All-Decade Team: DH

If there is a position that should be one of strength for a Frontier League team each season, then it has to be designated hitter. After all, it's much easier to find a guy who can only hit than find one who can hit and play quality defense for 96 games, right?

For most of their 10 seasons, the Wild Things have had a productive designated hitter. Choosing a DH for the all-decade team is a process that starts with four candidates: Jay Coakley, Jacob Dempsey (pictured), Robbie Knapp and Matt Swope. Each put up good numbers, and all but Swope played at least parts of two or more seasons in Washington.

Swope was the Wild Things' DH for the a portion of the 2005 season. An outfielder by trade, Swope was signed after playing in the Montreal Expos' system. He was working his way back from a shoulder injury that prevented him from playing the outfield for the first two months of the season, but when healthy enough to hit, Swope was inserted as the DH. Swope batted .309 with eight home runs, 54 RBI and 11 stolen bases from the leadoff spot. He also holds the team record with a 26-game hitting streak.

However, Swope, who these days hosts a radio talk show on the ESPN affiliate in Baltimore, played only 36 games at DH (played 25 in the outfield), and that's not enough to win the all-decade spot.

The same situation involves Knapp, who played multiple positions for Washington in 2007 and again in '08 before being traded to Rockford. Knapp could hit. He batted .306 with 13 home runs and 54 RBI in '07, and .296 with 15 extra-base hits the following year before being traded. Knapp, however, played only 52 games with Washington at DH.

That leaves Coakley and Dempsey. Coakley was one of the first pickups for Washington after its 2002 season began. A former NCAA Division III Player of the Year at Marietta College, Coakley spent three years with the Wild Things and carried better batting averages than you might think (.307, .284 and .274). He hit 30 home runs and drove in 127 runs. The latter total would have been larger had he not batted behind Josh Loggins for his first two seasons.

While Coakley's numbers were very good, they don't' match those of Dempsey. The lefty swinging power hitter played three years in Washington and produced some eye-popping numbers: 61 doubles, 57 home runs, 221 RBI, 170 walks.

Dempsey put up huge numbers at Winthrop University, then played in the Philadelphia Phillies' system before being released. The Wild Things tried hard to sign Dempsey shortly after he was released, but he opted to return to college for a year. After sitting out one summer, Dempsey signed with Washington. He proved to be worth the wait.

Dempsey's first two seasons with the Wild Things were remarkable, and he was named to the league's postseason all-star team each year. In 2008, Dempsey batted .310 with 17 home runs and 88 RBI. In '09, it was .281 with 31 home runs and 81 RBI.

Dempsey was slowed by an injury in his final season and retired before it's conclusion. But for two years, Dempsey was one of the best hitters in a hitter-friendly league.

Now, it's time to put together a five-man pitching rotation.

All-Decade Designated Hitter: Jacob Dempsey (2008-10)