Uh, how about Bayliss, Corser, Edwards, Okada, Laconi, Lavilla, Chili, and maybe Bostrom as contenders in WSBK. Bostrom has done well in 2 or 3 races... not necessarily a contender by most measures. Yanagawa does well in 2 or 3 a year and ends up between 4th and 7th most of the time. Same with Chili. When did Mladin ever beat Bayliss? When Bayliss crashed out? Who held pole in that race anyway? Oh yeah, Bayliss. Mladin would be a second rider on just about any WSBK team... bottom line.
As for GP's... you listed a couple big names but forgot people like Harada, Carlos Checa, Criville, and a few others. All those guys you listed as well as the above 2(minus Criville) was a race winner last year. 500 GP was as competitive as AMA Supersport last year. Criville is also a former world champ(albiet in the post-Doohan era). Mladin did poorly in GP's which is why he's ticked at them. That and they focused on Kocinski(a 250 GP world champ) more than him. I think the big fish in a little pond thing is right on target.