BNN Report
News from the CBO, Minors, CCBL, and CYL
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
1 July 2312
The July Super Post, Part 2
MML Analysis
We are now in the final month of the 2312 MML season with the following divisional leaders: Abernathy Adamantium, Finch Farm Shamrocks, Worcester Cannons, and Branitree Robobrains. The Shamrocks have the biggest lead of 10 games, making their Magic # 19 games with 28 to play.
MML Players of the Month
LL Hitter - Knife Bowie hoped June never ended. The Clifton star was hot throughout the month and the first baseman's .357 batting average has led him to Legends League Batter of the Month honors.
Also on the month, he posted a .438 on-base percentage and had 15 home runs, 36 RBIs and 22 runs scored.
A look at his current stats shows Bowie with a .370 average, 16 home runs, 38 RBIs and 27 runs scored. He has played in 24 games.
SL Hitter - For a rookie just breaking in, Slammin' Sammy Holloway certainly put together a successful month. It was good enough to win the SL Batter of the Month award for June.
The 20-year-old third baseman for the Braintree Robobrains hit .429 with 18 home runs, 48 RBIs and 28 runs scored.
So far this season, Holloway has 34 home runs and a .409 batting average.
LL Pitcher - The top pitcher this past month in the Legends League was Awright Capecod of the Medford Radguards. He really bewildered league hitters, finishing June with an excellent 5-0 record and 2.45 ERA.
The Radguards hurler made 5 starts and surrendered 31 hits in 33 innings. He struck out 24 and walked 9.
So far this season, Capecod has a record of 8-1 with 57 strikeouts and 26 walks in 69.2 innings and a 2.84 ERA.
SL Pitcher - The top-rated pitcher this past month in the Stars League was Jesse Prentiss of the Worcester Cannons. He really dominated league hitters, finishing June with a 5-0 won-lost mark and a 2.31 ERA.
The Cannons ace made 6 starts and surrendered 43 hits in 46.2 innings. He struck out 37 and walked 12.
This year, Prentiss has recorded a 11-3 mark. In 17 starts he has fanned 93 batters in 120.2 innings with a 1.79 ERA.
BMU Analysis
The BMU season is winding down but no teams have a single-digit Magic Number at this point. League leaders are the Covenant Refractors, Sanctuary Hills Zetans, Neponset Park Criticals, and Mayoral Shelter Tricentennials.
BMU Players of the Month
CA Hitter - Hey Jay Skinnt made his presence known as one of the best young stars in the Commonwealth Association this past month.
The Fiddler's Green T-60s second baseman shined through the month of June and has won the Batter of the Month award.
The 21-year-old hit .386 with 12 home runs, 28 RBIs and 23 runs scored.
In the current season, Skinnt has put up a .366 batting average with 63 hits, 25 home runs, 47 runs batted in and scored 44 runs.
MA Hitter - Charles View Cannibals fans may just have witnessed a star player blossoming before their eyes in June.
Nest Morfa put up a remarkable month at the age of 24 and has been named the Massachusetts Association Batter of the Month.
For the month, Morfa hit .382 with 12 home runs, 27 RBIs and 22 runs scored.
So far this year, Morfa has hit .301 with 24 home runs, 55 RBIs and 48 runs scored.
CA Pitcher - The Winchester Bashers celebrated today after the news filtered through the clubhouse that Chris Brahmin had been selected as June's Commonwealth Association Pitcher of the Month. Brahmin's zest for the game has been a frequent topic on the sports pages and his numbers of late have made his fans even more enthusiastic.
"Our coaching staff really helps me prepare well," Brahmin said, "and the fans feed off good pitching. Your pitches just seem to have that extra pop to them when the fans are behind you and you feel confident you can get outs."
Brahmin tossed 47 innings last month, holding opponents to a .189 average while striking out 38 batters. In 7 starting assignments he came away with a 5-0 record, putting together an ERA of 1.15.
This season, Brahmin has a 7-5 record with a 2.44 ERA.
MA Pitcher - Qazal Mabry is the latest Massachusetts Association Pitcher of the Month award winner. The Charles View starter shone on the hill repeatedly last month and finished June with a sparkling 5-0 record.
In 5 starts he tossed 38 innings, posted 23 strikeouts, and put up a 2.13 ERA.
This year in 17 starts, Mabry has recorded 13 wins and absorbed 3 losses. He has pitched 117.2 innings, allowed 114 hits, struck out 83 and has a 2.83 ERA.
GBRL Analysis
One team is close to clinching their division in the 2312 season, while the other three division leaders have to win a few more games. The Union Hope Lifegivers have a 14-game lead, giving them a Magic # of 3. Other leaders at the Med-Tek Eyebots, DB Tech Nuclear Physicists, and Greater Mass Vans.
GBRL Players of the Month
NL Hitter - Even though he is a newcomer to Greater Boston Rookie League, Shin Adachi put up some good numbers in June and earned the NL Batter of the Month award.
He was one of Coastal Cottage's offensive leaders with a .368 average in 24 games. He also racked up 9 home runs, 25 RBIs, and 21 runs scored.
This year, Adachi is batting .279 with 11 home runs and 44 RBIs. In 52 games he has scored 34 times.
SL Hitter - Huge Hugh Testerman has a lot going for him. The Cabot House left fielder just broke into the majors this year and now the South League has just picked him as its top hitter for June.
In 23 games last month this outstanding rookie batted .352 with 14 home runs, 30 RBIs and 25 runs scored.
In 26 games this season, Testerman has compiled a .361 batting average with 30 hits and 18 home runs. He has also scored 31 times and knocked in 39 runs.
NL Pitcher - There was little doubt around the North League that Tiny de Grande would be awarded Pitcher of the Month honors for June. Today, they made it official, naming the 18-year-old Coastal Cottage Buds starter the latest honoree.
He thoroughly dominated the hitters who stood in against him, holding them to a .139 batting average while fashioning a 2.15 ERA in 7 starts. His record for the month was 5-0 in 46 innings of work.
This year, de Grande has worked 101.2 innings with 116 strikeouts en route to a 10-2 record and 1.95 ERA.
SL Pitcher - Freight Depot starter Hot Lips Houlihan claimed the South League Pitcher of the Month Award today with his strong performance in June.
The 18-year-old starter tossed 49 innings of solid baseball, putting up a 0.92 ERA, 53 strikeouts and a 4-0 record in 6 starts.
This season, Houlihan has compiled a 11-3 mark with a 2.01 ERA in 16 starts.
CCBL Awards
Hitter - The future looks extremely bright for Finnan Hunt. At the age of 19, many players are still trying to find their way in Commonwealth Collegiate Baseball League.
Hunt has not only found his way, he's already established himself as one of the game's brightest stars, today being named the winner of the Commonwealth Collegiate Baseball League Top Collegiate Hitter Award.
"I didn't expect to hit .472 this year, that's for sure," the shortstop said.
The Stonehill College Skyhawks star also put up a .571 on-base percentage this year, with 108 hits, 18 doubles, 10 triples, 4 home runs, 19 RBIs and 71 runs scored.
He received 20 first place votes out of a possible 24. Stud Colgan of the Assumption Greyhounds finished second in voting with 4 first place votes, while Chris Tardy of the Northeastern Huskies finished third.
Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Finnan Hunt - Stonehill College Skyhawks - 20 - 312
Stud Colgan - Assumption Greyhounds - 4 - 234
Chris Tardy - Northeastern Huskies - 0 - 147
Moktar Wakihuri - Greenfield College Greenies - 0 - 146
Vicky Tomaszewski - Revere College Riders - 0 - 130
Pop Dylan - Commonwealth University Terriers - 0 - 126
Evan Keel - Tufts University Jumbos - 0 - 75
Donovan Mackey - Northeastern Huskies - 0 - 73
Voodoo Sycamore - Quincy College Masons - 0 - 39
Frak Meng - Plymouth University Pioneers - 0 - 38
Harvey Aard - Commonwealth University Terriers - 0 - 34
Wonny Johnson - Holy Cross Crusaders - 0 - 23
Greenie Jamison - Northeastern Huskies - 0 - 18
Cray Cris Arcos - Winthrop College Guardians - 0 - 9
Koi Kor - Greenfield College Greenies - 0 - 9
Nick Coulter - Stonehill College Skyhawks - 0 - 2
Buns Palmer - Mass Bay University Beacons - 0 - 1
Starter - Larry Gomez of the Northeastern Huskies will be adding a new centerpiece to his mantel after being tabbed for the Commonwealth Collegiate Baseball League Top Collegiate Pitcher Award today.
The 18-year-old hurler started 14 games this season, tallying a 9-3 record. In 108.1 innings, Gomez gave up 106 hits, struck out 82, walked 30 and held opponents to a .255 average as he posted a fine 2.74 ERA.
He received 11 first place votes out of a possible 24. Jafar Khassanov of the Mass Atlantic Suns finished second in voting with 7 first place votes, while Fern Ashcroft of the Western New England Statesmen finished third with 4 first place votes.
Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Larry Gomez - Northeastern Huskies - 11 - 123
Jafar Khassanov - Mass Atlantic Suns - 7 - 103
Fern Ashcroft - Western New England Statesmen - 4 - 79
Donegal Ward - Northeastern Huskies - 2 - 63
Meddur Ramadhani - Boston College Eagles - 0 - 16
Dimman Dillon - Greenfield College Greenies - 0 - 13
Ubaida bin Faruq - Nahant Marine Institute Aquas - 0 - 7
Rayjay Cassimere - Plymouth University Pioneers - 0 - 4
Reliever - At the age of 19, Ricky Redd says he still has a lot to learn about life in Commonwealth Collegiate Baseball League.
But he certainly seems to be a quick study, as the Assumption Greyhounds reliever was better than all others this year and has captured the 2312 Commonwealth Collegiate Baseball League Top Collegiate Reliever Award.
"I hope to win this a few more times before all is said and done in my career," the
Boston, Massachusetts native said.
For the season, Redd had 16 saves in 28 relief appearances, which totaled 29.2. He fanned 23 betters, while walking 6 and put up a record of 1-0 to go with his 0.61 ERA.
He received 10 first place votes out of a possible 24. Hulk Martin of the Greenfield College Greenies finished second in voting with 8 first place votes, while Hugo Hatt of the Nahant Marine Institute Aquas finished third with 6 first place votes.
Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Ricky Redd - Assumption Greyhounds - 10 - 90
Hulk Martin - Greenfield College Greenies - 8 - 70
Hugo Hatt - Nahant Marine Institute Aquas - 6 - 48
Keon Boykin - Commonwealth University Terriers - 0 - 7
Robbie Hutchinson - Assumption Greyhounds - 0 - 1
State of Minor League Baseball
There are still lots of details to iron out, but the 2313 season will bring some more big changes to the way baseball operates in the Commonwealth. Here are a few things we now know:
The CBO will add a fourth minor league that it plans to take over as the AAA league. There are some new teams coming in for the highest league, which will be called the New England Baseball League (NEBL). That means the MML will drop down to the AA level, the BMU will be at the A level, and the GBRL will remain at the Rookie level. None of the MML, BMU, or GBRL have plans to change their league names.
Some of the teams expected to join the NEBL are in settlements including Fall River, Greenfield, Lawrence, and Haverhill in Massachusetts. Outside of Massachusetts, the NEBL is seeking new locations in Manchester (NH), Hartford (CT), and Pawtucket (RI).
More details will emerge as the CBO determines where current teams are and what leagues some current teams may move to. The CBO has also taken over ownership of the Bradberton Boys League and Maine Youth Leagues. Commissioner Nate Howard has indicated that players from those teams may find sponsorships in the Boston area to join teams there. Otherwise, those two leagues are expected to fold either at the conclusion of this season or next season.
The Season Pass Association is also considering downgrading its minors with the possibility of folding the rookie leagues. The CBO has been making purchasing deals with many of the team names throughout the current Season Pass Association with plans that many of those team names will make their way to the minors and Commonwealth Youth League.
We will continue to report on this developing story as the CBO is working on its monopoly for baseball in the former New England Commonwealth.