There's no question the 2009 version of the Washington Wild Things have been plagued by inconsistency.

A stretch of games from July 7 through Aug. 9 illustrates the point.

The independent minor-league team compiled a 15-5 mark from July 7-21 to put themselves back in the Frontier League playoff hunt, but went 1-8 from Aug. 1-9, effectively shutting down those hopes.

The inconsistent tag, however, certainly cannot be placed on Wild Things' designated hitter Jacob Dempsey.

Dempsey, a 6-foot-2, 225-pound left-handed power hitter from Myock, N.C., led the 12-team Frontier League in RBIs (88) and doubles (31) last year, while hitting .310 (113 for 365) with 17 home runs and the league's second-best on-base percentage at .422.

His statistics this season compare favorably with his superb 2008 figures. Heading into the final two and a half weeks of the regular season, Dempsey was once again leading the league in RBIs with 82 before last night's game.

He was also leading the Frontier League in extra base hits with 47 and was second in the league in home runs with 25. He was fourth in runs scored with 67, while maintaining a healthy .291 batting average (85 for 292).

Washington manager Mark Mason, whose club took a 36-42 record into last night's play, said Dempsey's two-year prowess as the league's top RBI man "is a testament to his talent level, work ethic and professional approach each night."

That "professional approach" includes lots of studying and analysis. Mason said there are very few players in the Frontier League who study pitchers as much as Dempsey does.

"He loves to hit, and so it's easy for him to be committed to it," said Mason. "He's a student of the game. He remembers pitchers and how they attack him. If they go with the same approach two or three times in a row, he's going to figure it out. He's all business while he's here [on the field]."

Dempsey said he starts his studying as soon as the pitcher begins warming up.

"A big part of my hitting is guessing right," Dempsey said. "I try to figure out what the pitcher throws and where.

"Sometimes you guess right. Sometimes you don't. It's the way I've always done it. After my first at bat, I make adjustments based on the way the pitcher pitched me."

Besides guessing right, Dempsey also does enough from a technical aspect that he's able to put up good power statistics.

"He's short to the ball and he's just big and strong," said Mason. "He lets the ball travel deep into the zone. He doesn't get fooled out front."

Dempsey can hit a ball a long way by pulling it or by going opposite field.

Driving in lots of runs and smacking extra base hits was something Dempsey, 25, was actually known for before joining the Wild Things two years ago.

As an outfielder with NCAA Division I Winthrop University (Rock Hill, S.C.), Dempsey hit .403 with 17 home runs his senior season and set school single-season records for hits (100), RBIs (78) and doubles (28).

The Philadelphia Phillies selected him in the 21st round of the 2006 amateur baseball draft and sent him to Batavia (N.Y.) of the Class A short-season New York-Penn League, where Dempsey batted .262 (55 for 210) with 17 doubles and seven home runs in 58 games.

The Phillies organization, however, released Dempsey in spring training, a move that "surprised" the left-handed hitting slugger.

Dempsey, a Frontier League all-star in 2008 and 2009, said he's "enjoyed" his stay with the Wild Things "a lot" and is very appreciative of the support he's received from the fans. There's a good chance he'll be back with the club next season.

Because the Frontier League has an age limit of 27, 2010 would be Dempsey's last go-round with the Wild Things and could very well be his last season as a professional.

A final season is a scenario Dempsey does not like to think about.

For Wild Things management, however, having the Frontier League RBI king back for a third year can only be considered a positive.

The Wild Things' Jacob Dempsey was leading the Frontier League with 88 RBIs heading into the final two weeks of the season.