F*ck Yes! I don't know why I'm so happy, but I am!

 

 

 

This is only potentially a bad thing.

 

fixed.

 

 

Fair enough, but there's no potential good that can come from this.

 

A Happy and better homerun hitting Hanley.

I hope he wins the derby and then comes back to the Marlins and finishes the season with 35 HR's and 120 RBI's.

 

 

Hanley's a line drive hitter who can hit the ball to all parts of the field. Much like Cano, and the Yankees already told Cano he wasn't allowed to participate. If Hanley's trying to hit HR's, he's going to struggle. It's the reason for his early struggles this year with .RISP. Trying to do too much at times, and it's even been mentioned by the hitting coaches here.

 

If this was Stanton participating with his raw power, I wouldn't mind. But Hanley's a different type of hitter.

I wonder who will throw to him. Didn't Fredi used to always do BP?

 

 

I believe they have someone like an assitant coach throw BP. I know it's not Freddi because I saw him watching from outside of the turtle.

I wonder who will throw to him. Didn't Fredi used to always do BP?

 

 

I believe they have someone like an assitant coach throw BP. I know it's not Freddi because I saw him watching from outside of the turtle.

I doubt it'll be Fredi either; I doubt Hanley would ask him after all that happened. I was just speculating who would replace Fredi.

Concerned that his swing could be thrown out of kilter, Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez said he'll wait until Saturday before deciding whether he'll participate in the Home Run Derby on Monday of All-Star week. Major League Baseball issued a press release on Thursday saying Ramirez would take part in the annual Derby, but the shortstop said he hasn't decided for sure whether he'll participate.

 

"I want to do it, but I don't know," Ramirez said. "I've never done that and I don't know how I would feel after. I'm just worried about how my bat is going to feel after. I'm just thinking about the team. I've got to be there in the second half."

 

Ramirez said he initially refused the invitation to participate when the league extended the invitation to him on Wednesday, but later agreed, albeit reluctantly.

 

"Everybody was saying why are you not doing it?" Ramirez said of teammates, who encouraged him to participate.

 

Asked what he thought his chances were of participating in the Derby, Ramirez replied "50-50."

 

Manager Edwin Rodriguez said he isn't concerned that the competition will throw Ramirez's swing out of whack, as it has some. Dan Uggla went into a power decline in 2008 after he took part in the Home Run Derby, going from 23 home runs and a .288 average in 81 games before the break to just nine home runs and a .226 average after it.

 

Rodriguez said Ramirez is a different type of hitter.

 

"He's a guy, he can make adjustments," Rodriguez said. "He's a guy who will be out there trying to hit the ball out and two days later, he can go back and stay gap to gap. I don't think it'll mess up his swing. He'll be fine."

 

If Ramirez takes part, he'll join a roster that already includes Corey Hart, Matt Holliday, Miguel Cabrera, David Ortiz and Vernon Wells. Two more players have yet to be chosen to round out the field of eight.

 

 

 

Read more: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/fish_bytes/#ixzz0t8yEUeZz

If he didn't wanna do it to begin with, and if he reluctantly agreed....then don't do it. I would like to see him in it, but if he isn't comfortable in taking part then he needs to back out.

"I'm just thinking about the team." What a load of crap. He already showed us earlier in the season he doesn't care about the team. No one forgot that.

"I'm just thinking about the team." What a load of crap. He already showed us earlier in the season he doesn't care about the team. No one forgot that.

 

 

Yeah especially since he's been running out groundballs, diving, giving effort all all in all playing more small ball. He definitely doesn't care about the team.

Ugh I'm against it. Yeah, it might not ruin his swing but just the fact that it could potentially have negative side effects dissuades me. Why should he over exert himself in the HR derby isn't worth anything?

Why not? If it's something he wants to do let him do it. I mean the rest of this season is damn near meaningless now, should we just bench him for the rest of the way since it's not worth anything?

Ugh I'm against it. Yeah, it might not ruin his swing but just the fact that it could potentially have negative side effects dissuades me. Why should he over exert himself in the HR derby isn't worth anything?

 

That's how I feel about it.

 

The HR derby isn't even as cool as it was back in the days of McGwire, Bonds, Sosa, and Griffey.

 

I might flip it on just to see Cabrera, but that's it. After the Abreu thing too many teams and players have been discouraging participation, so they end up getting lower tier home run hitters. It just isn't fun to watch anymore.

Why not? If it's something he wants to do let him do it. I mean the rest of this season is damn near meaningless now, should we just bench him for the rest of the way since it's not worth anything?

 

From what has been in the news, it seems like he does not want to do it. I don't really blame him.

Why not? If it's something he wants to do let him do it. I mean the rest of this season is damn near meaningless now, should we just bench him for the rest of the way since it's not worth anything?

 

From what has been in the news, it seems like he does not want to do it. I don't really blame him.

 

If that's the case then no he shouldn't be doing it. If he doesn't want to do it though why is he? That article didn't seem like it was giving out everything, don't tell me the front office is pressuring him.

Why not? If it's something he wants to do let him do it. I mean the rest of this season is damn near meaningless now, should we just bench him for the rest of the way since it's not worth anything?

 

From what has been in the news, it seems like he does not want to do it. I don't really blame him.

 

What elpenguino just wrote.

 

And, no. What a horrendous analogy. One is a voluntary activity that has no impact in the standings or on the season as a whole and it could have serious repercussions on his actual job which is to play baseball games. The only purpose for the HR derby really is for recreation and the enjoyment of fans.

 

Yes, the season for the Fish does seem bleak but I wouldn't say the season is meaningless. Although making the post season seems almost impossible with the holes in the team it technically could happen. They could also have a winning record and JJ is having a career year. There is still plenty of positives in our team although they're somewhat overshadowed by the negatives (maybe I could up with more after the sting of the last loss subsides).

May have been a bad analogy, had to swim in the vodka for a bit after today's game. Made sense when I typed it though and that's all that matters,

 

But yeah, if it's something he really doesn't want to do then he shouldn't do it. Not sure where the pressure is coming from but they need to let the man make his own decision. But if it's something he wanted to do I wouldn't have any problem with it.

He's in.

 

PHOENIX -- Swinging for the fences won't mess up Hanley Ramirez.

 

At least that is the opinion of the Marlins shortstop, who confirmed on Friday that indeed he would compete in Monday's Home Run Derby.

 

Ramirez had been having second thoughts since telling the league that he would compete in the annual event. On Thursday, MLB announced Ramirez would take part. But before the Marlins faced the D-backs at Chase Field, the three-time All-Star was reconsidering.

 

The reason for backtracking is Ramirez is hoping the Marlins pick things up in the second half. For them to get back into the race, the team needs their 26-year-old All-Star to raise his game. A concern for competitors in the Derby is it might throw their swings off.

 

Asked to assess his first half, the shortstop said: "For me? Terrible."

 

After winning the National League batting title with a .342 average last year, he entered Friday hitting .292 with 13 homers and 53 RBIs. The Marlins were 10 games behind the Braves in the NL East.

 

"Thank goodness we've got the second half coming," Ramirez said. "It's just the average. I don't like to be a .200 hitter. That's not me."

 

When he says a .200 hitter, he means any number under the .300 mark.

 

Now that he's in it, he wants to win it.

 

"Me. I'm going to win," he said with a smile.

 

Ramirez joked with reporters that if he slumps in the second half to not blame the Home Run Derby.

 

Since 2006, his rookie season, Ramirez leads all Major League shortstops in home runs with 115. He has 116 career homers, with one as a pinch-hitter.

 

The other NL players committed to the Home Run Derby are Corey Hart of the Brewers and Matt Holliday of the Cardinals. Detroit's Miguel Cabrera, Boston's David Ortiz and Toronto's Vernon Wells are representing the American League.

 

A former teammate of Cabrera, Ramirez noted that he would like to be in the finals with the Tigers slugger.

 

Ramirez says he doesn't know who will pitch to him at the Derby.

 

"Maybe JJ," he joked, meaning his hard-throwing teammate Josh Johnson. "Or maybe someone from the Phillies. They will have their whole staff there."

 

Ramirez knows the importance of the Marlins turning their season around in the upcoming weeks. If they fall out of the race, the club may make trades.

 

"Where are we going to be in August, September? Where are we going to be, 20 games out? We don't want to be. We want to be in the race," Ramirez said. "That's why they need me right now.

 

"Cody, he's blaming it on me if he gets traded, because we're not winning. I need to go to Home Depot and buy a rake."

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100709&content_id=12111264&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

There's always a lot of talk whether participating in the HR derby has an adverse impact on players. When ARod pulled out a couple of years ago because of this reason I remember Jayson Starks destroyed him an column. I guess Jayson needs to apologize.

 

http://www.pinstripealley.com/2010/7/12/1556053/does-the-home-run-derby-adversely?ref=fangraphs

 

On the average players who participate in the HR derby fare worse in the 2nd half compared to how they fared in the 1st half. The average decline is .042 OPS points. Of the 79 participants, 57% declined the 2nd half.

Aren't players selected for the Home Run Derby at least somewhat more likely to be over-achieving at the point of their selection? Maybe that can account for at least some of that?

that's what I was thinking .... it's really hard to see how they performed in the 2nd half when the only context is their 1st half ..... they dropped, but what did they drop to ... their career average? a little below career average? eric byrnes?

Aren't players selected for the Home Run Derby at least somewhat more likely to be over-achieving at the point of their selection? Maybe that can account for at least some of that?

 

Maybe yes.

Alexi Hernandez is throwing BP to Hanley. He was my brother's teammate at Monsignor Pace High School.

by the way...

 

dont you think that if you're leading the MLB in HRs you at least deserve an invite to this gig? I mean... defending champ and the two HR leaders per league should be invited in my eyes.

by the way...

 

dont you think that if you're leading the MLB in HRs you at least deserve an invite to this gig? I mean... defending champ and the two HR leaders per league should be invited in my eyes.

 

You're assuming they weren't invited.

by the way...

 

dont you think that if you're leading the MLB in HRs you at least deserve an invite to this gig? I mean... defending champ and the two HR leaders per league should be invited in my eyes.

 

You're assuming they weren't invited.

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100711&content_id=12179288&notebook_id=12181866&vkey=notebook_tor&fext=.jsp&c_id=tor - Bautista Not Invited

by the way...

 

dont you think that if you're leading the MLB in HRs you at least deserve an invite to this gig? I mean... defending champ and the two HR leaders per league should be invited in my eyes.

 

You're assuming they weren't invited.

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100711&content_id=12179288&notebook_id=12181866&vkey=notebook_tor&fext=.jsp&c_id=tor - Bautista Not Invited

Wow.

Go Hanley. If not Hanley, anybody from Toronto.