First on the National League side of things. Nobody has really been paying very much attention to him, but Rockies right fielder Michael Cuddyer has been having a career year at the age of 34. Posting an impressive 15/52/.336 line as we cruise into the All Star Break, Cuddyer even enjoyed a crisp 27 game hitting streak not too long ago. So I like this pick in terms of giving credit where credit is due and acknowledging a highly underrated player who deserves some love. But in terms of trying to win this thing? Not the best choice. That 15 home run line becomes a lot less impressive when you factor in that he plays most of his games in Coors Field, the biggest hitters' ballpark in the game. This is a guy that only cracked the 30 home run plateau once in his career and when you think "power hitter" Michael Cuddyer is not in the first 100 names that come to mind. Like it or not, this competition is better suited to power hitters and not contact hitters like Cuddyer. We have a better chance of seeing a hitter top the .400 mark in a season again than seeing Michael Cuddyer win the Derby.
The Bryce Harper pick is an enigmatic one as well. The young phenom is who everyone wants to see participate in the Derby and getting him in there is certainly going to attract a lot of viewers. However, once again, picking Bryce Harper shows that winning is not David Wright's #1 priority. Don't get me wrong, Harper has a ton of raw power as evidenced by his 13 home run mark already despite only playing in 53 games on the year. However, he is not even close to the most powerful hitter in the National League. If I'm David Wright, and winning is my goal, I go for the Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton, the Pirates' Pedro Alvarez, the Reds' Jay Bruce, the Diamondbacks' Paul Goldschmidt, the Braves' Justin Upton, or even the Phillies' Domonic Brown before Harper or Cuddyer.
I do like the CarGo pick though. The NL leader in home runs at 24, he has Home Run Derby experience already, having participated last year. He's got a nice split of big flies at home vs. big flies on the road, which minimizes his advantage of playing at the aforementioned Coors Field. I expect him to fair much better in this year's competition than he did in last year's (where he was eliminated after the first round) and I like him as the best "winning" pick in the National League.
On the American League side, they are stacked. Robinson Cano did a great job with his picks. Picking Orioles first baseman Chris Davis was a no-brainer. "Crush" has done just that this year, mashing a Bonds-esque 33 home runs by the season's halfway point as he looks to make a run at the single-season record for home runs in a season. (Sidenote: the mark technically belongs to Barry Bonds who hit 73 in 2002, but Davis himself stirred up some controversy a few days ago by saying that in his eyes, the record belongs to Roger Maris with his 61 in 1961. I for one agree with Chris Davis that Maris should be the true record holder just like Hank Aaron's 755 should stand as the true record for all-time home runs. I refuse to acknowledge any of the achievements of Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, post-Pittsburgh Barry Bonds, or any of their juicing brethren because they are tainted and an insult to those who succeeded the right way before them. However, you can't argue with the record books and tainted or not, Barry Bonds is unfortunately the single season home run king so that's the record that Davis is going to have to try to break.) With his tremendous bat that has been going since Opening Day and is showing no signs of slowing down, Davis has to be considered the clear favorite to win this thing and it's a fantastic pick across the board choosing him to slug it out in the Derby.
The defending champ Prince Fielder is also a solid choice as he too has an almost unfair amount of raw power. He's got the experience too as this will be his FIFTH appearance in the Home Run Derby so he knows how to work the game. History hasn't been too kind to defending champs however but it's hard to bet against a man who can be counted on for 30-40 home runs year in and year out. It's that kind of power that is perfect for the Home Run Derby.
The Yoenis Cespedes pick is my least favorite here. I also didn't like how Cano took an extra day to pick him when all the other picks had already been made. Maybe all the Dwight Howard in the news got to him. Anyway, Cespedes, after his steller rookie year, has hit his sophomore slump somewhat. Despite a nice 15 home run total at this point, he's hitting only .224 on the year (to put that into perspective, Josh Hamilton is hitting .227. Yeah.) But when he hits, he hits in bunches. So hopefully, he can string together a hot streak in the Derby this year because he's been kind of a streaky hitter this year. I probably would have gone with a Miguel Cabrera, or an Edwin Encarnacion here. I was also pretty disappointed that nobody from my beloved Angels was selected. Granted, Pujols and Hamilton aren't deserving this year, but Mark Trumbo, who can easily hit a ball 500 feet and had one ridiculous roofshot in last year's Home Run Derby, and Mike Trout, who should be in if Bryce Harper is in, at least deserved some consideration.
So there you have it. It seems the National League put a greater emphasis on pandering to the fans with their picks while the American League put a greater emphasis on winning. I would be absolutely shocked if the American League doesn't crush the National League and I'm putting my money on Crush Davis to win it all (see what I did there?). This should be fun to watch. Tune in this Monday at 5 PM PST on ESPN to catch all the excitement.
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