Besides not having the best home run hitters in the home run derby, I have a second complaint about the home run derby. Well, actually, this was proposed by my mom so big ups to her. We were watching some of the highlights of the derby and she asked why the players dont just use a pitching machine to hit off?
This is actually a good point for numerous reasons. First, it would make the derby go by in less than 3 arduous hours. Second, the batter would actually get the pitch he wants to hit, allowing him to destroy it 600 feet. It seems like every batter has a different guy pitching to him. All of them have different arm angles, different release points, different movement, sink, tail, drop, speed, everything you can think off. Sometimes I feel like these pitchers are trying to screw the batter by having a funky delivery, hiding the ball, short-arming it, or the absolute worse throwing a sinker. I remember Sammy Sosa in the derby in the new SafeCo Field. He only managed one or two homers because the pitcher was short-arming the ball and putting massive, late breaking sink on the ball such that Sammy couldn't elevate the ball if his secret steroid stash was depending on it. I thought I was watching Webb, Lowe, Cook, and Carmona all roled into one super-sinker that day. We need the 80 year old throwing to Josh Hamilton last year throwing to everyone, every year.
If we are using the pitching machine, why not crank that baby up to 110MPH and see players try to hit that from 60 feet 6 inches? That would add some humor following the actually derby. If we're getting way out there, we could also add an aluminum bat home run derby. I an dying to know how far Prince Fielder can hit a baseball with metal. Over/Under 600 feet?
agreed
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