BNN Report
News from the CBO, Minors, CCBL, and CYL
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
24 April 2316
Early Returns on PAM's Picks
We have completed our first two weeks of the 21-week 2316 season. With the early returns, PAM looks as though she could be accurate with some teams, but she could have been less than accurate in some of her other picks. In our league breakdowns, we will look at some of those picks that PAM either underestimated or, in one case, vastly overrated. We are not analyzing University Point this time, but the Deathclaws were picked to finish below .500 and instead possess the CBO's top record at 11-2. But first, here are the current team power rankings for the Commonwealth Baseball Organization:
Teams (Total Points, Tendency):
1) University Point Deathclaws (162.3, ++)
2) Concord Radstags (150.4, ++)
3) Bunker Hill 75ers (148.4, -)
4) Malden Grognaks (140.4, o)
5) Vault 81 Dwellers (133.6, ++)
6) Diamond City Swatters (129.6, --)
7) Spectacle Island Reapers (129.6, +)
8) Fort Hagen Silver Shroud (127.6, +)
9) Lexington Synths (115.7, ++)
10) Quincy Gunners (114.7, --)
11) Easy Town Assaultrons (113.7, --)
12) Glowing Sea Radscorpions (107.7, --)
13) The Slog Ghouls (100.8, +)
14) Goodneighbor Hancocks (99.8, --)
15) Nahant Celtics (95.8, +)
16) Oberland T-51s (84.2, +)
17) Cambridge Coursers (83.2, --)
18) Atom Cats (81.2, --)
19) Nordhagen Beach Party Boys (80.2, -)
20) Southie Brews (70.3, ++)
21) Sunshine Tidings Chemists (52.4, +)
22) County Crossing Bloodbugs (50.4, o)
23) Salem Witch Hats (48.4, --)
24) FHE Yao Guai (45.4, --)
25) Starlight Killers (33.6, +)
26) Egret Ninjas (16.7, -)
27) Roxbury Rad Sox (16.7, -)
28) Jamaica Plain Red Rockets (-23.0, o)
Brotherhood League
We will start each league breakdown with PAM's predictions, just as a reminder of what she is expecting over the 130-game schedule. Remember that Easy Town is expected to finish atop the CBO in 2316. With that stated, PAM's predicted order with tiebreakers being listed first in assumed ties is: the Assaultrons, The Slog, Malden, Salem, Nahant, Nordhagen Beach, and County Crossing.
Two days ago, the 10-1 Grognaks were the CBO's best, but they have now lost two straight in a weekend series versus Quincy. Still, Malden holds a two-game lead and looks to be a legitimate force. They are followed by three teams above .500: the Trons, Ghouls, and Celtics. All of the Party Boys, Withc Hats, and Bloodbugs are below .500.
For the Grognaks, being a playoff team in an expectation, but they probably did not anticipate such a fast start. Now the pressure is on them to stay on top of the BL. Malden is getting it done on offense, ranking 1st in six categories, most importantly being runs scored (75). RF Floren Habern (.429/0/6) is getting on base regularly, and LF Taffy Dare (.341/3/8), 3B Jacob Tarberry (.327/3/14), and 2B Jack of Diamonds Cordero (.333/1/9) are driving in runs. On the mound, Malden is 2nd in runs allowed (31), including having the 4th-best Starters ERA (2.62) and 2nd-best Bullpen ERA (1.70). Hry Caje (3-1, 1.36) and Edgar Drezek (2-0. 2.55) both have sub-3.00 ERAs, and CL Rump Pellstilt (2 SV, 0.00) has yet to allow a run.
Institute League
PAM's predictions for the IL were: Fort Hagen, Lexington, Bunker Hill, Cambridge, Concord, Starlight, and Sunshine Tidings. Looking at the standings, it is not far off with one obvious exception: the Radstags. The Stags are tied with the 75ers for first place and are on a CBO-best six-game winning streak. Concord is now tied with Bunker Hill and the Grognaks for the SCA's best record. The Silver Shroud is in 3rd with Lexington at 4th and the last of the above .500 teams in the IL. Cambridge, the Chemists, and the Killers are all below ,500 with Starlight currently holding the NCA's worst record.
The Radstags have not been a great team over the years, but they are attempting to make their third-straight playoff appearance, which would be a franchise record. PAM picked the Stags to finish in 5th and miss the playoffs, though, and they have responded by winning a lot. Concord is tied for 6th in runs scored (54) and 1st in runs allowed (22), a measly 1.69 runs per game allowed, including four shutouts and another five games holding opponents to one or two runs. 1B Two Shoes Rivera (.347/1/7/4 SB) leads the team in average, RBI, and stolen bases. SS Grayson Caps (.250/2/5) is the home runs leader. On the mound, the Stags have the best Starters ERA (1.19), with all four starters currently in the 1.00-1.99 range: Leyden Aigg (1-0, 1.16), Kevin Gauzeman (3-0, 1.12), Frank Heart (1-1, 1.31), and Mel Gorgeous (2-0, 1.59). The Bullpen ERA is 6th (2.95), led by CL Dimman Dillon (4 SV, 2.84).
Minutemen League
The ML was expected to finish this way: Quincy, Jamaica Plain, Atom, Spectacle Island, Goodneighbor, University Point, and Southie. After winning the ML in 2315 and reaching the SCA Championship Series, we were surprised that PAM thought the Deathclaws has aged out and picked them in 6th place. The Claws' response? Only the CBO's best record. On the other hand, the 2nd place pick, whom we are featuring and was expected to be the best offensive team in 2316 is not on the playoff track. Current standings see University Point on top, followed by the Reapers, Gunners, and Hancocks for winning teams. Atom, the Brews, and the Red Rockets are all below .500. At 0-13, the Rockets are the CBO's worst team.
The Rockets are the CBO's worst offense. Someone needs to check PAM's functioning. Jamaica Plain is 14th in the SCA with 30 runs scored, which is actually one more than Starlight has scored. However, the Red Rockets are last in the CBO in several offensive categories, including batting average (.201). .201. As a team. Leadoff 3B Tre Morgueman, who hit a career low, .224, last season and promised to bounce back to his .270 median is batting .085. LF Ken Debate (.167/1/4) and SS Brandon Larsonist (.178/2/7) are not much better. CF Jay Gabby (.293/1/6) is the team leader in hitting of qualified hitters. There are 68 players around the CBO hitting better than Gabby. It's bad. It's so bad that we only need to analyze the offense. This team needs to get blown up to find some chemistry. GM Marco Pacheco had better do something soon.
Railroad League
One more look at the RL shows this predicted order: Diamond City, Oberland, Glowing Sea, Roxbury, Vault 81, Egret, and FHE. Of course, the big surprise was putting the defending champions in the non-playoff pecking order, but this league is not too far off. Currently, both the Dwellers and Swatters are knotted at 9-4 atop the RL. The Radscorpions are the only other team above .500. All of the T-51s, Yao Guai, Ninjas, and Rad Sox are below .500. Egret and the Sox are tied at the bottom and only have better records than the Rockets.
Roxbury thus gets our biggest surprise award in this update for RL teams. Expected to be playoff contenders, the Rad Sox have been a disaster and currently are tied with the Ninjas and Salem for the CBO's second-longest losing streak of five games. The Soz are tied for 12th in the SCA in runs scored (38) and 14th in runs allowed (73). On offense, only the first three hitters are doing much of anything: LF Van Leuwen (.326/1/5), 3B Rodney Caribou (.298/2/5), and 1B Honker Trinkl (.292/2/7). On the mound, only fourth starter, SP Freak Mouton (2-1, 3.86) has an ERA below 4.00 for the starters. Ace Saint O'Fender (0-4, 5.96) has been shellacked in all four starts after returning from a serious back injury in 2315 that limited him to nine games.
CBO Standings
CBO Players of the Week
April 17 - The Slog sports fans can't stop singing the praises of Puddle Norman, who has been selected the North Charles Association Player of the Week.
Norman was in a comfort zone all week, finishing with a .560 average (14-for-25), 7 RBIs and 1 home run.
His hard work and hustle paid off this week. The hard-working and hard-playing Foo Fieterz was rewarded with the South Charles Association Player of the Week honors.
The scrappy Oberland T-51s left fielder hit .464 while collecting 13 hits in 28 at-bats, 3 home runs and 15 RBIs.
April 24 - Not every ball that came off Aaron Squire's bat last week was a line drive or a towering shot -- it just seemed that way to the teams that played the Bunker Hill 75ers. For his exploits, Squire was named this week's North Charles Association Player of the Week award.
The Bunker Hill shortstop put up 10 hits in 20 at-bats and 3 home runs while hitting .500 with 11 RBIs and 7 runs scored.
Pitcher Aqua Purified of the Spectacle Island Reapers was the top performer in the South Charles Association over the last week of play and today he was tabbed as the Player of the Week.
Purified notched a 2-0 mark, 14 strikeouts and a standout 0.00 earned run average while giving up 9 hits and walking 2 in 17.1 innings.
CBO Noteworthy News
April 14 - The Vault 81 Dwellers revealed their Champions Statue outside CURIE Inc. Field on the Boston College side. The statue commemorates the 2315 championship with manager Drac Jaskula holding the Sole Survivor Cup in the air.
CYL All-Star Game
Hannigan Smith cemented his status as one of the best in the game with his performance tonight.
"It's an honor to even be invited to the game. To be rewarded as the MVP of the game is extra special," the North Region star said after his great showing. "Just playing on the same diamond as some of these guys is a pure treat."
In the game itself, Hannigan Smith certainly wasn't the only great player out there, but he did enough in the North Region's 13-8 win over the South Region All-Stars.
His all-time numbers show Smith is carrying a .312 career batting average with 57 home runs and 136 RBIs.
It is not an easy task to pick the best players for the annual baseball classic -- the All-Star Game. It is not possible to please everybody. Whether we agree or not, they have been chosen ... and here they are. The rosters for this year's Commonwealth Youth League All-Star Game have been announced.
For the North Region, the roster includes:
SP Wand Engill (CAST) - 4-1, 2.30 ERA, 54.2 IP, 1.19 WHIP, 12.2 K/9, 3.6 WAR
SP Bronny Galinski (LAW) - 3-1, 2.01 ERA, 40.1 IP, 1.36 WHIP, 11.6 K/9, 1.8 WAR
SP Sequester Grundelplith M.D. (DCNB) - 6-0, 1.98 ERA, 59.0 IP, 1.27 WHIP, 8.2 K/9, 2.3 WAR
SP Eagle Eye Hayes (MARB) - 5-1, 2.24 ERA, 56.1 IP, 0.99 WHIP, 11.0 K/9, 3.1 WAR
SP Trench Lueger (MALD) - 3-2, 2.23 ERA, 44.1 IP, 1.26 WHIP, 10.2 K/9, 2.0 WAR
SP Talley O'Reilly (ROCK) - 3-2, 2.35 ERA, 53.2 IP, 1.16 WHIP, 12.7 K/9, 3.0 WAR
SP Montgomery Santrac (SCB) - 5-0, 1.87 ERA, 53.0 IP, 1.38 WHIP, 8.5 K/9, 2.0 WAR
SP Coke Nut Silivan (NBP) - 5-0, 1.89 ERA, 57.0 IP, 1.14 WHIP, 9.5 K/9, 3.2 WAR
RP Lathan Cricketleg (NCB) - 2-0, 3.06 ERA, 17.2 IP, 0.96 WHIP, 9.2 K/9, 0.6 WAR
RP D-Man Goodman (BEAN) - 0-0, 2.02 ERA, 13.1 IP, 1.50 WHIP, 12.8 K/9, 0.4 WAR
RP Kaden Jones (NEED) - 1-0, 2 SV, 2.70 ERA, 13.1 IP, 1.57 WHIP, 6.8 K/9, 0.2 WAR
RP Logan Prouse (GLOU) - 1-0, 2.87 ERA, 15.2 IP, 1.60 WHIP, 12.1 K/9, 0.0 WAR
RP Steve Slade (STUR) - 1-0, 2.02 ERA, 13.1 IP, 1.35 WHIP, 10.8 K/9, 0.6 WAR
C Carl Ireland (LEX) - .436/.611/.949, 78 AB, 12 HR, 227 wRC+, 2.1 WAR
C Whitey Martin (CVNNT) - .468/.570/.671, 79 AB, 5 HR, 186 wRC+, 1.4 WAR
C Willy Warwick (GDIA) - .400/.574/.900, 70 AB, 10 HR, 206 wRC+, 1.5 WAR
1B Creenan Taylor (GEOR) - .520/.574/.930, 100 AB, 11 HR, 224 wRC+, 1.7 WAR
2B Harley Corrigan (BEAN) - .446/.541/.842, 101 AB, 11 HR, 2 SB, 201 wRC+, 1.5 WAR
2B Wild Card Fitzgerald (CVNNT) - .506/.672/1.025, 81 AB, 13 HR, 265 wRC+, 2.4 WAR
2B Matej Hladky (NEED) - .432/.545/.905, 95 AB, 11 HR, 198 wRC+, 1.7 WAR
2B Boob Willis (LEX) - .420/.550/.880, 100 AB, 11 HR, 1 SB, 201 wRC+, 2.0 WAR
3B Dig-Dug Densusianu (B30) - .467/.566/.804, 92 AB, 9 HR, 199 wRC+, 1.7 WAR
3B Kess Kutha (AUG) - .464/.539/.979, 97 AB, 12 HR, 219 wRC+, 1.8 WAR
SS Poland White (B30) - .434/.508/.909, 99 AB, 13 HR, 3 SB, 192 wRC+, 1.4 WAR
LF Bastian Gardner (NCB) - .414/.552/.839, 87 AB, 11 HR, 196 wRC+, 1.5 WAR
LF Smoke Seegars (CVNNT) - .515/.595/.990, 101 AB, 13 HR, 241 wRC+, 2.1 WAR
LF Steven Shin (BCP) - .441/.504/.882, 102 AB, 11 HR, 2 SB, 195 wRC+, 1.6 WAR
LF Hannigan Smith (WORC) - .446/.496/.832, 101 AB, 11 HR, 180 wRC+, 1.4 WAR
RF Windstorm Rix (LEX) - .444/.573/.877, 81 AB, 9 HR, 209 wRC+, 1.3 WAR
RF Zarby Zanzibar (B30) - .476/.570/.806, 103 AB, 6 HR, 3 SB, 205 wRC+, 1.8 WAR
.
For the South Region these players have been selected:
SP Sheridon Carr (WQUIN) - 3-2, 2.04 ERA, 35.1 IP, 0.96 WHIP, 8.9 K/9, 1.6 WAR
SP Adie Chase (HARW) - 6-0, 1.84 ERA, 53.2 IP, 1.27 WHIP, 10.4 K/9, 2.6 WAR
SP Kelby Cieslak (JOHN) - 4-0, 2.37 ERA, 49.1 IP, 1.20 WHIP, 9.1 K/9, 1.7 WAR
SP Hunter Doyle (HART) - 3-1, 2.67 ERA, 54.0 IP, 1.41 WHIP, 9.0 K/9, 1.9 WAR
SP Redmond Jones (NHAV) - 4-2, 2.19 ERA, 49.1 IP, 1.07 WHIP, 9.5 K/9, 2.2 WAR
SP Dishpan Man Santana (WFLT) - 1-2, 2.61 ERA, 38.0 IP, 1.61 WHIP, 9.7 K/9, 1.6 WAR
RP Seamus O'Sullivan (BRIS) - 0-1, 3.07 ERA, 14.2 IP, 1.77 WHIP, 6.1 K/9, 0.1 WAR
RP Roger Schanowski (LAWN) - 1-0, 3.95 ERA, 13.2 IP, 1.46 WHIP, 7.2 K/9, 0.0 WAR
RP Weldon Vallis (PLY) - 0-1, 2.51 ERA, 14.1 IP, 1.33 WHIP, 11.9 K/9, 0.6 WAR
CL Paws Brently (PATH) - 2-1, 8 SV, 4.40 ERA, 14.1 IP, 1.53 WHIP, 11.3 K/9, 0.7 WAR
CL Moss Point (CVTRY) - 2-0, 10 SV, 3.46 ERA, 13.0 IP, 1.00 WHIP, 9.0 K/9, 0.5 WAR
C Snoopy Barron (PLY) - .456/.561/1.139, 79 AB, 16 HR, 247 wRC+, 2.0 WAR
C Carl Caldwell (LAWN) - .449/.522/.872, 78 AB, 10 HR, 195 wRC+, 1.3 WAR
C Runt Vicksburg (BRWN) - .456/.561/.873, 79 AB, 9 HR, 209 wRC+, 1.4 WAR
1B Zeke Erb (SAND) - .490/.592/.906, 96 AB, 10 HR, 1 SB, 227 wRC+, 1.8 WAR
1B Kully Puistola (TREE) - .484/.559/.828, 93 AB, 8 HR, 1 SB, 195 wRC+, 1.3 WAR
2B Burma Bond (CHIC) - .480/.582/1.020, 98 AB, 14 HR, 237 wRC+, 2.3 WAR
3B Skipper Beach (NAUS) - .439/.521/.898, 98 AB, 12 HR, 1 SB, 196 wRC+, 1.4 WAR
3B Fortunato Cask (CHIC) - .480/.559/.969, 98 AB, 13 HR, 218 wRC+, 1.7 WAR
3B Puke Johiya (FPLT) - .477/.533/.936, 109 AB, 10 HR, 2 SB, 212 wRC+, 1.6 WAR
3B Sheridon O'Sullivan (NPRV) - .472/.595/.888, 89 AB, 10 HR, 6 SB, 219 wRC+, 1.9 WAR
3B Button Southie (NORW) - .490/.584/.814, 102 AB, 8 HR, 213 wRC+, 1.9 WAR
LF Aesop Hayjen (DENN) - .477/.565/.977, 86 AB, 11 HR, 6 SB, 224 wRC+, 2.2 WAR
LF Rusty MacLean (EAST) - .511/.629/.739, 88 AB, 2 HR, 218 wRC+, 2.0 WAR
LF Jailhouse Shillitto (HOLY) - .471/.538/.873, 102 AB, 12 HR, 3 SB, 203 wRC+, 1.8 WAR
LF Apex Sizeman (BRWN) - .471/.542/.745, 102 AB, 6 HR, 6 SB, 186 wRC+, 1.4 WAR
CF Anatoli Knyazev (FPLT) - .495/.625/.926, 95 AB, 11 HR, 11 SB, 241 wRC+, 2.8 WAR
CF Swatter Palmer (SEEK) - .505/.563/.851, 101 AB, 9 HR, 212 wRC+, 1.9 WAR
CF Kujapa Saligrama (WFLT) - .448/.534/.833, 96 AB, 10 HR, 2 SB, 193 wRC+, 1.8 WAR
RF Fen Byrne (HOLY) - .463/.552/.811, 95 AB, 8 HR, 1 SB, 198 wRC+, 1.4 WAR
.
The NR manager conceded that not every deserving player is rewarded with a spot on the roster. "Every year," he said, "someone is disappointed to be left out. This year's no different -- too many good players, not enough roster spots."