BNN Report
News from the CBO, Minors, CCBL, and CYL
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
1 May 2316
The May 1 Super Post, Part 1
CBO Top Performances
Hitters - He was one of two players with a game score of 100 or higher in April, but Southie's Keen Sugiura earned the highest score with a 105. On April 13 at Spectacle Island, the Brews' 1B went 3 for 4 with two home runs, a walk, three runs scored, and seven batted in. The Brews won, 12-5.
Pitchers - Cambridge's Scooter Yaghmour pitched a gem of a game on April 29 at The Slog, earning him the month's highest pitching game score of 91. Yaghmour pitched nine shutout innings, allowing two singles, walking two, and striking out 10 in the Coursers' 5-0 victory.
CBO Players of the Month
NCA Hitter - Jacob Tarberry, the Malden third baseman, certainly made a name for himself this past month. He banged out a .357 batting average with 30 hits, 6 home runs, 27 RBIs and scored 20 times.
That kind of hitting earned him the North Charles Association Batter of the Month honors for April.
SCA Hitter - Phantom Vargas battered South Charles Association pitchers all April 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 Vargas 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 16 games, Vargas hit .379 with 6 home runs, 20 RBIs and scored 13 runs.
NCA Pitcher - April was a magical month for Trauma Medley of Bunker Hill. He held the North Charles Association hitters spellbound, conjuring up a 4-0 mark and a 1.60 ERA.
Medley also chalked up 5 starts, 33.2 innings and 16 strikeouts.
For this outstanding performance he was rewarded with the Pitcher of the Month trophy.
SCA Pitcher - The Glowing Sea Radscorpions really got a lot out of their bullpen in April and Pink Floyd definitely played the leading role.
Today the South Charles Association recognized his spectacular contribution, naming him the Pitcher of the Month for April.
He made 10 relief appearances and compiled 3 saves in 13.2 innings with 7 strikeouts and a 0.66 ERA.
NCA Rookie - On the heels of a breakout month Tyler Furlow received the North Charles Association Rookie of the Month trophy from BNN.
The Nahant hurler flashed some fine figures in April, picking up 1 win and no losses, 10 IP, 0.00 ERA, 6 strikeouts and no walks. When he was on the mound, the opposition could only manage a .147 batting average.
SCA Rookie - Jimmie Dimmick is still a bit shy, but then, who could blame the newest South Charles Association Rookie of the Month honoree? He hasn't been around the league long enough to fully know the ropes yet, despite the fact that he's putting up veteran-like numbers.
In April the Southie hitter tagged opposing pitching for a .284 average with 19 hits, 4 home runs and 11 RBIs.
NEBL Analysis
The NEBL functions as the place where veterans go to hang on to baseball, try to make it back to the CBO, and sometimes dominate the league. Fans of the NEBL have flocked to see some of their favorites from the CBO play into their 30s, so to speak. This season, several 30+ players are giving the fans' a lot of worth for their caps.
Right now, only one division, the Maine Division, has a solo leader: Everett. The other divisions all have a tie:
Vershire - Greenfield and Marlborough
Mass - Plymouth, Fall River, and Brookline
Connri - Needham and Foxborough
NEBL Players of the Month
PL Hitter - When Gorgeous George Davis stepped up to the plate in April he did it with confidence, and today he was honored with the Patriot League Batter of the Month award.
The young Lowell right fielder posted a .371 batting average with 6 home runs, 18 RBIs and scored 13 runs. Davis also worked pitchers for 4 walks to post a .405 on-base percentage.
YL Hitter - To Rick Pickle, age is just a number.
He may be 35 years old, but the Natick Big Leaguers right fielder proved in April that he's still got what it takes to compete at an elite level.
With a .409 average, 5 home runs, 14 RBIs, and 7 runs scored, Pickle had all the numbers that counted and has won the Yankee League Batter of the Month award.
PL Pitcher - The Patriot League scribes have selected April's Pitcher of the Month and have awarded the honor to Kurt Cats of Arlington. He was outstanding on the hill last month and has the numbers to prove it -- a 4-0 record.
The Caps star performer made 4 starts with a 1.36 ERA and surrendered 18 hits in 33 innings. He struck out 24 and walked 10.
YL Pitcher - In April Sandwich starter Lucas Frost confused hitters all month long. Last month's Yankee League Pitcher of the Month took home the trophy as he collected a 4-0 record in 5 starts.
The 25-year-old Frost added 25 strikeouts in 38.2 innings and 9 walks to his season record and compiled a 1.86 ERA. Other clubs hit .211 against him.
MML Analysis
The MML has been the jumping spot for some of the younger talent once they "get it." While some still move into AAA territory in the NEBL, many of the top young guns will jump from here straight to the CBO ranks. There are a few, like Sactuary Hill's (Lex) C Flew Elling Tamir, who could see that jump happen this season, especially when teams expand to 40.
All except one division currently has a solo leader. Division leaders are:
Boggs - Covenant
Murtagh - Revere Beach
Williams - Hyde Park and Brockton
Yastrzemski - Mayoral Shelter
MML Players of the Month
LL Hitter - For a rookie just breaking in, Honest Pierce certainly put together a successful month. It was good enough to win the LL Batter of the Month award for April.
The 21-year-old third baseman for the Marblehead Grenades hit .304 with 6 home runs, 18 RBIs and 12 runs scored.
SL Hitter - At only 19 years of age, Redeye Perez could very well have many more months like this last one during his career.
That would be great news for fans of the Newton Behemoths, as April was one to remember for the shortstop and he has captured the Stars League Batter of the Month award.
On the month he hit .325 with 7 home runs, 15 RBIs and 17 runs scored.
LL Pitcher - A standout performance in April earned Denvarius Baseline the Pitcher of the Month Award in the Legends League. When his name was penciled in to start by the Littleton skipper, it meant trouble for opposing teams. For the month the Ragers star racked up 4 wins and 1 loss.
In 36.1 innings of work, Baseline limited opposing batters to 25 base hits and a .198 batting average. He notched 25 strikeouts, issued 22 walks and had a 2.23 ERA.
SL Pitcher - There's something about a young rookie winning the Stars League Pitcher of the Month trophy that sends shock waves through the league. Such is the case with Andrew Seay, a 23-year-old starter for the Newton Behemoths.
In April, he topped off the month with a 4-0 mark and 2.41 ERA in 4 starts, tossed 33.2 innings, fanned 23 and held opposing teams to a .161 average.
BMU Analysis
The BMU is built for the college selections who are not ready to compete for a CBO shot. While some 18 and 19 year olds play here, many are in the 20-25 range. Some of these players may find themselves on a CBO roster sooner than later, like Union Hope's (SI) SP Catty Catton and his 0.79 ERA.
There are three solo division leaders and one tie at the 16-game mark:
Dark Hollow Pond - Parsons Asylum
Cambridge - Union Hope and Walden Pond
Downtown Boston - DB Tech
Glowing Sea - Westing Estate
BMU Players of the Month
CA Hitter - Big Dipper Grzenkowicz may be much younger than other hitters in the Commonwealth Association, but he performed like a seasoned veteran in April to win the Batter of the Month award.
The 20-year-old Kingsport second baseman hit .333 with 5 home runs, 15 RBIs and 18 runs scored.
MA Hitter - Greater Mass Vans fans believe they've got a talented young star in Broke Lawyer.
He did nothing to dissuade that notion in April, as he hit .453 with 4 home runs, 7 RBIs and 13 runs scored.
The end result was the center fielder being named the Massachusetts Association Batter of the Month.
CA Pitcher - In April Union Hope starter Catty Catton mystified Commonwealth Association hitters and carried off the Pitcher of the Month honors by chalking up a 4-0 record in 4 starts.
The 21-year-old Catton added 19 strikeouts in 34.1 innings and 6 walks to his season record and compiled a 0.79 ERA. Opposing batters hit .184 against him.
MA Starter - Dan Nippard of the Nuclear Physicists bewildered opposing batters in April and was honored as the Massachusetts Association Pitcher of the Month earlier today.
The DB Tech starter sparkled last month with a 3-0 record and 1.42 ERA. He made 3 starts, tossed 25.1 innings and had 16 strikeouts.
GBRL Analysis
Ah, the youngsters fresh out of the CYL, and a few college players 22 or under. The GBRL is for the "rookies," the players with talent but not yet showing those skills at a major league level. The GBRL is full of potential talent looking to show off what they have, probably for a jump to AA (MML) or A (BMU) later in the season or next. One such player is Beantown's (Egr) SP Mike Searocker. The 4th-overall selection in the 2315 Draft, Searocker is already 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA in four starts and has struck out 47 in 27.0 innings of work. Egret may need him sooner than later!
Division leaders in the GBRL through 16 games are Brunswick (Northeast), Switchboard (Northwest), Cumberland (Southeast), and Norwalk (Southwest).
GBRL Players of the Month
NL Hitter - Brunswick Brainiacs fans may just have witnessed a star player blossoming before their eyes in April.
O.B. Jackson put up a remarkable month at the age of 20 and has been named the North League Batter of the Month.
For the month, Jackson hit .465 with 9 home runs, 17 RBIs and 15 runs scored.
SL Hitter - It's perhaps an award he'll win many more times through his career, as at age 20 Slim Enchtull has a lot of baseball ahead of him.
But for now the young Norwalk Pickpockets star can enjoy the numbers he put up in April, which have garnered him the nod as the South League Batter of the Month.
His breakout month featured a .486 average with 7 home runs, 15 RBIs and 13 runs scored.
NL Pitcher - Devon Cobbs hasn't been around long enough to know that youngsters shouldn't be winning North League Pitcher of the Month. But when you put up numbers like his, you're going to get some notice.
In April the Brattleboro starter earned a 3-0 mark in 4 starts. He threw 28.1 innings, struck out 30 and compiled a solid 1.27 ERA.
SL Pitcher - A 3-0 record with a 1.23 ERA is a good month for most any pitcher. The South League thought it was worthy of an award and named Quinlan Farley, starter for the Waterbury Cola Kings, April's Pitcher of the Month.
He also held the opposition to a .126 average while posting 31 strikeouts in 29.1 innings.