The Tales of 8 Sluggers

By: Corey Donetz and Mike Wagenman

With the All Star Break upon us, The writers of The Tales Of 2 Cities have decided to have a little fun and participate in our own version of the Home Run Derby. The Derby teams were picked by two team captains, so we decided to divide the 8 participants and have a draft of our own to see who could pick the best team. We did a fixed order draft, Mike Wagenman (Team Wags) receiving the first pick via coin toss, and Corey Donetz receiving the 2nd pick (Team Danyaz).

The way it will work is simple; we will simply add the total of the homeruns per player, and add them up. The team with the most homeruns gets the victory and wins bragging rights on the other. Following the All Star Game tomorrow (Tuesday), we will have a recap of All Star weekend. Below are

The Draft went as follows:

1^st Round: Prince Fielder (Wags); David Ortiz (Danyaz)

2^nd Round: Jose Bautista (Wags); Matt Kemp (Danyaz)

3^rd Round: Robinson Cano (Wags); Adrian Gonzalez (Danyaz)

4^th Round: Matt Holliday (Wags); Rickie Weeks (Danyaz)

1^st Round Pick: Prince Fielder, 1B, Milwaukee Brewers (N.L. Captain)

With the first pick in the Home Run derby draft, I took the player who swings harder than almost anyone in the game today. The deciding factor between home run machines Jose Bautista and Prince Fielder at the first overall pick was the fact that Prince Fielder has Home Run Derby experience. Although Prince had just three dingers in 2007 leading to a first round exit, he took the Derby crown in 2009, blasting 23 bombs to defeat the Rangers' Nelson Cruz. His onslaught of not only power, but distance on his towering home run blasts has earned him the honor of being the National League captain in the new Home Run Derby format. Fielder will not have as much trouble as some other players might have hitting the ball out of Chase Field consistently, since he hits the ball so hard and far. He is a lock to put on a show and not disappoint. In just over six MLB seasons, Fielder already has 214 homers, including 50 in 2007. Prince has already unloaded 22 home runs this season as well, tied for fifth best in the majors. Fielder should be one of the main contenders to take home this year's title.

1^st Round Pick: David Ortiz, DH, Boston Red Sox (A.L. Captain)

The only player to record over 300 homeruns as a designated hitter, Ortiz looks to defend his 2010 Homerun Derby crown in 2011. This will be Ortiz’s fifth appearance in the Derby, making him the most experienced participant. Ortiz also has the most MLB experience as well as most career homeruns out of the Derby pack. He has played very well in the first half of the 2011 season, leading the Red Sox with 19 long balls. The experience and well known ability to hit the ball out of the yard give Ortiz a great chance to repeat as champion, and is why I chose him with my first pick.

2^nd Round Pick: Jose Bautista, RF/3B, Toronto Blue Jays (A.L.)

At the third overall pick, I was contemplating between one of two Red Sox: David Ortiz or Adrian Gonzalez. When Bautista fell into my lap, I had no choice but to pick him. Last year's regular season home run king, with 54, is off to another rapid start in 2011. He leads the major leagues with 31 home runs at the All-Star break, 6 more than his closest competitor, Curtis Granderson (25). Bautista is another hard swinger, something that is very high-risk, high-reward in a home run derby. It can generate much success in the first round or two, but come the end of round two or the final round, fatigue may start to set in. However, Bautista has become such a consistent and complete professional hitter that he should not have much problem with fatigue. “Joey Bats” has no home run derby experience, but has shown enough power over the last season and a half to give fans a reason to believe that he could contend for the title.

2^nd Round Pick: Matt Kemp, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers (N.L.)

Matt Kemp has arguably been the most consistent well-rounded player in the big leagues this season. Kemp leads the Dodgers in homeruns with 22, along with leading the team in batting average, runs scored, RBI, and stolen bases. Kemp uses his power all around the field, and in my opinion was the best right-handed power option available once Bautista was taken by my counterpart a pick earlier. This will be Kemp’s first appearance in the Derby, and he is also the best athlete in the Derby, so if he makes it into the later rounds, he will have more stamina than the other contestants. I believe Kemp is one of the favorites to make it to the finals.

3^rd Round Pick: Robinson Cano, 2B, New York Yankees (A.L.)

With the fifth pick, I decided to take a bit of a chance on Cano. He has one of the sweetest swings since Ken Griffey Jr., but really is not a true power hitter. He is definitely capable of hitting his share of home runs (29 last season; 130 career), but he is more of a line drive hitter who can spray the ball anywhere between the white lines. With 15 home runs already this year, Cano certainly is not leaving fans scratching their heads as to why he was asked to participate. He was also asked to participate in 2009, but minor nagging injuries and the decision to not chance the Derby ruining his swing kept him out of the competition. At Chase Field, though, Cano may have a bit of a tough time getting enough air under the ball, seeing as it is a larger ballpark. His line drive style of hitting may not bode well for him in this competition, but if he gets rolling he will have a chance of advancing past round one. He is a wild card pick in this Derby, and a pick that ensures me two hitters from each side of the plate.

3^rd Round Pick: Adrian Gonzalez, 1B, Boston Red Sox (A.L.)

Adrian Gonzalez has been the total package for Boston this season; he has hit the ball out of the park, driven runs in, hit for an outstanding average, and played Gold Glove caliber first base. However, when Gonzalez participated in the 2009 Homerun Derby he had 24 homeruns leading into the break with San Diego, but was eliminated after the first round after only hitting two homeruns in the first round of the Derby. Gonzalez is often regarded as a doubles hitter , which is probably why he fell to the 3^rd round,

but the potential the left handed slugger brings to the table was too much to pass on. He has gone deep 17 times this season, and will look to avenge his disappointing performance in 2009. Also, by selecting Gonzalez I was guaranteed to finish with 2 batters from each side of the plate.

4^th Round Pick: Matt Holliday, LF, St. Louis Cardinals (N.L.)

With my final selection, I had the choice between Holliday, and the Brewers' Rickie Weeks. Again, as was the case with my first pick, it came down to experience. Matt Holliday is participating in his third Derby, and this will be Weeks' first as a pro. Holliday finished in third place in 2007, followed by a fifth place finish in 2010. He has a very pure swing, which may not be made to blast baseballs out of Chase Field by the bunch, but is smooth enough to earn Holliday his share of longballs. With 14 home runs this season, and 194 for his career Holliday has shown a consistent ability to hit the ball out of the park. With the last pick, it could be much worse given the fields in past contests. Don't be surprised to see Holliday moving on to round two, although it may be a bit of a long shot.

4^th Round Pick: Rickie Weeks, 2B, Milwaukee Brewers (N.L.)

Weeks was selected to the N.L. team by his teammate Prince Fielder. Weeks is one of the best power hitting second basemen in the game, and provides power from the right side of the plate. Weeks will be making his first appearance in the Homerun Derby, bringing his 17 homeruns this season with him. Although I didn’t really have a choice in the 4^th round as Weeks was basically given to me, I believe Weeks could be a sleeper in the Derby, often being overlooked due to the other big name participants. If he can pull the ball consistently and drive it over the shortest part in Chase Field, the left field corner, he has a good chance to be crowned Home Run King.

Prince Fielder, after his 2009 Home Run Derby title.

David Ortiz, after winning the 2010 Home Run Derby

MLB Surprises

Top 5 surprises of the 1^st half of the MLB Season

By: Corey Donetz

5: Jose Reyes; .354 AVG (1^st) , 124 hits (1^st), 22 doubles, 15 triples (1^st), 32 RBI, 30 stolen bases (2^nd).

Reyes couldn’t have picked a better time to have an MVP type season. In a contract year, Reyes leads the Major Leagues in batting average, triples, and hits, while ranking second in stolen bases and third in runs scored. Reyes has led the Mets to an above .500 record, and is widely regarded as the best/most exciting player in the league this year. Good play from Reyes isn’t a surprise, but not many could’ve predicted these types of numbers from Reyes.

4: Josh Beckett; 7-3, 106 IP, 2.12 ERA (2^nd), 0.906 WHIP (2^nd), 91 K’s.

If I were to tell you Beckett would have the 2^nd best ERA on his own team before the season started, you probably wouldn’t have believed me, let alone have the 2^nd best ERA in the American League. Beckett has allowed just 5.5 hits per nine, which ranks best in the American League.  He has been the constant for the shaky Boston rotation so far. Beckett’s play has kept the Red Sox within striking distance of the New York Yankees for 1^st place in the A.L. East, and to lead the Wild Card race. He was named to the 2011 All-Star team for his play. Beckett has relied heavily on his 2-seam fastball, which has been a key to the strikeout totals, and limiting base runners, allowing less than one per inning (0.906 WHIP). Staying healthy will be key for Beckett as the season continues following the all-star break.

3: Freddy Garcia/Bartolo Colon;

Garcia: 7-6, 92 IP, 3.13 ERA, 1.271 WHIP, 57 K’s.

Colon: 6-3, 84.1 IP, 2.88 ERA, 1.055 WHIP, 78 K’s.

Coming into the season one of the biggest question marks for the New York Yankees was the back end of their rotation. Colon and Garcia have combined to go 13-9, with more consistency than anyone could’ve imagined. The two pitchers have found the fountain of youth and have given the Yankees a solidified rotation behind ace C.C. Sabathia leading them to a first place record. Aside from a short D.L stint from Colon, the two have stayed healthy for the most part, which is another added surprise to Yankees fans. If Colon and Garcia can keep this up, along with stellar play the Yankees have gotten around the diamond, a 1^st place finish seems pretty evident for New York.

2: Cleveland Indians; 1^st Place, 45-39, 25-15 (Home), 20-24 (Road).

The Tribe has led the A.L. Central for essentially the entire season thus far, and has succeeded greatly and appears to be a playoff contender during a time when many thought the team would be rebuilding. Cleveland’s offense is anchored by shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, and the resurgence of DH Travis Hafner. Cabrera is hitting .292 and leads the team with 14 homeruns, 49 RBI, 100 hits, 22 doubles, three triples, and 12 stolen bases. The MVP caliber season led to Cabrera being named to the A.L All-Star team. Cleveland’s bullpen has been a pleasant surprise as well; led by closer Chris Perez who is 20 for 21 in save opportunities posting an impressive 2.30 ERA. Josh Tomlin leads the tribe with ten wins, while Justin Masterson has a 2.85 ERA, going 6-6 through season’s 1^st half. Cleveland has a slim lead over Detroit in the A.L Central, it will be interesting to see if they can keep it up after the all-star break and close out the division as the season winds down.

1: Pittsburgh Pirates; 2^nd Place, 45-41, 21-20 (Home), 24-21 (Road).

The Pirates are led by a plethora of young talent, with the spotlight on centerfielder Andrew McCutchen. McCutchen has a .291 average, 12 homeruns, 46 RBI, and 15 stolen bases. He leads the team in average, homeruns, runs scored, stolen bases, and is second in RBI. Perhaps the biggest surprise within the Pirates has been their pitching as a whole. All-Star closer Joel Hanrahan has gone 25 for 25 in save opportunities, posting an incredible 0.93 ERA. Jeff Karstens has gone 7-4 with a 2.55 ERA, while Kevin Correia and Charlie Morton have won 11 and 7 games, respectively. Pittsburgh is 45-41, just 1.5 games behind the Cardinals for 1^st place. It’s been quite some time since the Pirates were relevant, and with the N.L Central still wide open, they have a chance at winning the division if their young players can keep winning. The second half story for the Pirates will be if their pitching can remain as consistent as it was in the first half of the season.