BNN Report
News from the CBO, Minors, BCAC, and CYL
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
17 July 2311
CBO Analysis
Welcome to our trade deadline preview. Teams vying for a championship in 2311 are now looking to pad their talent and depth, while those teams out of the race are going to start looking for key talent they can develop for future championship runs.
With more than 2/3 of the season completed, teams pretty much know if they are in it to win it or if they are looking to the future. Here are the current team power rankings for Commonwealth Baseball Organization:
Teams (Total Points, Tendency):
1) Roxbury Rad Sox (130.6, +)
2) Nordhagen Beach Party Boys (124.5, -)
3) Starlight Killers (122.6, o)
4) Nahant Celtics (119.5, o)
5) FHE Yao Guai (117.5, +)
6) University Point Deathclaws (117.5, -)
7) Fort Hagen Silver Shroud (107.2, ++)
8) Vault 81 Dwellers (104.3, -)
9) Bunker Hill 75ers (99.1, o)
10) Salem Witch Hats (98.1, ++)
11) Sunshine Tidings Chemists (97.2, +)
12) Egret Ninjas (95.3, --)
13) Spectacle Island Reapers (95.0, ++)
14) Oberland T-51s (92.1, -)
15) Lexington Synths (87.0, +)
16) Cambridge Coursers (84.8, ++)
17) Atom Cats (80.0, --)
18) County Crossing Bloodbugs (76.8, o)
19) Malden Grognaks (76.7, ++)
20) The Slog Ghouls (72.9, --)
21) Quincy Gunners (72.8, --)
22) Goodneighbor Hancocks (72.7, +)
23) Jamaica Plain Red Rockets (70.7, -)
24) Diamond City Swatters (69.7, -)
25) Easy Town Assaultrons (68.5, +)
26) Concord Radstags (60.5, -)
27) Southie Brews (56.3, o)
28) Glowing Sea Radscorpions (42.0, o)
Brotherhood League
Nahant and Nordhagen Beach are deadlocked, while the rest of the BL is pretty much jostling to earn a wildcard spot. Salem and The Slog have traded turns having deep slumps, with the Ghouls currently on a seven-game losing streak to drop them four games below .500.
Buyers - Nahant and Nordhagen Beach
Sellers - County Crossing, Malden, and Easy Town
The Assaultrons have fully fallen, currently in 7th place and tied with Concord for the NCA's worst record. The Trons are 12th in runs scored (394) and 13th in runs allowed (486). With the departure this season of 1B/SP Lannie Tykeson, it looked as though Easy Town was already looking to unload. Some relevant trade fodder for them includes SP Major Tom Brennan (5-10, 4.23), LF Baktu DaWell (.280/10/34), 3B Dog Prairie (.211/11/34), and CF Sharkey Lurkfodder (.297/9/47).
Institute League
Starlight owns the NCA's best record and leads both Sunshine Tidings and Fort Hagen by nine games, meaning that the Killers are probably at worst the NCA's 2nd seed in the playoffs. Bunker Hill is 10 back and currently occupies the NCA's 6th spot.
Buyers - Starlight, Sunshine Tidings, Fort Hagen, Bunker Hill
Sellers - Cambridge, Concord
The Radstags are on the verge of clinching their sixth-straight season out of the playoffs. As opposed to the Assaultrons, though, the Stags have some building blocks, meaning they probably will not be giving away young players. That also means they have very few tradeable players that will help another team. If there were any they might consider, we would say RP Aaron Still (0-1, 5.86) and SP Chad Nailgun (5-12, 5.00).
Minutemen League
University Point has won this league. Well, not officially, but the 2nd-place team, Atom, is currently on a six-game losing streak and 12 games back. Outside of the the Deathclaws, we would say that every other team in this league should be looking to build for 2312. None of them have a chance at winning it all in 2311.
Buyers - University Point
Sellers - Atom, Spectacle Island, Quincy, Goodneighbor, Jamaica Plain, Southie
The Brews recently made an interesting personnel move, hiring former Egret and Bunker Hill pitching coach Ken Myers to help its BMU team, the Pleasant Lake Patriots. Myers has a reputation of being an excellent coach in influencing mechanics as well as average for developing players. That will be helpful since Southie does not have any true pitching prospects outside the two already thrown to the radwolves in the CBO, SP Air McNair (4-11, 5.35) and SP Sham Killarney (2-7, 5.30). BMU player, SP Dolf Steak, could be one to develop, but we will wait to see. The only players that may be a worthwhile tradeaway player to get a couple more prospects is CF Beckett Quantum (.304/12/35).
Railroad League
Still standing above the rest with four of the CBO's eight 50-win teams, the RL has been thrilling but can now be divided into tiers. Roxbury leads with the CBO's best record and leads FHE by three games. Vault 81, Egret, and Oberland are all pretty close. Diamond City will finish 6th, and Glowing Sea will finish 7th.
Buyers - Roxbury, FHE, Vault 81, Egret, Oberland
Sellers - Diamond City, Glowing Sea
Like Southie, the Radscorpions have few pitching prospects to build upon at this point. They do, however, have more veterans that they can sell for building up some depth in their pitching minors. Those include 1B Casey Roux (.272/13/34), 2B Elton Goodspeed (.237/2/25/26 SB), and SS Well Done Dungan (.253/2/16).
CBO Standings
CBO Players of the Week
July 10 - When it came to hitting the baseball, Jig McGhee was in a class by himself in the North Charles Association this past week. Nobody did it better.
The outstanding left fielder for Bunker Hill tagged opposing pitchers for a .500 average and was voted the Player of the Week Award. Included in his stats were 13 hits in 26 at-bats, 3 homers, 7 runs scored and 9 RBIs.
This season, McGhee is swinging the bat at a .333 pace. He has hit 19 home runs and scored 67 times, while driving in 60. His on-base percentage is .431 and he has played in 80 games.
His hard work and hustle paid off this week. The hard-working and hard-playing Actually Aucoin was rewarded with the South Charles Association Player of the Week honors.
The scrappy Atom Cats right fielder hit .560 while collecting 14 hits in 25 at-bats, 4 home runs and 12 RBIs.
Aucoin is hitting .348 this season with 14 home runs, 53 RBIs and 66 runs scored. He has 104 hits in 299 at-bats.
July 17 - When Diamond Ball stepped into the batter's box, he meant business. His outstanding play this week has netted the Nahant third baseman the well-deserved North Charles Association Player of the Week Award.
Playing in 6 games he lashed out a .615 average with 16 hits, 4 home runs, 14 RBIs and 10 runs scored.
Ball on the season is batting .325 with 20 home runs. His totals include 66 RBIs and 60 runs scored. He has played in 84 games.
Nate Tivity captured all the headlines last week and today he added to his booty with the South Charles Association Player of the Week trophy.
The University Point Deathclaws third baseman hammered league hurlers for 10 hits in 23 at-bats, a .435 average and 2 home runs. He also collected 6 RBIs and 6 runs scored.
This year, Tivity has hit at a .276 pace and produced 38 RBIs, 8 home runs and scored 49 runs.
CBO Draft Preview
Here are five more prospects whose names we could see called in the 2311 Draft:
1. 1B Tonguetie Edder, SR, Hope - The four-year starter at 1B for the Firestarters, Edder has been consistently good at hitting the longball. Scouts think that he can be an All-Star caliber pick if he learns to be well-disciplined at the plate. While his defense is nothing to praise, his offensive abilities should keep him on the field at every level.
2. RF Getty Ivey, Sr, Marblehead - Ivey is a good all-around hitter, batting .332/20/42 his senior season for the Mess. Scouts like his ability to put the bat on the ball and potentially drive it out of the park. They also rate his defense as sufficient to be an everyday corner outfielder in the CBO. His arm is good, not great, so he may project better as a LF than RF.
3. 1B Jimmy-James Sessoms, Sr, Marlborough - Sessoms is a good defensive 1B, though he can play corner OF in a pinch. He has plus potential in all the key tools in the batter's box. He showed that he is developing each season in the CYL by increasing his batting average and home run outputs each season, including a career-high .295/24/51 mark in 2311.
4. SP Buzzcut McDonald, Sr, Hester - McDonald suffered a UCL injury his senior season that hurt his draft stock. Scouts believe he is the best pitcher in the draft, though, and he should be ready for the 2312 season. McDonald has four good pitches with his strikeout-inducing high fastball being the most dominant pitch. Scouts believe he can develop into a staff ace, which means that he could go in the top five draft picks.
5. 3B Durn Wonderfloss, Sr, Malden - Wonderfloss woke up his senior season, batting .313/24/59. He already is developing tremendous power and could develop into one of the best power hitters in this draft class. While his defense is not great, he can hold his own, which means he could develop into a steady everyday, middle-of-the-lineup player.
CBO Transactions
Monday, July 17th , 2311
Vault 81 Dwellers: Activated CF Stu Gains from the injured list.
Vault 81 Dwellers: Sent CF Stu Gains to Triple A Everett for injury rehab.
Glowing Sea Radscorpions: Released RP Feran Sadri.
Concord Radstags: Signed RF Jonnie Gawmy.
The Spectacle Island Reapers traded 29-year old CF Gin Kwon to the FHE Yao Guai, getting 18-year old minor league SS Malt Falcon in return.
Sunday, July 16th , 2311
Starlight Killers: Activated CF Willy Mazehaze from the injured list.
Salem Witch Hats: Placed RP Ray Rowe-Varone on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 07/15/2311.
Southie Brews: Placed CF Jurgen Windcaller on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 07/15/2311.
Concord Radstags: Released RF Man Yousedtubee.
Sunshine Tidings Chemists: Signed C Hairy Scary Blueman.
Sunshine Tidings Chemists: Signed SP Lawson Gelless.
Saturday, July 15th , 2311
County Crossing Bloodbugs: Activated RF Babs Rooth from the injured list.
Nordhagen Beach Party Boys: Placed RP Adam Forestman on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 07/12/2311.
The Sunshine Tidings Chemists traded 24-year old 1B Michael Hoopring, 18-year old minor league 2B Gears McCready, and 18-year old minor league LHP Kodak Carter to the The Slog Ghouls, getting 27-year old LHP Tiger Fanne in return.
Friday, July 14th , 2311
FHE Yao Guai: Placed RP Ryan Hartley on the restricted list.
Quincy Gunners: Activated 3B Ben Pettinato from the injured list.
Cambridge Coursers: Placed 2B Plastic Augmon on the restricted list.
Jamaica Plain Red Rockets: Released 3B Hondo Havlicek.
Thursday, July 13th , 2311
Cambridge Coursers: Activated SP Lippy Lyonne from the injured list.
Jamaica Plain Red Rockets: Released CF Lance Prisk.
Concord Radstags: Signed RF Reddy Herring.
Jamaica Plain Red Rockets: Signed 1B Hot Gurlzingham.
Wednesday, July 12th , 2311
Glowing Sea Radscorpions: Placed SP Taki Undertaker on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 07/11/2311.
Oberland T-51s: Released RP Froki Whettedblade.
Oberland T-51s: Released SP David Cotton.
Glowing Sea Radscorpions: Released RP Burt Pettinato.
Southie Brews: Released C Raheem Murphy.
Tuesday, July 11th , 2311
Southie Brews: Activated SP Air McNair from the injured list.
Oberland T-51s: Released SS Slow Joe Petrakis.
Oberland T-51s: Released C Loony Goebel.
Oberland T-51s: Signed SS Protectron McDonald.
Monday, July 10th , 2311
Nahant Celtics: Placed SP Klement Thodberg on the 60-day injured list.
Lexington Synths: Released RF Onson Sweemey.
Malden Grognaks: Activated RP Ponda Baba from the injured list.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Placed SP Dobbie Radoncis on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 07/08/2311.
Sunday, July 9th , 2311
Oberland T-51s: Released RP Frofnir Trollsbane.
Jamaica Plain Red Rockets: Signed 1B Dovie Clownman.
Concord Radstags: Signed RF Crawdaddy Crawford.
Saturday, July 8th , 2311
FHE Yao Guai: Placed CF Watch Estheroots on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 07/05/2311.
Goodneighbor Hancocks: Activated LF Danny Honeycutt from the injured list.
Goodneighbor Hancocks: Sent LF Danny Honeycutt to Triple A Foxborough for injury rehab.
Oberland T-51s: Placed RP Pray Tell on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 07/07/2311.
Jamaica Plain Red Rockets: Signed 1B Micah Stall.
Jamaica Plain Red Rockets: Released 1B Micah Stall.
Friday, July 7th , 2311
Bunker Hill 75ers: Activated RF Deerlord Fugivmee from the injured list.
Vault 81 Dwellers: Placed SS End Yamada on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 07/06/2311.
Lexington Synths: Activated C Danny Enfryz from the injured list.
Jamaica Plain Red Rockets: Released 1B Lock Ness.
Glowing Sea Radscorpions: Released C Mail Gorman.
Jamaica Plain Red Rockets: Signed 1B Micah Stall.
Concord Radstags: Signed RF Jeremy Gillespie.
Jamaica Plain Red Rockets: Released 1B Micah Stall.
Concord Radstags: Released RF Dwight Workman.
Thursday, July 6th , 2311
Cambridge Coursers: Placed SP Lippy Lyonne on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 07/05/2311.
Southie Brews: Activated SS Beru Whitesun from the injured list.
Jamaica Plain Red Rockets: Released 3B Nehemiah Johnson.
Jamaica Plain Red Rockets: Signed SS Jayden Bells.
The Glowing Sea Radscorpions traded 29-year old minor league RHP Person Mabty to the Egret Ninjas, getting 21-year old minor league 1B Fura Morrard in return.
The Glowing Sea Radscorpions traded 27-year old RHP Bobby Denman to the Egret Ninjas, getting 18-year old minor league C Timelord Marvel in return.
Wednesday, July 5th , 2311
Goodneighbor Hancocks: Placed RP Pete Holster on the 60-day injured list.
Starlight Killers: Placed CF Willy Mazehaze on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 07/02/2311.
Malden Grognaks: Placed RP Ponda Baba on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 07/02/2311.
Nordhagen Beach Party Boys: Released 1B Bailiff Organ.
Oberland T-51s: Released RP Greg Worlund.
Fort Hagen Silver Shroud: Activated 3B Jaxon Grits from the injured list.
The Malden Grognaks traded 19-year old minor league C Lil Bob Maldonado and 22-year old SS Tenpenny Luna to the Jamaica Plain Red Rockets, getting 22-year old minor league C Fleegle Banana and 24-year old RHP Justin Horton in return.
The FHE Yao Guai traded 19-year old minor league RF Orange Gupta and 20-year old minor league RHP Culhwch Olwen to the Quantum Nukalurks, getting 32-year old CF Kell Leek in return.
FHE Yao Guai: Released CF Kell Leek.
Tuesday, July 4th , 2311
Fort Hagen Silver Shroud: Activated RP Clueless Gunsmith from the injured list.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Released SS Novacaine Fordesole.
The Slog Ghouls: Activated RP Taco LaVergne from the injured list.
The Slog Ghouls: Sent RP Taco LaVergne to Triple A Burlington for injury rehab.
Jamaica Plain Red Rockets: Signed 1B Bett Bottlecap.
The Cambridge Coursers traded 27-year old LHP Willie Dustice to the University Point Deathclaws, getting 21-year old minor league RF Moises Joy in return.