BNN Weekly Report
This Week in the CBO, BMU, and GBRL
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
4 May 2303
Feature Story: May the Force Be with the Rad Sox
When a team drafts at the top of the Rookie Draft year in and year out for several years, they are bound to develop some top-notch prospects. The Roxbury Rad Sox started their venture in the CBO as the bottom team, but they have been building talent and trading for more over the years. Now, they may be the force of the South Charles Association.
The lead: 2.45 Runs Allowed/Game
Two teams have been absolutely dominant in pitching: County Crossing and the Rad Sox. Both teams are tied for the CBO lead in runs allowed per game, each allowing 54 total runs on the season. Roxbury has had the most highs in that time, leading the CBO in shutouts with five. The Bloodbugs in comparison have had just one.
Roxbury has two #1 overall picks at the top of its rotation in Nuka Laloosh (2299) and Eugene Gym (2298). They also once had the rights to the 2296 1st overall pick, Nordhagen Beach's Beachboy Nut but traded him for their current starting left side of their infield in SS Purple Gupta and 3B Donn Mattingley, each of whom are contributing to the Sox's success.
Laloosh has been as rock-solid as one can hope for in helping the Rad Sox to the best Starters ERA (1.87), FIP (3.08), and Pitching WAR (5.7) in the SCA. In five starts, Laloosh is 3-0 with a 1.91 ERA in 37.2 innings. He has allowed 29 hits, eight earned runs, and four home runs, walked five batters, and struck out 37. As of today, he leads the CBO in strikeouts per walk at 7.4, 0.4 points better than Nut. He is also one of just 12 pitchers in the CBO, which also includes his teammate Gwinnett Southie, whom we will cover shortly. In the SCA, he is 6th in ERA, tied for 7th in wins, third in pitcher WAR (1.4), tied for 2nd in complete games, tied for 2nd in shutouts, second in strikeouts, third in strikeouts per 9 innings, 2nd in walks per 9 innings, 2nd in WHIP, 3rd in FIP, 6th in ERA+, 5th in rWAR, and tied for 7th in quality starts. Other than the other pitchers in the rotation for Roxbury, he is high on the Vim! Pitcher Award list after four weeks of CBO play.
Gym has not been as strong to start the season, though there is nothing wrong with his numbers. In six starts, Gym is 4-2 with a 3.12 ERA. He has pitched 43.1 innings, allowing 41 hits, 15 earned runs, and four homers, walked 12, and struck out 39.
The person who has been the dominant factor this season, and BNN's current choice as the runaway Vim! Pitcher Award winner is fourth starter Southie. The former 6th-round pick in the 2296 Inaugural Draft by the Starlight Lady Killers and currently with his fourth different franchise (also, Concord and The Slog), Southie is performing beyond his ceiling, despite having a good career. In his career, he is 74-59 with a 4.44 ERA, including five straight seasons of winning at least 11 games. This season, he is 4-0 in five starts with a 0.54 ERA, allowing just two earned runs in 33.1 innings pitched. He has allowed 21 hits, walked four, and struck out 20 in that stretch. Southie leads the CBO in multiple statistical categories: ERA, WAR (1.6), WHIP (0.75), FIP (1.78), and ERA+ (793), and he is tied for winning percentage. In the SCA, he is the leader or near the top in wins, K/BB (2nd at 5.0), BB/9 (1st at 1.1), rWAR (2nd at 2.1), BABIP (6th at .212), Opp Avg (2nd at .178), and quality starts (1st-T at 5).
Finally, third starter, Whokill Poole, a former free agent pickup who made his way into the Roxbury starting rotation last season, has been contributing to the dominance. In six starts, Poole is 4-2 with a 1.61 ERA. He has pitched 44.2 innings, allowing 29 hits, eight earned runs, and three home runs. He has walked 13 and struck out 20. He also is on top of a few CBO categories: complete games and shutouts (2) and rWAR (2.3). He also leads the SCA in innings pitched and is tied for 1st with four wins and five quality starts.
News and Notes: Two recent players of the week, including this week's top player in the NCA are on the mend. The Bugs' Babs Rooth (1st in CBO with a .429 average) and Vault 81's Knud Bather are both sitting out a while with injuries. . . . Goodneighbor's former star turned pedestrian player, Bryan Assman, has been finding some success in his power game this season, currently tied for 3rd in the SCA with 8 home runs.
Analysis
They may have shown a dominant start in going 10-2 against the SCA in the first-ever interassociation matchups in the CBO, but County Crossing (#1) has doubled down against the Institute League, going 9-1 in the opening stretch. Concord (#12) has been the only team the Bloodbugs have not faced, and only Lexington (#16) split a series 1-1 with them.
At #2, the team we featured above, the Rad Sox have gone 8-2 in their matchups against the Minutemen League, winning their first five before splitting at Goodneighbor (#7) and Warwick (#21).
The defending champions, University Point, is at #3. The Deathclaws have gone 7-3 against a strong Railroad League group, splitting series with Vault 81 (#14), FHE, and Diamond City. The Claws and Rad Sox have yet to face off but meet up in Roxbury tomorrow and Wednesday.
Two more Railroad League teams make up #4 and #5 in the Power Rankings. Diamond City went 6-4, which included a three-game losing streak and now a three-game winning streak. The split with the Hancocks, swept Quincy (#17), got swept at Jamaica Plain (#13), split with the Claws, and then swept Atom (#18).
For the Yao Guai, they also went 6-4 against the ML. They split with the Gunners, Red Rockets, Claws, and Cats before sweeping Warwick (#21).
Oberland started the season decently in interassociation games, going 6-6, but has faded in their matchups against the RL, falling to #24. The T-51s went 1-9 the last two weeks, including a current seven-game winning streak. Their sole victory in that stretch was a 11-8 win over the Mirelurks.
Standings
Team vs Team
Power Rankings
Players of the Week
NCA
1B Jim Tiller, Fort Hagen - 10/20 (.500), 2 HR, 7 RBI
RF Babs Rooth, County Crossing - 10/15 (.667), 2 HR, 5 RBI
SCA
SS Jake Doucette, Atom - 12/20 (.600), 4 HR, 11 RBI
RF Young Goodman, Roxbury - 9/19 (.474), 4 HR, 7 RBI, 8 R
Transactions
Monday, May 4th , 2303
County Crossing Bloodbugs: Placed RF Babs Rooth on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 05/03/2303.
Sunshine Tidings Chemists: Signed LF Zackery Paxson.
Sunday, May 3rd , 2303
Starlight Lady Killers: Placed RP Ricky Six Pack on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 05/02/2303.
Starlight Lady Killers: Signed RP Jeremy Crowe.
Warwick Mirelurks: Signed Manager Nick Caudill.
Saturday, May 2nd , 2303
Sunshine Tidings Chemists: Signed LF Coyote Evans.
Sunshine Tidings Chemists: Released LF Zackery Paxson.
Friday, May 1st , 2303
Starlight Lady Killers: Released SP Josh Rumans.
The Slog Ghouls: Released RF Marty Fischer.
The Slog Ghouls: Released RF Cheap Diehl.
Jamaica Plain Red Rockets: Released 1B Querty Siegfried.
Quincy Gunners: Activated SS Robbie Adams from the restricted list.
Quincy Gunners: Released 2B Chad Fretz.
Warwick Mirelurks: Signed General Manager Dan Dall.
Thursday, April 30th , 2303
Vault 81 Dwellers: Placed SS Knud Bather on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 04/29/2303.
Easy Town Assaultrons: Activated RF Curtis Yellallot from the injured list.
Oberland T-51s: Signed 2B Little Ryan Smokes.
Oberland T-51s: Released 2B Little Ryan Smokes.
Warwick Mirelurks: Fired General Manager Josh Charliehorse.
Warwick Mirelurks: Fired Manager Herschel Begin.
Tuesday, April 28th , 2303
University Point Deathclaws: Activated RP Ryan Fahrenkrog from the injured list.
University Point Deathclaws: Released SP Right Overby.
Oberland T-51s: Released LF Jamel Swan.
Monday, April 27th , 2303
Goodneighbor Hancocks: Signed free agent RP Jonathan Swilley to a minor league contract.
Oberland T-51s: Signed 2B Jason Holley.
Saturday, April 25th , 2303
Lexington Synths: Activated RP Tom Chryslus from the injured list.
Lexington Synths: Sent RP Tom Chryslus to Triple A Vault 95 for injury rehab.
Quincy Gunners: Placed SS Robbie Adams on the restricted list.
Diamond City Swatters: Placed SP Sheng Kawolski on the restricted list.
Diamond City Swatters: Signed RP Jon Thompson.
Friday, April 24th , 2303
Sunshine Tidings Chemists: Signed LF Glothos Scigliano.
Sunshine Tidings Chemists: Released LF Glothos Scigliano.
Thursday, April 23rd , 2303
University Point Deathclaws: Activated 3B Ryan Morris from the injured list.
Warwick Mirelurks: Activated SS Shotgun McElveen from the injured list.
Wednesday, April 22nd , 2303
Atom Cats: Released RP Jonathan Swilley.
Monday, April 20th , 2303
Sunshine Tidings Chemists: Released C Vim Welch.