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SURPRISES ATOP THE STANDINGS AT THE END OF MAY
THREE TEAMS WITH ZERO PLAYOFF APPEARANCES SHARE N.B.B.O. LEAD AT 15-5

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (June 1, 1863) – The first month of play in the 1863 N.B.B.O. season ended yesterday afternoon, and at the end of May there are a number of surprises atop the standings in the various regional championships.

First off, a trio of teams top the overall standings at 15-5 and none of the three have ever made a postseason appearance. The three teams: Port Jersey in the Coastal Championship and the combination of Merrimack Mills & Pioneer in the Inland Championship.

Port Jersey ended the month of May leading the Northeastern League in both Runs Scored at 179 and Runs Allowed 106, of course making them the leaders in Run Differential (+73, 3.65 R/G). Six of the eight non-pitchers in the lineup are batting over .300, and they are led by a newcomer having a fantastic start: LF Edward Donovan, who is hitting .454 with a 1.006 O.P.S, 24 Runs, 21 R.B.I, and 12 Stolen Bases. Boudewijn Mulder, last year’s Batsman of the Year, is hitting .355 with 17 Runs & R.B.I.

Merrimack Mills has been shuffling pitchers around due to an injury to Frank Huth, but that has not mattered due to the strength of the top half of their batting order. The first foursome of CF Silvestro Masci, 2B Leslie Arnett, 3B Leroy Weld, & RF Alexander Hedrick are all batting at least .365 with 15 or more R.B.I. The current leader of the group is Metropolitan B.B.C. import Leroy Weld, who is batting .402 with 27 Runs and 21 R.B.I.

Pioneer sits at 15-5 thanks to some good luck. They are second in Runs Against in the N.E.L. but their Batting Average of .302 is only thirteenth. Still, they have been the beneficiaries of fine pitching from Frank McCowan and Francesco Sorrentino, and their excellent baserunning (3rd in Stolen Bases, 6th in Base Running) has meant Pioneer has been able to manufacture the runs necessary to achieve the results they need.

Elsewhere in the N.E.L, someone other than St. John’s is finally atop the New England Championship after the month of May, with Green Mountain B.B.C. holding the clear lead thanks to a 13-7 record. Their clear leader through four weeks of play is superstar SS Anthony Mascherino, who his batting .404 with 20 R.B.I. and is on a pace for 8.4 W.A.R. over just 70 games (19.4 W.A.R./162 G). The other main threat in the G.M. lineup has been CF Jasper Carrell, who set an N.B.B.O. record with 34 runs over the first month of the season while stealing 23 bases without being caught.

Over in the New York League, Victory B.B.C, who has not made the postseason in five years and has finished 6th & 5th in the Upstate Championship over the last two seasons, currently sits alone atop Upstate. Old hand David Roberts is once again providing them with solid pitching, and 2B Edward Sax is hitting .400.

The 1863 season is less than one-third of the way through, but if the first month is any indication than it could be unlike any other.