Home Run Derby: Who Should Participate?
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, 06-02-2010 at 11:31 PM (4768 Views)
MLB.com has a poll up asking fans to vote for who they'd like to see in the annual Home Run Derby, with results "in no way" determining which players actually take part in the event. It's a start, I guess, that they let us vote for this, seeing that we can't even vote for pitchers in the All-Star game.
Now if you want to vote for the .176-hitting Carlos Pena, go right ahead. If you want to vote for the .186-hitting Aaron Hill, be my guest. Even you even want to vote for DL'ed Grady Sizemore or Joe "I have 2 home runs this season" Mauer, fine.
But here are the guys I would write in if they allowed more than 1 per league.
American League:
David Ortiz - tore the cover off the ball in May with 10 home runs.
Jose Bautista - currently tied for the major-league lead in home runs with 16. He has been surprising.
Paul Konerko - he had 11 home runs in the month of April, hit two more home runs tonight and is now tied for the major-league lead in home runs with 16 overall.
Ty Wigginton - 13 home runs this season. He has been one of the lone bright spots on an otherwise putrid Orioles team. As expected.
National League:
Corey Hart - not your traditional home run hitter, but his short stroke has been good to him. 11 home runs in his last 17 games. He's not messing around.
Dan Uggla - his name is Dan Uggla. Who would be more fun to root for in a Derby?
Scott Rolen - the Renaissance! Rolen has been sizzling hot with 13 home runs already after hitting 11 all of last year.
Rod Barajas - sure, he's fat, slow and a catcher. But he's in the top 10 in the National League in home runs with 11. Why don't we put a Met in the Derby to give their fans something to cheer for? They've been brutalized for long enough.