BNN Weekly Report
This Week in the CBO
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
2 July 2300
News from Around the League
27 June - Horse Homers 3 Times Against The Slog: Sunshine Tidings catcher Darth Horse saw a fantastic day go to waste at ArcJet Systems Stadium today as the Chemists dropped a 9-7 decision despite a trio of home runs from the youngster.
"It seems kinda odd, you know?" a somewhat dejected Horse said after his club's defeat. "I mean, hitting three home runs in one game should be enough to win a game, right? I guess that's why they call it a team sport. Tomorrow I might strike out four times and other guys pick me up and we win. It takes more than one guy to get a win."
The 22-year-old tallied three homers in a 3-for-4 day, and added 6 RBIs and 3 scored.
"That guy really had a game, didn't he?" said The Slog manager Dick Tricky. "Luckily we were able to shut down the rest of the team. We are feeling good about getting out of here with the win."
Darth Horse flied out in the 1st, hit a three-run home run off Gwinnett Southie in the 3rd, hit a solo-shot off Gwinnett Southie in the 5th, hit a two-run home run off Gwinnett Southie in the 6th and walked in the 9th.
This year Horse is batting .224 with 8 home runs and 28 RBIs.
Yao Guai End Schoolboy's Streak: Jeremy Schoolboy of the Atom Cats came up empty at the plate today and went hitless in 4 at-bats for the first time in 21 games. Making matters even worse for the left fielder, Atom dropped the game to the FHE Yao Guai 9-7.
"It was not a good day today," Schoolboy told the press in postgame comments. "We lost the game and the streak is over."
Schoolboy is swinging at a .320 pace on the year with 11 home runs, 46 RBIs and 36 runs scored. He has played in 56 games.
28 June - Trevino Ends Speculation, Will Retire: Sources in Starlight close to Bob Trevino report that the left fielder will retire once the season is over.
Originally an undrafted free agent signing following the 2296 Inaugural Draft, the 38-year-old left fielder has spent his entire career with the Starlight franchise. He has only appeared in 65 games total with the Lady Killers, with most of those appearances in 2296 and 2297. He has a .268 career batting average in the CBO with one home run and four RBI.
He has spent most of 2298-2300 seasons with the Mystic Pines Raybathers. There he has a .294 average with 37 home runs and 151 RBI.
29 June - Drinkwater Packs a Wallop -- Hits 3 HR Against Adamantium: Fans seated in the bleacher section at Tato Field were taking cover all day long as Brian Drinkwater zeroed in on them, rattling three long blasts off the seats in a display of Herculean power.
The big game from the Concord first baseman helped the Radstags take the victory, 14-0, over the Abernathy Adamantium.
"I told myself not to press on the last one," he told reporters in the postgame press conference. "I knew I couldn't force it -- it has to be a nice easy swing."
For the game, he collected 3 hits in 5 at-bats, drove in 6 and scored 3 runs.
Brian Drinkwater hit a three-run home run off Gary Estate in the 1st, flied out in the 3rd, flied out in the 4th, hit a two-run home run off Kyle Clevinger in the 6th and hit a solo-shot off David Pitones in the 8th.
To date, Drinkwater has collected 58 hits for a .258 average. He has posted 9 home runs, scored 29 runs and driven in 46 runs.
30 June - Season Ends for Goodman: Clearly dejected, Young Goodman left the Roxbury clubhouse nearly in tears this afternoon. He acknowledged that his season is over after sustaining a ruptured achilles tendon in a ballgame recently. It brings an early end to the Roxbury right fielder's season.
On the year Goodman has hit .298 with 6 home runs, 30 RBIs and scored 35 runs.
1 July – All-Star Rosters Named: Please see the July 1 Monthly Report for the All-Star story.
Early Season End for Mardis: Clearly dejected, Greg Mardis left the Lexington clubhouse nearly in tears this afternoon. He acknowledged that his season is over after sustaining a damaged elbow ligament in a ballgame recently. It brings an early end to the Lexington starting pitcher's season.
In 15 starts this year Mardis has recorded a 7-4 record and a 4.23 ERA.
Atom-Warwick Trade: Leggman for Zoom: In a hastily called press conference, Atom announced today a trade with Warwick that will send 28-year-old RHP Chris Leggman to the Mirelurks in exchange for 22-year-old minor league RF Kern Rifleman and 21-year-old RHP Miles Zoom. All players are expected to be in their respective new cities in time for today's games.
This year in 28 relief appearances, Leggman has collected 14 saves while posting an ERA of 6.11 and 18 strikeouts in 28 innings. His totals for the year also include 1 win and 5 losses.
This year Zoom has posted a 3-2 mark in 7 starts and has a 5.75 ERA.
Scores
Tue 26 June
Slog 3 at ST 1 / FtH 3 at ET 0 / FF 4 at Con 5, 12 inn / NB 2 at Abe 3 / Lex 1 at Sal 7 / Star 2 at CC 3
Qui 5 at Rox 1 / War 4 at Obe 11 / JP 5 at DC 1 / V81 8 at Good 2 / Egr 6 at UP 11 / FHE 5 at Atom 3
Performance of the Day: 1B Jah Porter, Oberland, 3 for 4, HR, 4 RBI, 3 R, BB
Wed 27 June
Slog 9 at ST 7 / FtH 8 at ET 4 / FF 2 at Con 11 / NB 6 at Abe 5 / Lex 1 at Sal 4 / Star 3 at CC 1
Qui 9 at Rox 8 / War 1 at Obe 0 / JP 0 at DC 1 / V81 7 at Good 8 / Egr 1 at UP 0 / FHE 9 at Atom 7
Performance of the Day: C Darth Horse, Sunshine Tidings, 3 for 4, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 3 R, BB
Fri 29 June
Slog 1 at CC 3 / Con 14 at Abe 0 / FtH 1 at Star 7 / ET 7 at Sal 2 / NB 2 at FF 1 / Lex 2 at ST 10
Qui 4 at UP 5 / Atom 2 at Good 5 / JP 3 at War 7 / V81 5 at Rox 6, 13 inn / Obe 9 at DC 3, 10 inn / FHE 7 at Egr 3
Performance of the Day: 1B Brian Drinkwater, Concord, 3 for 5, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 3 R
Sat 30 June
Lex 2 at ST 5 / NB 2 at FF 3 / FtH 6 at Star 4 / ET 0 at Sal 2 / Con 5 at Abe 4, 12 inn / Slog 5 at CC 11
Obe 3 at DC 4 / V81 3 at Rox 4 / JP 1 at War 7 / Atom 2 at Good 5 / Qui 6 at UP 7 / FHE 8 at Egr 12
Performance of the Day: LF Amari Nukes, Sunshine Tidings, 3 for 4, 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R
Sun 1 July
Slog 5 at CC 2 / Con 8 at Abe 2 / FtH 1 at Star 4 / ET 1 at Sal 2 / NB 3 at FF 1 / Lex 4 at ST 1
Qui 7 at UP 5 / Atom 4 at Good 1 / JP 4 at War 5 / V81 7 at Rox 1 / Obe 7 at DC 5 / FHE 8 at Egr 5
Performance of the Day: 1B Jeffrey Curatolo, Lexington, 2 for 2, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB
Players of the Week
Aintfull Selected NCA Player of the Week: Pockets Aintfull demonstrated his potential to be a star in the game last week and today he took home the North Charles Association Player of the Week Award.
The Concord center fielder wreaked havoc on opposing pitchers last week, pounding them for a .600 average (15-for-25) with no home runs and 3 RBIs on his way to claiming the honor.
This season Aintfull is swinging the bat at a .293 pace. He has hit 1 home run and scored 52 times, while driving in 20. His on-base percentage is .347 and he has played in 65 games.
SCA's #1 Player Named: It's always a thrill for fans of the team and students of the game alike when a superstar in the making shows what he's got. Joe Rathmann, the FHE Yao Guai 21-year-old right fielder, put himself in the spotlight last week making him the clear-cut choice for South Charles Association Player of the Week honors.
He ripped 10 hits in 18 at-bats, compiling a .556 average with 3 home runs and 9 RBIs.
This season Rathmann is hitting at a .405 pace with 16 home runs, 58 RBIs and has scored 58 times. Rathmann is the favorite to win the SCA’s Nuka-Hitter Award.
Transactions
Monday, July 2nd, 2300
Nordhagen Beach Party Boys: Activated SP Matt Ranger from the injured list.
Nordhagen Beach Party Boys: Sent SP Matt Ranger to Triple A Greentop Nursery for injury rehab.
The Slog Ghouls: Placed RP Wonder Boy Fultz on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 06/29/2300.
Oberland T-51s: Activated 2B Jonathan Abern from the injured list.
The Warwick Mirelurks traded 23-year-old reliever John Wildt to the University Point Deathclaws, getting 23-year-old minor league catcher Chad Morris in return.
Sunday, July 1st, 2300
Lexington Synths: Placed SP Greg Mardis on the 60-day injured list.
Jamaica Plain Red Rockets: Activated C Ayag Mour from the injured list.
Sunshine Tidings Chemists: Placed RP Scaredy Cat Talbott on the 60-day injured list.
The Atom Cats traded 28-year-old closer Chris Leggman to the Warwick Mirelurks, getting 22-year-old minor league right fielder Kern Rifleman and 21-year-old starting pitcher Miles Zoom in return.
Saturday, June 30th, 2300
Starlight Lady Killers: Activated RF David Seaweed from the injured list.
Starlight Lady Killers: Sent RF David Seaweed to Triple A Mystic Pines for injury rehab.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Placed LF Chris Hirshfield on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 06/29/2300.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Placed RF Young Goodman on the 60-day injured list.
Wednesday, June 27th, 2300
Concord Radstags: Activated SP Phil Cecil from the injured list.
Vault 81 Dwellers: Placed CL Danny Rocketman on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 06/22/2300.
FHE Yao Guai: Activated RP Gabe Faulhaber from the injured list.
FHE Yao Guai: Activated RP W. H. Lub from the injured list.
FHE Yao Guai: Sent RP W. H. Lub to Triple A Eastlake for injury rehab.
Lexington Synths: Activated RP Rafe Sauce from the injured list.
Lexington Synths: Sent RP Rafe Sauce to Triple A Union Hope for injury rehab.
Tuesday, June 26th, 2300
Starlight Lady Killers: Activated 1B Zeldolph Violet from the injured list.
The Victory Cave Crickets traded 21-year-old minor league closer Josh Maney to the Oberland T-51s, getting 34-year-old minor league reliever Lance Cournoyer 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) Goodneighbor Hancocks (119.3, o)
2) Nordhagen Beach Party Boys (116.5, o)
3) Concord Radstags (114.2, ++)
4) Fort Hagen Silver Shroud (113.8, -)
5) Quincy Gunners (102.7, ++)
6) The Slog Ghouls (102.7, +)
7) Vault 81 Dwellers (102.2, -)
8) FHE Yao Guai (101.9, ++)
9) Salem Witch Hats (98.2, ++)
10) Diamond City Swatters (97.9, --)
11) Easy Town Assaultrons (96.5, --)
12) Starlight Lady Killers (90.8, +)
13) Lexington Synths (89.6, --)
14) Jamaica Plain Red Rockets (88.2, --)
15) University Point Deathclaws (87.6, -)
16) Egret Ninjas (84.8, +)
17) Oberland T-51s (84.8, +)
18) Abernathy Adamantium (80.6, --)
19) Warwick Mirelurks (76.0, ++)
20) County Crossing Bloodbugs (71.8, o)
21) Atom Cats (71.0, -)
22) Roxbury Rad Sox (63.5, -)
23) Finch Farm Four Leafs (55.9, o)
24) Sunshine Tidings Chemists (50.4, o)
Analysis
Goodneighbor and Nordhagen Beach remained at #1 and #2, respectively, in the Week 13 Power Rankings. The Hancocks went 3-2 with a split in the battle of first-place teams in the South Charles Association. Vault 81 (#7) got one of their two wins on the week against Goodneighbor. In the weekend series, the Hancocks won two of three over Atom (#21), dropping the Sunday game after winning thee straight. The Party Boys were also 3-2 on the week, splitting a series at Abernathy (#18) and then winning two of three at Finch Farm (#23). The series against the Four Leafs was a pitcher’s duel throughout, with Nordhagen Beach outscoring Finch Farm 7-5 in the three games.
Concord jumped up six spots to #3 following a 5-0 week, putting them two games behind Fort Hagen (#4) in the Institute League. Led by NCA Player of the Week Pockets Aintfull, the Stags swept both Finch Farm and Abernathy in a week when the Party Boys could sweep neither.
Quincy rounds out the Top 5, also jumping up six spots this week despite only having a 3-2 week. The Gunners swept two games at Roxbury (#22) before only winning the Sunday game at University Point (#15). At 36-29, Quincy currently holds the #3 spot in the SCA playoff chase, leading both Diamond City (#10) and FHE (#8) by a game.
Heading into the All-Star Break, NCA June Player of the Month (spoilers!) Ben Pawlak of Fort Hagen appears to be in the lead for the Nuka-Hitter Award and is a legitimate CBO MVP candidate. Pawlak leads the NCA in multiple offensive categories, including Slugging (.663), OPS (1.086), WAR (5.1), Runs (57), Total Bases (169), Extra-base Hits (45), OPS+ (173), and WOBA (.455). He’s also in the Top 5 in Batting Average (.349), Home Runs (16), RBI (55), OBP (.423), and ISO (.314).
The SCA’s Nuka-Hitter leader is Joe Rathmann of FHE thanks to his CBO-leading .405 batting average through 65 games. Rathmann also leads the SCA in OBP (.540), OPS (1.227), WAR (5.8), Stolen Bases (24), Walks (69), OPS+ (211), WPA (5.15), and WOBA (.506). Rathmann is also in the Top 5 in RBI (58), Slugging% (.687), Hits (92), Runs (58), Total Bases (156), and CS (7).
For pitching in the NCA, Fort Hagen looks to have double awards leaders in the NCA. Starting pitcher Derek Green has a slight lead over a number of good pitchers throughout the association. Green leads the NCA in wins (10), WAR (4.3), Complete Games (6), Opponents AVG (.204), and Win% (.833), and he is tied with teammate Mike Cartrette for strikeouts (108). He is also in the Top 5 in ERA (2.74), Innings Pitched (124.2), Shutouts (2), K/9 (7.8), WHIP (1.08), FIP (2.84), ERA+ (162), rWAR (4.2), and Quality Starts (12).
In the SCA, we have no idea, but we want to give the All-Star leader for the Vim! Pitcher Award to Roxbury’s Beachboy Nut. He has not separated himself from the pack, but considering that he is 9-4 (tied for 6th in the SCA in wins) on a team that has the SCA’ s worst record at 24-41 with the worst offense and starting pitching in the association, you can see just how good he has been. Nut leads the SCA in ERA (2.47) and ERA+ (178), and he is tied for first with three other players for Quality Starts (12). He is also in the Top 5 in WAR (3.4), Strikeouts (103), WHIP (1.13), rWAR (4.7), and Opponents AVG (.226).
Team Focus: The Slog Ghouls
Ranked #6 in the Week 13 Power Rankings, the 2296 Sole Survivor Series Champions and playoff participants in three of the first four seasons of the CBO are back in the running in 2300. The Slog Ghouls have shown themselves to be a constant threat in the NCA. This season, they currently hold the fifth seed in the playoff race, only a game back of Brotherhood League rival Easy Town for the fourth seed and two games up on another BL rival, Salem, for the last spot.
The Slog has been all about offense in 2300, currently in the Top 5 in almost every offensive category, though 1st in none. They are second in the NCA in runs scored (351), batting average (.286), OPS (.783), wOBA (.336), and Stolen Bases (56). While all of those numbers look great, the more impressive statistic is that they are using a complete team effort to accomplish their stats, making them an extremely dangerous offensive team.
Pitching has been more of a problem, with the Ghouls at 10th in runs against (329) and Starters ERA (5.14). Part of that problem was being without ace Bruce Iddings (4-2, 3.84 ERA in 8 starts) who was out for most of the season. Gwinnett Southie (8-5, 4.15) has picked up much of the slack. Bobby Delaune (6-8, 6.53) seems to be the player struggling most. In the bullpen, their ERA (3.20) is a bit better. Closer Flotsam DiPasquale (17 SV, 3.56) has been OK. Matt Suds (3-0, 1.86) has been the most impressive.
For The Slog to find any playoff success, they will need to stay healthier than they have been. With Iddings and Southie, they have better chances to win games, but they will still probably have to rely on outscoring most opponents. That does not usually equal success in the playoffs when opponents are throwing their best pitchers every game.