Home Run Derby

[George H Ruth]

Alright if you had a chance to see any two Major League players current or past face each other in a Home Run Derby, who would be those two players?

Also who do you think would win between the two?

[parlo]

Mark Belanger vs Rey Ordonez.
I believe it would end in a tie.

[George H Ruth]

I would of love to see Mantle vs Ruth. I think that would be a great home run derby. They would hit some massive home runs, some balls would travel a very far distance, and you'd be asking yourself how the heck did that ball go so far.

I would love to see that showcase at AT&T stadium.

I think that it would be a very close competetion but Ruth winning by hitting 18 home runs and Mantle hitting 16.

[bob]

Id like to see the '27 version of Ruth up against '98 McGwire (juiced up) and '56 Mantle. No window within a mile would be safe!

[RuthMayBond]

Mark Belanger vs Rey Ordonez.
I believe it would end in a tie.

Duane Kuiper could take both y'all

[Minstrel]

In terms of frequency and distance, it comes down to Babe Ruth and Mark McGwire to me. As far as I'm concerned, if all you want is a home run, no two players in baseball history have been better bets to get it than those two.

On the undercard, Mantle and Bonds (in any of his Giants years, even before his likely steroid use) would be a great show.

[Proctor, CF]

Well, I think you significantly underrate Bonds, pre-1998. He was a tremendous power hitter, but he wasn't very focused on home runs. Had he taken fewer walks, not gone opposite field as much and tried to pull more balls and aimed for the fences, he would have been a less valuable offensive force but hit quite a few more homers (essentially, much closer to Ken Griffey Jr.).

In a home run derby, concerned only with launching home runs, I think he would be perfectly competitive with Mantle with his great, compact swing and his natural power.

Bonds has never had the power of Mantle. Mickey in his teens hit the ball further than the Bonds at his most powerful. Not even close.

[Minstrel]

Mickey in his teens hit the ball further than the Bonds at his most powerful.

Absurd. But there's hardly a point to arguing it. There's no closing that gap in opinion.

[NJMetfan4life]

Hank Aaron vs. Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth would probably win.

[Proctor, CF]

Bonds has never had the power of Mantle. Mickey in his teens hit the ball further than the Bonds at his most powerful. Not even close.

Mickey was hitting shots over 500' in his teens - before he was a major leaguer. In pre-season of 1951, Yankees against USC, at 19 years old on Bovard Field, he hit two well over 500' - one lefty and one righty. The lefty one was hit into a 10MPH wind, for a distance of 530'. The righty may have even went further.

In May, 1951, again at 19, he hit another monster - going on, throughout his career, to hit some of the longest balls ever hit.

A record of some of his longest home runs can be reviewed at: http://www.theswearingens.com/mick/hrstats.htm

Any citations comparable to these for Bonds, Minstrel?

[Minstrel]

Mickey was hitting shots over 500' in his teens - before he was a major leaguer. In pre-season of 1951, Yankees against USC, at 19 years old on Bovard Field, he hit two well over 500' - one lefty and one righty. The lefty one was hit into a 10MPH wind, for a distance of 530'. The righty may have even went further.

In May, 1951, again at 19, he hit another monster - going on, throughout his career, to hit some of the longest balls ever hit.

A record of some of his longest home runs can be reviewed at: http://www.theswearingens.com/mick/hrstats.htm

Any citations comparable to these for Bonds, Minstrel?

I can't find a tabulated list of Bonds' longest home runs, but this is an example:

"The towering home run—one of the longest in Citizens Bank Park's two-season history, traveling an estimated 450 feet (140 m)—hit off the facade of the third deck in right field."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Bonds

At 450 feet, it hit the third-deck facade. That gives you a pretty clear indication of high it was at that point. Not striking that facade, it seems pretty clear that it would have gone well over 500 feet.

As I said in my last post, I agree that Bonds didn't generally have the length on his homers that Mantle did, but there's simply no way Mantle had more power as a teenager than Bonds ever did.

[Proctor, CF]

My point was that in a contest to hit the most home runs, Bonds would have stacked up perfectly well.

But in a home run derby, where homers were the only thing aimed for, his power stroke would have generated consistent home runs.

Hasn't he lost almost every home derby he ever competed in, Minstrel - losing regularly, and quite substantially, to Ken Griffey Jr., for instance, during the years you've referred to?

I believe the record makes it clear he is not an all time Home Run Derby champion - and no where in the league of the herculean Mr. Mantle.

[Proctor, CF]

there's simply no way Mantle had more power as a teenager than Bonds ever did.

Ah, but he did - as did Ruth, Foxx, Mantle, Allen, and others.

Take away the artificial PED power, and it's even a greater margin by which the power of truly great power hitters exceeds that of Bonds'.

[Skin & Bones]

Hasn't he lost almost every home derby he ever competed in, Minstrel - losing regularly, and quite substantially, to Ken Griffey Jr., for instance, during the years you've referred to?

I believe the record makes it clear he is not an all time Home Run Derby champion - and no where in the league of the herculean Mr. Mantle.

The years Griffey won the Homerun Derby, Bonds didn't participate in any of them. Bonds did win once in 1996, against Mark Mcgwire.

[Skin & Bones]

Ah, but he did - as did Ruth, Foxx, Mantle, Allen, and others.

Take away the artificial PED power, and it's even a greater margin by which the power of truly great power hitters exceeds that of Bonds'.

Bonds led his league in Ab/Hr 3 times before 1999, in a league where homeruns were being hit at a record pace. Allen led three times too. Bonds also boasted a higher career Relative ISO then Allen before Balco (a better indicator of power then homeruns). Distance? Wily Mo Pena hits very far home runs, but nobody considers him an all-time great power hitter.

Distance should mean very little, frequency means a lot more.