BNN Weekly Report
This Week in the CBO, BMU, GBRL, Youth Leagues
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
15 May 2305
CBO Analysis
We have hit the quarter mark of the 2305 season, and the CBO has a few teams creating distance while some other teams are jostling for a late seed in the playoffs. There are still 88 games (for most teams) left to go, so we may see some changes. However, the CBO has been mostly consistent with teams succeeding based on fast starts. Here's the Top 5.
Easy Town is #1 with the CBO's best record, the longest winning streak at eight games, and tied for best in their last 10 at 9-1. The Assaultrons split at Fort Hagen (#21), swept Finch Farm (#14), swept Bunker Hill (#13), and swept The Slog (#18).
Speaking of 9-1 in their last 10, University Point is #2. The Deathclaws swept at Roxbury (#3), swept Spectacle Island (#19), swept FHE (#16), and won two of three at Quincy (#24).
The Rad Sox are #3, going 6-4 in their last 10 (5-4 in the last two weeks) to go along with a four-game winning streak. The Sox were swept by the Claws, split with Diamond City (#7) with the Sunday game postponed until August, split at the Reapers, and swept the Yao Guai at FHE.
Atom is #4 this week, going 6-4 in their last 10 to fall a game behind University Point. The Cats split with Oberland (#8), swept the Gunners, got swept by the Swatters, and won two of three at Spectacle Island.
Egret rounds out the Top 5, just half a game behind Roxbury, after a 6-4 run in their last 10. The Ninjas swept the Reapers, got swept at Vault 81 (#23), swept Goodneighbor (#22), and then won two of three over the Dwellers.
Brotherhood League
In the last two weeks, the Assaultrons have extended their BL league lead to 8 games over the Bloodbugs. Three players are hitting over or near .400. We are not sure that Easy Town is the CBO's best team, but they sure are looking like it at 26-6 (.812) in the first quarter of the season.
County Crossing is not looking anywhere near as good as they did in 2304, but they are still the North Charles Association's second-best team. The rest of the league looks as though any team could find its place.
Nordhagen Beach is the most talented of the remaining teams in the BL, but they have not looked their usual selves. For pitching, Beachboy Nut (3-3, 2.84) and Ugio Church (3-2, 3.47) have been OK but not great like usual. LF Michael Fogcrawler (.198/4/14), a career .293 hitter, has struggled finding success. In fact, the back half of the lineup has been nearly useless all season.
Institute League
This league still has an "any team can win it" feel with only one team--Starlight--above .500. Sunshine Tidings, last season's IL champions, has not been able to match its 2304 success. Concord, which was predicted to be a playoff team, and Fort Hagen, which is a perennial playoff team are tied for last place. Neither looks to have what it takes but stranger things have happened.
Focusing on the Lady Killers, it is hard to see any real strengths that indicate they are a capable playoff team. There are a few surprising players performing above expectations, including LF Chad Fretz (.348/2/11), RF Nate Eiland (.397/5/13), SP Alex Alexson (3-1, 3.70), and SP Sam Molina (2-1, 2.66).
Minutemen League
The big three of the ML are in total control just 32 games into the season, with both University Point and Atom controlling the pace as they jostle for 1st. Jamaica Plain had a slow start but have now distanced themselves from the rest of the league with a seven-game advantage over Spectacle Island.
Quincy surprisingly fired its manager Howie Doing on May 9 in favor of former Vault 81 manager Jason Personhood, who was unceremoniously fired following the 2303 season despite going 65-55. The Gunners have some talent gaps but do have a few talented players to build on. Unfortunately for them, their pitching, which is considered decent has seen its starters struggle, including Chet Arthur (2-3, 6.34) and Matt Udder (1-4, 5.95).
Railroad League
Egret has continued to be a surprise team after two straight last-place finishes. The Ninjas have never sniffed the playoffs in the CBO with their only playoff appearance being with the independent RL in 2296. It is tough to imagine that they will remain in the playoff race with such a talented league, especially after losing 4 of 6 against Vault 81 in the last two weekends. Still, they have been hitting and pitching well in 32 games, so staying on that pace would keep them heavily in the race all season.
Roxbury has reestablished itself atop the RL and will probably end up pulling away for the South Charles Association's top record. Surprisingly, they are there all with pitching since the offense has been struggling. They are tied for 8th in runs scored (142), 9th in batting average (.247), and 10th in home runs (23). RF Deerlord Fugivmee (.230/4/12), LF Young Goodman (.265/3/15), and SS Purple Gupta (.264/3/10) are all underperforming, which could change and mean the Rad Sox could start winning above a .710 clip. That would be scary for the rest of the CBO.
CBO Standings
CBO Power Rankings
CBO Injury Report
CBO Players of the Week
NCA
May 8 - The baseball must have looked as big as a balloon to Sean Samuels of Easy Town last week. The left fielder had quite a 5-game stretch and today he was named the North Charles Association Player of the Week.
Samuels delivered 12 hits in 20 at-bats to hit .600 with 3 home runs and 10 RBIs.
Currently Samuels is batting .386 with 44 hits and 7 home runs. He has knocked in 24 runs and scored 34 times.
May 15 - 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. Delmarva Illeracula, the Finch Farm Four Leafs 25-year-old left fielder, put himself in the spotlight last week making him the clear-cut choice for North Charles Association Player of the Week honors.
He ripped 11 hits in 20 at-bats, compiling a .550 average with 2 home runs and 3 RBIs.
For the season Illeracula is batting .336 with 42 hits and 6 home runs. He has scored 18 times and batted in 21.
SCA
May 8 - All week long Racky Westheim was the toughest out in the South Charles Association and that is the prime reason he was voted the Player of the Week.
The Oberland catcher rapped out 10 hits in 18 at-bats for a .556 batting average, drove in 6 runs and scored 5 times.
Westheim is batting .365 this season in 25 games with 2 home runs, 15 RBIs and 10 runs scored. He has 35 hits in 96 at-bats.
May 15 - Pitcher Mat Nielsen of the Egret Ninjas was on top of his game last week and was chosen the South Charles Association Player of the Week.
Nielsen notched a 2-0 mark with 5 strikeouts, 3 walks in 15.1 innings, and a 0.00 ERA.
Currently Nielsen has a 5-2 won-lost record in 8 starts with a 2.94 ERA. He also has 23 strikeouts in 52 innings.
CBO Transactions
Sunday, May 14th , 2305
Roxbury Rad Sox: Signed RF Chris Kunkle.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Released RF Chris Kunkle.
Thursday, May 11th , 2305
Bunker Hill 75ers: Activated 1B Matt Stickhouse from the restricted list.
The Slog Ghouls: Activated RP Kyle Gunnels from the injured list.
Wednesday, May 10th , 2305
University Point Deathclaws: Activated RP Chase Southie from the injured list.
Lexington Synths: Fired Hitting Coach D.J. West.
Tuesday, May 9th , 2305
Bunker Hill 75ers: Placed RP Tell Thomson on the 60-day injured list.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Signed RF Chris Kunkle.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Released RF Chris Kunkle.
Quincy Gunners: Fired Manager Howie Doing.
Quincy Gunners: Signed Manager Jason Personhood.
Monday, May 8th , 2305
Diamond City Swatters: Placed C Jason Watts on the 60-day injured list.
Sunshine Tidings Chemists: Activated RP Reed Botti from the restricted list.
Sunday, May 7th , 2305
FHE Yao Guai: Placed 1B Jeffrey Curatolo on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 05/06/2305.
The Slog Ghouls: Placed 2B Elton Goodspeed on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 05/06/2305.
Saturday, May 6th , 2305
Bunker Hill 75ers: Placed 1B Matt Stickhouse on the restricted list.
Sunshine Tidings Chemists: Placed RP Reed Botti on the restricted list.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Signed RF Taylor Seeley.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Released RF Taylor Seeley.
Friday, May 5th , 2305
The Slog Ghouls: Placed RP Trent Gentilcore on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 05/04/2305.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Signed RF Taylor Seeley.
The Slog Ghouls: Signed C Joey Ropepole.
The Slog Ghouls: Signed SP Karate Zarate.
The Slog Ghouls: Signed SP David Rockets.
The Slog Ghouls: Signed RP Lee Fogcrawler.
The Slog Ghouls: Signed SP Babu Frik.
The Slog Ghouls: Signed LF Keith Beaker.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Released RF Taylor Seeley.
Thursday, May 4th , 2305
University Point Deathclaws: Placed RP Chase Southie on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 05/02/2305.
Wednesday, May 3rd , 2305
Bunker Hill 75ers: Activated RP Seward Kennedy from the injured list.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Signed RF Chris Kunkle.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Released RF Chris Kunkle.
Tuesday, May 2nd , 2305
Fort Hagen Silver Shroud: Activated CF Ben Pawlak from the injured list.
Monday, May 1st , 2305
Vault 81 Dwellers: Released RF Justin Harrison.
University Point Deathclaws: Placed RP James Schwerdtfeger on the 60-day injured list.
County Crossing Bloodbugs: Activated C Darth Horse from the injured list.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Signed RF Chris Kunkle.
Egret Ninjas: Signed free agent CF Big Meyers to a minor league contract.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Released RF Chris Kunkle.