Pitchers are rarely known for their hitting prowess. While some pitchers are better hitters than most, more often than not the last position player on the bench will be a superior hitter than a pitcher.
That does not mean pitchers do not take a great deal of pride in their hitting ability. In fact, a small wave of pitchers have come forward requesting admission (somewhat jokingly, of course) into the Home Run Derby. Adam Wainwright is the most recent pitcher to make his case:
Well, if Madbum and @JArrieta34 want in on this #homerunderby...I might as well throw my name in the hat! #5:00hero #laser-show
— Adam Wainwright (@UncleCharlie50) June 12, 2016
And his case is not too bad:
Player | ISO | AVG | SLG | wRC+ |
A | 0.271 | 0.285 | 0.556 | 156 |
B | 0.391 | 0.261 | 0.652 | 138 |
Player A is Matt Carpenter. Player B is Adam Wainwright.
And compared to his fellow pitchers in 2016, he fares ever better:
Player | ISO | AVG | SLG | wRC+ |
Adam Wainwright | 0.391 | 0.261 | 0.652 | 138 |
Madison Bumgarner | 0.206 | 0.147 | 0.353 | 45 |
Jake Arrieta | 0.138 | 0.276 | 0.414 | 107 |
I think Waino would agree that he probably does not actually belong in the Home Run Derby, but as far a pitchers go this season, he might be the closest to qualifying.
Adam Wainwright joins all the #PitchersWhoRake who want in on the T-Mobile Home Run Derby | MLB.com
Madison Bumgarner is only pitcher worthy of the Home Run Derby. | Sports on Earth
Wainwright, Bumgarner, Arrieta want in on Home Run Derby | SweetSpot | ESPN
what else is going on in baseball...
- Four Indians fans went full 'Major League' to cheer on the Tribe in Anaheim | MLB.com
- Stealing home is a lost art. Is it ever coming back? | Sports on Earth
- David Ortiz opens massage parlor on first base, offering neck rubs to Twins' Byung Ho Park | MLB.com
- Uh oh: Warriors' Klay Thompson supports brother Trayce, wears Dodgers cap in San Francisco | MLB.com
- Rangers win seventh straight series | MLB.com
- Refusing to let it suffer the shame of falling off, Hanley Ramirez carried his helmet to third base | MLB.com
- Pinch-hit grand slam sends UC Santa Barbara to CWS for the first time in school history | MLB.com
- 5 MLB teams that were successful in Draft | MLB.com
- NERD Game Scores Monday, June 13, 2016 | FanGraphs Baseball
- Projecting the College Players Taken on Day Three of the Draft | FanGraphs Baseball
- The Best of FanGraphs: June 6-10, 2016 | FanGraphs Baseball
- The Advantages and Disadvantages of Talking to the Umpire | FanGraphs Baseball
- Let’s Fix MLB’s Suspension System | FanGraphs Baseball
- The NCAA baseball tourney has been a non-stop thrill ride | SBNation.com
- The draft is over, so it’s time for trade season | SBNation.com
- Aaron Rodgers topped off a home run with a bat flip during Jordy Nelson's charity game | SBNation.com
- The Mariners honored Ken Griffey Jr. by wasting a draft pick on his football-playing son | SBNation.com
- A Minor League team's 'Keep Tom Brady Suspended' night was a resounding success | SBNation.com
- MLB Draft 2016: Phillies take OF Mickey Moniak with 1st overall pick | SBNation.com
- One player helped us outrun the hedonic treadmill | Beyond the Box Score
- This is the Texas A&M chant so soul-crushing it made a dude throw 3 straight balls | SBNation.com
what the cardinals are up to...
- Carlos Martínez es pieza clave en San Luis | ESPN
- Hochman: An interesting summer is in the Cards | Benjamin Hochman | stltoday.com
- Matheny lashes out at another replay decision | St. Louis Cardinals | stltoday.com
- Cardinals praised for drafting Delvin Perez | St. Louis Cardinals | stltoday.com
- Daily Bernie: June 10 - Waino is Bueno Once Again, Dissecting Blues' Summer Decisions | 101Sports.com
KNOW THINE ENEMY...
the nl central
- Would the Cubs' Jake Arrieta do a HR Derby | cubs.com
- Cubs-Nationals highlights week ahead in MLB | MLB.com
- All of the extremely Bill Murray moments from Bill Murray's trip to the Cubs and Braves booths | MLB.com
- Joe Maddon again faces the question: Should Cubs walk Bryce Harper? | Chicago Cubs Blog | ESPN
- Jameson Taillon makes long-awaited debut in Pittsburgh | Beyond the Box Score
- Pittsburgh Pirates fuel NL Central's rise as black-and-blue division | St Louis Cardinals | ESPN
viva el stuff...
FANPOSTS:
- Rumored Cardinal Trade Targets: Outfielders | Viva El Birdos
VEB Day: A quick recappening | Viva El Birdos
Trade Idea: Sale to St. Louis? Who says no? | Viva El Birdos - 2016 MLB Draft | Viva El Birdos.
other things...
weekly scoreboard (from Friday):
Friday, June 3 | Giants | 5 | Cardinals | 1 | MC Recap | VEB Recap |
Saturday, June 4 | Giants | 4 | Cardinals | 7 | MC Recap | VEB Recap |
Sunday, June 5 | Giants | 3 | Cardinals | 6 | MC Recap | VEB Recap |
Tuesday, June 7 | Cardinals | 6 | Reds | 7 | VEB Recap | RR Recap |
Wednesday, June 8 | Cardinals | 12 | Reds | 7 | VEB Recap | RR Recap |
Thursday, June 9 | Cardinals | 3 | Reds | 2 | VEB Recap | RR Recap |
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