BNN Weekly Report
This Week in the CBO, BMU, GBRL, and Youth Leagues
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
14 May 2306
CBO Analysis
We have now reached the quarter mark of the season, and this may be our favorite season yet. This season looks to hold plenty of surprises, including the potential changing of the guard, though some of those elite teams are still hanging around waiting for their chance to shine and take over. We will break down each of the leagues and look at how the races are shaping up. Below, let's look at the quarter-mark playoff seeding and then venture through the Top 5 which includes some shakeups.
NCA Current Seeding: 1. Easy Town, 2. Starlight, 3. Sunshine Tidings, 4. County Crossing, 5. Salem
SCA Current Seeding: 1. Vault 81, 2. Spectacle Island, 3. Roxbury, 4. Jamaica Plain, 5. Quincy
This week's #1 team is the Starlight Killers who are just a half-game back of the CBO's best record. The Killers went 6-4 in their last 10, splitting with County Crossing (#6), winning two of three at Sunshine Tidings (#3), splitting at Finch Far, (#13), and then winning two of three over the Chemists.
The team in possession of the CBO's best record remains Easy Town, but they went just 4-6 in their last 10 to drop to #2. The Assaultrons got swept by Bunker Hill (#21), won one at Nordhagen Beach (#10), split at the Chemists, and won two of three over The Slog (#23).
Sunshine Tidings is the third NCA team in the Top 3, just one game back of the Assaultrons and a half-game back of the Killers. The Chemists went 5-5 the past two weeks with a win over Salem (#9), won one against the Killers, split with the Trons, and then won one at Starlight to fall out of first place in the Institute League.
Roxbury comes in at #4, trailing Vault 81 by just one game in the Railroad League. The Rad Sox went 7-3 the past two weeks, tying County Crossing, Concord, and Jamaica Plain for the best two-week stretch in the CBO. The Sox split with Spectacle Island (#7), won two of three in Diamond City (#20), won two at Quincy (#12), and then beat the Swatters twice.
Vault 81 completes the Top 5 despite a 4-6 mark the past two weeks. The Dwellers split with University Point (#11), got swept at Oberland (#15), split at the Deathclaws, and won two over Egret (#17).
Brotherhood League
Easy Town is still holding on atop the BL, but County Crossing is getting hot to pull within three games. Nordhagen Beach has been hot and cold, including dropping the series at Salem this past weekend to fall into a third-place tie with the Witch Hats. Finch Farm continues to hover around .500, but they will need to get much better to compete for a playoff spot.
A quick glance at the Hats show that they may be fool's gold (that means not as good as their record indicates). They are currently 8th in the NCA in runs scored (197) and 8th in runs allowed (207). Where they have been outstanding is one-run games where they have won a CBO-high 10 games, going 10-2 overall. Salem has also been good at home, going 15-7 overall.
Institute League
This is still a two-team race with the Chemists and Killers battling for the top seed. No other team has established that it can compete for the IL title nor a wildcard spot.
Both Lexington and Bunker Hill have started to put out feelers for trades of their veterans, meaning that both teams may have already surrendered in just the second month of the season. We can see those two teams being highly active as we play into July, though they have not made any steady moves.
For the Synths, they do have decent talent but have some veterans struggling this season: RF Crooked Tostado (.242/3/15), CF Millioncap Go (.206/5/18), and SP Aaron Somer (3-6, 5.04).
Minutemen League
There are still five teams within four games of fourth place, and Goodneighbor has finally started to win at a decent clip since the CBO interfered and forced some immediate trades.
The Hancocks have put just about everyone on the trading block but there may not be much demand for their players. CL Mike Woodrow (7 SV, 8.59) could help a bullpen in need, but he has not looked very good at 34 years old.
For University Point, SP Tony Bertha (0-0, 2.70) should be back from his rehab assignment in Graygarden sometime next month. That would certainly help the Claws' cause since they are 9th in runs allowed (221) and 10th in Starters ERA (5.38). At 3.5 games back, Bertha could help boost the Deathclaws back atop the ML.
Railroad League
Like the IL, the RL appears to be a two-team race. Vault 81 may not have the talent to hold off Roxbury, so the Dwellers may be playing for the 3rd or 4th seed in the playoffs.
Oberland and Egret are both around .500 and could play for the 5th seed if either can propel themselves ahead of some of the ML teams. The T-51s are getting solid performances from C Racky Westheim (.383/1/13), SS Stormin Norman MacDonald (.320/3/15), and 1B Chase Doctorman (.306/12/33) but still need others to step up. SP Ronnie Messenger (6-1, 1.99) has been great but the rest of the starting pitching has not been.
CBO Standings
CBO Power Rankings
CBO Players of the Week
May 21 - Baktu DaWell has the tools to stick in this league for many years. The 24-year-old right fielder of the Sunshine Tidings Chemists had a hot bat in the North Charles Association over the past seven days and won the Player of the Week honors.
DaWell batted .444 with 8 hits in 18 at-bats, 5 home runs and 14 RBIs.
This season DaWell is batting .353 with 21 home runs. His totals include 53 RBIs and 38 runs scored.
The hottest bat of the week belonged to Roxbury center fielder Ben Pawlak.
He went on a rampage last week against SCA hurlers and rapped out 10 hits in 19 at-bats for a .526 average while hitting 3 home runs, driving in 8 runs and scoring 6 runs -- numbers quite worthy of the South Charles Association Player of the Week trophy.
Pawlak was honored today at a press conference.
On the year Pawlak has hit .366 with 11 home runs, 44 RBIs and scored 33 runs.
May 28 - Base McAndrews went on a hitting spree last week against North Charles Association pitchers and today copped the Player of the Week Award.
The Finch Farm Four Leafs center fielder peppered the opposition with 12 hits in 21 at-bats, 2 home runs, 4 RBIs and 5 runs scored. In the last 5 games he hit .571 with an on-base percentage of .571.
In 41 games this season McAndrews is batting .260 with 39 hits and 3 home runs. He has scored 12 runs and driven in 9.
Last week Carney Cornseed was the toast of Jamaica Plain and the talk of the South Charles Association -- this week he's the SCA Player of the Week.
The standout first baseman sewed up the award with his .500 average (10-for-20), 4 home runs, 11 RBIs and 8 runs.
Thus far this year Cornseed has hit .312 with 11 home runs and 31 RBIs.
CBO Transactions
Monday, May 28th , 2306
Vault 81 Dwellers: Placed RF Kory Richardson on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 05/27/2306.
Sunday, May 27th , 2306
Roxbury Rad Sox: Signed RF Lowton Roberts.
Saturday, May 26th , 2306
Goodneighbor Hancocks: Activated SP Dustin Hebert from the injured list.
Thursday, May 24th , 2306
Concord Radstags: Released RP Steve Funhouse.
Diamond City Swatters: Placed CF Kevin Phelps on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 05/22/2306.
Fort Hagen Silver Shroud: Activated RF Gunner Eyesocket from the injured list.
Nordhagen Beach Party Boys: Signed C Jason Cappy.
Nordhagen Beach Party Boys: Signed RP Quarsh Panaka.
Wednesday, May 23rd , 2306
Nordhagen Beach Party Boys: Released 1B Cory Bacheller.
Nordhagen Beach Party Boys: Signed C Rodge Rogerson.
Nordhagen Beach Party Boys: Signed RP C'ai Threnalli.
Nordhagen Beach Party Boys: Signed RP Yathros Turman.
Tuesday, May 22nd , 2306
Roxbury Rad Sox: Signed RF Wagon bin Tawfiq.
Monday, May 21st , 2306
University Point Deathclaws: Activated LF Ed Tarberry from the injured list.
Saturday, May 19th , 2306
University Point Deathclaws: Activated SP Tony Bertha from the injured list.
University Point Deathclaws: Sent SP Tony Bertha to Triple A Graygarden for injury rehab.
Goodneighbor Hancocks: Placed RP George Cincinnatus on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 05/18/2306.
Thursday, May 17th , 2306
Vault 81 Dwellers: Activated CF Callie Love from the injured list.
Vault 81 Dwellers: Sent CF Callie Love to Triple A Everett for injury rehab.
Fort Hagen Silver Shroud: Placed RF Gunner Eyesocket on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 05/16/2306.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Signed RF Starlips Maldonado.
Wednesday, May 16th , 2306
Roxbury Rad Sox: Signed RF Damani Burnman.
Roxbury Rad Sox: Released RF Damani Burnman.
Tuesday, May 15th , 2306
University Point Deathclaws: Placed LF Ed Tarberry on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to 05/13/2306.