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Welcome all to the Home Run Derby Live Thread and Ichthyomancy! Tonight, eight men will try to hit as many home runs as possible out of the ballpark, and only one will emerge as the Home Run Derby champion from the tournament. Four batters from the American League, four batters from the National League, and one very important Miami Marlins player missing due to injury.
I know, it is difficult to care about the Home Run Derby without Giancarlo Stanton present, but let it be know that at least his replacement, Pittsburgh Pirates star center fielder Andrew McCutchen, is a pretty damn good hitter. Here are the competitors for the Derby, which starts at 8 p.m EST on ESPN. For fun, here are their power projections in terms of percentage of PA that are expected to end in home runs, according to ZiPS.
| Player | League | 2012 HR | ZiPS Proj HR% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jose Bautista | American | 27 | 6.7 |
| Robinson Cano | American | 20 | 4.4 |
| Prince Fielder | American | 15 | 4.7 |
| Mark Trumbo | American | 22 | 4.8 |
| Carlos Beltran | National | 20 | 4.2 |
| Carlos Gonzalez | National | 17 | 4.6 |
| Matt Kemp | National | 12 | 5.2 |
| Andrew McCutchen | National | 18 | 3.5 |
Based on these numbers, your money should be on Jose Bautista.
Here's SB Nation's Amy K. Nelson with a preview on the Derby.
After the jump, let's go over the Ichthyomancy rules for tonight's game and move on to making picks!
RulesAs stated earlier today, these are the rules for the Home Run Derby Icthyomancy.
Home Run Derby
- Pick each participant that will advance through the rounds. There are three rounds, going from eight competitors to four to two. Each selection in these rounds will be worth one (1) point. There are six points to be won here.
- Pick the winner of the Derby. This selection will be worth three (3) points.
- Pick the total number of home runs hit during the Derby. The closest selection gets two (2) points.
How should you format your picks? Beginning with the title of the comment, it should look like this:
Total Number of Home Runs
List of first-round winners (ex. Trumbo, Bautista, Fielder, Beltran)
List of second-round winners (ex. Bautista, Beltran)
Winner in bold
It's that simple! Go ahead and make your selections for the Home Run Derby, and let's try to enjoy the spectacle that has been made more meaningless without our man Giancarlo Stanton.