BNN Report
News from the CBO, Minors, CCBL, and CYL
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
22 May 2316
Fort Hagen, Vault 81 Hot; Atop CBO
Both teams will be featured in our league breakdowns, so we do not want to give away too much here. What you need to know, though, is that 38 games in, the Fort Hagen Silver Shroud and Vault 81 Dwellers are both the CBO's hottest teams and their current best teams, according to records and power rankings. Here are the current team power rankings for Commonwealth Baseball Organization:
Teams (Total Points, Tendency):
1) Vault 81 Dwellers (135.4, ++)
2) Fort Hagen Silver Shroud (126.4, -)
3) Glowing Sea Radscorpions (112.9, +)
4) Malden Grognaks (112.9, ++)
5) Bunker Hill 75ers (111.8, --)
6) Atom Cats (108.1, --)
7) Quincy Gunners (107.2, -)
8) Nordhagen Beach Party Boys (104.5, ++)
9) Diamond City Swatters (102.2, -)
10) Easy Town Assaultrons (102.2, --)
11) Cambridge Coursers (101.5, +)
12) County Crossing Bloodbugs (96.0, ++)
13) Concord Radstags (90.7, --)
14) Roxbury Rad Sox (90.3, ++)
15) University Point Deathclaws (89.7, -)
16) Lexington Synths (87.0, +)
17) Salem Witch Hats (85.5, ++)
18) Nahant Celtics (83.0, --)
19) Goodneighbor Hancocks (81.3, --)
20) The Slog Ghouls (79.5, -)
21) Spectacle Island Reapers (78.3, --)
22) Jamaica Plain Red Rockets (75.1, ++)
23) Oberland T-51s (73.5, --)
24) FHE Yao Guai (72.9, --)
25) Sunshine Tidings Chemists (72.1, -)
26) Egret Ninjas (69.1, --)
27) Southie Brews (58.6, -)
28) Starlight Killers (19.4, o)
Brotherhood League
With a weekend series win over Easy Town, the Malden Grognaks have taken over 1st place by a game over the Assaultrons. Nordhagen Beach is the only other team above .500, with County Crossing, Nahant, The Slog, and Salem all within six games of 1st place in the CBO's tightest league.
The Celtics are on a current five-game losing streak that has dropped them to a tie for 4th and currently out of a wildcard spot in the playoff race. Nahant is probably getting closer to their true talent, currently 7th in runs scored (156) and tied for 10th in runs allowed (174). On offense, CF Josh Peerson (.328/5/24) has been outstanding and won a Player of the Week award. On the mound, there is a mixed bag with the Starters ERA (3.64) ranking 7th in what has been a pitcher's year. Ace Lacky Luster (3-2, 3.14) has been decent, while 4th starter, Goody Two Shoes Robertson (6-1, 1.37) looks to be in the Vim! Pitcher Award race.
Institute League
Like the BL, the IL had a weekend series for 1st place with Fort Hagen winning the last two to take the series and IL lead over Bunker Hill. Cambridge and Concord are also both above .500, with Lexington at .500, Sunshine Tidings 10 back, and Starlight 19 games back with a .158 winning percentage.
The Shroud are tied with the Party Boys for the second-best 10-game stretch at 8-2 and now possess both the NCA's best record and a tie with the Dwellers for the CBO's best record (25-13). Fort Hagen is 2nd in runs scored (186) and 6th in runs allowed (144), showing that statistically they belong near the top. SS Nauseous Revere (.307/8/24/6 SB) is second on the team in average and first in homers, RBI, and stolen bases. On the mound, both La'Ray Kalel (4-2, 2.74) and Pollox Troye (6-1, 2.62) have been outstanding for the 4th-best starters (2.97). Closer Max Grove (12 SV, 3.38) has shown his age some but there are no better options currently in the role.
Minutemen League
Both Atom and Quincy have been hot as of late, while University Point went cold to drop from 1st to 3rd. The Cats lead the Gunners by a half-game. Each of Goodneighbor, Spectacle Island, Jamaica Plain, and Southie are below .500.
The Brews currently hold the SCA's worst record and look to be left behind compared to their fellow 2310 expansion brethren. Southie is the only of the four currently below .500 and would pick 2nd (Cool Papa Cornwell? Malik Goodneighbor? Honey Badger Matthews?) if the draft were held today. Southie is 12th in runs scored (132) and 8th in runs allowed (161). On offense, the best hitter has been 1B Keen Sugiura (.322/7/18) who leads the team in average and home runs and is second behind RF Jimmie Dimmick (.237/6/20) in RBI. Three pitchers have sub-4.00 ERAs, led by ace Buzzcut McDonald (3-1, 3.26), but that means the Brews are only 6th in Starters ERA (3.38). Closer Killian Austin (2 SV, 2.16) took over for Hutch Wellspring (3 SV, 1-4, 7.71), who was not getting the job done.
Railroad League
As mentioned, Vault 81 is the CBO's hottest team, winning nine straight headed into today. The Dwellers hold a two-game lead over Glowing Sea and a three-game lead over Diamond City. The rest of the RL--Roxbury, Oberland, FHE, and Egret--are below .500.
Vault 81 was not expected to make the playoffs when preseason predictions came out. Right now, though, the defending champions are by record and statistics the best team in baseball. Their demise predictions have proven to be premature. The Dwellers are 1st in the SCA in just about every offensive category, including runs scored (194). They are also 1st in runs allowed (113) and Starters ERA (2.61). Two giants with the bat are RF Pockets Wrench (.336/8/33) and C Phantom Vargas (.336/7/27). Harry Byrd (.310/4/21) has been contributing more than expected for the 38-year-old. On the mound, Zack Million (5-1, 1.78) has been one of the best, though nowhere near Glowing Sea's Alex Language (4-2, 1.26, 1st in the CBO in ERA, WAR, Ks, WHIP, FIP, rWAR, BABIP, and Opponents Avg.). Back to the Dwellers, Scruffy Taguchi (6-2, 2.50) and Exxie Summerset (5-2, 2.48) have been excellent, too. RP Clutch Hand Morello (4-1, 1.61) have been the best out of the bullpen.
CBO Standings
CBO Players of the Week
May 15 - Josh Peerson has the tools to stick in this league for many years. The 23-year-old center fielder of the Nahant Celtics had a hot bat in the North Charles Association over the past seven days and won the Player of the Week honors.
Peerson batted .536 with 15 hits in 28 at-bats, 1 home run and 6 RBIs.
This season, Peerson has hit at a .353 clip with 23 RBIs, 5 home runs and 19 runs scored. He has played in 31 games.
Egret sports fans can't stop singing the praises of Deez Phantom, who has been selected the South Charles Association Player of the Week.
Phantom was in a comfort zone all week, finishing with a .560 average (14-for-25), 5 RBIs and 2 home runs.
This year, Phantom has hit at a .478 clip with 19 RBIs, 3 home runs and 17 runs scored.
May 22 - 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. Esau Babz, the Bunker Hill 75ers 22-year-old center fielder, put himself in the spotlight last week making him the clear-cut choice for North Charles Association Player of the Week honors.
He ripped 9 hits in 22 at-bats, compiling a .409 average with 4 home runs and 6 RBIs.
For the season, Babz is hitting at a .315 clip with 10 home runs, 28 RBIs and has scored 28 runs. He has 46 hits, 7 walks and a .344 on-base percentage.
This week South Charles Association pitching was a feast fit for a king and Brandon Larsonist really made the most of it -- ripping them royally. The talented Jamaica Plain hitting machine produced a .333 batting average, 4 home runs, 8 hits in 24 at-bats, 7 RBIs and 10 runs.
That kind of hitting earned him the SCA Player of the Week honors.
This season in 38 games, Larsonist has hit at a .235 clip with 31 hits, 8 home runs, 20 RBIs and 24 runs scored.
CBO Noteworthy News
May 9 - An update on Mean David Green, the Spectacle Island closer. He is having complications related to the food borne illness he obtained on April 30 and has now been ruled out for the year while doctors work on saving his life. Researchers investigating the cause have not pinpointed what the illness is, but they have concluded that Green ate at Power Noodles just outside the Great Green Jewel.
May 14 - Concord left fielder Jannar Arbor had a stellar day at Oberland Stadium. His 4-hit day included a cycle and 2 runs batted in and was instrumental in the 12-8 Radstags victory over the Oberland T-51s.
"I felt just about perfect up there," Arbor said.
Jannar Arbor hit a solo-shot off Zaire Inquisitor in the 1st, doubled in the 2nd, tripled in the 4th, grounded out in the 5th, hit a sac fly in the 7th and singled in the 9th.
A look at his season totals shows Arbor with 3 home runs, .245 BA, .304 OBP, 17 RBIs and 14 runs scored.
May 18 - With his eight start over two squads, the Union Hope Lifegivers (A) and Pawtucket Pips (AA), Spectacle Island's 2nd-round pick, SP Catty Catton (Winthrop College) is now 7-0 with a 0.88 ERA in the BMU and 1.00 ERA in the MML.
Scouts believe Catton is doing everything necessary to move up to the CBO, and the OSA has predicted Catton to spend some time with the Reapers this season, though that may come in August.
While SP Paul Bird (3-0, 1.08 with Union Hope in three starts) is the top prospect in the Spectacle Island system, Catton may be more pro-ready. Some OSA scouts believe that Catton should be starting over current Reapers 4th starter Dew Ober (2-3, 7.40) while others think he should premier in 2317.