BNN Weekly Report
This Week in the CBO, BMU, GBRL, Youth Leagues
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
1 September 2305
The September 1 Super Post
CBO Players of the Month
NCA Hitter - Maxx Murtagh battered North Charles Association pitchers all August and wound up taking home the Batter of the Month Award.
"I've been around Commonwealth Baseball Organization long enough to know you really have to work hard day in and day out to be able to put up this kind of consistency," the 28-year-old Murtagh told reporters. "I put in a lot of work, even on the days I might not take the field, and it's always nice when everything comes together for me like it did this last month."
In 22 games, Murtagh hit .381 with 9 home runs, 19 RBIs and scored 25 runs.
Murtagh is batting .310 this season in 107 games with 32 home runs, 77 RBIs and 90 runs scored. He has 128 hits in 413 at-bats.
NCA Pitcher - Question: Who was the #1 pitcher in the North Charles Association in August?
Answer: That would be Terrence Artman of the Sunshine Tidings Chemists.
He excelled with a 5-0 mark and a 2.35 ERA in 6 starts, tossed 46 innings, fanned 27 and held opposing teams to a .173 average. That's exactly why the North Charles Association scribes voted him the Pitcher of the Month.
So far this year Artman has a 11-7 record with a 3.61 ERA.
NCA Rookie - Sun Crockett is still a bit shy, but then, who could blame the newest North Charles Association Rookie of the Month honoree? He hasn't been around the league long enough to fully know the ropes yet, despite the fact that he's putting up veteran-like numbers.
In August the Lexington hitter tagged opposing pitching for a .295 average with 23 hits, 6 home runs and 15 RBIs.
During the current season Crockett is batting at a .270 clip with 21 home runs and 56 RBIs. He has played in 98 games and scored 56 times.
SCA Hitter - In August, Young Goodman was the toughest out in the South Charles Association and that is the prime reason he was voted the Batter of the Month.
The Roxbury right fielder rapped out 37 hits in 95 at-bats for a .389 batting average, hit 9 home runs, drove in 21 runs and scored 27 times.
This season Goodman is swinging the bat at a .340 pace. He has hit 21 home runs and scored 89 times, while driving in 87. His on-base percentage is .437 and he has played in 107 games.
SCA Pitcher - Deedee Martinson had an outstanding August -- so good that the South Charles Association presented him with the Pitcher of the Month Award earlier today.
"There's no way to know where the Cats would be without Martinson," one fan is quoted as saying.
In August Martinson dominated the competition, running up a 6-0 record, a 0.42 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 43 innings.
This season Martinson has a 17-3 mark in 27 starts with a 2.54 ERA. He has given up 132 hits in 166.1 innings, struck out 109 and issued 43 walks. Opposing clubs have compiled a .220 batting average against him.
SCA Rookie - Murray Bunts's eyes seem to light up whenever he sees the baseball. The young Diamond City first baseman has been hitting everything in sight for the better part of a month.
In August he was voted the Rookie of the Month.
During the month he hit .349 with 3 doubles, no triples and 5 home runs. Bunts also scored 15 times and drove in 18 runs.
This season Bunts is batting at a .330 clip with 5 home runs and 18 RBIs.
BMU Analysis
The 2305 season is complete with the playoffs beginning. Division winners are the Everett Mutant Hounds (V81, Dark Hollow Pond), Union Hope Lifegivers (OBE, Cambridge), Trinity Plaza Snipers (EGR, Downtown Boston), and Somerville Place Sentry Bots (JP, Glowing Sea).
While Commissioner Nate Howard and a few others are on a mission to eliminate a creature threat in the Commonwealth, there has not been recent news about the minor league changes. Speculation is that the BMU will drop down to what is called AA ball where it will be a part of a new formation in the CBO with three levels of minor leagues. A new league that will expand the borders of minor league baseball far beyond the Boston area is expected to be the AAA ball league where the players closest to being ready for the CBO will play.
BMU Players of the Month
CA Hitter - The Commonwealth Association Batter of the Month has been picked for August and the honor goes to the Greentop Nursery Night People Don Erb.
He compiled a .338 batting average with 24 hits and 14 home runs, along with 21 RBIs and 18 runs scored.
Erb on the season is batting .332 with 41 home runs. His totals include 79 RBIs and 64 runs scored. He has played in 86 games.
MA Hitter - When Justin Sauerkraut stepped up to the plate in August he did it with confidence, and today he was honored with the Massachusetts Association Batter of the Month award.
The young Boston Common left fielder posted a .423 batting average with 22 home runs, 38 RBIs and scored 27 runs. Sauerkraut also worked pitchers for 7 walks to post a .467 on-base percentage.
Hitting .375 to date, Sauerkraut has 66 home runs and 108 RBIs. He has played in 84 games.
CA Pitcher - The top-rated pitcher this past month in the Commonwealth Association was Randy Kaplan of the Everett Mutant Hounds. He really dominated league hitters, finishing August with a 5-1 won-lost mark and a 1.40 ERA.
The Mutant Hounds ace made 6 starts and surrendered 34 hits in 45 innings. He struck out 16 and walked 11.
Kaplan has fashioned a 7-3 mark for the season, 3.21 ERA and thrown 84 innings in 12 starts. Opposing clubs are batting .226 against him.
MA Pitcher - The Massachusetts Association announced the winner of the Pitcher of the Month Award for August.
It went to Smelly Schmelzer of Somerville Place for his outstanding 5-0 record and 2.13 ERA.
Schmelzer also chalked up 6 starts, 42.1 innings and 29 strikeouts.
This year Schmelzer has fanned 121 in 150 innings and collected a 12-5 record with a 2.94 ERA.
GBRL Analysis
Division winners are the Clifton Vertibirds (SI) of the Northeast Division, the Covenant Refractors (V81) of the Northwest Division, the Castle Strength (QUI) of the Southeast Division, and the Beantown Brewers (EGR) in the Southwest Division. Winners in the North League play each other and winners in the South League play each other with the winners of those series meeting in the Rookie Series.
GBRL Players of the Month
NL Hitter - Not known for his offensive prowess, Bob Roth set the league afire in August and took home the North League Batter of the Month award.
The Galleria third baseman posted a steady .351 batting average, 8 home runs, 18 RBIs and 21 runs.
Currently Roth is batting .341 with 8 home runs and 20 RBIs.
SL Hitter - It's perhaps an award he'll win many more times through his career, as at age 21 Dan Sturtevant has a lot of baseball ahead of him.
But for now the young Big John Salvagers star can enjoy the numbers he put up in August, which have garnered him the nod as the South League Batter of the Month.
His breakout month featured a .365 average with 9 home runs, 16 RBIs and 20 runs scored.
Currently Sturtevant is batting .315 with 24 home runs, 52 RBIs and 59 runs scored.
NL Pitcher - When the Fortune Finders skipper wrote Fiona on the lineup card, it was a bad omen for the opposition. Outing after outing in August he took command and usually got the win.
He dominated with a 4-1 mark and 2.66 ERA in 6 starts. The gifted Fortune Finders star pitched 40.2 innings, fanned 37 and held opposing teams to a .158 average.
For his excellent mound work Fiona was named the NL Pitcher of the Month by the baseball writers.
This year Fiona has made 22 starts, thrown 128.2 innings, fanned 112 batters and walked 58. His won-lost record is 8-6 with a 4.97 ERA.
SL Pitcher - The elite pitcher this past month in the South League was Lott Dod of the Neponset Park Criticals. He stood head and shoulders above the rest, finishing August with an extraordinary 4-0 record and a 1.36 ERA.
The Criticals star hurler made 6 starts and surrendered 24 hits in 46.1 innings. He struck out 54 and walked 18.
This season to date Dod has a record of 10 wins and 4 losses with a 1.75 ERA, has appeared in 23 games and struck out 193 in 170 innings.
BYDL Analysis
The Boston Youth Series is complete with the Wattz Ups defeating the Castle Freedom, three games to two, to win in 2305. Both teams were in their first Boston Youth Series since the league became a part of the CBO in 2300. Previous winners were Boston Common (2300), Beerthirty (2301), Lynn Pier (2302), Spectacle Island (2303), and South Beach (2304).
Junior 3B Mickey Halifax of the Ups was named the Series MVP. He was 8 for 18 (.444) with four home runs and nine RBI in the series, including hitting two in the 18-4 final to clinch the title. In the regular season, Halifax batted .384 with 22 home runs and 78 RBI.
BYDL Players of the Year
NR Hitter - The future looks extremely bright for Family Sam Partridge. At the age of 16, many players are still trying to find their way in Boston Youth Development League.
Partridge has not only found his way, he's already established himself as one of the game's brightest stars, today being named the winner of the North Region Most Valuable Player Award.
"I didn't expect to hit .416 this year, that's for sure," the right fielder said.
The Boston Harbor Harborfellows star also put up a .503 on-base percentage this year, with 116 hits, 29 doubles, no triples, 30 home runs, 88 RBIs and 74 runs scored.
He received 25 first place votes out of a possible 36. Gavin Deux-Gas of the Wattz Ups finished second in voting with 11 first place votes, while Jacob Tarberry of the North Charles Bank Goonies finished third.
Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Family Sam Partridge - Boston Harbor Harborfellows - 25 - 447
Gavin Deux-Gas - Wattz Ups - 11 - 379
Jacob Tarberry - North Charles Bank Goonies - 0 - 282
Cyclone Bolt - Danvers Perception - 0 - 253
Mickey Halifax - Wattz Ups - 0 - 221
Duff Fee - Green Future Sea Urchins - 0 - 179
Eustace Murial - Lynn Pier Gamers - 0 - 112
Nick Webgrease - Pleasant Minigunners - 0 - 88
Bat Limato - Boston Harbor Harborfellows - 0 - 83
Winslow Beaver - Beerthirty Sippers - 0 - 28
Pomeroy Ignoramus - Kendall Hospital Yahoos - 0 - 15
Keg Gutterson - Pleasant Minigunners - 0 - 14
Lightning Rod Forth - Beantown Sprouts - 0 - 7
Jamell Pup - Woburn Diners - 0 - 6
Cypher Raige - Fraternal Post 115 Leaders - 0 - 6
Kettle Deitrich - Kendall Hospital Yahoos - 0 - 3
Brennan Colt-45 - Concord-Lexington Minuteboys - 0 - 1
SR Hitter - Missile Crews of the West Quincy Atomatoys had a fine season this year and today he accepted the Most Valuable Player Award for 2305.
The 16-year-old center fielder put up a .399 average and a .502 on-base percentage, piling up 108 hits, 11 doubles, 4 triples, 26 home runs, 75 RBIs and 75 runs scored.
He received 36 first place votes, as a unanimous winner. Ziggy Stardust of the Needham Radstorm finished second in voting, while Root Beer of the South Beach Waves finished third.
Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Missile Crews - West Quincy Atomatoys - 36 - 504
Ziggy Stardust - Needham Radstorm - 0 - 313
Root Beer - South Beach Waves - 0 - 299
Gizmo Stripe - West Quincy Atomatoys - 0 - 218
Kinsella Birdwatcher - Hester Mechanists - 0 - 211
Roxy Radsuit - Needham Radstorm - 0 - 168
Buck Cassidy - Thompson Heights Earthlings - 0 - 113
Jericho Cane - Needham Radstorm - 0 - 109
Turbo Blackwood - Wellesley Brahmin - 0 - 94
Greenthumb Gray - Castle Freedom - 0 - 49
Kevin Pullup - South Beach Waves - 0 - 24
Bingham Hill - West Quincy Atomatoys - 0 - 9
Pockets Wrench - Avon Lakers - 0 - 7
Rock Rampage - Weymouth Locksmiths - 0 - 3
John Thoroughgood - Boston Common Baby Bellies - 0 - 2
Jaheim Harper - Diamond City Newsboys - 0 - 1
NR Pitcher - The North Region announced today that Paul Stains has been chosen the Pitcher of the Year Award winner for 2305. The North Charles Bank starter had everything working for him this past season as he soared to a 8-1 record.
In his exceptional season Stains chalked up a 1.16 ERA in 77.2 innings with 113 strikeouts and 14 walks. Enemy teams hit .197 against him in his 9 starts.
He received 23 first place votes out of a possible 36. Baker Hubbard of the Green Future Sea Urchins finished second in voting with 8 first place votes, while Sluggo Pyne of the Beantown Sprouts finished third with 5 first place votes.
Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Paul Stains - North Charles Bank Goonies - 23 - 203
Baker Hubbard - Green Future Sea Urchins - 8 - 162
Sluggo Pyne - Beantown Sprouts - 5 - 139
Silk Inflosse - Woburn Diners - 0 - 70
Darius Livers - Beantown Sprouts - 0 - 14
Ma'Khail Redstick - Beantown Sprouts - 0 - 12
Oliver Oil - Fraternal Post 115 Leaders - 0 - 5
Mercury Hayes - Kendall Hospital Yahoos - 0 - 4
Glory Wholeman - Beerthirty Sippers - 0 - 2
Ice Water Williams - Concord-Lexington Minuteboys - 0 - 1
SR Pitcher - The South Region made the official announcement today. The 2305 South Region Pitcher of the Year Award has gone to Clubhouse Treelover of Weymouth.
He had a superlative season, chalking up a 10-5 won-lost mark with an impressive 2.12 ERA.
Treelover logged 20 starts, threw 135.2 innings, yielded 110 hits, struck out 191 and held the opposition to a .220 batting average.
He received 29 first place votes out of a possible 36. Clueless Gunsmith of the Boston Common Baby Bellies finished second in voting with 6 first place votes, while Mister Burns of the Needham Radstorm finished third with 1 first place vote.
Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Clubhouse Treelover - Weymouth Locksmiths - 29 - 230
Clueless Gunsmith - Boston Common Baby Bellies - 6 - 160
Mister Burns - Needham Radstorm - 1 - 114
Boxer Rigger - Thompson Heights Earthlings - 0 - 72
Pinocchio de la Fuente - Castle Freedom - 0 - 21
Kevin Pullup - South Beach Waves - 0 - 7
Spanky Sutherland - Boston Common Baby Bellies - 0 - 4
Make Money - Spectacle Island Specters - 0 - 2
Astro Nomey - Hester Mechanists - 0 - 2
NR Reliever - At the young age of only 15, Electric Willis has been named the North Region Reliever of the Year Award winner for 2305.
The future appears bright for the South Charles Bank Moonies relief ace, who captured the award with 22 saves in 29 relief appearances, 58 strikeouts in 35.2 innings and a record of 2-0 to go with his 0.76 ERA.
He received 28 first place votes out of a possible 36. Nash Vil of the North Charles Bank Goonies finished second in voting with 8 first place votes, while Thor Salesman of the Lynn Pier Gamers finished third.
Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Electric Willis - South Charles Bank Moonies - 28 - 160
Nash Vil - North Charles Bank Goonies - 8 - 114
Thor Salesman - Lynn Pier Gamers - 0 - 20
Nakmor Kesh - Woburn Diners - 0 - 19
Wild Mouse Vavoom - Boston Harbor Harborfellows - 0 - 6
Conrad Verner - Woburn Diners - 0 - 5
SR Reliever - He may only be 16, but Zaggy Whitewater of the South Beach Waves has already established himself as one of the elite relievers in the South Region.
The reliever was today named the SR Reliever of the Year Award winner for 2305.
He won the award with a strong year that saw him put up 13 saves in 24 relief appearances and 38 strikeouts in 27.2 innings. He had a record of 1-0 to go with his 0.65 ERA.
He received 23 first place votes out of a possible 36. Remy Radroach of the Braintree Schoolboys finished second in voting with 12 first place votes, while Grupe Kiick of the Thompson Heights Earthlings finished third with 1 first place vote.
Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Zaggy Whitewater - South Beach Waves - 23 - 143
Remy Radroach - Braintree Schoolboys - 12 - 116
Grupe Kiick - Thompson Heights Earthlings - 1 - 42
Clee Vland - West Quincy Atomatoys - 0 - 13
Vert Vaultjumper - Hester Mechanists - 0 - 9
Mehrunes Dagon - Needham Radstorm - 0 - 1