COBRA: Consolidated Organisation of Baseball and Railways of Amelia: A History

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Welcome to Amelia City. A city-state with an eye for commerce, and now, an eye for baseball.

The year is 1920 and the Amelia Railway Company has just popped in passenger rail connecting up the entire city. From the vast industrial area in Dustland to the beaches of Crimson Forest and Port Magnolia, to the alternative scene of Hadestown, to the island paradise of Saffron,to the hustle and bustle of the CBD and the Spice District and to the lush fields of Unicorn Point the entire city is available to every citizen of Amelia... for a nominal fee of course.

To promote this, they decided to give everyone a reason to move around a fair bit and created a city-wide baseball league. One team for each of the 12 districts.



East Division

• Crimson Forest Falcons
• Hadestown Broncos
• Northlands Polar Bears
• Spice District Roosters
• Sugar Factory Elephants
• Whiskeytown Ducks

West Division

• Amelia City Metropolitans
• Dustland Sharks
• Port Magnolia Dolphins
• Saffron Turtles
• Salt Quarter Penguins
• Unicorn Point Athletic Club

They'll play a 144 game season. Division winners and two wildcard teams make it to the playoffs. No DH. There's one level of minors with the biggest labour union from each area represented by a team.

Cuisine Division

• Bakers Union (Unicorn Point)
• Brewers Association (Whiskeytown)
• Chocolatiers Guild (Crimson Forest)
• League of Chefs (Hadestown)

Paper Division

• Bankers Guild (Amelia City)
• League of Assassins (Spice District)
• Public Service Workers Union (Port Magnolia)
• Union of Newsgathering (Saffron)

Goods Division

• Engineers Guild (Sugar Factory)
• Manufacturing Workers Association (Dustland)
• Seaworkers Guild (Salt Quarter)
• Union of Meatpackers (Northlands)

They play a 120 game season.

Finally, also joining in the fun was some of the oldest universities and high schools of Amelia.

Amelia University Baseball Association

• Amelia University Cougars
• Northlands College of Technology Wildcats
• Saffron School of Magic Sluggers
• The Institue of Evil Ravens

They play a 36 game season in the first half of the year.

Amelia High School Baseball League

• Crimson Forest High School Lions
• Dustland Boy's High School Dragons
• Hadestown Magic Academy Owls
• Port Magnolia High School Voyagers
• Southern Salt Quarter Academy Albatross
• Whiskeytown Schoolhouse Wolves

They play a 40 game season in the first half of the year.

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The district that the Falcons make home in is Crimson Forest, named after the red trees that populate this area -- and this area alone. The Forest is a long snakey peninsula with a lot of beautiful beaches. It is the richest area of Amelia City and home to many of the most trendy and expensive clothing and desert places in the city.

While the area was once covered in the red trees that give the area its name, most have made way for residential living. They can be spotted throughout the districts -- including beyond the outfield at Crimson Forest Fields -- the ballpark where the Falcons ply their trade. A place that promises some mild favours to the left handed hitters and to the probability of extra-base hits.



They are owned by Rustam Tsarev. Born in Dustland, Tsarev revolutionised deserts in Amelia (you haven't lived until you've had a Rusty Chocolate Donut) and quickly established an empire of desert restaurants throughout the city with the flagship restaurant in prime position on the waterfront in Crimson Forest. Tsarev was also responsible for making the Chocolatier's Guild one of the most feared unions in the city.

Tsarev is more a businessman than a chocolatier these days. He's looking to be a bit tight on the purse strings for his GM and is looking like he's going to have a tendency to meddle a bit with the day-to-day running.

TOP POSITION PLAYER: Jonathan Palka




Palka is a young Right Fielder who Falcons leadership hopes will have a long future in a Falcons jersey. Palka is one of the leaders in the clubhouse and it helps that he has a solid well-rounded approach at the plate and a solid arm in Right Field. His ratings also show him with with a pretty much identical split between left and right-handed pitchers which will make him a tricky prospect to deal with near the top of the order.

TOP PITCHER: Lincoln Carter




Carter is a little guy who tops out at 87mph with his cutter but he makes up for it with a biting curveball and the stamina to stay in games for as long as he needs to.

[Sizeman21]

Looks like a cool fictional league! I will be following!

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At points in its history, Hadestown was a pretty dire place. You kinda have to be to be named after the Greek god of the underworld (a polite way of call a place a hellhole really). In recent times, the Northeastern corner of Amelia has flourished into a mecca of creative thinking. The place is an absolute maze to navigate but if you know where to look you'll find alternative theatre, art, poetry, and music. Little cafes offer up all-day and all-night coffee.

The Broncos are owned by Leo Glowicki, not as rich as the rest of the owners, the Hadestown market was the only one he could afford to buy-into but he's sure hoping that his new range of Home Run Burger restaurants will be a hit with the locals. They'll sure know of it when they attend Home Run Burger Park.



TOP POSITION PLAYER: Lenny Johnson




A fan favourite, Johnson projects to be a solid presence at Third Base for a good number of years. He's signed up until 1926.

TOP PITCHER: Dalton Deschenes




It's probably a bit of a toss-up between Deschenes and Jackson Woods but the southpaw has been given the #1 role in the rotation so here we go. Deschenes is one of the most talented players out there, his sinker clocks in as one of the fastest pitches in the league and his changeup and slider are equally devastating but he's more likely to be at Home Run Burger than at training. His stamina is low for a starter and his defense is bad.

While is almost unhittable against left handed batters, right handed hitters will have an easier time. He's also one of the better pitching hitters in the league -- he's actually got better batting ratings than the Hadestown shortstop.

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Northlands is the biggest area in Amelia and often the most ignored. Some look at the south and see miles of factories, you go further north and up the cliff that divides the district into two and you see miles of housing and then eventually miles of farmland.

It may look boring but just because you have to dig deep to uncover the gems of an area doesn't make it boring.

The team is owned by Joshua Flaim, owner of Flim Flam Flaim Farms, along with his business partners Albert Flim and Timothy Flam. He has high expectations for the team. Word has it that he's put the hard word on the GM to deliver a title in this opening years!

The stadium is called the Bear Pit. It's up in the Northern area of Northlands, at altitude so the home runs come up a bit easier here than it would in other parts of the city.



TOP POSITION PLAYER: Jon Jackson




Well-rounded approach at the plate, OK speed and good defense at RF too. Can't bunt though, so hard pass? Jackson projects very well against Right handed pitchers but is likely to struggle against the left handers.

TOP PITCHER: Elijah Shumate




Elijah Shumate is currently rated as the best pitcher in the league by the OSA and he's going to need all the movement that he can muster to keep his home runs down in the Bear Pit. He's going to struggle against left handed batters though.

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After looking at the biggest area in Amelia City, we now go to the smallest: the Spice District. The District is incredibly dense and it's shocking that they even found space for a ballpark here. Along with the CBD, the Spice District is very much the commercial hub of Amelia City. It also might be the dodgiest of the districts. Word is that you can buy anything in the Spice District, from a financial derivative product to a human toe.

The biggest company in the district is Cinnamon Traders Ltd, who made their initial fortune in the spice trade but have since expanded into other ventures. They own the Roosters and extended their name to the ballpark: Cinnamon Traders Ballpark.



TOP POSITION PLAYER: Tommy Glass




The man they call Blackjack has been in the baseball game a long time struggling through the Amelia amateur scene and this is finally his chance to earn some real money from the game he loves. His $18k salary is good enough for third best in the league, and he's still right up there with the best in the league at 37 years old. It's a pity we'll never see how good Glass could have been in the last 15 years (the stories suggest he was an absolute beast) but we'll get some good years out of him yet. His speed and defensive range is gone but he's still got the bat and an absolute cannon for an arm.

He is surrounded by some exciting talent around him: including LF Odin Bendig, who has the best power/eye combo in the league.

TOP PITCHER: Max Steel




Max Steel, with a name even better than his Splitter is at the opposite side of the age spectrum to Tommy Glass. OSA ranks him as the #2 pitcher in the league and the youngest in either of their top 20 lists. Heck, he's younger than the top three ranked prospects. Hopefully, just for the sake of his name, he sticks around for a while.

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A district so synonymous with their dominant employer that it's named after that. In fact, it's so dominant that no one even bothers naming the actual company. It's simply, the "sugar factory", heck, you could probably go with just the "factory" and people will know what you're talking about. The district has diversified over time but the Sugar Factory is still the dominant force here.

Foster Seiser is the owner, but he didn't make his money from sugar. In fact, no one's quite sure where he made his money from.

The Sugar Factory Grounds are their ballpark and it's a largely balanced field (a rarity in this city of misshapen fields) though does favour right handed batters ever so slightly.



BEST POSITION PLAYER: Jaden Tenneh




Tenneh is another one of the old hands of the amateur game and cashing in on a big payday. We'll see how long he lasts at age 36. He's signed a three year deal with the Elephants. He's still got his speed at this point!

BEST PITCHER: Connor Kyle




A young pitcher with a big mouth. Kyle has a tendency to get himself in hot water when he talks to the press. But if that's his only weakness, then maybe we can let that one go?

[progen]

Nice breakdown of each team. Will wait until you're finished, to see who I'm rooting for.

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Only 7 to go! I'll do the Whiskeytown Ducks next and then I'll be all done with the East Division.

[Dark Horse]

Always happy to see another fictional world league.
Great map.
And you're off to a great start.

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The final team of the East Division is the Whiskeytown Ducks!

Many, many moons ago. Someone told Ignatius Whiskey Graves that he couldn't ferment grains to make this delicious drink he was creating. Not in their town. So he left. He formed his own town -- named after the drink that he created that he named after his own middle name.

Nowadays, the Graves family continues to brew whiskey at their original site in Whiskeytown along with all sorts of other alcohol and even non-alcoholic products. The sheer audacity of it all. The spot chosen by Ignatius was a perfect spot for whiskey and came equipped with its own natural port for easy access to trade routes. Pretty much the entire continent was kept liquored up by the alcohol produced in Whiskeytown.

Jonathon Graves, an ancestor of Ignatius, saw a baseball as a great chance to sell more alcohol. So naturally he went in for a team. Any game at the Whiskeytown Grounds looks set to be a good time! While he's willing to put money into the team for a winning side, he's likely going to remain hands-off the actual baseball side. Think he's going to be more interested in getting the crowd liquored up.



TOP POSITION PLAYER: Joel de Vries




Our first catcher of this series (he won't be the last though!) is Joel de Vries. Pretty much all of his value is going to be made up of what he does at the plate but he should contribute a lot. If he gets some left handed pitchers then he will absolutely feast on them.

TOP PITCHER: Logan Phillips




Young and solid pitcher. Not a lot to gripe about here as he has solid ratings in everything. His 68-rated Knuckle Curve is the best in the business. He's only signed on for a one-year deal though. Can Whiskeytown hold on?

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The East Division is done, now on to the West and we'll kick things off with the darlings of the Central City: The Amelia City Metropolitans.

The CBD is the heart of Amelia, not only does it provide the connections to areas like Port Magnolia, Salt Quarter, and Unicorn Point but is also the home of Amelia's government and a thriving art community (though not as alternative as what can be found in Hadestown). It's also more than big buildings of offices. There are plenty of apartments throughout the area and more traditional residential areas to the north.

The Metropolitans are owned by the Amelia Railway Company with Toby Meier taking on the role as the human face. They look set to be patient with management while ready to provide the funds they need. We'll see if it keeps up, rumour has it that Meier will simply make decisions for the club if they don't do what he wants fast enough.

They play in the Spirit of Amelia ballpark, this grand ballpark will be brutal for home run hitters.



BEST POSITION PLAYER: Doug Dale




When Dale heard he was selected by the OSA as the best position player in the league, he commented "what a bunch of utter nonsense, those guys couldn't identify a good ball player if one managed to smash their own faces for a home run."

This didn't go down well with the OSA, they were simply bestowing their opinion on this ungrateful player but who even are the OSA? What gives them the power? Nothing happened in the end. Not a suspension. Not a thing.

But we could see where the OSA were thinking when they gave Dale the title of the anointed one. The only position player to receive the full five stars. Dale is a force at the plate and an excellent defensive second basemen. His lack of speed is the only knock you can make against him.

BEST PITCHER: Jeremiah Hinton




The fact that Hinton is the best pitcher that the Metros can muster is not a great sign. Nothing against him, he certainly brings a lot of tricks to the party with a 5-pitch arsenal but he's likely going to struggle with walks... and possibly with home runs but the giant Spirit of Amelia ballpark should help keeping that rate down.

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Once upon a time, Dustland was home to a giant prison where prisoners were kept until "they turned to dust". The overarching structure of the prison was kept (in an effort to save money of course) when they converted the prison into a neighbourhood.

The effect is a bit eerie but it makes for some maudlin beauty. Today, the former prison is the hub of Dustland. The area is largely known for his vast array of industry with large working class neighbourhoods scattered throughout the area to support it all.

The Sharks are owned by Rowan Babcock. Born in Dustland himself, Babcock's story is one of working his way up from the bottom. A truly aspirational story that doesn't quite gel with this little thing called truth. Truth was that Babcock had family connections everywhere. The story however proves useful.

The Sharks will play in EmpireCo Park -- which projects to be a pitcher friendly park with advantages given to right handed hitters.



TOP POSITION PLAYER: Kian Lehn




Lehn contributes a big bat for the catcher position -- he can hit for average and for power. He's a switch hitter but a lot stronger against right handed pitchers than left handed. He was born in Dustland so we'll see if he wants to stick around.

TOP PITCHER: Jaxon Darnall




Another Dustland boy. Darnall is not going to impress you with his fastball that only hits 86mph on its best day but good luck hitting the slider or changeup, especially if you're a right handed batter. He's only signed for this season, the Sharks will want to keep him around a big longer.

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Despite the name not a lot of port activity goes on at Port Magnolia. It's since made way for a residential boom in the area as people flock to the beaches and marinas. Dolphin spotting has also bloomed as port activity moved to other parts of the city.

The Dolphins are owned by Bob Cooke, owner of a family company that thrived in Port Magnolia back when it was an actual functional port. The company's operations have moved over to Salt Quarter now but Cooke's heart belongs to Port Magnolia.

They play their games in the Magnolia Dome.



BEST POSITION PLAYER: Max Roberts




Our first Shortstop! Roberts is one of the younger members of the old guard from the amateur days. He's a solid player that makes a nice contribution defensively and with the bat. He's no slouch on the basepaths either. He truly shines against left handed hitters.

BEST PITCHER: Kirk Swinson




And another first. It's our first closer to be featured. The Dolphins don't have much to boast of with their starting rotation but Swinson is a true gem of their pitchers. No one in the league brings more stuff to the table than him and his cutter will leave you bamboozled. Along with his "pranks".

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If you want to combine the island and big city lifestyle then there's no more perfect place to do that than Saffron. Previously you could only reach the island via the ferry but the newly installed railway bridge means you could be in the CBD in 20 minutes.

Some think that's amazing. Others aren't so sure.

The Saffron life attracts a particular sort: artist communities, little family farms, and mini brewing operations populate the island.

The Turtles are owned by Danny Blind, owner of the Amelia Daily Times, which also lends its name to the team's stadium: Amelia Daily Times Park. The Park, situated next to the water proves to be a particularly difficult park to get home runs.



BEST POSITION PLAYER: Valentin Folgan




Folgan is the best contact hitter in the league and looks set to be a critical component to the success of the Turtles.

BEST PITCHER: Adam Scoles




Two relievers in a row? Is that allowed? I'll check but in the mean time, Scoles is a young reliever with a devastating changeup that'll leave all batters a bit flummoxed. He's going to get a lot of ground balls and has the ability to keep the ball in the park so we hope he's got some good defenders behind him!

[progen]

Whiskeytown Ducks for me. I just bought season tickets. Go Ducks!!!

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The Salt Quarter is the shipping hub of Amelia. The coastline is full of docks while the middle is full of warehousing and residential neighbourhoods to support it all. The vast majority of imports and exports go through the Salt Quarter. The district holds such importance that a directly elected representative of Salt Quarter holds a guaranteed spot on cabinet -- a situation not extended to any other district in Amelia.

The team is owned by Donald Varonen, a shipping company magnate and accused crime lord. He appears very keen to bring winning teams to the Quarter.

They play at Salt Park.



BEST POSITION PLAYER: McKenzie Bellows




The second oldest player in the league (his team-mate Luke Wagner has him beat by a couple of months) and tied for heaviest at 245lbs, Bellows combines a deadly power/discipline combo -- especially against right handed pitchers (in fact, he's so weak against left handed pitchers that he'll likely be platooned).

He's got a two year deal though he's going to need 490 plate appearances if he's going to get paid in his age-42 season (could be tough if he gets swapped out against lefties)

BEST PITCHER: Shawn Marsh




Marsh is a young, promising pitcher that already has the talent to top the rotation for the Penguins. He has high hopes of sticking around for a while.

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Originally Posted by progen

Whiskeytown Ducks for me. I just bought season tickets. Go Ducks!!!

Ha, didn't even wait to see what the Penguins or Unicorns had to offer. Fair enough!

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Our final team to meet is the Unicorn Point Athletic Club, but you can just call them the Unicorns.

Unicorn Point can be a bit tough to get to. The only path in is via the Salt Quarter but the rewards are worth it. Lush green fields -- as if it was blessed by unicorns themselves -- cover the lands. Amelia's only rollercoaster can also be found out here, if you can brave it.

The team is owned by a collective representing the entire Unicorn Point community with all profits pledged to flow back into the community. They play at Unicorn Point Daily Bread Park -- sponsored by one of the many bakeries that populate the area.



BEST POSITION PLAYER: Dennis Sullenger




Well in a bit of contrast to the community-minded spirit of the team. It also has the highest paid player in the league on its roster. Sullenger's $21k salary doesn't seem to hurt his popularity and it sure gets the Unicorns a darn good player. Though he probably should have found his home in the outfield with a 100-rated arm out there. He should be a fixture of the Unicorns until 1924. His $105k/5yr deal is naturally the most expensive out there (anything else over $100k needed a 7 year commitment)

BEST PITCHER: Tijs Oudenkerk




Personality: "Not the life of the party". Harsh. How many other party guests come with a 5-pitch arsenal at their disposal?

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Back in the amateur days, the OSA was just one guy doing it for the love of the game. Nowadays, there's like at least two guys doing it now. Even back then they released this report of their pre-season assessment of the best players Amelia had to offer.

5-Star Players
2B Doug Dale (Amelia City)
CL Max Collins (Sugar Factory)

Best player, by Position
C Joel de Vries (Whiskeytown)
1B Vladik Zavalin (Whiskeytown)
2B Doug Dale (Amelia City)
3B Dennis Sullenger (Unicorn Point)
SS Nathan Crews (Dustland)
LF Odin Bendig (Spice District)
CF Jayden DeNiro (Saffron)
RF Jon Jackson (Northlands)

Best by Skill
Contact: C Valentin Folgan (Saffron) - 79
Power: 3B Kody Lyabah (Saffron) - 79
Eye: LF Clayton Fleming (Northlands) - 96
Speed: CF Wayne Kender (Amelia City) - 103
Stealing: CF Thad Pardue (Whiskeytown) - 111

Best by Position, defensively (projected starters only)
C Jaxen Crouch (Port Magnolia) - 60
1B Vladik Zavalin (Whiskeytown) - 93
2B Noah Means (Hadestown) - 85
3B Oscar Newsome (Northlands) - 78
SS Scott Welch (Saffron) - 83
LF Christopher Larson (Dustland) - 85
CF Sid van Kranenburg (Dustland) - 93
RF Kaiden Martin (Unicorn Point) - 81

Ultimate Rotation
#1 Elijah Shumate (Northlands)
#2 Max Steel (Spice District)
#3 Connor Kyle (Sugar Factory)
#4 Shawn Marsh (Salt Quarter)

(Shumate, at age 26 is the oldest person on this list!)

Closer
Max Collins (Sugar Factory)

Best by Pitch Type
Fastball Shawn Marsh (Salt Quarter) - 70
Changeup Adam Scoles (Saffron) - 90
Curveball Jared Way (Spice District) - 79
Slider Matt Leiker (Port Magnolia) - 83
Sinker Dalton Deschenes (Hadestown) - 79
Splitter Max Steel (Spice District) - 76
Cutter Kirk Swinson (Port Magnolia) - 86
Forkball Shawn Marsh (Salt Quarter) - 70
Circle Change Levi Campbell (Amelia City) - 71
Screwball None
Knuckle Curve Logan Phillips (Whiskeytown) - 68
Knuckleball None