Home Run Derby

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, my favorite ethnic holiday that I have absolutely no ancestral right to celebrate (my honeymoon was in Mexico - does that count?), Home Run Derby is gonna go all out. Tortas and Cervezas for everyone!!

Arriba! Let’s get started! Mexico has a long, rich passion for Beisbol, from its own Leagues to the beisboleros who crossed the border and found success in the Majors.

Below is Part One - the Top Five Mexican MLB Hitters. Did you notice there’s five of them - for Cinco de Mayo? I’m so clever. Thank God it’s not Veinte de Mayo.

Mel Almada (1933-39) - The first Mexican ballplayer to reach the Major Leagues. Almada began his career with the Boston Red Sox in 1933 with stops with the Washington Senators and St. Louis Browns before finishing his career with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1939. With blazing speed and a penchant for line drives, he was a respected leadoff hitter and centerfielder. During a doubleheader in July 1937, he set an MLB record by scoring nine runs - still the most runs scored by a player in a single day. Very interesting that Latin-American players were playing in America 14 years before Jackie Robinson. Lifetime .284 Batting Average. In 1972, Almada was inducted to the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame.

Bobby Avila (1949-59) - A fan favorite in Cleveland in the 1950’s, Beto Avila was a three-time All-Star for the Indians and in 1954 was the first Latin American-born player to win the American League batting title (.341), beating out Ted Williams and Minnie Minoso - despite playing most of the season with a broken thumb. In 1953 he led the AL in fielding precentage for 2nd Basemen. Lifetime .281 hitter. After retiring from baseball in 1959, he returned to Mexico to become the Mayor of Veracruz and later the president of the Mexican League. Avila was a National Hero in Mexico and is credited with having sparked the interest in Major League Baseball in his native country.

Vinny Castilla (1991-2006) - Brought up originally by the Atlanta Braves in 1991, Castilla had his best seasons playing for the Colorado Rockies. As an inaugural member of the expansion Rockies, Castilla hit 40+ Home Runs for three straight seasons (96-98) with a career best of 46 HR in 1998. Upon returning to the Rockies he led the NL in RBI (131) in 2004. He hit 320 career HR with a career .276 batting average. He was a two-time All-Star and a three-time Silver Slugger at Third Base.

Jorge Orta (1972-87) - A two-time All-Star, Orta was a lifetime .278 hitter and finished 2nd in AL batting in 1974 with a .316 average. However - he is best known for his role in one of the most controversial plays in Major League history - during Game Six of the 1985 World Series, Orta led off the bottom of the ninth with his Kansas City Royals trailing the St. Louis Cardinals 1-0 in the game and behind 3-2 in the Series (I can hear Cardinal fans cringing already). Orta was called safe at first - but replays clearly showed him out. The Royals rallied for two runs to win the game and spanked St Louis in Game Seven to win the 1985 World Series.

“Aw - How could he (Jorge Orta) lose the ball in the Sun? He’s from Mexico …” - Harry Caray

Mario Mendoza (1974-82) - Yes, that Mendoza. The same Mario Mendoza who inspired the “Mendoza Line” for batting futility. With a career .215 batting average Mendoza was the epitome of a defensive specialist who couldn’t hit. After Mendoza’s .198 average in 1979, George Brett used Mendoza as an example of poor hitting in an interview - which immortalized the term “Mendoza Line,” but Brett also lauded Mendoza’s fabulous fielding abilities as a foil to his run at .400 in 1980. He had a career .960 Fielding Percentage at Shortstop - which is in the top 100 all-time for the position. Very interesting that Mendoza was an accomplished batter in the Mexican League (career .291 average over 7 seasons). Great page on Mario Mendoza right here.

Yes, I know it’s silly to have a career .215 hitter on a list of top hitters, but Mendoza’s anti-prowess at hitting is legendary and his skill at fielding gets him on the list.

Stay Tuned for Part 2 - The Top Mexican MLB Pitchers and very special post that only Home Run Derby would bring you in an effort to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

Kali Speta!!  It is time for Gyros Thursday!  I hope everyone is hungry for some sliced meat with onions and Tzatziki!  Maybe an ouzo to finish it off.   So away we go.

Ding: David Wright hit his first homerun the other day. BFD. That’s a wopping 1 HR in 99 at bats this year.  If you don’t have 3 or 4 by next thursday…you are dead to me.

Ding:  Apparently MLB’er getting mentioned in Gyros Thursday have a chance to break out.  It has worked for Manny and Teixeira.  So let’s call out my other reach pick…South Sider Joe Crede.  C’Mon Joe, I know the whole team isn’t hitting, but 2 HR in 96 at bats.  You aren’t much better that David Wright.

Ding:  Obligitory Jeter vs Barmes dig.  Hits since Barmes call-up Jeter 23, Barmes 2.  This of course, earned Barmes a demotion back to Triple A Colorado Springs on May 1st.  That and the fact that, in addition to his unassisted triple play, Troy Tulowitski, has hit .346 with 2 HR and 6 RBI over the past 7 games.

Ding: To continue my assault on game shows…while Wheel of Fortune is the dumbest game show on TV, Deal or no Deal has to be a close second.  Why on earth does a game with absolutely no skill needed captivate the nation so much?  And to anyone playing the game, the answer to deal or no deal is simple.  Calculate the expected value in the case (simple statistical calculation), if the bank is offering more that that value, DEAL.  If not, NO DEAL.  Game over.

Ding:  Hey Richie, It’s May….still no Hall of Fame.

Ding: Don’t think we will be hearing much from the Komodos, even Sea Dog JV is starting to pull away.  No wonder why they are on the endangered species list.  The only thing that can save you now is Matthew Broderick (Hat tip to Italiarican for the Freshman reference in the comments earlier this week).

Ding: Is it just me or can’t you wait until Kirk Radomski’s list of “clients” comes out. Hey Komodos…Mike Piazza might make that list!?!?!

Ding: And now for today’s titilation…the next installment of the Derek Jeter girlfriend/cheerleader club. By popular request we move from one Jessica to the other. That’s right the invisible girl herself, Jessica Alba. Only one word needed to describe her: HOT! You know the more I think about it, the more I feel that Derek Jeter is my hero, and his baseball playing ability doesn’t really factor into the equation.

And with that my friends, I bid you all Yasso! I hope that you all hit a homer today. And for more Jessica, please take a peak after the Jump.

Give me Jessica!!!

(more…)

Mother’s Day is only two Sundays away (May 13, 2007) and Major League Baseball is going to break out the Bats in support of Breast Cancer Research again.

Pink Bats, that is.

After last year’s successful Mother’s Day campaign in which over 100 MLB players wielded Pink Louisville Slugger Bats to raise awareness (and some scratch) for the Susan G. Komen For the Cure Foundation, the nation’s leading Breast Cancer Awareness/Research organization.

“Last year was the first year that we did this and we exceeded our expectation,” Louisville Slugger spokesman Rick Redman said. “We had about 110 players use the pink bats last year and it helped raise over $370,000.”

One pink bat used by the Milwaukee Brewers’ Bill Hall sold for more than $25,000.

If you want a Pink Louisville Slugger without having to pay thousands of dollars in an auction for a game-used one - you can buy a personalized one right from Louisville Slugger. or MLB.com. $10 of the purchase price of the Bat ($70-80) will be donated directly to the Komen Foundation.

This was a great idea last season and it’s great to see MLB continue this partnership in such an innovative way for this worthy cause.

For the second year in a row, Home Run Derby will donate $10 to the Komen Foundation for every Home Run hit on Mothers Day 2007 .

Whether the Home Run is hit with a Pink Bat or not. Swing Away!