman also picked up 12 walks to compile a .451 on-base percentage.
Gep Takes SCA's Best Bat Trophy
Diamond City Swatters fans may just have witnessed a star player blossoming before their eyes in April.
Oren Gep put up a remarkable month at the age of 22 and has been named the South Charles Association Batter of the Month.
For the month, Gep hit .419 with 12 home runs, 26 RBIs and 25 runs scored.
NCA Selects Jerry April's Top Starter
Abernathy Adamantium starter Gerald Jerry has collected the North Charles Association Pitcher of the Month award for a run of lights-out performances.
"This town really appreciates it when you're going well," said Jerry. "They might boo you when you're getting knocked around, but they love you when you're mowin' them down."
In April the 34-year-old compiled a 4-0 record in 4 starts with a 1.93 ERA. He threw 32.2 innings, fanning 16 while walking 2.
Ninjas Starter Named April's Premier Pitcher
There was nobody finer on the mound in April and Phlip Wallace cruised to the South Charles Association Pitcher of the Month award today.
He was 4-0 with a 2.13 ERA while piling up 30 strikeouts in 38 innings and holding opposing hitters to a .211 batting average.
NCA Selects Rookie Star of the Month
A veritable toddler to the North Charles Association, Gene Leftswipe just sewed up the Rookie of the Month trophy for April.
Over the past month the 21-year-old right fielder for Concord hit .375 with 24 hits, 4 home runs and 20 runs batted in. He also logged 10 walks and compiled a .453 on-base percentage.
South Charles Association Names Rookie of Month
Youngster Bat Savelli emerged as the latest South Charles Association Rookie of the Month today. The young man from Egret deserved the honor, batting .225 with no home runs and 9 runs batted in. Is the month of April a harbinger of things to come or just a fluke? We'll find out someday, but for now, we'll just let Savelli enjoy the limelight.
Short Slaps 5 Hits
The Warwick Mirelurks tripped up the FHE Yao Guai 9-4 today. The Mirelurks were led by Radio Short, their 33-year-old center fielder. Short made life miserable for FHE pitchers all day, tagging them for 5 hits in 6 at-bats. Radio Short singled in the 1st, singled in the 3rd, flied out in the 4th, singled in the 7th, singled in the 9th and singled in the 12th.
Thus far this year Short has hit .356 with no home runs and 4 RBIs.
Nukacola Bashes 5 Base Hits
Aaron Nukacola was a tough out and went 5-for-5 in a fine hitting display today, but the Egret Ninjas managed to overcome his performance and top the University Point Deathclaws, 6-5.
"I got my pitches and I connected," Nukacola said. "They all found the right holes on the diamond. Some days you hit shots and they're right at somebody, and some days they fall in. And some days you lose, no matter how well you play."
On this occasion, Nukacola played well enough to get his name in the record books. Aaron Nukacola hit an RBI single in the 2nd, singled in the 4th, singled in the 6th, hit an RBI single in the 7th and singled in the 9th.
Nukacola is hitting .190 this year with 1 home run and 6 RBIs. He also has an OBP of .236, 3 walks and scored 8 times.
4 May 2300 - Mass Shuts Out Swatters, 3-0
The Vault 81 Dwellers got a great effort from Edwin Mass as the 30-year-old hurler tossed a complete-game 3-0 shutout over the Diamond City Swatters. He struck out 3 while allowing 3 hits and walking 3.
This season in 6 starts Edwin Mass has a record of 5-1 with 31 strikeouts in 45.2 innings and a 2.76 ERA.
Byrd Goes Hitless, Streak Stopped at 29
Vault 81 second baseman Harry Byrd experienced something against the Diamond City Swatters he hadn't experienced a while: a hitless game.
The Swatters pitching corps quieted his hot bat and snapped his streak at 29 games, but his teammates picked up the slack to lead the Dwellers to a 3-0 victory at CURIE Inc. Field.
"Hey, ain't nothin' bad about a losing a 29-game hitting streak," Byrd joked with reporters after the game. "Now you guys will have to find someone else to bother for stories."
For the season, Byrd is hitting at a .324 clip with 5 home runs, 14 RBIs and has scored 17 runs. He has 34 hits, 5 walks and a .357 on-base percentage.
6 May 2300 - Cartrette Spins 7-0 One-Hitter Against Sunshine Tidings
Mike Cartrette of the Fort Hagen Silver Shroud really zeroed in on Sunshine Tidings hitters at Hubris Comics Park, blanking them 7-0 on 1 hit. Cartrette struck out 11 and gave up 1 walk in defeating the Chemists.
This season-to-date Cartrette has 4 wins and 2 losses and a 4.23 ERA.
Vault 81 Blanks Diamond City Behind Redcoats
Relying on pinpoint control and a good array of pitches, Curt Redcoats of the Vault 81 Dwellers held the Diamond City Swatters scoreless today. He scattered 3 hits over 9 innings and fanned 2 on his way to the 2-0 victory.
Presently Redcoats has a 3-2 mark in 6 starts with a 3.26 ERA. He has given up 31 hits in 38.2 innings, struck out 24 and issued 15 walks. Opposing clubs have compiled a .220 batting average against him.
Starlight to Pull in CF/RF fences at VDA Field
With the tallest left field “fence” in the CBO, beating the Great Green Jewel’s fence by 10 feet, hitters need height more than power to hit home runs at Starlight’s Valentine Detective Agency Field. What Lady Killers owner Irish Cait was not happy with was the lack of home runs the other way.
“Our fans expressed that they prefer the home runs,” Cait said. “It’s me job to please them.”
For that, Cait had a construction crew raze the centerfield and rightfield fences following the Lady Killers’ 10-2 loss tonight to extend their losing streak to a league-long eight games. New temporary fences will be up tomorrow in time for the Lady Killers to host Salem. More permanent fences will be up later in the season.
Cait is hoping the team can improve on being in the bottom half of the North Charles Association in almost every offensive category. Only catcher Hope Scrapper, who leads the team in batting average (.314), home runs (6), and RBI (16). Even 2299 MVP candidate Zeldolph Violet (.278/2/12) has struggled in the 2300 campaign.
Commissioner Nate Howard approved the change because of the large outfield dimensions at NVA Field with the largest center and right field fences. The new dimensions will be 400 feet to straight away center, 340 in right field and 320 down the rightfield line.
Scores
Tue 1 May
Slog 5 at Abe 11 / ST 10 at Sal 6, 10 inn / FF 4 at FtH 6 / ET 4 at Con 5, 12 inn / CC 3 at Star 2 / Lex 1 at NB 3
Qui 1 at DC 4 / War 9 at FHE 4, 12 inn / Atom 2 at Obe 2 / UP 5 at Egr 6 / V81 3 at JP 2 / Rox 1 at Good 3
Performance of the Day: SP Matt Udder, Oberland, 8.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, W
Wed 2 May
Slog 5 at Abe 2 / ST 8 at Sal 4 / FF 3 at FtH 17 / ET 11 at Con 3 / CC 7 at Star 2 / Lex 4 at NB 3, 10 inn
Qui 12 at DC 5 / War 6 at FHE 5 / Atom 4 at Obe 5 / UP 9 at Egr 6 / V81 3 at JP 7 / Rox 2 at Good 4, 10 inn
Performance of the Day: 3B Micah Morals, Fort Hagen, 3 for 4, 2B, HR, BB, 4 R, 4 RBI
Fri 4 May
Con 9 at Star 6 / ST 3 at FtH 7 / Sal 4 at Slog 5 / ET 5 at FF 3 / CC 3 at NB 4 / Abe 1 at Lex 3
Good 5 at Qui 9 / Atom 8 at War 9 / UP 7 at JP 10 / DC 0 at V81 3 / Obe 2 at Egr 5 / Rox 9 at FHE 2
Performance of the Day: 1B Cody Flatt, Jamaica Plain, 4 for 4, 2 HR, 3 R, 4 RBI
Sat 5 May
Sal 4 at Slog 3, 13 inn / ST 1 at FtH 9 / Con 5 at Star 1 / Abe 3 at Lex 2 / CC 7 at NB 5 / ET 10 at FF 7, 11 inn
Rox 3 at FHE 5 / Obe 7 at Egr 0 / DC 4 at V81 2 / UP 1 at JP 12 / Atom 5 at War 4 / Good 2 at Qui 8
Performance of the Day: SP Sheng Kawolski, Oberland, 8.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 10 K, W
Sun 6 May
Con 10 at Star 2 / Sal 6 at Slog 1 / ET 12 at FF 5 / CC 3 at NB 8 / Abe 5 at Lex 2 / ST 0 at FtH 7
Good 3 at Qui 9 / Atom 5 at War 4 / UP 9 at JP 13 / DC 0 at V81 3 / Obe 8 at Egr 3 / Rox 7 at FHE 5
Performance of the Day: SP Mike Cartrette, Fort Hagen, 9.0 IP, H, 0 ER, BB, 11 K, W, CG, SHO
Players of the Week
NCA Votes Assaultrons Tophat Top Player: Carlos Tophat has the tools to stick in this league for many years. The 22-year-old second baseman of the Easy Town Assaultrons had a hot bat in the North Charles Association over the past seven days and won the Player of the Week honors.
Tophat batted .520 with 13 hits in 25 at-bats, no home runs and 4 RBIs.
Tophat has a .345 average and a .388 on-base percentage for the year. He has picked up 39 hits, no home runs and driven in 15 runs.
Red Rockets Flatt Named SCA's #1 Player: Cody Flatt is respected by most Jamaica Plain Red Rockets fans for his no-frills style of play. The 21-year-old first baseman went about his business with vigor last week to grab the South Charles Association Player of the Week honors.
He compiled a .533 average (8-for-15) with 3 home runs, 8 RBIs and 8 runs scored.
In the 2300 season Flatt is hitting .318 with 11 home runs.
Transactions
Monday, May 7th, 2300
University Point Deathclaws: Activated RP Cricket McGuire from the injured list.
University Point Deathclaws: Sent RP Cricket McGuire to Triple A Boston Common for injury rehab.
Goodneighbor Hancocks: Placed SP John Oldsink on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 05/06/2300.
Lexington Synths: Placed RP Rafe Sauce on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 05/06/2300.
Diamond City Swatters: Signed SP Casey Diehl.
Sunday, May 6th, 2300
Abernathy Adamantium: Placed SP Gerald Jerry on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 05/04/2300.
Goodneighbor Hancocks: Placed RP George Cincinnatus on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 05/05/2300.
Oberland T-51s: Activated RF Crops Gerdenheimer from the injured list.
Oberland T-51s: Sent RF Crops Gerdenheimer to Triple A Fiddler's Green for injury rehab.
The Nordhagen Beach Party Boys traded 19-year-old minor league reliever Emmett Frito and 21-year-old minor league catcher Benji Masterson to the Finch Farm Four Leafs, getting 33-year-old minor league shortstop Tommy Junkman in return.
Saturday, May 5th, 2300
The Grape Painted Ghouls traded 21-year-old minor league closer Chemmy Good to the Warwick Mirelurks, getting 23-year-old minor league starting pitcher Matty Lamplight in return.
The Quartz Star Force traded 20-year-old reliever Couch Buttemaker to the Concord Radstags, getting 33-year-old minor league first baseman Juke Grenade in return.
Thursday, May 3rd, 2300
Starlight Lady Killers: Activated 2B David Braun from the injured list.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Released RP Casey Diehl.
Wednesday, May 2nd, 2300
Lexington Synths: Activated SP Lawdog Whipple from the injured list.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Signed RP Steve Watertank.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Signed RP Greg Ziemba.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Signed RP Chris Shovel.
The Orange Tourists traded 20-year-old reliever Jumpy Haystack to the Abernathy Adamantium, getting 20-year-old minor league left fielder Mike Carrasco in return.
Tuesday, May 1st, 2300
Roxbury Rad Sox: Signed RP Orlie Zatt.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Signed RP Pip Pipkins.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Signed RP Joe Ritze.
Lexington Synths: Signed RP Justin Johnson.
Lexington Synths: Signed RP Curtis Woolever.
The Wild Gatorclaws traded 21-year-old reliever Bip Tram to the Warwick Mirelurks, getting 23-year-old minor league reliever Bobby O'Brien in return.
The Victory Cave Crickets traded 21-year-old reliever Yolo Minigun to the Roxbury Rad Sox, getting 29-year-old minor league second baseman Paul Vroom in return.
Standings
Team Power Rankings
Weekly Team Power Rankings: Here are the current team power rankings for Commonwealth Baseball Organization:
Teams (Total Points, Tendency):
1) Vault 81 Dwellers (127.4, o)
2) Easy Town Assaultrons (125.2, ++)
3) Fort Hagen Silver Shroud (119.0, ++)
4) Nordhagen Beach Party Boys (118.2, -)
5) Concord Radstags (117.0, +)
6) Oberland T-51s (116.0, +)
7) Diamond City Swatters (109.0, --)
8) Abernathy Adamantium (106.8, -)
9) Quincy Gunners (106.8, ++)
10) Jamaica Plain Red Rockets (103.6, ++)
11) The Slog Ghouls (94.8, -)
12) University Point Deathclaws (93.8, --)
13) Salem Witch Hats (93.6, o)
14) Egret Ninjas (89.6, --)
15) Goodneighbor Hancocks (88.6, --)
16) FHE Yao Guai (84.6, --)
17) Atom Cats (74.0, +)
18) Lexington Synths (73.2, o)
19) County Crossing Bloodbugs (71.0, +)
20) Sunshine Tidings Chemists (59.8, +)
21) Starlight Lady Killers (56.0, --)
22) Warwick Mirelurks (48.4, +)
23) Finch Farm Four Leafs (41.4, --)
24) Roxbury Rad Sox (40.2, o)
Analysis
We are at the official quarter mark of the 2300 season, and there are haves and havenots in the CBO. There is also a lot of fluctuation between teams, but the teams above .500 are all looking like teams that could be around for the long haul, especially the teams sporting a .600 or better record. There are seven of those teams currently, with surprisingly none currently in the Minutemen League after University Point’s (#12) weekend sweep at the hands of a suddenly hot Jamaica Plain (#10) team.
On the other hand of the playoff chase, there are four teams with less than a .400 winning percentage, one per league. We here are BNN are declaring that those four teams are lobbying for the #1 overall pick for one of SP Quest Dawg or 3B Bulleye Shooterson from the BYDL or CF Danny Faraday from the Cape Cod League. Those four teams—Roxbury (#24), Finch Farm (#23), Warwick (#22), and Sunshine Tidings (#20).
Vault 81 (#1) remains as #1, the first team to do that this season. The Dwellers did not have an outstanding week, splitting at the Red Rockets and winning 2 out of 3 over Diamond City (#7) to be two games up on the Swatters and Oberland (#6).
Easy Town (#2), who we feature in this week’s Team Focus, won four straight, splitting at Concord (#5) and then sweeping the Four Leafs. The Assaultrons have been an up-and-down team over seasons, making it as far as the Sole Survivor Series two seasons ago before dropping to 5th place in the Brotherhood League in 2299. Now, tied with Nordhagen Beach (#4) in the BL and NCA for the top record, the Assaultrons look like a contender. That could be due to rookie sensation 1B Lannie Tykeson, who is a Rookie of the Year contender and currently a deep dark horse CBO MVP candidate.
Speaking of the Party Boys, they are having a relatively quiet good year, which is strange to say for the defending top seeds from the NCA. The Boys had a 3-2 week, splitting with Lexington (#18) and then topped County Crossing (#19) in a 2-1 series over the weekend. Whereas the Assaultrons’ Tykeson is a deep dark horse MVP candidate, Nordhagen Beach’s Dustin Mart (.349/13/31) is the definitive representative at the quarter mark for the NCA, battling Diamond City’s Oren Gep and University Point’s Tomas Jones for the current CBO MVP candidacy.
Another “old hat” in the top of the Power Rankings is the suddenly red-hot Fort Hagen Silver Shroud (#3). They are 5-0 in May so far after knocking over both Finch Farm and Sunshine Tidings in a fortunate scheduling for the week. Despite their 3-7 start to the season, the Shroud have started to hit, winning 12 of their last 15 and propelling themselves to the top offensively in runs (165), batting average (.304), OBP (.356), OPS (.845), WAR (6.8), and wOBA (.361). The defending NCA champions may not have a Sole Survivor Series hangover after all. With Cartrette (4-2, 4.23) throwing a one-hitter yesterday, the pitching may be coming around, too.
To finish off the Top 5, the other 1st-place team in the Institute League, Concord (#5), has been a pleasant surprise so far in 2300. With their 4-1 week, including their split of Easy Town and sweep at Starlight (#21), on an eight-game losing streak, the Radstags are currently in contention to go from worst to first in 2300. Like Easy Town, they are depending on an emerging rookie, Gene Leftswipe (.380/4/25) to look like a much better team.
With the look at so many teams up in the Power Rankings in the NCA, let’s look at a few individual players from the South Charles Association. Four players are hitting above .400 at the quarter-season mark: Quincy’s Steve Gunkill (.415), University Point’s Tomas Jones (.410), and Goodneighbor’s Good Don Duck (.407) and Bryan Assman (.404). The Deathclaws (#12) struggled this week with a 1-4 record to drop them to a 1st-place tie, but they have three players with higher than a 2.0 WAR so far: Jones (2.2), Jukebox Luttrell (2.2), and Barker Cocoa (2.1).
Diamond City’s Tyler Powers (5-0, 1.46) leads the Vim! Pitcher Award running for the 2300 season. Egret’s Phlip Wallace (5-0, 2.00) is not far behind. Other outstanding pitchers in the SCA include Oberland’s Sheng Kawolski (5-0, 2.74), Jamaica Plain’s Chris Deathclaw (4-1, 2.44), and FHE’s Peak Sizeman (3-1, 2.72).
Team Focus: Easy Town Assaultrons
Two seasons ago, the Easy Town Assaultrons surprised everyone by earning the Brotherhood League wildcard and then upsetting IL league champion Abernathy, beating fellow wildcard team, Fort Hagen, and then getting ripped apart by the dominant Goodneighbor in the Sole Survivor Series. With that excellent season, the Assaultrons then fell to 40-68 in 2299, just one game away from 6th-place. Now, with their promising 2300 season, Easy Town may be Winning Town yet again.
The Trons are 2nd in multiple offensive categories (only trailing the Silver Shroud in most categories) and 1st in home runs (32) in the NCA. 1B Lannie Tykeson (.340/7/24), 3B Bobby Carr (.326/7/14), and CF Sean Samuels (.326/6/23) are all hitting the cover off the ball. In addition to the thrills the Assaultrons have with their star rookie, they are equally thrilled that Carr is nearly 100 points up on his career batting average. With six players above .300 on the season, the offense has been playing at an outstanding level. Those numbers could fall off in time, but they are keeping Easy Town near the top of the CBO right now.
The pitching is not doing as well, which is a surprise that the Assaultrons are winning so much, but those numbers could and should improve over time. The major problem is the starting rotation with the 11th-worse ERA (5.41) in the NCA. That is also an indicator of where the Trons will start looking for trades as they start making their midseason playoff push. Only William Radwater (2-1, 4.26) has an ERA below 5.00. Ace Angel Waterdrink (3-2, 5.53) has never been that great of the top pitcher and probably should be the #3 or #4 starter on a good team. His career record is 34-46 with a 5.09 ERA, not exactly ace material. Smoker Caliman (3-1, 5.80) was an outstanding 15-4 two seasons ago. While he is not pitching better than that season, he is one of the better pitchers in the league when it comes to run support. The Bullpen ERA (2.02) is much better for Easy Town with closer Aaron Geneva (9 SV, 1.23) has been great. The only player with a “high” ERA is Ray Housecat (1-0, 3.86). Despite how well the bullpen has pitched, the starters have accounted for Easy Town being tied for 9th in runs allowed (124) so far.
It will be interesting to see if the Trons stay near the top for the duration of the season. With them currently tied for the top record in the NCA, they are there now. If the offense stays as hot as it has been and management finds a way to trade for a top pitcher or two, it is conceivable that Easy Town could be back in the Sole Survivor Series in 2300 in a season where it looks like any team could win it all.