Is Josh Filler the World's Best Pool Player?

sjm

Older and Wiser
Silver Member
From December 2017 to April 2019, Josh Filler accomplished the following:

December 2017: A 5-0 campaign at the Mosconi, earning him the Mosconi Cup MVP.

June 2018: Won the World Pool Series 10-ball event with some of the straightest shooting I have ever seen.

Dec 2018: Won the World 9-ball Championship against a stellar field.

Jan 2019: Ran 285 balls in straight pool to set the high run record at Derby City.

Jan 2019: Beat JL Chang 17-14 in 10-ball in a high stakes action match at Derby City.

Feb 2019: Won the Eurotour event at Leende in the Netherlands

April 2019: Topped an elite field of 256 at the US Open 9-ball

So here goes. Is Josh Filler now the World's best pool player? What's your opinion?

As for me, I'm still deciding.
 
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HawaiianEye

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
From December 2017 to April 2019, Josh Filler accomplished the following:

December 2017: A 5-0 campaign at the Mosconi, earning him the Mosconi Cup MVP.

June 2018: Won the World Pool Series 10-ball event with some of the straightest shooting I have ever seen.

Dec 2018: Won the World 9-ball Championship against a stellar field.

Jan 2018: Ran 285 balls in straight pool to set the high run record at Derby City.

Jan 2018: Beat JL Chang 17-14 in 10-ball in a high stakes action match at Derby City.

Feb 2019: Won the Eurotour event at Leende in the Netherlands

April 2019: Topped an elite field of 256 at the US Open 9-ball

So here goes. Is Josh Filler now the World's best pool player? What's your opinion?

As for me, I'm still deciding.

Short answer, “No”.

He is one of the best.
 

JoeyInCali

Maker of Joey Bautista Cues
Silver Member
He beat Chua in the first set of their gambling match.
Chua won the next two sets ( 10-ball ).
Filler beat Gomez and Alcano for the cash too at the Derby iirc.

Tournament wise, it's hard to argue he is not the best 9-ball and 10-ball player now.

A long session of 10-ball challenge against Shane should settle it .
 

iusedtoberich

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Those are impressive wins for sure. What are his losses though? I’d definitely put him in the top 5 and even money with any player alive.
 

Tin Man

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
He's certainly the world's hottest player. JL Chang is right behind.

What I've seen a lot in this game is a short window in which players become nearly unbeatable. I call it the 'two year' rule. Typically when they are new to the pool scene and pumped they are competitive, but not always.

Mike Immonen is an example. He was nearly unstoppable for two years, and now he has faded slightly. Still a champion, but not a favorite, nor at the same level as the other elite.

Darren Appleton is another example. Burst through, won everything, then faded again.

Shaw is still a top 5-10 player in the world so it's hard to say he's faded, but even he had a two year window where it looked like he couldn't be beat. Now he too is still very competitive, but not quite invincible.

This has nothing to do with physical skills. It's all about the state of mind which brings incredible enthusiasm and positive energy, excited about facing adversity, only seeing the awe of what might be possible instead of the looming heartache that would come from a defeat. It's a magical place to be. And it is really hard to maintain.

Some players develop games so strong they remain relevant even after their two years are up. Others fade a bit and aren't heard from again.

Filler has proven to be able to strike and pocket balls as well as anyone I've ever seen, and he brings a frightening level of positive energy and confidence. Will he be able to keep that after a few years? I hope so. If he maintains this level for 5-10 years he is a threat to be the greatest ever. But I think he's got some work ahead. I think he needs to develop his safety game and table management a bit more, and it's a race for these other skills to develop before his enthusiasm fades. SVB did it. Shaw did it. I think he can do it too. But only time will tell.

In the meantime, I'll celebrate it for what it is: A heck of a bright couple of years with some unbelievable firepower!
 

gxman

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Just 2 yrs ago a lot of folks were claiming Shaw
as the best in the planet.

Then JL Chang won the international open
and the bigfoot challenge at DCC.

Now its Filler.

Filler might be the best 9b tournament player
at the moment.


Check out this fella from Taiwan.

Taiwan Hsu Kai-lum matches:

He won :
Adam King 11-2
Mika 11-4
Ignacio 11-8
Filler 11-8
Wu 11-3

Lost to Liu Hai Tao 9-11

He beat both Filler and Wu in consecutive matches.
The two that was in the Finals!

We need top 30 Fargo.
True double elim race to 17.
 

ribdoner

SATISFACTION GUARANTEED
Silver Member
Wu, Orcullo (sp?), Chang and Shane beat him in a session to 100 split over 3 or 4 days

However, that window will close soon

He is probably the best tourney player as of now, but, that title is fluid
 

PoolBum

Ace in the side.
Silver Member
Current Fargorate:

1. Wu 827
2. SVB 823
3. Filler 822
4. Shaw 819
5. J.L. Chang 817
6. Orcollo 816
7. Pin Yi Ko 815
8. Biado 811
9. Corteza 809
10. Gorst 809
 

sjm

Older and Wiser
Silver Member
Current Fargorate:

1. Wu 827
2. SVB 823
3. Filler 822
4. Shaw 819
5. J.L. Chang 817
6. Orcollo 816
7. Pin Yi Ko 815
8. Biado 811
9. Corteza 809
10. Gorst 809

Interesting stats because they jive with my own view. Fargo says Filler's a top three player but not yet the best. That's about how I see it.

I believe that Josh will be the best in the world soon enough. He's not a flavor of the month, but instead a 21 year old who has set the pool world afire. He may not even be in his prime yet.

... a bit like the way many of us saw Johnny Archer in 1992. Some suggested Johnny couldn't sustain the form he was showing in his early 20's, but he went on to be the "Player of the Decade" for the 1990's.
 

PoolBum

Ace in the side.
Silver Member
Interesting stats because they jive with my own view. Fargo says Filler's a top three player but not yet the best. That's about how I see it.

I believe that Josh will be the best in the world soon enough. He's not a flavor of the month, but instead a 21 year old who has set the pool world afire. He may not even be in his prime yet.

... a bit like the way many of us saw Johnny Archer in 1992. Some suggested Johnny couldn't sustain the form he was showing in his early 20's, but he went on to be the "Player of the Decade" for the 1990's.

If we're talking just 9-ball and 10-ball, then I'd say Fargorate probably accurately reflects the way things stand now. You have to give Filler credit for being the current World and U.S. Open 9-ball champ, but I'd say there's not much to separate those top 5 players. For me, the best all-around 9-ball or 10-ball player, taking all facets of those games into account, is still probably Wu.

But speaking of all-around, I tend to think of the best pool player in the world as the best all-around pool player in the world, much like those who say Efren is the greatest player of all time do so because of his prowess in all disciplines, not just 9-ball and 10-ball.

I don't know enough about Filler's ability at other games like 1-pocket, 14.1, banks, or rotation, to say how he would rank on the all-around list. My current pick for best all-around player would still be Orcollo, with Alex probably second.
 

pt109

WO double hemlock
Silver Member
From December 2017 to April 2019, Josh Filler accomplished the following:

December 2017: A 5-0 campaign at the Mosconi, earning him the Mosconi Cup MVP.

June 2018: Won the World Pool Series 10-ball event with some of the straightest shooting I have ever seen.

Dec 2018: Won the World 9-ball Championship against a stellar field.

Jan 2018: Ran 285 balls in straight pool to set the high run record at Derby City.

Jan 2018: Beat JL Chang 17-14 in 10-ball in a high stakes action match at Derby City.

Feb 2019: Won the Eurotour event at Leende in the Netherlands

April 2019: Topped an elite field of 256 at the US Open 9-ball

So here goes. Is Josh Filler now the World's best pool player? What's your opinion?

As for me, I'm still deciding.
To make his record even more impressive, earlier in 2017, Filler won the China Open
....although I haven't heard confirmation that he ever got paid for it yet.
 

spartan

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
From December 2017 to April 2019, Josh Filler accomplished the following:
Good question.
BTW, he also won his first big one China Open so he won 3 big ones (minimum $40K prize) all within 24 months which is just an incredible feat.
Short answer is he is hottest player now until he loses next major :) which is the World 10 Ball championship in July. In fact if we go by the “2 year rule” rule that someone pointed out earlier, it is will expiring in July during the World 10 ball.
I will not be surprised if one of the other big names take over as the hottest player this July
Filler is probably the best shot maker ( I think slightly better than Shaw) in pool of this millennium but as others and commentators have pointed out, his weakness is his safety game and CB control. He gets out of position on open shots and still makes them of his superb shotmaking. To sustain and continue to be on top he has to expand his repertoire and tools in his arsenal. De Luna almost got him by slowing tempo and playing safeties. Players will be familiar with his style and know how to counter him. Other thing to note is that he has less success domestically in Europe than internationally. That suggests 2 things - (a) Euro players are more familiar with his play and (b) he is big event player who performs at much higher level in big international events.


Just 2 yrs ago a lot of folks were claiming Shaw
as the best in the planet.

Then JL Chang won the international open
and the bigfoot challenge at DCC.

Now its Filler.

Filler might be the best 9b tournament player
at the moment.


Check out this fella from Taiwan.

Taiwan Hsu Kai-lum matches:

He won :
Adam King 11-2
Mika 11-4
Ignacio 11-8
Filler 11-8
Wu 11-3

Lost to Liu Hai Tao 9-11

He beat both Filler and Wu in consecutive matches.
Good post. Pool is unlike snooker where only a handful can win a tournament. In pool, there are 10 to 20 or 30 top players who can win a major tournament. Whoever wins will be flavor / hot player until he loses the next major.

Hsu had the toughest draw in the stage 1 double elimination and beat 4 monsters. Probably fastest player (average 10 seconds). Entertaining sharpshooter but reckless risk taker. His weakness is his safety and mental game.
In his match v Liu, he led Liu most of match and was 2 racks away from victory. Liu was playing slower tempo 20 seconds per shot and Hsu just ran out of steam.
 

marek

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Other thing to note is that he has less success domestically in Europe than internationally. That suggests 2 things - (a) Euro players are more familiar with his play and (b) he is big event player who performs at much higher level in big international events.

There are two reasons for this - first Joshua handles the pressure of big competitions usually much better than the others because of his happy-go-lucky attitude,second the competition is tougher on average at Eurotour than at international events.
 

skogstokig

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
noo, justin bergman is. he was just stalling at the us open. a bank pool race to 140 on a barbox in a poorly lit back room would settle the issue
 

Oze147

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I think Joshua`s strongest property is, that he never knows when he has lost. He always expects good things to happen for him.

He lead Albin 5:1 and suddenly was down 5:9. He got a bit lucky and in the end won 11:9.
He doesn`t overthink his game or lets his opponent get to him. I wonder if this happy-peppy attitude will go away when he gets older.

I heard Joshua and Albin are forming a practice partnership...if you combine Joshua`s attitude and Albin`s methodical approach, you create a monster.
 

sjm

Older and Wiser
Silver Member
I don't know enough about Filler's ability at other games like 1-pocket, 14.1, banks, or rotation, to say how he would rank on the all-around list. My current pick for best all-around player would still be Orcollo, with Alex probably second.

Let me help. Filler can play all the games and adapts easily, somewhat reminiscent of how Reyes could quickly pick up any game.

Though a relative novice at bank pool, Josh played two high stakes bank pool matches against legendary bank pool player Shannon Murphy. They split the two matches.

In 14.1, Josh set the all-time Derby City Classic record of 285 in January on a 4.5 inch Diamond table.

Josh is scary good at ten ball, barely losing the Bigfoot Final this year to JL Chang but coming back to beat him 17-14 when they gambled later in the week playing ten ball.

Like many of the Europeans, I don't think Josh has played one pocket anywhere but at Derby City.

In an all-around consisting of 9-ball, 10-ball, 14.1, bank pool and one pocket, Josh is, in my view, already top five in the world, despite his lack of experience in the last three of these disciplines.
 
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skogstokig

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Let me help. Filler can play all the games and adapts easily, somewhat reminiscent of how Reyes could quickly pick up any game.

Though a relative novice at bank pool, Josh played two high stakes bank pool matches against legendary bank pool player Shannon Murphy. They split the two matches.

In 14.1, Josh set the all-time Derby City Classic record of 285 in January on a 4.5 inch Diamond table.

He's scary good at ten ball, barely losing the Bigfoot Final this year to JL Chang but coming back to beat him 17-14 when they gambled later in the week playing ten ball.

Like many of the Europeans, I don't Josh has played one pocket anywhere but at Derby City.

In an all-around consisting of 9-ball, 10-ball, 14.1, bank pool and one pocket, Josh is, in my view, already top five in the world, despite his lack of experience in the last three of these disciplines.

most likely he hasn't played bank pool outside DCC either. one pocket is far more common in europe than banks, although neither of them are common or popular.

if there was a proper world straight pool championship anytime soon i would have filler as a serious contender.
 

mikeyfrost

Socially Aware
Silver Member
Good question.
BTW, he also won his first big one China Open so he won 3 big ones (minimum $40K prize) all within 24 months which is just an incredible feat.
Short answer is he is hottest player now until he loses next major :) which is the World 10 Ball championship in July. In fact if we go by the “2 year rule” rule that someone pointed out earlier, it is will expiring in July during the World 10 ball.
I will not be surprised if one of the other big names take over as the hottest player this July
Filler is probably the best shot maker ( I think slightly better than Shaw) in pool of this millennium but as others and commentators have pointed out, his weakness is his safety game and CB control. He gets out of position on open shots and still makes them of his superb shotmaking. To sustain and continue to be on top he has to expand his repertoire and tools in his arsenal. De Luna almost got him by slowing tempo and playing safeties. Players will be familiar with his style and know how to counter him. Other thing to note is that he has less success domestically in Europe than internationally. That suggests 2 things - (a) Euro players are more familiar with his play and (b) he is big event player who performs at much higher level in big international events.



Good post. Pool is unlike snooker where only a handful can win a tournament. In pool, there are 10 to 20 or 30 top players who can win a major tournament. Whoever wins will be flavor / hot player until he loses the next major.

Hsu had the toughest draw in the stage 1 double elimination and beat 4 monsters. Probably fastest player (average 10 seconds). Entertaining sharpshooter but reckless risk taker. His weakness is his safety and mental game.
In his match v Liu, he led Liu most of match and was 2 racks away from victory. Liu was playing slower tempo 20 seconds per shot and Hsu just ran out of steam.

That was my first time seeing him and he looked fairly young to me... dynamic game and I for one am happy to see top players play with top talent. Normal guys play safe more cause they dont have the tools for the tough shot. Conservative play will never win a major. The future of this game is the style of Hsu and Filler. When they learn to miss there time is up as well.

Guys that play that style are not game managing rack by rack either...they run 3s and tell you to keep up. It was great pool.
 
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