Home Run Derby

CC Sabathia won the American League Cy Young last month and became the heaviest AL Cy Young award winner ever … at a weight of 290 pounds.  He unseated Bartolo Colon’s then-record Cy Young scale-tipping weight (a listed 245 pounds) in 2005. 

Hold on a minute.  There’s a standing rule at Home Run Derby … if you talk about two overweight pitchers in a post …  THROWDOWN !!

Who would win in a fight between Bartolo Colon and C.C. Sabathia?

In the Red corner … hailing from Altamira, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic with a height of five feet eleven inches and weighing 245 250 pounds with a 34.2 34.9 BMI … BARTOLO COLON !!

Colon began his career with the Cleveland Indians in 1997 at the weight of 190 pounds.  His 55 pound weight gain is a testament to his legendary lack of conditioning.  His official 34.9 BMI makes him the unhealthiest Cy Young winner … ever.

His last name is the butt of jokes and the lead for a plethora of great newspaper headlines like “Cubs pound Colon,” ”Royals to get a taste of Angels’ Colon,” “Angels sign Colon,” or “Colon hurts elbow.” 

But really, “Colon” is just the Spanish equivalent of ”Columbus.” 

In 2006 and 2007, Colon has had rehab starts with the Angels high-A affiliate, the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.   

Rumor has it he filled in for “Tremor” (the Quakes’ mascot) every time he walked to the mound.  Surprisingly, there are no witty headlines during his time with the Quakes.

Career Accomplishments

• Two Time All-Star (1998, 2005) 
• Was 14-9 and an All-Star in his first full season in 1998.
• Despite being 10-4 with a 2.55 ERA he was traded to Montreal (midseason 2002) for Grady Sizemore.  He then went 10-4 with the Expos.
• Signed a 4-year $51 million contract with the Angels in 2004.
• Won a Cy Young Award in 2005 (21-8 3.48 ERA).
• Pitched for his native Dominican Republic in the 2006 World Baseball Classic
• Has battled injuries the past two seasons (2006-7) and his stats have taken a nosedive (7-13, 5.91 ERA in 29 games).

In the Blue Corner … hailing from Vallejo, California, USA with a height of six feet seven inches, weighing 290 pounds with a 32.7 BMI … the heaviest man currently in the Major Leagues … Carsten Charles “C.C.” Sabathia

AKA “Captain Cheeseburger.”  Sabathia broke into the majors in 2001 with a rookie weight of 250 pounds. 

Sabathia is possibly the second heaviest major leaguer ever (behind Walter Young‘ s 322 pounds)

In May 2002, Sabathia, then 21, was robbed at gunpoint in a Cleveland hotel room by two Cleveland State basketball players that he was partying with.  Sabathia lost $40,000 in bling and $3,200 in cash.

Career Accomplishments

• Three Time All-Star (2003, 2004, 2007) 
• Was named to the 2000 US Olympic team, but did not play because he would be a reliever.  The USA won the Gold Medal without him.
• In 2001, he was 17-5 with a 4.39 ERA and finished second in voting for AL Rookie of the Year (behind Ichiro Suzuki).
• Was selected for the 2006 USA World Baseball Classic team - but opted out.
• Won the 2007 Cy Young Award behind a 19-7 record, a 3.21 ERA and 209 Strikeouts.
• Has a career .297 batting average, 6 RBI, and 1 HR in 37 AB.
• Not so studly in postseason play (2-2, 7.17 ERA).
• Dated Serena Williams.
• Sabathia has his name tattooed, uniform-style, across his upper back.

For the fun of it … let’s compare stats …

Without hesitation, I have to give this Throwdown to C.C. Sabathia.

He’s the reigining AL Cy Young while Colon is on the skids. 

He’s younger. 
He’s taller. 
He’s heavier. 

And in spite of that last fact, Sabathia looks like he’s in decent shape for a man that heavy.  Colon’s lack of conditioning rivals that of El Guapo.

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Stay tuned for more THROWDOWNS! between big fat pitchers. 
Right here at Home Run Derby.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 5th, 2007 at 5:05 pm and is filed under Angels, Indians, Pitching, THROWDOWN!. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.