BNN Report
News from the CBO, Minors, College, and Youth Leagues
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
1 May 2308
The May Super Post
CBO Players of the Month
NCA Hitter - Maxx Murtagh battered North Charles Association pitchers all April 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 31-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 20 games, Murtagh hit .383 with 10 home runs, 21 RBIs and scored 27 runs.
SCA Hitter - Orcin Cardinal made his presence known as one of the best young stars in the South Charles Association this past month.
The Oberland T-51s right fielder shined through the month of April and has won the Batter of the Month award.
The 25-year-old hit .430 with 12 home runs, 34 RBIs and 20 runs scored.
NCA Pitcher - April's standout hurler was Beachboy Nut of Nordhagen Beach. He muzzled North Charles Association hitters and held them in check the entire month to capture the Pitcher of the Month award.
To win the honor Nut compiled an impressive 4-0 mark and 1.71 ERA in 5 starts. The Party Boys star hurler also rung up 35 strikeouts in 42 innings.
SCA Pitcher - In the SCA spotlight today is Ghost Kyudalson of the Reapers. The bullpen ace was acclaimed the #1 pitcher in the South Charles Association for April.
The Spectacle Island Reapers reliever had 8 saves for the month with a 1-0 record and 1.64 ERA. He made 10 relief appearances, hurled 11 innings, yielded 8 hits, fanned 6 and walked 4.
NCA Rookie - Gavin Deux-Gas 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 April the The Slog hitter tagged opposing pitching for a .381 average with 32 hits, 4 home runs and 12 RBIs.
SCA Rookie - Todd Smithfield's eyes seem to light up whenever he sees the baseball. The young Diamond City left fielder has been hitting everything in sight for the better part of a month.
In April he was voted the Rookie of the Month.
During the month he hit .267 with 4 doubles, no triples and 7 home runs. Smithfield also scored 11 times and drove in 13 runs.
MML Analysis
We are one month into the MML season, and it looks as though most of the top-talented teams are all in the LL's Matt Murtagh Division. Both Lynn (Obe) and Everett (V81) are tied for the best record at 13-4. Other division leaders are Abernathy (BH), Needham (JP), and a three-way tie in the Carl Yastrzemski Division of Pleasant Lake (CC), Warwick (Star), and Castle (Quin).
MML Players of the Month
LL Hitter - The Batter of the Month honoree for April in the Legends League is Lynn Fortune Finders left fielder Cram Garge.
He showed no mercy as he finished the month with a .405 batting average, 10 home runs, 24 RBIs, and 13 runs scored.
SL Hitter - Chris Eakle is not used to being associated with Batter of the Month-caliber players, but today the Braintree left fielder joined that select company when the Stars League announced the results of April's voting.
Eakle totaled 26 hits, 12 walks, 6 home runs, 16 RBIs and 16 runs scored last month to put together a .441 batting average and .534 on-base percentage.
LL Pitcher - Last month was a very good one for Beaux Beaux of Danvers. So good that he has been picked as the Pitcher of the Month in the Legends League.
Beaux throttled league hitters the entire month, completing April with an impressive 3-2 mark and a 2.92 ERA in 5 starts with 31 strikeouts in 40 innings.
SL Pitcher - When John Webber takes the hill, chances are good for a Brookline victory. At least that's the way it was in May.
He excelled with a 4-0 mark and 2.54 ERA in 5 starts, tossed 39 innings, fanned 29 and held others clubs to a .243 average.
That's why the Bandoliers star was honored today as the Pitcher of the Month by the Stars League.
BMU Analysis
Four teams have distinguished themselves in their leagues in early play: Taffington Boathouse (Egr), Sanctuary Hills (Lex), Neponset Park (Sal), and Forest Grove (FtH). There is still plenty of season left, though, so we will see how well these players perform. As a note, the BMU added a rule this season that all players must be 27 or younger before the start of the season. All "washed-up" veterans of 28 or older still playing must be in the MML.
BMU Players of the Month
CA Hitter - It's perhaps an award he'll win many more times through his career, as at age 19 Herc Megara has a lot of baseball ahead of him.
But for now the young Sanctuary Hills Zetans star can enjoy the numbers he put up in April, which have garnered him the nod as the Commonwealth Association Batter of the Month.
His breakout month featured a .418 average with 6 home runs, 13 RBIs and 18 runs scored.
MA Hitter - For a rookie just breaking in, Tuck Wilson certainly put together a successful month. It was good enough to win the MA Batter of the Month award for April.
The 19-year-old third baseman for the Forest Grove Pugilists hit .404 with 7 home runs, 20 RBIs and 10 runs scored.
CA Pitcher - The Commonwealth Association scribes have picked April's Pitcher of the Month and have given the trophy to Jumping Jehoshaphat Cobb of Mystic Pines. He was devastating on the mound last month with a standout 3-0 mark.
The Raybathers star hurler made 3 starts with a 0.75 ERA and surrendered 14 hits in 24 innings. He struck out 16 and walked 3.
MA Pitcher - The elite pitcher this past month in the Massachusetts Association was High Pockets Muse of the Mayoral Shelter Tricentennials. He stood head and shoulders above the rest, finishing April with an extraordinary 3-0 record and a 1.09 ERA.
The Tricentennials star hurler made 3 starts and surrendered 15 hits in 24.2 innings. He struck out 19 and walked 3.
GBRL Analysis
The NL features two divisions ties with Parsons Asylum (Good) and Greentop Nursery (JP) knotted up in the Northeast Division, while Nuka Express (Star) and Belmont (ET) are tied in the Northwest Division. In the SL, Trinity Plaza (UP) leads the Southeast Division and Greater Mass (FHE) leads the Southwest Division.
GBRL Players of the Month
NL Hitter - Downlow Uptown has a lot going for him. The Nuka Express third baseman just broke into the majors this year and now the North League has just picked him as its top hitter for April.
In 12 games last month this outstanding rookie batted .511 with 5 home runs, 10 RBIs and 17 runs scored.
SL Hitter - Rip Risk may be much younger than other hitters in the South League, but he performed like a seasoned veteran in April to win the Batter of the Month award.
The 20-year-old Park Street third baseman hit .442 with 4 home runs, 12 RBIs and 16 runs scored.
NL Pitcher - The North League announced today that Hoot Wooten has been chosen the league's Pitcher of the Month. The Greentop Nursery starter had everything working for him last month as he glided to a 4-0 record.
In April Wooten chalked up a 1.64 ERA in 33 innings with 42 strikeouts and 7 walks.
SL Pitcher - Trinity Plaza Snipers starter Idgrod Younger has collected the South League Pitcher of the Month award for a run of lights-out performances.
"This town really appreciates it when you're going well," said Younger. "They might boo you when you're getting knocked around, but they love you when you're mowin' them down."
In April the 18-year-old compiled a 3-0 record in 3 starts with a 2.89 ERA. He threw 18.2 innings, fanning 17 while walking 11.
BCAC Analysis
THE BCAC's first month of existence is now in the books, and two institutions of higher learning are atop their divisions to start the season. With just under 60 games remaining, we still feel that there will be a lot of change. Interestingly enough, teams only slotted five players per team from the official youth leagues. We hope to see a few more continue their baseball careers if the draft does not call their names.
Leaders are Tufts University at 11-6 and Northeastern University at 12-5. The CIT Engineers are off to the worst start, currently at 3-14.
OSA has also now scouted for the draft. In the first year of the BCAC, every player is considered draft-eligible. In subsequent years, the CBO may begin to post years played qualifiers. According to OSA, here are some of the BCAC players that could see their names called early in the November Rookie Draft:
RF Stoo Berko (18, FR), Boston College - Berko played ball at his settlement in Montpelier, Vermont. He had the opportunity to move to the Commonwealth and enter Boston College this season. He is considered a high-value pick who can hit for contact and power, and he could turn out to be an outstanding outfielder at any of the spots.
1B Macho Marco Deangelo (19, SO), Mass Bay - Deangelo was known in the travel circuits coming from the Providence area, but no one is sure why he did not join the Providence League. Batting .422 with 5 HR and 16 RBI, Deangelo is already showing he might belong in baseball. Scouts like his all-around skills with the bat and could see him going within the Top 50 picks in November.
CL Sid Anyis (21, SR), Bunker Hill - Anyis is a two-pitch pitcher, but he has already seemed to have mastered those pitches, a curveball and a sinker, to keep batters off balance. With five saves in five attempts and a 1.69 ERA, Anyis could be an interesting pick within the top five rounds.
LF Lowell Noops (21, SR), Bunker Hill - Noops is finishing a degree in government studies at BHU. He has not played organized baseball in several years. According to Noops, there were travel teams around in Connecticut that played in Bradberton and Providence, but he left baseball to pursue higher education. Noops is said to have a strong swing that could lead to being an effective power hitter. Scouts have noted, however, that Noops is raw and has not been able to find his way onto the field with the Globalists.
BCAC Players of the Month
Hitter - Not known for his offensive prowess, Tom Bomb set the league afire in April and took home the Boston Collegiate Athletic Conference Batter of the Month award.
The Boston College left fielder posted a steady .493 batting average, 5 home runs, 26 RBIs and 19 runs.
Pitcher - The top-rated pitcher this past month in the Boston Collegiate Athletic Conference was Maegory Crawford of the Harvard Crimson. He really dominated league hitters, finishing April with a 4-0 won-lost mark and a 2.35 ERA.
The Crimson ace made 5 starts and surrendered 22 hits in 30.2 innings. He struck out 21 and walked 18.