[StLee]

Analysis

This week saw a little less when it came to extreme changes with only one team--Roxbury--jumping up five spots in the rankings and the most any team, well five of them, fell was four spots.

Diamond City checks back in at #1, but their lead as the definitive top team has fallen a bit. It has nothing to do with the Swatters' performance, but there are several teams "killing" it early on. The rest of the Top 5 except for #2 is the same other than Quincy and The Slog each slipping down a slot. Fort Hagen remains #5. Abernathy drops four spots to #8, while the Party Boys rise up four spots.

Nordhagen Beach jumped up this week to #2 thanks in large part to a two-game sweep of then #4 Abernathy in the mid-week series. The Party Boys dropped one of their weekend games for a 4-1 week with just one 2-1 loss. They're not scoring a lot of runs with yesterday's 6-1 win being their highest-scoring game of the week, but their pitching has been impressive, allowing 3, 1, 3, 2, and 1 runs, with the two three-run games going into extra innings. Now NB is 2nd in the NCA in runs allowed (65), 3rd in Starters ERA (3.64), and 2nd in Bullpen ERA (2.24). Closer Night Demon Archaki has been the most impressive, currently with a 0.00 ERA in 10 appearances with 8 saves.

Goodneighbor, University Point, Abernathy, Starlight, and Sunshine Tidings round out the Top 10.

Oberland continues to be a surprisingly mediocre team, dropping four spots to #16 this week. The amazing fact about their fall so far is that their biggest strength last season, pitching, has been atrocious so far. The T-51s are 10th in runs allowed (113), Starters ERA (5.63), and Bullpen ERA (4.94). Sheng Kawolski (2-1, 5.58 in 2299 / 14-4, 2.51 in 2298), Lennie Landslide (1-1, 5.02 in 2299 / 16-7, 4.29 in 2298), and Matt Udder (2-4, 8.27 in 2299 / 16-5, 2.71 in 2298) have been struggling immensely. Still, the T-51s are 9-11 and in a four-way tie for 2nd place in the Railroad League. Our expectation is that the T-51s are going to come out of this pack sooner rather than later, especially that studmuffin Kawolski pitching as the ace. I guarantee 15 wins for him or I wouldn't call him "Honey."

Power Rankings
Weekly Team Power Rankings: Here are the current team power rankings for Commonwealth Baseball Organization:

Teams (Total Points, Tendency):
1) Diamond City Swatters (149.0, o)
2) Nordhagen Beach Party Boys (142.0, +4)
3) Quincy Gunners (133.0, -1)
4) The Slog Ghouls (131.0, -1)
5) Fort Hagen Silver Shroud (128.0, o)
6) Goodneighbor Hancocks (124.0, +2)
7) University Point Deathclaws (111.0, +3)
8) Abernathy Adamantium (107.0, -4)
9) Starlight Lady Killers (100.0, o)
10) Sunshine Tidings Chemists (100.0, +1)
11) Jamaica Plain Red Rockets (94.0, -4)
12) Lexington Synths (89.0, +4)
13) Roxbury Knuckle Punchers (83.0, +5)
14) FHE Yao Guai (82.0, o)
15) Egret Ninjas (78.0, o)
16) Oberland T-51s (73.0, -4)
17) Finch Farm Four Leafs (68.0, -4)
18) Warwick Mirelurks (68.0, +2)
19) County Crossing Bloodbugs (62.0, -2)
20) Concord Radstags (54.0, +3)
21) Easy Town Assaultrons (54.0, +3)
22) Vault 81 Dwellers (51.0, -1)
23) Salem Witch Hats (45.0, -4)
24) Atom Cats (34.0, -2)

Prospects/Rookies to Watch

In this feature, we're going to look at a few of the prospects and rookies out there and how they are doing so far in 2299, as well as what might be happening for them in their CBO futures. Ten featured players are listed alphabetically. [StLee's note: I know who my active readers* are based on comments in the dynasty, but I think I have 'derived' names of other dynasty writers* whom I read. If you read this and want to know if/when you're in, let me know!]

Pockets Aintfull* - #41, CF, The Slog
The 2296 1st-round pick by The Slog, Aintfull has finally been called up to the CBO team after Boots Yellowhair went down with an injury. He has only played two games so far with one start. He is 0-4 so far. However, Aintfull is considered to be a good prospect to remain in the CBO. From 2297-2299 with the Outpost Zimonja Strongbacks, he has a career average of .273/.337/.383. He has scored 75 times and drove in 44.

Harry Byrd - #33, 2B, Vault 81
Taken in the 1st round by Oberland in the 2297 Rookie Draft, Byrd was traded to the Dwellers because they felt he could be a threat in the CBO for a long time. Considered to be a long-term prospect who should one day be one of the league's top players, Byrd has not yet been active in his rookie year, making many wonder why he was called up from the Vault 95 Robobrains in the first place. Byrd has had just two pinch-hit opportunities so far stuck behind a good two-bagger in Bubb Islander*.

Ugio Church* - #26, SP, Breakheart Banks (Salem)
The 1st-round pick by Salem in 2297, Church was a high-potential late bloomer. In 2298, he struggled mightily with the Behemoths, going 0-14 with a 9.89 ERA. That would seem to make him a bust, but team officials refused to part with him from some hungry teams. So far in 2299, Church has started three games, going 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA. The difference? Things are starting to come together, especially his arm motion, meaning his control is improving. He had a 62-36 walks-strikeouts number in 2298. He is 11-19 so far this season. He still walks too many batters, but his pitch placement is getting better every outing.

Oren Gep* - #47, 1B, Diamond City
The DC rookie, the #1 overall pick in 2297, has not been dominating the field so far, but he was good enough to be named starter despite there already being a good starter when he was called up from Breakheart Banks. Gep is doing well, hitting .257/.333/.392 with two home runs, six runs, and 10 RBI in 20 starts this season. He has struck out too much with 31, but he is working on better working the strike zone. If he ever gets it, he'll be a .350 hitter in the league.

Eugene Gym - #21, SP, Forest Grove (Roxbury)
The #1 overall pick in the 2298 draft, Gym has had growing pains in his first three starts as a professional. He is 1-0 but has a 12.27 ERA, lasing only 7.1 innings in those three starts. His pitching is expected to get much better but he will probably need much more time like a lot of the up-and-comers.

Tommy Hein - #55, SP, The Slog
One of the few rookie pitchers, Hein earned the NCA Rookie of the Month. Not drafted in 2296, Hein has been one of the hardest working players in the league. He was traded from Egret to the Ghouls in 2298. While his numbers were not outstanding, he has shown strength of character, which will probably result in him being the top rookie pitcher in 2299.

Ayag Mour* - #17, C, Jamaica Plain
The other Rookie of the Month in the CBO, Mour has risen from being at the top of the 2nd round in the 2296 draft to finally getting a full-time shot in the CBO this season with the Red Rockets. His numbers of .284/.338/.459 are good for any team, and he leads all rookies in several categories. Mour is the likeliest CBO Rookie of the Year at this moment.

Lannie Tykeson* - #17, 1B, Taffington Boathouse (Easy Town)
A player who surprisingly fell in the 2296 Rookie Draft after a poor pre-draft workout at pitcher, Tykeson has taken his 5th-round pickup as a chip on his shoulder. One of the few two-way prospects where the team wants him to play both, Tykeson is still trying to find his footing as a pitcher. He looked like he was getting it this season, allowing just one run in his first two starts. However, he allowed eight runs in his third start, leading to more questions as to when he will be a CBO-level pitcher. He IS a CBO-level hitter, so far in 2299 with a .385/.400/.436 line with nine runs and five RBI in 10 starts at 1B/SP.

Racky Westheim* - #20, C, Fiddler's Green (Oberland)
The 1st-round draft pick by Abernathy, Westheim was a surprise trade to the Oberland franchise in January. Considered to be a steady prospect who is likely to continue to improve his game, Westheim is batting .292/.333/.313, finding it hard so far to earn extra-base hits with just one double on his 14 hits in 11 games.

Any Why* - #23, C, Eastlake Aquaboys (FHE)
The 2297 1st-round pick of FHE, Why did not stand out in his first season in the BMU, but he has been hot so far for the Aquaboys in 2299. In 11 games, with 10 starts, Why is batting .343/.439/.657. He is 12 of 35 with six extra-base hits, nine runs, and eight RBI.