A special THREE-PART June 1 Super Post, just for the CBO and its affiliates on this Monday, June 1, in the year 2314!
News from the CBO, Minors, CCBL, and CYL
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
1 June 2314
The June 1 Super Post, Part 1
CBO Analysis
It is both time for a Monday update and the first day of the month. That means we will have three articles posted in addition to our friends in Bradberton and Far Harbor posting their June 1 updates.
In the CBO, every team has now played 50 or 51 games, putting us at the 40% mark of the season. We have a new king of the hill in Vault 81 (36-15), now a half-game above The Slog for the CBO's top record. Only seven teams have won 30 or more games with three of them coming from one league, the Institute League. Here are the current team power rankings for Commonwealth Baseball Organization:
Teams (Total Points, Tendency):
1) The Slog Ghouls (129.0, +)
2) Vault 81 Dwellers (128.1, -)
3) University Point Deathclaws (118.4, ++)
4) Cambridge Coursers (108.8, o)
5) Lexington Synths (108.4, o)
6) Quincy Gunners (106.8, o)
7) Concord Radstags (105.9, --)
8) Glowing Sea Radscorpions (103.4, o)
9) Fort Hagen Silver Shroud (101.8, ++)
10) Diamond City Swatters (99.8, ++)
11) Bunker Hill 75ers (99.4, -)
12) Oberland T-51s (98.8, +)
13) Atom Cats (98.2, --)
14) FHE Yao Guai (97.2, --)
15) Nordhagen Beach Party Boys (90.8, ++)
16) Southie Brews (87.0, -)
17) Easy Town Assaultrons (84.2, o)
18) Salem Witch Hats (82.8, -)
19) Nahant Celtics (75.2, +)
20) Goodneighbor Hancocks (73.6, ++)
21) County Crossing Bloodbugs (71.6, -)
22) Egret Ninjas (71.0, ++)
23) Jamaica Plain Red Rockets (67.6, o)
24) Malden Grognaks (67.2, --)
25) Spectacle Island Reapers (67.1, --)
26) Roxbury Rad Sox (62.5, -)
27) Starlight Killers (60.5, -)
28) Sunshine Tidings Chemists (55.9, o)
Brotherhood League
The Slog is starting to run away with this league. Although they had a bit of a bad start last week to allow Vault 81 to catch up and surpass them, the Ghouls have gone 6-4 in their last 10, helping to pull themselves to an 11.5-game lead over Salem and Nordhagen Beach. The Witch Hats and Party Boys also announced a big trade today with the Boys sending LF Gorgeous DiGiacomo (.310/5/27) to the Hats for two minor leaguers, Pudding Pop and Posky Enchtull. The remaining order of the BL is Easy Town, County Crossing, and a tie for 6th between Malden and Nahant.
Salem is appearing that it is looking to put itself in a position to be a 2314 playoff team, though the Hats currently trail the 6th team in the NCA, Fort Hagen but four games. Still, adding an All-Star like DiGiacomo may give them a boost to an offense scoring runs (4th at 270) but struggling in a lot of offensive categories, particularly average where the Hats are 9th (.271). We are not sure where DiGiacomo fits in with LF Jig McGhee (.318/11/26) already doing well, but we will guess that the Witch Hats have a plan. That plan may be looking for pitching help where Salem is 11th in runs allowed (279) mostly because of the bullpen (11th with a 5.96 ERA). Jaa Thirtysix (4-5, 3.84) is doing OK, but he is the only starter with a sub-4.00 ERA. CL Corpulus Vinius (8 SV, 4.32) has one of the best bullpen ERAs, which shows where the Hats are falling short.
Institute League
The IL has become a suddenly tight and competitive league with five teams within four games of 1st place, all with a one-game difference. The top five are Concord, Lexington, Cambridge, Bunker Hill, and Fort Hagen, which would occupy seeds 2-6 if the playoffs were to start today. Starlight and Sunshine Tidings are competing for the CBO's #1 pick at this point.
The Killers were heavy contenders just three years ago, making the playoffs six-straight years with two IL titles, including in 2311. They dropped out, barely missing the playoffs in 2312, and then finished four games below .500 last season. This season, they are not good at 18-33.Starlight is 12th in runs scored (228) and dead last in runs allowed (319), tied with Spectacle Island for the CBO's worst and one of only three teams (Sunshine Tidings) who have allowed 300+ runs. On offense, there are some pieces in place to help, with second-year C Justin Lower (.335/14/40) and rookie RF Sergio Higgins (.369/8/14) making some waves. The pitching is unsalvageable right now with the lowest ERA on the team being 4.26 for RP Gjak Ironbreaker. Ace Lawdog Whipple (1-6, 5.29) is past his prime after being traded from University Point. The Killers need to invest heavily in pitching.
Minutemen League
Speaking of the dev--deathclaw, University Point has been the CBO's hottest team, surging into 1st place in the ML. The Claws were a CBO-best (tied) 20-8 in May, along with Vault 81. Quincy is just a game back, followed by Atom, Southie, Goodneighbor, Jamaica Plain, and Spectacle Island. The Brews had a great April but a miserable May to drop them to .500.
University Point is 3rd in runs scored (284) and 4th in runs allowed (230), so they still have some work to do. But they are good. Of course, Barker Cocoa (.335/20/48) leads the CBO in homers and total bases (133). What may kill the Claws' momentum is the injury to Ziggy Stardust (.341/5/24), ending his 2314 campaign. The top two starters, Digger Vadim (7-3, 3.45) and Tony Bertha (4-4, 3.79) have been doing what it takes to win. The Killers score a lot when Alex Alexson (7-4, 4.54) starts. Closer Swampy Tamragouri (16 SV, 0.00) has been a stellar offseason acquisition. Tamragouri claims he comes from the Swamplands of the South and heard about the CBO. Great addition to the league! But maybe unfair that he was able to sign with the Claws. Spolier: scouts think the 0.00 has been more luck than skill since they rate him as the 3rd-best closer in the CBO based on current scouting.
Railroad League
Vault 81 has a seven-game lead over Glowing Sea, giving the Dwellers the second-largest lead in the CBO. After the Radscorpions, there is Oberland and Diamond City tied for 3rd, FHE at 5th, Egret, and then Roxbury. The first five teams are above .500, though the Yao Guai would be both if the playoffs began today.
The Dwellers are again looking like the CBO's best team, at least, in the regular season. We already know their postseason struggles, which they hope to overcome finally this season. Vault 81 is looking the part statistically, currently 1st in runs scored (313) and five other offensive categories and 2nd in runs allowed (216), including the top Starters ERA (3.70). SS End Yamada (.402/8/39) is currently tops in the CBO in average, WAR (3.8), and hits (72). C Phantom Vargas (.255/11/33) and LF Pockets Wrench (.298/10/39) have been the power leaders. Two starters--Exxie Summerset (7-3, 3.81) and Scruffy Taguchi (7-1, 3.84)--have sub-4.00 ERAs. CL Dynamite Delaney (12 SV, 2.70) has been good with additional support from RPs Healie McGorman (1-1, 1.96) and Brian Bridges (1-0, 2.20).
CBO Standings
CBO Players of the Week
May 25 - North Charles Association pitchers tried and tried all week long to stop Slammin' Sammy Holloway, but to no avail.
His eyes would light up when he came to the plate and he hit everything in sight, batting .500 for the week to win the NCA Player of the Week Award. The Nordhagen Beach third baseman cracked 11 hits in 22 at-bats, 5 home runs, drove in 9 runs and scored 8 times.
This year, Holloway is batting .368 with 60 hits and 13 home runs. He has scored 36 times and has batted in 42 runs.
Dynamo Bynes demonstrated his potential to be a star in the game last week and today he took home the South Charles Association Player of the Week Award.
The Egret first baseman wreaked havoc on opposing pitchers last week, pounding them for a .650 average (13-for-20) with 3 home runs and 8 RBIs on his way to claiming the honor.
Bynes on the season is batting .363 with 8 home runs. His totals include 29 RBIs and 29 runs scored. He has played in 43 games.
June 1 - It was announced today by the North Charles Association that Nahant third baseman Diamond Ball had received the Player of the Week Trophy for his superlative play last week.
During his week-long batting binge he reeled off a .500 batting average, 10 hits and 3 home runs. Ball also racked up 11 RBIs and scored 5 runs.
Ball is currently hitting .326 with 12 home runsand 40 RBIs, while scoring 32 runs.
Jay Gabby has the tools to stick in this league for many years. The 21-year-old right fielder of the Goodneighbor Hancocks had a hot bat in the South Charles Association over the past seven days and won the Player of the Week honors.
Gabby batted .583 with 14 hits in 24 at-bats, 3 home runs and 10 RBIs.
So far this season, Gabby has 10 home runs and a .320 batting average.
CBO Noteworthy News
May 21 - Knud Bather said it's time for him to concentrate on "being a father and a husband" after this baseball season.
At age 36, the native of Billerica, Massachusetts has announced he will retire from professional baseball.
"I want to thank all my teammates, the fans, and the Vault 81 Dwellers organization, but this is it for me," he said. "I've got a lovely family at home I can't wait to spend more time with."
Bather has played in 1738 games with a .263 career batting average and 1671 hits. He has also scored 1084 runs and driven in 1075 runs with 355 home runs.
May 26 - Sheedy Smith really sizzled at the plate in his team's 19-8 win over the Atom Cats. The Jamaica Plain first baseman blistered Atom for 6 hits in 6 at-bats. The six hits ties a CBO record. It's the first time a player had six hits since Gavin Deux-Gas of The Slog in 2311 and the first time in the SCA since Nickles Czerniewski of Spectacle Island did it in 2305.
"Smith was too tough to get out today," the Cats skipper said in the postgame interview. "No matter what we threw him, he hit it. And he hit some good pitches, too."
Sheedy Smith hit an RBI single in the 1st, hit an RBI double in the 3rd, hit an RBI single in the 4th, hit an RBI single in the 6th, singled in the 8th and hit a GRAND SLAM off Victor Numbclaw in the 9th.
Looking at his present stats, Smith has compiled a .357 batting average in 44 games with a .380 on-base percentage, while hitting 8 home runs and driving in 33 runs.
May 31 - The box score from yesterday's game will show that Oberland beat the Sunshine Tidings Chemists, 6-3. It will also show that center fielder Earthbound Bussey went 2-for-5 for the T-51s. It will not show, however, that Bussey reached the 2000-hit mark for his career.
The 34-year-old Bussey reflected on the achievement after the game. He mused: "In one respect, it's a real milestone, I guess. Yet, it's just a base hit like any other base hit."
His all-time numbers show Bussey is carrying a .288 career batting average with 172 home runs and 699 RBIs.
June 1 - The rumors are true: Sunshine Tidings reliever Mike Rubric is calling it quits at the end of the year.
At 36 years of age, Rubric has put up these numbers in his career: 471 appearances, a 148-143 record in 2479.1 innings, and 1615 strikeouts. He has 7 saves and a career 4.19 ERA.
Rubric won 21 games in 2310, one short of the record 22 held but Heaven Fontenot (2311) and Exxie Summerset (2306).
CBO Players of the Month
NCA Hitter - Brian DeLong battered North Charles Association pitchers all May and wound up taking home the Batter of the Month Award.
"I've been around Commonwealth Baseball Organization long enough to know you really have to work hard day in and day out to be able to put up this kind of consistency," the 29-year-old DeLong told reporters. "I put in a lot of work, even on the days I might not take the field, and it's always nice when everything comes together for me like it did this last month."
In 27 games, DeLong hit .336 with 12 home runs, 35 RBIs and scored 28 runs.
DeLong has a .341 average and a .435 on-base percentage for the year. He has picked up 62 hits, 18 home runs and driven in 48 runs.
SCA Hitter - Barker Cocoa may be getting older, but he's evidently not slowing down.
The University Point Deathclaws first baseman is the South Charles Association Batter of the Month for May after posting a stellar campaign.
Cocoa batted .324, hit 12 home runs, drove in 27 runs, scored 26 times and compiled a .390 on-base percentage.
For the year, Cocoa has hit at a .335 clip with 48 RBIs, 20 home runs and 44 runs scored.
NCA Pitcher - It was a monstrous May for the North Charles Association Pitcher of the Month award winner, Lyle Pine of the Lexington Synths. He put up some mighty scary numbers.
Pine recorded 5 wins and 1 loss in 7 starts. Throwing a total of 49 innings, he yielded 28 hits, mowed down 33 on strikes, gave up 15 walks and put up a solid ERA of 2.02 in a stellar month on the mound.
For the year, Pine has a 6-3 record with a 2.12 ERA in 12 starts.
SCA Pitcher - The hottest hurler in the South Charles Association last month was Nien Nunb of the FHE Yao Guai. He caught the attention of everybody in the league with some eye-catching stats, good enough to win the SCA Pitcher of the Month.
In May, Nunb starred with an impressive 6-0 record. In 7 starts he gave up 36 base hits and struck out 30 in 47.1 innings with a 2.28 ERA.
To this point in the season Nunb has 9 wins and 1 loss and a 3.18 ERA.
NCA Rookie - Youngster Sergio Higgins emerged as the latest North Charles Association Rookie of the Month today. The young man from Starlight deserved the honor, batting .369 with 8 home runs and 14 runs batted in. Is the month of May a harbinger of things to come or just a fluke? We'll find out someday, but for now, we'll just let Higgins enjoy the limelight.
So far on the season, Higgins is hitting .369 with 8 home runs, 14 RBIs and 17 runs scored. He has 24 hits and played in 19 games.
SCA Pitcher - Charles Towner's eyes seem to light up whenever he sees the baseball. The young Diamond City first baseman has been hitting everything in sight for the better part of a month.
In May he was voted the Rookie of the Month.
During the month he hit .352 with 7 doubles, 1 triple and 9 home runs. Towner also scored 17 times and drove in 32 runs.
This season, Towner has hit at a .319 clip with 48 RBIs, 13 home runs and 31 runs scored.
CBO's Top Performances
Hitter - We mentioned above in Noteworthy News that the Red Rockets' rookie 1B Sheedy Smith (2313's 6th-overall pick) tied a record for hits in a game. That performance in Jamaica Plain's 19-8 win at Atom on May 26 was the top performance of the month and now the season. Smith had a game score of 137, 19 points better than Hax Kim's performance last month. Smith was 6 for 6 with a double, a grand slam, four runs, and eight RBI. The six hits and eight RBI set the Rockets' team record.
Pitcher - Pitcher of the Month and the month's top single-game performance, that's Lexington's Lyle Pine. With a game score of 87, Pine did not surpass Sarthis Idren's April performance. However. Pine still had a great game in tying the league low for hits allowed (2) in a complete game. On May 16 against Starlight, Pine pitched the complete-game shutout, allowing just two hits while walking two and striking out six in a 14-0 victory for the Synths.
CBO Statistical Standouts
Average - .402 - SS End Yamada, Vault 81 - Yamada's average may have dropped by .056 points in May, but he still leads the next-best player (Miko Miko) by .030.
RBI - 57 - 1B Plain Morris, County Crossing - On his current pace, Morris would finish with 148 RBI which would fall just short of the record 155 set by Barker Cocoa in 2307. Still, Morris is one of only two players with 50 RBI (Thatch Heard).
ISO - .427 - 1B Hax Kim, Concord - Kim is on an incredible pace in all of ISO, OPS+ (214), WPA (3.16), and wOBA (.512). At this rate, we put Kim atop the Nuka Hitter Award leaderboard.
K/BB - 4.6 - SP Klement Thodberg, The Slog - The acquisition from Southie has a 0.8-point lead over the next-best player. On the season, Thodberg (4-3, 3.44) has struck out 46 and walked 10 in 70.2 IP.
WHIP - 0.87 - SP Lyle Pine, Lexington - Pine is the only player with a WHIP below 1.00 in the CBO. He also leads the CBO in rWAR (3.8), BABIP (.189), and Opp. Avg. (.168).