Jorf Porsson's Draft Big Board 1.0

Jorf Porsson’s Big Board

The CCW league-wide draft is just over a week away, and it’s time to start the speculation. I, Jorf Porsson, CCW Insider, have been tirelessly working the phones, getting the scoops from my SOURCES, all while doing my own independent analysis of the players available for drafting.

It’s time to unveil my first Big Board of the season. This won’t take into account draft order, but will rather be a full ranking of players based on my assessment of their impact in 2026. When the mock draft comes, you’ll see relationships and fit come into play. 

V1 of our Big Board won’t include any new rookies, or other players who didn’t play last year. With league registration closing within a week, the next version of the Board will include all draft eligible players, including rookies.

Let’s get right to it.

The Drafting Aces

Myc Witty, Reid Werner, Will Smithey, Aidan Palmer, Austin Alles, Mitch Buis, Brayden Scott

These magnificent seven aren’t draft eligible because they will be the ones drafting the teams this season. This is the top 7 pitchers in the league, as weighed by CCW’s proprietary player evaluation system, the same which was used in setting player values for free agency in years prior. These are the building blocks of the teams this year, each player expected to pitch a lion’s share of their team’s innings, and in many cases, carrying the bulk of the offensive freight, as well. 

The Big Board

1. Brendan Dudas

Commissioner Dudas is coming off one of the strongest years of his storied career, and for the first time, will not be the one building a team. He brought home the Yellow Slugger Award and was a colossal piece of the Championship Winning Short Shorts roster. His offensive floor is extremely high, and his ceiling is repeating as the best hitter in the league. Dudas even flashed improvement on the mound, with electric stuff that can be seriously effective if he can keep the arm healthy. I think Dudas couples his elite bat with a pitching performance of a legitimate number 2 in a rotation this summer.


2. Rudy Lyon

Not unlike Dudas, Lyon enters 2026 free from team-building responsibilities for the first time in recent history. That may be a breath of fresh air for Rudy, who experienced a down year by his standards in 2025, perhaps burdened by managing a complicated Yakkers roster. Lyon offers top-of-the-league offensive potential and a pedigree that outpaces just about anyone else in the circuit. While his days as a team ace are likely behind him, Rudy will serve admirably as a second arm on a team, something that will be in high demand in this draft. 

3. Holden Palmer

Holden offers what may be the most coveted attribute in this draft - pitching upside. While his numbers in 2025 were those of a mid-tier number two pitcher, Holden has flashed ace-quality stuff and results in his expansive CCW career. It’s no secret that he’s been working hard on different wiffle ball styles over the winter, and Palmer may be poised for a huge bounce-back campaign in 2026. While he doesn’t offer much value with the bat, he has the potential to be a top 5 pitcher in the league - which is something that no one else in this draft (with maybe one exception, to come later) can boast. 

4. Alex Gurtcheff

Gurtch made the leap from a valuable role player to a star in 2025, leading the league in dingers and taking home the Most Improved Player Award. He gets top billing in a closely packed group of sluggers at this stage in the draft, though, due to his versatility and potential value on the mound. Any one of Gurtcheff or the following two players is equally likely to have the strongest offensive season in 2026, but Gurtcheff can more reliably produce number two pitcher value for a team. His history on the mound is up and down, but if he can avoid the one or two blow-up outings that have haunted him in recent years, he could turn in a solid two-way campaign. 

5. Dylan Jones

DJ is a perennially elite bat stretching back nearly a decade now. Jones will anchor any lineup he ends up in, and as another player who may be free of managing a team for the first time in years, might feel a little freer to focus on the game between the lines. He put up impressive rate-based numbers on an underachieving Hounds team last season, and, perhaps surprisingly to some, logged an ERA under 7.00 for the first time in his career. DJ is a soft-tosser on the mound, but one who is sneakily effective, and will likely eat some third-pitcher innings on his team. 

6. Cade Luker

The third of the three stacked sluggers, as mentioned above, Luker may be the most volatile of the group, but may also have the highest ceiling. He won the Yellow Slugger in 2023, finished 14th in offensive value in 2024, and then was back to being a second-team All-CCW hitter in 2025. The smart man would bet on something like his 2025 output for what to expect in the next season, but the proven ceiling and floor give space for give in either direction. Cade didn’t have to pitch except in emergencies on last year’s Stampede squad, but will likely see an uptick in innings on whichever team drafts him this year, and can serve as a third arm for that team. 

7. Dustin Dowden

If Dowden were fully available in 2026, he wouldn’t be on this draft board - he would be one of the aces doing the drafting. But questions regarding his availability abound, and so his selection would be a risky one for any team. When Dustin is around, he’s a legitimate ace, a first or second team All-CCW arm for each of the last 4 seasons. A team with some pitching depth already established, or looking to take a huge gamble, could swing on Dowden, and look like either the smartest or most bone-headed manager in the game.

8. Connor Young

There may be no better two-way upside play in the draft than Connor Young. After taking home the Rookie of the Year honors in 2024, he followed up the season with another solid two-way campaign in 2025, capped off with a go-ahead dinger in the Dirtyard Classic. He’s one of the few guys who offers actualized top-15 value at the plate and on the mound, with strong defense and baserunning packed in. He’s got room to grow as well, entering just his third year in the league. 

9. Dustin Laugel

Laugel is the best remaining arm in the draft, and I suspect that drafters will gobble up proven pitchers like mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving. The Lush finished as the 10th most valuable pitcher in 2025, and will slide in as some team’s proven number two in the rotation. The contribution to general vibes and the number of beers brought for the team isn’t a measured metric on this board, but if it were, his stock would rise even higher. 

10. Thomas Hopkins

Hopkins is another proven, reliable slugger who cracked the All-CCW Hitting First Team as recently as 2024. He’s a disciplined, patient hitter who absolutely feasts on slow pitch and is a tough out against even the most elite pitching, as well. While he won’t offer any value on the mound, he’s very likely to be the best batter on the team that ends up with him. 

11. Nick Bundy

Bundy and Hopkins are pretty close to even for me in their evaluation. Bundy is a step or two behind Hopkins offensively, but both are serious threats at the plate. Bundy does offer a little more value in the field in my estimation, however. A team that is seeing a lack of pop in the early formation of their lineup would be well served to pick up Bundy, who’ll provide slug and consistency to the unit. 

12. Alec Buchman

Buchman is this draft’s ultimate boom-or-bust upside play. After a career that started with a Rookie of the Year award in 2020 and a First-Team All-CCW performance in 2021, his career was put on hiatus due to injury and unavailability in subsequent summers. Buchman attempted a return last season, making two disappointing starts before suffering another season-ending injury. If Buch returns to his previous form, a team is going to get a potential ace from a slot that has no business producing one, but there is the unfortunate possibility that he offers very little, as well.  

13. Cody House

House is another bat-only slugger with a resurgent 2025 season - blasting 10 homers and finishing 7th in the league in total value. His preceding history is more of a top 15-ish hitter than a top 10 one, however, and he doesn’t bring much to the table in the field or on the mound. A team drafting The Mobile Home will be betting on his 2025 surge being sustainable, and could get a valuable contribution to the lineup. 

14. Dalton Lewis

DLewy put together a strong two-way 2025 campaign - finishing just around the top-15 in the league in both hitting and pitching. Lewis is one of the league’s premier slow-pitch mashers, and his patient approach at the plate leads to him getting plenty of those opportunities. He’s a prototypical back-of-the-rotation arm who throws strikes and provides valuable innings for a club. DLewy is a safe, versatile pick who is guaranteed to provide value in a multitude of ways and plug plenty of a team’s holes. 

15. Ian Garavalia

Ian would likely call his first full CCW season a disappointing one. He got the bulk of the number two innings for the Moonshots and turned in four strong outings to begin the season, before getting knocked around in the last two. His stats, in turn, look worse than his performance likely earned, with those late-season blow-ups tanking his numbers. Yet, he boasts the ability to be a top-half number two pitcher in the league, something that may be heavily sought after in this draft. 

16. Coby Taylor

Coby sports potentially the best raw power in the league. I’ve seen Coby hit wiffle balls further than just about anyone else. The sticking point for him is how consistently he can tap into it in-game. Taylor usually clocks in just above the threshold of receiving playoff eligibility, and I wonder if he were able to be more consistently in attendance, he could find that rhythm. In any case, a team looking for slug in the lineup and a solid defender could do much worse than Taylor. 

17. Dalsen Murdock

Dalsen started off 2025 red-hot, collecting 9 of his total 17 hits in just a four-game early-season stretch, before plummeting back to earth. After that stretch, he was held hitless in nearly half of his remaining games. Murdock has shown that when he’s on, he’s really on, but he will need to tap into some more consistency to take the next step. Defense doesn’t slump, however, and he does possess one of the better sets of hands in the league. 

18. Jay Wilsey

Jay is a true jack of all trades on the Wiffle diamond. He’ll make plenty of contact, he’ll hit for some power, he’ll turn singles into extra base hits with his legs, he’ll make spectacular plays in the field, and he’ll fill in on the mound and provide innings with the potential for upside. So, why is he all the way down at 18 on the board? While he is a jack of all trades, he is yet the master of none, with no one elite skill. He may be a perfect fit for a team with established but limited players, for whom he can fill a multitude of slots.

19. Nolan Karwoski

Mr. Karwoski was the runner-up in 2025’s Rookie of the Year voting, after a solid two-way rookie campaign. Nolan is another guy with huge pull-side power, but a lot of swing and miss in the profile. He struggled to hit the board with consistency in his rookie campaign, but he would be far from the first player to come back with improved command in year two. It wouldn’t be surprising for Nolan to end the year as a team’s solid number 3 arm. 

20. Alec Berninger

Last season’s self-appointed Mr. Irrelevant was the last man off the board in free agency, but I don’t see history repeating in this year’s draft. With the expansion to 7 teams, teams will be looking for guys to eat innings, and Berny will be up to the task. His funky, deceptive repertoire is difficult to command, but effective when on the board. He won’t add much at the plate, but he can handle himself in the field, as well. 

21. Tristan Dudas

Tristan teetered on the edge of an offensive breakout last season, but it never fully came - perhaps this year will be the year it fully does. The young lefty carried a respectable batting average through the 2025 campaign, but only two extra-base hits to his name. As Dudas continues to mature, it’s not a reach to expect him to tap into more power and become more of an offensive force. 

22. Justin Swingler

Swing’s first foray into CCW, unfortunately, was underwhelming statistically - but he carries a wealth of national Wiffle experience, and is a good bet to outperform his rookie campaign’s output. Swingler will hope to get plenty of opportunity at the back of a lineup to prove his ability at the plate, and may worm his way into some pitching opportunities, if his arm is healthy enough. 

23. Mitch Unversaw

Big Mitch is another high-average, low-power guy who will likely be available later in the draft. He has youth and athleticism on his side, as one of the speedier players in the league. Unversaw was absent for the entirety of July last year, though - if a drafter can get assurance of his availability, he’ll be a useful player to slot into the back half of a lineup and to play important innings defensively. 

24. Connor Smith

Connor Smith will go higher than 24th in the draft, almost certainly, because of his immense untapped potential in CCW league play. He’s young and accomplished in other leagues and formats of wiffle ball, but Connor has yet to put it all together in CCW, batting just .180 and carrying an ERA north of 10 in 2025. But again, the world knows that Smith is going to break out and become a much more valuable player than his past numbers represent - the question for drafters is if that breakout will come this season. 

25. Devon Hensley

Hensley returned to CCW in 2025 after a number of years away and immediately filled an important role player position with the title-winning Shorts. Another contact-oriented hitter with a good approach and good eye, Hensley played his way into the lineup by the end of the Shorts’ season, and should start in a team’s day 1 plans this year. Another year to re-acclimate, and Devon could be another guy who outperforms his draft position. 

26. Keegan Caughey

Keegan has become CCW’s Robert Horry - winning back-to-back titles with different teams now, playing a limited but meaningful role. Caughey doesn’t have much pure power or wheels left in his profile, but he does have great bat-to-ball skills and is a consummate teammate. A lineup full of on-base or speed-first guys would benefit from Keegan’s ability to stack up base knocks and make productive outs. 

27. Kent Nims

Nims’ rookie campaign saw him mostly buried in a deep Yakkers depth chart, but with the league’s expansion, he’ll look to make a greater impact in 2026. A team in need of pitching depth late in the draft could look at Nims and hope for him to slot in as a serviceable third arm. 

28. Josh Hart

Josh is effectively the yin to Keegan Caughey’s yang. In a comparable number of ABs, their hit totals were separated by just one. But Hart had 3 longballs to Keegan’s one, but 30 strikeouts to Keegan’s 13. Hart is boom or bust at the plate, but he will run into balls and do damage on them when he connects. 

29. Byron Young

Byron didn’t do much in his 2025 rookie season, but he is another projectable young player with upside. He’s already throwing the ball with the ability to hit the board with some consistency, which is a huge hurdle for any young player. Similar to Nims, the expanded format will likely force Young to take the ball for more innings and give him the chance to develop. 

30. Luke Thompson

Stop me if you’ve heard this before - but Luke is a young, experienced wiffle ball player with limited success in a small CCW sample. If he’s able to get to The Dirtyard consistently this season, he could quickly become a rising performer in the league. 

31. Colt Cantrell

Colt’s an All-CCW vibes guy - highlighted by his drunken one-handed dinger mid-way through last season. He sneakily put together a solid final stretch of the season last year, and if he’s able to carry that momentum into 2026, Colt could serve as a valuable back-of-the-lineup contributor. 

32. Ethan New

New didn’t get into a lot of games for the Hounds last season, and frankly, didn’t do much with the times he did. An offseason can change a lot, however, and a reset into year two could unlock a step forward for Ethan in 2026.