BNN Weekly Report
News from the CBO, Minors, College, and Youth Leagues
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
19 April 2309
CBO Analysis
Another year, another exciting start to a season. We have now completed two weeks of the CBO regular season, making up 10% of teams' games played. Some teams are looking as though they are championship contenders, while some other teams have starter too slowly out of the gates to put any stock in. Here are the Power Rankings, according to BNN with a breakdown of the Top 5 teams:
Teams (Total Points, Tendency):
1) Oberland T-51s (167.0, +) - The T-51s have leaped out of the gates as the hottest team in the CBO just one season after falling a game short of winning the Sole Survivor Series. In 12 games, Oberland only dropped two in their interassociation games: April 7 and 8 to Starlight and Concord, respectively. The T-51s are now on a 9-game winning streak heading into SCA play.
2) Jamaica Plain Red Rockets (159.0, o) - Fresh off their Nuka Cup Tournament victory, the Red Rockets have also started the season hot at 10-2 with their sole losses coming at the defending champions, Bunker Hill, and a home loss to Easy Town before that.
3) Starlight Killers (146.0, ++) - The Killers have emerged as a strong team in the first two weeks of the season after going 9-3 in interassociation games. Starlight dropped two against the RL, at Vault 81 and FHE. They also dropped their first game against the ML at home versus the Rockets before winning the next five.
4) Bunker Hill 75ers (145.0, ++) - The defending champions also started out well, tied with Starlight for the NCA's best record at 9-3. The 75ers lost all three in a row, falling at the T-51s, Egret, and Diamond City before sweeping the ML at home.
5) Diamond City Swatters (111.0, ++) - The Swatters have been down for a few years but started the 2309 season as a challenger. Diamond City dropped three at home to Sunshine Tidings, Fort Hagen, and the Killers, but only dropped two on the road at Salem and County Crossing to go 7-5 to start the season.
6) Nordhagen Beach Party Boys (108.0, --)
7) Roxbury Rad Sox (108.0, ++)
8) Spectacle Island Reapers (108.0, ++)
9) Egret Ninjas (104.0, -)
10) Easy Town Assaultrons (99.2, --)
11) Vault 81 Dwellers (97.2, --)
12) Sunshine Tidings Chemists (91.0, ++)
13) Fort Hagen Silver Shroud (74.0, -)
14) Salem Witch Hats (74.0, ++)
15) County Crossing Bloodbugs (72.0, ++)
16) Nahant Celtics (72.0, --)
17) University Point Deathclaws (71.0, ++)
18) Quincy Gunners (70.0, --)
19) Concord Radstags (57.0, ++)
20) Lexington Synths (57.0, --)
21) FHE Yao Guai (56.0, --)
22) Atom Cats (55.0, --)
23) The Slog Ghouls (49.0, --)
24) Goodneighbor Hancocks (23.0, -)
Brotherhood League
Last season, we considered the BL to be the strongest league with every team in contention for a winning season. This season, the BL is overall on a slow start, going 32-39 in interassociation play with Easy Town and Vault 81 needing to make up a game postponed due to radstorm. Compared to other leagues, IL (37-35), ML (33-39), and RL (41-30), the BL has some work to do in overcoming the IL for association dominance.
Only Nordhagen Beach and Easy Town are currently above .500, though every team has shown some flashes of being able to compete. County Crossing at 5-7 is not terrible but is not showing signs yet of getting back to contention in the NCA.
One team to look at before they potentially fall off is The Slog in last place at 4-8. While the Ghouls have shown some offensive dominance, especially rookie 1B Kilometers Davis (.404/8/16) tied for the CBO lead in home runs and leading the league in total bases (48), their pitching has been miserable, already 12th in the NCA in runs allowed (72) and Starters ERA (5.54). SP Denaria Kee (0-1, 14.73 in three starts) has not made a smooth transition from bullpen to the starting rotation. The rest of the rotation has been OK but not great with the exception of SP Tiger Fanne (1-0, 3.27).
Institute League
The top three teams from last season are currently the top three teams this season, though as we showed in the Top 5, two teams, Bunker Hill and Starlight, are at the very top of the association. While the other three teams are probably improved, none of them are considered contenders in 2309.
For Lexington, it is now the only franchise to reach the playoffs in the combined CBO. They made the playoffs in 2297 as the IL champions but lost their First Round series to Nordhagen Beach, 3 games to 1. The Synths are no closer to the playoffs now but would like to start to build up their talent pool to compete. Unfortunately for Lexington, the pitching prospects are not promising. The Synths are currently 12th in runs scored (42), which means that the time may be right now for their offensive talent to contribute. 2308 Red Rocket Rookie Award winner LF Family Sam Partridge (,348/4/6) is contributing the most, but he and RF Danny Faraday (.327/1/3) are the only players batting above .300 so far. This team is in trouble and may find itself at the bottom of the CBO standings at the end of the season.
Minutemen League
As mentioned, Jamaica Plain has used a strong preseason to have a fast start in the 2309 season. At 7-5, Spectacle Island is the only other team above .500, with University Point having another season slow out of the gates at 5-7. Last season, that slow start ended up preventing the Claws from making the playoffs, something that could be a factor again in 2309 in a strong association.
The Goodneighbor Hancocks have finished at the bottom of the standings for four straight years. Starting out 2-10 in 2309 is not the direction they thought they would be going, though there is plenty of time for improvement. Unfortunately, a little talent is not enough to pull up the whole team. With the 10th-ranked scoring offense (45 runs), only CF Missile Crews (.395/4/5) has been propping up the offense. RF Blii Lazarus (.275/0/1) is second on the team in batting. For no offensive production, the Hancocks are only worse at their scoring defense with the 12th-ranked team in runs allowed (82). SP Pete Holster (0-2, 12.38) has been a large reason for the 11th-best Starters ERA (5.97). Second-year pitcher SP Heaven Fontenot (0-2, 6.17) has also struggled out the gates, but there is marked improvement in his pitches from his rookie season when he finished 7-8 with a 4.58 ERA with two saves in 32 appearances with 19 starts.
Railroad League
Oberland emerged as a force in 2308, and they are already tied with the Rockets for the CBO's best record. The T-51s have been growing talent with one of the better farm systems, and it shows, including the emergence of fourth-year player RF Judge Sharp (.435/8/14).
The rest of the RL except for FHE is above .500, meaning that this could be a competitive league. Roxbury is not as exciting as it once was, but the Rad Sox are tied for 2nd and looking like a playoff contender despite just a .583 winning percentage so far.
The lone team below .500 is the Yao Guai, which has not found any success over the seasons. Their offense is at the bottom, 12th in runs scored (39) as well as just about every other offensive category. No player has done anything much, including a CBO-low five team home runs. Only LF Delmarva Illeracula (.310/0/4) is batting above .300. The pitching has allowed 58 runs, good enough for 8th in the SCA. Third-year pitcher and team ace SP Paul Stains (2-0, 2.16) has finally emerged as the talent he was expected to be, but he has little support and must be almost perfect to win games.
CBO Standings
CBO Players of the Week
April 12 - Gavin Deux-Gas has the tools to stick in this league for many years. The 20-year-old shortstop of the The Slog Ghouls had a hot bat in the North Charles Association over the past seven days and won the Player of the Week honors.
Deux-Gas batted .536 with 15 hits in 28 at-bats, 2 home runs and 6 RBIs.
Judge Sharp demonstrated his potential to be a star in the game last week and today he took home the South Charles Association Player of the Week Award.
The Oberland right fielder wreaked havoc on opposing pitchers last week, pounding them for a .500 average (11-for-22) with 5 home runs and 8 RBIs on his way to claiming the honor.
April 19 - 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. Aaron Squire, the Bunker Hill 75ers 22-year-old shortstop, put himself in the spotlight last week making him the clear-cut choice for North Charles Association Player of the Week honors.
He ripped 12 hits in 21 at-bats, compiling a .571 average with 6 home runs and 15 RBIs.
One of the league's most exciting young players, Blaine Bishop of the Diamond City Swatters earned himself South Charles Association Player of the Week honors with a standout performance in last week's games.
For the week the 22-year-old second baseman had a lofty .500 average (11-for-22), collecting 2 home runs, 5 RBIs and 12 runs scored.
CBO Transactions
Monday, April 19th , 2309
Concord Radstags: Activated SS Hatrack Hines from the restricted list.
Goodneighbor Hancocks: Placed SS Aaron Nukacola on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 04/18/2309.
Atom Cats: Activated RP Matt Rodrigue from the restricted list.
Sunday, April 18th , 2309
Bunker Hill 75ers: Activated CL Rafe Sauce from the injured list.
Oberland T-51s: Activated CF Base McAndrews from the injured list.
FHE Yao Guai: Signed RP Crusher Roodown.
FHE Yao Guai: Signed RP Trevor Sturgeon.
FHE Yao Guai: Signed RP A.K. Barringer.
FHE Yao Guai: Released RP A.K. Barringer.
Saturday, April 17th , 2309
Goodneighbor Hancocks: Activated SP Heaven Fontenot from the injured list.
Jamaica Plain Red Rockets: Signed 1B Jaden Buckels.
Jamaica Plain Red Rockets: Released 1B Erik Johnsen.
Friday, April 16th , 2309
County Crossing Bloodbugs: Placed 1B Zeldolph Violet on the 60-day injured list.
FHE Yao Guai: Placed SS Paul Warwick on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 04/14/2309.
Nordhagen Beach Party Boys: Signed C Deereye Tierney.
Nordhagen Beach Party Boys: Signed C Kris Dionne.
Thursday, April 15th , 2309
Diamond City Swatters: Placed CF Kevin Phelps on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 04/14/2309.
Jamaica Plain Red Rockets: Released 1B Pigg Gee.
Sunshine Tidings Chemists: Signed free agent SP Quincy Quinney to a minor league contract.
Sunshine Tidings Chemists: Released SP Matt Lutz.
Sunshine Tidings Chemists: Signed free agent RP Ren Siltman to a minor league contract.
Sunshine Tidings Chemists: Released RP Ryan Piazza.
FHE Yao Guai: Signed free agent C Randy Boggess to a minor league contract.
FHE Yao Guai: Released C Chris Winter.
FHE Yao Guai: Signed free agent 3B Nest Morfa to a minor league contract.
FHE Yao Guai: Released 3B Jonathan Sanders.
County Crossing Bloodbugs: Signed free agent RP Sean Lucky to a minor league contract.
County Crossing Bloodbugs: Released RP Aayla Secura.
Concord Radstags: Signed free agent RP Marvin Gardener to a minor league contract.
Concord Radstags: Released RP Pete Overstreet.
Spectacle Island Reapers: Signed free agent SP Alex Holmes to a minor league contract.
Spectacle Island Reapers: Released SP Joe Kruithoff.
Nordhagen Beach Party Boys: Signed free agent SP Lukewarm Macnamara to a minor league contract.
Nordhagen Beach Party Boys: Released SP Joe Broomstick.
Nordhagen Beach Party Boys: Signed free agent C Tony Barman-Beerman to a minor league contract.
Nordhagen Beach Party Boys: Released C Jarred Lambert.
Nordhagen Beach Party Boys: Signed free agent 1B Be There Rodriguez to a minor league contract.
Nordhagen Beach Party Boys: Released 1B Natural Clagett.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Signed free agent C Armani Foundwood to a minor league contract.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Released C Lighthouse Nail.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Signed free agent 2B Jamie Bearbower to a minor league contract.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Released 2B Clay Campuzano.
Fort Hagen Silver Shroud: Signed free agent 1B Uni Molina to a minor league contract.
Fort Hagen Silver Shroud: Released 1B Danny Bricklayer.
Fort Hagen Silver Shroud: Signed free agent 2B Green Daye to a minor league contract.
Fort Hagen Silver Shroud: Released 2B Brian Walnuthill.
Quincy Gunners: Signed free agent 1B Sean Pen to a minor league contract.
Quincy Gunners: Released 1B Dean Wesrey.
Starlight Killers: Signed free agent C Plax Villagechief to a minor league contract.
Starlight Killers: Released C Andrew Haight.
Atom Cats: Signed free agent C Victor Toupee to a minor league contract.
Atom Cats: Released C Michael Barnwell.
Nahant Celtics: Signed free agent 1B Jaylen Beatty to a minor league contract.
Nahant Celtics: Released 1B Harry Askins.
Lexington Synths: Signed free agent RP Train Corral to a minor league contract.
Lexington Synths: Released RP Daniel Picketfence.
Lexington Synths: Signed free agent 1B Finis Valorum to a minor league contract.
Lexington Synths: Released 1B Dax Robledo.
Diamond City Swatters: Signed free agent SP Angel Beastly to a minor league contract.
Diamond City Swatters: Released SP Joel Suarez.
Diamond City Swatters: Signed free agent 3B Sho Nironov to a minor league contract.
Diamond City Swatters: Released 3B Gene Mantlepiece.
Bunker Hill 75ers: Signed free agent LF Joh Yowza to a minor league contract.
Bunker Hill 75ers: Released LF Gro Dewnight.
Bunker Hill 75ers: Signed free agent LF Cheerio Chazarreta to a minor league contract.
Bunker Hill 75ers: Released LF Abell 11-98.
Vault 81 Dwellers: Signed free agent C Dwayne Robinson to a minor league contract.
Vault 81 Dwellers: Released C Mitch Avakian.
County Crossing Bloodbugs: Signed free agent RP Aldon Blaszczyk to a minor league contract.
County Crossing Bloodbugs: Released RP Aidan Livingston.
County Crossing Bloodbugs: Signed free agent 2B More Money Eagle to a minor league contract.
County Crossing Bloodbugs: Released 2B Osi Sobeck.
Fort Hagen Silver Shroud: Signed free agent RP Friday Piatek to a minor league contract.
Fort Hagen Silver Shroud: Released RP Bowl Lanes.
Easy Town Assaultrons: Signed free agent C Communae Brown to a minor league contract.
Easy Town Assaultrons: Released C John Rubbleman.
University Point Deathclaws: Signed free agent RP Chris Aragon to a minor league contract.
University Point Deathclaws: Released RP T.J. Peanutbutter.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Signed free agent RP Nino Quantum to a minor league contract.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Released RP Junior Gray.
Goodneighbor Hancocks: Signed free agent RP Andre Copeland to a minor league contract.
Goodneighbor Hancocks: Released RP Fives O'Neill.
Goodneighbor Hancocks: Signed free agent 2B The Mic Flaje to a minor league contract.
Goodneighbor Hancocks: Released 2B Dirge Ruiz.
Oberland T-51s: Signed free agent RP Jermaine Miller to a minor league contract.
Oberland T-51s: Released RP Aiolin Astarte.
Wednesday, April 14th , 2309
Concord Radstags: Placed SS Hatrack Hines on the restricted list.
County Crossing Bloodbugs: Activated C Ben Neese from the injured list.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Placed SP David Lunchtime on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 04/13/2309.
Atom Cats: Placed RP Matt Rodrigue on the restricted list.
Oberland T-51s: Signed LF Shamar Ayuh.
Atom Cats: Signed RP Lucky Dim Nunez.
Tuesday, April 13th , 2309
Quincy Gunners: Released RP Gild Gamma.
Sunshine Tidings Chemists: Released RP Wicket Warwick.
The Bunker Hill 75ers traded 25-year old LF Knife Bowie to the Spectacle Island Reapers, getting 25-year old LHP Corey Ware in return.
Monday, April 12th , 2309
Lexington Synths: Released 1B Jaden Buckels.
Bunker Hill 75ers: Placed CL Rafe Sauce on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 04/11/2309.
Goodneighbor Hancocks: Placed SP Heaven Fontenot on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 04/10/2309.
FHE Yao Guai: Released 1B Dee Bruiser.
Easy Town Assaultrons: Released RP Joo Joo Shooster.
Goodneighbor Hancocks: Released RP Thomas Spitzaner.
Oberland T-51s: Signed free agent RP Aaron Reddeath to a minor league contract.
Quincy Gunners: Signed free agent RP Brina Merillis to a minor league contract.
Salem Witch Hats: Signed free agent RP Nucky Ostiguin to a minor league contract.
Sunday, April 11th , 2309
Bunker Hill 75ers: Four players were injured when raiders levied an attack on a train bound from Egret. None of the injuries were serious, and all players will miss just a few days at most.
Diamond City Swatters: Activated 2B Mark Miller from the injured list.
Diamond City Swatters: Sent 2B Mark Miller to Triple A Natick for injury rehab.
FHE Yao Guai: Released SP Smudge Steam.
Saturday, April 10th , 2309
Nahant Celtics: Activated C Stuart Costantino from the restricted list.
Goodneighbor Hancocks: Activated CL Jimmy Harp from the restricted list.
Goodneighbor Hancocks: Activated RP Storn Cragstrider from the injured list.
FHE Yao Guai: Released RP Nevin Kevin.
FHE Yao Guai: Signed RP Steve Slocums.
FHE Yao Guai: Signed RP Huki Seven-Swords.
FHE Yao Guai: Signed RP Brent Swierczek.
FHE Yao Guai: Released RP Steve Slocums.
Friday, April 9th , 2309
Nahant Celtics: Placed SS Roger Coker on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 04/08/2309.
Goodneighbor Hancocks: Activated RF Bill Lazarus from the injured list.
FHE Yao Guai: Placed CF Carhorn O'Shea on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 04/08/2309.
FHE Yao Guai: Activated SS Elijah Horne from the injured list.
Spectacle Island Reapers: Placed RF Matt Basile on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 04/08/2309.
Concord Radstags: Released 3B Reaper Durant.
Starlight Killers: Released 3B Bigpaw Berenstain.
The Slog Ghouls: Released C Communae Brown.
The Slog Ghouls: Released RP Carlos McKeever.
Jamaica Plain Red Rockets: Signed 1B Mike Hubologist.
FHE Yao Guai: Signed RP Chief Brandon Gamer.
FHE Yao Guai: Signed RP Ken Ekman.
FHE Yao Guai: Signed RP Zach Wheelman.
FHE Yao Guai: Signed SS Octavio Snowshovel.
Thursday, April 8th , 2309
Nahant Celtics: Placed C Stuart Costantino on the restricted list.
Goodneighbor Hancocks: Placed CL Jimmy Harp on the restricted list.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Placed RF Deerlord Fugivmee on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 04/07/2309.
Concord Radstags: Released CF Goonie Downtown.
Atom Cats: Released LF Big Bob McGonagil.
Starlight Killers: Released LF Joh Yowza.
Starlight Killers: Released LF Norm Death.
Lexington Synths: Released SS Aventus Arentino.
FHE Yao Guai: Released 3B Jaxsun Dicocomo.
Bunker Hill 75ers: Released 1B Sean Pen.
Salem Witch Hats: Released C Tony Barman-Beerman.
Goodneighbor Hancocks: Signed SP Eric Harr.
Nahant Celtics: Signed C Feral Catherder.
Wednesday, April 7th , 2309
County Crossing Bloodbugs: Activated RP Drama Miller from the restricted list.
Salem Witch Hats: Activated 3B Booth Larson from the injured list.
Salem Witch Hats: Sent 3B Booth Larson to Triple A Providence for injury rehab.
FHE Yao Guai: Released RP Longie Dragon.
Starlight Killers: Released RF Avar Javed.