BNN Report
News from the CBO, Minors, CCBL, and CYL
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
9 April 2318
Opening Day Shoutout: JP Rookie Glenn McBean
The top performances on opening day included three guys not named Glenn McBean. We'll get to them later. But first, let's give a shoutout to one of the heroes of opening day, Jamaica Plain's McBean.
Imagine being the 185th overall pick (7th Round) of the 2315 CBO Draft. A hard-hitting outfielder out of Revere College, McBean was that guy. Scouts loved his power ability, but they could not see him as a star in the CBO. Maybe a contributor. But not a star. So McBean worked his way up. spending his 2316 season in the BMU (A), MML (AA), and NEBL (AAA) with his longest stop with the MML's Hartford Melonheads.
Then in 2317, McBean played a few games with the Melonheads before moving up to the NEBL's Needham Archers, also an affiliate of the red Rockets. In 95 games with 68 starts, McBean hit .286 with seven homers and 20 RBI. Still, nothing for starpower.
In 2318, the Rockets decided that McBean belonged as a backup outfielder on their opening day roster, playing behind one of the CBO's best young RFers, Kevin Cauthen, entering his second season after a 3rd-place finish in the 2317 Red Rocket Rookie Award race.
Now, imagine McBean gettng his first major league at bat. Picture it. It's the bottom of the 9th. The Rockets are deadlocked 1-1 with University Point on opening day. The only scores were solo home runs by Jamaica Plain's Tre' Morgueman (2nd inning) and the Deathclaws' Rocket Ray Richardson (5th inning).
It's the bottom of the 9th and the Claws are sending out rookie and former 2315 4th round pick out of Stonehill College Maze Ayubu out to the mound to try to prevent a walkoff. Jamaica Plain manager Scoundrel Easterling sees Ayubu out there and then looks at you, in this case, you being McBean, and with his scratchy sailor's drawl shouts out, "Hey, rook. Grab your bat. You're hitting for [Jim] Clow." He then turns to the hitting coach. "I hope you're sure about this, Juke [Grenade]." You, meaning McBean, grab your bat and walk out to the on-deck circle.
You're sweaty and nervous. McBean was. Ayubu threw a blazing fastball, with McBean hacking and missing miserably late. He watched a curve drift to the outside, and now McBean was licking his chops, hoping another curve would come. One that would swoop right over the plate where McBean could use his even swing to give the ball some lift, maybe drive over the head of Richardson who had crept in a little too much in right.
But it was not a curve, it was a slightly lifted but dead center fastball coming in at around 98 MPH. McBean swung, but a bit too late, still making solid contact. The ball zipped off the bat and kept rising, moving on a steady pace right at Red Rockets Stadium's 14-foot left field wall. The ball kept rising and sailed right over the fence for a line drive home run and a walkoff home run by the rookie McBean in his first CBO at bat, in just his second CBO swing.
The hero. The star. Imagine.
Now on to those top players. Easy Town is defending champions because it has a lot of really talented players. One of those is LF J.J. Gray who had a day, going 4 for 5 with a double, a triple, two home runs, three runs, and seven RBI. He came a single short of hitting for the cycle on opening day. While there have been 37 times when players hit for the cycle in CBO history, none had done it on opening day. The Assaultrons cruised to victory, 12-1, over County Crossing.
Malden's Jacob Tarberry also had a great day, going 4 for 4 with two home runs, a walk, four runs, and three RBI in the Grognaks' 17-2 shellacking of Nahant. FHE's Sheldon Mayoral had the best pitching day, throwing 8.0 shutout innings with three hits allowed and five strikeouts in the Yao Guai's 1-0 victory over Egret.