BNN Report
News from the CBO, Minors, CCBL, and CYL
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
17 May 2315
CBO Analysis
We are 38 games into the 2315 season, and one team, Salem, is already near 30 victories at 29-9. Another team, Lexington, is not that far behind, while the rest of the CBO appears to be at the standard deviation. There are few surprises at the bottom of the standings, but there are a few surprises, like Roxbury being alone in 1st place in the Railroad League. We will break down each league, but first, here are the current team power rankings for the Commonwealth Baseball Organization:
Teams (Total Points, Tendency):
1) Salem Witch Hats (144.3, o)
2) Lexington Synths (136.0, o)
3) University Point Deathclaws (118.8, +)
4) Roxbury Rad Sox (116.9, +)
5) Atom Cats (109.2, +)
6) Glowing Sea Radscorpions (108.2, ++)
7) Bunker Hill 75ers (100.5, +)
8) Oberland T-51s (98.7, --)
9) Quincy Gunners (98.7, ++)
10) Malden Grognaks (95.0, ++)
11) Vault 81 Dwellers (93.5, --)
12) Sunshine Tidings Chemists (93.0, o)
13) Southie Brews (90.3, +)
14) Easy Town Assaultrons (89.3, ++)
15) Diamond City Swatters (84.3, o)
16) Jamaica Plain Red Rockets (83.5, ++)
17) The Slog Ghouls (81.3, -)
18) County Crossing Bloodbugs (79.5, +)
19) Egret Ninjas (79.5, ++)
20) Spectacle Island Reapers (79.3, --)
21) Fort Hagen Silver Shroud (79.0, --)
22) Cambridge Coursers (75.8, +)
23) Nahant Celtics (75.3, --)
24) Concord Radstags (72.8, --)
25) FHE Yao Guai (71.8, +)
26) Starlight Killers (55.9, +)
27) Nordhagen Beach Party Boys (52.6, -)
28) Goodneighbor Hancocks (50.2, --)
Brotherhood League
The Witch Hats, which we will feature this week in our readers' choice of the 'S' teams with one stretch, is 10 games up on Malden. The rest of the BL is below .500, with a three-way tie for 3rd (Easy Town, Nahant, and The Slog), followed by County Crossing and Nordhagen Beach.
The Hats have been dominant so far, though the statistics do not fully reflect that dominance so far. Salem is 4th in runs scored (197) with their best category on offense being OBP (1st at .366). At the top of hitting for average are 2B Seemly Sam Tucker (.362/2/34), RF Thatch Heard (.340/4/21), and 1B Brian DeLong (.317/4/19). On the mound, the Witch Hats are dominant, leading in all of runs allowed (146), Starters ERA (3.50), and Bullpen ERA (3.55). The top three starters--Paul Stains (6-3, 3.39), Jaa Thirtysix (5-2, 3.31), and Chris Teddybear (7-2, 2.97)--have led that charge, while 4th-starter, Bry McBourbon (5-1, 4.31), may be the best end-of-rotation pitcher in the CBO. CL Corpulus Vinus (10 SV, 0.00) has been perfect.
Institute League
With an 8-2 mark in their last ten, tied for the CBO-best with Southie and Roxbury, the Synths have taken a commanding lead in the IL. Bunker Hill sits at six back as the only other team with a record above .500. Fort Hagen and Sunshine Tidings are both 19-19, followed by Cambridge, Concord, and Starlight as the CBO's current worst team despite their current three-game winning streak.
The Killers went from dangerous to pint-sized slashers in a short period of time. Just four seasons ago, the former Lady Killers had clinched a sixth-straight playoff appearance and their second IL title in three years. Today, Starlight is on pace for selecting SP Mike Searocker or whoever may be the 1st-overall pick in the 2315 Draft. For the Killers, they are 13th in runs scored (161) and 11th in runs allowed (194), meaning they are outscored nearly a run per game. Some standouts on offense have been 1B Hey Dentra Venski (.325/8/23), C Justin Lower (.300/4/17), and 2B King Hippo (.310/1/19). RF Henry Hampster (.279/7/27) is second on the team in homers and first in RBI. On the mound, the Starters' ERA (4.74) is 10th-best, though the efforts of third starter Sam Molina (1-5, 6.48) seem to be the main factor in that high ERA. CL Warwick Mathews (4 SV, 9.24) needs to be moved elsewhere pronto after a decent 31-save, 3.86 ERA 2314 season.
Minutemen League
Welcome back to the veteran squad, University Point. The Deathclaws currently hold a two-game edge over Atom, followed by Quincy, Sepctacle Island and Southie, Jamaica Plain, and a very cold Goodneighbor team on an eight-game losing streak.
At 8-2 in their last 10, the Brews suddenly look competitive. However, their statistical output so far indicates that they can expect to finish at or near the bottom at the close of the 2315 season. Southie is 12th in runs scored (170) and 8th in runs allowed (184). For hitters, RF Huge Hugh Testerman (.317/7/20) is the only player hitting above .300 and is tied with CF Glove Payton (.277/7/15) for the team lead in homers. The starters have been pretty good, ranked 4th in ERA (3.94). The player struggling the most may be ace Buzzcut McDonald (4-2, 4.48), though his career ERA of 4.21 in his fourth season and third as a starter may indicate he is not a staff ace.The bullpen has not been great, but CL Hutch Wellspring (7 SV, 2.91) has been decent.
Railroad League
As mentioned, the Rad Sox are now in 1st place thanks to their string of going 8-2 in their last 10. With four teams above .500--Sox, Glowing Sea, Vault 81, and Oberland--the RL is the toughest top to bottom team in the CBO. Diamond City, Egret, and FHE are all below .500, but the Yao Guai at 16-22 are the CBO's best 7th-place team.
Since no settlement in the RL begins with 'S,' we went the alliteration route in this week's update, focusing on the Diamond City Swatters. The Swatters appeared to be a playoff team, but their hitting has been atrocious. The Swatters are 14th in runs scored (158), only two runs more than the CBO's worst team, Cambridge (156). With just 26 team home runs, led by six each from 2B Alex Bragman (.264/6/23) and RF Magnum Peaeye (.235/6/16), Diamond City will need to find power somewhere to be competitive in 2315. Part of the wonder of what the Swatters will do comes from the trade earlier in the season for Beachboy Nut (5-1, 3.25) who has been dominant. The Swatters lead the SCA in runs allowed (154) and Starters ERA (3.64), showing that they are built to win. SP Macho Lopez (3-4, 3.64) and Heaven Fontenot (2-4, 3.26) have sub-4.00 ERAs but get little run support in their starts. In Fontenot's six decisions, the Swatters' highest run output was three runs.
CBO Standings
CBO Players of the Week
May 10 - When it came to hitting the baseball, Seemly Sam Tucker was in a class by himself in the North Charles Association this past week. Nobody did it better.
The outstanding second baseman for Salem tagged opposing pitchers for a .538 average and was voted the Player of the Week Award. Included in his stats were 14 hits in 26 at-bats, 0 homers, 5 runs scored and 9 RBIs.
For the season, Tucker has hit .400 with 2 home runs and 32 RBIs. He has played in 31 games and scored 18 times.
Mia Thunder has the tools to stick in this league for many years. The 24-year-old left fielder of the Spectacle Island Reapers had a hot bat in the South Charles Association over the past seven days and won the Player of the Week honors.
Thunder batted .524 with 11 hits in 21 at-bats, 2 home runs and 7 RBIs.
On the year, Thunder has hit .355 with 3 home runs, 15 RBIs and scored 20 runs.
May 17 - A battle-tested Hurr Lee Reyes declared war on opposing pitchers last week, attacking the ball like the well-schooled veteran he is. Today the 35-year-old Lexington right fielder collected the North Charles Association Player of the Week Award.
He wrapped up the week with a .480 average, 12 hits in 25 at-bats, 3 home runs, 9 RBIs and 9 runs scored.
Thus far this season, Reyes is hitting .352 with 10 home runs, 25 RBIs and 36 runs scored. He has 51 hits in 145 at-bats and has played in 37 games.
It's always a thrill for fans of the team and students of the game alike when a superstar in the making shows what he's got. Rock Mobley, the Southie Brews 22-year-old left fielder, put himself in the spotlight last week making him the clear-cut choice for South Charles Association Player of the Week honors.
He ripped 10 hits in 20 at-bats, compiling a .500 average with 3 home runs and 12 RBIs.
This season, Mobley is batting .281 with 4 home runs. His totals include 17 RBIs and 23 runs scored.
CBO Noteworthy News
May 9 - Nuka Express has begun dismantling parts of Nuka Express Field containing Nuka-Cola decorations. Those decorations that had been renovated from the Nuka Express Terminal are now being shipped via rail to Nuka-Town where expansion on the NWL's Orange Tourists' Fizztop Mountain Park at Nuka-Town USA. That stadium, now the closest landmark to the terminal, is currently the unofficial "7th park" at Nuka-World. So, why the expansion of the stadium? Well, we think we know, but the CBO has yet to officially announce anything. With a domed stadium being build in Far Harbor and now expansion of Fizztop Mountain Park, we know what announcement is coming. Can you guess?
May 17 - Taking a glance at top trades so far this season (CBO-ready players), there have been few:
March 25 - Fort Hagen sent C Sleve McDichael to Nahant for 3B Diamond Ball - Result: McDichael is batting .304/5/21 for the Celtics, contributing the to the 3rd-best scoring team in the NCA (200 runs). Ball was injured by schrapnel from a frag grenade and will miss the remainder of the 2315 season. Winner: Nahant.
April 8 - Nordhagen Beach sent veterans SP Beachboy Nut and SS Pipe Wallcrawler and a 2315 2nd-round pick to Diamond City for prospects SP Petie Pembroke, SS Lonesome Dove Coldfeet, RP Dwaine Crump, and RP Carlos Comet, and a 2315 2nd-round pick. As mentioned, Nut (5-0, 2.81 since joining the Swatters) has been masterful, while Wallcrawler (.282/1/7) has been serviceable. While the Boys' prospects, especially 11th-ranked prospect Pembroke may lead them somewhere, it had to be tough dishing away two respected veterans.