Meet the Players: Part 3

Hello, friends. We have reached the halfway point where 8/16 players have been introduced. Hopefully, you have enjoyed the unbiased reporting from my end. Stay with me now, because four more player comps are coming your way, and they’re coming hard.

Alan LaBov

LaBov will make his Buster Bowl debut this year, but despite having no tape available for the captains to review, he is going early in most mock drafts. Based on numerous reports, some of which could be classified as glazing, LaBov is close to being a scratch golf. Again, I am basing this on secondhand information, but this would solidify his position as an early draft pick. Indeed, the Buster Bowl Pipeline (BBP) has Alan at #3, but like any skill evaluation assessment, the BBP can be wrong now and again. Perhaps this is most evident by the BBP having Brandon Bush in the BBP top 10. However, we at the BBP pride ourselves on absolutely nailing, pounding, and drilling the top 5 prospects. Within this range, we do not miss. Thus, expect LaBov to not only go early but to also shoot the lights out. From what I have heard, LaBov’s irons and wedges can be as hot as Thom Brennaman’s microphone. Unlike Brennaman, do not expect an apology from LaBov afterwards.

LaBov’s Player Comp: Derrick White

Both of these guys can absolutely ball, but are they super-stars? Are they the face of their respective teams? No, but that is not a slight to either one of their games. Like Derrick White, LaBov has the potential to outplay anyone on the roster, but he isn’t talked about the same way Coatney and Kru are. This does not mean he can’t go on a historic run and capture the Buster Bowl MVP. I am excited to see what this guy can bring to the course.

   

Joshua Magley

Mags is a gamer. The guy lives to golf. If he has an opening in his schedule, he will fill it with golf. But is he good? Well, he is better than most, but his wife beats him. She cannot stop beating him (at golf). Maybe he likes it, who knows. The fact remains, Mags can post scores in the mid to low 80s, so I think he is good. Others, however, have criticized the golf courses he frequents because they are short or because he is too familiar with them. I say, who cares. Bradberry needs to wear inserts to be able to go on roller coasters, but we still love the guy. More importantly, you still need to hit the shot, and this guy can do just that. Will he be a top five pick? I guess it depends on how risky the captains are feeling, but I would wager (hypothetically, of course. IRS stay the hell away from me) that he will be off the board by pick #8.

Mags’ player comp: 

 

To avoid any litigation, I will be referring to the player on the left as Enrique Hernandez. I cannot risk spelling out his name and missing the accent up the letter E. Anyways, Enrique and Mags are both solid players who are known more for their personalities than for their playing styles. However, both of them can rip your heart out on the diamond/course. You cannot overlook them in matchups. They will smooth talk you into thinking you are playing for fun and then, Boom, you are down two holes after two. Neither one is known for their power, but they can surprise you now and again.

  

Chandler McKinney

Where do I begin with this guy? Perhaps we will start with the variability in this guy’s game. Some days, Chandler will fire off a clean 86, while on others he would tell you, “I’m playing like Caleb right now!” And he wonders why I drank so much on that fateful day. Chandler’s tee shots on holes 1 and 10 are especially indicative of the round he will have. If the driver is cold, it won’t heat up until the turn. However, it is a rarity to see this guy put two bad nines in the scorecard on any given day. More often than not, especially later in the golf season, Chandler minimizes his blow-up holes and generally follows up a bad hole with a par to get himself back on track. He boasts a solid 5-1-1 Buster Bowl record, but has he been carried by Jason? That is what many have said. When asked who was responsible for Chandler’s Buster Bowl success, one anonymous source said, “I have been carrying this dude through it all. I am responsible for our five wins, and he is responsible for the one loss.” We appreciate Jason Gross taking the time to provide his input. Another individual named Trevor Bastien said this about Chandler: “Dude, that is my best friend. I miss him. We have not spoke much since he fumbled our lucrative printer deal. Alas, I hope to reconnect with him soon.” Interesting. Very interesting. 

Chandler’s player comp: Spencer Torkelson

Tork shows flashes of being a premier first baseman. The guy has got some real power in that bat, but he’s also got a lot of strikeouts in that bat. You wouldn’t be surprised if Tork went 0-4 with 4 Ks, nor would you be shocked if he went 3-5 with 2 HRs. Likewise, Chandler has some serious upside. When he is dialed in, he plays like a top 5 player. Conversely, when he is not dialed, he can play like a bottom five pick. If I had to guess which version of Tork we’d get from Chandler this year, I would say 2025 Tork. Lest we forget, despite Tork having a solid season in 2025, he slumped HARD during the Tigers’ skid during the second half of the season.

 

Noah Reed

Noah has been participating in the Buster Bowl since it was still a two-man scramble. He has a good deal of power in his driver, but like his pitching, that power is not always coupled with control. This lack of control has proven to be costly for Noah in years prior. The most important/memorable instance of this occurred last year when Noah missed a two-foot putt which secured a second-round sweep for the Buzzed Bandits. It was electric, but not for Noah. Noah is projected to go in one of the later rounds, but he is still more than able to contribute. Depending on who he is paired with/slated to play against, Noah’s golf game could be the difference in this year’s Buster Bowl.

Noah’s player comp: Damar Hamlin

Neither of these guys are first-round picks. Like Damar, Noah’s most memorable Buster Bowl moment, whether he likes it or not, will be his fall to the ground. But his story is not over. He is keen to return and perform well enough to right his wrongs from last year. Noah is easily one of the favorites to win Comeback Player of the Year. However, as we witnessed with Damar, it is far from guaranteed. Even a brush with death pales in comparison to playing well for the Cleveland Browns.