NY MEATS

Ryan Bush (c) – RHP/LHB – Age 28 – New York
2012, 2016 NWLA Tournament Champion; 2018 Palisades WBL Champion

Jimmy Cole – RHP/RHB – Age 28 – New York
2019 NWLA Tournament Champion

Tyler Flakne – LHP/LHB – Age 27 – Minnesota

Jimmy Flynn – RHP/RHB – Age 24 – Massachusetts

Chris Roeder – RHP/LHB – Age 28 – New York
2016 NWLA Tournament Champion

TEAM OVERVIEW

Two weeks after finding out that they would be without MAW teammate Kyle VonSchleusigen at the United Wiffle®Ball National Championship, the NY Meats took to Twitter to address their roster situation.

“If you have interest in playing with the MEATS,” the tweet began, “. . . please do not reach out to us. Meats must have interest in you first and will reach out. And no, we are not splitting up. . .”

The fact that many teams would have interest in the core Meats players for United Wiffle®Ball or that free agents would view the Meats as an excellent landing spot is no surprise. A core of Ryan Bush and Jimmy Cole is an excellent starting point for any team and the Meats – despite the unexpected loss of K-Von – were aware that they were still in a strong position to build a contending team. Their confidence in creating a competitor appears to have been justified. The NY Meat’s 2020 United Wiffle®Ball roster – while perhaps different than initially anticipated – is deep, flexible, and a legitimate contender.

Bush is a veritable Wiffle®Ball Swiss army knife. The hard throwing right-hander has much success throwing both clean and cut balls, he can give you six innings at the end of a tournament or pitch one or two innings per game throughout, and is an all-around hitter who is just as likely to beat a team with a walk as a he is with a home run. That versatility is particularly useful on this Meat’s roster, where the roles of the other pitchers might not be fully realized until tournament day.

When he isn’t swinging a nerf bat as hard as humanely possible, Cole is a solid pitcher in his own right with top tier breaking pitches. Cole will likely be good for a game – maybe two – on the carpet, but won’t necessarily be a late tournament option for his team. Chris Roeder is an NWLA Tournament veteran with GSWL fast pitch experience in 2014. Like Bush, he can go clean or cut as the situation dictates. The fact that he hasn’t pitched much in big barrel/altered ball environment in recent years could work to his benefit, as many opposing hitters are unfamiliar with what he brings to the table.

Tyler Flakne – who played with Cole and Bush in 2017 & 2018 at the Fast Plastic NCT and is an NWLA Tournament veteran with HRL – is a proven hitter anywhere he plays. His arm is more of a question mark. It has been four years since Flakne had a strong pitching performance at the NWLA Tournament. He does have a good arm – and a relatively fresh one – and therefore could be an under-the-radar weapon for the Meats. Jimmy Flynn was the last addition to the team and brings a lot of recent national championship experience with him to Pennsylvania. This Massachusetts wiffler swings a quality bat and like all of his teammates, he is an option to pitch. Flynn might be best served in a single-game role, however, where he can empty the tank during a key point in the tournament.

TEAM MEDIA