BNN Report
News from the CBO, Minors, CCBL, CYL, and CBA
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
1 November 2315
The November 1 Super Post
CBO Awards
NCA Nuka-Hitter - He may have less experience than most of his Commonwealth Baseball Organization peers, but that didn't slow Eden Babz down at all in 2315.
At the age of 21, the Easy Town center fielder has been named the winner of the North Charles Association Nuka-Hitter Award.
He had a .351 batting average and a .411 on-base percentage this year. In 129 games he piled up 168 hits, 36 doubles, 10 triples, 16 home runs, 86 RBIs and 84 runs scored.
"I'm blown away by the season I was able to put together," he said. "I'm looking forward to trying to do it all again next year."
He received 19 first place votes out of a possible 28. Tommy Whitetiger of the Lexington Synths finished second in voting with 5 first place votes, while Gavin Deux-Gas of the The Slog Ghouls finished third with 4 first place votes.
Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Eden Babz - Easy Town Assaultrons - 19 - 345
Tommy Whitetiger - Lexington Synths - 5 - 270
Gavin Deux-Gas - The Slog Ghouls - 4 - 251
Red Jay Jones - Sunshine Tidings Chemists - 0 - 190
Aaron Squire - Bunker Hill 75ers - 0 - 141
Hurr Lee Reyes - Lexington Synths - 0 - 128
Brian DeLong - Salem Witch Hats - 0 - 117
Nauseous Revere - Fort Hagen Silver Shroud - 0 - 110
Jack of Diamonds Cordero - Malden Grognaks - 0 - 31
Bill Barnes - Easy Town Assaultrons - 0 - 26
Slammin' Sammy Holloway - Nordhagen Beach Party Boys - 0 - 16
Peter Pan Calvillo - Salem Witch Hats - 0 - 12
Pro Jabonete - Cambridge Coursers - 0 - 5
Malificent Shaw - Fort Hagen Silver Shroud - 0 - 5
Yoink Yukon - County Crossing Bloodbugs - 0 - 3
Jim Geiger - Cambridge Coursers - 0 - 1
Brass Well - Nordhagen Beach Party Boys - 0 - 1
SCA Nuka Hitter Award - What a way to finish off the year -- being honored with the 2315 Nuka-Hitter Award in the South Charles Association. It had already been a very special season for Glowing Sea's Enigma Montgomery, but today's announcement really put the icing on his cake.
All season long Enigma Montgomery gave opposing pitchers fits by hitting .338 as he collected 158 hits, 37 doubles, 4 triples, 21 home runs and 87 RBIs.
He received 27 first place votes out of a possible 28. Lee Mayhew of the Atom Cats finished second in voting, while Donovan Mackey of the Spectacle Island Reapers finished third.
Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Enigma Montgomery - Glowing Sea Radscorpions - 27 - 387
Lee Mayhew - Atom Cats - 0 - 233
Donovan Mackey - Spectacle Island Reapers - 0 - 190
Barker Cocoa - University Point Deathclaws - 1 - 185
Joe Rathmann - Vault 81 Dwellers - 0 - 166
Missile Crews - FHE Yao Guai - 0 - 121
Candy Kline - Atom Cats - 0 - 92
Brother Ray Robinson - Goodneighbor Hancocks - 0 - 54
Ken Debate - Jamaica Plain Red Rockets - 0 - 51
Honker Trinkl - Roxbury Rad Sox - 0 - 47
Stu Gains - Vault 81 Dwellers - 0 - 40
Jay Gabby - Goodneighbor Hancocks - 0 - 37
End Yamada - Vault 81 Dwellers - 0 - 33
Naga Arakaki - Glowing Sea Radscorpions - 0 - 13
Tawfiq Kibowen - Atom Cats - 0 - 3
NCA Vim! Pitcher Award - The Salem Witch Hats have a rising superstar or maybe even a budding Hall-of-Famer in the making. It's Paul Stains, this year's North Charles Association Vim! Pitcher Award selection. This blossoming hurler wowed fans, peers and sportswriters with a fabulous performance.
Stains compiled a 16-11 record in 30 starts, tallied 205 strikeouts in 239 innings and recorded a 3.80 ERA. Other clubs managed only a .251 batting average against him.
He received 23 first place votes out of a possible 28. Lonely Gale of the Easy Town Assaultrons finished second in voting with 2 first place votes, while Lyle Pine of the Lexington Synths finished third.
Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Paul Stains - Salem Witch Hats - 23 - 181
Lonely Gale - Easy Town Assaultrons - 2 - 109
Lyle Pine - Lexington Synths - 0 - 63
Edgar Drezek - Malden Grognaks - 3 - 60
Scooter Yaghmour - Cambridge Coursers - 0 - 42
Tarzan Rogers - Easy Town Assaultrons - 0 - 14
Jaa Thirtysix - Salem Witch Hats - 0 - 4
Leyden Aigg - Concord Radstags - 0 - 3
SCA Vim! Pitcher Award - The hottest hurler in the South Charles Association this season was Macho Lopez of the Diamond City Swatters. He caught the attention of everybody in the league on his way to winning the 2315 SCA Vim! Pitcher Award.
Lopez starred with an impressive 18-9 record in 32 starts. The Swatters ace gave up 194 base hits and struck out 201 in 229.1 innings with a 2.63 ERA.
He received 28 first place votes, as a unanimous winner. Digger Vadim of the University Point Deathclaws finished second in voting, while Heaven Fontenot of the Diamond City Swatters finished third.
Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Macho Lopez - Diamond City Swatters - 28 - 196
Digger Vadim - University Point Deathclaws - 0 - 86
Heaven Fontenot - Diamond City Swatters - 0 - 61
Alex Language - Glowing Sea Radscorpions - 0 - 61
K-9 Creep - Atom Cats - 0 - 34
Kid Boots Appling - Quincy Gunners - 0 - 22
Mesquite Williams - Atom Cats - 0 - 13
Jared Porch - Goodneighbor Hancocks - 0 - 2
Aqua Purified - Spectacle Island Reapers - 0 - 1
NCA Manager of theYear - The Lexington Synths called a press conference to announce that field manager Brandon Salinas had been named North Charles Association Manager of the Year earlier in the day. Staffers congratulated the 60-year-old baseball guru as he approached the podium.
"This city has allowed me to craft a winning ball club," said Salinas. "When you take on a new job, there's always some adjustment period, but everyone here has been cooperative. From the bat boys on up. Here's to many more successful seasons for the Lexington Synths!"
Salinas led Lexington to a 77-53 record this year and a first place finish in the North Charles Association Institute League.
SCA Manager of the Year - Vault 81 manager Drac Jaskula caused quite a stir when he came to town. Noted for his feisty, no-nonsense attitude, Jaskula threw his all into the 2315 campaign, winning over critics and fans as he went. He also won a few ballgames, running up a 80-50 record, which was good enough to take the first place spot in the South Charles Association Railroad League standings.
"These guys are grown men. They don't need psychobabble, they need to win ballgames," Jaskula snapped at his first press conference. While his approach was controversial, even for Vault 81, it netted the 54-year-old the South Charles Association Manager of the Year trophy. In response to which he replied, "It ain't molecular physics, it's baseball," and began discussing potential free agents with the local media.
NCA Red Rocket Rookie Award - Greenie Jamison was the preeminent newcomer this year in the North Charles Association and the winner of the 2315 Red Rocket Rookie Award.
The Starlight shortstop played 127 games this season, hitting for a .248 with 110 hits, 33 home runs, 83 RBIs and 85 runs scored.
He received 15 first place votes out of a possible 28. Evan Keel of the Nahant Celtics finished second in voting with 9 first place votes, while Lance Tinter of the Malden Grognaks finished third with 2 first place votes.
Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Greenie Jamison - Starlight Killers - 15 - 89
Evan Keel - Nahant Celtics - 9 - 77
Lance Tinter - Malden Grognaks - 2 - 36
Eddie Furnace - Sunshine Tidings Chemists - 0 - 22
Floren Habern - Malden Grognaks - 0 - 15
Builder Andria - Nahant Celtics - 2 - 10
Henry Hampster - Starlight Killers - 0 - 2
Shawn Sykes - Lexington Synths - 0 - 1
SCA Red Rocket Rookie Award - It was a lot of headlines and highlights for Roxbury first baseman Honker Trinkl in his first season in the South Charles Association. It was announced today that the 22-year-old was voted the top newcomer and had earned the Red Rocket Rookie Award.
Honker Trinkl collected 141 hits, 29 home runs, 70 RBIs, 39 walks and 92 runs scored. He hit .345 and had a .403 on-base percentage.
He received 28 first place votes, as a unanimous winner. Bingy Xiu of the Quincy Gunners finished second in voting, while Kid Boots Appling of the Quincy Gunners finished third.
Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Honker Trinkl - Roxbury Rad Sox - 28 - 140
Bingy Xiu - Quincy Gunners - 0 - 45
Kid Boots Appling - Quincy Gunners - 0 - 37
Jets Freud - Southie Brews - 0 - 13
Pop Dylan - University Point Deathclaws - 0 - 10
Zed Zded - Goodneighbor Hancocks - 0 - 7
NCA BosCom Positional Hitter Awards - For being the strongest offensive contributors at their position this year, the North Charles Association has named a group of players as recipients of the BosCom Positional Hitter Award.
The 2315 winners of the award are:
Pitcher
Chris Schneier (Concord Radstags)
.338/.338/.369, 65 AB, 86 wRC+, 0.1 WAR
Catcher
Red Jay Jones (Sunshine Tidings Chemists)
.388/.415/.612, 436 AB, 21 HR, 164 wRC+, 5.9 WAR
First Baseman
Brian DeLong (Salem Witch Hats)
.314/.448/.556, 439 AB, 22 HR, 161 wRC+, 4.6 WAR
Second Baseman
Bulleye Shooterson (Nahant Celtics)
.311/.393/.528, 447 AB, 22 HR, 1 SB, 137 wRC+, 2.7 WAR
Third Baseman
Tommy Whitetiger (Lexington Synths)
.352/.427/.620, 469 AB, 30 HR, 1 SB, 173 wRC+, 6.9 WAR
Shortstop
Gavin Deux-Gas (The Slog Ghouls)
.359/.434/.600, 488 AB, 21 HR, 35 SB, 169 wRC+, 8.5 WAR
Left Fielder
Pro Jabonete (Cambridge Coursers)
.300/.376/.581, 463 AB, 27 HR, 5 SB, 139 wRC+, 3.4 WAR
Center Fielder
Eden Babz (Easy Town Assaultrons)
.351/.411/.569, 478 AB, 16 HR, 60 SB, 152 wRC+, 7.7 WAR
Right Fielder
Hurr Lee Reyes (Lexington Synths)
.345/.427/.626, 313 AB, 20 HR, 20 SB, 168 wRC+, 4.7 WAR
SCA BosCom Positional Hitter Awards - A group of established and budding Commonwealth Baseball Organization stars were today named winners of the South Charles Association BosCom Positional Hitter Award.
For standout offensive performances, the 2315 winners are:
Pitcher
Heaven Fontenot (Diamond City Swatters)
.306/.306/.341, 85 AB, 68 wRC+, 0.0 WAR
Catcher
Tawfiq Kibowen (Atom Cats)
.292/.364/.551, 394 AB, 26 HR, 139 wRC+, 3.3 WAR
First Baseman
Barker Cocoa (University Point Deathclaws)
.326/.410/.612, 469 AB, 33 HR, 9 SB, 156 wRC+, 5.0 WAR
Second Baseman
Lee Mayhew (Atom Cats)
.311/.410/.569, 466 AB, 27 HR, 13 SB, 104 R, 157 wRC+, 6.9 WAR
Third Baseman
Donovan Mackey (Spectacle Island Reapers)
.358/.439/.594, 453 AB, 20 HR, 2 SB, 165 wRC+, 5.8 WAR
Shortstop
Stormin Normin MacDonald (Oberland T-51s)
.315/.429/.522, 448 AB, 17 HR, 9 SB, 151 wRC+, 4.2 WAR
Left Fielder
Brother Ray Robinson (Goodneighbor Hancocks)
.348/.404/.597, 457 AB, 19 HR, 19 SB, 103 R, 161 wRC+, 5.2 WAR
Center Fielder
Enigma Montgomery (Glowing Sea Radscorpions)
.338/.410/.568, 468 AB, 21 HR, 34 SB, 155 wRC+, 7.6 WAR
Right Fielder
Joe Rathmann (Vault 81 Dwellers)
.331/.434/.563, 435 AB, 19 HR, 24 SB, 161 wRC+, 5.7 WAR
NCA Fallon's Reliever Award - He may only be 23, but Orlando Bransford of the The Slog Ghouls has already established himself as one of the elite relievers in the North Charles Association.
The reliever was today named the NCA Fallon's Reliever Award winner for 2315.
He won the award with a strong year that saw him put up 20 saves in 53 relief appearances and 56 strikeouts in 60 innings. He had a record of 6-4 to go with his 2.70 ERA.
He received 24 first place votes out of a possible 28. Cora Harper of the Easy Town Assaultrons finished second in voting with 2 first place votes, while Tut Cadillac of the Easy Town Assaultrons finished third with 2 first place votes.
Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Orlando Bransford - The Slog Ghouls - 24 - 132
Cora Harper - Easy Town Assaultrons - 2 - 59
Tut Cadillac - Easy Town Assaultrons - 2 - 53
Tuba Noza - Malden Grognaks - 0 - 5
Harley Buechel - Fort Hagen Silver Shroud - 0 - 3
SCA Fallon's Reliever Award - Quincy Gunners closer Professor Harriel said he loves to come into the game when the outcome is in jeopardy.
He certainly did a good job of impacting his team's outcomes this season, as he has been named the winner of the 2315 Fallon's Reliever Award for the South Charles Association.
"There's no better feeling than running in from the bullpen with the game on the line and your heart pumping," Harriel said.
On the season, the Indianapolis, Indiana native had 27 saves in 64 relief appearances, 97 strikeouts in 78.1 innings and a record of 9 wins and 6 losses to go with his 2.18 ERA.
He received 28 first place votes, as a unanimous winner. Swampy Tamragouri of the University Point Deathclaws finished second in voting, while Matt Hoernig of the University Point Deathclaws finished third.
Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Professor Harriel - Quincy Gunners - 28 - 140
Swampy Tamragouri - University Point Deathclaws - 0 - 68
Matt Hoernig - University Point Deathclaws - 0 - 32
Dynamite Delaney - Vault 81 Dwellers - 0 - 12
NCA Corvega Top Defender Awards - What does it take to win a Corvega Top Defender Award? It's a combination of good hands, knowing how to play the hitters, all-out hustle and a willingness to sacrifice your body to make a play. Good speed and a good arm never hurt either, but not always required. This year's all-defense team in the North Charles Association consists of:
Pitcher
Tony Vampire Frazier (Nahant Celtics)
Catcher
Clownie Blammo (Cambridge Coursers)
First Baseman
Jimmy-James Sessoms (Cambridge Coursers)
Second Baseman
Rabbit Forest (Lexington Synths)
Third Baseman
Justin Hazard (Nordhagen Beach Party Boys)
Shortstop
Peter Pan Calvillo (Salem Witch Hats)
Left Fielder
Campy Madrid (Lexington Synths)
Center Fielder
Miky Mytook (Nordhagen Beach Party Boys)
Right Fielder
Thatch Heard (Salem Witch Hats)
SCA Corvega Top Defender Awards - The Corvega Top Defender Award goes to the defender at each position who provides consistent, and often eye-popping, defense each season. The South Charles Association winners for 2315 are:
Pitcher
Exxie Summerset (Vault 81 Dwellers)
Catcher
McCoy McIntyre (FHE Yao Guai)
First Baseman
Duncan MacCready (FHE Yao Guai)
Second Baseman
Odd Todd Walker (Oberland T-51s)
Third Baseman
Tre' Morgueman (Jamaica Plain Red Rockets)
Shortstop
Poncho Picasso (Glowing Sea Radscorpions)
Left Fielder
Ken Debate (Jamaica Plain Red Rockets)
Center Fielder
Adrian Worthmuch (Roxbury Rad Sox)
Right Fielder
Joey Bell (Roxbury Rad Sox)
CBO Draft Special
With the 2315 Draft just four days away, we are ready to dive into the 2315 crop. There was a new wrinkle in evaluating players this year with the newly-employed Draft Combine. In all, 258 draft-eligible players participated to gain the right to have their name called in one of the 562 slots in the draft.
There were also two "supplemental" picks awarded to the Starlight Killers and Roxbury Rad Sox due to financial tie-ups by the league office. Each team was offered an additional 1st round pick after the completion of the 1st round to make up for the unintentional caps hit incurred on each franchise.
Now, the OSA has put out its mock draft, telling us who they think is going where in these first 30 picks. Let's break down some of the top names, how they did in the combine (and what the combine is), and then where OSA thinks players are going on November 5.
Ten players were named as sure hits to make a CBO roster. In alphabetical order: CL Wizard Albutt (Assumption College, CCBL), CF Al-Fred Blue (Freeplat, CYL), 2B Cajun Darri (Saugus, CYL), 1B Jag Jouan (Rhode Island, CCBL), RF Dante Joyce (New London, CYL), 2B Ash Ledbetter (Bristol, CYL), LF Edan O'Dwyer (Hester, CYL), C Waldy Poleska (Freeplat, CYL), SP Mike Searocker (Lowell, CYL), and 2B Ruyika Simamba (Covenant, CYL). Even though these are rated as the 10 players most likely to make the CBO, it does not make them necessarily the most coveted. In all, there are 25 players with a CBO grade, and most of those players will probably go decently early outside of the relief pitchers.
Now, to the five-day combine held in October. As mentioned, this was a showcase for players to try to make their final cases on why they should be drafted. Players had to show off through various skills drills, interviewed with CBO coaches and GMs, and learned about managing themselves as professional players. It was by invitation only, but several players were able to fill in as replacements for prospects not available for the full five days. Al-Fred Blue was the most notable non-participant in the combine. Here are some results:
Highest gains:
SP Bullets Barnes
LF D'Avery Blueprint
2B Cajun Darri
SP Scooter Harcourt
1B Jag Jouan
2B Ash Ledbetter
SP Mike Searocker
SS Spud Sewell
2B Ruyika Simamba
3B Tommy Tanks
Four major risers:
2B/SS Callahan Barton, Cape Cod, CCBL - Barton may have jumped into the upper rounds, especially with his impressive glove that may move him to SS at the next level. Scouts do not see him as being a main bat in the offense, but he could hold his own somewhere in the 6-8 range in the lineup. He will probably begin in the NEBL (AAA) or MML (AA). Scouts believe Barton has moved himself up to a mid-1st Round pick. They have Bunker Hill taking him at #19.
2B Tiobrady Byrne, Nuka U, CCBL - He is not the strongest hitter, but scouts love the "sweet" stroke of Byrne and think he can be a high average, mid-homers guy at the next level. He is a pretty good 2B and would be an average SS, so he will probably stick at the 4. Scouts think he could sneak into the end of the 1st round. Currently, they have Byrne going as the 2nd pick of the 2nd round to County Crossing.
1B Aurie Fubini, Pawtucket, CYL - Fubini was consistent throughout his Paw Sox time, and scouts now think he has the potential to boom. He will nto be rated as the most powerful of 1Bers out there, but Fubini does get consistent contact that often carries balls out of the park. Like Byrne, his strength in hitting will be his OBP over his SLG. He could move to 3B at the next level. Scouts have him going as the #24 pick in the 2nd round to Spectacle Island.
LF Fernando Kerr, Vermont Tech, CCBL - Kerr only had one year of action in the CCBL with the Maples joining in 2315. Still, he hit well and only looks to get better each day, Scouts think he can hit for average and will probably see himself in a 1, 2, or 6 position in a lineup. He could use some improvement to his defense since he is a bit sluggish in tracking down balls to the gap. He could move to RF since his arm is decent. Scouts believe Kerr has worked himself into the 2nd round, and have him going to Lexington with the 27th pick in the 2nd round.
With all of the workouts, battles, and interviews, the OSA scouts have picked their top picks. Let's take a deep dive into the Top Five first:
1. Starlight - 2B Cajun Darri, Saugus, CYL - Scouts keep tagging that SS position to Darri, meaning he is a premier player in a premier slot. He also may be one of the few talents that can go directly from the CYL to the CBO. Scouts love just about everything about him, though they acknowledge that his defensive elitism will be what ultimately separates him. Darri may be one of, if not the highest, in expected power potential. In fact, scouts already see Darri as being a potential stats champion in SLG and OPS. Scouts think that Darri is locked as the #1 overall pick.
2. County Crossing - LF D'avery Blueprint, Fairfield, CCBL - While Blueprint is in the list of 25 players expected to make it to the CBO, he is a bit down that list and comes as a bit of a surprise. One thing that the Bloodbugs may like about him is that Blueprint is consistent on both sides of the plate as a switch hitter. Scouts think that seeing him in the .375 range of hitting is not out of the question, and he will hit a decent share of home runs while batting 1 or 2 in the order.
3. Goodneighbor - 2B Ruyika Simamba, Covenant, CYL - Simamba seems to be a long-term prospect who can be considered furthest away from being CBO-ready and will probably begin in the GBRL (Rookie). Whenhe develops, though, scouts see Simamba as a good all-around player, likely to have a great OPS with a good glove that could see him move to SS in the pros.
4. Egret - 2B Ash Ledbetter, Bristol, CYL - Ledbetter comes in as a draft-eligible junior, declaring due to an eligibility rule for new teams to the CYL. While coaches begged him to stay to develop more, the Medics cannot develop him much higher than the mocked 4th-overall pick. Scouts think that Ledbetter could be in serious contention for future Nuka Hitter Awards, with the possibility of turning singles into doubles or stolen bases and the chance to put any pitch out of the park. Mostly, though, Ledbetter is hitting at the top of the lineup where he goes, and could see himself as a third-hitter specialist like University Point's Barker Cocoa.
5. Nordhagen Beach - SP Mike Searocker, Lowell, CYL - Just what the Party Boys need, another ace. Searocker had an injury-shortened junior season with the Frags, but then he turned out a gem of a senior season, finishing 9-4 with a 2.72 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 106.0 innings pitched. He has a five-pitch repertoire with a killer curve. He has a tendency to get hitters to hit over the top of pitches, which limits the deep ball against him.
Here is the entire 1st Round Mock:
