The Complete Package: Why Charlie Bussey III Edges Out Dagen Brewer for D2 Baseball Player of the Year

Look at the back of Dagen Brewer’s baseball card this season, and it frankly looks like a typo. The Pittsburg State slugger put together one of the most terrifying, middle-of-the-order campaigns we’ve ever seen. Swatting 26 homers with 24 doubles and driving in a NCAA Division II record 107 runs in just 274 plate appearances is the offensive season of a lifetime. In almost any other year, the debate ends there, and we hand him the hardware.

But then you look at Francis Marion’s Charlie Bussey III, and you realize you are looking at a unicorn.

When evaluating the true Player of the Year, we have to take a holistic view. It isn't just about who hit the ball the hardest; it’s about how a player impacts every single facet of the game—offense, baserunning, and defense. When you stack these two titans side-by-side through that comprehensive lens, Bussey simply provided a more dynamic, all-encompassing brand of baseball.

The Historical Power Peak: Brewer’s Elite Territory

To truly understand how special Dagen Brewer's season was, you have to look at the historical data. Since 2011, when Division II had fully available stats, standard 20+ double, 20+ home run seasons are incredibly rare. Only seven players have ever accomplished it:

• Collins Cuthrell (2015, UNC Pembroke) — 22 2B, 25 HR

• Zion Pettigrew (2022, UIS) — 23 2B, 28 HR

• DJ Van Atten (2023, Southern Nazarene) — 20 2B, 21 HR

• Adam Paniagua (2025, Regis) — 22 2B, 27 HR

• Mackenzie Wainwright (2025, Lenoir-Rhyne) — 26 2B, 25 HR

• Dagen Brewer (2026, Pitt State) — 24 2B, 26 HR

• Charlie Bussey III (2026, Francis Marion) — 22 2B, 21 HR
  

Brewer doesn’t just sit on this list; he sits at the very peak of it. When you filter for absolute elite extra-base authority—players with 24+ doubles and 24+ home runs—the list shrinks to just two names in history: Mackenzie Wainwright and Dagen Brewer. Brewer’s raw ability to impact the baseball and drive the gaps in the MIAA was second to none this spring.

The Unprecedented 20/20/40 Club

While Brewer was the ultimate finisher, Bussey was a one-man engine with a power-speed profile that literally has no historical comparison.

Hitting the ball out of the yard 21 times while swiping 40 bags is the holy grail of offensive synthesis. But Bussey didn't stop there—he added 22 doubles for good measure. A 20+ double, 20+ home run, 40+ stolen base campaign has never been accomplished in the Division II statistical era (dating back to 2011 where full stats were available). Matter of fact, the list above of 20+ doubles and 20+ home runs, only Mackenzie Wainwright had above 10 stolen bases with 23 bags. That also doesn't include the NCAA DII Record of 118 runs scored that he shattered by 15 runs. Bussey III didn't just have a great year; he broke the mold of what we thought a D2 player could do.

The Advanced Metrics: Value Over Volume

Brewer’s raw run production is undeniably historic. But when we strip away the lineup context and drill down into advanced run creation, Bussey’s overall offensive footprint takes the crown.

Looking at the technical version of Runs Created (RC), which values not just offense but also baserunning, Bussey generated a staggering 137.4 Runs Created compared to Brewer's 120.7.

Skeptics might point to Bussey's higher plate appearance total (308 to 274) as the reason for the gap. But even on a per-plate-appearance basis, Bussey holds the edge. He produced 0.45 RC/PA compared to Brewer’s 0.44. Bussey was slightly more efficient at creating runs every time he stepped into the box, and he sustained that elite efficiency over a larger sample size.

The Complete WAR Picture

The holistic view of a player requires us to quantify their entire contribution to winning. WAR, or Wins Above Replacement, allows us to see how many "wins" a player contributed by himself. Using the Runs Created iteration of SimpleWAR, the gap between the two stars becomes even clearer:

• Charlie Bussey III: 7.0 WAR

• Dagen Brewer: 5.8 WAR
  

That 1.2 WAR gap is the difference between an elite slugger and a true five-tool superstar. Bussey’s 7.0 WAR encapsulates everything: his .604 OBP, his flawless baserunning, and the defensive stability he provided in the outfield (.982 fielding percentage).

And again, this isn't just a volume trick. On a rate basis, Bussey generated 0.023 WAR/PA, edging out Brewer’s 0.021 WAR/PA. Every single time Bussey’s name was written on the lineup card, he was mathematically providing more total value to his team.

Dagen Brewer was a force of nature in the MIAA, putting together the pure offensive season of a lifetime. His raw power will be talked about for years.

But Charlie Bussey III had a remarkable, all-around season of a lifetime. He hit for average, hit for power, controlled the strike zone, ran wild on the bases, and played a cleaner outfield. He is the only member of the 20/20/40 club, the undisputed analytics darling, and our clear-cut Player of the Year.