THE HAPILOPPER NATIONAL BASEBALL TEAM
Full Nation Name: The Dominion of Hapilopper
Short Nation Name: Hapilopper
Trigramme: HAP
Demonym: Hapiloppian
Team Nickname: The Thrashers
Choose my runscorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: Use my lineup as a guide, but I've included a depth chart for each position for if you want to swap players out. I've platooned 2nd base, so #2 or #12 could work just as well.
Follow my pitching rotation: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes, but keep in mind I do not consider pitchers hitting grand slams to be godmodding.
My OOC favorite team had two pitchers hit grand slams in a one-week span last year IRL.
RP injuries to my players: Yes, but please don't kill my players. I'll do that if necessary
Godmod injuries to my players: TG me beforehand.
Eject my players: Yes, but again, TG me, let's have fun with it.
Godmod other events: Yes
Use DH at home: ABSOLUTELY NOT.
Other: The pitchers are moody, the hitters like to steal, except for #1 and #7 who clog the bases a bit too much. I want to make a note of #38, Aaron Armstrong, a relief pitcher that I've set as a two-way player on the outfield depth chart. Think of Michael Lorenzen of the Cincinnati Reds, whose batting prowess is really good for a pitcher. If you want to use him as a designated hitter or an outfield replacement player, I'm cool with that.
Concerning the depth charts, I will indicate in RP if a player is at a point he should sit for a game, or serve as a late-inning replacement.
INTRODUCTIONFor 135 years, the National League of Hapilopper has been one of the premier sports leagues in the nation, and baseball has long been the Dominion's national pastime. Children learn the basics and fundamentals of the "Dominion's Game" almost as soon as they're able to walk, and the elementary, middle and high schools of Hapilopper are filled with eager players looking to join the 10 teams that play in the NLH. The high schools around each of the major population centers hold baseball leagues that are just as intense, if not more so, than the major leagues, as players try to get spotted by NLH scouts looking for the next great player.
The NLH's games are regularly seen on each of Hapilopper's major broadcast networks - HTN, the Hapilopper Television Network, NBS, the National Broadcasting Service and VTV, the Venerable Television Network. All three networks boast huge ratings for baseball games, with HTN's concept, "The Series of the Week," featuring every game of a three-game set over a weekend, recently praised by industry insiders as "the most interesting idea to come to sports television in many years."
The NLH features a fast-paced, wild style of baseball. More often than not, those that can, steal bases like their life depends on it. A number of players run the belief that "chicks dig the long ball," and those players, such as Jerome Hayden and Terry Blanchard, are among the flashiest players in the sport. However, a good number of players - and teams - also believe in small ball tactics - manufacture runs at every instance. The West Hampton Royals, for instance, are well known for their insistence on bunting to generate baserunners and runs, famously winning the NLH Cup in 2016 with a walkoff suicide squeeze.
With that in mind, the NLH has come to put together a team of all-stars and misfits to face the best teams around the world in the 46th World Baseball Classic. The team marks one of Hapilopper's first efforts in international sport, but the team, in spite of whatever previous issues players may have had with each other, have vowed to be a united front as they take on some of the world's best.
TEAM FULL ROSTERSTARTING POSITION PLAYERS#1 - Levi Berry | First Base | Hapilopper City Nationals
Age: 24 | Throws: Right | Bats: Right
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A solid hitter, Berry is known for drawing walks - lots of them - while waiting for the right pitch for him. Hit .325 last year, most of them singles, but a lot of those hits helped Hapilopper City to the NLH title last year. Not the fastest runner and is not asked to steal that often.
#2 - Campbell Braxton | Second Base | Peoria Warriors
Age: 28 | Throws: Right | Bats: Right
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A solid piece of the Sherman-Braxton-Hammond double play trio for the Peoria Warriors, Braxton is known more for his defensive prowess than his offensive prowess - or lack of it. Braxton is asked to bunt more than anything else, and typically hits in the 7 position. He hit .236 last year with no home runs.
#3 - Leroy Hunnisett | Third Base | Hapilopper City Nationals
Age: 26 | Throws: Left | Bats: Switch
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One of the HC Nationals' strong hitters, Hunnisett hit .328 last year, narrowly beating out teammate Levi Berry for the NLH batting title last year. Hunnisett does not get along with national teammate Charlton Forest following a beanball incident last year, when Forest threw a fastball at Hunnisett's head after teammate Terry Blanchard blasted a grand slam in a HC/Kingsland game last year.
#4 - Jerome Hayden | Shortstop | Washington Metropolitans
Age: 21 | Throws: Right | Bats: Right
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Jerome Hayden of the Washington Metropolitans is the power hitter of the national staff, hitting 46 home runs last year. Hayden also led the NLH in having pitches thrown at him, largely due to the fact Hayden also likes to showboat. Does not get along with Calvin Ware of the Buckridge Blues for this reason. Hayden hit a towering home run last April and stood there and watched it. The next time Ware faced Hayden, Ware threw a fastball behind Hayden and a brawl ensued.
#5 - Dayton Rowe | Left Field | North Hampton Generals
Age: 19 | Throws: Left | Bats: Left
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Dayton Rowe, the darling of the North Hampton Generals, hit .285 last year including a higher than average amount of extra-base hits. Rowe is loved by the fans in North Hampton for his on-the-field abilities and his off-the-field antics, including, but not limited to, viral videos where he impersonates various celebrities at fast food drive thrus, and his video game "Let's Play" series.
#6 - Brandt Williamson | Center Field | Buckridge Blues
Age: 22 | Throws: Right | Bats: Right
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A real power hitter, Brandt Williamson is known for hitting the ball to the opposite field, leading to the Buckridge Blues installing a gigantic bell above the right-field suites at Raceway Park. The "Oppo Taco Bell," as it is known, is loved by Blues fans, reviled by baseball purists and hated by opposing pitchers, notably Charlton Forest, who reportedly put out a $10,000 bounty on any player who can destroy the bell with a home run (or any other means).
#7 - Wes Sawyer | Right Field | Hapilopper City Nationals
Age: 22 | Throws: Right | Bats: Right
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Wes Sawyer of the HC Nationals is a great contact batter, hitting .309 last year, but is plagued by injuries, and missed half of last season after breaking his left foot rounding the bases. Not asked to steal bases that often, and his left foot remains a question.
#8 - Mo Beverly | Catcher | West Hampton Royals
Age: 23 | Throws: Right | Bats: Switch
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Mo Beverly is considered the "meat and potatoes" of the West Hampton Royals, starting every game for the last three years, even when the team experienced an unbelievable turnover. Mo hit .289 last year, with 31 home runs, but also hit into 20 double plays last year. Mo took batting practice in a women's one piece swimsuit in Surrey last year after the Surrey Wolves' announcer, Jim Simpson, took offense with West Hampton players taking batting practice in "WH K's Cancer" shirts last year. Simpson was not pleased with Beverly's move, but everyone else thought it was hilarious.
PITCHING STAFF#30 - Charlton Forest | Starting Pitcher | Kingsland Braves
Age: 26 | Throws: Left | Bats: Left
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The ace of the Hapilopper national staff, Forest went 24-6 with a 2.35 ERA last year. His fastballs top out at 99. His arsenal also includes a circle change, a forkball and a slider. Unfortunately, Forest is also known for being rather moody. After Terry Blanchard hit a grand slam for the HC Nationals against his Kingsland Braves, Forest threw a 99 mph fastball at the head of Leroy Hunnissett, sparking a wild bench-clearing brawl. Blanchard and Hunnisett are still not fans of Forest, so it'll be interesting to see how these three gel in the locker room.
#31 - Cale Waller | Starting Pitcher | Surrey Wolves
Age: 23 | Throws: Right | Bats: Left
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Waller, named for a famous racing driver with a tendency to never give up, went 19-5 with a 2.62 ERA last year. His arsenal includes a 98 MPH fastball, a 12-6 curveball and a palmball. While Waller is a reasonably good hitter, hitting .203 last year, his baserunning prowess, described as "slapstick comedy" by HTN commentator Marty Miller, almost led to the NLH instituting the designated hitter last year. This was highlighted by Waller's infamous "Triple TOOTBLAN" last year that cost the Surrey Wolves a win over the Buckridge Blues, when Waller thought it a magnificent idea to steal home at the same time an intentional walk was called.
#32 - Whit Dabney | Starting Pitcher | Peoria Warriors
Age: 25 | Throws: Right | Bats: Right
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Whit Dabney, the no-nonsense knuckleballer for the Peoria Warriors, is projected to have a 20 plus year career throwing just the knuckleball. His no-nonsense attitude has fallen afoul of some unlikely targets, most notably "Ripper" the mascot of the Buckridge Blues. Between innings in a game last September, "Ripper"'s antics offended Dabney, who charged at the mascot, leading to one of the wildest bench-clearing brawls in recent memory. Dabney was soon removed from the game as the fans at Buckridge's Raceway Park took to throwing garbage at the knuckleballer.
#33 - Victor Foster | Starting Pitcher | Hapilopper City Nationals
Age: 28 | Throws: Left | Bats: Left
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Last year with the HC Nationals, Vic Foster went 18-8 with a 2.75 ERA using an arsenal including a 98-mph fastball, a 12-6 curveball, a circle change, a forkball and, it is rumored, a spitball. Last May, Garvinson manager Jim Patrick asked the umpiring crew to check Foster, alleging he had "defiled" the ball, as he put it. The crew found nothing, but it was the 11th time since his rookie year that Foster has been accused of putting a substance on the ball.
#34 - Milford Gibbs | Starting Pitcher | Washington Metropolitans
Age: 27 | Throws: Right | Bats: Left
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Milford Gibbs, who, by the way, hates that first name, is the fifth of Hapilopper's pitchers. He had a 3.28 ERA last year and a 16-9 record, using a fastball exceeding 100 mph, a cutter, a straight changeup and a slurve. Gibbs has trouble with his endurance, however, and tends to fall off a proverbial cliff after reaching a pitch count of 95.
#35 - Jordan Meadows | Relief Pitcher | Garvinson Trojans
Age: 24 | Throws: Left | Bats: Left
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One of the two Meadows twins, Jordan Meadows is known as the resident LOOGY - left-handed one-out guy - of the Hapilopper team, but is also known for his alter-ego, Rodney DeRude, a mulleted redneck-looking throwback to the 90s that has made baseball fans in Garvinson double over with laughter - and on one occasion - sent Surrey Wolves announcer Jim Simpson into an apoplectic rage for something involving "respecting the sanctity of the game." Jordan wasn't even in the game at the time.
#36 - Martin Meadows | Relief Pitcher | Garvinson Trojans
Age: 24 | Throws: Left | Bats: Left
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The other of the two Meadows twins, Martin Meadows is a fireballer, known for his fastball that has topped out at 103 mph. His control isn't always there, though, and batters have run for cover on several occasions. So did Garvinson announcer Robert McCall during on game last August. Martin threw a wild pitch that somehow made its way into the H-Sports/Garvinson announce booth. Fans watching the game on that channel heard McCall shout "Oh SHIT!" before ducking for his life.
#37 - Calvin Ware | Relief Pitcher | Buckridge Blues
Age: 29 | Throws: Left | Bats: Left
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Calvin Ware, the Buckridge Blues' left-handed middle reliever, has several pitches in his arsenal including a forkball, a 12-6 curveball and a split-finger fastball that tops out at 95 mph. Ware is also known to be something of a hothead, having caused a bench-clearing brawl last April against Washington after Jerome Hayden admired a monstrous home run he hit. Ware is also known for destroying clubhouse phones and monitors after bad outings.
#38 - Aaron Armstrong | Relief Pitcher | Surrey Wolves
Age: 20 | Throws: Right | Bats: Right
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Aaron Armstrong, the Surrey Wolves' middle reliever is known for his 22-inch biceps, his 101-mph fastball and his ability to hit monstrous home runs. Last May in a game against the HC Nationals, Armstrong blasted a tape measure home run that both exited BankTrust Park in Surrey AND ended up smashing a windshield of a car behind the stadium. Armstrong has received permission from the Hapilopper National Team and from the Surrey Wolves to cut the sleeves off of his jersey, allowing players and fans alike to marvel at his 22-inch guns.
#39 - Robert Stevens | Relief Pitcher | West Hampton Royals
Age: 23 | Throws: Right | Bats: Really, really badly
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Robert Stevens, who typically serves as the closer of the West Hampton Royals, has been asked to serve as the national team's mop-up man. Stevens, who had a 1.35 ERA last year, got West Hampton out of some real bad jams last year - twice against the HC Nationals, striking out the side both times when the bases were loaded. Rather than let the issue get to him, Stevens chewed his gum and calmly sat the HCN down one-by-one. The WHR won both of those games, too. Stevens is typically not asked to hit in any circumstance, as his hitting is seen as "disastrous" on good days, and "slapstick" on bad days.
#40 - Darren Goodwin | Closer | Peoria Warriors
Age: 28 | Throws: Right | Bats: Right
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Darren Goodwin, Peoria's intense closer, registered 52 saves last year with an ERA of 1.55, mainly using his fastball clocked at a whopping 109-mph. Goodwin's control is sometimes an issue, but what would you expect with pitches that fast. Goodwin is known for dancing on the roofs of moving minivans around Peoria to the tune of various 80s pop hits after registering a save. Don't ask us why, and he's been asked to stop, but who's to say he won't do the same thing on the streets of Tundra Falls in Newmanistan should he beat that powerhouse of a team?
BACKUP POSITION PLAYERS#11 - Ben Hammond | First Base | Peoria Warriors
Age: 25 | Throws: Right | Bats: Right
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Benjamin Hammond of the Peoria Warriors is one-third of the Sherman-Braxton-Hammond double play trio, and would have been picked to be the team's first string first baseman... if his hitting was a little better. Hammond hit .239 last year, while he was beaten to the job by Levi Berry, who hit .325. Hammond is known for his pranks, most notably one where teammate Terrence Sherman somehow got stuck in the ceiling of the Warriors clubhouse minutes before a game against Washington last year.
#12 - Ernest Brand | Second Base | Surrey Wolves
Age: 23 | Throws: Right | Bats: Right
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A solid hitter, some questioned why Campbell Braxton was picked over Brand, as Brand hit .275 last year. Braxton supporters, however, point to Brand's questionable reliability at second base, and his unfortunate tendency to over throw the first baseman when fielding routine ground balls. Brand is seeing a sports psychologist to hopefully get him past this.
#13 - Chandler Harrell | Third Base | Washington Metropolitans
Age: 30 | Throws: Left | Bats: Left
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The old man of the first team staff at 30, Chandler Harrell is a solid hitter on the Washington Metropolitans team, hitting .301, but has a solid dislike for anything that would distract his team from the ultimate goal of victory. Last August, in a highly publicized incident, Harrell, angered at some of his teammates playing "Fortnite" for extended periods of time, grabbed a bat and smashed a $3,000 TV that was used for the game.
#14 - Dalton Sadler | Shortstop | Emporia Reds
Age: 18 | Throws: Right | Bats: Right
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It was widely expected that Dalton Sadler would follow in his father's footsteps and go racing. His father, Will Sadler, was a famous racing driver, winning the HASCAR Challenge Cup in 1995 and 1997. However, Dalton had no interest in racing, choosing to play baseball instead. Sadler is considered one of the rising stars of the NLH, and is in his rookie year playing for the Emporia Reds.
#15 - Marion Pound | Outfield | Garvinson Trojans
Age: 20 | Throws: Left | Bats: Left
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Marion Pound, son of Richard Pound, a famous knuckleballer for the Garvinson Trojans, started as a two-way pitcher and outfielder, but an injury to his throwing arm convinced him to give up pitching. Pound is a solid outfielder, known for his acrobatic maneuvers in center field, most notably one day last July when Pound seemingly climbed a 15 foot wall to rob Levi Berry of a home run.
#16 - Terry Blanchard | Outfield | Hapilopper City Nationals
Age: 23 | Throws: Left | Bats: Left
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Terry Blanchard is a sleeper hit for the HC Nationals, and is known for hitting home runs when it counts. Take, for example, a game-changing grand slam last year against Kingsland that is still talked about today, almost as much for the bench-clearing brawl that almost immediately followed when Charlton Forest threw a fastball at Leroy Hunnissett's head.
#17 - Ethan Abbey | Outfield/Designated Hitter | Buckridge Blues
Age: 29 | Throws: Left | Bats: Left
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Ethan Abbey is a solid outfielder but was held back from the Hapilopper's starting lineup out of any need for a designated hitter, if necessary. Abbey hit .312 last year with 39 home runs and 143 RBIs. He also stole 53 bases last year, most notably when he stole home against Kingsland on Opening Day last year, without the aid of a passed ball or a wild pitch.
#18 - Grady Elliott | Catcher | Washington Metropolitans
Age: 19 | Throws: Right | Bats: Left
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19-year old Grady Elliott was the last position player picked on the main squad. Elliott is a highly popular young player in the Washington area, having grown up there, gone to school there, played for the school's teams and now he's hoping to make Hapilopper proud. This is his rookie year, but he hit .396 last year for J.L. Putnam High School.
TYPICAL BATTING ORDER, PITCHING ROTATION, DEPTH CHARTSBATTING ORDER, NO DH:
1: #2 - Braxton
2: #1 - Berry
3: #5 - Rowe
4: #4 - Hayden
5: #3 - Hunnisett
6: #8 - Beverly
7: #7 - Sawyer
8: #6 - Williamson
9: (Pitcher)
BATTING ORDER, DH:
1: #2 - Braxton
2: #1 - Berry
3: #5 - Rowe
4: #4 - Hayden
5: #17 - Abbey (DH)
6: #3 - Hunnisett
7: #8 - Beverly
8: #7 - Sawyer
9: #6 - Williamson
PITCHING ROTATION:
1: #30 - Forest
2: #31 - Waller
3: #32 - Dabney
4: #33 - Foster
5: #34 - Gibbs
E: #36 - M. Meadows (Emergency starter)
RELIEF:
1: #36 - M. Meadows (Middle reliever)
2: #38 - Armstrong (Middle reliever)
3: #35 - J. Meadows (Left-Handed One-Out Guy)
4: #37 - Ware (Late inning setup man)
5: #39 - Stevens (Mop-up man)
CLOSER:
1: #40 - Smith
2: #39 - Stevens (If Smith is tired or just blew a save)
DESIGNATED HITTER DEPTH CHART:
1: #17 - Abbey
2: #38 - Armstrong
POSITION DEPTH CHARTS:
1B: #1 - Berry, #11 - Hammond (if #1 tired)
2B: #2 - Braxton/#12 - Brand (two players platooned)
3B: #3 - Hunnisett, #13 - Harrell (if #3 tired)
SS: #4 - Hayden, #14 - Sadler (rarely - in late inning blowout games)
LF: #5 - Rowe, #16 - Blanchard, #17 - Abbey (if no DH)
CF: #6 - Williamson, #15 - Pound, #38 - Armstrong (if no DH and hasn't pitched)
RF: #7 - Sawyer, #17 - Abbey (if no DH), #15 - Pound
C: #8 - Beverly, #18 - Elliott (when #32 pitches)
STADIUM:Capital Stadium, Hapilopper City, Hapilopper
Built: 1970 | Seating Capacity: 63,535 | Open-Air | Artificial Turf
Dimensions: 330 ft. Left Field, 375 ft. Left Center, 404 ft. Center, 375 ft. Right Center, 330 ft. Right
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Capital Stadium, the home of the HC Nationals, is Hapilopper's largest baseball stadium, seating over 63,000 for baseball and 66,000 for gridiron football. The stadium, the last of Hapilopper's classic cookie-cutter venues, is located just off the West River and right in the heart of towntown Hapilopper City. As is custom with cookie-cutter stadiums, the park is completely symmetrical and is surrounded by multiple decks of stands, typically filled with screaming fans when the HC Nationals are doing well. Back in the 1970s, the HC Nationals, and their vaunted "National Machine" dominated Hapiloppian baseball, and brought over four million fans through the turnstiles on six occasions. Hapiloppian fans have vowed to come to Capital Stadium in force for HNBT games.
Capital Stadium is considered a "neutral" park and does not favor hitters or pitchers per se, but the artificial turf, known as "HCNTurf", is seen as the HC Nationals' secret weapon. Balls bounce and fly like crazy off the turf, and the HC Nationals have commonly selected players that have been able to use that turf - and its unusual properties - to good use.