Caleb Curtis
With the 2024 season just weeks away, it's time we take a look at the teams, and dive into some numbers. There will be an influx of unknown talent this season, as we will have 10 rookies playing, a new league record.
1. Timberwolves
Roster: Elijah Curtis(14th Season), Raygan Bradley(5th Season), Stetson Curtis(5th Season), Natalie Nishioka(Rookie).
There's no secret to it, Elijah Curtis has crushed his way to the last two Men's MVPs, and he broke the single-season home run record in back-to-back seasons. The cards fell just right for his Wolves to snag 2019 and 2023 Men's MVP Runner-Up Raygan Bradley, who posted a .559 average last season, with 7 home runs added to it. His numbers may not be over the top, but he is worth his weight in gold at any defensive position he's placed at, which will likely be left field, behind Elijah manning the pitching circle. Elijah's youngest brother, Stetson, will likely be setting up camp in right field, and he hung around league average last season, producing a .364 average with 6 homers, but he struggled on a couple occasions with clutch hitting. The likely catcher for the Wolves will be newcomer, Natalie Nishioka, whom we have 0 ideas as to what she will produce on the field. The Timberwolves will play their first game on Saturday, October 12th at 7:45am against the Cardinals.
2. Gorillas
Roster: Caleb Curtis(14th Season), Maddy Mullin(14th Season), Carly Mullin(10th Season), Jacob Cooper(2nd Season).
The Gorillas bring in the most experienced roster of the 2024 pool, with a combined 36 seasons between its four players, which is 15 more than their closest competitor(T-Wolves). Caleb Curtis carried a .643 average last season while knocking 12 homers out, but his defense in left field wasn't exactly where it needed to be. Gorillas manager Caleb Curtis will look to move Caleb Curtis to pitcher this season on defense to potentially light a spark(Source: Caleb Curtis). Maddy Mullin managed a .611 average with 7 homers last season with a struggling Bats squad, and will hold down left field for the Gorillas, where she projects to be a tick below league average. The wiry Jacob Cooper will anchor down right field for the Gorillas, where he was league average last season, and had a .600 average with 1 homer. Carly Morrison (previously Mullin) comes back to the league for the first time since 2020. Back then, she played catcher for the Gorillas championship squad and won the Women's MVP with a .290 average and 1 homer. Her defensive efforts were a large part in her crowning season. The Gorillas will begin play on Saturday, October 12th, at 10:15am against the Base Bandits.
3. Base Bandits
Roster: Morgan Mullin(14th Season),Ethan Berkshire(5th Season), Emily McAdams(Rookie), MaKenzie Whitehead(Rookie).
The Bandits are riding high following the league’s first back-to-back championship run. Ethan Berkshire and Morgan Mullin both return from last year’s squad, where Ethan had a .733 average and 7 homers. Morgan produced a .500 average with 6 homers, she is also the highest rated returning right fielder on defense. She will be looking to add on to her league-leading 5 championships, and 4 Women’s MVPs. The Bandits are one of four teams to have multiple rookies on their roster, as they bring in MaKenzie Whitehead, and Emily McAdams. Emily did actually see nine at bats last season for the Bandits, and she managed a .222 average, but she did not meet the 25 at bat requirement, so she remains a rookie this season. She brings solid speed and energy to the team, and could play right field or catcher. Not a lot is known on what Makenzie will bring to the table, besides that she is a great tailgater and is excited to be a part of the field. The Bandits will play their first game against the Gorillas on Saturday morning at 10:15am.
4. Black Mambas
Roster: Todd Daugherty(7th Season), Caleb Spears(3rd Season), Ryan Johnson(Rookie), Dakota Whitehead(Rookie).
The Mambas are rolling out a new look this season, as they look to rely on some unproven rookies, a tactic that manager Mike Mullin has been known to do. 2017 Men’s MVP Runner-up Caleb Spears will look to be the heavy-hitter for the Snakes, as he smashed a .630 average last season with 13 homers and showed some reliable defense in left field. Todd Daugherty comes in as the most seasoned Mamba, and will likely hold down the catcher position reliably, as he’s done for years. He put up a .237 average last year with one homer while battling injuries. Ryan Johnson is one of the many question marks in the league this season, but early reports indicate he could be an above average hitter in the league, and projects some power. Dakota Whitehead comes in with little baseball/WIFFLE experience, but boasts a big frame that can produce more than enough power to cause defenses trouble. The Mambas season will kick off at 9:25am against the Bats on Saturday morning.
5. Legends
Roster: Ben Cramer(11th Season), Samantha Cramer(8th Season), Cloee Helm(2nd Season), Eric McAdams(2nd Season).
The Legends bring an interesting look into the ‘24 season. Being one of just two teams without a rookie(Gorillas), they bring in last season’s Women’s MVP Cloee Helm, who hit .850 with 8 homers and dazzled defensively at the pitching circle. She will look to lead the lineup and defend that MVP title. Eric McAdams is also coming off a solid rookie season, where he hit .400 with 5 homers while being the clear number one catcher defensively. Team captain Ben Cramer didn’t play up to his standards last season, hitting .500 with just 2 homers, and struggling pretty mightily on defense. The Staches are capped off with the notoriously clutch-hitting Sami Cramer, who had a down season a year ago, posting just a .138 batting average, but she can hold her own at the catcher position. This team could very well end up leading the league in batting average with their hitting styles leading to a more spread out hit chart, and they have some solid pieces on the defensive side. The Legends will look to start their first championship run with an 8:35am first pitch against a revived Bees franchise.
6. Bats
Roster: Shae White(13th Season), Kristian Manion(3rd Season), Chris McAdams(Rookie), Marcus Cramer(Rookie)
The Bats will look to have a bounce-back season, and they have perhaps the most intriguing rookie that the field will see this year, with Chris McAdams. Having just graduated high school in May, he has a background in baseball and weight-lifting, so the tools are there for immediate success. A slimmed-down Kristian Manion will look to follow up last season, where he hit .537 with 4 homers while producing some clutch hits during the Gorillas playoff run. He played at both pitcher and left field last season with sure hands, but not a whole lot of range. 2022 Women’s MVP Shae White will surely be holding things down in right field just like years past. She produced a .341 average last season, and was robbed of multiple homers. But if you needed another reason to watch the Bats besides the most enticing rookie, what if I told you that they also have perhaps the second most exciting prospect with Marcus Cooper. Marcus has been a part of the Mullin WIFFLE scene since his literal birth. The kid knows the game and has been itching to make his rookie debut for quite some time now. Marcus is sure to hold down the catcher position for the Bats while he gets warmed up to the competition. Vengeance will start their Saturday off with some cartoons and a 9:25am first pitch against the Mambas.
7. Bees
Roster: Jessica Forest(7th Season), Zayne Wilson(4th Season), Austin Vanatta(2nd Season), Wyatt Johnson(Rookie)
The Bees(also formerly Master Blasters), have come back to life for the first time since the 2016 season. These Bees will be headlined by Austin Vanatta, who hit .676 with 9 homers back in 2022 with the T-Wolves, despite his limited playing time. He shows solid range defensively, but lacks consistency on some routine plays. The speedy Jessica Forest(aka Baby), will look for a bounce-back season after she struggled with a .295 average, and is still being held without a homer in her career. She struggles on the defensive side, but puts the ball in play a lot, and her quickness ensures that no play is routine. Zayne Wilson will continue to hold down his catcher position and attempt to improve on his .250 average from a season ago. The rookie Wyatt Johnson is one of the more interesting ones in this crop, with the report on him being that he is young and has a history of baseball with the potential to add some pop to this Bees lineup. He projects to have one of the highest ceilings in this newcomer class. The Bees will start their honey-making at 8:35am, Saturday morning against the Legends.
8. Cardinals
Roster: Gunner Mullin(8th Season), David Roark(7th Season), Theo Morrison(Rookie), HyAzia Johnson(Rookie)
The Cardinals are also back for the first time since the 2020 season. The two-time champs will be looking to 2016 Men’s MVP David Roark to lead the way. He hit .575 last season, and had a career-high 12 homers with the Mambas. He is consistently a plus defender in left field, and is the league’s most tatted up player. He’ll be lining up with Theo Morrison, a rookie who was actually supposed to make his debut back in 2021, but could not due to some complications. He has a very powerful frame, and projects to be the number two bat for this Cards revival. Gunner Mullin will likely fulfill his position as an everyday catcher once again, and hopes to improve on the .200 average he had a year ago. HyAzia Johnson will be the likely starter in right field for the Cardinals for her rookie run, but not much has been reported on her other than her solid knowledge of baseball and how intrigued she is with our league. The Cards season begins with a 7:45am first pitch against the Timberwolves.
Obviously this is all fun and games, so please do not be mad at the totally unbiased author if I have your team rated lower than you’d like(mom). I also wrote this entire thing at work, so if you spot any spelling or grammar errors, please send your concerns to mullinwiffleball@gmail.com (I have not checked that email since 2018). Tata