BNN Weekly Report
This Week in the CBO, BMU, and GBRL
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
7 November 2301
Draft Analysis
Top 5 Overall
1-1 Warwick Mirelurks – 2B Diamond Ball of Jamaica-UPoint (BYDL)
Analysis: Elite pure hitter. Bound to hit for average every year. Likely to be a Triple Crown candidate. Not going to strike out much nor swing at bad pitches. Almost has a sixth sense for hitting. Defense could use some work, but could slip well into the 2B slot and only help his team.
Personality: Ball can become complacent and lacks the determination to make most of his tools. Seems to be desire away from being the top player in baseball. His name is no accident, but he may have had his name changed without his own consent. Not crazy about the game.
1-2 Oberland T-51s – SS Cope Kearns of Beerthirty (BYDL)
Analysis: Has the tools to be a top hitter in both average and power, though a hair below Ball. By far the 2nd overall pick in the draft. Has speed on the base paths as well as good range in the infield. Could be a decent player at pretty much any position but typically projected at SS. Will not be the best SS but also not the worst.
Personality: Curious and asks a lot of questions. Looks for his first and then considers others.
1-3 Finch Farm Four Leafs – SP Exxie Summerset of South Beach (BYDL)
Analysis: Has a lot of speed on his pitches with decent movement and a great off-speed circle change. Has a good slider, too, but hardly used it in the BYDL. Needs to develop more of a repertoire of pitches instead of relying on his two best pitches. Some question if he is ace potential.
Personality: Labeled as a troublemaker after an incident in his home settlement of Oberland. Parents ended up moving to South Boston after his incident. Is low-key; not much of a chatter. Does not hang around teammates. Does not seem to belong anywhere so willing to move on.
1-4 Roxbury Rad Sox – C Sleve McDichael of Chatham (CCYL)
Analysis: All offense, little defense. May later project at 1B or 3B since he has a strong arm. Will use minors to find his spot on the field. What is not a doubt is his place in the lineup: the middle. He is a boom or bust home run hitter, but he will not strike out a lot. However, he will sometimes swing and make contact with balls out of his zone, leading to lots of easy pop ups. Should have had better numbers in the CCYL as its premier player in 2301.
Personality: A hard one to track. Seems almost like a creation of a video game in his approach to everything. Forms tentative opinions and reserves judgment.
1-5 Lexington Synths – SS Steve V-Rock of South Beach (BYDL)
Analysis: Straight up fast ball hitter, but will punish them in the strikezone. Not as successful as an off-speed hitter, so needs to make that his focal point in the GBRL. Will not be a power hitter, but could be in the top 3 for his team each year depending on where he bats in the lineup. Best strength may be defense where he may not be a Corvega Top Defender, but he will likely be in the top half of defensive shortstops.
Personality: Intelligent players with lots of charisma. Will stand up for his teammates. Not always adaptable. Can be coached but prefers his comfort zones.
Other Players to Watch
1-15 - Fort Hagen Silver Shroud - LF Abell 11-98 of South Charles Bank (BYDL)
Analysis: May be a wait for his pitch and then jack it over the fence player. May not be the best defender but can earn his way on the field better by working on his field awareness in the outfield. Should he improve his defense, he could make himself worthy of playing at the CBO level as a regular one day.
1-17 - County Crossing Bloodbugs - SP Jason Costcaps of Andrew Station (BYDL)
Analysis: The biggest WTUQ? of the draft, Costcaps had a 6.37 ERA his last two seasons with the Southies. He has a good fastball and a decent curveball. He can occasionally throw a changeup that is not terrible. But what does he bring to a team that is now competing for a Sole Survivor Series? What will he ever bring? Scout Jim Peil may need to answer for this one!
2-42 - Jamaica Plain Red Rockets - 3B Hazmatt Zuniga of Beantown (BYDL)
Analysis: Currently injured, the Red Rockets may have the steal of the 2nd round. Zuniga is projected to be a patient hitter who will tear the cover off the ball, fly out, or walk. He does not swing at pitches he doesn't like nor ones out of the zone. Zuniga is definitely worth watching.
3-63 - Fort Hagen Silver Shroud - RF Judas Stoner of Thompson Heights (BYDL)
Analysis: Outside of the player listed below, may be the best value in the 3rd round. Seems to be a hard-working player, so that could be a boost for him. Will need to work hard on earning a defensive spot on the field. Otherwise, could be a top home run hitter in the league one day.
3-66 - Jamaica Plain Red Rockets - 3B Tim Connecticut of Hester (BYDL)
Analysis: Again, the Red Rockets may have had the steal of the round since some projected Connecticut as high as the end of the 1st round. One of the best hitter's eyes in the draft, Connecticut will make the pitcher throw his something good and then has a chance to punish that pitcher. Amazingly, though, may be more of a boom or bust hitter. Should work more on contact to avoid rewarding pitchers' mistakes. May move to the other corner of the infield with the GBRL's Outpost Zimonja team since Zuniga may get the call at 3B.
4-84 - Easy Town Assaultrons - 2B Matt Hicks of South Charles Bank (BYDL)
Analysis: Only came on as a player in his senior season but has shown some potential to be a CBO player in his future. Coaching staff will need to keep him focused, but he can turn out to be a middle-of-the-lineup 2B. Has the potential to hit for power and draw lots of walks.
4-96 - Nordhagen Beach Party Boys - 1B Cory Bacheller of Hester (BYDL)
Analysis: The first Party Boys' pick due to the Beachboy Nut trade. Interesting prospect. Never started a game with the Mechanists but has flashes of developing into a good hitter with power. He will need to work on recognizing pitches and avoiding strikeouts. Party Boys hope he will be more Dustin Mart and less Tommy Talkington.
5-100 - Roxbury Rad Sox - LF Jaime Boozer of Beerthirty (BYDL)
Analysis: An interesting prospect for the Rad Sox. Boozer may be the type of player that can work his way up beyond his draft pick. Rangy outfielder but not quite a CF prospect, though he could play there in a pinch. May be able to work his way into the CBO as a scrappy player pretty good at everything but great at nothing.
10-240 - Nordhagen Beach Party Boys - 3B Legend Jurenka of Brown U (PCPL)
Analysis: Not expected to be drafted since he first picked up a bat less than a year ago. Did not hit well, but has a frame that looks like he can become a man. Has nothing to show with a glove compared to peers since that is not a natural instinct. Will need to be a hard worker to ever make it past Walden Pond. Probably looking at a career minor league position in the Season Pass Association.