8 Most Underrated Players

		The Castle Chronicle
		by David Castle

We read year in and year out of all the top notch players we have in WSEM, from the dominant pitching of Austin Bischoff to the big bats of Dennis Pearson and Kyle Tomlinson. I thought it would be fun to do something different and rank the top eight most underrated players in WSEM, they may not be the most talked about, but their play deserves some recognition.

8.  Dakota LaDouceur  -  El Diablos

When you think of el Diablos, you automatically think of either Craig Skinner, Chandler Phillips, or Kyle Tomlinson. Sure he may put up the stats, but he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. If he wasn’t on el Diablos, he’d be a star on almost any other team.

7.  Evan Bischoff  -  Whiteford Wicked Aces

In case you didn’t know, there are actually two guys in the league with the last name Bischoff: that being Austin, who is well known, and his kid brother Evan. He’s a very consistent pitcher and above average at the plate, not to mention in 2012 in 33 innings pitched, he didn’t give up a single run and he doesn’t have a single award to show for it.

6.  Chris Paquin  -  Holy Balls

When you look at all the dominant pitchers in WSEM, they all throw really hard, but Paquin had a really good 2013 season by being very crafty and accurate. Although he probably won’t have a season like he did last year, he doesn’t get as much credit as he should. After all not many guys can say they beat el Diablos twice.

5.  Jason Hewlett  -  Flying Squirrels

The improvements this guy's made in a two-year span is pretty amazing. He more than doubled his average, quadrupled his home runs from 3 to 12, and was 8th in the league in strikeouts with 101. I expect for him to get more respect this year.

4.  John Sharlow  -  Flying Squirrels

I don’t think many people in this league even know who John Sharlow is, which is understandable because he was on the fourth worst team in the league in 2013: King Friday. That overshadows the fact that he hit over .300 in a pitcher’s league with 24 RBIs and 4 big jacks, he had a pretty decent year and I look for him to get his name out there this season coming up.

3.  Carl Coffee  -  Belgian Wiffles

The Commish flew under the radar in 2013 with a decent year batting .300, 15 RBIs, and 16 walks. He’s just 19 hits away from joining the 100 hit club, which should be no problem for the seasoned vet. I look for Carl to have his best season yet in his last year as Commissioner.

2.  Andrew Mott  -  Islanders

Andrew Mott is the fastest guy in league history. Watching him play football for Hillsdale just solidifies that fact. If he can get contact on a pitch, you can almost bet he’s legging out a single or even a double. He is also one of the few players in the league who is an asset in both the field and at the plate.

1. Brandon Corbett- Holy Balls

The most underrated guy in WSEM is Brandon Corbett. He is a duel threat player that can hit for power and give you solid innings on the rubber. He is the definition of a consistent player at the plate. In his three years in the league his homerun totals were 7, 5, and 7, with his RBI totals being 22, 22, and 28. He even added the clutch factor to his game by hitting a go-ahead homerun against the Aces in a key game during the tail end of the 2013 season. Hats off to you Corbs, you deserve it.

Over/Under in the Eyes of Sir Nikolai

We get a different opinion on the make up of WSEM today with a countdown of the five most overrated and underrated players in the eyes of Sir Nikolai, Nick Braden, co-captain of the Thunder Duck squad. So, it is a champion's view from the top! I bet you think you already have an idea what his list might look like, but read on; you might be surprised once or twice.

Overs are listed over their respective numbers with the unders under. Get it? Also, player pictures link to their 2011 season stats in case you care to examine Nick's picks further.

	Starting out at number five on my overrated list is the man himself, Mr. Perfect Game, Chris Lewis. The only reason Chris makes this list is because of his tossing of the first ever WSEM perfect game, which put him in a high spot of the free agent market. On the plus side, he is now in a rotation with Dennis Pearson and Dylan Braden that may help him add a pitch or two to make him better, so he will no longer be on this list. If he adds another deadly weapon to his already stacked arsenal, he will throw another perfect game - mark my words.
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	To start off the countdown of the most underrated players in the league I have to name my fellow Thunder Duck, Josh Roberts. Although people may think he is a complete and total jokester, he is not horrible. He has an absolutely amazing eye at the plate, which leads to a very high on base percentage (OBP) and more runs for the high powered Thunder Ducks offense. Once his fielding gets better he may become an everyday player for us.

	At overrated number four I have another Thunder Duck, Dylan Braden. He may be the second best hitter on the Thunder Ducks and part of the D&D Boys, but when he is bad he is ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE. For example, in this year's playoffs he hit .106, even though he hit the home run to win the championship. Those are no stats to scoff at. Sorry, Dylan, I had to do it.
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	At the fourth most underrated spot is Bobby Hoppe. He is a dominant force on the Deloppes in the shadows of Joey Delano, Nick Snow, and Chad Hoppe. He closes for the Deloppes, although, he should be converted into a starter due to him throwing fast and very accurately. Bobby fights at the plate every pitch to make sure he gets on base.

	Next up, Joe Seto of the newly formed Donkeys. Now, don't get me wrong, Seto is a very good player given the stats he put up this year, but he lacks a good game against a good team. Until he is able to put together good performances against the good teams, I will place him on the over-rated side.
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	Just edging out his brother for the third underrated spot is B.J. Hoppe. B.J. was the only guy to get a hit off of Dennis in the championship, an excellent defender, and you have to remember he gives it his all on every pitch. I can see him being a force to be reckoned with this upcoming season.

	In the two hole is WWA "fireballer," Austin Bischoff. Bischoff, a.k.a. Brennan Boesch with a half a year of stats, had a Brennan Boesch type year. Once every team figures him out WWA is screwed, because their number one will be taken out of their hands and they basically have no number two. For those that think he is better, or just as good as Dennis Pearson, SHUT UP and do the league a favor. The kid can only pitch, not produce with a bat.
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	In the two slot we have Jason Hewlett of the Mattseals. Before getting hurt Hewlett was putting up very good numbers on a very bad team: that is unheard of. [Ed. note: Is it really? Last year in the AL West alone you had Fister with the Mariners and Gonzalez with the A's.] Rumors say he has been practicing at work, wherever he works, which leads to the question where does he work to have the time to practice wiffleball? I would love to work wherever he works. If he can stay healthy this season, he will be a very powerful force. This could make the Mattseals a spoiler.

	To round out the countdown of my overrated players we have Mr. Chad Hoppe. Somehow the number one pitcher on the excellent Deloppes in front the one and only lefty, Cliff Comstock. Chad lacks speed, which makes his pitches easier to hit. He should be dropped to the number four on his team. When it comes to batting, if he does not walk it is an automatic out.
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	Rounding out the under-rated players in the league I have my teammate Josh Nagorski. Gorski is the founder of the Thunder Ducks. This guy may step into Dylan's spot and become the second best hitter on the team. Good defensive abilities, speed, and his performance in the playoffs will make him a leader in batting average and a lead component for the Thunder Ducks to repeat the championship.

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Nick Braden
Thunder Ducks - 23
KGB