The Natural

Josh Hamilton put on the most impressive offensive display I've ever seen in the first round of the Home Run Derby. A record 28 home runs, including three over 500 feet (giving him three of the top 10 all-time Derby homers by distance). He crushed the ball... destroyed it. I'm kind of amazed the cover didn't come off some of them. There was one pitch that was a bit inside that he hit with one hand - it went around 450 ft, half-way up the upper-deck in right field. Nobody else hit 28 all night, and the next closest in the first round had 8. It was amazing, with the crowd cheering his name and the players looking on in awe. Unfortunately, he only hit 3 HR in the final round, and lost to Justin Morneau. What people are going to remember though, are all of those baseballs flying deep into the New York night.

[Excuse the poor music backing it, but this is the best video I could find.]


FJM had some interesting observations about the event:

"Not only did Erin Andrews snub Justin Morneau for Hamilton immediately post-Derby, but during the trophy presentation she clearly pronounces his name as "Mar-neau," Executive Vice President of MLB Rob Manfred goes with something like "Myrrh-neau," and Boys and Girls Club Giant Check Giver Guy just flat out insults him with "Jason." We get it, guys: Morneau didn't do heroin. So he's bo-ring!

The lesson, as always: it's better to do heroin and then stop doing heroin and then lose the Home Run Derby after an impressive first round than it is to not do heroin and then keep not doing heroin and then win the Home Run Derby after a pedestrian first round. Of course, I'm not telling you anything you haven't heard a thousand times already."

It reminds he of a Simpsons episode where the family is having money trouble, and Bart says something along the lines of "I'll take up smoking and then quit," and Homer thanks him. It's ridiculous but true - Andy Pettitte is a hero for (eventually) admitting to taking HGH, but Mike Mussina is a scrub until he got his ERA below 4.50, despite being a (generally) smart, upstanding individual. Read more ...

From A Grilled Cheese Sandwich To Your Dreams

Josh Hamilton is crushing the ball for Texas, and he is going to begin seriously negotiating a long-term contract with the team in the very near future. He's in for a big payday, and so one would assume that his agent - the guy who supported him in his return to baseball in Cincinnati and set the groundwork for the deal with the Rangers - should be very pleased. Well, that's not exactly the case. Without going into the specifics (It Is About The Money, Stupid was some great stuff about the situation), Hamilton has fired his agent (who is Jewish, and seems hurt on a personal level by this). The reasoning behind the decision was basically "I had a dream where Jesus told me to switch agents." That, too me (and I'm not trying to insult anyone's religion), is ridiculous. It also seems to be - ironically - a pretty un-Christian thing to do. I assume that his former agent will still be compensated for the work he has done on the impending contract, but I don't think it will make him feel any less insulted. Read more ...

A Win-Win (Except For The Oppostion)

Rarely do trades work out as well for both teams as the one between the Rangers and the Reds that occurred this past off-season. Texas sent under-performing pitching prospect Edison Volquez to Cincinnati in return for formerly "troubled" but extremely talented outfielder Josh Hamilton.

Hamilton hit very well when on the field (he was injured and played in only 90 games) in 2007, posting a 292 / 368 / 554 line with 19 HR, a 131 OPS+, and a .295 EqA. That was very impressive, especially considering he had played only 15 games (all in A-ball) since 2002. I have to admit that I didn't think his hot hitting would translate to this year, as pitchers started to figure him out. Boy, was I wrong - .327 average (3rd in the AL); .372 OBP (16th); .597 SLG (1st); 13 HR (2nd); 58 RBI (1st, by 10 RBI). He's got a 163 OPS+ and a .329 EqA, and (along with Carlos Quentin) is among the current front runners for the MVP award. He hasn't even been lucky, as his BABIP matches up with his line-drive rate pretty well. Most stories about Hamilton will mention how amazing his return from substance abuse is, but I'd like to say that this level of play is pretty amazing for anybody. By all accounts, Josh has turned things around and seems like a pretty decent guy. He's been one of the best players in all of baseball this year, and I hope he continues his success. To think, any team in baseball could have had him when he was left unprotected by the Rays in the Rule 5 draft. That also goes to show how many great players Tampa Bay have, that they would leave such a potentially elite talent exposed.

What Hamilton has been for the Rangers, Volquez has been for the Reds. After several trips to the majors without being able to duplicate his success in the minors, Edison has been a dominant starter this year. His 1.46 ERA is almost a full run less than the next closest pitcher (Tim Lincecum), which translates to an insane ERA+ of 304. He has 83 K's (again ahead of Lincecum) for a rate of 11 per nine, and has kept the ball in the yard (just 3 HR) with a highly improved groundball rate (54.8% from around 40% before). His sudden imporvement may have come from trusting his change-up more. It is a very good pitch, and he has gone from throwing it 22% of the time to 29% of the time. With the difference in velocity between the change (82 mph) and the fastball (93 mph), with the occasional breaking-ball thrown in, Volquez has been able to keep hitters off-balance and establish himself as a premier starter. A rotation of Aaron Harang, Volquez, Johnny Cueto, and (eventually) Homer Bailey is something to build around in Cincinnati. Read more ...