Westchester Rockland Wood Bat League

The 2022 season was an uncharacteristically up and down year for one of the league’s all-time great squads. Despite having high hopes for securing a three-peat, the Tigers finished the regular season with a losing record and were upset in the semifinals by the New York Bears. Despite their struggles, Manager Joe Mandile returns a large majority of his team’s legendary nucleus for the 2023 season.

You cannot mention the Tigers without starting with their offense. For the past decade, the Tigers bats have terrorized WRWBL pitching. It starts with the big five of Nate Estes, Paul Blejec, Anthony Gigante, Lou Gigante, and Chris Nardozzi. These veteran sluggers have been around for years, collectively winning a total of 6 league MVP awards and each cementing Hall of Fame level legacies with their performances year in and year out. Estes is the standout of the group, as the 2-time MVP returns to lead the charge offensively for the vaunted Tigers lineup. A career .400+ hitter with over 20 career home runs under his belt, Estes is amongst the league’s all time great hitters. Supporting these veteran standouts is another insane collection of hitters, as Tyler Mandel and Dylan Laudano (both All Stars last season) will be tasked with further supporting the Tigers lineup. Newcomers, Dion Austrie and Michael Cohen, will see action early on and will look to provide solid production offensively.

Defensively, the Tigers are as solid as they come. Their lone GG winner, Anthony Gigante, returns to shore up the shortstop position, while former GG winners Garbarino, Estes, and Blejec will also look to lock it down defensively.

On the pitching side, the Tigers have always gone with little depth. Who even needs depth though when you have the league’s all-time great workhorse, Joe Mandile. A 2-time Cy Young winner and one of the league’s best pitchers in the last decade, Mandile will once again look to lead this staff on a championship run. V.J. Collins, an All-Star selection last year, will also look to support Mandile to form one of the league’s best 1-2 punches. Newcomer Vinny Martin should see plenty of work on the mound.