The All-Star festivities are right around the corner, and Last Word on Sports will be your go-to source for the latest and greatest on all the happenings on the mid-season festivities. Herein we shall take a look at the Home Run Derby and the Futures Game
Home Run Derby – Who To Pick?
On Monday Troy Tulowizki and Jose Bautista were announced as captains for the Home Run Derby. As captains, they get to pick who joins them in the competition. Each of them will pick four more players from their respective leagues to fill out their bracket, and it is indeed a bracket now. The rules have changed for the derby, with each league now sending five representatives instead of four (and they will only have seven outs to work with, rather than ten). There is also now a full bracket setup to the derby. The three players with the most home runs from each league will be moved into a bracket. The number one hitter will receive a bye to the semifinal round, while the number two and number three will play for the right to head-to-head with him. Then, the winners from each league will face off for the title. The new format is certainly more appealing and compelling. But who to pick?
It would be tempting for Tulowizki and Bautista to simply pick the players with the most home runs in each league. Yet the Derby is pure spectacle and should be treated as such. The most flashy, most powerful (Target Field is a cavern of a baseball stadium) hitters of all should be front and center here. The league has done well by selecting the two captains. Tulowitzki and Bautista especially both have their fair share of power, but this event calls for men like Yasiel Puig and Giancarlo Stanton. The most bat-flipping, ball-punishing hitters should take the field and make us gaze with wonder upon their displays. Yoenis Cespedes accomplished this last year at the Derby when he captured the whole baseball world for a single night.
There is one specific player that should be among those selected. Minnesota Twins second baseman Brian Dozier is on pace for a 30/30 (thirty homers, thirty steals) season, with fifteen already in each category. Having fifteen homers at the half is an impressive feat for any player who plays half of his games at Target Field. We all remember the flack Robinson Cano took from Kansas City fans when he failed to follow through on his promise to name a Royal to the Derby team when the All-Star festivities were at Kauffman Stadium. Dozier is a more than capable choice, and Bautista would do well to pick him, and appeal to the home crowd.
Futures Game – Why You Should Watch
The Futures Game is perhaps the most underrated part of the All-Star break. Let’s take a brief look at the then-prospects who participated last year.
- Xander Boegarts, BOS
- Gregory Polanco, PIT
- George Springer, HOU
- Yordano Ventura, KC
- Christian Yellich, MIA
- Chris Owings, ARI
- Billy Hamilton, CIN
- C.J. Cron, LAA
That’s an impressive list for sure. All of those players are currently contributing well at the big league level, and plenty more from last year’s roster are on the way or already made their debuts. This year’s roster incorporates plenty of talent that could be seen later this year. Names that jump out include Robert Stephenson (CIN), Kris Bryant (CHC), Mookie Betts (BOS), Noah Syndergaard (NYM), Domingo Santana (HOU), Joey Gallo (TEX) and Julio Urias (LAD). Most or all of those players could be up by the end of the year.
But there’s more to the futures game than just August and September call-ups. Not all prospects pan out, but the Futures Game is a showcase of the next wave of stars of baseball. The waiting game will be a bit longer on players such as Luis Severino (NYY), Corey Seager (LAD), Hunter Harvey (BAL), and Carlos Correa (HOU, will miss game due to injury). Yet it’s worth watching if only for a glimpse of what’s to come. We owe it to ourselves as fans to be invested in not only the current pennant race, but also next year’s pennant race, and the next four after that. One doesn’t need to be a total expert on the minor leagues, but having an idea of what’s going on down on the farm. Prospects are a fundamental part of the upcoming trade deadline (which we’ll begin our coverage of soon), and could be the difference between a club trading with the Cubs for Jeff Samardzija or Jason Hammel, or dealing with the Rays for David Price. It’s all about the return for the selling team, and that puts teams such as the Cardinals and Red Sox at an advantage. And you can bet if their guys put on a show at the Futures Game, it could make things interesting when trade negotiations start.
In short, the Futures Game is not an event to be missed. It’s fun and interesting on multiple levels, and generally is a chance to watch some pretty good baseball. It’s the peewee version of the All-Star Game, but with more back story. All three events (Futures Game, Home Run Derby, All-Star Game) are absolutely worth watching, for their own reasons. We’ll be sure to bring you coverage of all three here at LWOS, and we hope you join us.
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