BNN Report
News from the CBO, Minors, CCBL, CYL, and CBA
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
27 October 2313
Nahant Goes All Green
One thing Jake Finch has going for him is the need for green. Thus, the Nahant franchise has announced a few changes. The first of the changes was a trade for the rights to the Leprechauns team name. Nahant and Sunshine Tidings came to an agreement to change the name of the Lowell Leprechauns (NEBL, AAA) to the Sentry Bots, formerly of Nahant's Somerville Place (BMU, A) team. That trade also included sending the Celtics' 2nd-round draft pick to the Chemists for their 4th-round pick.
The Somerville Place team name will take on the Shamrocks team name that Finch Farm (NEBL, AAA) had been known as. The Finch Farm team will now return to its roots as the Four Leafs. The Leprechauns team will now be at Croup Manor, Nahant's GBRL (R) team. Formerly, they were the Inspectors. The Brockton Irish (MML, AA) remain the same.
No other changes will be made to minor league teams in the offseason.
CBO Draft Preview
This week, we will take a look at some players that are rated a little lower by OSA but still predicted to be taken high. For one reason or another, these players are considered towards the top but may not have the current scouting numbers to back up that gamble.
For the record, according to scouts, of the 1638 eligible players, 22 are rated as "very high" for their chance to make the CBO, 27 are "high," and 66 are "good." That means about four rounds of CBO-quality players in this deep draft. Based on OSA's initial Mock Draft, 10 of the "good" players are expected to be selected in the 1st round. Let's look at those players, where they are expected to go and why.
1. 11th pick, Starlight, LF Noah Sandell, Quincy College - Sandell is an interesting one. He has talent, but he may not be fully committed to baseball, making some question his future. Still, why is he 11th with a scout-designated overall potential number at 51 when there are some much higher on the scale? Consistency. Scouts see Sandell as a player who will develop steadily. While not a force, some scouts around the league think that they can make him a top contributor on the team if they can keep him interested.
2. 12th pick, Quincy, RF Chris Robinson, WNEU - Robinson decided to leave the Statesmen following his junior season with the anticipation that his scouting numbers will not improve. While he was once regarded as 1st-round possible, the mock is looking at those former numbers rather than his current scouting numbers. Robinson is good at putting wood on ball, meaning he will punch out a lot of base hits while avoiding being punched out. That kind of production is a valuable asset to helping a team score runs.
3. 15th pick, Diamond City, 2B Gabe Clark, Stonehill College - The first of two picks by the Swatters in the 1st Round, Clark benefits from a Diamond City franchise that often eschews CBO scouts' opinions. For the Swatters, then, Clark is 1st-round worthy when OSA scouts think he is more likely a 3rd. Clark's range is not quite enough to play SS, but he is good at getting to the ball and generating double plays. Scouts expect him to be a good overall hitter.
4. 16th pick, Oberland, 3B Franklin "Miko" Mikolayunas, CWU - "Miko" is another player declaring following his junior season to strike at the best time for himself. Rated as a good overall contact hitter, Mikolayunas may ultimately be punished because he does not put up great power numbers. His defense overall is OK, with him being able to play pretty much anywhere in the 3-9 spots. Scouts see him settling in at either 3B or 1B, though. In the end, we do not expect "Miko" to be a 1st-round pick.
5. 18th pick, Bunker Hill, LF Exorcist Colwell, Fairfield University - Colwell may not be rated as having a very high or even high chance of making the CBO, but he could also be misrated. Scouts see him as being a decent hitter at his ceiling and he is a good outfielder, with scouts slotting him in at LF in the pros. While he may not rate out as a 1st-rounder, Colwell is our pick from this list as the most likely to be a star.
6. 19th pick, Nahant, SP Lane Phrasemaker, Braintree Schoolboys - We featured the son of Blaine Phrasemaker before. Phrasemaker is rated as the 7th pitcher overall and 5th starter but the mock has him as the only 1st-round pick. We see more pitches going in the 1st and Phrasemaker possibly being anywhere from the 1st to 5th pitcher taken.
7. 22nd pick, The Slog, LF Hop Alston, SCB Moonies - The South Charles Bank star had some injury concerns his senior season, probably hurting his overall scouting heading into the draft. Alston is considered a power-first hitter, meaning that he swings for the fence and only for the fence. He will need a lot of time in the minors to develop as a hitter. In the outfield, he is considered to be a very good corner OF with his power numbers possibly slotting him in RF, or a team may just need him as a LF with a better-hitting RF.
8. 23rd pick, Diamond City, 2B Allen Strickland, Tufts University - Again, scouts think the Swatters will go for their own players instead of swinging for some of the elites in this deeper draft. Strickland's greatest asset is his ability to take an extra base either from being advanced or taking it himself on a steal. If he becomes a decent hitter, he could be elite in his steals numbers. He is a pretty good 2B and should contribute defensively wherever he goes.
9. 24th pick, FHE, 3B Mikita Sato, Winthrop College - Sato is a SS that scouts project at 3B. For him to be a SS, we can see the 1st-round grade since many teams are hurting to find quality depth at SS. Scouts like his power better than contact with the ability to be a 20-home run hitter for a team. What he needs to do at the plate, though, is to find patience, which will lead to more success, thus some time in the minors would be valuable for him. It is better he goes to a good team that does not need him yet.
10. 28th pick, Vault 81, 1B Oneday Golunski, ECSU - The East Connecticut State 1B, Golunski did not have the greatest senior season. He ended up .307/12/47, meaning his statistical output and ratings place him as a 4th-rounder at best. Still, here he is in the 1st Round Mock. As a player, he is definitely a good all-around hitter with his contact ourshining his power numbers. He also is a pretty spry 1B, allowing him to steal a few bases and get to some balls most 1B cannot.
3rd Round Mock
CBO Transactions
Sunday, October 26th , 2313
Nahant Celtics: Released 1B Andrew Liebowitz.
Friday, October 24th , 2313
The Slog Ghouls: Released 1B Macho Marco Deangelo.
Malden Grognaks: Signed RF Mist Azalea.
Egret Ninjas: Signed 3B Kass Yates.
The Malden Grognaks traded 24-year old RHP Lucky Petman to the Concord Radstags, getting 25-year old SS Hatrack Hines in return.
Wednesday, October 22nd , 2313
Egret Ninjas: Signed 3B Tyrell Taylor.
Oberland T-51s: Signed SP Ogre Olmstead.
Tuesday, October 21st , 2313
Southie Brews: Released CF Zach Fuss.
County Crossing Bloodbugs: Signed RP Chase Campbell.