by H.B. Baumgardner and Dr. Brodrick Bunkley.

One of the greatest, most underrated video games of all time has to be Little League Baseball: Championship Series for the original Nintendo. Incredibly simple in it’s design, the game can be played right off the rip with stock rosters. But the beauty of the game is the depth at which it can suck you in to. Tinkering and tinkering with the rosters is the only way to maximize your talent, as there our hidden gems amongst the many first-named-only players.

Without further adieu, here are the top 5 hitters in Little League Baseball:

1. Peter ’The Pump’, 1B - Canada

Simply put: you can’t pitch to Peter. Playing on the greatest offensive force in the game in Canada, Peter the Pump mashes more balls than Albert Pujols. With Albert and Fred hitting 4th and 5th, Peter has the best protection for any hitter in the game. Peter took Saul, the famed New York pitcher, yard for a game-winning walk off home run in Canada’s 1990 Championship Run, finishing the tournament hitting .675 with 8 home runs and 24 rbi in 12 games.

2. Irving, RF - Florida

Unknown out of Florida, Irving Zissman not only plays a staggering RF with a cannon, but he swings a mean bat as well. “The hardest part about pitching to Irving” says Texas relief pitcher Colt “is that you can not work him inside at all, try to go in there and he’ll hurt you…it’s going to hurt”. It’s not about how far Irving hits the ball, its about how hard. Even a line-drive has a high percentage chance to get down the line or through the gaps.

3. Wang, 1B - Chinese Taipai

The great-great-grandson of Chiang Kai-shek, Wang grew up whacking rice paddies with bamboo sticks in Taiwan. Incredibly intelligent, Wang would graduate from National Taiwan University at the age of 14 with a degree in Meta-Physics. It’s this incredible intelligence that would help Wang hit .673 in the 1990 Little League World Series and, with help from Guo, lead his team to an eventual loss to Canada in the World Regional Final.

4.  Paco ’The Mexican Babe Ruth’, 1B - Mexico

Born in Mexico, Paco moved to Texas at age 7, where he promply picked up the game of baseball. Nicknamed The Mexican Babe Ruth, Paco would spurn Texas and go on to play for his home country, amidst bitterness towards the NAFTA agreement. Paco posted an obscene 1.675 OPS in 12 games for Mexico, but disappeared in an elimination game against his now-rival Texas teammates and their ace Joseph.

5. Fred, CF - Canada

Often overshadowed by his fatter teammate Peter, Fred comes in at 5 on our Greatest Offensive Players list. Hardened by Canadian winters and a brash love of hockey, Fred patrols centerfield with reckless abandon. A bit free-swinging, Fred doesn’t have the patience or eye of his comtemporaries, but can certainly rake.  Holding the record for most home-runs in a game with 4, Fred hits behind Peter and makes sure Canada remains the best team in the world.

Honorable mentions:

Ward, RF, New York.

‘Fat” Will, 1B, Texas

Jaime, 2B, Spain