[DROP 100] The DROP 100 for 2019: #60 - #41

---

---

The DROP 100 is an annual ranking of the top 100 competitive fast pitch Wiffle® Ball players over the prior calendar year. The list is based on a player’s performance/results in fast pitch competition during the past year only and takes into account overall performance, quality of competition, how often a player competed, and diversity of tournaments/leagues participated in.

---

60. Rob Piervinanzi
Palisades Dodgers

Key Stats: 70 PA | 19 H | 6 HR | .339/.471/.786 | 140 OPS+ [Palisades Regular Season] 37 PA | 10 H | 2 HR | .294/.351/.529 [Palisades Playoffs]

Rob “Wiffman” Piervinanzi is the textbook definition of a professional hitter. Year in and year out, he consistently produces both a high, well-balanced level hitting approach. 2019 was no exception. In 10 regular season games in Palisades, he compiled a slash line of .339/.471/.786 which ranked 5th, 5th, and (wait for it) . . . 5th, respectively, among Palisades players with two or more games played. His ability to excel at all three facets of hitting year-in and year-out ranks him among the top pure hitters in the sport.

59. Ryan Kracht
Pacific Predators

 Key Stats: 31 IP | 17 H | 11 R | 63% SO rate | 286 ERA+ | 67 PA | 15 H | 3 HR | 1:1: BB/K ratio | 108 OPS+ [MLW Regular Season] 23 IP | 1 R | 57 K | 62% SO rate | 30 PA | 9 H [MLW Playoffs]

At least from a distance, Ryan looks like the most fully formed of the top MLW pitchers. He has a wide array of offerings which include risers from at least a couple of different arm angles, a slider, a side arm drop, and a fastball that often has some down and out tail to it. His velocity – albeit from 33 feet – is as good as or better than any of his peers in the massively popular league. But what really stood out watching Kracht pitch on video this year is his pitch selection, which looks to be closer to a traditional baseball starter than what we are used to seeing in competitive wiffleball. The fastball gets a lot of work early in games and the other pitches work off of that relatively basic offering. Because of how hard he throws and the relatively close distance to the zone, the pitch is effective on its own but more importantly, acts as a great set up for his more traditional wiffleball pitches. His results from this past season – which included a torrid run through the MLW playoffs – show how effective his approach was. Ryan used a patient, contact approach at the plate which resulted in an above-league average offensive season.

58. Kyle Schultz
Western Wildcats, MLW All-Stars

Key Stats: 31 IP | 19 R | 9% BB rate | 165 ERA+ | 87 PA | 25 H | 5 HR | 106 OPS+ [MLW Regular Season] 37 PA | 11 H | 2 HR | .379/.514/.586 | 169 OPS+ | 10 IP | 5 R | 45% SO rate | 98 ERA+ [NWLA Tournament]

The big question for the MLW All-Stars prior to their first appearance at the NWLA Tournament was how they would hanle pitching from a dozen feet further back than in their home league. Kyle Schultz was the only member of the MLW squad with prior experience a 45 ft./48 ft. pitching distance. That experience came in 2016 and 2017 in WSEM, where Kyle threw 92 unspectacular innings for the Islanders. He performed roughly the same in Morenci, but his stuff looked good enough that it is not difficult to imagine him adjusting to that distance with a little more practice. Offensively, the close pitching distance in MLW likely helped Schultz at the NWLA Tournament. With additional reaction time at his disposal, Kyle hit well all tournament against some decent pitching. He picked up hits in all five games played and walked in all but one. The face of MLW did not have his best season in his home league but still ranked among the leaders in many pitching and offensive categories. His 9% BB rate led the league and was a far cry from the league average 28% rate.

57. Austin Berger
WILL Waves

Key Stats: 14 IP | 4 H | 2 R| 11% BB rate | 67% SO rate | 342 ERA+ [NWLA Tournament]

For Austin Berger, the key to his success at the 2018 NWLA Tournament was cut and dry – he threw strikes and let his athletic defense take care of the rest. That strategy was a big reason why the Waves left Morenci in 2018 with the tournament title. Although WILL was unable to repeat in 2019, Berger stuck to his 2018 game plan and achieved even better individual results. After allowing 19 hits and 11 runs in 17 1/3 innings in 2018, Austin held opposing batters to just 4 hits and 2 runs over 14 innings in 2019. He cut his WHIP in half and struck out one more batter at this year’s tournament then he did last year, despite throwing 3+ fewer innings. His no-nonsense approach to pitching at the NWLA Tournament extended all the way to his pitch selection. At least early in the tournament, Austin went with a straight fastball grip, which played up thanks to his above average velocity and above average command. Away from the NWLA Tournament, Berger threw a five-inning shutout against he MAW Fall Draw (draft) tournament in October. His cut ball pitch of choice is a hard screwball which be blew by hitters with ease after working through some first inning command issues in the early morning cold.

56. Jeremy Ratajczyk
GBL Legends, Bushleague Badgers

Key Stats: 54 PA | .417/.481/.646 | 173 OPS+ | 31 TB | 3 HR [NWLA Tournament] 56 PA | 27 H | 9 HR | 141 OPS+ | 14 IP | 4 R [Leroy]

When unpacking the GBL Legends’ success at this year’s NWLA Tournament, the pitching performances of the Detmar brothers and Caleb Jonkman’s all-around play jump out as the biggest reasons why the Legends made it to the finals for the second straight year. Not be overlooked, however, are the offensive contributions of Jeremy Ratajczyk. Jeremy had the 5th highest OPS of any player in the tournament, which is impressive enough, but even more so when you consider the teams and pitchers those numbers were produced against. While some of the players above him in OPS feasted on subpar competition – and there’s nothing wrong with that – Jeremy found success against some of the tournament’s top pitchers including Aidan Palmer, Jordan Robles, Sean Bingnear, and Kyle VonSchleusigen. Jeremy hit all tournament long, picking up at least one base hit in each of his team’s eight games to go along with at least one walk in half of them. His 31 total bases were a tournament high and five more than the next closest player.

 55. Kyle Tomlinson
El Diablos, WSEM Dads

Key Stats: 173 PA | .350/.526/.789 | 43 H | 17 HR | 162 OPS+ | 29 2/3 IP | 14 R | 13% walk rate | 135 ERA + [WSEM]

Tomlinson was taken number one overall by El Diablos in the 2019 WSEM draft. That was not terribly surprising - the mock drafts from the WSEM website had him as the consensus number one pick - although it is rare to see a player who had only previously dabbled in pitching taken first overall in a fast pitch wiffleball draft. Kyle’s offensive output in seven WSEM seasons was so impressive that his lack of a pitching track record didn’t seem to matter. He lived up to his offensive reputation, leading WSEM in nearly every significant offensive category. For the first time in his WSEM career, Kyle also added significant value as a pitcher while being slotted as the Diablos’ secondary pitcher behind Chandler Phillips. Like most of his WSEM teammates, the 2019 NWLA Tournament was a forgettable one for Kyle, who never quite got going at the plate.

54. Daniel Schultz
Eastern Eagles, MLW All-Stars 

Key Stats: 35 IP | 2 R | 11 H | 11% BB rate | 65% SO rate | 1,770 ERA+ | 90 PA | 13 H | 7 HR | 127 OPS+ [MLW Regular Season] 26 1/3 IP | 22 H | 9 R | 62 SO [MLW Playoffs] 12 PA | 3 H | 1 HR [NWLA Tournament]

MLW’s best two-way player in 2019 was undoubtedly Daniel Schultz. The Eastern Eagles’ captain had a lights-out season as a pitcher. He ranked first in the league in ERA by a significant margin, led the league in strikeout rate, and was second only to his brother in walk rate. He wasn’t quite as dominant pitching in short series in the post-season, but still averaged 2.3 strikeouts per inning while pitching his team to the championship series. Offensively, he posted the fifth highest OPS in MLW, which was driven by a strong walk rate and isolated power. Daniel played in just a pair of games at the NWLA Tournament and didn’t see spend any time on the rubber.

53. Gus Skibee
SWBL Cardinals

Key Stats: 17 IP | 3 H | 0 R | 3 BB | 5% BB rate | 79% SO rate | 48 PA | .250/.375/.525 | 3 HR | 138 OPS+ [NWLA Tournament]

Prior to 2019, Gus Skibee eclipsed the 12-innings pitched mark only once during his six-year NWLA Tournament career. That was back in 2015 when he threw 19 2/3’s innings over the course of five games (four starts). In 2019, the tournament veteran blew passed the 12-inning mark in a single game! Facing elimination early in the morning on Sunday against Circle City, Gus threw 15 scoreless innings to keep his Cardinals alive. Gus threw a pair of innings earlier in the tournament which gave him 17 total innings for the two-day event. He allowed just six base runners – three via walk, three via hit – while striking out 45. His 0.35 WHIP and 5.26% walk rate ranked favorably among pitchers tournament-wide. His 78.95% strikeout rate was tops in the tournament. Combining a low arm angle with solid slider/riser movement and above average velocity, Gus had easily the best pitching tournament of his NWLA Tournament career. Traditionally a strong hitter as well, Gus struggled against teams like OCWA and AWAA, but feasted on the lesser teams the SWBL Cardinals faced to end with a very solid .250/.375/.525 slash line. 

52. Mike Weiner
Palisades Pirates

Key Stats: 29 2/3 IP | 14 R | 54% SO rate | 166 ERA+ [Palisades Regular Season]

Statistically speaking, 2019 was Mike’s worst season in his six-year Palisades pitching career. He tied or set career highs in home runs allowed and ERA, while his walk rate also rose significantly from the prior two seasons. At the end of the day, however, it was another good season for the right-hander. Weiner prevented runs at a rate well above league average and struck out batters out at a rate in line with his career norms. Mike was good for one game per week this season in Palisades which is essentially how he has been used throughout his career in that league. Were he to pursue tournament play in the future, he profiles as a quality, one to two game starter.

51. Chris Roeder
OCWA Freaky Franchise

Key Stats: 16 IP | 3 R | 5 BB% | 57 SO% | 393 ERA+ | 46 PA | .435 OBP | 1 HR | 113 OPS+ [NWLA Tournament]

One-half of Freaky Franchise’s one-two pitching punch with Ryan Bush, Roeder experienced some though luck at the NWLA tournament. While Bush was thrust into action early – working back-to-back games against Skibee to close out pool play and BWBL to start double elimination on Saturday – Chris was held back to Freaky Franchise’s fourth game of the tournament. Roeder was fresh against MAW and it showed as he pitched nine scoreless innings before allowing two hits, a walk, and a sacrifice fly in the top of the 10th. Sunday morning Roeder came back for an encore against MAW and again was done in by some well-grouped hits (two singles and a run producing ground out). Roeder’s plus velocity and ability to hit his spots resulted in a 57% strikeout rate and he pounded the zone to the tune of a 5% walk rate. Roeder generates power both on the rubber and at the plate that belies his modest frame. Roeder had his team’s only two hits against SWBL (including a solo homer) and showed excellent patience with 13 walks in 46 plate appearances.

50. Aidan Palmer
Short Shorts, CCWB Chasers

Key Stats: 28 1/3 IP | 8 H | 0.57 HR% | 102 ERA+ | 193 PA | .403/.617/.726 | 8 HR | 122 OPS+ [Circle City] 10 2/3 IP | 4 H | 3 R | 174 ERA+ [NWLA Tournament]

Aidan Palmer – Circle City’s young right-hander – must have felt like he was experiencing a serious case of déjà vu Saturday at the NWLA Tournament. Aidan started his pitching day by working 5 1/3 scoreless innings against the GBL Legends, only for Ryan Voges to drive in the game-winning run in the bottom half of the sixth. Somewhere around 8 ½ hours later, Palmer was once again on the rubber facing GBL and carried a shutout into the sixth. This time, however, he was staked with a one-run lead and needed just two more outs to get his team into the final four of the winner’s bracket. With a man on base, Palmer faced Voges (again) with one out and the game on the line. And once again, Voges ended things, this time belting a two-run walk off to send GBL into Sunday undefeated. It was that kind of day for Palmer, who pitched very well save for the two walk offs. In 10 2/3’s inning, he allowed just four hits while striking out 25. He was a bit on the wild side – especially in pool play –which led to 16 walks issued during the tournament, but as one of the younger players in the tournament that is an area of his game that he should be able to iron out over time. Aidan’s command was also an issue in Circle City League play, where he gave up 83 free passes in 28 1/3 innings. Aidan’s ERA went as his control did; in his three best games where he allowed 11 walks over 12 innings, he held opponents to a single earned run.

49. Brett Detmar
GBL Legends, Corn Bombers

Key Stats: 14 IP | 6 H | 3 R | 1 BB | 2% BB rate | 67% SO rate | 228 ERA+ [NWLA Tournament] 29 IP | 11 R | 58% SO rate | 261 ERA+ | 120 PA | 50 H | 10 HR | 110 OPS+ [Leroy]

Brett did his best to bring the no-walks atmosphere of Leroy to the NWLA Tournament. In his 14 innings pitched, Detmar allowed just a single walk (to Circle City’s Austin Church) over the 2+ games he threw at the tournament. Only Jordan Robles’ 1.6% walk rate was lower than Detmar’s 2% rate among pitchers who threw more than one game. Given the low number of walks he allowed and the high number of strike outs he picked up, one would have likely expected Brett to fair a little bit better in the run prevention department. However, he was done in by three solo home runs (out of six total hits allowed) which accounted for all three runs he gave up. That unusually high home run rate is a very likely an outlier and not likely to repeat itself should Brett post another 33:1 strike out to walk ratio next year.

48.   Oliver Avalone
Palisades Reds

Key Stats: 36 IP | 10 R | 5% BB rate | 59% SO rate | 281 ERA+ [Palisades Regular Season]

The Palisades Royals had one of the better one-two pitching punches in the sport in 2018 with Vin Lea and Oliver Avallone. Lea saw no reason to break up a good thing and drafted Avallone in the first round of the 2019 Palisades draft for his expansion Reds franchise. It proved a wise move as Avallone was just as good on the rubber this year as he was last. Avallone finished the regular season ranked fourth in ERA while throwing the second most innings in the league (36). Never much of a hitter during his seven-year Palisades career, Avallone more than makes up for his offensive shortcomings with his pitching skills.

47. Greg Myers
RPWL Pirates

Key Stats: 44 1/3 IP | 4 R | 65% SO rate | 494 ERA+ [Ridley Park Wiffleball League]

In the pitching rich 2019 Ridley Park Wiffleball League, Greg Myers’ regular season pitching performance ranks among the best. The RPWL veteran tied for first in wins (7), tied for first in hits allowed (10), was second in runs allowed (4), second in WHIP (0.69), and fourth in innings pitched (66 ½ two-out innings) and strikeouts (116). Greg went 41 ½ innings (equivalent of 27 2/3 three-out innings) without allowing a run to begin the Ridley Park season before surrendering a pair of fourth inning runs to the Astros on July 19th. Myers struggled some against the RPWL A’s in the Ridley Park playoffs, allowing 5 runs and 2 homeruns over 9 ½ innings. While he doesn’t necessarily pack overpowering stuff, Myers has the reputation as one of Ridley’s headiest pitchers and throws hitters off balance with an assortment of above-average off-speed offerings.

46.  Erik Detmar
GBL Legends, Squints Sluggers

Key Stats: 14 IP | 6 H | 0 R | 8% BB rate | 48% SO rate [NWLA Tournament] 41 IP | 26 H | 13 R | 52% SO rate | 314 ERA+ | 159 PA | 64 H | 14 HR | .403 AVG | 108 OPS+ [Leroy]

Erik had a very strong summer from a pitching perspective between league play in Leroy and the NWLA Tournament. In Leroy, the younger Detmar was second in innings pitched, third in ERA, third in strikeouts, and third in WHIP. Erik had little issue going from the no-walk environment of Leroy to the NWLA Tournament, where his 7.7% walk rate compared favorably to the better pitchers in Morenci. Detmar struck out batters at an okay 52% rate in Leroy which dropped to 48% at the NWLA tournament. His clean ball stuff had enough life to it that – coupled with the yellow bats – he was able to induce regular weak contact, which is possibly evidenced by his .261 BABIP (tournament average on balls in play was .406). At this stage, Erik appears to be a better pitcher than hitter, which the Legends acknowledged by keeping him out of the batter’s box for the duration of the NWLA Tournament.

45.  Zane Johnston
RPWL Diamondbacks, Blueballs

Key Stats: 23 2/3 IP | 6 R | 174 ERA+ [RPWL Regular Season] 32 IP | 8 R | 56% SO rate | 161 ERA+ [MAW Regular Season]

In 18 innings pitched against ERL, NY Meats, and ATF – or to put it another way, in 18 innings pitched against Jordan Robles, Dan Whitener, Connor Young, Jimmy Cole, Ryan Bush, Kyle VonSchleusigen, Phil Fresiello, Kevin Norris, Ty Wegerzn, and Pete Slater – Zane allowed just one run on 11 hits while striking out 38 batters. The 2017 RPWL Rookie of the Year was not intimidated at all when facing some of the game’s better hitters. Zane uses a unique slinging motion where he almost throws his entire body towards home plate and his drop pitch is his best offering. He walked batters at a slightly high clip in both Ridley Park and Mid Atlantic but was largely able to work around that. Zane played alongside Sean Bingnear in Ridley Park and Cam Farro in Mid Atlantic, but more than held his own next to his more prolific teammates.

44. Austin Bleacher
RPWL Yankees, Longballs, Blueballs 

Key Stats: 78 PA | 4 HR | .203/.346/.406 | 123 OPS+ [RPWL Regular Season] 39 PA | 10 H | 3 HR | .293/.385/.647 | 158 OPS+ [NWLA Tournament] 75 PA | .320 OBP | 2 HR | 95 OPS+ [MAW Regular Season]

In a year where hits and runs at the NWLA Tournament were harder to come by than in years past, Austin Bleacher had his best offensive tournament to date. The right-handed hitting Bleacher posted a pretty slash line and was a major power threat throughout the tournament as evidenced by his .354 ISO. Six of his ten tournament hits went for extra bases. Bleacher belted three home runs and saved the biggest for last – a walk-off two-run shot off Tim McElrath in extras to send the Longballs to the loser’s bracket finals. Bleacher’s power was on display in RPWL as well, where he had another fine season while helping his team to a regular season title. There were glimpses of power all season long in MAW and he seems to be right on the cusp of being a consistent offensive threat in that league as well.

43. Noah Silverman
York Yaks, You Enjoy Myself

Key Stats: 37 IP | 26 H | 10 R | 7% BB rate | 61% SO rate | 149 ERA+ [MAW Regular Season] 11 IP | 3 H | 1 R | 28 SO [MAW Post Season]

The term “rookie” is nebulous – at best – in competitive wiffleball, but Noah qualified as one in 2019 under almost any definition. With the exception of a few at bats at the 2018 Mid Atlantic Winter Classic (akin to nothing more than a brief September MLB call up), Noah made his actual competitive debut at MAW’s June 1st event in Ridley Park. He was thrown right into the fire, tasked with pitching all of the day’s games for the York Yaks. Noah stared down hitters like Robles, Red, and Slater without blinking, on his way to a 2-2 record in his tournament pitching debut. He added velocity and a couple of pitches as the season went on and the results reflected the improvements. In August, Noah tossed twelve shutout innings over the course of three games and by September’s Mid Atlantic Wild Card tournament, the Yaks felt comfortable enough to utilize Noah interchangeably with Jarod Bull. A right hander with a smooth motion and above-average control, Noah has already proven himself as an above-average pitcher. The next step will come at the plate, which Noah has admitted has been more of a challenge to get acclimated to.

42.   Johnny Costa
POC, ERL, Palisades Dodgers, Lemonheads

Key Stats: 21 IP | 6 H | 3 R | 5% BB rate | 78% SO rate | 283 ERA+ [MAW Regular Season] 8 IP | 4 H | 3 R | 12 PA | 5 H | 3 HR [Palisades Regular Season]

Lack of run support did little to rattle the nerves of Johnny Wiffs. A cool, almost stoic presence on the carpet, Costa went through his first four games (18 innings total) in the regular Mid Atlantic season this year without his offenses scoring a single run in support. The results – 1-0 and 2-0 losses, along with two 0-0 total base wins – do not do justice to how well he threw. Costa’s 5% BB and 78% SO rates were both among the best in MAW this season.

41.  Ed Packer
C4, Paper & Plastic

Ed was two for two in fast pitch tournaments this year, winning titles in Atlanta at National Wiffle and in Austin at Fast Plastic. He hit the tournament winning home run in the former, taking Trent Jones deep to end the marathon final. At the latter, he picked up hits in six of C4’s nine tournament games and was a significant part of his team’s unrelenting line up. Ed made up for a lower batting average relative to his teammates by leading C4 in walks. Packer proved especially difficult for the Mafia, who he touched up for five hits in eight at bats over two games.