BNN Report
News from the CBO, Minors, CCBL, and CYL
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
8 September 2318
CBO Playoffs: Association Semifinals Previews
Association Semifinals Overview
The league winners are now in the mix, hosting the first two of the five game series against Wildcard Round winners. Both #1 seeds should be favored in their series, but both #3 seeds have better records than the #2 seeds based on rules of all league winners getting the top two seeds.
Now that our pick of Fort Hagen winning the Sole Survivor Series is no more, here is the Playoffs Power Rankings order of the eight remaining teams.
Power Rankings
1. Diamond City
2. Vault 81
3. Lexington
4. The Slog
5. Jamaica Plain
6. Starlight
7. Cambridge
8. Southie
NCA: #5 Cambridge Coursers (68-62) vs #1 Starlight Killers (77-53)
Season Series: Starlight 5, Cambridge 5
Overview: In 10 games, both teams won five each, so this is not a series for the #1 seed to cruise through. Starlight's successes came against the other side of the bracket, so this may be their bigger challenge for matchups. The Coursers won their first series in team history and now hope to push past another round.
Prediction: While there are even parts to this matchup, the battle of the aces, Mercury Morris (17-7, 2.51) is in the Vim! Pitcher Award, while the Coursers' Scooter Yaghmour (12-13, 4.70) is nowhere near his former award-winning self. Killers in five. Starlight 3, Cambridge 2
NCA: #3 Lexington Synths (75-55) vs #2 The Slog Ghouls (70-60)
Season Series: Lexington 4, The Slog 0
Overview: The Synths owned the season series and now look to match that success in the playoffs. Lexington did not hit their offensive potential, scoring 15 runs over three games against Concord. Still, with the pitching success, five runs per game could lead Lexington to a championship. The Slog benefited from a weak Brotherhood League, but have not shown the championship push just yet. Both hitting and pitching performances have been OK but not great. Pitching better than Lexington may be the key, but Buzzcut McDonald (17-9, 3.68) is the only Ghouls pitcher in the same league performance-wise as the Synths' rotation.
Prediction: We think the Synths are a championship-caliber team that has underperformed in 2318. While they do not have the home field advantage in this series, they do have more talent and success. We think this is the shortest of all semifinals series. Lexington 3, The Slog 0
SCA: #5 Jamaica Plain Red Rockets (68-62) vs #1 Diamond Swatters (74-56)
Season Series: Diamond City 3, Jamaica Plain 1
Overview: This is the battle of PAM's pick for the #1 seed (JP) and the actual #1 seed (DC). The Swatters are powered by the best pitching rotation in the playoffs, with all three, including 40-year-old Beachboy Nut, with ERAs below 3.00. Hitting is decent but nothing to brag about, except maybe Alex Bragman (.327/21/83/a8 SB). The Red Rockets are a worthy opponent with the offense needed to win a championship. While the overall average was not great, the Rockets were good at getting on base and getting bunches of extra-base hits. Peppering balls off the Green Monster may help the Rockets.
Prediction: Great pitching versus great offense. In the end, the Swatters offense will have more success against the Jamaica Plain pitching than vice versa. This is a good series, but we do not expect it to reach the maximum number of games. Diamond City 3, Jamaica Plain 1
SCA: #3 Vault 81 Dwellers (73-57) vs #2 Southie Brews (70-60)
Season Series: Southie 2, Vault 81 2
Overview: Welcome to the playoffs, Southie! Now, see what you can do against a powerful team in Vault 81. The Brews produced a low of runs (653) but also gave up a lot of runs (650), which makes their 70-60 record surprising. The Dwellers are legitimately the second-best team in the SCA. While Vault 81's pitchers are beginning to fade, Zack Million (13-7, 3.04) is the most-dominant pitcher in this series. One vs one, Vault 81 has the pitching advantage each game. Offense favors the Brews overall, but RF Pockets Wrench (.331/31/121) is the likely Nuka Hitter Award winner in 2318.
Prediction: We are not expecting Southie to enter this series and just freeze. When they play ball, they have shown to be pretty good throughout the lineup and rotation. However, we think that the Dwellers have a serious chance to be the champions. Vault 81 3, Southie 1
