This is Part II of a two-part series, so check out Part I if you haven’t yet!

Hello everyone! It’s once again time to determine which Mario Super Sluggers characters have uncanny parallels in the MLB. So, let’s get into it.

Waluigi = Clayton Kershaw

Waluigi and Kershaw are both tall, lanky lefties with sickening stuff and goofy deliveries. Chris Sale also fit the bill here, but Kershaw seemed more appropriate with his unique windup. Waluigi is one of the best pitchers on the entire roster, so it should be no surprise that his MLB equivalent has amassed three Cy Young Awards to date.

Yoshi = Dee Gordon

Shoutouts to Kobe for this suggestion, which is honestly a better fit than the one we initially had. We were gonna go with Francisco Lindor, due to Yoshi being an ideal SS who can run, field, and hit well, but Gordon seems to be more accurate. This is because Yoshi doesn’t have the power that Lindor does, and Yoshi can also fit in the outfield. Both Yoshi and Gordon are versatile players who can steal a lot of bases.

Petey Piranha = Joey Gallo

Both Petey and Joey are one-trick ponies. Fortunately, they both happen to be really good at their niche, which is blasting home runs. If you make solid contact with Petey, there’s a good chance that ball is gonna leave the yard. The same is true of Gallo, with 39% of his total hits (to date) being home runs.

Magikoopa = Greg Maddux

Both are literal magic on the mound. Maddux’s pure wizardry of the mound has been well documented, totaling 4 Cy Youngs and 8 All-Star appearances over his long career, despite a low-punch fastball. Maddux instead focused on his command and his wide arsenal of pitches. Also, Magikoopa, in addition to being a great pitcher, is also one of the best fielders in the game. This also applies to Maddux, who had 18 (!) Gold Glove awards over his illustrious career.

Birdo = Nolan Arenado

Birdo is a pure power hitter who is also an excellent fielder well-suited for playing 3B. It only seems natural to pair her with Arenado, who has been one of the best third basemen in baseball over the course of his career. Both Birdo and Arenado are ideal players to have in the middle of your lineup.

Bowser = David Ortiz

Both the King of the Koopa and Big Papi are forces to be reckoned with. Bowser is one of the most intimidating hitters on the entire MSS roster, with more pure power than almost anyone else. This was also true of Big Papi, who launched over 500 HRs over his Hall of Fame-worthy career.

Shy Guy = Joey Votto

Both Shy Guy and Votto are solid slap hitting lefties with sneaky power. Also, both are best suited to playing first base. Shy Guy, while not the best player on the MSS roster, is a welcome addition to most lineups as an underrated hitter. Votto is much of the same, even though his glory days seem to be well behind him.

King K. Rool = Mo Vaughn

King K. Rool is an absolute unit who, when he connects, can knock the cover off the ball. The Hit Dog was also a total monster in his day, smacking over 300 homers over the course of his career, including this one that traveled over 500 feet. While both of these guys are total sluggers, they don’t have much to offer in the speed and fielding aspects of the game.

That’s it! Thank you all for reading, and I’ll see you next time. Have any suggestions for comparisons that I left out? Feel free to leave them in the comments below.