BNN Weekly Report
This Week in the CBO, BMU, and GBRL
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
1 April 2305
2305 Preview: Roxbury Dynasty
PAM has spoken and her prediction is predictable: Roxbury will beat County Crossing in the 2305 Sole Survivor Series, marking their third-straight CBO title.
There are not a lot of shakeups, but we do see some different picks, including two of the final four dropping in the playoff rankings in 2305.
North Charles Association - Playoff Picks
1. County Crossing
2. Sunshine Tidings
3. Easy Town
4. Concord
5. Nordhagen Beach
The only real playoff change is that PAM predicts Concord in the playoffs to take the place of Fort Hagen. She also predicts the Assaultrons and Party Boys to finish tied with the nod going to Easy Town for the 3rd seed.
The Bloodbugs' Babs Rooth and the Boys' Beachboy Nut are again expected to be the top players in their association. The Slog's Stu Gains and Lexington's Ross Merchantman are expected to be in the running as hitters, while the Bugs' Gavin Eviritts and Sunshine Tiding's Mike Rubric are expected to be in the running as the top pitcher.
South Charles Association - Playoff Picks
1. Roxbury
2. University Point
3. Atom
4. Diamond City
5. Jamaica Plain
The same five teams are all expected to make the playoffs in 2305, though the order is expected to be slightly shuffled in the Minutemen League with the Deathclaws expected to return to the crown. Goodneighbor is picked to be the consensus 24th seed in the CBO, gaining them the #1 overall pick (we'll get to that soon) in the 2305 Rookie Draft.
Barker Cocoa of University Point and Nuke Laloosh of Roxbury are again predicted to be the best at their positions in 2305. The Deathclaws are expected to be offensive juggernauts with both Aesed Hayjen and Tomas Jones expected to be in the mix for best hitter. Atom's Scruffy Taguchi and Diamond City's Sheng Kawolski are expected to be in the running as top pitcher.
CBO's Top Prospects
The CBO has numerous talented prospects with hitters dominating the ranks, including having 7 of the top 10 prospects.
Starlight's LF Ken Debate gets the nod as the top prospect in 2305, getting his start with the Warwick Mirelurks of the BMU.
Rookie SS Aaron Squire, the #1 overall pick by Bunker Hill in the 2304 Rookie Draft, will start with the CBO squad, surpassing any minor league work for a franchise lacking overall in top talent.
The third prospect is 3B Plain Morris of The Slog, who will begin the 2305 season with an advancement from the GBRL to the BMU's Boston Common Lead Bellies.
The fourth prospect is our first pitcher: former first-overall pick of the 2303 Rookie Draft, Jalep Temper of Finch Farm. Temper will begin the 2304 season with the BMU's Nahant Shoremen as their ace.
Finally, 3B Sun Crockett of Sunshine Tidings finishes out the Top 5 prospects. He will begin the 2305 season with the CBO team, serving as a backup 3B to Danny Jacomet, though Crockett could find himself starting as some point during his rookie season.
The complete Top Prospects list:
A Look Ahead to the 2305 Rookie Draft
The 2305 Rookie Draft will feature 193 players granted eligibility. SP Pokey Chatman of the PJPL's Pawtucket Paw Sox is expected to be the top prospect coming out this season. Chatman was 8-3 with a 1.27 ERA in 11 starts in 2304 with the Paw Sox, clinching the top pitcher award in the PJPL.
Other top prospects include 13 position players expected to be CBO-worthy in a talented draft. Those 13 players in alphabetical order are 2B Wookie Chewbacca (West Seekonk, PJPL), 1B Elijah de Love (Castle, BYDL), LF Stan Friendlittle (111, BYDL), LF Figgie Legendsport (Beer Thirty, BYDL), 3B Bat Limato (Boston Harbor, BYDL), 1B Cheery Moonman (South Charles Bank, BYDL), CF Hondo Ohnaka (West Seekonk, PJPL), 1B Propeller Perimeter (South Beach, BYDL), LF Flavio Richy (Thompson Heights, BYDL), RF Cookie Roberts (Beer Thirty, BYDL), RF Pagetti Rook (Pawtucket, PJPL), and RF Gizmo Stripe (West Quincy, BYDL).
SP Clueless Gunsmith of Boston Common (BYDL) and SP Freak Mouton of Hope (PJPL) are two other top pitcher prospects. LF Handel Alone (Chatham) is the top prospect from the CCYL.
Talented Freshmen Enter the High School Circuit
There are multiple players entering the BYDL, CCYL, and PJPL in the 2305 season, with multiple players expected to work their way into the 2308 Rookie Draft.
In the BYDL, there are 12 players expected to jostle for the top pick in the 2308 Draft. In alphabetical order those players are 1B Billy Begg (111), 1B Cyclone Bolt (Danvers), 3B Yanto Cross (Hester), LF Leo Dawn (Stoneham), RF Eli Durus (Stoneham), 2B Cleve Guard (Woburn), LF Tobias Hoffman (Diamond City), CF Sack King (Braintree), RF Franz Kniprode (Needham), 3B Lumpy Pumpkinhead (Wellesley), and CF Ziggy Stardust (Needham).
In the CCYL, 3B Zane Comet (Provincetown) is the top prospect entering the league. In the PJPL, CF Declan Leuvaarden (Pawtucket) tops the list.