BNN Weekly Report
This Week in the CBO, BMU, and GBRL
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
10 February 2304
CBO 2304: What to Look For in the SCA
There are high teams and low teams and very few in between when it comes to the outlook for the 2304 South Charles Association season in the CBO.
Looking for a top-down perspective of the 2303 season and what seems to await the results in 2304, there appears to be very little that may change. As of today, Roxbury, University Point, and Atom look to be the class of the association, while Diamond City, FHE, Vault 81, and Jamaica Plain are all loaded enough to make a run.
On the opposite side of the expected bottom half, only Oberland appears to have an arrow pointing up, while Goodneighbor, Quincy, Egret, and Spectacle Island appear to be stuck in mediocrity at best in the next couple seasons.
With that stated, let's take quick look at the T-51s and how they could make a jump at least back to .500 or above in 2304 and then how they may be a contender in 2306 and later depending on how they manage their minor league rosters.
First, the T-51s were among the worst offensive teams in baseball in 2303, but they started showing progress late in the season. Leadoff CF Sharkey Lurkfodder (.295/10/29/14 SB) started to become a gem at the top of the lineup after a slow start. Others who caught fire included SS Lernz Tentsleep (.260/17/60) and 3B Mike Gadzinski (.267/16/45). The T-51s also have one of the best defensive catchers in Racky Westheim (.268/4/40), but he will need to improve his bat. Other positions--1B, 2B, LF, and RF--will need to show some leaps in production to truly make Oberland competitive, but we'll call them the 8th-best SCA team for now.
On the mound, Oberland was in the middle, with some decent expectations from their young rotation. Ronnie Messenger (6-8, 3.18) and Jaa Thirtysix (5-6, 3.92) are up and coming. Ben Rodgers (7-10, 4.40) and Odd Thomas Koontz (1-2, 3.63) could also help keep the runs down. What is not looking good overall is the bullpen where the pen will need to keep late-inning rallies down in 2304. Gary Stallworth (0 SV, 4.92) may be taking the closer spot from Old Buck Buchanan (26 SV, 5.62) in 2304, but RP Charred Lee Widemore (2-2, 4.01) is probably the most talented pitcher in the bullpen. Oberland may also consider bringing up 2301 7th-round pick Mike Suerth from Lynn of the GBRL after his 12-6, 2.37 mark in 19 starts in 2302. He is expected to begin as a reliever in the CBO and eventually work his way up to starter.
When you look at the T-51s minors, they are definitively the best in the South. A few veterans could contribute at the CBO level should Oberland suffer injuries throughout the season, though none of those include a starting pitcher. Devon Museum (6-2, 5.06) is expected to begin the season with the BMU's Union Hope Lifegivers but could move into the bullpen if needed. Veteran position players, 1B Jeremy Bugs (.223/0/9), 2B Paul Trader (.244/2/5 with Union Hope), LF Bryan Benton (.209/1/2 with Union Hope), and RF Cram Garge (.174/6/9) could all play a role on the team.
Looking at the Lynn Fortune Finders of the GBRL, this team has talent galore that they could trade to move up the standings but are probably in need to develop and move up naturally like Roxbury did. Still, the T-51s organization will need to find pitchers. SP Kyle Hein and SP Shaak Ti (currently recovering from an injury) are the best two prospects. The true talent, though, lies in the position players. That starts with 2303 1st overall pick, SS Stormin Normin MacDonald (.293/14/42 with Lynn) who is expected to be a star in the CBO. Though he is not expected to get the call up in 2304, we would not be surprised for him to be the starting SS in 2305. Another intriguing prospect is CF Grandson Quarles, acquired in a 2303 midseason trade with FHE that landed the Yao Guai SP Tristan Marble. Quarles was not drafted out of South Beach after coming out early but hit .340/20/69 his sophomore season. Quarles may find himself in Union Hope sooner than later. The third potential future star in the CBO is LF Zaire Inquisitor, drafted 5th overall in the 2303 Rookie Draft out of the CCYL's Nauset Beach. Inquisitor, a two-way player for the Lurk Hunters, was 11-5 with a 2.08 ERA in 19 career starts and batted .245/16/38 in the lineup. While his numbers do not pop out, they are pretty amazing since it has been fewer than two years since he learned to play baseball. Scout Wild Will Edwards raved about Inquisitor's potential, something that the T-51s need to turn into production.
OK, so I concentrated on the SCA's probable 8th-best team in this article, but there is some excitement returning to Oberland, and we can see why. It may be well worth the effort for T-51s fans to make their way to Lynn for a few games in 2304 to see what's brewing with their GBRL team.
In other news: Teams are still practicing in anticipation of the Nuka Cup Tournament starting later this month. In the meantime, some teams have made moves in February that they hope will improve their teams now.
The FHE Yao Guai traded away several prospects to Abernathy to secure the rights to former Adamantium star, RF Donny Kowalski (.268/24/72). The two-time All Star had expressed displeasure in the state of the team, which is in a total rebuild, and wanted to play for a contender.
One interesting trade happened between Finch Farm and Egret. The Four Leafs sent 1B Joe Mahaney (.241/19/52) to the Ninjas after he became expendable when they acquired 1B Wil Ashfire. In exchange for Mahaney and SP Jack Fitzgerald (9-10, 4.20), the Leafs received 2B Boo Mortoka (.249/4/29), SP Aaron Burton (7-12, 4.49), and minor league 1B Anyday Stevenski, a 2302 2nd-round pick.
Egret was involved in another trade with Atom. The Ninjas sent 1B Casey Roux (.271/19/59) to the Cats for RP Brahmin Lover Beardman (2-1, 4.47), expected to start in Egret, and minor leaguer LF McCrew Gillens, a 2302 2nd-round pick.