Tarrentum Falcons
The Tarrentum Sports Committee, alongside the International Baseball League and IBL Players Corporation, announce their roster, starting lineups and pertinent information for the World Baseball Classic 21. The Supreme President Cesare Italiana once again personally announced all members of the national team earlier this week as he does for most international tournaments.
Due to the catastrophic implosion of the sporting scene in Tarrentum and the subsequent loss of the International Baseball League, no major coaching changes were made by the TSC. Ferdinand Cossomo, who brought the Bolonza Atomics back to the IBL Championship Series, remains as the Manager while Father Rogerro DeSalvo remains as Tarrentum’s pious Bench Coach. The International Baseball League’s outgoing Commissioner, Nicholas Ozzarella, made it clear that he fully supported the TSC’s decision to keep Cossomo and DeSalvo. “These are two of the best managers in the game today, Tarrentum should be proud to call them their own.”
The TSC decided to invite the entire roster from WBC 19 back for the Tarrentians rebirth in the world of baseball. May lesser teams beware.
MegOil Imperium Stadium is home to the Season 5 IBL Champions Napoliroma Legion. The stadium, located on Cosairi Island in the River Salai, features a bevy of luxury amenities. The stadium holds a maximum of 53,325 with 25 luxury suites ringing the foul area. Even Pocono City couldn’t make a ballpark as beautiful and stately as MegOil Imperium!
*Position: First and Last Name, Age, B/T (Uni #)
Coaches
Manager: Ferdinand Cossomo, 43 (97) – Cossomo has made a name for himself these past five years in the IBL as the manager of the Bolonza Atomics. The Atomics, who have appeared in four Championship Series in the past five years, winning two, are currently rated as one of the premier franchises in the International Baseball League.
Bench Coach: Fr. Rogerro DeSalvo, 72 (01) – Father DeSalvo, a Benedictine monk who coincidentally managed the Apollonian Monks to their IBL Championship two years ago, was brought on by Cossomo for his ability to bring a mid-level club to the Championship Series and win. DeSalvo is widely respected throughout the IBL for his cool head and calculating on-field tactics as well as his steadfast devotion to the Church and to the Lord. This respect earned DeSalvo the helm of the Riverton franchise this past season.
First Base Coach: Mark Callahan, 51 (10) – Callahan is a new addition to the Falcons personnel. He is currently the Hitting Coach for the Napoliroma Battalion (ANML) but is seen as a prime candidate for any number of Managerial Positions throughout the IBL. Callahan has his best crop of players to help teach when he takes the reins of Hitting Coach for the National Team.
Third Base Coach: Joe Greene, 56 (11) – “Clean” Joe Greene, as he was known during his own ball-playing heyday, is the Pitching Coach for the Riori Cannons and widely recognized as an outstanding teacher of the game. Greene was selected by Cossomo to be his Third Base Coach for his teaching ability and for his ability to knit together a true “team mentality.”
*Position: First and Last Name, Age, B/T (Uni #)
Pitchers
SP 1: Fironte ‘The Kid’ Sareb, 22, R/L (77) – After three years of great but uninspiring pitching in Lower Marentian, Sareb chased glory (and money) and signed with the Napoliroma Legion in the off-season. The move paid off as Sareb anchored the Legion’s pitching staff and went undefeated as he won the AL Illio Marcuzzio Award for Best Pitcher and the AL MVP Award. Sareb relies on three pitches: Fastball, Cutter, Spliter; but is one of the best in the game at utilizing them. While Sareb has an up-and-down career in World Baseball Classic tournaments, Cossomo can’t deny that “Sareb has turned into something truly terrific.” 2.13 ERA, 23 – 0; 5 home runs allowed, 6 BB, 196 K, 0.87 WHIP, .223 OAVG, .293 BAbip, 32.67 K/BB, 8.54 K/9, 22 QS, 117.1 VORP
SP 2: Liona Marrada, 29, L/L (17) – Marrada’s continued dominance of major league pitching helped win her the Confederation League’s Illio Marcuzzio Award. She finished second in CL MVP voting to Ciaran McGregor and his dominance in the batter’s box. Marrada takes the #2 spot in the rotation this year, marking the first time in two years that she will not anchor the Falcons’ rotation. She led the IBL in Wins with 24 and at 6’5” is one of the tallest IBL pitchers. 3.34 ERA, 24 – 8, 9 home runs allowed, 27 BB, 186 K, 1.15 WHIP, .264 OAVG, .315 BAbip, 6.89 K/BB, 6.53 K/9, 24 QS, 109.9 VORP
SP 3: Juliana Italiana, 27, S/R (36) – The beloved niece of Supreme President Cesare Italiana. Juliana broke the gender barrier in IBL six years ago not through political force but through sheer skill and determination. As more and more women come into the IBL ranks Italiana has managed to stay at the top of her game. Italiana’s talent and performance, which flourished with the expansion Ventili Kings franchise last year, were dampened by the lackluster performance of the team this year. Italiana was able to finish among the league’s Top 5 in IP, VORP, BB/9, K/BB, WHIP and Fielding Independent of Pitching (3.20) 3.43 ERA, 13 – 6; 14 home runs allowed, 35 BB, 155 K, 1.12 WHIP, .251 OAVG, .291 BAbip, 4.43 K/BB, 6.18 K/9, 23 QS, 94.4 VORP
SP 4: Christian Buonconte, 33, L/L (10) – Buonconte had another great year as the sole Ace of the Vladgrad City Stars. Buonconte’s 16 wins, five less wins than last year, were the result of a rotating door at first and third base for the Stars. However, Buonconte’s value was shown in the numbers as Buonconte has 21 Quality Starts this years, one more than last year and had a great 99.2 VORP, however his control is waning as he walked 21 more batters than last year. Buonconte may be in one of his last Classic’s, but we said the same thing a couple of years ago before Gaele DeRosi remade himself. 3.28 ERA, 16 – 4, 15 home runs allowed, 76 BB, 170 K, 1.32 WHIP, .264 OAVG, .310 BAbip, 2.24 K/BB, 6.41 K/9, 21 QS, 99.2 VORP
SP 5 / Long Reliever: Angelo Fiorelli, 28, S/R (16) – Fiorelli makes his WBC debut as the Fifth Starting Pitcher and emergency Long Reliever for the national team. The 3-year IBL veteran for the Confrenden Wildcats was widely regarded as the third or fourth best pitcher in the IBL this season but Cossomo put him in the 5th spot for his inexperience at the international level. Fiorelli led the IBL with the lowest H/9 (7.23) and Opposing Batting Average (.217) as well as finishing second in ERA, K/9 and WHIP. 2.20 ERA, 18 – 3, 14 home runs allowed, 27 BB, 158 K, 0.96 WHIP, .217 OAVG, .269 BAbip, 5.85 K/BB, 8.79 K/9, 15 QS, 92.3 VORP
Mid Reliever: Gaele DeRosi, 36, R/R (35) – DeRosi followed up his amazing resurgence last year by signing with the Krozuy Falcons and setting up the 1-2 punch of Marrada, DeRosi in the rotation. His hard work and long hours spent at the clubhouse helped fuel his 2.94 ERA (3rd best in the league). He has the stamina and the specialty pitches to confuse batters who may not be very familiar with his unique delivery - described as “half artform, half quail.” 2.94 ERA, 13 – 7; 14 home runs allowed, 50 BB, 139 K, 1.20 WHIP, .238 OAVG, .281 BAbip, 82.2 VORP
Mid Reliever: Eugene Angelico, 27, L/L (13) – Angelico was the #1 Starter for the CL Champion Bolonza Atomics but Cossomo must know that his star pitcher isn’t ready for the international pressure of starting WBC games. Angelico has mediocre speed but is a master at putting movement on his three dominant pitches (Sinker, Curveball and Splitter). 3.09 ERA, 14 – 5, 1; 9 home runs allowed, 74 BB, 132 K, 1.23 WHIP, .231 OAVG, .270 BAbip, 13 HLD, 19 SVO, 80.6 VORP
Mid Reliever: Ramiro Mercado, 23, S/R (41) – Mercado finally made his time in the IBL stick this year with the Trumboi Archers. The man who many thought would ride the AAA/IBL up-and-down ladder, pitched the most innings for any Reliever (117.0), the most games (99) and had the lowest ERA among relievers. While Mercado may be lightning in a bottle, Cossomo hopes that he has caught it right at the beginning. 3.38 ERA, 8 – 2, 2; 9 home runs allowed, 36 BB, 1 K, 1.51 WHIP, .300 OAVG, .287 BAbip, 25 SVO, 22 HLD, 1 BS, 47.4 VORP
Mid Reliever: Marciano Pazanini, 24, L/R (23) – Pazanini is one of the best young pitchers in the game. Primarily a Reliever with the Krozuy Falcons, Pazanini started 14 games for the Falcons and finished with a winning record. The young pitcher just signed a one-year contract extension with Krozuy before leaving for Newmanistan. 5.06 ERA, 9 – 6, 2; 9 home runs allowed, 46 BB, 29 K, 1.48 WHIP, .279 OAVG, .283 BAbip, 0.63 K/BB, 2.22 K/9, 4 HLD, 8 SVO, 28.9 VORP
Setup: Ederi Sallamo, 34, R/R (41) – Sallamo had a great year with the new St. Catherine Mets franchise in Lycrabon. Apart from signing with the Mets because they promised him their Closer position, Sallamo worked on his delivery in the off-season which helped him to 40 Saves. Sallamo returns to the National Team after being passed over in the WBC 18 roster. 3.13 ERA, 4 – 8, 40; 0 home runs allowed, 18 BB, 1 K, 1.36 WHIP, .280 OAVG, .281 BAbip, 0.07 K/BB, 0.14 K/9, 46 SVO, 25.5 VORP
Closer: Diggs ‘Black Jack’ Turano, 22, R/R (24) – Turano should sound familiar to any active followers of the Keisler Cup tournament as Diggs was one of the best pitching prodigy’s to come up from the U21 National Team. Turano built upon his success in last year’s WBC and used it to spur him to 42 Saves last year for the Trumboi Archers. Turano was also named to his third straight All-Star Roster (Confederation League). Before leaving with the National Team, Turano and Trumboi inked a one-year 9 million jasite deal. 2.58 ERA, 6 – 6, 42; 7 home runs allowed, 30 BB, 93 K, 1.21 WHIP, .235 OAVG, .303 BAbip, 3.10 K/BB, 9.23 K/9, 49 SVO, 44.8 VORP
*First and Last Name, Age, B/T (Uni #)
Catchers
Antoni Favella, 28, L/L (87) – Though many thought Antoni had played his last international game in WBC 17, especially after his failed participation in the Newmanistan Baseball League, the young catcher with Vladgrad City makes his third World Baseball Classic appearance. Favella had a great year with the Western cuban franchise and learned to cope with his emotional issues by being on the same team as his ex-wife. Favella led all IBL Catchers in RBIs and placed in the Top 5 (usually 2nd) in almost every other statistical category. BA .334, .OPS 1.005, 26 HR, 149 RBI, 120 R, 67.7 VORP
Gary Hill, 29, R/R (9) – Hill is one of the best unsung catcher’s from Tarrentum in the IBL today. He has quietly garnered a huge following in Silver Beach, where he has played for the Morgantown Pirates for the past three seasons. Hill has one of the best minds in the game and is usually the first to the ballpark and the last to leave. Hill led IBL Catchers in AVG and Hits and was 2nd in OBP and Runs Scored.BA .382, OPS .963, 21 HR, 111 RBI, 122 R, 54.4 VORP
*First and Last Name, Age, B/T (Uni #)
Infielders
Rafaele Magaglio, 25, L/R (7) – The TSC and Ferdinand Cossomo agreed that the young rookie two years ago deserved a spot on the National Roster once again. While Magaglio was a pinch hitter during WBC 17, he should be the starting Second basem*n this time around. He led all IBL 2B in Wins Above Replacement with 10.2 and finished in the Top 5 in all other statistical categories. BA .367, OPS 1.109, 30 HR, 133 RBI, 135 R, 3 SB (6 CS), 93.6 VORP; 2B Fielding Stats: .986 PCT, 5.75 Range Factor, 1.031 Efficiency
Ty Fitzgerald, 34, R/R (21) – Fitzgerald made a tough decision and stayed on with the Napoliroma Legion for one more year, the decision paid off as he won a championship with the team. But the Legion Front Office was quick to let negotiations with Fitzgerald’s agent die after the season and now the power-hitting third basem*n will be looking for another club. Someone will pick him up hoping to add some pop to their lineup, plus Fitzgerald is well liked by all players. BA .320, OPS 1.001, 35 HR, 138 RBI, 94 R, 1 SB (1 CS), 37.9 VORP
Tristan Dolami, 28, S/R (40) – Dolami comes in as being the most consistently high-performing shortstop in the IBL. Dolami’s inclusion does not necessarily exclude rookie Magaglio from appearing in the starting lineup during the WBC. Dolami led all shortstops in RBIs and Runs Scored as well as leading the league in fielding Assists (538; second place had 496). This is not Dolami’s “first battle” as he was a part of the WBC 16 and 18 team. BA .346, OPS .436, 27 HR, 145 RBI, 152 R, 4 SB (5 CS), 73.7 VORP
Xavier Gradoni, 33, S/R (18) – Gradoni plays first base for the Riori Cannons, having to give up third base this year due to decreased arm strength and range. Gradoni was back to his Hall of Fame form, finishing second in almost every category among first basem*n behind Silver Beachian Ciaran McGregor. Gradoni did lead all first basem*n in Home Runs with 43. He was named to his 5th All-Star team and shows no signs of decreased production. BA .349, OPS 1.164, 43 HR, 150 RBI, 146 R, 101.3 VORP
Dessea ‘The Dream’ Vallena , 25, R/R (15) – Vallena anchored the Vladgrad City franchise at shortstop and second base, splitting her time in the field almost evenly between the two positions. She played the most games in her career this year for the Stars as her injury issues seem to be well behind her. While off-the-field issues of being the premier face of the IBL and divorcing her husband of three years might have diminished Vallena’s performance for Vladgrad City, it actually seemed to make her more focused on playing ball. She was in the top five ranking in 14 out of the 18 tracked statistical categories for all shortstops and led the position in all power stats. BA .338, OPS 1.138, 41 HR, 151 RBI, 172 R, 23 SB (8 CS), 106.4 VORP
*First and Last Name, Age, B/T (Uni #)
Outfielders
Dan “The Professor” Moriarty, 30, R/R (48) – A brilliant center fielder, Moriarty helped lead the Napoliroma Legion’s position players to their first IBL title in six years. Moriarty led all CF in SLG, OPS, wOBA, VORP, 3B, ISO, XBH and finished in the Top 5 in HR, RBI and TB. BA .336, OPS 1.131, 48 HR, 154 RBI, 126 R, 5 SB (7 CS), 71.0 VORP (First WBC)
Bob Dyer, 28, R/R (22) – Bob Dyer has quietly been near the top of the league in regards to Left Fielders. He finally gets his chance to prove his mettle on the international stage after Paul McGee (starting national LF last year) had a disastrous year and ended up a free agent by the end of the season. Dyer helped propel the Yui Grizzlies to a 93-69 record and a trip to the CL Championship Series. Dyer’s big bat should fit right into the Tarrentian formula of heavy-hitting outfielders. He led all IBL left fielders in OPS, wOBA, VORP, HR, RBI and BB. BA .343, OPS 1.120, 41 HR, 157 RBI, 157 R, 99.2 VORP
Brenaccio Macca, 30, R/R (3) – While Macca was beat out by veteran speedster Ferdini Zappataro for the Golden Base Crown this year, the Confrenden RF won a spot on the national roster ahead of Zappa due to his all-around game. The speedy outfielder made the permanent move to right field this year and led all right fielders in Hits, 3B and SB as well as finishing in the Top 5 in AVG, OBP, RS and BB . Cossomo once again went with tremendous speed over outright power with Macca’s addition to the team. BA .343, OPS .893, 3 HR, 72 RBI, 138 R, 41 SB (23 CS), 26.7 VORP
Armando Tovar, 32, L/L (19) – Tovar becomes the primary backup fielder off the bench this year. Tovar did not have a lapse of great all-around play for the Apollonian Monks but rather was a victim of new faces rising to the top. Tovar led right fielders in SLG, HR, ISO and Total Bases. BA .336, OPS 1.098, 43 HR, 137 RBI, 150 R, 3 SB (0 CS), 80.7 VORP
Gherardo Orlandi, 31, L/R (40) – While Orlandi is unknown in the international community he holds the IBL Career Record for Single Season AVG with .421, which he set this year. Orlandi may not be hitting for power, but Cossomo wanted a consistent bat on the bench during those tough games, which Tarrentum seems to come across with greater frequency every year. BA .421, OPS 1.107, 15 HR, 84 RBI, 104 R, 0 SB (2 CS), 70.5 VORP
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Starting Lineup and Batting Order No DH
RF – Brenaccio Macca
2B – Dessea Vallena-Favella
1B – Xavier Gradoni
LF – Bob Dyer
CF – Gherardo Orlandi
C – Antoni Favella
3B – Ty Fitzgerald
SS – Raefele Magaglio
P – Starting Pitcher for Game (obviously)
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Starting Lineup and Batting Order[ with DH
RF – Brenaccio Macca
2B – Dessea Vallena-Favella
3B – Ty Fitzgerald
C – Antoni Favella
LF – Bob Dyer
DH – Gherardo Orlandi
1B – Xavier Gradoni
SS – Raefele Magaglio
CF – Armando Tovar
Choose my runscorers: Yes
Choose my lineup: No, Lineups are posted
Follow my Pitching Rotation: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes, within reason
RP injuries to my players: Yes, but only to the extent of saying what player was injured. Severity will be at my discretion
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Eject my players: Yes, one per game – No bench clearing brawls with mass ejections
Godmod other events: No, except for weather.
Other factoids: The International Baseball League does not have a DH for any team. All games played at MegOil Imperium Stadium will not have a DH in the lineup. If a game is decided by one or two runs either way then my starting pitcher was taken out and a reliever was put in. This means that for a 3-2 Tarrentum victory, either my Setup or Closer got the Save.
Home Uniform top and bottom:
Away Uniform top and bottom:
Practice Uniform top:
