And MLB is finally starting to announce the Junior Circuit’s contestants for the 2009 Home Run Derby in St. Louis. Took them long enough. The National League contestants were announced four days ago.
Here are your American League 2009 Home Run Derby Contestants … the AL is certainly lacking in star power compared to the quartet of 1st Basemen the NL is rolling out there.
JOE MAUER – Minnesota Twins, C 15 HR, 15.3 AB/HR, .389 AVG, 1.112 OPS, 47 RBI
Perhaps since Justin Morneau (the other half of the M&M boys from Minnesota) isn’t going to defend his 2008 Home Run Derby title … Mauer might try to do it.
“Joe, in the home run hitting contest? He’d probably win it,” Gardenhire said. “You know it and I know it — just to let people know he can hit home runs. Nothing would surprise me that Joe does.”
My guess is that Mauer has the highest batting average of a player to compete in the MLB Home Run Derby.
BRANDON INGE – Detroit Tigers , 3B
Brandon Inge barely made it to the All-Star Game (he was the winner of the AL’s Last Man Vote) … but less than 24 hours after finding out he was an All-Star, it was announced he’d participate in the Home Run Derby too.
NELSON CRUZ – Texas Rangers OF
Replacing the injured Torii Hunter on Friday morning, Cruz is the latest first time Home Run Derby participant for the AL.
CARLOS PENA – Tampa Bay Rays 1B
Considering that the NL had four first basemen, I guess the AL needed one too.
Pena replaced Dustin Pedroia on the Al Squad, and I wonder if it was because NO ONE else fro the AL would play in the Derby.
The MLB Home Run Derby is right around the corner (literally – it’s on Monday).
Some of MLB’s top sluggers will be hitting lots of Home Runs in the Derby … but we thought it would be fun to take a peek at who these guys will be hitting “Home Runs” with AFTER the Derby. Namely, their Wives and Girlfriends (WAGs).
Wink-Wink, Nudge-Nudge.
Without further delay … the WAGs of the 2009 Home Run Derby …
AMERICAN LEAGUE HOME RUN DERBY WAGs
Yes, I know that MLB still hasn’t officially announced who’s playing for the AL in the 2009 Home Run Derby … so we’ll just roll with the rumored players and update this when they tell us who’s in.
When an MLB franchise selects a player with the #1 overall pick in the Amateur Draft, the team is expecting to have that player make a significant contribution to the team for years to come.
In unrelated news, earlier this season, the Padres released Matt Bush, the #1 Pick in the 2004 MLB Draft … before he ever played a game in the Major Leagues. I hope no one actually bought a Matt Bush Padres Jersey.
Bush was a High School Shortstop from the San Diego Area who the Pads selected over the likes of Jered Weaver and Stephen Drew. Bush’s career batting average in the minors is a robust .219 (in nothing higher than Class A ball) … so let’s just go and call him a bust. The Padres have.
This got me to thinking … who else has flopped after being picked first in the MLB Draft?
Mind you, after his first two seasons in the minors … he looked like he might be worth it. In Class A in 1992, he had 187 K’s in 161 innings and in 1993 went 13-7 with 150 K’s in AA Albany.
But in December 1993, he separated his shoulder and tore his labrum in a fight in a trailer park – does anything good ever happen in a trailer park? Dr. Frank Jobe described the injury as one of the worst shoulder injuries he’d ever seen.
Taylor never posted an ERA under 6 the rest of his minor league career and never sniffed the Majors.
Everyone’s going La-La over the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 13-0 start at Dodger Stadium so far this season. Even though it is indeed an MLB record for most consecutive wins at home to start a season … I would like to remind everyone that it’s how you finish, rather than how you start.
And teams that start off REALLY hot at home … well, let’s just say that none of them have ever enjoyed a home-field advantage in October.
So far as I can tell, there have been six MLB teams (including the 2008 Dodgers) who have started a season 10-0 or better at home. The previous five didn’t make the playoffs.
Best MLB Home Starts
Team and Year
Home Start
Season Record
Season Result
2008 LA Dodgers
13-0
1911 Detroit Tigers
12-0
89-65
2nd Place - AL
2003 KC Royals
11-0
83-79
3rd Place - AL Central
1983 Atlanta Braves
10-0
88-74
2nd Place - NL West
1918 NY Giants
10-0
71-53
2nd Place - NL
1970 Chicago Cubs
10-0
84-78
2nd Place - NL East
Mind you, most of those teams made their early run before the advent of Baseball’s current three-divisional format, and all but one of them would have made the playoffs if there was a WildCard playoff entry.
That would be the 2003 Royals, who went 29-40 at home the rest of the season. To make matter worse for the Royals – there was a WildCard that year … and they still couldn’t make the playoffs.
Last night, the Chicago White Sox beat the Detroit Tigers on one swing of the bat by Jim Thome. Thome blasted a 3-run shot in the bottom of the first inning, which gave the White Sox a three run lead which they never relinquished, winning 5-1.
ESPN.com has a name for a three-run bomb like that … “Grand Slam“.
What? You though Grand Slams were Home Runs hit when the bases were loaded and worth four runs? ESPN.com begs to differ.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Ryan Howard untied a 2-2 ballgame with one swing and the Phillies went on to beat the visiting San Diego Padres.
The win put the Phillies in sole possession of first place in the NL East.
Around the League:
Brewers 4 Cubs 3
The “Kerry Wood as closer” experiment might be just about over for the Chicago Cubs.
Wood blew a 3-1 ninth inning lead and his third save in seven opportunities and visiting Milwaukee beat the Cubs 4-3 – wasting another great start by Carlos Zambrano. Wood now has an ERA of 18.00 against the Brewers in three games at Wrigley.
You get the sense that it’s only a matter of time until Carlos Marmol is the closer for the Northsiders.
Rays 4 Orioles 2
They’re on the cusp of history in Tampa Bay … as the AL East-leading Rays beat the Orioles and moved to four games over .500 for only the third time in their 10+ year history.
The Rays have never been five games over .500.
Maybe there was something to dropping the Devil.
Tigers 8 Yankees 4
The Tigers completed a three-game sweep of the the Yankees in New York.
Don’t look now, but since the Tigers started 0-7, they’ve gone on a 14-8 run. And they’re now in a three-way tie for second place in the AL Central, only 1 1/2 games behind the Chicago White Sox.
Felipe Lopez goes off and jacks a Grand Slam which breaks a 3-3 sixth inning tie and the Nats go on to beat the Mets 10-5. Lopez beat the Mets with six RBI on the night.
Felipe frickin’ Lopez. Now we get to hear about it from the Natosphere.
Which sucks more? The Mets’ bullpen or the Nationals hitters?
We’ve analyzed the Senior Circuit’s 2008 trip through the American League … let’s move on to the Junior Circuit’s 2008 Interleague opponents.
Teams from the American League always have a bit of a dilemma for their road Interleague games, because there’s no DH in NL Parks. On top of that, AL pitchers have to hit for themselves, which they don’t do in their other 144 games.
Is it a disadvantage? The AL leads the NL 1,250 to 1,202 in Interleague games over the past ten seasons … so not really. Then again, maybe that Win-Loss Record would be even more in favor of the AL if DH’s could rake against NL Pitchers.
But it still doesn’t sit well with some AL Managers …
We hate it when our pitchers have to start hitting. We have to do a lot of extra work and take a lot of risks for not that many at-bats. Ron Gardenhire, Manager, Minnesota Twins (2005)
Gardy’s gonna dislike it even more this season, without the NL-killing Johan Santana in his rotation anymore.
But when you’re 100-75 in ten years of Interleague Play, you don’t seem to mind …
If we played National League teams, the Central Division, we might win 150 games in that league. Ozzie Guillen, White Sox Manager (2006)
Let’s take a look at the AL Central and see if there’s anyone with an early schedule advantage … on paper. Matched up against the pitching-rich NL West … someone will surely have an advantage if they avoid two of the tops teams.
Pumpkin carving is a combination of sport and art form at my house.
So let’s take a stroll around the front doorsteps of baseball fans around America and check out some artwork dedicated to their favorite teams and players …
Baseball Pumpkins!! Baseball Jack O’Lanterns!!
The MLB logo is looking pretty sharp in this guy’s kitchen.
Brien Taylor, P – 1991 (New York Yankees)
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