BNN Report
News from the CBO, MML, BMU, GBRL, and Youth Leagues
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
6 November 2307
Goodneighbor Selects Treelover with First Pick
The 2307 draft was an exciting one with 360 youth players selected in the 2307 Rookie Draft. From the first pick of SP Clubhouse Treelover out of Weymouth to the last pick of 2B Constantius Tituleius out of Eastham, the rookies are ready to report and show they can one day contribute to the success of their franchise.
According to OSA scouts, there were no true surprise picks in the 1st round with all 24 players considered to be sufficient for the round.
Here's a look at the Top 10 picks:
1. Goodneighbor Hancocks: Drafted SP Clubhouse Treelover in the 2307 first-year player draft (Round 1, Pick 1, 1st overall pick).
2. Concord Radstags: Drafted CF Duff Fee in the 2307 first-year player draft (Round 1, Pick 2, 2nd overall pick).
3. Lexington Synths: Drafted LF Gorgeous George Davis in the 2307 first-year player draft (Round 1, Pick 3, 3rd overall pick).
4. Fort Hagen Silver Shroud: Drafted SP Sarthis Idren in the 2307 first-year player draft (Round 1, Pick 4, 4th overall pick).
5. The Slog Ghouls: Drafted RF Cypher Raige in the 2307 first-year player draft (Round 1, Pick 5, 5th overall pick).
6. FHE Yao Guai: Drafted 1B Malyn Varen in the 2307 first-year player draft (Round 1, Pick 6, 6th overall pick).
7. Nahant Celtics: Drafted SP Nervous Patron in the 2307 first-year player draft (Round 1, Pick 7, 7th overall pick).
8. Diamond City Swatters: Drafted 1B Brunwulf Freewinter in the 2307 first-year player draft (Round 1, Pick 8, 8th overall pick).
9. Egret Ninjas: Drafted 1B Dickie Greenleaf in the 2307 first-year player draft (Round 1, Pick 9, 9th overall pick).
10. Salem Witch Hats: Drafted LF Castor Puzzlemaker in the 2307 first-year player draft (Round 1, Pick 10, 10th overall pick).
The complete draft is at the end of this article.
Breakdown
Here's a breakdown of OSA's top picks as well as the potential steals of the draft:
1-1 SP Clubhouse Treelover, Goodneighbor
Scouts: The lanky lefty with six pitches and a great command, Treelover is expected to be a guaranteed pitching prospect on the top half of a rotation. His arm has gotten stronger by year with the Locksmiths, starting in hs freshman year with a 92-94 fastball and ending with a 96-98 fastball. Left-handed hitters will do nothing against him.
Overview: A true competitor, Treelover is not ready to make his debut in the CBO, but he should impress with his coachability, work ethic, and smarts. He should be able to develop all six pitches with his changeup and curveball judged to have the most impact.
1-2 CF Duff Fee, Concord
Scouts: Considered to be a pure hitter, with scouts loving his naturally smooth swing. Expected to be a high average hitter with a good amount of pop in his bat. Great with the glove and fast, too, meaning he will give opponents fits.
Overview: Fee has a great work ethic that could help him climb the ranks fast. Defensively, he could be a starter already, and he might even be able to contribute with the bat at the bottom of the lineup. If he is allowed to develop, Fee could be an eliter CF in the CBO.
1-3 LF Gorgeous George Davis, Lexington
Scouts: Played only one year of competitive baseball. Not the best defender but could be decent at a corner OF spot. Smart guy who tries to work through his struggles. Has potential to be a high average-high homers hitter in the middle of a lineup.
Overview: A true potential pick, it is a little surprising he went this early, but Davis is most certainly worth a high pick. In his sole season with Sandwich, he batted ,336 with 25 home runs and 72 RBI, showing he could be a beast if he develops fully.
1-4 SP Sarthis Idren, Fort Hagen
Scouts: Fills a need for the Silver Shroud franchise. Will not be in the CBO anytime soon, but has a lot of potential. Has been criticized by coaches for not knowing when to stop, which could lead to strain on his throwing arm. Also a six-pitch pitcher with expected development mostly coming in the form of a cutter, slider, and changeup.
Overview:
1-5 RF Cypher Raige, The Slog
Scouts: Originally picked as the #1 pick in the mock draft, Raige is the top leader at the top of draft prospects. May need a lot of development before he is star quality but does know how to handle himself in the batter's box. Waits for his pitch and does a good job of making contact and driving the pitch. May not be a true slugger but could rack up a healthy number of homers. Not much defensively so will probably be stuck in a corner OF spot.
Overview: Scouts are a bit torn on Raige with some stating he will be the best player to come out of this draft and others wondering if he will be nothing more than a contributor. He certainly had a great youth league career with Fraternal Post 115, batting .368 with 83 home runs and 251 RBI in fours seasons.
1-6 1B Malyn Varen, FHE
Scouts: Lots of talent but the firs player at the top where scouts question his commitment to the game. Seems to get bored with practice and has been vocal that he could be the best anywhere on the field if given a shot. Some compare his approach to the plate as similar to Barker Cocoa's. He will wait for the right pitch and then murder it. He is unlikely to swing at anything out of the strike zone.
Overview: Varen emerged in 2307 with 23 home runs. He could continue to make those numbers rise if he learns how to adjust to more advanced pitching.
1-7 SP Nervous Patron, Nahant
Scouts: Not as much variety in pitching as Treelover and Idren but very good with his three-pitch repertoire. Has a strong fast ball near 100 MPH. When his fastball and slider are working, he is tough to touch. Scouts see him as having ace potential if properly developed.
Overview: Patron was asked to experiment with his pitches a little more in 2307. While his strikeout numbers went up, he also saw his ERA and WHIP climb. Nahant will have to work him right to help him to develop to that stud pitching they want from him.
1-8 1B Brunwulf Freewinter, Diamond City
Scouts: Not the most certain of decision makers. Needs coaches to tell him where to line up and when to take. A bit of a free swinger but at least gets the ball on the bat a lot. Expected to be a power hitter who could develop into a good all around hitter if he becomes more patient. Nothing to write home about on defense.
Overview: Freewinter is another high potential players but he could also be a bust if he doesn't adapt to his new environment.
1-9 1B Dickie Greenleaf, Egret
Scouts: Some scouts see him as a "me first" player who needs to learn how to be a part of the machine on the field. Will often try to call off his CF when playing LF. While he has good range for tracking down balls in LCF, he is often not the person who should be calling the ball, leading to multiple errors in his youth league career with Stoneham.
Overview: Could be a good pro if he is converted to 1B. Has lots of promise to be a decent all-around hitter who could also swipe a few bases.
1-10 LF Castor Puzzlemaker, Salem
Scouts: Student of the game. Takes coaching seriously. Better off being on a good team where he has support all around him. However, still has the potential to find himself in the middle of the lineup. Not great on defense, so that part of this game needs work.
Overview: Puzzlemaker has a lot of potential to be a strong home run hitter. Had a lot of success with Harwich, especially with pitches right down the plate.
2-13 LF Johnny Maize, Bunker Hill
Scouts: Could have been a 1st-round pick but did not show a lot of confidence in his pre-draft workouts. Answered the call in his one season in competitive baseball, batting .344 with 14 home runs and 52 RBI with East Providence. Could develop into a true power hitter once his frame starts to fill out more.
Overview: A potentials pick but probably could hit a double-digit number of homers in the CBO right now. Will be a scary player to face in the future for pitchers.
3-12 LF Radx Roberts, Atom
Scouts: Petitioned to enter draft after just two seasons with Chatham. Injuries in 2307 derailed him, leading to starting only 12 games. Could have been a 1st-round pick if he were to come out at 18. Good fastball hitter. Needs work on off-speed pitching. Needs a lot of coaching to succeed.
Overview: Another player scouts are torn on with some rating him as a 1st-round prospect now despite barely playing and hitting only .172 in 2307.
4-22 3B Kesh Clean, Easy Town
Scouts: Not as naturally talented as some of the other players in the draft. Will be a prospect pick where the Assaultrons staff will need to teach him how to maximize his swing. Has lots of power potential but never learned how to hit homers with Harwich. Hit only 11 homers in four seasons.
Overview: There are not high expectations for Clean. He could develop into a power hitter, or fail at that and fade away.
5-1 LF Izdere Lifunn-Mars, Roxbury
Scouts: Consistently improved throughout his time with Wellesley but was never given much of a look as a high pick. Interesting pick by Roxbury to take him on since he may have a direct path to playing 1B for the Sox. Lots of power potential with a decent amount of contact potential.
Overview: Lifunn-Mars may be entering the best situation for a mid pick. Should coaches help him to develop, he could see himself batting in the middle of the Roxbury order by his 21st birthday. Needs to set goals of improvement to get there, but can do it.
Return to 2297 Rookie Draft
The 2297 Rookie Draft marked the first that would be a part of the full CBO where all leagues combined into a single organization for all purposes. Let's take a look at that outstanding draft from 10 years ago with an emphasis on the 1st round and top picks from Rounds 2-5.
Round 1
Round 1, Pick 1 - Diamond City Swatters: 1B Oren Gep, age 19
Round 1, Pick 2 - Jamaica Plain Red Rockets: SP Digger Vadim, age 19
Round 1, Pick 3 - Atom Cats: SS Jake Doucette, age 19
Round 1, Pick 4 - Egret Scrappers: 3B Dog Prairie, age 19
Round 1, Pick 5 - County Crossing Bloodbugs: SP Dobbie Radoncis, age 19
Round 1, Pick 6 - Concord Radstags: 1B Babs Rooth, age 18
Round 1, Pick 7 - University Point Deathclaws: 3B Blue Beak, age 19
Round 1, Pick 8 - Starlight Lady Killers: C Chris Dominoes, age 18
Round 1, Pick 9 - Abernathy Adamantium: SP Mike Rubric, age 20
Round 1, Pick 10 - Finch Farm Four Leafs: 2B Signal Frummy, age 19
Round 1, Pick 11 - Vault 81 Dwellers: SP Emperry Alizm, age 18
Round 1, Pick 12 - Salem Witch Hats: SP Ugio Church, age 19
Round 1, Pick 13 - Shaw HS Knuckle Punchers: CF Tevin MacPhail, age 19
Round 1, Pick 14 - Sunshine Tidings Chemists: RF Bat Savelli, age 19
Round 1, Pick 15 - Easy Town Assaultrons: 2B Aaron Sinn, age 19
Round 1, Pick 16 - Fort Hagen Silver Shroud: CF Organizae Brown, age 18
Round 1, Pick 17 - Fairline Hill Estates Yao Guai: CF Any Why, age 19
Round 1, Pick 18 - Nordhagen Beach Party Boys: 3B Er Temptation, age 18
Round 1, Pick 19 - Warwick Mirelurks: LF Kern Rifleman, age 19
Round 1, Pick 20 - Quincy Gunners: SS Biggie Biggs, age 19
Round 1, Pick 21 - The Slog Ghouls: SP Mike Koenig, age 19
Round 1, Pick 22 - Lexington Synths: 2B Cream Melton, age 20
Round 1, Pick 23 - Goodneighbor Hancocks: SP Jesse Fraud, age 19
Round 1, Pick 24 - Oberland T-51s: 2B Harry Byrd, age 18
In the 1st round, 23 of 24 players appeared in the CBO. Lexington's pick at #22, Cream Melton, was the only player not to make it to the CBO. However, currently with the Oberland franchise, he has a lifetime minor league career batting average of .325 with 49 home runs, 236 RBI, 368 runs, and 187 stolen bases. He won the 2307 MML LL Platinum Stick Award at 2B and was the 2304 CA Championship Series MVP.
Five of the first six picks have all been studs, combining for 26 CBO All-Star Game appearances: Gep (7), Vadim (3), Doucette (4), Priairie (6), and Rooth (6). Other top picks in the 1st round are Church (2) and Byrd (5).
Round 2
Round 2, Pick 7 - University Point Deathclaws: RF Barker Cocoa, age 19
Round 2, Pick 9 - Abernathy Adamantium: CF Deerlord Fugivmee, age 18
Both Cocoa and Fugivmee have turned out to be great picks with Cocoa looking to be a sure-fire Hall of Famer when the CBO opens that up (Howard mentioned the 25th anniversary of the league being a good time). We have no idea what scouts missed with both players, but they have been leaders on their teams. Fugivmee's pro career has been with Roxbury since 2300.
Round 3
Round 3, Pick 19 - Warwick Mirelurks: SP Whip Lashley, age 18
Lashley has looked as though he has lost something on his pitch, but in seven CBO seasons with County Crossing, he has finished with 10+ wins every year. In his career, he is 96-45 with a 3.66 ERA.
Round 5
Round 5, Pick 1 - Diamond City Swatters: SP Trolley Dodge, age 18
In eight CBO seasons with FInch Farm and Oberland, Dodge has not been a super star but has been a decent pitcher in the rotation. H has won 10 or more games four times, including 12 in 2307. __________________