BNN Report
News from the CBO, MML, BMU, GBRL, and Youth Leagues
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
1 August 2307
The August Super Post, Part 1
CBO Players of the Month
NCA Hitter - Baktu DaWell may be much younger than other hitters in the North Charles Association, but he performed like a seasoned veteran in July to win the Batter of the Month award.
The 25-year-old Sunshine Tidings right fielder hit .390 with 12 home runs, 24 RBIs and 22 runs scored.
This season DaWell is hitting .347 with 36 home runs.
SCA Hitter - Barker Cocoa battered South Charles Association pitchers all July and wound up taking home the Batter of the Month Award.
"I've been around Commonwealth Baseball Organization long enough to know you really have to work hard day in and day out to be able to put up this kind of consistency," the 28-year-old Cocoa told reporters. "I put in a lot of work, even on the days I might not take the field, and it's always nice when everything comes together for me like it did this last month."
In 20 games, Cocoa hit .446 with 5 home runs, 15 RBIs and scored 19 runs.
So far in 2307 Cocoa is batting .399 with 40 home runs, 113 RBIs and 89 runs scored. He has 120 hits in 301 at-bats and a .537 OBP.
NCA Pitcher - Mike Rubric of Sunshine Tidings had an award-winning July as he took home the North Charles Association Pitcher of the Month award.
"He told me once people used to make fun of the way he pitches," Rubric's pitching coach told reporters. "There wasn't anybody laughing in July except for Mike."
Rubric was all business when he took the mound though, collecting a 4-0 record in 5 starts. He struck out 27 batters in 40 innings and kept opponents to a .196 batting average.
Thus far this season, Rubric has worked 136.1 innings with 96 strikeouts en route to a 10-5 record and a 3.50 ERA.
SCA Pitcher - The elite pitcher this past month in the South Charles Association was Tony Bertha of the University Point Deathclaws. He stood head and shoulders above the rest, finishing July with an extraordinary 4-0 record and a 1.91 ERA.
The Deathclaws star hurler made 5 starts and surrendered 30 hits in 37.2 innings. He struck out 19 and walked 10.
In 22 starts this season Bertha has compiled a 11-8 record and a 2.94 ERA.
NCA Rookie - Plain Morris earned July's Rookie of the Month honors in the North Charles Association for last month's performance. The boyish The Slog third baseman might be wet behind the ears, but he's proving that he has what it takes to play at this level.
Morris hit .321 with 10 home runs, 18 RBIs and 15 runs scored this past month on his way to winning the award.
This season Morris is batting .282 with 24 home runs. His totals include 55 RBIs and 59 runs scored.
SCA Rookie - Youngster Missile Crews emerged as the latest South Charles Association Rookie of the Month today. The young man from Goodneighbor deserved the honor, batting .333 with 8 home runs and 16 RBI. Is the month of July a harbinger of things to come or just a fluke? We'll find out someday, but for now, we'll just let Crews enjoy the limelight.
For the season Crews is currently batting .353 with 25 home runs and 70 RBIs. In 87 games he has reached base at a .438 rate and scored 51 runs to date.
MML Analysis
We are in the last month of the season with each team having 23 more games to go. No team's Magic # has yet to reach single digits, but we will start knowing which teams are heading to the postseason soon.
Divisional leaders are the Abernathy Adamantium (Bunker Hill), Finch Farm Shamrocks (Nahant), Glowing Sea Radscorpions (Atom), and Boston Common Lead Bellies (Salem). The Shamrocks have the smallest lead of just three games.
MML Players of the Month
LL Hitter - Cool Carl Davis was a lot to handle for Legends League pitchers in the month of July. The Abernathy right fielder posted a .427 batting average, which helped lead him to being named the Legends League Batter of the Month. Davis also added 9 home runs, 29 RBIs, 21 runs scored and a .505 on-base percentage.
So far this season Davis has put up a .330 batting average with 105 hits, 35 home runs and 95 RBIs.
SL Hitter - To Ginger Rogers, age is just a number.
He may be 35 years old, but the Needham Archers left fielder proved in July that he's still got what it takes to compete at an elite level.
With a .418 average, 14 home runs, 28 RBIs, and 22 runs scored, Rogers had all the numbers that counted and has won the Stars League Batter of the Month award.
This season Rogers has hit at a .320 clip and produced 79 runs batted in, 40 home runs and 71 runs.
LL Pitcher - July's top hurler was Lay Cravchuk of Forest Grove. He shackled Legends League hitters the entire month and claimed the Pitcher of the Month award with a sparkling 4-0 mark.
The 23-year-old Cravchuk added 30 strikeouts in 34.1 innings and 18 walks to his season record and compiled a 2.62 ERA. Other clubs hit .224 against him.
This year Cravchuk has made 13 starts, thrown 77.2 innings, fanned 67 batters and walked 30. His won-lost record is 6-3 with a 5.10 ERA.
SL Pitcher - July's premier pitcher was Admiral Kelm of Brookline Bandoliers. He pulverized Stars League hitters all month long and picked up the Pitcher of the Month award. The Bandoliers star hurler fashioned a 5-0 record en route to the honor.
He had 47 strikeouts in 41 innings and compiled a 1.98 ERA. Other clubs hit .205 against him.
To date this season, Kelm has registered 22 starts, 10-5 won-lost mark, 4.54 ERA, 146.2 IP, 150 strikeouts and 69 walks. Opposing teams have hit .261 against him.
BMU Analysis
The BMU is also in its final month with just 20 games to go. Like the MML, no team's Magic # has yet to reach single digits, though one team is close with a nine-game lead.
League leaders are the Brockton Irish (Nahant), Mystic Pines Raybathers (Oberland), Plymouth Pilgrims(Egret), and Mass Pike Radroaches (The Slog).
BMU Players of the Month
CA Hitter - Not known for his offensive prowess, Jacob Tarberry set the league afire in July and took home the Commonwealth Association Batter of the Month award.
The Brockton third baseman posted a steady .324 batting average, 13 home runs, 30 RBIs and 18 runs.
This year Tarberry is batting .395 with 109 hits, 43 home runs, 103 RBIs, 36 walks, .473 OBP and has scored 76 runs.
MA Hitter - Dominant Phillips has a lot going for him. The Neponset Park first baseman just broke into the majors this year and now the Massachusetts Association has just picked him as its top hitter for July.
In 18 games last month this outstanding rookie batted .435 with 8 home runs, 19 RBIs and 15 runs scored.
Phillips on the season is hitting .393 with 9 home runs. His stats include 24 RBIs and 23 runs scored.
CA Pitcher - July's elite pitcher was Bobby Lidtke of Mystic Pines. He silenced Commonwealth Association hitters the entire month and claimed the Pitcher of the Month award with 5 wins and no losses in 5 starts.
Lidtke restricted opposing hitters to a .233 batting average. He rang up 35 strikeouts in 34.2 innings of work, surrendered 11 walks and crafted a 2.08 ERA.
This year Lidtke has posted a 5-0 mark in 5 starts and has a 2.08 ERA.
MA Pitcher - John Webber really put his best foot forward in July with 5 wins and no losses and walked off with the Pitcher of the Month honors in the Massachusetts Association. When he got the start for the Plymouth Pilgrims, it was good news for his club, but bad news for the opposition.
In 37.2 innings of work, Webber limited opposing batters to 34 base hits and a .239 batting average. He notched 25 strikeouts, issued 6 walks and had a 1.91 ERA.
On the year Webber has compiled a 8-5 mark with a 4.68 ERA.
GBRL Analysis
With the same schedule setup as the BMU, the GBRL is down to its final 20 games of the season. Other than one team on a 12-game winning streak and now a commanding 15-game lead, all other divisions are still competitive.
The division leaders are the Med-Tek Eyebots (Quincy), Corvega Flamers (The Slog), Poseidon Energy Mongrels (Vault 81), and Watertown Armorers (FHE).
GBRL Players of the Month
NL Hitter - For a rookie just breaking in, Tony Two-time certainly put together a successful month. It was good enough to win the NL Batter of the Month award for July.
The 19-year-old first baseman for the Marblehead Grenades hit .431 with 6 home runs, 17 RBIs and 18 runs scored.
Two-time on the season is batting .402 with 30 home runs. His totals include 89 RBIs and 65 runs scored. He has played in 68 games.
SL Hitter - Roadside Pines Cosmos fans may just have witnessed a star player blossoming before their eyes in July.
Justin Dodson put up a remarkable month at the age of 20 and has been named the South League Batter of the Month.
For the month, Dodson hit .412 with 8 home runs, 20 RBIs and 22 runs scored.
This season Dodson is batting at a .398 clip with 8 home runs and 21 RBIs.
NL Pitcher - The Pitcher of the Month Award has been announced and the North League winner is Marblehead hurler, Lazy Macnamara. For his fine efforts in July he has been named the league's #1 pitcher.
During the month, Macnamara excelled with a 3.53 ERA and 4 wins and no losses. In 35.2 innings he struck out 36 and gave up 25 hits and 18 walks.
This year Macnamara has a 6-4 record with a 4.35 ERA in 14 starts.
SL Pitcher - Lang Fittingroom is the latest South League Pitcher of the Month award winner. The Watertown starter stood out on the hill time and again last month and finished July with a sparkling 4-0 record.
In 5 starts last month, he fanned 32, walked 19 in 38.1 innings and posted a 2.82 ERA. Fittingroom held opposing teams to a .229 batting average when he was on the mound.
Checking out his stats for the season, Fittingroom has racked up 12 wins and 3 losses in 17 starts, posted a 2.90 ERA, and struck out 104 batters in 121 innings.