2012 Home Run Derby

Dating back as far as I can remember, the Homerun Derby has been my favorite part of the All-Star festivities. The simple fact is this: Forget about pitcher's duals, forget about diving snags, hell, forget about walk-off base-hits; the single most exciting thing in baseball is the HOMERUN. It has so many nomenclatures to define home runs: Homers, Taters, Longballs, Goin Downtown, and my personal favorite, GOODBYE MR. RAWLINGS!  As per the rules last season, each league has a captain with players whom the captain has personally chosen. Lets take a look at this year's participants that will be competing in the 2012 Homerun Derby, live from Kauffman stadium on Monday, July 9th, televised on ESPN at 5pm PST.

NATIONAL LEAGUE:

Captain: Matt Kemp ~ Dodgers

Lots of questions surround whether or not the injured Matt Kemp, who is the captain of the NL Derby squad, on whether or not he was even going to participate in this years Derby. He says he's participating, so I'll take him at his word. The 2011 Derby held in Arizona was not kind to Kemp; he managed only 2 dingers and was out by the first round. While Kemp certainly isn't the favorite for this year's HR Derby, don't count out the 2nd best player in baseball (only to Texas' Josh Hamilton.)

Carlos Gonzalez ~ Rockies

Gonzalez is a 30/30 threat (30 HRs, 30 Steals) this year, but his selection by Captain Matt Kemp has left a few folks (myself included) scratching their heads. He's one of baseball's best five-tool players, but he isn't cut out for the Home Run Derby's style. That means he's the type of hitter who hits line-drives, rather than the lofty "rain makers" that are more of a requirement for a Homer contest. Look for Gonzo to be out by the end of the first round.

Carlos Beltran ~ Cardinals

Beltran is having a stellar first half and is already approaching his homer total of 2011; despite being the elder statesman of the Derby at 35 years old. Don't forget, Beltran knows Kauffman Stadium VERY well; he played there for 6 years of his career.  This is Beltran's first Derby, and for good reason: He's a line-drive, contact hitter who wasn't built for Derby success. I look for Beltran to make it to the 2nd round of the Derby and then he'll be eliminated.


Andrew McCutchen ~ Pirates



"Cutch" replaces my personal favorite to win, Giancarlo Stanton of the Fish.  Stanton went down with a knee injury, and Andrew McCutchen has taken his spot in the Derby.  Cutch is having the best half-season of his career and is killing the ball.  He's leading the Pittsburgh Pirates in their best season in 20 years, en route to hitting 18 home runs. Look for Cutch to be in the finals with a great performance.


AMERICAN LEAGUE

Captain: Robinson Cano ~ Yankees

As much as it pains me to stay objective in this article (my hatred for the Evil Empire is palpable), I have a hard time not giving Cano the credit he deserves.  He has one of the sweetest swings this baseball fanatic has seen since Griffy Jr. and Cano is the returning champion after edging out Adrian Gonzalez by one homer in the final round of the 2011 Derby in Arizona.  He has 20 home runs on the season, including a season-long 440-foot go-ahead shot to center against the New York Mets which leads me to believe that the AL has the distinct advantage in this contest.

Mark Trumbo ~ Angels

I was surprised when Cano chose Mark Trumbo to help represent the American League. This could be due to the fact that he is kind of a "face in the crowd" when compared to the other superstars that are participating in the Derby.  Because this is Trumbo's first selection to participate in the Derby, look for an early exit; which has nothing to do with his stature (6’4”, 220-pounds) or his ability. The Derby is a different breed of competition that requires a hitter to step away from their normal swing in place for a slight uppercut and a need to "kill" the ball due to the fact that a batting-practice fastball doesnt have the velocity of a "game" fastball.  Some people in the media are picking Trumbo as the "darkhorse," but this fan doesn't believe the hype. Look for a 2nd round exit from Trumbo.

Jose Bautista ~ Blue Jays

"Joey Bats" didn't fair very well in last year's competition (only 4 HRs), but look for a complete 180 degree turnaround this year.  He may not have done particularly well last competition, but you can't ignore the fact that he is tied for the major league lead with 27 home runs in 85 games.  I would not be surprised to see Bautista in the finals, but he is not my overall favorite.

Prince Fielder ~ Tigers

This man-child is my favorite to win this year's HR Derby.  It is almost as if God himself sat in heaven and thought, "I'm going to create a human whose sole purpose will be to crush baseballs into the stands." The 275-pound monster is a former derby champion, and look forward to much of the same in Kansas City. Some of his detracters state that he does not have the stamina to win the derby again, as he is a few years older than the last time he won the contest.  Prince owns the 24th-longest homer in the big leagues this season at 456 feet. Fielder only has 15 homers this season, but look for him to equal, or best that total in the first round.  I fully anticipate the finals to be Prince Fielder vs. Andrew McCutchen.

Tommy John and a Second Chance

Mention the name "Tommy John" to anyone who watches Sportcenter and they immediately know that it means that a pitcher had some kind of operation in order to elongate the pitcher's career and "fix" their throwing arm. "Tommy John" surgery is the common name for Ulnar Collateral Replacement Surgery and there are a litany of pitchers, both professional and amateur, have had this procedure. Most people, avid baseball fans included, don't know the specifics of what Tommy John is and what it entails. Let's delve into the history and application of Tommy John Surgery and discuss just a few of baseball's superstars who have had this surgery:



Tommy John Surgery, or UCR surgery, is defined as a surgical graft procedure in which a ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body; often from the forearm, hamstring, hip, knee, or foot of the patient) or from a cadaver doner (see diagram left). The procedure is common among collegiate and professional athletes in several sports, most notably baseball. Basically in non-medical terms, a person blows out or rips the ligament in their elbow and has it replaced by a shiny new one; much like blowing out a tire and putting on a new one.

I chose this particular subject, because the Major League leader in ERA, Brandon Beachy of the Atlanta Braves, tore his UCL and underwent Tommy John last week. The procedure was first performed in 1974 by Dr. Frank Jobe, who today serves as a Special Advisor to the LA Dodgers, and is named after former major league pitcher Tommy John; whose 288 career victories ranks seventh all time among left-handed pitchers.

The necessity of the Tommy John surgery became prevelant due to the wear and tear a pitcher goes thru during the longest season in all of sports; 162 regular season games, plus spring training and the postseason. The UCL can become stretched, frayed, or torn through the repetitive stress of the throwing motion. Anyone who has ever thrown something extremely hard and then felt soreness in the ebow region has placed stress on the UCL; now imagine throwing a baseball thousands upon thousands of times.

Back to the procedures namesake, Tommy John; Thirty-seven baseball seasons have passed since the very first UCL replacement surgery. John was 31 years old with 124 wins and 11 seasons under his belt. He never threw heat like Strasburg or Smoltz, instead he relied on a bottom-out sinker that forced ground balls. But the three pitchers, as well as many others who have undergone UCL reconstruction, have one thing in common: a mechanical flaw in the timing of their deliveries that causes the arm to lag behind the rest of the body, putting extra stress on the shoulder and elbow. The very nature of how a baseball is thrown by a pitcher (overhand, rather than the ergonomically correct underhand) generates enough force on each pitch to rupture the ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow. To throw a baseball properly, a pitcher must get into the right position at the right time with the right succession of movements, like dominoes falling.

After John's procedure in 1974, he spent the entire 1975 season recovering. At the time when John came back in 1976, he posted a 10-10 win/loss record that, at the time, was considered miraculous. Tommy went on to pitch until 1989 and posted 164 wins during that period. Having personally known Sandy Koufax, who had retired in 1966 at age 30 after a short but brilliant career, that a damaged UCL meant you were done. With this successful surgery, and subsequent recover, it effectively gave all pitchers hope that if the most important ligament in their throwing arms were to give way, their career was not necessarily over.

Despite the inevitable year-long stint on the DL that rehab from the surgery requires, teams and pitchers seem to barely flinch at the diagnosis of a compromised UCL. "It's become an accepted side effect of the job," says George Paletta, the Cardinals' head team physician and orthopedic surgeon. That's because the surgery works; 92 percent of elite pitchers with reconstructed UCLs return to their prior level of competition for at least a year.

The list of Tommy John surgery recipients include: Deion Sanders (strangly NOT a pitcher), Jamie Moyer (the 76 year old who was demoted to the minors by the Rockies a few weeks ago), John Smoltz, Stephen Strausberg, Kerry Wood, Eric Gagne, Tim Hudson and a whole laundry list that reaches into the hundreds. Soon to be added to the list of successful UCL replacement surgeries will be Brandon Beachy of the Atlanta Braves (God willing).

God-given genetic superiority and freakish athletic ability often help those with less-than-ideal pitching mechanics make it to the majors, which is why you will find shockingly few exemplars of pitching mechanics on Tuesday Night Baseball. "Everyone knows smoking is bad for you, yet people still smoke," says Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild. "It's the same with pitching. I've seen guys who don't have great mechanics pitch for a long time. The body adjusts."

Until it doesn't, then a consultation and ultimately "Tommy John Surgery" courtesy of Dr. James Andrews (doctor to the athletes et al.)

Here is a top 10 list of pitchers who have had successful Tommy John surgeries courtesy of Sports Illustrated:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/1103/mlb-tommy-john-surgery/content.1.html

Why We Call Him "Frediot"

Say the word "Frediot" to any Braves fan and they will know who you speak of and exactly why. Fredi Gonzalez was named the successor to Bobby Cox "unofficially," when the Florida Marlins deemed Hanley Ramirez to be more of an asset to the franchise than Fredi Gonzalez in 2010.  Almost immediately the media, and those inside the Braves franchise, said that Gonzalez was the front-runner to replace a legend. 

Fredi then inherited a team that had been skippered by a living legend, and the most beloved manager in not just Atlanta Braves history, but the whole history of the franchise; dating back to when they were known as the Boston Red Caps in the 1910s, in Bobby Cox.  The Braves managerial choice seemed like a Cinderella fit...up until September of 2011. 

September 2011 saw the 2nd worse collapse in baseball history; bested (or worsted, if that's a word) by only the Boston Red Sox in ineptitude.  Had the Red Sox not collapsed last year, the Braves would have been the perennial whipping-boy of the baseball media; but the baseball Gods are fickle and saw fit to force the Sox into a tailspin of epic proportions.  Last season left this Braves fan in a 6 month depression that was thought to be dormant; until this past week. 

The Braves were supposed to be the favorites for the NL wild card, but I wonder if that is even possible with a Skipper as inept as "Frediot" Gonzalez.  There has already been talk this year of Frediot being on "double-secret probation," and if at any time it seems as though things are slipping away from him that he will be fired and subsequently replaced; "ANY TIME' is NOW. Fredi is a lesson in mismanagement; one only needs to look at his handling of the bullpen in 2011 to get a litmus test on Frediot's managerial acumen. 

The Braves have/had the best bullpen in not only the NL, but the Major Leagues as a whole.  One colossal collapse, and an unreliable 'pen (with the exception of 2011 Rookie of the Year Craig Kimbrel) later, coupled with a plethora of questionable managerial decisions, equals the Braves naming someone, ANYONE "interim manager."  Lets examine just 1 of the examples of "Frediocy:"

On June 13th, the Braves were playing the Evil Empire, err, I mean the Yankees. Things were going well, the Braves were handling the Yanks 4-0 late with Mike Minor throwing a gem of a game.  Flash forward to a pitching change due to a base hit by Derek Jeter. ONE BASE HIT AND HE SWITCHED PITCHERS.  Atlanta was leading 4-0 going into the top of the 8th inning, and Mike Minor was still on the mound after shutting-out New York and pitching his best game of the season. After giving up a hit, Minor was immediately pulled from the game and Jonny Venter’s was brought in in relief. Venters, who has struggled with consistency (a gross understatement) throughout the year, gave up two quick hits to load the bases to bring up A-Rod; who incedently was #2 on the list of career grand slams, behind only Lou Gehrig.  Notice the grammar in the previous sentence, paying close attention to the word "WAS." My dad and I watched this happening in real-time, but it seemed like slow-motion. Here's a recap of our experience:

Me: WHY THE F@#$ IS VENTERS IN THIS GAME???
Dad: Because the Lord obviously hates us, son. Either that or Fredi is the Devil. Either way here comes a grand slam.
Me: Please no...
TV; "WAY BACK, AND ITS A GRAND SLAM FOR A-ROD, WHO IS NOW TIED WITH LOU GEHRIG ON THE ALL-TIME GRAND SLAM LIST..."
Me: (expletive deleted) (expletive deleted) (expletive deleted) (expletive deleted)
Dad: Told you, been around this game too long, son.

After another Venters hit, Cory Gearrin came into the game and immediately gave up a 2-Run shot to Nick Swisher that gave the Yankees a 6-4 lead, which would hold for the final score. Lets recap: Braves up 4-0 in the top of the 8th, 1 hit given up by the starter, Mike Minor; replaced by a terrible Jonny Venters, 2 more hits, bases loaded, A-rod comes up, its now 4-4.  One more hit, then Frediot finally replaces Venters with the equally inept Cory Gearrin, HR Nick Swisher; 6-4 Yanks.  Jonny Venters obviously shoulders a lot of blame for giving up four hits, including a Grand Slam, without ever recording an out. Cory Gearrin deserves blame for giving up the 2-Run homer to Swisher. But they wouldn't even have been in the game had it not been for Frediot replacing a starting pitcher who's only crime was giving up a hit to Derek Jeter (who is chasing Pete Rose's all-time hit record) and Fredi managed, once again, to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. 

Not many managers would still have a job after their club completely collapsed to miss the playoffs in the last month of the season.  The Red Sox, who did the same thing at the same time as Atlanta, not only fired their manager without hesitation, they let go of their "Prodigy" GM Theo Epstein to the Cubs. Let us not forget that Epstein built 2 different World Series Champions and Terry Francona helmed both squads to the title within 7 years and was considered one of the best managers in the game. Fredi Gonzalez was never even on the hot seat for his gross negligence and terrible decision-making, and he’s never led a club to the  playoffs in 5 full seasons of managing (4 with the Marlins).  This leads me to believe that the problem goes way deeper than just Frediot, Frank Wren (Atlanta GM) has some 'splainin to do.

I certainly hope the Braves right this ship and get back to their winning ways, but how big of a cushion can a team give the Washington Nationals (the upstarts who are leading the NL East) before Braves internal management says "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, FREDIOT."

Atlanta Braves 2012 Lineup Preview

I recall sitting, dejected, depressed, tearful and generally upset after game 162 last year. I said what I always have said when the Braves blow it, "God it's gonna be a long winter." And lo and behold, we're already at the cusp of another Braves spring training; be it my human need to forget the pain and suffering the Braves put us fans through last September (going an abysmal 8-18 and thus conceding the wild card birth the the now world champion Cards), but I'm jazzed for this season like I haven't been since our heyday in the 90s. Perhaps its the fact we no longer have that guaranteed L every 5th day in Derek Lowe (the Braves literally paid Cleveland 10 million bucks to just take this idiot and never look back), or perhaps its the high hopes for A+ prospect Tyler Pastornicky getting his shot at shortstop. Lets take a look at our lineup from top to bottom to see why this Braves fan is salivating at the thought of opening day:

1) Michael Bourne: This lineup has the capability to score a ton of runs, and it all starts and stops with speedster Michael Bourne in the leadoff spot. The Braves really aren't known as a running team, but you have to imagine that with Bourn in the fold for a full season, Fredi will turn him loose on the basepaths. If Bourn is able to up his OBP to the .350 range that it was when he was a commodity with the Astros over the past couple of seasons, and his defense rebounds to the stellar level it was at, Bourn will absolutely be a spark plug for the Braves in CF.

2) Martin Prado: Martin Prado was an All-Star in 2010, and many Braves fans thought he was the Atlanta Braves MVP that season. He had a .307 batting average to go along with 15 home runs and 66 RBI’s. He struggled last year with a staph infection as his numbers dropped to .260/13/57 and played in 11 less games. If Prado can turn it around in 2012, he can do a lot of damage at the top of the order.

3) Chipper Jones: The Ol' Grey Mare still keeps on going, and at almost 40 years of age, this could be (and should be) Chipper's last hurrah. Chipper Jones has battled constant nagging injuries over the last three or four years, but he is still one of the best hitters in the Atlanta Braves lineup when healthy, as well as arguably the best player of the steroid era to not be tainted with the stigma of being a "juicer." Jones started slow and dealt with some injuries last season, as per usual, but still managed to hit .275, which is below average for him, but good nonetheless. Chipper got his power stroke going around mid-season and finished the year with 18 home runs and 70 RBI’s. It is incredibly important for Chip to be in the lineup, he brings invaluable leadership and necessary protection for Uggla in the cleanup spot.

4) Dan Uggla: 2011 was the tale of 2 seasons for Dan Uggla. Before the all-star break, moreover, prior to his 33 game hit-streak, Uggla was well below the Mendoza line (.200). On the flipside he went on the warpath (pun intended) and was arguably the MVP of the League in the 2nd half of the season. His 33 game hitting streak set the Atlanta Braves record for longest hitting streak. Uggla finished the year with a .233 Batting Avg., A career high 36 HR’s & 82 RBI’s, and the Braves have high expectations for the buffest 2b to ever play the game!

5) Brian McCann: McCann matched his career high for home runs in 2011 with 24, as well as missing considerable time on the DL. His RBI production dipped to a career low (71), but that can be attributed to the anemic bats in front of him in the lineup; before the Braves acquired Michael Bourne, they didn't have a true leadoff hitter. I fully expect Mac to be healthy and to earn his 7th consecutive all-star appearance.

6) Freddie Freeman: In my opinion, Freeman was the Rookie of the Year for the NL, because I don't feel this award should go to anyone but a position player. Be that as it may, the Braves had the winner of the ROY in Craig Kimbrel, so no harm no foul in the Braves fan's eyes. He hit .282 with 21 home runs and 76 RBI’s in a very impressive rookie campaign. Freeman will probably bat in the 6 spot behind Chipper Jones, Brian McCann, and Dan Uggla, and in front of Jason Heyward, so he should have plenty of protection and run producing opportunities.

7) Jason Heyward: This kid needs to step up and be the player he was his rookie year in 2010. He looked like he was going to be the next Chipper Jones after a rookie campaign where he hit .277 with 18 Homers and 72 RBI’s, most baseball analysts thought that Heyward would continue to rise. This was not the case; Unfortunately Heyward suffered through a big sophomore slump in 2011 as his average fail 50 points to .227. His power numbers were down too, especially his RBI’s. He hit 14 homers with only 42 RBI’s. His walks also fail dramatically; he walked 91 times in 2010 and only 51 times in 2011. So far in camp, he has displayed a different swing and is, according to Chipper, "tearing the cover off the ball." The Braves have big expectations for this kid, and he cannot afford another season like last year.

8) Tyler Pastornicky: This kid has been the talk of the town in Atlanta since he was called up for the final game last year (he did not play.) There was talk after last season's horrific collapse to buy a journeyman SS for 1 season to give Pastornicky some more grooming time. That plan was scrapped and the 22 year old kid will have his chance as the everyday starter at SS. Pastornisky started 2011 in AA Mississippi where he hit for a .299 batting average with 6 home runs and 36 RBI’s in 90 games. During him time at AA, Pastornisky stole 20 bases out of 28 attempts. Pastornisky got called up to AAA Gwinett for 27 games and hit .365 with a home run and 9 RBI’s; he was 7/10 in stolen base attempts. This kid reminds me a lot of Chipper, and good things are expected out of him for 2012.

As a whole, the Braves don't expect to break the Phillies stranglehold on the NL East, but they expect to be more than competitive; its hard to dethrone a team that has over DOUBLE the Braves payroll, but not every team has the near limitless purse-strings the Phillies, Yankees or Red Sox have. I will examine the Braves phenomenal (young) pitching staff in the days to come, so until next time, keep those tomahawks chopping!