There have been a lot of former All-Stars acquired by the five teams in the American League East. Here's a look at all those All Stars with one player per team I was surprised wasn't in the Summer Classic (or at least the best player acquired not to make an All-Star Team).
Toronto Blue Jays: Chad Cordero
Surprise: Octavio Dotel
Tampa Bay Rays: Manny Ramriez and Johnny Damon
Surprise: Kyle Farnsworth
Baltimore Orioles: Derrek Lee and J.J. Hardy
Surprise: Mark Reynolds
Boston Red Sox: Bobby Jenks, Carl Crawford, and Adrian Gonzalez
Surprise: Dan Wheeler
New York Yankees: Andruw Jones, Rafael Soriano, Russell Martin, and Mark Prior
Surprise: Pedro Feliciano
The Yankees have the most former All Stars acquired but the Red Sox have the players who have been All Stars most recently. It doesn't really say anything about the teams' offseasons but just a general overview of the starpower assembled this off-season in the American League East.
Showing posts with label MLB All-Star Game. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MLB All-Star Game. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Robinson Cano's troubling decision to participate in the 2010 Home Run Derby
MLB recently announced that the Yankees' All-Star second baseman, Robinson Cano, will be participating in the 2010 Home Run Derby. He will be joined by Miguel Cabrera (20 HRs), Corey Hart (19 HRs), Vernon Wells (19 HRs), David Ortiz (17 HRs), and Matt Holliday (11 HRs). In case you're wondering, Cano is currently 10th in the AL with 16 homers.
I am concerned about Cano's decision to participate, and I'm not the only one who feels this way. Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News agrees with me, and so does Yankees' hitting coach Kevin Long.
Honestly, who could blame them? Baseball history is rife with players whose power numbers dropped off dramatically after trying their best to purposely crush homer after homer in this exhibition contest. Two of the best known examples of this phenomenon are players we know quite well. Bobby Abreu launched a record-setting 41 home runs in 2005. Before the Derby he had hit 18 HRs. Afterwards, he hit only 6 homers the rest of the way. In 2006, David Wright hit 20 homers before launching 22 in the Derby. Then, like Abreu, he hit only 6 more in the second half. (Photo Credit: NY Daily News)
Sure, there are players who kept their swing intact after the Derby. Ryan Howard won the 2006 Derby with 23 dingers, but still managed to revert back to his old plate approach once the regular season resumed. In fact, Howard hit more homers in the second half (30) than he did in the first half (28). But there is a real risk that Cano might not be so fortunate. His own teammate, A-Rod, participated in 3 Derbys (1998, 2001, 2002) and says he has declined invitations since then, believing that his participation took a toll. "The effect in the second half might be more mechanics and potentially developing bad habits," A-Rod stated.
I just don't see what Cano has to win. A trophy and some national attention? Come on. The guy is already an All-Star, he's 4th in the AL with a .337 BA, 5th in the AL with a .948 OPS, and 2nd in the AL with 110 hits. People know he's a stud having a career year. So clearly, he has a lot to lose. His average has already dropped from .371 to .342 in his last 15 games. Does he really want to take the (real, tangible) risk of declining further?
Honestly, who could blame them? Baseball history is rife with players whose power numbers dropped off dramatically after trying their best to purposely crush homer after homer in this exhibition contest. Two of the best known examples of this phenomenon are players we know quite well. Bobby Abreu launched a record-setting 41 home runs in 2005. Before the Derby he had hit 18 HRs. Afterwards, he hit only 6 homers the rest of the way. In 2006, David Wright hit 20 homers before launching 22 in the Derby. Then, like Abreu, he hit only 6 more in the second half. (Photo Credit: NY Daily News)
Sure, there are players who kept their swing intact after the Derby. Ryan Howard won the 2006 Derby with 23 dingers, but still managed to revert back to his old plate approach once the regular season resumed. In fact, Howard hit more homers in the second half (30) than he did in the first half (28). But there is a real risk that Cano might not be so fortunate. His own teammate, A-Rod, participated in 3 Derbys (1998, 2001, 2002) and says he has declined invitations since then, believing that his participation took a toll. "The effect in the second half might be more mechanics and potentially developing bad habits," A-Rod stated.
I just don't see what Cano has to win. A trophy and some national attention? Come on. The guy is already an All-Star, he's 4th in the AL with a .337 BA, 5th in the AL with a .948 OPS, and 2nd in the AL with 110 hits. People know he's a stud having a career year. So clearly, he has a lot to lose. His average has already dropped from .371 to .342 in his last 15 games. Does he really want to take the (real, tangible) risk of declining further?
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