BWAL TOP 15 — NO. 12: LIAM BESECKER

Some hitters are built to reach base. Others are built to cause damage.

Liam Besecker is built to cause damage.

At No. 12 on the BWAL Season 4 Top 15 is Liam Besecker—a legitimate powerhouse at the plate and perhaps the closest thing the league has to Ryan Howard.

Like Howard, Besecker's game comes with extremes. There are strikeouts, and sometimes plenty of them. But every time he steps into the box, there is a real possibility that the ball leaves the yard. He possesses the kind of natural power that cannot be taught and forces pitchers to approach him differently.

"Liam is our Ryan Howard," Titans teammate Johnny Besecker said. "There might be some strikeouts, but you never want to miss over the plate against him. He can change the entire game with one swing."

Besecker finished Season 3 with 11 hits, eight runs, seven RBIs, two home runs and seven walks across eight games. His two home runs placed him tied for fifth in the league, but even that number fails to capture the threat he presented whenever he stepped to the plate.

His best regular-season performance came against the Dragons, when he collected two home runs, four hits, four RBIs and three runs scored. It was the complete Liam Besecker experience: overwhelming power and the ability to take over a game almost by himself.

"When Liam gets ahold of one, everybody knows immediately," Dragons veteran Will Byler said. "You don't even bother turning around. There aren't many players in this league who can hit the ball the way he can."

That power became even more valuable during the Titans' championship run.

Besecker homered in the semifinal against the Dragons before collecting three hits, two RBIs and two runs in the championship game against the 8 Balls. After an inconsistent regular season, he produced when the Titans needed him most and helped bring a championship back to the franchise.

"He's made for those big moments," 8 Balls veteran Matt McCleary said. "Power like that plays differently in the postseason. One mistake can completely swing the game, and Liam makes you feel that pressure every time he's up."

There is no hiding the biggest concern in his profile. Besecker struck out 25 times in Season 3—the most in the league. His power-heavy approach produced stretches where contact became difficult, and opposing pitchers learned that they could attack him by staying away from the center of the zone.

That is the Ryan Howard comparison in its entirety. You accept some strikeouts because of what can happen when he connects.

"I would never call an at-bat against Liam comfortable," Cherrypickers star Dylan Atkinson said. "Even if you struck him out the last two times, you know the next pitch could disappear. That power stays in your head."

The case against ranking Besecker higher is consistency. Eleven hits across eight games does not place him among the league's most dependable hitters, and the strikeout total is impossible to ignore. For him to climb the rankings, he must shorten the cold stretches and find more ways to contribute when pitchers refuse to give him something to drive.

The case that he belongs higher begins with his ceiling.

Few players in the BWAL can match Besecker's raw strength. He ranked tied for fifth in home runs, delivered multiple big postseason swings and ended the year with a championship. His performance in the title game also showed that he does not need to hit a home run to make an impact.

"He's one of those hitters who makes everyone stop and watch," Titans star Willie Burger said. "You know what he's capable of. If he becomes more consistent, he could have a monster year."

That is Liam Besecker heading into Season 4: the BWAL's Ryan Howard, a championship-winning powerhouse capable of changing any game with one swing.

The strikeouts will be part of the story. The home runs will be, too.