MLB All-Star Game: A Potential All-Pitchers Home Run Derby Lineup
Despite San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner and his best efforts, no pitchers will enter the field of the 2016 MLB Home Run Derby. But what if next year they could?
While MLB reportedly considered adding a separate event for an all-pitchers Home Run Derby this year in San Diego, the MLBPA and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred jointly nixed the idea.
However, if significant interest from players and fans continues to rise about the prospect of an all-pitchers Home Run Derby, maybe we’ll see it during the 2017 All-Star break in Miami, FL.
If so, here’s what my potential all-pitchers bracket might look like:
(1) Madison Bumgarner – San Francisco Giants
MadBum is obviously the no.1 seed entering any pitchers’ Home Run Derby. Not only did he become the first pitcher in over 40 years to voluntarily bat as the DH when the Giants had an interleague matchup across the bay against the Oakland A’s, but he’s also the pioneer in all of this.
He leads all active pitchers in career home runs (13), and throughout the course of the past three seasons, Bumgarner owns a .233/.276/.439 slash line with 11 home runs in 212 plate appearances.
(2) Jake Arrieta – Chicago Cubs
Reigning 2015 NL Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta was among the hurlers who expressed interest in joining MadBum in a Home Run Derby, and rightfully so.
Despite being a .184 career hitter, Arrieta is slashing .305/.375/.500 with two home runs in 41 plate appearances this season. Ever since coming over to the National League, Arrieta has launched four home runs in 124 plate appearances , one of which was a 440-foot bomb off Shelby Miller of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
(3) Zack Greinke – Arizona Diamondbacks
Greinke is right up there with MadBum and Arrieta as one of the game’s best-hitting pitchers. He owns a career .226/.265/.332 slash line with six home runs in 384 plate appearances. He certainly belongs in the event, but the only question will be whether or not the $206.5 million man can stay healthy enough to compete in it.
(4) Adam Wainwright – St. Louis Cardinals
Wain-O is a must-have in any pitchers’ derby. To date, no active pitchers has recorded more hits (109) or extra-base hits (38). Also, Wainwright has recorded seven homers over the span of 619 plate appearances, and his 3.6 batting WAR is tied with Greinke for the lead among active pitchers.
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(5) Bartolo Colon – New York Mets
“Big Sexy” might not look all that athletic, but the 43-year-old hurler can certainly swing the bat. Dating back to May 7th of this season, Colon launched a 365-foot home run off ‘Big Game’ James Shields in the pitcher-friendly confines of Petco Park. If that’s not impressive enough, how about his three extra base hits in 96 plate appearances for the big guy since joining the Metropolitans.
(6) Yovani Gallardo, Baltimore Orioles
While his limited number of at-bats now that he’s in the American League might lead to a decline in his offensive prowess, it’s tough to ignore Gallardo’s body of work from the batter’s box. In 423 career at-bats, Gallardo owns a .201/.228/.336 slash line with 33 extra base hits, 12 of which are home runs. Currently no other active pitcher besides Madison Bumgarner has more career home runs.
(7) Mike Leake, St. Louis Cardinals
Mike Leake has six home runs and 24-extra base hits in 441 career plate appearances, and similar to Jake Arrieta, Leake once launched a monstrous 407-foot home run off Shelby Miller. Leake is a must-have in any all-pitchers home run derby, and perhaps Shelby Miller needs to be the designated guest pitcher for both him and Jake Arrieta.
(8) CC Sabathia, New York Yankees
Possibly nearing the end of his career, CC Sabathia should absolutely be featured in any potential all-pitchers Home Run Derby. While he is just 2-for-26 in eight seasons with the Yankees, the hefty lefty was once a deadly hitter early on in his career. As a matter of fact, Sabathia slashed .274/.282/.417 with three home runs and three doubles from 2002-2008.
Next: 2016 MLB Home Run Derby Preview and Predictions
MLB in general is looking for a way to capture the younger demographic. Perhaps featuring the first ever all-pitchers Home Run Derby during All-Star Week 2017 in South Beach Miami is a direct ticket to doing so.