ANY THOUGHTS ON WHO MIGHT CAPTURE THIS YEARS HOMERUN DERBY CONTEST TO BE HELD TOMORROW NIGHT. LEANING TOWARDS PUJOLS BUT HAVEN'T SEEN ANY ODDS. GIAMBI MIGHT BE THE BEST VALUE OUT THERE. WELCOME ALL COMMENTS.
Homerun Derby Thread.....
- Thread starter BOBBYW
- Start date
STAMINA ------
STAMINA ------
ROUND 1 REALLY TAKES IT OUT OF THE GUYS ------ SHEFFIELD HAS THE STUFF TO GET IT DONE!! LIKE THE PLUS 910 PRICE!
STAMINA ------
ROUND 1 REALLY TAKES IT OUT OF THE GUYS ------ SHEFFIELD HAS THE STUFF TO GET IT DONE!! LIKE THE PLUS 910 PRICE!
Anyone know who exactly is in it? Kickserv- Who else is in it besides those 7? Isn't it only 8 people?
Looks like Sexson is the 8th guy. Bonds was a possiblity so that +400 would have been nice.
From MLB.com.......
CHICAGO -- The field for the CENTURY 21 Home Run Derby is set. Let the slugging begin.
The lineup was finalized Monday morning with the announcement that Milwaukee's Richie Sexson will represent the National League in the event, which will be held at 8 p.m. ET at U.S. Cellular Field as the capper to Monday's Gatorade All-Star Workout Day. The 18th annual contest will be broadcast live on ESPN and MLB.com Radio.
Sexson, tied for fifth in the NL with 25 homers, joins Atlanta's Gary Sheffield and St. Louis' Jim Edmonds and Albert Pujols on the National League squad. The Yankees' Jason Giambi, the 2002 Home Run Derby champion, leads an American League contingent that also includes Garret Anderson of Anaheim, Bret Boone of Seattle and Carlos Delgado of Toronto.
There were rumblings that Giants slugger Barry Bonds might have a last-minute change of heart and become the eighth and final competitor, but the 39-year-old Bonds will stick with just participating in his 12th All-Star Game. Other NL possibilities included Florida's Mike Lowell, Milwaukee's Geoff Jenkins, Atlanta's Javy Lopez and Andruw Jones and Arizona's Luis Gonzalez, the 2001 champion.
But Sexson is the National League's man, and he's certainly proven worthy of being in the contest.
Sexson reached the semifinals of the Home Run Derby last year, when the event was held on his home field, Milwaukee's Miller Park. He lost to eventual runner-up Sammy Sosa in the semifinals, 6-5. With 25 homers, he almost has surpassed his 2002 total of 29 and is on pace to extend his career high beyond the 45 he hit in 2001.
Giambi and Sheffield share the distinction of having the most experience with the contest, each having participated in two before -- Giambi each of the last two years and Sheffield in 1992 and '96. Sexson (2002), Boone (2001) and Delgado (2000) have participated before; the rest of the field are Home Run Derby rookies.
2003 All-Star Game information >
Giambi will have the benefit of two distinct experiences from the past two contests behind him.
He put up a stirring first round of 14 homers at Safeco Field in the 2001 contest, but he was gassed after that and couldn't hit enough homers the next round to advance to the finals. In 2002 at Miller Park in Milwaukee, he settled into a groove in the first round, managing 11 homers, and had plenty of energy left in reserve once he got past a sudden-death semifinal with Paul Konerko to beat Sammy Sosa handily in the final, 7-1.
Giambi, like everyone else who watched last year's contest, speculated that Sosa might have run out of steam in the final.
"I know I was," Giambi said. "Sammy was probably a little bit tired because he had monstrous home runs. Just like I did in Seattle, when I petered out in the second round."
Entering his third contest, Giambi leads this year's field in terms of experience -- matching Sheffield (1992 and '96) with two previous contests. Boone (2001) and Delgado (2000) also have participated before.
Jason Giambi / 1B
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 235
Bats/Throws: L/R
More info:
Player page
Stats | Hit chart
Authentic Giambi jersey
Yankees site
Based on his past experience, Giambi knows the very first rule of the contest.
"I have a good time and go up there, swinging from my shoe tops," Giambi said. "I just let it fly."
Rule No. 2 isn't so easy to follow: Get a guy who's grooving you hittable pitches, over and over again. This year, Giambi will be without Willie Randolph, the Yankees' third-base coach and his pitcher in the Home Run Derby last season.
"I'm going to have to find someone to throw to me who can throw strikes and keep pumping them in there," Giambi said. "That makes all the difference in the world."
Sheffield, who last participated in the contest seven years ago when he was a member of the Florida Marlins, knows that Rule No. 2 is every bit as big as Rule No. 1.
"It's not as easy as it looks sometimes," Sheffield said. "It all depends on who is pitching to you."
Unless they bring their own pitcher like Alex Rodriguez did last year by bringing then-Texas coach Jamie Quirk with him to Milwaukee (it didn't help -- he had only two first-round homers and was bounced), the sluggers will be relying on the coaching staffs of the Angels and the Cubs (the new staff of former Giants manager Dusty Baker).
The actual contest rules are simple: Everybody gets 10 outs (non-homers) to hit as many homers as they can in the first round. The top four, regardless of league affiliation, advance to the semis, seeded by their first-round totals (1 vs. 4, 2 vs. 3). The final two square off in the finals, also getting 10 outs to hit as many homers as they can.
For Delgado, who has been on a torrid power pace all season with 28 homers and 97 RBIs, the approach to the contest is as simple as the rules.
Carlos Delgado / 1B
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 230
Bats/Throws: L/R
More info:
Player page
Stats
Hit chart
Blue Jays site
"It's just regular BP. Just go out there and swing hard," he said. "I swing hard anyway, so it's not like a change or anything."
Sure, it's just like BP -- except with a packed stadium, a bunch of All-Stars lounging on the grass in front of the dugouts enjoying the scene and a nationwide television audience watching.
For those who have taken on the challenge, Monday's Home Run Derby is an opportunity to have some fun swinging from their shoe tops and perhaps have the most fun of all eight competitors by taking home the trophy.
"Maybe to some guys it's old hat, but it's something I wouldn't pass up," Boone said. "What I want is to not embarrass myself. That first one you hit, you think, 'What a relief. At least I hit one.' They're easier after that."
A rundown of the participants:
American League:
? Jason Giambi, Yankees: The defending champion -- and with that powerful lefty swing with the one-handed finish, as potent a stroke as there is around.
? Garret Anderson, Angels: There might not be a better doubles hitter in the contest, but homers? His advantage: He'll have a familiar Angels coach throwing to him.
? Bret Boone, Mariners: In terms of height, he's the Spud Webb of this contest. But everyone in baseball knows Boone can tag baseballs while swinging from his heels with the best of them.
? Carlos Delgado, Blue Jays: Probably the most likely to hit a homer that makes everybody say, "Oooh!" And quite possibly the hottest hitter in the contest.
National League:
? Jim Edmonds, Cardinals: OK, so he's not loaded with confidence -- "I'd be surprised if I hit any," he said, perhaps half-seriously -- but those 28 homers at the break have to count for something.
? Albert Pujols, Cardinals: Simply put, the most exciting young hitter in the game, and maybe just flat-out the best now.
? Gary Sheffield, Braves: Perhaps the hardest-swinging participant, Sheffield's bat speed can generate power to all fields. He's scary powerful.
? Richie Sexson, Brewers: With plenty of power in his 6-foot-8 frame, Sexson could get on a roll with the best of them.
From MLB.com.......
CHICAGO -- The field for the CENTURY 21 Home Run Derby is set. Let the slugging begin.
The lineup was finalized Monday morning with the announcement that Milwaukee's Richie Sexson will represent the National League in the event, which will be held at 8 p.m. ET at U.S. Cellular Field as the capper to Monday's Gatorade All-Star Workout Day. The 18th annual contest will be broadcast live on ESPN and MLB.com Radio.
Sexson, tied for fifth in the NL with 25 homers, joins Atlanta's Gary Sheffield and St. Louis' Jim Edmonds and Albert Pujols on the National League squad. The Yankees' Jason Giambi, the 2002 Home Run Derby champion, leads an American League contingent that also includes Garret Anderson of Anaheim, Bret Boone of Seattle and Carlos Delgado of Toronto.
There were rumblings that Giants slugger Barry Bonds might have a last-minute change of heart and become the eighth and final competitor, but the 39-year-old Bonds will stick with just participating in his 12th All-Star Game. Other NL possibilities included Florida's Mike Lowell, Milwaukee's Geoff Jenkins, Atlanta's Javy Lopez and Andruw Jones and Arizona's Luis Gonzalez, the 2001 champion.
But Sexson is the National League's man, and he's certainly proven worthy of being in the contest.
Sexson reached the semifinals of the Home Run Derby last year, when the event was held on his home field, Milwaukee's Miller Park. He lost to eventual runner-up Sammy Sosa in the semifinals, 6-5. With 25 homers, he almost has surpassed his 2002 total of 29 and is on pace to extend his career high beyond the 45 he hit in 2001.
Giambi and Sheffield share the distinction of having the most experience with the contest, each having participated in two before -- Giambi each of the last two years and Sheffield in 1992 and '96. Sexson (2002), Boone (2001) and Delgado (2000) have participated before; the rest of the field are Home Run Derby rookies.
2003 All-Star Game information >
Giambi will have the benefit of two distinct experiences from the past two contests behind him.
He put up a stirring first round of 14 homers at Safeco Field in the 2001 contest, but he was gassed after that and couldn't hit enough homers the next round to advance to the finals. In 2002 at Miller Park in Milwaukee, he settled into a groove in the first round, managing 11 homers, and had plenty of energy left in reserve once he got past a sudden-death semifinal with Paul Konerko to beat Sammy Sosa handily in the final, 7-1.
Giambi, like everyone else who watched last year's contest, speculated that Sosa might have run out of steam in the final.
"I know I was," Giambi said. "Sammy was probably a little bit tired because he had monstrous home runs. Just like I did in Seattle, when I petered out in the second round."
Entering his third contest, Giambi leads this year's field in terms of experience -- matching Sheffield (1992 and '96) with two previous contests. Boone (2001) and Delgado (2000) also have participated before.
Jason Giambi / 1B
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 235
Bats/Throws: L/R
More info:
Player page
Stats | Hit chart
Authentic Giambi jersey
Yankees site
Based on his past experience, Giambi knows the very first rule of the contest.
"I have a good time and go up there, swinging from my shoe tops," Giambi said. "I just let it fly."
Rule No. 2 isn't so easy to follow: Get a guy who's grooving you hittable pitches, over and over again. This year, Giambi will be without Willie Randolph, the Yankees' third-base coach and his pitcher in the Home Run Derby last season.
"I'm going to have to find someone to throw to me who can throw strikes and keep pumping them in there," Giambi said. "That makes all the difference in the world."
Sheffield, who last participated in the contest seven years ago when he was a member of the Florida Marlins, knows that Rule No. 2 is every bit as big as Rule No. 1.
"It's not as easy as it looks sometimes," Sheffield said. "It all depends on who is pitching to you."
Unless they bring their own pitcher like Alex Rodriguez did last year by bringing then-Texas coach Jamie Quirk with him to Milwaukee (it didn't help -- he had only two first-round homers and was bounced), the sluggers will be relying on the coaching staffs of the Angels and the Cubs (the new staff of former Giants manager Dusty Baker).
The actual contest rules are simple: Everybody gets 10 outs (non-homers) to hit as many homers as they can in the first round. The top four, regardless of league affiliation, advance to the semis, seeded by their first-round totals (1 vs. 4, 2 vs. 3). The final two square off in the finals, also getting 10 outs to hit as many homers as they can.
For Delgado, who has been on a torrid power pace all season with 28 homers and 97 RBIs, the approach to the contest is as simple as the rules.
Carlos Delgado / 1B
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 230
Bats/Throws: L/R
More info:
Player page
Stats
Hit chart
Blue Jays site
"It's just regular BP. Just go out there and swing hard," he said. "I swing hard anyway, so it's not like a change or anything."
Sure, it's just like BP -- except with a packed stadium, a bunch of All-Stars lounging on the grass in front of the dugouts enjoying the scene and a nationwide television audience watching.
For those who have taken on the challenge, Monday's Home Run Derby is an opportunity to have some fun swinging from their shoe tops and perhaps have the most fun of all eight competitors by taking home the trophy.
"Maybe to some guys it's old hat, but it's something I wouldn't pass up," Boone said. "What I want is to not embarrass myself. That first one you hit, you think, 'What a relief. At least I hit one.' They're easier after that."
A rundown of the participants:
American League:
? Jason Giambi, Yankees: The defending champion -- and with that powerful lefty swing with the one-handed finish, as potent a stroke as there is around.
? Garret Anderson, Angels: There might not be a better doubles hitter in the contest, but homers? His advantage: He'll have a familiar Angels coach throwing to him.
? Bret Boone, Mariners: In terms of height, he's the Spud Webb of this contest. But everyone in baseball knows Boone can tag baseballs while swinging from his heels with the best of them.
? Carlos Delgado, Blue Jays: Probably the most likely to hit a homer that makes everybody say, "Oooh!" And quite possibly the hottest hitter in the contest.
National League:
? Jim Edmonds, Cardinals: OK, so he's not loaded with confidence -- "I'd be surprised if I hit any," he said, perhaps half-seriously -- but those 28 homers at the break have to count for something.
? Albert Pujols, Cardinals: Simply put, the most exciting young hitter in the game, and maybe just flat-out the best now.
? Gary Sheffield, Braves: Perhaps the hardest-swinging participant, Sheffield's bat speed can generate power to all fields. He's scary powerful.
? Richie Sexson, Brewers: With plenty of power in his 6-foot-8 frame, Sexson could get on a roll with the best of them.
05:00 PM 501 C. Delgado +370 Risk To WinJCB said:
502 A. Pujols +360 Risk To Win
503 J. Giambi +385 Risk To Win
504 G. Sheffield +780 Risk To Win
505 J. Edmonds +770 Risk To Win
506 B. Boone +1550 Risk To Win
507 G. Anderson +2000 Risk To Win
510 Field +470 Risk To Win
sexson is 8th participant
Thanks. Personally I think it will come down to Giambi, Delgado or Sexson. I see Pujols hitting line drives. No Willie Randolph for Giambi. Prob take a shot with Sexson & Delgado. Gl to all.
Great writeup JCB, thanks for the info.
I think guys like Anderson and Boone are worth a shot with hefty payouts. I think really anyone can win this thing, just have to get into a rythm out there.
GL
I think guys like Anderson and Boone are worth a shot with hefty payouts. I think really anyone can win this thing, just have to get into a rythm out there.
GL
Actually I just read that in previous years that some people waited for the last possible hour to decide to be in it. (Griffey I think). If you had gotten Bonds @ +400 it would be well worth it. Sexson has a good shot & maybe someone pulls a muscle in warm-ups. 
