BNN Weekly Report
This Week in the CBO, BMU, GBRL, and Youth Leagues
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
27 May 2307
CBO Analysis
We have hit the perfect number, the everything, the meaning of life in the number of games. There is now a new sheriff at the top (we'll get to that soon) in the NCA and Roxbury continuing to create distance in the SCA. With that stated, let's take a look at the Top 5.
Coming in at #1 is the CBO's best team, the Roxbury Rad Sox. The Sox went a CBO tied for second best (7-3) in the past two weeks, just behind Oberland's 8-2 mark. Roxbury split with University Point (#4), won one at Vault 81 (#6), swept Jamaica Plain (#14), and swept Diamond City (#20) to run its winning streak to six games.
Easy Town is #2 after taking over first place in the Brotherhood League and North Charles Association. The Assaultrons went 6-4, including a big sweep over the 2nd-place team in the battle for 1st place. The Trons were swept at Starlight (#11), swept Nahant (#17), got swept by Concord (#22), and then swept Nordhagen Beach (#8) in a series they entered trailing the Party Boys by two games.
Atom is #3 after going 6-4 in the past two weeks and holding a two-game lead in the Minutemen League along with being tied with Easy Town for the CBO's second-best record. The Cats swept the Swatters, won one versus Goodneighbor (#23), swept Diamond City again, and then won one at the Claws.
With a hot two-week stretch, University Point is #4. Now only two games back of Atom, including series win this past weekend, the Deathclaws matched Roxbury's 7-3 stretch. The Claws split with the Sox, swept Spectacle Island (#7), split at Egret (#19), and then won two of three over the Cats.
Count Crossing rounds out the Top 5 at #5 with a 6-4 span in its last 10. Despite being tied for 3rd in the BL, the Bloodbugs have looked more like a playoff team as of late. The Bugs split at Fort Hagen (#21), won one at Salem (#9), swept Bunker Hill (#16), and then won two at home versus the Witch Hats to tie them for 3rd place in the BL.
Brotherhood League
With two games separating 1st and 4th place, this league is in a race to the best. In a month's time, we reach the halfway point, and then we can really start to see which team(s) will emerge.
Salem is really starting to intrigue us as to how close they are to taking over the BL. The Witch Hats are currently tied for 3rd in scoring (196) and tied for 2nd in runs allowed (171). The runs scored number is despite being 6th or lower in every offensive category. It means that they are finding ways to score, with the help of opposing defenses, but we also could see the offense being even better down the stretch.
Despite hitting 51 home runs (tied for 6th), the Hats have shown some power throughout the lineup. 1B Needham Tickler (.325/10/29) and CF Andy Dogleash (.278/10/29) are leading the way. Three other players are capable of finishing with 20+ home runs, led by LF Dan Erb (.312/6/21), along with 3B Booth Larson (.269/7/28) and RF Danny Faraday (.273/6/23).
Pitching has been solid with SP Jaa Thirtysix (5-4, 3.57) and SP Chase Wede (2-4, 3.66) getting solid innings, and CL Justin Wilkerson (10 SV 2.45) is doing well. There could be some depth concerns if any of those three pitchers were to go down, so it could be possible to move a prospect or two to shore up the staff.
Institute League
The roller coaster of hot and cold and freezing continues in this league. Sunshine Tidings took over 1st place yet again with a weekend sweep of Concord while Starlight dropped all three games to Fort Hagen. Now the IL appears to be a race with four teams within three games of 1st place. Bunker Hill and Lexington beat each other up over the weekend to prevent another team being right up there with both the Chemists and Killers.
At four games below .500, they are not winning regularly, but it does not mean Lexington cannot turn things around with just a few key pieces in place. Any team appears that it could battle for and win either of the two playoff spots, generating caps for that team. The Synths are 9th in runs scored (167) and 7th in runs against (180). The best player on the team is currently LF Gee Force (.241/7/26), but Lexington could win more with more contributions from the rest of the lineup. The Synths lack in power hitting, with Force's seven home runs leading the team.
Minutemen League
Don't look now, but the banged up Claws are back in the race. Just two games back of Atom, while Quincy has begun its descent, University Point would be the 3rd seed (tied with Vault 81) if the playoffs were to start today. Spectacle Island is also in the thick of the ML race.
For University Point, they did get SS Austin Engill (.265/2/9) back yesterday, and we are not sure how much they miss RF Tomas Jones with 35-year-old RF Bill Chaney (.269/11/28) having one of the best years of his career, which started as being Egret's 5th-round pick in the 2296 Inaugural Draft. 1B Barker Cocoa (.389/20/59) continues to light up opposing pitching, leading 13 of 24 offensive categories in the SCA and ranked in three others, including being just three total bases behind leader Diamind Ball of the Reapers.
Railroad League
Last time, we mentioned there was Roxbury and then everyone else. Well, now, it may be the Rad Sox and Vault 81 and everyone else after the Dwellers created some distance over every team but Oberland. The T-51s may be starting to wake up, which could be scary for the rest of the SCA, but for now, they remain solely in 6th place in the RL.
For Vault 81, the quest for the 3rd seed appears to be their best position to make a championship run. The Dwellers are now tied for 2nd in runs scored (242) and 8th in runs against (211). Part of their high runs allowed mark is that their starting pitching has been nothing like it was in 2306, especially record-settting ace Exxie Summerset (4-6, 3.97). While he is not pitching poorly, he was lights out in just about every start last season, while he is a bit of the legendary Jekyll and Hyde when on the mound this season. SP Randy Kaplan (4-4, 4.88) is the only other pitcher with an ERA below 5.00.
CBO Standings
CBO Power Rankings
CBO Players of the Week
May 20 - 25-year-old Booth Larson sent shock waves through Commonwealth Baseball Organization last week with an eye-popping performance that brought him the North Charles Association Player of the Week Award.
A newcomer to the league, Larson made the establishment sit up and take notice, punishing opposing pitchers with a .421 average, 8 hits in 19 at-bats, 2 home runs and 7 RBI.
Where the Salem Witch Hats third baseman goes from here, only the baseball gods know for sure, but Larson certainly made his mark last week.
Larson has collected 40 hits for the Witch Hats this year, 7 of them home runs. He has also netted 26 RBIs and scored 20 runs while batting .276.
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. Diamond Ball, the Spectacle Island Reapers 23-year-old second baseman, put himself in the spotlight last week making him the clear-cut choice for South Charles Association Player of the Week honors.
He ripped 11 hits in 19 at-bats, compiling a .579 average with 2 home runs and 9 RBIs.
So far this season Ball has put up a .421 batting average with 61 hits, 15 home runs and 40 RBIs.
May 27 - 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. Baktu DaWell, the Sunshine Tidings Chemists 25-year-old right 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 9 hits in 19 at-bats, compiling a .474 average with 3 home runs and 7 RBIs.
Hitting .329 to date, DaWell has 17 home runs and 38 RBIs. He has played in 42 games.
Today the South Charles Association announced the Player of the Week Award. This week's honoree is Vault 81 third baseman Knud Bather. When he steps into the batter's box, it's usually bad news for pitchers.
For the week he batted .450 (9-for-20) with 4 home runs and 8 RBIs.
This year Bather has hit at a .292 clip with 45 hits, 12 home runs, 37 RBIs and 29 runs scored.
CBO Transactions
Sunday, May 26th , 2307
University Point Deathclaws: Activated SS Austin Engill from the injured list.
Saturday, May 25th , 2307
Jamaica Plain Red Rockets: Released 1B Adrian Savoie.
Jamaica Plain Red Rockets: Signed 1B Kyle Coco.
Jamaica Plain Red Rockets: Released 1B Kyle Coco.
Friday, May 24th , 2307
Jamaica Plain Red Rockets: Signed 1B Adrian Savoie.
Thursday, May 23rd , 2307
Concord Radstags: Signed SP Ryan Kaplon.
Wednesday, May 22nd , 2307
The Concord Radstags traded 22-year old minor league RHP Colt Holt and 18-year old minor league RHP Ice Water Williams to the Fort Hagen Silver Shroud, getting 34-year old minor league RHP Joe Verti and 18-year old minor league LHP Fort Holt Knox in return.
Tuesday, May 21st , 2307
Fort Hagen Silver Shroud: Activated SS Well Done Dungan from the injured list.
The Slog Ghouls: Fired Manager Gogetem Thompson.
The Slog Ghouls: Signed Manager Nate Pugh.
Monday, May 20th , 2307
Roxbury Rad Sox: Activated SP Nuke Laloosh from the injured list.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Sent SP Nuke Laloosh to Triple A Sandwich for injury rehab.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Activated RP John Irwin from the restricted list.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Activated C Biddy Swenson from the restricted list.
Jamaica Plain Red Rockets: Signed 1B Omar Biggs.
Sunday, May 19th , 2307
Jamaica Plain Red Rockets: Signed 1B Bubba Necklace.
Saturday, May 18th , 2307
University Point Deathclaws: Placed LF Mag Barbarian on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 05/17/2307.
Fort Hagen Silver Shroud: Placed RF Gunner Eyesocket on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 05/17/2307.
Friday, May 17th , 2307
Roxbury Rad Sox: Signed RF Perry Grosswater.
Thursday, May 16th , 2307
Quincy Gunners: Released RP Dexter Jettster.
Tuesday, May 14th , 2307
Nordhagen Beach Party Boys: Released RP Jason Stevens.(Career-ending injury)