BNN Weekly Report
News from the CBO, Minors, College, and Youth Leagues
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
6 September 2309
CBO Analysis
We have 10 games left in the 2309 regular season. Two teams have clinched their leagues, but no other teams have yet to officially clinch a playoff berth. With that said, Nordhagen Beach has a Magic # of 1 to clinch a spot and University Point has a Magic # of 2. On the flip side, a total of nine teams know they will not be in the playoffs and they are just playing out the season to see where they finish in the standings. Let's take a look at the teams currently in the playoffs if the season ended today.
NCA
1. x-Starlight
2. Nordhagen Beach
3. County Crossing
4. Bunker Hill
5t. Salem
5t. Sunshine Tidings
Most of the association remained the same with the sole exception being County Crossing and Bunker Hill flip-flopping yet again. Salem and Sunshine Tidings split their last series, meaning they finish 4-4 against each other. A final tie for the 5th seed would mean either a tiebreaker game or going deeper in tiebreaker scenarios. The Killers have a Magic Number of 3 to clinch the #1 seed.
SCA
1. x-Oberland
2. University Point
3. Quincy
4. Egret
5. Jamaica Plain
Oberland has clinched the Railroad League and now have a Magic # of 5 to clinch the #1 seed. Quincy and Egret swap in the standings since the Gunners lead the season series, 4-2. Red-hot Jamaica Plain replaces Roxbury as the #5 seed and leads by three games.
Brotherhood League
With the season winding down, we will not break down all the stats and information of a team. Instead, let's take a look at the playoff scenarios in each league going into the final two weeks of the regular season.
Nordhagen Beach: We mentioned already that Nordhagen Beach has a one-game Magic # to clinch a playoff spot. If they win any of their remaining 10 games, they will clinch at least the 5th seed in the playoffs. Pretty much, they are in.
County Crossing: The Bloodbugs trail the Boys by four games and lead Salem by six, meaning they are more likely to win the league than finish below 2nd place. The Slog also has an outside shot to surpass the Bugs, but that is unlikely. Pretty much, they are in.
Salem: Tied for the 5th seed, the Witch Hats will need to find ways to win the next two weeks to clinch their spot in the dance. We will predict the Hats to miss the playoffs, though, with their remaining schedule comprised of at Starlight, at Nordhagen Beach, vs Bunker Hill, and then vs the Boys. Ouch!
The Slog: They trail both the Hats and Chemists by three games, so the Ghouls had better win a lot. Tough midseason matchups against Sunshine Tidings and Starlight, with weekend series against Nahant and Easy Town means that the Ghould can do it.
Institute League
Starlight: As mentioned at the top, Starlight has clinched the IL and are close to clinching the #1 overall seed. They are also battling Oberland for the CBO's best record.
Bunker Hill: The 75ers are attempting to clinch the #3 overall seed. While the schedule is not the easiest, they do get to face two teams, Nahant and Fort Hagen, not currently in the playoff picture. The 75ers also have matchups versus the Killers and at Salem.
Sunshine Tidings: Tied for the 5th spot and five back of 2nd place in the IL, the Chemists' best shot is as the 5 seed. Their next three series could set the tone for them with a trip to The Slog, a home series against the Silver Shroud, and a home series versus the Bloddbugs. They then travel to Starlight to complete the regular season.
Minutemen League
University Point: The Deathclaws got cold at the wrong time, getting swept by the Red Rockets over the weekend and now leading Quincy by only four games. We mentioned they have a Magic # of 2 to clinch a playoff spot, but they could see themselves as that 5 seed if they let Quincy and the Rockets continue their strong runs.
Quincy: The Gunners are 8-2 in their last 10 and looking like a playoff team. Still, they are only four games up, which means a sudden slump could see them out of the playoff running altogether.
Jamaica Plain: The Rockets got cold but now they are hot again, winning eight-straight including that sweep of the Deathclaws. With a three-game lead over Roxbury, Jamaica Plain controls its own playoff destiny. This week will be tough, though with consecutive road trips to Egret and Univesity Point before finishing with Diamond City and Spectacle Island, two teams out.
Railroad League
Oberland: We mentioned already that the T-51s are close to clinching the #1 seed. Now they want home-field advantage in every series, looking to win more games than Starlight.
Egret: The Ninjas have been quiet good all season, and now they have a four-game advantage over Roxbury to clinch 2nd place. However, they face only teams with winning records to complete the season: Jamaica Plain, Vault 81, Quincy, and Roxbury.
Roxbury: The Rad Sox are in serious danger of missing the playoffs for a second-straight season after a 4-6 stretch saw them fall behind other teams. Now, the Sox need wins and help. They can help themselves with a series win over the Ninjas to finish the season. Otherwise, they have one of the easiest closing schedules with two series against Atom sandwiching a trip to FHE.
CBO Standings
CBO Players of the Week
August 30 - A hot-hitting week got Needham Tickler the North Charles Association Player of the Week trophy. He really wore out his welcome with league pitchers.
The Salem first baseman slammed them for a .700 average, 14 hits in 20 at-bats, 3 home runs, 6 RBIs and scored 5 runs.
In the postgame press conference, Tickler shared his hitting philosophy with the BNN scribes: "Just look for the seams and hit between them... nothin' more than that."
Tickler on the season is batting .330 with 31 home runs. His totals include 61 RBIs and 66 runs scored. He has played in 94 games.
The top batter in the South Charles Association last week was Diamond Ball, who batted .400 and towered above everybody with a 5-game hitting barrage.
During the week Ball banged out a .400 batting average (10-for-25), 6 home runs, 17 RBI and scored 9 runs.
Today the Spectacle Island second baseman received the SCA Player of the Week Award.
On the year Ball is hitting .342 with 138 hits, 28 home runs, 86 RBIs, .416 OBP and has scored 70 runs.
September 6 - It was a week to remember for Birdie Burdi. After wrapping up a torrid week at the plate, the Fort Hagen Silver Shroud left fielder was named the North Charles Association Player of the Week.
Burdi collected 11 hits in 16 at-bats for a .688 average. He also accounted for 6 RBIs, 3 home runs and scored 6 runs.
Looking at his present stats, Burdi has compiled a .277 batting average in 107 games with a .356 on-base percentage, while hitting 17 home runs and driving in 68 runs.
Nobody in the South Charles Association had a better week than Rick Pickle... Noooo-body! That's why he was voted the Player of the Week.
During the week the Egret right fielder compiled a .450 batting average (9-for-20) with 4 home runs, 8 RBI and scored 5 runs.
Currently Pickle is batting .305 with 18 home runs, 94 RBIs and 51 runs scored.
CBO Draft Outlook
We looked at more draft prospects in our last update, and we will look at a few more players in the OSA's mock draft. This week, though, we are leaving the corner infielders off and looking at players rated at two other positions in the OSA mock: LF and C.
9. LF Aaron Annism South Beach Waves - Annis saw a drop in production in his senior season, which could lead to a drop in the draft well below being the 9th-overall pick. Scouts see him as a power hitter first, so he should expect to bat in the middle of the lineup wherever he is. He can play all OF positions but projects as a LF in the pros.
12. LF Ramon Gill, Concord Ice Boys - OSA scouts love Gill's potential, but his lack of productivity may be a problem for CBO teams looking to move someone up quickly. His best quality is his leadership ability, which means he would make a great coach some day. Whether or not his average potential as a contact hitter with a good potential as a power hitter gets him a slot in the CBO is yet to be seen.
13. LF Doorbell Arg, Lexington Minuteboys - Another OF who could play any position in the OF, Arg is most likely to find comfort in left field since he does not have the greatest arm. He was highly efficient with the Co-Lex, now Lexington, team all four years, and he has the potential to be one of the CBO's premier hitters if he fully develops.
14. C Luff Gurr, Brockton Claws - One of the top hitting catchers, Gurr could be a top pick if his defense was anywhere above average. Scouts love his approach to the plate and think some further bulking up could make him one of the CBO's top power hitters. Gurr projects as a catcher, but he could play a corner IF or OF position, too.
15. LF Cameron Triggs, Covenant Dandy Boys - Triggs has great discipline at the plate and rarely swings and misses even on off-speed pitches. Although he only batted .289 his senior season, scouts believe that Triggs can be a top average producer. He is a corner OF, but his defense does not stand out in any way. A decent arm could eventually land him in RF.
CBO Transactions
Monday, September 6th , 2309
University Point Deathclaws: Activated CF Aesed Hayjen from the injured list.
University Point Deathclaws: Sent CF Aesed Hayjen to Triple A Graygarden for injury rehab.
Easy Town Assaultrons: Activated LF Sean Samuels from the injured list.
Easy Town Assaultrons: Sent LF Sean Samuels to Triple A Danvers for injury rehab.
Sunday, September 5th , 2309
Easy Town Assaultrons: Activated CF Sharkey Lurkfodder from the injured list.
Friday, September 3rd , 2309
Salem Witch Hats: Activated RF Brian DeLong from the injured list.
Salem Witch Hats: Sent RF Brian DeLong to Triple A Providence for injury rehab.
Thursday, September 2nd , 2309
University Point Deathclaws: Placed RP Justin Mire on the 7-day injured list.
Goodneighbor Hancocks: Activated 2B Rollie Leroyson from the injured list.
Wednesday, September 1st , 2309
Bunker Hill 75ers: Placed SS Aaron Squire on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 08/31/2309.
Easy Town Assaultrons: Placed CF Hickory Dockery on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 08/31/2309.
Diamond City Swatters: Activated LF Todd Smithfield from the injured list.
Monday, August 30th , 2309
Atom Cats: Activated LF Figgie Legendsport from the injured list.
Sunday, August 29th , 2309
Easy Town Assaultrons: Placed CF Sharkey Lurkfodder on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 08/28/2309.
Friday, August 27th , 2309
Goodneighbor Hancocks: Placed CF Missile Crews on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 08/25/2309.
Thursday, August 26th , 2309
Atom Cats: Placed RF Deer Quickwalker on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 08/24/2309.
Fort Hagen Silver Shroud: Placed 3B Scott Dourque on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 08/25/2309.
Fort Hagen Silver Shroud: Signed SS Matt deOldlady.
Wednesday, August 25th , 2309
Diamond City Swatters: Placed LF Todd Smithfield on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 08/24/2309.
Quincy Gunners: Activated RF Baywatch Fischler from the injured list.
Tuesday, August 24th , 2309
University Point Deathclaws: Activated SP Tony Bertha from the injured list.
University Point Deathclaws: Placed CF Sack King on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 08/22/2309.
Jamaica Plain Red Rockets: Signed CF Thane Kyrell.
Jamaica Plain Red Rockets: Signed RP Jaylin Hyer.