Home Run Derby

2007 was a banner year for Milestone Home Runs in Baseball.

• The 300 Home Run Club got a new member .
• Three players joined the 500 Home Run Club, the most ever in a single season.
• The 600 Home Run Club got a new member for only the fifth time in MLB History.
• And the all-time MLB Home Run record was surpassed. It had stood at 755 Home Runs for more than 31 years.

Let’s take a quick look back at those milestone dingers from the 2007 season … with video, of course …

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Watch as Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka gets stuck with the old “gum on your hat” trick during the fourth (and deciding) game of the 2007 World Series.

Bubble gum compliments of Coco Crisp. Pic courtesy of Getty Images.

Cool little secret handshake bow with Big Papi there at the end.

There’s something to be said about team chemistry. Even if you can’t speak your teammate’s language.

This is a big part of why I already picked the Red Sox to repeat as World Series Champions in 2008.

Sorry about making you listen to Joe Buck again.

The Cardinals have signed shortstop Cezar Izturis.  Albert Pujols and the Cardinals better watch their poo-holes. 

The Cardinals’ dugout is no longer safe for Albert Pujols and other Cardinal sluggers after they hit any game-winning home runs.  Why?  Because as we know – Izturis will have something really special waiting for them back in the dugout. 

Just like he did for Aramis Ramirez after a game-winning walk-off two-run Home Run on June 29, 2007 … when Izturis jammed his forearm into Ramirez’ taint.  Here’s the video.

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Let me start by saying I have no love of David Wright. Too many times he has put me in Home Run Derby Hell, especially with 1 Home Run in his first 100 at bats this season and 3 in his first 150. Yes, I know that he had a great year when it was all said and done (.325 BA, .546 SLG, 30 HR, 107 RBI).

Good for him.

But as I said back on May 10th, he is dead to me, and in Greektown those designations are permanent.

Why do I bring this up? Well yesterday, Richie had a post on why Matt Holliday was going to win the MVP, which of course (in true Richie fashion) he got wrong. In the comment thread, a commenter named “Sky” said the following:

“You know who got screwed? David Wright. And Albert Pujols. Chipper Jones, and Chase Utley, too. Those four were clearly the four most productive players in the NL. All were huge on offense and added a lot of value defensively. If you want to include some sort of voodoo for playing on a playoff team, fine. But that doesn’t mean Holliday or Rollins were better players.”

Sky was kind enough to include a link to his blog, Skyking162, which has a great tag line, “baseball with a hint of lime.” His latest post, and the basis for his comment, uses the statistical measure, total runs above replacement value (TVAR) to determine who was most deserving of the MVP award (David Wright in this case) in the National League.

For those readers unfamiliar with the concept of replacement value in baseball, it tries to measure the production of a certain player, both offensively and defensively, when compared against the strawman “replacement player”, or average player. It comes from the sabermetric world, where the likes of Bill James, Rob Neyer, the Baseball Prospectus and many others who have made a significant contribution the game live.

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Whoever the National League MVP is this season, somebody’s gonna get screwed.

Because there’s two guys who absolutely deserve it.  Jimmy Rollins and Matt Holliday.  Both these guys were linchpins in their respective teams’ unbelievable late-September runs for the playoffs.

Jimmy Rollins with the Phillies, who won the NL East after having trailed the New York Mets by 6.5 games with just over two weeks to go in the season.

Matt Holliday with the Rockies, who won 13 of their last 14 regular season games just to force a playoff for the NL Wildcard spot.

Which they won, thanks to Matt Holliday’s winning run on a controversial headfirst slide into home plate in extra innings.

Both players had career seasons.

Both players were undisputed leaders on their teams.

But I think Matt Holliday will win the National League MVP.

Why?

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Major League Baseball’s Posteason awards are the the ultimate in recognition for a ballplayer.  To be named your League’s best pitcher or Most Valuable Player does wonders for an already inflated ego.

Not to mention your wallet getting fatter from the contract incentives for winning one.

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Nobody asked me, but I’m 100% sure that San Diego’s Jake Peavy will be announced as the National League Cy Young Award Winner later this afternoon.

I’m 100% sure of that.  Why?  Because Peavy won the Triple Crown in the National League this season with 19 Wins, a 2.54 ERA and 240 Strikeouts.

Since the inception of the Award in 1956, every pitcher to capture a Triple Crown has won the Cy Young. 

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You know those guys who have too much money and free time on their hands that take a summer off and go and visit all thirty MLB ballparks in a summer?

Yeah, I’d like to be one of those guys too. My dad and I have wanted to make that trip ever since I bought him the book “Dodger Dogs to Fenway Franks” for Father’s Day one year.

But I don’t have the time or scratch. And my wife would have probably have changed the locks by the time I got home …

Have you got 15 minutes?

Well if you do, you can take a quick virtual tour of every MLB stadium in 15 minutes. Thanks to some guy (who also had some extra time on his hands) who did some cool work with Google Earth and the MLB 07 videogame.

We’ll begin with the 14 ballparks of the American League …

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Here’s video of Colorado Rockies’ closer Manny Corpas doing a little something something to his shirt before going out to put away the Phillies.

He spills something on his shirt in the bullpen, then goes out and rubs his hand on his shirt before fiddling with the dirt (or resin bag) on the mound before throwing the ball.

It will be very interesting to see if Corpas has the same effectiveness if he gets into the game today.  It might be more interesting to see/hear what Philly Phans will be chanting.