The Íslenski Baseballdeildin (est. 2018)

Archelirion · 12-15-2018, 10:57 AM

The Íslenski Baseballdeildin was set up in 2018, as a way of professionalising baseball across the island nation. 10 sides, 5 from the capital area, four from the southeast and Akureyri in the north, participated in the initial season, in front of crowds at first averaging around 800. Split into two divisions, those in the capital region play in the Höfuðborg Deildarinnar, while the rest of the sides play in the self-named Íslenski Baseballdeildin. These are simply two different divisions and play in the same competition, all 10 playing against the other 9, across a 99 game season that starts on the 1^st May and ends (regular season) mid-August – largely to ensure that daylight hours are made the most of.

Now, Iceland may not actually be as cold as Siberia, or northern Finland, or parts of Canada or even the winter-bitten northeast United States, but average temperatures during the summer – peak baseball time – tends to sit around 10 degrees Celsius (or roundabout 50 Fahrenheit). This wildly affects how well the ball flies through the air, and leads onto one of the IBL’s quirks – a lot fewer home runs than the MLB. While all fields must have a perimeter the minimum distance that a tramline must be is 300ft, and there are no restrictions on wall height, owners and groundskeepers have set their fields up to favour very different styles of baseball. Teams like the Akranes Blues and the Kópavogur Sharks have sought to mitigate the issues of airflow with short sidelines (the Blues operate 310ft/306ft left to right, both 7ft high, while the Sharks 306/305, ditto 7 high). This means that we believe there could be up to 75% the number of expected dingers at their parks than you’d expect to see in the MLB. At the other end of the scale, the Akureyri Gyrfalcons in the north and the Selfoss Quakes have made their parks particularly gruesome for hitters. The Akureyri Grounds have a left line of 335ft and a right of 329ft, with both walls stretching to 10ft high – combined with the cooler temperatures up north, we can expect to see only about 30% of MLB numbers here. At Quakes Ballpark, the left line stretches to 325ft at 6ft high, which offers about 40% - but their 324ft, 17ft high right flank means that lefties may only hit 28% of the dingers they might expect to in America. All other sides sit somewhere in-between, around that 50% mark.

So what does this mean for baseball in Iceland? Well, theoretically the home run will become a serious spectacle, and the triple will find its numbers similarly dropped. Base hits will become more important, and those that can harness the power of smallball will likely see more long term success. Will it play out this way? Who knows.

Let’s meet the teams.

Archelirion · 12-15-2018, 11:10 AM

Reykjavík Capitals (predicted 56-43, 1st)

Big market size – Great fan loyalty – 79 fan interest

Stars

As far as contact-making goes, the Capitals’ 30-year-old 1B Jóhann “Bump” Ingvarsson (right) is unparalleled in the BBL. As it happens, he also has a stupid amount of power on his swing too, and additionally has got a great eye for ball calls – in short, on the plate Jóhann is a force to be reckoned with. RF Jóhann Bjarnason (left), 31, is a quality outfielder for the Capitals, whose slight lack of pace is the only blemish on the mark of an otherwise flawlessly well-rounded player. On the mound, Reykjavík plays host to Gunnar Guðmundsson, a 27-year-old leftie who throws immaculate fastballs, cutters and very solid changeups – a little trouble with control perhaps, but still one to watch.

Prospects

2B Gunnar Harðarson, 21-years-old, #5 ranked prospect. Very fast, excellent defender, well-developed eye. Rookie-league.
SP Anton Jónsson, 21-years-old, #13 ranked prospect. Promisingly high movement, could develop amazing slider and changeup. Rookie-league.

Archelirion · 12-15-2018, 11:19 AM

Hafnarfjörður Vikings (predicted 53-46, 2nd, 3 GB)

Above average market size – Great fan loyalty – 70 fan interest

Stars

No real stars in position. 35-year-old 1B Ragnar Emilsson is the closest they have with a potent swing, but with a dodgy eye and no defensive skill, power is all he really brings. Things are brighter on the mound however: SP Kjartan “Barber” Ingólfsson (left) brings a devastating fastball/slider/changeup arsenal to the game with seriously good stuff and extremely high stamina, while 24-year-old Aron Gunnarsson (right) brings a beautiful changeup and control to mark him a consummate control pitcher.

Prospects

Aron Gunnarsson (see above). #6 ranked.
SP Ólafur Árnason, 23-years-old, #8 ranked prospect. Filthy movement on his pitches, with a four-pitch fastball/slider/changeup/knucklecurve roster making up for unexceptional pitch control.

Archelirion · 12-15-2018, 02:15 PM

Garðabær Stars (predicted 52-47, =3rd, 4 GB)

Below average market size – Above average fan loyalty – 48 fan interest

Stars

1B Aron Atlisson (right) and 3B Sigurður Sigurðsson (left) should prove to be an excellent 1-2 foil for the Stars this year, the only negative both sharing being a lack of pace. Aron, 28, is primarily known for having a traction engine for a swing – clinical and powerful, driving balls towards the boundary better than almost anyone. However, defensively he’s poor and his contact, while decent, could be better. Sigurður, 26, is a superb contact hitter with great gap hitting and a fantastic defensive ability. For pitching, it’s impossible to look past Mexican ace Alex “Chubby” Vergara as their go-to guy, with a fastball/changeup/slider setup perfected and great control pairing with his savage stuff. The 35-year-old Magnús Jónsson has questions over his back, but when fit his control and 5-pitch arsenal is as deadly as Vergara’s well-honed approach.

Prospects

OTF Vilhjálmur “Spike” Tómasson, 23-year-old, #3 ranked prospect. Immensely promising all-rounder bat with meticulous approach to fielding. Rookie league.
OTF Dymitri Osuch, 22-year-old, #14 ranked prospect. Okay outfielder with ludicrous baserunning ability and a rapidly-developing bat that specialises in gap power. Major-league.
3B Haraldur Atlisson, 24-year-old, #25 ranked prospect. Pacey third-baseman with a cannon for an infield arm. Could develop a very useful eye. Rookie league.

Archelirion · 12-15-2018, 02:26 PM

Kópavogur Sharks (predicted 52-47, =3rd, 4 GB)

Big market size – Good fan loyalty – 69 fan interest

Stars

A solid side but with few outwardly notable players. 29-year-old CL Ásgeir Daníelsson is an insanely talented closing man, whose fastball/screwball line-up is flawless from a control perspective and can outpace most batter’s brains. Also look out for SP Einar “Killer” Arason who LIVES for the breaking ball – sinkers, sliders, changeups and forkballs are his deal, and he’s learned how to make them move like snakes. No batting talismans, but switch-hitting 36-year-old Aldon Kielbasa (from Pulawy, Poland, on the right) is a chameleonic slugger that can also run like stink and defend well – a rare beast.

Prospects

SP Vilhjálmur Hermannsson, 19-year-old, #7 ranked prospect. Raw pitcher, but could develop monstrous control and pitch movement alongside a potential changeup/cutter/curveball selection. Rookie-league.
OTF Haukur Daníelsson, 23-year-old, #11 ranked prospect (on the left). Almost fully developed, Haukur brings a great all-round bat with very workable baserunning and superb defending. Major-league.

Archelirion · 12-15-2018, 03:33 PM

Mosfellsbær Greens (predicted 51-48, 5th, 5 GB)

Above average market size – Very good fan loyalty – 74 fan interest

Stars

Young second baseman Sigurður Ólafsson (right) is the Greens’ best shot at getting runs on the board this year – the 24-year-old is a well-rounded player with good batting, good pace and good defending to bring to the table. Starting hurler Dagur Sindrason (left), a leftie, should start in the #1 position in the rotation and for good reason – four fantastic pitches (fastball/curveball/changeup/splitter) are paired with probably the league’s best pitching stamina to mean that, for at least one game from five, the Greens will be covered nicely.

Prospects

RF Einar “Turk” Ingason, 23-year-old, #1 ranked prospect. The numero uno, ‘Turk’ is well on the way to developing a monstrous slugging bat alongside his already fantastic arm. Rookie-league.
CL Emmilian Kaczmarczyk, 21-year-old, #10 ranked prospect from Wolsztyn, Poland. Shaky control, but his fastball/slider should develop into something special. AAA-league.
CL Einar Haraldsson, 20-year-old, #19 ranked prospect. Cutter and curveball fan, with potential for good control alongside standard closing stuff and excellent movement. Rookie-league.

12-15-2018, 02:15 PM	#4
Archelirion Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: Ashford, UK Posts: 204	Garðabær Stars (predicted 52-47, =3rd, 4 GB) Below average market size – Above average fan loyalty – 48 fan interest Stars 1B Aron Atlisson (right) and 3B Sigurður Sigurðsson (left) should prove to be an excellent 1-2 foil for the Stars this year, the only negative both sharing being a lack of pace. Aron, 28, is primarily known for having a traction engine for a swing – clinical and powerful, driving balls towards the boundary better than almost anyone. However, defensively he’s poor and his contact, while decent, could be better. Sigurður, 26, is a superb contact hitter with great gap hitting and a fantastic defensive ability. For pitching, it’s impossible to look past Mexican ace Alex “Chubby” Vergara as their go-to guy, with a fastball/changeup/slider setup perfected and great control pairing with his savage stuff. The 35-year-old Magnús Jónsson has questions over his back, but when fit his control and 5-pitch arsenal is as deadly as Vergara’s well-honed approach. Prospects OTF Vilhjálmur “Spike” Tómasson, 23-year-old, #3 ranked prospect. Immensely promising all-rounder bat with meticulous approach to fielding. Rookie league. OTF Dymitri Osuch, 22-year-old, #14 ranked prospect. Okay outfielder with ludicrous baserunning ability and a rapidly-developing bat that specialises in gap power. Major-league. 3B Haraldur Atlisson, 24-year-old, #25 ranked prospect. Pacey third-baseman with a cannon for an infield arm. Could develop a very useful eye. Rookie league. Last edited by Archelirion; 12-15-2018 at 02:20 PM.

12-15-2018, 10:57 AM	#1
Archelirion Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: Ashford, UK Posts: 204	The Íslenski Baseballdeildin (est. 2018) The Íslenski Baseballdeildin was set up in 2018, as a way of professionalising baseball across the island nation. 10 sides, 5 from the capital area, four from the southeast and Akureyri in the north, participated in the initial season, in front of crowds at first averaging around 800. Split into two divisions, those in the capital region play in the Höfuðborg Deildarinnar, while the rest of the sides play in the self-named Íslenski Baseballdeildin. These are simply two different divisions and play in the same competition, all 10 playing against the other 9, across a 99 game season that starts on the 1^st May and ends (regular season) mid-August – largely to ensure that daylight hours are made the most of. Now, Iceland may not actually be as cold as Siberia, or northern Finland, or parts of Canada or even the winter-bitten northeast United States, but average temperatures during the summer – peak baseball time – tends to sit around 10 degrees Celsius (or roundabout 50 Fahrenheit). This wildly affects how well the ball flies through the air, and leads onto one of the IBL’s quirks – a lot fewer home runs than the MLB. While all fields must have a perimeter the minimum distance that a tramline must be is 300ft, and there are no restrictions on wall height, owners and groundskeepers have set their fields up to favour very different styles of baseball. Teams like the Akranes Blues and the Kópavogur Sharks have sought to mitigate the issues of airflow with short sidelines (the Blues operate 310ft/306ft left to right, both 7ft high, while the Sharks 306/305, ditto 7 high). This means that we believe there could be up to 75% the number of expected dingers at their parks than you’d expect to see in the MLB. At the other end of the scale, the Akureyri Gyrfalcons in the north and the Selfoss Quakes have made their parks particularly gruesome for hitters. The Akureyri Grounds have a left line of 335ft and a right of 329ft, with both walls stretching to 10ft high – combined with the cooler temperatures up north, we can expect to see only about 30% of MLB numbers here. At Quakes Ballpark, the left line stretches to 325ft at 6ft high, which offers about 40% - but their 324ft, 17ft high right flank means that lefties may only hit 28% of the dingers they might expect to in America. All other sides sit somewhere in-between, around that 50% mark. So what does this mean for baseball in Iceland? Well, theoretically the home run will become a serious spectacle, and the triple will find its numbers similarly dropped. Base hits will become more important, and those that can harness the power of smallball will likely see more long term success. Will it play out this way? Who knows. Let’s meet the teams. Last edited by Archelirion; 12-15-2018 at 02:30 PM.

12-15-2018, 11:10 AM	#2
Archelirion Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: Ashford, UK Posts: 204	Höfuðborg Deildarinnar Reykjavík Capitals (predicted 56-43, 1st) Big market size – Great fan loyalty – 79 fan interest Stars As far as contact-making goes, the Capitals’ 30-year-old 1B Jóhann “Bump” Ingvarsson (right) is unparalleled in the BBL. As it happens, he also has a stupid amount of power on his swing too, and additionally has got a great eye for ball calls – in short, on the plate Jóhann is a force to be reckoned with. RF Jóhann Bjarnason (left), 31, is a quality outfielder for the Capitals, whose slight lack of pace is the only blemish on the mark of an otherwise flawlessly well-rounded player. On the mound, Reykjavík plays host to Gunnar Guðmundsson, a 27-year-old leftie who throws immaculate fastballs, cutters and very solid changeups – a little trouble with control perhaps, but still one to watch. Prospects 2B Gunnar Harðarson, 21-years-old, #5 ranked prospect. Very fast, excellent defender, well-developed eye. Rookie-league. SP Anton Jónsson, 21-years-old, #13 ranked prospect. Promisingly high movement, could develop amazing slider and changeup. Rookie-league. Last edited by Archelirion; 12-15-2018 at 11:13 AM.

12-15-2018, 11:19 AM	#3
Archelirion Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: Ashford, UK Posts: 204	Hafnarfjörður Vikings (predicted 53-46, 2nd, 3 GB) Above average market size – Great fan loyalty – 70 fan interest Stars No real stars in position. 35-year-old 1B Ragnar Emilsson is the closest they have with a potent swing, but with a dodgy eye and no defensive skill, power is all he really brings. Things are brighter on the mound however: SP Kjartan “Barber” Ingólfsson (left) brings a devastating fastball/slider/changeup arsenal to the game with seriously good stuff and extremely high stamina, while 24-year-old Aron Gunnarsson (right) brings a beautiful changeup and control to mark him a consummate control pitcher. Prospects Aron Gunnarsson (see above). #6 ranked. SP Ólafur Árnason, 23-years-old, #8 ranked prospect. Filthy movement on his pitches, with a four-pitch fastball/slider/changeup/knucklecurve roster making up for unexceptional pitch control.

12-15-2018, 02:26 PM	#5
Archelirion Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: Ashford, UK Posts: 204	Kópavogur Sharks (predicted 52-47, =3rd, 4 GB) Big market size – Good fan loyalty – 69 fan interest Stars A solid side but with few outwardly notable players. 29-year-old CL Ásgeir Daníelsson is an insanely talented closing man, whose fastball/screwball line-up is flawless from a control perspective and can outpace most batter’s brains. Also look out for SP Einar “Killer” Arason who LIVES for the breaking ball – sinkers, sliders, changeups and forkballs are his deal, and he’s learned how to make them move like snakes. No batting talismans, but switch-hitting 36-year-old Aldon Kielbasa (from Pulawy, Poland, on the right) is a chameleonic slugger that can also run like stink and defend well – a rare beast. Prospects SP Vilhjálmur Hermannsson, 19-year-old, #7 ranked prospect. Raw pitcher, but could develop monstrous control and pitch movement alongside a potential changeup/cutter/curveball selection. Rookie-league. OTF Haukur Daníelsson, 23-year-old, #11 ranked prospect (on the left). Almost fully developed, Haukur brings a great all-round bat with very workable baserunning and superb defending. Major-league. Last edited by Archelirion; 12-15-2018 at 02:27 PM.

12-15-2018, 03:33 PM	#6
Archelirion Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: Ashford, UK Posts: 204	Mosfellsbær Greens (predicted 51-48, 5th, 5 GB) Above average market size – Very good fan loyalty – 74 fan interest Stars Young second baseman Sigurður Ólafsson (right) is the Greens’ best shot at getting runs on the board this year – the 24-year-old is a well-rounded player with good batting, good pace and good defending to bring to the table. Starting hurler Dagur Sindrason (left), a leftie, should start in the #1 position in the rotation and for good reason – four fantastic pitches (fastball/curveball/changeup/splitter) are paired with probably the league’s best pitching stamina to mean that, for at least one game from five, the Greens will be covered nicely. Prospects RF Einar “Turk” Ingason, 23-year-old, #1 ranked prospect. The numero uno, ‘Turk’ is well on the way to developing a monstrous slugging bat alongside his already fantastic arm. Rookie-league. CL Emmilian Kaczmarczyk, 21-year-old, #10 ranked prospect from Wolsztyn, Poland. Shaky control, but his fastball/slider should develop into something special. AAA-league. CL Einar Haraldsson, 20-year-old, #19 ranked prospect. Cutter and curveball fan, with potential for good control alongside standard closing stuff and excellent movement. Rookie-league.