BNN Report
News from the CBO, Minors, CCBL, and CYL
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
18 May 2314
CBO Analysis
Most teams have played 29% of their 2314 regular season games, so with more than a quarter of the season complete, we are starting to have a better idea of teams that may be buyers and sellers. Quick spoliers: The Slog, Concord, and Vault 81 are most certainly buyers, while Roxbury, Spectacle Island, Sunshine Tidings, and Nahant are most certainly sellers. Here are the current team power rankings for Commonwealth Baseball Organization:
Teams (Total Points, Tendency):
1) The Slog Ghouls (149.1, o)
2) Vault 81 Dwellers (135.0, o)
3) Concord Radstags (126.1, +)
4) Quincy Gunners (119.9, ++)
5) Lexington Synths (115.9, +)
6) Glowing Sea Radscorpions (113.9, ++)
7) University Point Deathclaws (111.5, ++)
8) Cambridge Coursers (108.2, +)
9) Oberland T-51s (107.9, --)
10) Bunker Hill 75ers (106.2, --)
11) FHE Yao Guai (101.7, ++)
12) Diamond City Swatters (98.5, --)
13) Southie Brews (96.4, -)
14) Fort Hagen Silver Shroud (95.5, --)
15) Atom Cats (95.0, +)
16) Salem Witch Hats (93.0, -)
17) Malden Grognaks (90.3, +)
18) Easy Town Assaultrons (72.8, ++)
19) Egret Ninjas (69.9, --)
20) Jamaica Plain Red Rockets (66.1, --)
21) Nordhagen Beach Party Boys (66.1, o)
22) County Crossing Bloodbugs (62.0, ++)
23) Goodneighbor Hancocks (59.2, +)
24) Nahant Celtics (54.6, ++)
25) Sunshine Tidings Chemists (53.6, o)
26) Starlight Killers (53.2, --)
27) Roxbury Rad Sox (47.9, +)
28) Spectacle Island Reapers (46.9, --)
Brotherhood League
Not only does The Slog possess the CBO's best record at 29-8, but the Ghouls' 10.5-game lead over Salem in the BL is a larger league lead than any other league's 5th place team. With the Ghouls being the only team above .500, that also helps, but the BL is in the position of having only one team in the playoffs should they start today. After the 19-19 Witch Hats are Malden, Easy Town, Nordhagen Beach, County Crossing, and Nahant. We feel that Salem is the only one of the last six that can make the playoffs based on what we have seen so far.
The anomaly team is the Celtics who we had mentioned in past updates as being an early-season surprise after winning the North Charles Association in 2313 and making it all the way to the Nuka Cup Tournament final this preseason. Injuries are not the problem, so performance is. Currently, Nahant is tied for 6th in scoring (183) but 8th in runs allowed (203). Wait a minute. Now something else is off with the team tied for last place in the NCA. Of their 38 games, 24 have been on the road, where they are 5-19. They are also 4-11 in one-run games and 1-3 in extra-inning games. By their Pythagorean record, the Celtics should be 17-21 at worst. That record would put them still in playoff contention, especially with many more home games left to play. We will see if the home record starts to take them back up closer to .500 by midseason. If that is the case, we will call Nahant playoff contenders again.
Institute League
Where the BL is failing, the IL is thriving with five teams above .500 and would-be occupiers of seeds 2-6 in the playoff race. Only Starlight and Sunshine Tidings are out of contention, both going 2-8 in their last 10 and the Killers on a league-worst seven-game losing streak. Concord is atop the league and just 3.5 back of The Slog. Lexington, Bunker Hill, Cambridge, and Fort Hagen make up the rest of the top five.
For the 75ers at four games back, they have to feel that they are in a good spot in 2314. After missing the playoffs in 2313 just two back of the Celtics, Bunker Hill is now in a good position, especially if their output improves. The 75ers are 5th in runs scored (196) and 6th in runs allowed (188), putting them statistically about where they should be in place and record. Rookie 3B Miko Miko (as he goes by professionally now) has been lights out (.370/6/25). LF Kasumi Goto (.328/11/24) has been the power leader for the association's 5th-ranked home run team (54). On the mound, ace Hangman Alley (4-2, 2.83) has been tough to score on, but veteran Jason Tonelli (3-5, 4.58) has struggled some. The bullpen has not been great, but closer Jim Livermore (9 SV, 2.95) has been OK.
One additional not about Bunker Hill is that long-time team leader, RF Donny Kowalski, may be done or at least close to it. There has been some rumblings that Bunker Hill is preparing for a sendoff which may include demoting Kowalski to Abernathy of the NEBL. Kowalski, 36, is all over the 75ers leaderboards, including being the team's all-time best in WAR (42.9), games played (1694), at-bats (6084), runs (1035), hits (1760), total bases (3131), singles (1105), doubles (272), triples (tied at 50 with Austin Engill), home runs (333), RBI (1033), walks (712), HBP (70), and strikeouts (929). If he retires, Kowalski's #23 with the Abernathy/Bunker Hill franchise is sure to be retired by the team, too.
Minutemen League
Quincy has been a hot team and has a solid two-game lead in the ML thanks to an 8-2 mark in their last 10 and a five-game winning streak. University Point trails by two thanks to their own 8-2, six-game winning streak mark. Speaking of the Deathclaws, Barker Cocoa (.348/17/38) is again tearing up CBO pitching and is on pace for a 58-HR season, which would be the third-best all-time. We will feature Cocoa below in the "Noteworthy News" section. Following the Claws are Southie, Atom, Jamaica Plain, Goodneighbor, and Spectacle Island. The Brews are above .500, and the Cats are at .500.
The Gunners are an intriguing team to watch right now. With the third-best scoring offense (221 runs scored) and the tied-for-4th-best runs allowed (178) mark, Quincy should be near the top of the standings. Two hitters who have been outstanding are RF Baywatch Fischler (.331/7/25) and LF Doorbell Arg (.349/6/25). On the mound, all of Make Money (2-1, 4.42), Fosdyke Rochambeau (4-2, 3.36), and Stranger Backrubman (3-1, 4.27) have been serviceable as starters. With the CBO's top closer by talent, Professor Harriel (7 SV, 3.10) is currently good compared to other closers in the league. Other than the sheer dominance of University Point's Swampy Tamragouri (10 SV, 0.00), most other closers have an ERA above 3.00. Only seven total closers have an ERA below Harriel's.
Railroad League
Vault 81 continues to flex its muscles in the RL, going 8-2 in its lat 10 to maintain a four-game lead over 2nd place Glowing Sea and Oberland. Diamond City and FHE are both above .500 with Egret and Roxbury being far below .500. The Sox are tied with the Reapers for the CBO's worst record. The Rad Sox finished 2314 with the SCA's worst record and drafted 3rd overall.
The Radscorpions are looking to repeat their 2313 playoff showing, currently sitting 3rd in the SCA standings. With perhaps the best hitting OF in the CBO with CF Enigma Montgomery (.343/5/22/12 SB), RF Naga Arakaki (.299/8/27), and LF Alloy Jordan (.345/0/21), Glowing Sea is 6th in runs scored (199). C Yvuh Jet (.324/9/26) is one of the best hitting catchers in the CBO. They are tied for 4th in runs allowed (178) thanks mostly to the efforts of the top two starters, Cutter Redman (3-0, 2.81) and Hot Lips Houlihan (5-4, 2.96). Closer Pink Floyd (9 SV, 2.12) has performed well.
CBO Standings
CBO Players of the Week
May 11 - His hard work and hustle paid off this week. The hard-working and hard-playing Silvam Fourteen was rewarded with the North Charles Association Player of the Week honors.
The scrappy The Slog Ghouls catcher hit .438 while collecting 7 hits in 16 at-bats, 4 home runs and 8 RBIs.
During the current season Fourteen is batting at a .375 clip with 7 home runs and 24 RBIs. He has played in 27 games and scored 19 times.
20-year-old Charles Towner sent shock waves through Commonwealth Baseball Organization last week with an eye-popping performance that brought him the South Charles Association Player of the Week Award.
A newcomer to the league, Towner made the establishment sit up and take notice, punishing opposing pitchers with a .571 average, 12 hits in 21 at-bats, 2 home runs and 12 runs batted in.
Where the Diamond City Swatters left fielder goes from here, only the baseball gods know for sure, but Towner certainly made his mark last week.
Towner is batting .348 this season in 32 games with 8 home runs, 34 RBIs and 20 runs scored. He has 40 hits in 115 at-bats.
May 18 - All week long nobody could get Brian DeLong out in the North Charles Association and that is the prime reason he was voted the Player of the Week.
The Salem first baseman took home the trophy by blasting 11 hits in 24 at-bats for a .458 batting average, driving in 12 runs and scoring 10 times.
Looking at his season stats, DeLong has compiled a .379 batting average and a .481 on-base percentage, while hitting 14 home runs and driving in 38 runs.
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. Doorbell Arg, the Quincy Gunners 22-year-old left fielder, put himself in the spotlight last week making him the clear-cut choice for South Charles Association Player of the Week honors.
He ripped 10 hits in 22 at-bats, compiling a .455 average with 3 home runs and 9 RBIs.
This year, Arg is batting .349 with 6 home runs.
CBO Noteworthy News
May 17 - "I wasn't trying to hit a homer. I just wanted to make contact."
That's what Barker Cocoa told reporters after he made league history at Hallucigen Stadium at UP. The prolific slugger belted home run #600 in the University Point Deathclaws 11-3 victory over the Jamaica Plain Red Rockets.
The standout first baseman collected 2 hits in 5 at-bats with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored.
"I guess this puts me in baseball's elite," said Cocoa. "I don't feel any different. I probably should, but I don't. Still, it is a nice achievement. I did get a little excited, didn't I?"
Cocoa is hitting at a .355 rate over his 1843-game career. Lifetime he has 367 doubles, 25 triples and 600 home runs with 1615 RBIs and 1719 runs scored.