Players Set for the 2016 Home Run Derby

On Tuesday, we found out the players who will be participating in the MLB All-Star game. Now, we officially know the sluggers who will be blasting long balls on Monday night at Petco Park.

Mark Trumbo, Robinson Cano, Adam Duvall and Todd Frazier of the American League will be squaring off against Corey Seager, Giancarlo Stanton, Wil Myers and Carlos Gonzalez of the National League.

The bracket-style format of the derby will now see Seager going up against Trumbo, Stanton taking on Cano, Myers facing Duvall and Gonzalez trying his luck versus Frazier. With the players now set, I figured I’d give my take on how I feel the derby will go.

ROUND 1

Although Seager is well on his way to winning the Rookie of the Year award for the National League, I don’t see him taking out Trumbo. Leading the league in homers, Trumbo simply has too much pop. Likewise, I can’t see Cano posting better numbers than Stanton. While Stanton has struggled at times this year, he seems to be locked in as of late and will likely carry that into the derby. The third matchup of Myers vs. Duvall is a very intriguing one, as well as a difficult one to predict. Even so, I’m going with Myers to move on, as he’ll have the backing of the home crowd. Finally, I feel that Frazier will be able to barely hold off Gonzalez to find himself moving on to the next round.

Eliminated: Corey Seager, Robinson Cano, Adam Duvall and Carlos Gonzalez

Moving on: Mark Trumbo, Giancarlo Stanton, Wil Myers and Todd Frazier

ROUND 2

If things go as I see them playing out, this round will see Trumbo going up against Stanton and Frazier taking on Myers. At this point, anything can truly happen, but I feel like Trumbo will find a way to beat out Stanton and move on to the final round. Furthermore, I see Myers surprising the baseball world and knocking off Frazier, with Myers having more power than a lot of people realize. Even so, any of these four players pose an very equal matchup against one another.

Eliminated: Giancarlo Stanton and Todd Frazier

Moving on: Mark Trumbo and Wil Myers

FINAL ROUND

A final round of the 2016 Home Run Derby with Mark Trumbo squaring off against Wil Myers isn’t exactly what many people are likely predicting around baseball, but it’s what I’m going with. Admittedly, these type of predictions rarely pan out, but it’s how I see things going. As such, with Trumbo and Myers going one on one in the last round, I inevitably see Trumbo beating out Myers. Trumbo simply has too much power to be denied the title this year.

Winner: Mark Trumbo

But that’s just how I see things panning out. Who do you think will win the 2016 Home Run Derby? Cast your vote below.

2016 MLB All-Star Game Rosters Revealed

The American League and National League rosters for the 2016 Major League Baseball All-Star game, set to be held out at Petco Park, in San Diego, California, on July 12th (you can watch it on FOX at 8:00 Eastern) were released on Tuesday evening.

As always, the baseball world is hard at work discussing the rosters, debating over which players were snubbed from the teams, which players didn’t necessarily (in their eyes) deserve to make the cut, and (most importantly) which team they think will win when all is said and done. But that comes with each and every year and is part of what makes things so fun.

Here are the official All-Star rosters:

American League

Starters

C: Salvador Perez (4th)

1B: Eric Hosmer (1st)

2B: Jose Altuve (4th)

SS: Xander Bogaerts (1st)

3B: Manny Machado (3rd)

OF: Mike Trout (5th), Jackie Bradley Jr. (1st), Mookie Betts (1st)

DH: David Ortiz (10th)

Pitchers

LHP: Chris Sale (5th)

RHP: Craig Kimbrel (5th)

LHP: Zach Britton (2nd)

LHP: Andrew Miller (1st)

RHP: Wade Davis (2nd)

RHP: Marco Estrada (1st)

LHP: Cole Hamels (4th)

RHP: Danny Salazar (1st)

RHP: Steven Wright (1st)

RHP: Dellin Betances (3rd)

RHP: Brad Brach (1st)

RHP: Alex Colome (1st)

RHP: Kelvin Herrera (2nd)

RHP: Will Harris (1st)

Reserves

C: Stephen Vogt (2nd), Matt Wieters (4th)

1B: Miguel Cabrera (11th)

2B: Robinson Cano (7th)

SS: Francisco Lindor (1st), Eduardo Nunez (1st)

3B: Josh Donaldson (3rd)

OF: Carlos Beltran (9th), Ian Desmond (2nd), Mark Trumbo (2nd)

DH: Edwin Encarnacion (3rd)

National League

Starters

C: Buster Posey (4th)

1B: Anthony Rizzo (3rd)

2B: Ben Zobrist (3rd)

SS: Addison Russell (1st)

3B: Kris Bryant (2nd)

OF: Bryce Harper (4th), Yoenis Cespedes (2nd), Dexter Fowler (1st)

Pitchers

LHP: Clayton Kershaw (6th)

RHP: Jake Arrieta (1st)

RHP: Noah Syndergaard (1st)

RHP: Stephen Strasburg (2nd)

LHP: Madison Bumgarner (4th)

RHP: Jose Fernandez (2nd)

RHP: Johnny Cueto (2nd)

LHP: Jon Lester (4th)

RHP: Julio Teheran (2nd)

RHP: Jeurys Familia (1st)

RHP: Kenley Jansen (1st)

RHP: Mark Melancon (3rd)

RHP: A.J. Ramos (1st)

RHP: Fernando Rodney (3rd)

Reserves

C: Jonathan Lucroy (2nd), Wilson Ramos (1st)

1B: Paul Goldschmidt (4th), Wil Myers (1st)

2B: Daniel Murphy (2nd)

SS: Corey Seager (1st)

3B: Nolan Arenado (2nd), Matt Carpenter (3rd)

OF: Carlos Gonzalez (3rd), Odubel Herrera (1st), Marcell Ozuna (1st) Adam Duvall (1st)

Final Five

The final rosters for the 2016 All-Star game aren’t complete just yet, however. There is still one final spot up for grabs in the American League and National League. Which players fill those roles comes down to the fans. From now until Friday at 4:00 p.m. Eastern, you have the opportunity to vote for either Brandon Belt, Ryan Braun, Jake Lamb, Starling Marte or Trevor Story in the NL, and Ian Kinsler, Evan Longoria, Dustin Pedroia, Michael Saunders or George Springer  the AL.

For what it’s worth, I plan to cast my vote for Jake Lamb and George Springer, who are each having somewhat under-the-radar, but superb years. You can pick whoever you want to by going HERE and casting your ballot. It should be interesting to see how the game goes a week from tonight.

Who I’d Like to See in the 2016 Home Run Derby

The 2016 MLB Home Run Derby is exactly one month away, and I’m already excited. Although the official All-Star game is the must-see event in the mind of many baseball fans of what has become a three-day spectacle, for me, the Home Run Derby is the most thrilling of all the events.

With the rules of the derby being changed last year back to just eight players, and with hitters going up against a clock instead of ten outs, many baseball fans had a negative reaction to the change, but I truly liked it. I feel that it made things more fun to watch overall, and should do so again this time around. This year, the derby is taking place at Petco Park in San Diego. Not known as a hitters’ park, it should be interesting to see how the derby goes, but the players I chose each have no trouble hitting a ball out of any ballpark.

I picked my players based on four specific chriteria per league: I chose the current league leader, a rookie, an under-the-radar power hitter, and a personal selection. By choosing guys with a lot of power, but also by selecting a wide range of players, I think the players I went with for the American League and National League would make for a fantastic 2016 Home Run Derby.

American League

Mark Trumbo: After having a somewhat subpar season by his standards in 2015, Trumbo has exploded back onto the scene this season, becoming the first player to reach the 20-homer mark in early June. Having the most home runs in the American League, in addition to his tremendous power and ability to hit numerous blasts, Trumbo was the easiest pick of the American League half of things.

Nomar Mazara: This time last year, the majority of baseball fans had never even heard of Nomar Mazara. However, more and more fans are hearing of him now. Mazara holds unbelievable power, and should have the platform to show it off at the home run derby this year. Being a rookie, it would certainly bring interest into the derby, as fans look to see how the young star-in-the-making fares.

Khris Davis: Baltimore’s Chris Davis has been known for his power for quite some time now, but the Athletics’ own Khris Davis (with a ‘K’) isn’t far behind in that department. Originally a member of the Brewers, Davis has been on a tear ever since switching teams, and has shown off his power on numerous occasions this season. I feel that he needs to be one of the players in the derby this year.

Nelson Cruz: There are a lot of different ways this pick could have gone, and I spent a great amount of time debating it in my mind, but I wound up landing on Cruz. Known simply as the ‘Boomstick’, Cruz carries a ton of power in his bat, and would be some major competition for the National League side to compete with. Playing his home games at Safeco Field, Cruz is used to hitting at pitcher-friendly parks, and would do well at Petco.

National League

Nolan Arenado: There’s no doubt that Arenado has power to burn, tying for the most homers in all of baseball last season with 42, and well on his way to reaching that mark yet again. By playing in Colorado, Arenado doesn’t get the attention that he would if he were to be playing in a larger market, but he’s leading the National League in homers yet again and it would be a disservice to the event if Arenado didn’t participate.

Corey Seager: When Corey Seager came up at the final portion of last season and put on a hitting show, you could immediately tell that all of the hype was warranted, which hasn’t always been the case historically. This season, he’s done nothing but improve upon that hype, in this still his rookie year. Having a three-homer game earlier this season, the power is definitely there for Seager, and I think he’d do well in the derby.

Wil Myers: Injuries have plagued Myers over the course of his career, but without putting a jinx on him, it looks like Myers in on the verge of a major breakout season. Although he was once a consensus top-five prospect, I don’t feel he’s getting the attention he deserves. The derby would allow for that, in addition to his participation giving the hometown fans someone to root for, like Todd Frazier in Cincinnati last year.

Yoenis Cespedes: A home run derby without Cespedes just wouldn’t be the same after seeing what he’s capable of in previous derby spectacles. For that reason, I chose him as my fourth pick to take part in the derby. While Cespedes has struggled at time this season following a red hot start, he has the ability to put on an absolute show for both number of homers and distance in which he hits them, making him worthy of selection.

So, those are my picks for who I’d like to see in the 2016 Home Run Derby down at Petco Park on July 11th. Odds are that not all of them will be selected, but I truly hoped the majority of them are in the derby. It would make the Home Run Derby very exciting to watch, in my opinion.

Opening Day: Official Start of the Regular Season

We’ve had the Opening Series, held down in Australia on March 22nd and 23rd; we’ve had Opening Night, held down in San Diego last night; and now, after so much anticipation leading up to the year, we’re set for Opening Day — an unofficial holiday for millions of baseball fans around the country. This is the day we’ve all been waiting for, ever since the final out of the World Series was recorded in October of last year.

Thirteen total games are on tab for today, with the Yankees, Astros, Dodgers and Padres being the only teams not in action. The games will take place all throughout the day, from 1:05 Eastern, with the Pirates taking on the Cubs, to the Mariners going up against the Angels, at 10:05, making the entire day exciting.

Not only is Opening Day fun because of the official start of the 162-game baseball regular season, but it also stands out as one of the few times you ever see every single teams pitching ace on the mound around the country. Every team starts from zero, with hopes of making the postseason (some with better odds than others) and putting your best pitcher on the mound is a great way to kick off the year on a high note; knowing that things may not look too good towards the end of the year.

With so many changes this past offseason, this could be one of the most intriguing Opening Days in years. While teams and players have had over a month of Spring Training games to show off their potential, those games are basically meaningless. You never know how individual players, and teams as a whole, will fare for the entire length of a season. That’s what makes a given season so entertaining — the unknown factor.

So, make it a point today — if you’re reading this blog, you’re probably planning to anyhow — to sit back and watch a least a little baseball at some point. With every game played from here on out taking teams closer and closer to the World Series in October, there’s nothing quite like Opening Day baseball.

2013 MLB Draft: Appel, Bryant & Gray As Top Three

Mark Appel, Jonathan Gray and Kris Bryant were ranked as the number one, two and three draft picks going into Wednesday’s 2013 first-year player draft, and that turned out to be close to dead-on. While Appel did in fact go number one overall, as predicted by many around the baseball world, Gray and Bryant went in reverse order from expected, however, they all fell within the top three as was originally thought out.

Mark Appel went first overall, getting drafted by the Houston Astros.

Appel, who chose not to sign with the Pirates after they drafted him eighth overall in the 2012 draft, went 10-4, with a 2.12 ERA, this past season at Stanford University. His college career was a fairly impressive one, as Appel went 28-14 overall, with a combined 2.91 ERA, including setting the record for most career strikeouts as a Stanford pitcher. If Appel can continue to develop–though many argue he’s nearly ready at the moment–he should be pitching on the mound for his hometown Houston Astros sometime in the very near future.

Kris Bryant went second overall, getting drafted by the Chicago Cubs.

Bryant, who was previously drafted by the Blue Jays in the 18th round of the 2010 draft, batted .329, with 31 home runs and 62 RBI’s, in his third season at the University of San Diego. Though Bryant has only been playing college ball for a total of three years, his numbers are intriguing, as his combined stats include a .353 batting average, with 54 homers and 155 RBI’s, between his freshman, sophomore and junior years. It’ll take a little time for Bryant to fully tap into his projected above average power, but once he figures things out, he’s sure to be a big impact player for the Cubs.

Jonathan Gray went third overall, getting drafted by the Rockies.

Gray, who was previously drafted by the Yankees in the 10th round of the 2011 draft, went 10-2, with a 1.59 ERA, this past season with Oklahoma University, after playing at Eastern Oklahoma State College two years earlier, where he was just as great, going 6-2, with a 2.89 ERA. It shouldn’t take long before Gray finds himself pitching in the mile high city, as he was regarded as one of the top college pitchers and is sure to carry the same tag with him as he moves into the minor leagues. The Rockies would appear to have a can’t miss pitching prospect on their hands.

The remainder of the draft saw many surprises. A lot of players went higher than anyone expected, while others stuck around longer than many thought they would. But that usually happens every year with the draft.

The rest of the 1st round of the 2013 draft, following the first three picks, went as follows:

4. Minnesota Twins: Kohl Stewart

5. Cleveland Indians: Clint Frazier

6. Miami Marlins: Colin Moran

7. Boston Red Sox: Trey Ball

8. Kansas City Royals: Hunter Dozier

9. Pittsburgh Pirates: Austin Meadows

10. Toronto Blue Jays: Phillip Bickford

11. New York Mets: Dominic Smith

12. Seattle Mariners: D.J. Peterson

13. San Diego Padres: Hunter Renfroe

14. Pittsburgh Pirates: Reese McGuire

15. Arizona Diamondbacks: Braden Shipley

16. Philadelphia Phillies: J.P. Crawford

17. Chicago White Sox: Tim Anderson

18. Los Angeles Dodgers: Chris Anderson

19. St. Louis Cardinals: Marco Gonzales

20. Detroit Tigers: Jonathon Crawford

21. Tampa Bay Rays: Nick Ciuffo

22. Baltimore Orioles: Hunter Harvey

23. Texas Rangers: Alex Gonzalez

24. Oakland Athletics: Billy McKinney

25. San Francisco Giants: Christian Arroyo

26. New York Yankees: Eric Jagielo

27. Cincinnati Reds: Phillip Ervin

28. St. Louis Cardinals: Rob Kaminsky

29. Tampa Bay Rays: Ryne Stanek

30. Texas Rangers: Travis Demeritte

31. Atlanta Braves: Jason Hursh

32. New York Yankees: Aaron Judge

33. New York Yankees: Ian Clarkin

Competitive Balance Round A

34. Kansas City Royals: Sean Manaea

35. Miami Marlins: Matt Krook

36. Arizona Diamondbacks: Aaron Blair

37. Baltimore Orioles: Josh Hart

38. Cincinnati Reds: Michael Lorenzen

39. Detroit Tigers: Corey Knebel

So there you have it. Take a good look at that list. Make sure to follow them as the majority of them begin their professional careers. Odds are at least a few of those names will become MLB All-Stars, with the possibility that some may become a future Hall of Famer. You never know what can happen when you have so much young talent entering their given MLB organizations.

Heath Bell Twitter Ticket Contest

GOOD NEWS: I won two tickets to Saturday’s Padres game versus the Diamond backs courtesy of Heath Bell.

BAD NEWS: I can’t attend the game.

Before I get started let me point out that I thought I would be able to attend Saturday’s game. I wouldn’t of participated if I didn’t think I could make it. I thought I could. Okay. Now that I’ve got that out of the way, keep reading………

It all started at midnight on May 6th, when Heath Bell tweeted the following tweet:

Okay everybody. New ticket contest in five minutes…..for Friday and Saturdays games.

I figured, “what the heck.” It wasn’t like I was going to win. (HA!) So when Heath tweeted his next tweet……

Name my favorite Actor and Actress….Actor=2 tix for Fridays game and Actress=2 tix for Saturday. Get both, win both……..GO!

……I had no hesitation in trying to guess the answers.

I tried to guess actors that were well known. But alas, had only given two guesses when Heath tweeted again:

We have a winner for Actor….no one’s gotten Actress yet though.

Oh well. At least I tried. I was about to give up and let the other tweeps keep guessing but I decided to stay in and guess some actresses. My first guess:

Helen Hunt.

My second guess:

Ashley Judd.

Thirty seconds after I guessed Ashley Judd, the following tweet appeared on Heath’s twitter page:

We have a winner!

Hmmm……

Then the unthinkable happened. Heath tweeted one last time with the winners twitter names. (I’m @M_2012H by the way.) And the results were…….

Congrats to @NickLee51 and @M_2012H for being the first to guess Tom Hanks and Ashley Judd!

Yeah. I WON! WHOOOOOOOOO! But no. I checked my schedule and CRAAAP. There was absolutely NO way I could attend. It didn’t help my state when Heath sent me a DM. It read:

Hey dude…Congrats! I owe you 2 tix for tomorrow nights game. Shoot me a msg back with your full name as it appears on ur drivers lic.

Correction by Heath:

Actually your 2 tix are for Saturdays game.

I let Heath know that I probably wouldn’t be able to attend. His response:

Hope you can go. The tix will be there but you have to let me know what name to leave them under.

Then:

If you know you can’t go I’ll give them to the 2nd person to guess Ashley Judd….let me know.

I guess that’s fair. I mean, if I came in second and the first place winner couldn’t go I’d want the tickets to go straight to me. But it still doesn’t make me any less upset over the situation. Well, at least I’ll always be able to brag, “I once won a twitter contest from Padres closer Heath Bell.” How many people can say that? Sigh………

UPDATE!!!!

I let Heath know 100% for sure today that I wouldn’t be able to attend Saturday’s game. His response:

Thanks. Since you can’t go tomorrow let me know which game you want to go to and I’ll leave you 2 tix. Just give me at least a days notice.

That’s right! Heath will give me two free tickets to the home game of my choice. I probably won’t be able to get out to CA until the summer, but I’m definitely going now!