[DROP 100] The DROP 100 for 2019: #40 - #26

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The DROP 100 is an annual ranking of the top 100 competitive fast pitch Wiffle® Ball players during the prior calendar year. The list is based on 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.

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40. Jarod Bull
York Yaks

Key Stats: 37 IP | 8 R | 60% SO rate | 187 ERA+ [MAW Regular Season] 6 IP | 2 H | 0 R | 18 SO [MAW Post Season]

If you look at Jarod Bull’s underlying pitching numbers, you see that he has been remarkably consistent during his three-year MAW career. The Yaks’ ace has thrown between 33 and 37 innings in each of those seasons, while allowing between 15 and 19 hits and 27 to 32 walks. Despite that consistency, Bull saw a spike in runs allowed last season – from 5 all the way up to 15 – and the driver was home runs allowed. Bull went the entire 2017 regular season without allowing a home run but gave up six long balls during 2018. The question entering 2019, therefore, was whether 2017 or 2018 was the home run outlier. As it turns out, 2018 looks like the fluke year. Despite facing a higher level of competition, Bull allowed four less home runs in 2019 than he did in 2018 while pitching three more innings. The result was arguably his finest season to date – one where he set career lows in WHIP and walk rate while setting a career high in strike out rate. Jarod finally found consistent command of his side arm drop this past season – previously, he mainly used that offering as a “show me” pitch – and was better able to keep hitters off balance as a result.

39. Steve Trzpis
Las Vegas Wifflers

The 2018 Fast Plastic tournament did not go as planned for the Las Vegas Wifflers. A 1-3 pool play record kept them out of the top 12. The ball just did not bounce their way all tournament long, despite playing well. To be frank, their prospects for 2019 did not look much better given that Steve and Matt Trzpis entered the tournament as a two-man squad. Anything can happen, however, especially with players as talented as the Trzpis brothers. The guys from Las Vegas went on a run, going 3-1 to make the mid-tournament pool play round and came awfully close to a trip to the final four. While both Trzpis’ played their roles, it was Steve’s work on the rubber that made the difference. Steve’s impressive velocity combined with just the right amount of effective wildness make for some unpleasant at bats as he handled the majority of his team’s innings. Having to face Steve every other batter was no picnic for opposing pitchers, either. When their limited pitching depth started to reveal itself, those extra at bats payed off and Las Vegas were able to stick around by slugging it out with the opposition.

38. Cooper Ruckel
Bronx Royals

For the third year in a row, Cooper Ruckel and his big arm were one of the major stories coming out of Fast Plastic. Cooper first turned heads at that same tournament in 2017 when he nearly upset C4 in one of the first games of the day. Last season, he had an excellent year in the Texas Wiffleball League and while the results were a mixed bag for him at Fast Plastic, his stuff continued to draw second looks. In 2019, the young Texan led the Bronx Royals to a top eight finish while accounting for roughly 60% of their innings pitched over eight games played. Already a flame thrower two years ago, Cooper has added both height and velocity making him one of the game’s hardest throwers. Between his velocity and proclivity for clean balls, the obvious comp is the Longballs’ Tommy Loftus. Given that Tommy was one of the sport’s best pitchers this past year and still has some room left below his ceiling, that’s pretty good company to be in. At this point, relatively limited action – and a still-developing bat – are the only things seemingly holding him back.

37. Tom Gannon
AWAA Blue Kamikazees, Palisades Giants, Stompers, Los Crusaders, 603 All-Stars, New England Cannons, Walk Off Warriors, Pakachoag Padres, National Wifflers, Muscadines 

Key Stats: 72 PA | 11 H | 7 XBH | 5 HR | .453 SLG | .281 ISO | 122 OPS+ | 12 IP | 5 R | 56% SO rate | 97 ERA+ [MAW Regular Season] 4 IP | 1 H | 0 R | 7 SO [NWLA Tournament] 12 IP | 7 H | 3 R | 9% BB rate | 153 ERA+ | 34 PA | .241/.353/.448 | 2 HR | 155 OPS+ [GSWL Pro] 

In 2019 Tom Gannon played in fast pitch tournaments or leagues in six different states, was on the winning team in five fast pitch tournaments or leagues, played in upwards of 100 unrestricted pitch speed games, won an NWLA Tournament title, hit game winning grand slams in tournament elimination games off Kyle VonSchleusigen and Josh Pagano, allowed a double to multi-time Massachusetts State Champion and 1989 National Championship runner up Steve Ferroli in fast pitch play, and managed to throw a pitch with a mini-sized Wiffle Ball during the NWLA All-Star game without a single soul noticing. 

Kind of makes the rest of our summers seem boring by comparison, doesn’t it?

2019’s most well-traveled player accomplished more this past year than racking up travel miles and performing obscure feats. By OPS, he was a comfortably above-average hitter in both Mid Atlantic and GSWL Pro. Gannon hit well against some very good pitchers, including grand slams off K-Von and Pagano. Although he was used sparingly in the NWLA Tournament by the Blue Kamikazes, Tom got the eventual champions off to a great start by pitching a 4-inning shutout in the opening game of the tournament. Stuff wise, Tom probably qualifies for the cliched “crafty lefty” moniker but his velocity is in no way a detriment. With a deliberate delivery and a big bag of pitches, he was able to handle some very tough offenses during the year and only improved as the season moved along.

36. Tyler Nachbar
Longballs

Key Stats: 30 1/3 IP | 10 H | 7 R | 7% BB rate | 69% SO rate | 175 ERA+ | 52 PA | 7 H | 2 HR | .327 OBP | 112 OPS+ [MAW Regular Season]

Nachbar was a cornerstone – one of the eight captains in 2018 – of the Ridley Park Wiffleball League but a summer-long relocation took him out of RPWL and out of the NWLA Tournament in 2019. However, he was a key component of the Longballs’ Mid Atlantic roster as they finished 2nd in both the regular and post-season. Nachbar missed the first three MAW tournaments of 2019 (Winter Classic excluded) and did not debut until the June 15th Wiffle Wars event but made an immediate impact. He pitched the Longballs into the semi-finals that tournament, an impressive feat considering Sean Bingnear struggled and the Longballs did not have their ace, Tommy Loftus, available. The southpaw pitched well for the Longballs the rest of the regular season, with one at bat – a two home run from Dave Capobianco – standing out as his only real blunder. Consistent hits eluded Nachbar, but his knowledge of the strike zone and pretty left-handed swing led to better-than-average results in both on-base and power categories.

35. Matty Griffin
Remember the Name, Boston Bend

Key Stats: 21 IP | 7 H | 2 R | 5% BB rate | 63% SO rate | 399 ERA+ | 46 PA | .435 OBP | 129 OPS+ [GSWL Pro] 

The veteran didn’t get in a lot of game time before August but made the most of his “late” start to the season. Griffin was arguably the second-best pitcher in GSWL Pro’s truncated season. He logged 21 innings (six games) of two-run wiffleball. It was a bit of a mixed bag for him offensively in that league. 8 hits in 34 at bats was good enough for a batting average in the upper quartile and his 11 walks boosted his on-base percentage, but all 8 hits went for singles. Griffin nearly got Remember the Name out of a what ended up being a tournament-ending loss to C4 in the semi-finals of Fast Plastic. His full tournament performance was strong enough, however, that he was named to the All-Tournament team.

34. Garrett Torres
Palisades Diamondbacks

Key Stats: 30 IP | 11 R | 4% BB rate | 60% SO rate | 214 ERA+ | 91 PA | 18 H | 6 HR | .254/.418/.507 | 102 OPS+ [Palisades Regular Season]

After a disappointing 2018 Palisades season, Garrett Torres bounced back in a big way this past season. Torres returned to his 2017 form, with a similar walk rate, ERA, and BAA in 2019 to the numbers he posted two years ago. Garrett saw big gains in his strikeout rate, going from 53% in 2017 (and 35% in 2018) up to 60% during the 2019 season. Always a control pitcher, Torres posted a minuscule 4% walk rate this past season. Garret led the Diamondbacks to the regular season title and was named the 2019 Palisades Cy Young award winner. Garrett’s raw hitting numbers were among the best of his career but produced just a 102 OPS+ in what was a hitter friendly environment.

33. Sean Bingnear
Longballs, RPWL Diamondbacks

Key Stats: 125 PA | 16 H | 3 3B | 5 HR | 112 OPS+ | 30 1/3 IP | 50% SO rate | 14% BB rate [MAW Regular Season] 72 PA | .472 OBP | 111 OPS+ | 29 IP | 49% SO rate [RPWL Regular Season] 21 IP | 7 H | 10 R | 55% SO rate | 103 ERA+ [NWLA Tournament]

What a strange summer of wiffleball it was for Sean. His final pitching numbers were down – noticeably so – in both MAW and RPWL, although he was very good after a disastrous first weekend in Ridley Park and was better in MAW as the season moved along. However, after two years of being a non-factor as a pitcher at the NWLA Tournament, Sean was a major factor in the Longballs’ run to the loser’s bracket final. He started the tournament with ten scoreless innings in which he struck out 28 batters. Bingnear pitched six innings of one-run wiffleball against the eventual champions, AWAA, in a game that would have put the Longballs in the winner’s bracket finals. He eventually tired in the 7th and was out of gas by the time he faced GBL in the loser’s bracket final but gave his team the secondary pitcher behind Tommy Loftus that they had been searching for. By OPS, Bingnear was an above-average hitter in MAW and RPWL. His power (especially later in the year) was his greatest offensive attribute. While working on a new stance at the MAW Fall Draw tournament, Sean hit two walk-off home runs, including the tournament clinching one.

32. David Wood
Phenoms, Paper & Plastic

Toast’s fast pitch action was limited to a pair of tournaments this past year, but he saw to it that he got his money’s worth by making it to the championship game both times. Toast was the winning pitcher of the National Wiffle title game, as he out dueled Trent Jones in a game that at times seemed as if it would never end. At Fast Plastic, the Phenoms made it through the first day of the tournament without Wood pitching at all, which seemingly set up them up well for the final four. Toast pitched his team passed Legends of Wiffle in a blowout in the semi’s. In the finals, he recovered nicely after some early scoring to give his team a chance to come back against C4, but they ultimately fell 6-5. Wood hit well throughout the Fast Plastic tournament and although he didn’t get take the ball until Sunday, he contributed significantly with his bat on Saturday to get them there.

31.  Scott Kujawa
Wicked Aces, WSEM Dads

Key Stats: 52 IP | 16 H | 9 R | 12% BB rate | 71% SO rate | 368 ERA+ [WSEM] 12 IP | 4 H | 3 R | 54 SO% | 196 ERA+ [NWLA Tournament]

The meeting between the Wicked Aces and Redux on May 4th – the opening day of the 2019 WSEM season – carried a little extra symbolic weight to it. It was the first WSEM opening day since 2014 where Stephen Farkas was not on a roster. Farkas’ absence opened up a vacancy for the title of ‘best pitcher’ in one of the country’s top leagues. Two of the top three contenders to take the retired Farkas’ place as WSEM’s best active pitcher – the Aces’ Scott Kujawa and Redux’ Travis Stronjy – faced off in that game and the battle lived up to its potential. Both pitchers went the distance in what ended as an eight-inning, 0-0 tie. Ultimately, Kujawa separated himself from the pack in WSEM this summer, pitching to a 1.04 ERA which ranked first among qualifiers. In his 52 innings of work, he struck out 138 batters (tied for 3rd) and had a league-leading 0.75 WHIP. Kujawa primarily uses an uncut slider, which is more effective down in the zone. He also mixes in a slower twelve-to-six curveball to good effect. Kujawa had a reasonable 12% walk rate in WSEM league play but struggled to hit the zone at the NWLA Tournament as he walked 30% of the batters he faced. The walks didn’t impact his results to any significant degree – a 4-1 win over MLW and a 2-0 loss to Circle City – thanks in large part to a 54% strikeout rate and only four hits allowed in twelve innings. The Dads used a designated hitter for Kujawa in Morenci, a reflection of his .518 OPS in WSEM. Although Stronjy and Chandler Phillips can make cases otherwise, Kujawa might be the best pitcher in WSEM in the post-Farkas era.

30. Teddy Drecher
RPWL Astros, Shortballs, Longballs

Key Stats: 22 2/3 IP | 11 ER | 48% SO rate | 89 PA | 164 ISO | 3 HR | 128 OPS+ [RPWL Regular Season] 4 2/3 IP | 10 K | 0 R [RPWL Playoffs] 30 IP | 3 R | 0 HR | 15% BB rate | 58% SO rate | 403 ERA+ [MAW Regular Season] 6 2/3 IP | 1 H | 1 R | 20 SO | 14 AB | 5 H | 1 HR | 3 BB [MAW Post Season]

Teddy entered the 2019 Mid Atlantic season as the Shortballs’ ace but ceded that title to Franke Campanile early on. That however was not an indictment of Teddy’s performance and results, both of which remained very strong in Mid Atlantic. Teddy was the only qualifying pitcher in MAW (24+ innings pitched) to not allow a home run during the regular season. While that very well might have been a function of good fortune, his pitching arsenal makes him difficult to barrel up on. Teddy attacked hitters with a combo hard screwball and hard riser, both of which are quality enough pitches that he was often able to get away with a mistake over the plate. While his numbers were nothing special, Teddy gained valuable clean ball experience working mop up duty for the Longballs at the NWLA Tournament. His offensive numbers are similarly unimpressive, but he did come up with several clutch hits during the year. His walk-off single against the Longballs on MAW Opening Day was a huge momentum booster for the Shortballs, he had the walk-off homerun at the Keystone State Games, and his two-run homer off Tyler Nachbar in the second game of the MAW semi-finals forced a decisive game three.

29. Chandler Phillips
El Diablos, WSEM Dads

Key Stats: 186 PA | .306/.457/.764 | 20 HR | 150 OPS+ | 66 IP | 53% SO rate | 247 ERA+ [WSEM]

The eight-year WSEM veteran was the best player on the 2019 WSEM champions, El Diablos. Although he fell just short of teammate Kyle Tomlinson for the league lead in most offensive categories save for homeruns and total bases, Phillips was the best two-way player on his championship squad. His 66 innings pitched ranked near the top of the league and he finished third in ERA, first in batting average against, and second in strikeouts. Chandler leans heavily on an uncut slider that he generally throws from a three-quarters arm slot but will dip down on occasion. The pitch is most effective when he is able to push off with his legs; on occasion he’ll short arm the pitch or lose his arm slot which costs him velocity in addition to control. Statistically, Phillips was the best all-around player in WSEM this year. He had a disappointing NWLA tournament, losing the only game he threw in the tournament to Wild and Wonderful Wiffle in an elimination game Saturday evening.

28. Mike Speek Jr.
8-Balls, CCWB Chasers

Key Stats: 68 1/3 IP | 17 R | 16% walk rate | 55% SO rate | 597 ERA+ | 170 PA | 6 HR | 88 OPS+ [Circle City] 20 IP | 7 H | 1 R | 17% BB rate | 52% SO rate | 982 ERA+ | 16 PA | 1 HR | 100 OPS+ [NWLA Tournament]

Mike Speek Jr. entered the NWLA Tournament riding a hot streak. He had not allowed a run in the 20 1/3 innings (spanning five games) that he pitched in Circle City immediately before the tournament. In two starts at the NWLA Tournament, Mike nearly doubled that scoreless inning total before finally being scored off of. The second generation wiffler shut out WSEM on Saturday in 6 innings, before finding himself locked in a 14-inning scoreless battle with SWBL on Sunday. Mike eventually walked in the winning run in the 15th, but that does little to diminish his accomplishment. His 40+ scoreless inning streak was among the best of any pitcher in fast pitch competition this past season. The one earned run he allowed in Morenci over twenty innings tied him with established top tier pitchers like Ryan Bush and Tommy Loftus. Offensively, Speek Jr. had a solid season in Circle City and picked up a pair of hits – including one homerun – off Brett Detmar at the NWLA Tournament. The younger Speek was named both the Cy Young and MVP award winner in Circle City.

27. Travis Strojny
Redux, WSEM Dads

Key Stats: 66 IP | 10% BB rate | 53% SO rate | 169 ERA+ | 171 PA | .303/.421/.613 | 13 HR | 127 OPS+ [WSEM] 8 1/3 IP | 3 H | 0 R | 13% BB rate | 59% SO rate [NWLA Tournament]

Strojny is neck-and-neck with Chandler Phillips when it comes to discussion of the best all-around player in Wiffle in Southeast Michigan in 2019. Travis finished the season top five in batting average, slugging percentage, home runs, ERA, WHIP, and strikeouts. As a pitcher, he rode an effective slider/riser combination to a quality 5:1 strikeout to walk ratio. It appears that Strojny will vary his arm angle a bit on his riser depending on whether he wants to go up or down in the strike zone but is at a traditional side arm slot more often than not. As a means of quantifying which player provided the most value to their team in 2019, the WSEM website broke down a player’s relative contribution to his team’s total hits, total bases, and RBI. The exercise revealed Strojny to be the most valuable player to his team as he accounted for one-third of Redux’ hits and total bases and nearly 38% of their RBI’s. To cap things off, Strojny was the WSEM Dads’ best pitcher at the NWLA Tournament. He tossed 8+ scoreless innings against HRL and Wild and Wonderful while striking out 19.

26. Nate Smith
Shortballs, RPWL Astros

Key Stats: 24 IP | 5 R | 62% SO rate | 1 HR allowed | 194 ERA+ | 115 PA | 15 H | 5 HR | 7 XBH | .348 OPS | 121 OPS+ [MAW Regular Season] 23 2/3 IP | 7 R | 59% SO rate | 150 ERA+ | 74 PA | 3 XBH | .392 OBP | 107 OPS+ [RPWL Regular Season]

The Shortballs – one of Ridley Park Wiffleball League’s travel tournament teams – had a breakout season in 2019, winning one MAW tournament, finishing second in another, capturing the first ever Keystone State Games wiffleball tournament title, and ultimately finishing fourth at the Mid Atlantic Championship. They got major contributions up and down the roster – including high level pitching performances from Frankie Campanile and Teddy Drecher – but the team’s best all-around player was Nate Smith. Next to Connor Young, Nate was the best #3 pitcher in Mid Atlantic this past season. He gave the Shortballs 24 quality innings during the regular season and threw shutouts in four of his six starts. Like many RPWL pitchers, Nate takes a lateral step onto the rubber before he starts toward the strike zone. However, between his large stride, half turn, left-handedness, and low release point, he creates even more deception than most RPWL pitchers. Offensively, Nate collected two walk-off hits against top-level pitchers – a home run off Dan Whitener and a triple off Ray Lutick – during the season and finished with a top ten OPS. Nate split pitching duties in RPWL with fellow Shortball Teddy Drecher and outperformed him during the regular season. In addition, Nate was the workhorse for the Shortballs during their gold medal run at the Keystone State Games.