The Weddell Division
Image by NASA, taken from Wikimedia
The division is named after the Weddell Sea, right next to the Antarctic Peninsula. The Sea is named after Scottish expeditioner James Weddell who was the first to sail into it in 1823.
These are the weather conditions in this part of Antarctica. Definitely warmer than near the Ross Sea, but still harsh. (I've checked and yes, I have disabled rainouts: just put on your best coat and take the field! I imagine the grounds crew would come in every once in a while and clear out the snow. I've also made all fields turf, considering natural grass would last all of 5 seconds before freezing and dying.)
Carlini Crabeaters
Logo AI generated
Playing in the Argentinian Carlini Base, specifically Jubany Field, the team has adopted the crabeater seals as their mascot. The club is owned by José María Sobral, who's pretty balanced overall though somewhat fiscally controlling. He expects manager Joe McKee and the team to finish above .500 this year.
Starters - League Ranking - Notes
C Enrique Ortega - 9th - Born in Santa Fe, Ortega is an average hitter with great upside behind the plate, particularly with his great arm.
1B Henry Beauregard - 1st - The Virginia-born lefty excels at putting the ball in play, usually in the gaps. He's still relatively fast and a good defender, but will he be able to play the entire season at 36?
2B Miguel Galaviz - 12th - Galaviz is one of two Puerto Rican starters in the league. He is surehanded and will battle in every at bat, making him a solid if unspectacular option.
3B Norm Mulholland - 13th - Despite a very strong throwing arm, the Australian is just below average at everything else.
SS Danny Ward - 6th - Ward left San Diego's fantastic beaches for the cold of the Weddell Sea. He's an expert at getting on base but he'll never run. His defensive style is probably better suited for 3B, with a fantastic arm but he lacks the agility to turn most double plays.
LF Aldo Corradini - 13th - Corradini might be slightly underrated, though he is just a middle of the road player: not bad anywhere, but only his eye and ability to avoid errors can be called above average.
CF Iñaki Etxeberria - 15th - The Basque outfielder is a pretty good glove, though he sometimes tends to miss the ball completely. His bat is below average.
RF Sizwe Zulu - 12th - Zulu's bat is average at best, with a great focus on just making contact. He struggles focusing and working hard, which shows in his lazy defending.
SP Salvador Meneses - 17th - The Chilean being ranked this low is just a testament to the strength of pitching in the league. Meneses features a great sinker with plus control and movement that make him a solid starter.
CL Ricardo Castillo - 9th - Castillo throws an assortment of fastballs in the 91-93 mph range, but throwing this hard and a lack of breaking pitches means he's only effective for an inning or two.
The Argentinian team has some serious talent, and it shouldn't be an issue for them to finish above .500 or even be surprise playoff contenders.
Esperanza Delfines
Logo created by 20_range
Esperanza is another Argentinian base, and it is in fact one of two bases with a permanent civilian population, with 10 families and 2 teachers according to Wikipedia. It is also the place of birth of Emilio Palma, the first ever person to be born on Antarctica. They are named after the Hourglass Dolphins, which can be seen in the logo. They're owned by Hernán Pujato, who prioritizes the club's success. He expects Australian manager Tim Howell to achieve a record above .500.
Starters - League Ranking - Notes
C César Sandoval - 8th - The Chilean is a very selective hitter, with power to put the ball in the gaps. As a catcher, he excells at blocking and framing, making him one of the better backstops in the league.
1B Jordan Lewis - 7th - The Englishman is average overall, with a good feel for stealing bases.
2B Jorge Torres - 1st - Torres hits for average, gets on base often and has the best glove at 2B, with a below average arm holding him back from playing shortstop. "Coco" is definitely an impact player both on and off the field.
3B Antonio Lombardi - 8th - "Tano" gets on base and works hard at the plate and with the glove. He rarely makes errors and throws most hitters out.
SS Omar Angel - 19th - Despite battling it out every at bat, this switch hitter rarely puts the ball in play. Somewhat redeemed by being able to play an average shortstop.
LF Ricardo Zapata - 20th - Zapata is a baserunning threat, whenever he gets on base, which is rarely. He makes too many errors in left.
CF Antonio Zúñiga - 17th - Only 21, the Chilean is a good defender. He still has a lot to learn about hitting.
RF Tom Chen - 3rd - If he were faster, Chen would be a true 5 tool player. As he is, he's a good hitter who gets on base often, and a plus defender.
SP Miguel Rodríguez - 8th - Miguel is an avid fisherman, who happens to throw a mean changeup and splitter with great control. He'll rely on the movement and placement of his pitches to fool hitters as his stuff isn't great.
CL Mario Trejo - 8th - Trejo has great stuff, with a nasty curve complementing a 94 mph fastball very well. He'll close out most games for the Dolphins.
Esperanza have a very talented team with a good blend of veterans and young guys, they should be involved in the race for the division title.
Novolazarevskaya Aurora
Image AI generated
Of course a Russian base, the Aurora are owned by Lev Berg, a very understanding and hands-off owner. He expects manager Ken Harper to play close to .500 ball this year.
Starters - League Ranking - Notes
C Ernesto Saavedra - 3rd - Saavedra is defensively amongst the best catchers in the league, excelling in all 3 metrics. Pair this with an average bat and you have a key player for the Russian squad.
1B Sergei Ivanov - 3rd - Overall a good hitter with a very patient approach, the 38 year old is also an above average defender.
2B Maxime Girod - 15th - Girod is just average anywhere you look, though he struggles to put the ball in play sometimes.
3B Juan Hernández - 15th - The Chilean is seriously underrated. Despite an issue with strikeouts, he's a pretty good bat and a very solid defender who's also capable of playing an above average SS.
SS Dom Andrews - 11th - The Sydney native is an average all round hitter, but his defense truly stands out, particularly his ability to reach balls that seem impossible.
LF Boris Aleksandrov - 19th - Despite being an alright hitter, Boris' terrible defense leads to this low rating.
CF Marcel Santiago - 13th - Marcel is fast, with a strong throwing arm and an average hitting skillset.
RF Antonio Saez - 4th - Saez never strikes out. His defense is also above average, with a strong arm.
SP Robert Montgomery - 5th - "Seeker" might be a one-dimensional pitcher, but the movement on his changeup seems like 4D. Robert can place it wherever he wants, getting weak contact if any.
CL Viktor Lebedev - 2nd - Lebedev has a mind-bending changeup which he manages with very advanced control. His intense personality makes him a great fit for the closer role.
Expectations may be a bit low considering the serious quality to be found on the Aurora roster.
Rothera Orcas
Logo created by 20_range
Owned by Scottish James Marr, the Orcas play in Bonner Field, in the English Rothera base. Marr is charitable and understanding, with a focus on winning the Antarctic Series. He expects manager Alex Wagner and the team to play close to .500 ball this year.
Starters - League Ranking - Notes
C Néstor Aguirre - 4th - Aguirre might be the best defensive catcher, with nobody daring to run on him. His strategy at the plate is to swing at everything, and he will usually make decent contact.
1B Hone Te Rangi - 18th - The maori youngster is not your typical first baseman. With just average hitting skills, his game is more focused on speed and defense, where he's able to play all the outfield positions as well.
2B Ewan Walker - 14th - Walker is good at recognizing pitches, but not that good at hitting them. He plays an average defense.
3B Oscar González - 5th - An above average hitting skillset gets carried by excellent defense, with Osky rarely making errors and less of the throwing kind with his arm being out of this world.
SS Thulani Mdletshe - 18th - Below average everything and he has never been proven at SS, so there are serious doubts about his role with the team.
LF Chi-ju Yun - 12th - The young chinese left fielder has blazing speed and top baserunning IQ, which he should be able to use often given he's a solid hitter. Sometimes inconsistent as a fielder, he does have great range and arm.
CF Adam Anderson - 13th - The Californian is average all-round, which isn't a bad thing, but he'll never a star.
RF Antonio Ramos - 2nd - "Tango" is a very frustrating hitter to face, as he preys on mistakes, hitting for decent power. He's somewhat quick and an alright defender.
SP Ramil Safin - 2nd - It is said that Ramka has never given up a flyball, with pinpoint control and nasty movement on his four pitch mix. Safin would be an ace on any team.
CL Branden Gibbons - 4th - Gibbons throws a slider-cutter combo for great effectiveness in short outings.
The Orcas are lacking a good lineup, but it seems as though this will be a very pitching heavy league and they have one of the best. Will this be enough for them to compete?
SANAE IV Sentinels
Image AI generated
The fourth South African National Antarctic Expedition base was built on stilts after the previous 3 bases were gradually buried and crushed by the snow. The Sentinels are named so because these Antarctic bases and the scientists are in charge of keeping watch or observing probably the harshest place on Earth for human life. Sibusiso Vilane is the owner of the team, he's known for being a meddling owner, ruthless with the managers and investing only the necessary. Despite this, he expects the team to reach the playoffs, so the manager chosen to fill the vacancy will have a tough job with the owner looking over his shoulder at every step.
Starters - League Ranking - Notes
C Ti-An Tung - 18th - Tung is a below average bat and just an average catcher with a below average arm. He's quite the smart one though, it's just a matter of translating that to his game.
1B Koji Nagata - 10th - Nagata is a good defender and an above average hitter, though he's somewhat of a "3 true outcomes" type player.
2B Hugo Ortiz - 12th - Ortiz is a great, versatile defender capable of playing above average in all IF positions and corner OF. His bat is pretty much average.
3B Gareth Ising - 18th - Overall below average, Ising is not even a good 1B.
SS Louis Jones - 9th - Jones might be the best defensive SS in the league, though his hitting is less than optimal. He'll hit it into the gap, when he hits it.
LF José Pizarro - 16th - Pizarro shows some gap power, though he struggles to make contact consistently. He's a plus defender at left.
CF Sebastian Tindell - 10th - Above average hitting, good speed and defense. The Englishman is a solid player, nearly star level.
RF Riccardo Longo - 18th - Unspectacular with the bat, though he uses his blazing speed to get the extra base whenever he puts it in play. Great defender at all 3 OF positions.
SP Viktor Petrov - 1st - Petrov only throws 89 mph, but that's as hard as he needs to throw when his pitches move as much as they do. He has great control on a splitter, sinker and slider that get him all groundballs. Vitya might have some issues making friends in the clubhouse.
CL Hans Müller - 3rd - The Berliner throws the best changeup in the league, earning him the "Illusionist" motif. If he could throw another pitch, he'd probably be the best starter in the league.
The Sentinels are clearly a talented and well-balanced squad, with definite potential for the playoffs. Having the #1 pitcher definitely helps, all that's missing now is a good manager to take them there.
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Expect 2 more divisions! Note: So, as you might have read in the thread, 20_range has offered to make logos and I have taken him up on his offer. In time I will edit the introduction posts with the appropriate credit for the logos he makes. Thanks for reading!