 | Coffee Time | |
| by Carl Coffee |
Determining the top ten hitters in the league is a lot tougher than ranking the pitchers. Obviously, everyone in the league bats, therefore the pool of players to choose from is much higher. It was so difficult picking only ten, I had to pick 11. To keep it a top ten list though, I’ll call the first two I name, 10a and 10b. There are a lot of very good hitters I had to leave off this list, and I will not be surprised to see my revised mid-season top ten list to have five or six different players on it. With that said, enjoy this list that even shocked me a bit!
10a. Josh Nagorski - Thunder Ducks
Josh can easily be forgotten about on his stacked Thunder Ducks team. With star offensive players Dennis Pearson and Dylan Braden in the spotlight, Josh quite often gets overlooked. I personally did not take notice of Josh’s offensive greatness until the playoffs, when he had an 8 for 8 game against the Jason Mattseals. Josh finished the postseason season with a .304 batting average, and his 14 playoff hits tied him for second in the league. Although Josh doesn’t have the power numbers his teammates have, he is the perfect table setter for the Thunder Ducks.
10b. Cliff Comstock - Wiffling DeLoppes
You are going to see a lot of DeLoppes on this list, but this DeLoppe has to surprise you the most. Cliff wasn’t on my original top ten list, but after looking at his 2011 regular season stats, I would be a fool to leave him off. Cliff optimizes a patient hitter. He waits for his pitch and if he doesn’t see it during an at bat, he is more than happy to take a walk. In 128 plate appearances, Cliff walked 31 times. That ranked him fourth in the league and first among the players on this list. He doesn’t have great power, but still finished the season with two home runs. His most impressive stats in my opinion were his.508 on base percentage and his .351 batting average. Cliff would be the perfect leadoff hitter for any team in the league, but since the DeLoppes have Joey DeLano, they get to use him as one the best #2 hitters.
9. Austin Bischoff - WWA
I might get in trouble for this, but I truly believe Austin is deserving of this spot. Obviously his pitching overshadows his hitting, but his offensive numbers from 2011 weren’t bad at all. Austin only had 26 plate appearances during the regular season where he hit .348. In the playoffs however, which showed a sharp decline in most everyone’s offensive numbers, Austin excelled. Besides Whelan and Chris Lewis who only played in two playoff games, Austin led the league in playoff batting average, hitting .343. His 12 hits were the highest among players who did not play in the championship series. His low power numbers can be attributed to playing all of his games at the Drey, which is a very tough field to hit home runs at. Midseason, when I make new top ten hitters list, I guarantee you will see Austin on it, and he’ll be ranked higher than ninth.
8. Brandon Corbett - Flying Squirrels
Offensive production was not a strong suit for the Flying Squirrels in 2011. Corbett was hyped up to be their main offensive provider, but had a very slow start. When he was demoted to their #3 pitcher, he was able to focus solely on hitting. You then saw a tremendous increase in his offensive numbers. Corbett’s .306 batting average isn’t earth shattering, but when you combine that with his .425 OBP and a .537 SLG, you start to see why he is such a valuable offensive player. His seven home runs in 2011 would easily be in double digits if he: A) did not play his home games at the Drey, and B) did not have two or three 100-foot home runs robbed by Danny Johnson. Corbett claims to hate taking walks but he did have 25 of them, which does show great patience at the plate. The Squirrels have already said Corbett will bat 3rd for them going into the 2012 season. He will also have a full season focusing only on hitting, and that should mean his numbers will easily improve from 2011.
7. Dylan Braden - Thunder Ducks
The second half of the DD Boys did not disappoint in 2011. Dylan was predicted to be a top five home run hitter last season; he made me look smart by finishing in 5th with nine home runs. He added two more home runs in the playoffs which show that Dylan is a threat to go deep at any time. Dylan’s offensive numbers were great in every category. He batted .340, had a .469 OBP, .621 SLG, and also had 29 RBIs. I only saw one flaw in his game, if you even want to call it that. If Dylan doesn’t knock the ball over the fence for a home run, he usually only settles for a wimpy single. He finished the regular season with zero doubles but did have one rare triple. Dylan also benefits by batting ahead of slugger Dennis Pearson. If your strategy is to pitch around Pearson, you face the tough task of having to pitch to Dylan first. Dylan many times has hurt you if you choose that route. I believe you will see a solid 2012 season out of the younger Braden brother. I’ll make that prediction an even bolder one by saying he will hit more home runs than he did last year.
6. Bobby Hoppe - Wiffling DeLoppes
Going into the 2011 season, everyone thought the DeLoppes only had one offensive threat in their lineup, Joey DeLano. Boy, were we wrong! The sample of the youngest Hoppe brother’s stats from tournament play was not very impressive. Well, it is safe to say regular season Bobby is A LOT better than tournament play Bobby. Bobby can do it all at: he can hit for average, power, and has good speed on the base paths. He finished the 2011 season with a .373 batting average, .505 OBP, and a .613 SLG%. Bobby also had an OPS of 1.119, which ranked him 5th. Hitting home runs isn’t a part of Bobby’s game, but when he wants to go deep, he can. He ended the season with three round trippers along with 26 RBIs. The DeLoppes are stacked with talent, so many times Bobby goes under the radar. Attention WSEM pitchers, never overlook Bobby Hoppe again!
5. Joe Seto - Donkeys
If you read what I wrote about Joe Seto in the pitching article, you saw that he carried the Commandos last season on the mound. Well, he also carried them at the plate. Seto led the Commandos in every single offensive category except for walks. Yes, he played his home games at a very friendly hitter’s field, but, opposing pitchers many times pitched around Seto to face weaker hitters. As the season went on, Seto saw less and less hittable pitches. Seto started the 2011 season on a tear, and was even in early MVP talks. As the season progressed, his stats did decline, but he still finished with amazing numbers. Nobody on this top ten list had more plate appearances (167) or at bats (140) than Seto. His 43 hits, 11 home runs, and 37 RBI’s all ranked him 4th in the league. Seto will now be on a team with a solid group of hitters, so you can no longer pitch around him. I don’t expect his power numbers to be as high this season, but I do predict Seto will improve on his .307 batting average, and .419 OBP.
4. Nick Snow - Wiffling DeLoppes
The 2011 WSEM Rookie of the Year and NWLA All-Rookie 2nd Teamer had a remarkable season. He gave the DeLoppes another threat at the plate, and was consistently a force in the middle of their lineup. Nick Snow is just about the same player as Bobby Hoppe, with slightly better statistics. Snow’s most impressive numbers were his .379 batting average, nine doubles, 35 RBIs, and 1.134 OPS which was fourth best in the league. I believe that if Snow wanted to be a power hitter, he could be. His four home runs seem low, but it is only because he is content with just getting on base or knocking in a runner, not trying to be a hero. Snow also in my opinion is the most fearless hitter in the league. There is nobody else in the league that can make contact at such a consistent level against fireballers such as Pearson or Bischoff. Snow is a great fit for the fundamentally sound DeLoppes, and he should easily have another All-Star caliber season.
3. Alex Shore - Donkeys
The most controversial and outspoken player in WSEM comes in at third in the hitter’s rankings. Some of the league may not care for Alex, but they respect him. So much so, he was voted in as an All-Star last season. How could you not vote for Alex when you see his stats? Alex ranked in the top three in almost every offensive category. His .417 batting average, .516 OBP, .787 SLG, and 1.304 OPS ranked second best. His 12 home runs, 39 RBIs, and 100 total bases all ranked third best. Alex was the only consistent player in the revolving door roster of the Westside Warriors last season. His 22 games played which resulted in 155 plate appearances and 127 at bats ranked near the top of the league. Alex got a lot of heat for his short porch in right field at his home, The Reservation. Yes, you probably wouldn’t have seen 12 home runs for Alex if he had average dimensions out there, but that doesn’t take away from his dominant 2011 season. I believe if The Reservation had average RF dimensions, it would have resulted in more doubles and triples for Alex, and his batting average and OBP would be close to the same. Alex will play the 2012 season with the Donkeys, but will still play his home games at The Reservation. Alex will also miss part of the season because of surgery. It is unknown how many games he will miss, but it is safe to say he will once again be an offensive force in this league.
2. Dennis Pearson - Thunder Ducks
Dennis Pearson is a maniac. To be ranked as the #1 pitcher in the league and #2 hitter is an incredible feat. Dennis is the purest power hitter in WSEM. Nobody is feared more to go deep at any time than him. Although DeLano had the regular season Home Run title, if you combine playoff home runs with regular season ones, Dennis edged him out, 20-18. Dennis did win the RBI crown, finishing with 52 overall. Although he is above average in statistics such as batting average (.390) and OBP (.457), those aren’t exactly mind blowing. The reason why is simple, Dennis doesn’t want to just get out base, he wants to hit the ball over the fence in every at bat. Dennis crushed the ball in the playoffs, hitting five home runs. The #2 HR hitter in the playoffs only had two. That is what impresses me most about Dennis; he is a gamer when his team needs him the most. There is no doubt in my mind that Dennis will have another great season. He should easily be close to 20 HRs, 50 RBIs, and a .400 batting average. I also predict he will take the home run crown away from DeLano.
1. Joey DeLano - Wiffling DeLoppes
I hope you are sitting down for this, because what you are about to read will blow you away. Joey DeLano’s 2011 season was *insert ridiculous adjective of your choice* amazing. In a year where pitchers dominated, DeLano simply destroyed the ball. Before I list off DeLano’s statistics, I found it pretty cool that he was the only player in the league to play in all 28 games. Some of that can be attributed to luck, since the DeLoppes never took a forfeit or had to forfeit. Still, playing in every single game is an impressive feat on its own. DeLano led the league in eleven offensive categories. His .560 batting average was .143 points higher than second best, Shore. DeLano is also the fastest base runner in the league, which helped him score the most runs at 53. Out of DeLano’s 61 total hits, 16 were doubles, 3 were triples, and 17 were home runs. That gave DeLano an incredible 1.229 SLG. If you add that to his .639 OBP, it equals a 1.868 OPS. That is just a stupid number! DeLano easily earned the MVP award, to go along with the batting and HR crown. He was an obvious All-Star nod, and on a national scale, he made the NWLA 1st Team for hitters. Last preseason, I put DeLano as the #1 hitter and he did not disappoint. He will once again finish at the top because quite frankly, you cannot stop this guy!
10a. Josh Nagorski - Thunder DucksJosh can easily be forgotten about on his stacked Thunder Ducks team. With star offensive players Dennis Pearson and Dylan Braden in the spotlight, Josh quite often gets overlooked. I personally did not take notice of Josh’s offensive greatness until the playoffs, when he had an 8 for 8 game against the Jason Mattseals. Josh finished the postseason season with a .304 batting average, and his 14 playoff hits tied him for second in the league. Although Josh doesn’t have the power numbers his teammates have, he is the perfect table setter for the Thunder Ducks.
10b. Cliff Comstock - Wiffling DeLoppes
You are going to see a lot of DeLoppes on this list, but this DeLoppe has to surprise you the most. Cliff wasn’t on my original top ten list, but after looking at his 2011 regular season stats, I would be a fool to leave him off. Cliff optimizes a patient hitter. He waits for his pitch and if he doesn’t see it during an at bat, he is more than happy to take a walk. In 128 plate appearances, Cliff walked 31 times. That ranked him fourth in the league and first among the players on this list. He doesn’t have great power, but still finished the season with two home runs. His most impressive stats in my opinion were his.508 on base percentage and his .351 batting average. Cliff would be the perfect leadoff hitter for any team in the league, but since the DeLoppes have Joey DeLano, they get to use him as one the best #2 hitters.9. Austin Bischoff - WWA
I might get in trouble for this, but I truly believe Austin is deserving of this spot. Obviously his pitching overshadows his hitting, but his offensive numbers from 2011 weren’t bad at all. Austin only had 26 plate appearances during the regular season where he hit .348. In the playoffs however, which showed a sharp decline in most everyone’s offensive numbers, Austin excelled. Besides Whelan and Chris Lewis who only played in two playoff games, Austin led the league in playoff batting average, hitting .343. His 12 hits were the highest among players who did not play in the championship series. His low power numbers can be attributed to playing all of his games at the Drey, which is a very tough field to hit home runs at. Midseason, when I make new top ten hitters list, I guarantee you will see Austin on it, and he’ll be ranked higher than ninth.8. Brandon Corbett - Flying Squirrels
Offensive production was not a strong suit for the Flying Squirrels in 2011. Corbett was hyped up to be their main offensive provider, but had a very slow start. When he was demoted to their #3 pitcher, he was able to focus solely on hitting. You then saw a tremendous increase in his offensive numbers. Corbett’s .306 batting average isn’t earth shattering, but when you combine that with his .425 OBP and a .537 SLG, you start to see why he is such a valuable offensive player. His seven home runs in 2011 would easily be in double digits if he: A) did not play his home games at the Drey, and B) did not have two or three 100-foot home runs robbed by Danny Johnson. Corbett claims to hate taking walks but he did have 25 of them, which does show great patience at the plate. The Squirrels have already said Corbett will bat 3rd for them going into the 2012 season. He will also have a full season focusing only on hitting, and that should mean his numbers will easily improve from 2011.7. Dylan Braden - Thunder Ducks
The second half of the DD Boys did not disappoint in 2011. Dylan was predicted to be a top five home run hitter last season; he made me look smart by finishing in 5th with nine home runs. He added two more home runs in the playoffs which show that Dylan is a threat to go deep at any time. Dylan’s offensive numbers were great in every category. He batted .340, had a .469 OBP, .621 SLG, and also had 29 RBIs. I only saw one flaw in his game, if you even want to call it that. If Dylan doesn’t knock the ball over the fence for a home run, he usually only settles for a wimpy single. He finished the regular season with zero doubles but did have one rare triple. Dylan also benefits by batting ahead of slugger Dennis Pearson. If your strategy is to pitch around Pearson, you face the tough task of having to pitch to Dylan first. Dylan many times has hurt you if you choose that route. I believe you will see a solid 2012 season out of the younger Braden brother. I’ll make that prediction an even bolder one by saying he will hit more home runs than he did last year.6. Bobby Hoppe - Wiffling DeLoppes
Going into the 2011 season, everyone thought the DeLoppes only had one offensive threat in their lineup, Joey DeLano. Boy, were we wrong! The sample of the youngest Hoppe brother’s stats from tournament play was not very impressive. Well, it is safe to say regular season Bobby is A LOT better than tournament play Bobby. Bobby can do it all at: he can hit for average, power, and has good speed on the base paths. He finished the 2011 season with a .373 batting average, .505 OBP, and a .613 SLG%. Bobby also had an OPS of 1.119, which ranked him 5th. Hitting home runs isn’t a part of Bobby’s game, but when he wants to go deep, he can. He ended the season with three round trippers along with 26 RBIs. The DeLoppes are stacked with talent, so many times Bobby goes under the radar. Attention WSEM pitchers, never overlook Bobby Hoppe again!5. Joe Seto - Donkeys
If you read what I wrote about Joe Seto in the pitching article, you saw that he carried the Commandos last season on the mound. Well, he also carried them at the plate. Seto led the Commandos in every single offensive category except for walks. Yes, he played his home games at a very friendly hitter’s field, but, opposing pitchers many times pitched around Seto to face weaker hitters. As the season went on, Seto saw less and less hittable pitches. Seto started the 2011 season on a tear, and was even in early MVP talks. As the season progressed, his stats did decline, but he still finished with amazing numbers. Nobody on this top ten list had more plate appearances (167) or at bats (140) than Seto. His 43 hits, 11 home runs, and 37 RBI’s all ranked him 4th in the league. Seto will now be on a team with a solid group of hitters, so you can no longer pitch around him. I don’t expect his power numbers to be as high this season, but I do predict Seto will improve on his .307 batting average, and .419 OBP.4. Nick Snow - Wiffling DeLoppes
The 2011 WSEM Rookie of the Year and NWLA All-Rookie 2nd Teamer had a remarkable season. He gave the DeLoppes another threat at the plate, and was consistently a force in the middle of their lineup. Nick Snow is just about the same player as Bobby Hoppe, with slightly better statistics. Snow’s most impressive numbers were his .379 batting average, nine doubles, 35 RBIs, and 1.134 OPS which was fourth best in the league. I believe that if Snow wanted to be a power hitter, he could be. His four home runs seem low, but it is only because he is content with just getting on base or knocking in a runner, not trying to be a hero. Snow also in my opinion is the most fearless hitter in the league. There is nobody else in the league that can make contact at such a consistent level against fireballers such as Pearson or Bischoff. Snow is a great fit for the fundamentally sound DeLoppes, and he should easily have another All-Star caliber season.3. Alex Shore - Donkeys
The most controversial and outspoken player in WSEM comes in at third in the hitter’s rankings. Some of the league may not care for Alex, but they respect him. So much so, he was voted in as an All-Star last season. How could you not vote for Alex when you see his stats? Alex ranked in the top three in almost every offensive category. His .417 batting average, .516 OBP, .787 SLG, and 1.304 OPS ranked second best. His 12 home runs, 39 RBIs, and 100 total bases all ranked third best. Alex was the only consistent player in the revolving door roster of the Westside Warriors last season. His 22 games played which resulted in 155 plate appearances and 127 at bats ranked near the top of the league. Alex got a lot of heat for his short porch in right field at his home, The Reservation. Yes, you probably wouldn’t have seen 12 home runs for Alex if he had average dimensions out there, but that doesn’t take away from his dominant 2011 season. I believe if The Reservation had average RF dimensions, it would have resulted in more doubles and triples for Alex, and his batting average and OBP would be close to the same. Alex will play the 2012 season with the Donkeys, but will still play his home games at The Reservation. Alex will also miss part of the season because of surgery. It is unknown how many games he will miss, but it is safe to say he will once again be an offensive force in this league.2. Dennis Pearson - Thunder Ducks
Dennis Pearson is a maniac. To be ranked as the #1 pitcher in the league and #2 hitter is an incredible feat. Dennis is the purest power hitter in WSEM. Nobody is feared more to go deep at any time than him. Although DeLano had the regular season Home Run title, if you combine playoff home runs with regular season ones, Dennis edged him out, 20-18. Dennis did win the RBI crown, finishing with 52 overall. Although he is above average in statistics such as batting average (.390) and OBP (.457), those aren’t exactly mind blowing. The reason why is simple, Dennis doesn’t want to just get out base, he wants to hit the ball over the fence in every at bat. Dennis crushed the ball in the playoffs, hitting five home runs. The #2 HR hitter in the playoffs only had two. That is what impresses me most about Dennis; he is a gamer when his team needs him the most. There is no doubt in my mind that Dennis will have another great season. He should easily be close to 20 HRs, 50 RBIs, and a .400 batting average. I also predict he will take the home run crown away from DeLano.1. Joey DeLano - Wiffling DeLoppes
I hope you are sitting down for this, because what you are about to read will blow you away. Joey DeLano’s 2011 season was *insert ridiculous adjective of your choice* amazing. In a year where pitchers dominated, DeLano simply destroyed the ball. Before I list off DeLano’s statistics, I found it pretty cool that he was the only player in the league to play in all 28 games. Some of that can be attributed to luck, since the DeLoppes never took a forfeit or had to forfeit. Still, playing in every single game is an impressive feat on its own. DeLano led the league in eleven offensive categories. His .560 batting average was .143 points higher than second best, Shore. DeLano is also the fastest base runner in the league, which helped him score the most runs at 53. Out of DeLano’s 61 total hits, 16 were doubles, 3 were triples, and 17 were home runs. That gave DeLano an incredible 1.229 SLG. If you add that to his .639 OBP, it equals a 1.868 OPS. That is just a stupid number! DeLano easily earned the MVP award, to go along with the batting and HR crown. He was an obvious All-Star nod, and on a national scale, he made the NWLA 1st Team for hitters. Last preseason, I put DeLano as the #1 hitter and he did not disappoint. He will once again finish at the top because quite frankly, you cannot stop this guy!
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