Home Run Derby

I think I speak for 30 Home Run Derby contest entrants and Fantasy Baseball Enthusiasts everwhere when I say  …

It’s About Time.  82 AB for Derrek Lee to hit his first Home Run of the season was just way too long.

Do it Again.

 

Time for the annual Derby breakdown of player picks.  Interesting trends this season …

Group A is really top heavy this season with at least one of the three big guns (Pujols, Ortiz, Howard) on all but one roster.  Seventeen rosters have all three.  Curious that last season’s HR leader only tied for the 6th most picked player in the Derby.

Group B has a similar trend with three big names before the dropoff.  Adam Dunn finally gets some respect in this Derby.  This Group also holds the Derby’s only orphan - Jason Giambi. 

Group C is much more competitively distributed and could easily be the tipping point for the winners this season.  This was a really tough group to just choose three guys.

Group D is ruled by Derrek Lee who probably was Group C material in his comeback bid.  Miguel Cabrera was also a value pick here too.  But I should not have elevated Matsui and Griffey Jr. to this group.

Group E is always my favorite.  A few picks that I expected due to their hype in the SportsMedia and Fantasy Baseball communities (Fielder, Atkins, Sizemore, and Wright) offset by the ones that come in out of left field like Teahen, Markais and Hawpe.

In order to avoid the Ryan Howard situation from last year, where a player who obviously belonged in the top 40 was lumped into Group E and then half the Derby took him in that group …

Adam Laroche and his 32 Home Runs have been called up from Group E, replacing Gary Sheffield in Group D.

ADAM LAROCHE – 32 HR, 15.38 AB/HR, 149 G

This guy just plain blew up last season.  He hit career highs in G, AB, HR, RBI, AVG, and just about everything else.  And that caught the attention of the Pirates, who worked with the Braves for what seemed like an eternity in the offseason to work a trade for LaRoche.  He moves to the more hitter friendly PNC Park and will tag team with Jason Bay to punish opposing pitchers who take them lightly just because they’re Pirates.  Takes medication for ADD which some people think is helping his MLB performance. 

CHASE UTLEY – 32 HR, 20.56 AB/HR, 160 G

Has averaged 30 HR and 103 RBI in his first two full seasons in the bigs.  Nice protection in the lineup with reigning HR King/MVP Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell in the lineup.  Playing in the launching pad that is Citizens’ Bank Park doesn’t hurt either. 

TORII HUNTER – 31 HR, 17.97 AB/HR, 147 G

Spiderman struggled a bit from May-July, but absolutely turned it on in the late season, leading to a career high in Home Runs.  Hit 10 HR with a 12.2 AB/HR ratio in September.  He’s a bit anxious at the plate, and he strikes out more than double what he walks, but if the M&M boys continue to produce, Hunter will have plenty of opportunities to produce in HomerDerby.  

JOE CREDE – 30 HR, 18.13 AB/HR, 150 G

The fourth White Sox player with 30 HR in 2006.  Wow.  I thought they played small ball under Ozzie Guillen. With half your games in the bandbox that is US Cellular Field, why would you?  Crede had a career year in 2006 and got a one-year extension for 2007, which should keep him hungry.  He has benefited from home cooking, as his AB/HR ratio is six points lower (better) in the Cell than it is on the road.  

PAT BURRELL – 29 HR, 15.93 AB/HR, 144 G

Pat the Bat was well on his way to a career season in 2006 after hitting 19 HR in the first half.  Alas, like many first half juggernauts, the wheels came off in the Dog Days, as Burrell struggled with a lingering foot injury and saw his HR totals cut in half.  Yet another guy who will benefit from the other boppers in the Philly lineup – especially if opposing pitchers avoid throwing anything good to Ryan Howard. 

KEN GRIFFEY JR – 27 HR, 15.85 AB/HR, 109 G

Once again, Junior had a good year by MLB standards, but a sub-par one in terms of what we expect from him.  Injuries being the culprit again: for the sixth straight year, Griffey failed to post 500 AB.  And he broke his hand in the offseason while playing with his kids – although he’s expected to be ready by Opening Day.  He’s 37 HR shy of 600 for his career, but he probably won’t get there in 2007 … he’ll probably miss a few too many games. 

MIGUEL CABRERA – 26 HR, 22.15 AB/HR, 158 G

After hitting 33 HR in 2004 and 2005, Cabrera experienced a bit of a brownout last season while anchoring a Florida lineup pretty much void of any protection for him.  And it doesn’t seem like the Marlins added much in that category for 2007.  Had a career low in strikeouts and a career high in walks while dramatically improving his OBP.  Plays in a park known for deflating HR totals (see Derrek Lee’s pre-Cubs career). 

MIGUEL TEJADA – 24 HR, 27.00 AB/HR, 162 G

Tejada hasn’t missed a game in six straight season, so he’s always a good shot to bank some numbers in HomerDerby.  However, his power seems to be in decline as his number (HR, SLG, OPS) have declined for two years running.  There’s no as much pop in the rest of the orioles’ lineup now, and Tejada seems to be suffering for it.   

DERREK LEE – 8 HR, 21.88 AB/HR, 50 G

After a career year in 2005, D-Lee had a disastrous season in 2006.  First, Lee broke his wrist in April (missed two months) and then returned from the injury too soon (hitting one HR in 75 AB), which led to another month on the DL.  Then in August, Lee came back and returned to pre-injury form … only to have his daughter diagnosed with a rare eye disease - so he took the last two weeks off.  When not injured last season, Lee hit .330 with a 14.29 AB/HR ratio, which is why he’s a great candidate for the 2007 Comeback Player of the Year.

HIDEKI MATSUI – 8 HR, 21.50 AB/HR, 51 G

Matsui hadn’t missed a game in three years with the Yankees before he broke his wrist in May 2006.  But before he went on the DL for 111 games, he wasn’t having a season to remember with only 5 HR and a 23.8 AB/HR ratio.  After the injury is another story, as Godzilla lowered his AB/HR ratio to 17.7.  Batting behind guys like Bobby Abreu, A-Rod, and Jason Giambi should give him plenty of pitches to smack in his comeback bid.

Last season, Cubs First Baseman Derrek Lee missed the last two weeks of the regular season after his daughter Jada was diagnosed with Lebers Congenital Amaurorsis (LCA) – a disease which causes blindness.  He helped create Project 3000, a charitable foundation dedicated to identify people with LCA and to raise money to help find a cure.   They’re selling red wristbands to help raise awareness and donations (unfortunately that link is overwhelmed). 

One of his Cubs teammates, catcher Michael Barrett, is donating some scratch to fund Lee’s personal cause of fighting LCA.  A $50,000 donation to Project 3000 plus $10,000 for every home run Barrett hits in 2007.

“I wish I was a home run hitter and could be a little more generous,” Barrett said. “If you ever saw Jada hug my little daughter, Grace, you would know that there was a special connection there and we were tore up when (Jada was diagnosed with LCA in September).”

Barrett has hit 16 HR every year of his three-year career with the Cubs, so he can probably expect to make an additional contribution of $160,000 to Project 3000. 

No word if Lee will help Barrett in his cause - fighting AJP.

Back in December 2006, Ken Griffey Jr. broke his throwing hand.  Junior and the Reds organization were mum on the subject of how it happened - leading to lots of speculation that it was a contract-affecting event (like a motorcycle accident).  However, it’s recently come out how Junior broke his hand.  He was wrestling with his kids … 

Griffey was wrestling with his two sons, Trey and Tevin, and his daughter, Taryn, when 13-year old Trey knocked him off balance. Trying to avoid falling onto his kids, Griffey landed awkwardly on his left hand. 

“My oldest hit me thinking he was Lawrence Taylor. He got me on an angle and there I went,” Griffey said. “(Trey) is 110, 115 pounds and he doesn’t know how strong he is. He got me low and lifted.”  

Griffey says he’ll be ready to go for 2007, but just keep in mind Griffey’s myriad of 21^st Century Injuries when you’re making your Group D picks… 

2001 – Hamstring;  2002 – Torn Patellar Tendon, Quad, Hip Flexor;  2003 – Ankle, Shoulder;  2004 – Hamstring (missed 2^nd Half);  2005 – Sprained Foot;  2006 – Knee, Dislocated Toe

Meanwhile … at ESPN, Jeff Pearlman posts a nice piece on the man he calls the “best of his generation”  

As Bonds allegedly loaded up on the drugs and piled up the statistics, Griffey began to decline. One injury followed another — a sprain here, a break there — and his once-daunting speed vanished. What followed was a drop-off in Griffey’s outfield defense; it was still very good, just no longer Gary-Pettis-meets-God. The bat seemed to slow down a bit, too. What can you say? Getting old bites.   

With his decline, however, came something beautiful. Ken Griffey Jr. seemed to truly start appreciating the game. He took on a leadership role in the Cincinnati clubhouse … he cherished what he once was and appreciated what he had left. 

I hope Griffey hits #600 this season.  Because Junior just keeps getting up.  And to increase the value of his Rookie Cards I have stashed in the basement somewhere.