Ken Griffey, Jr. and Mike Piazza are officially MLB Hall of Famers. This post is going to be Griffey-themed, while the next one will be Piazza-themed. Anyway, Ken Griffey, Jr. was an amazing home run hitter, but how would he do in a Home Run Derby against the hitters with the top eight career home run totals in baseball history (he is number six all time, by the way)? Here are my predictions on the aforementioned event.
The Quarterfinals:
Matchup One: Barry Bonds (1) vs. Sammy Sosa (8)
Who would win? In their heydays, Sosa and Bonds were two of the best home run hitters ever, but Bonds only had one year of over 60 homers in a season, while Sosa had three. They both also have one Home Run Derby title each, but Sosa placed in second in two others. So, folks, this matchup ends in an upset. Sosa moves on!
Matchup Two: Hank Aaron (2) vs. Jim Thome (7)
Who would win? Thome finished second in the '98 Derby to Griffey, but Aaron just has more power. Even though Hammerin' Hank never participated in one of these tournaments, I think he still takes this one. Aaron moves on!
Matchup Three: Babe Ruth (3) vs. Ken Griffey, Jr. (6)
Who would win? Griffey has won the most Home Run Derbies of all time with three titles, but Ruth would have ate up the spotlight and would probably break some HRD records along the way because of that. Ruth moves on!
Matchup Four: Alex Rodriguez (4) vs. Willie Mays (5)
Who would win? A-Rod has never finished first or second in a Home Run Derby in his career and, on top of that, Mays probably would have ate up the spotlight like Ruth, due to his exuberant personality. The crowd would've pulled for Mays and that momentum would carry the Say Hey Kid over Rodriguez. Mays moves on!
The Semis:
Matchup One: Willie Mays (5) vs. Sammy Sosa (8)
Who would win? Two outgoing personalities. One spot in the finals. I think experience really matters in this competition as you get to the later rounds, so as much as I'm rooting for Willie, I'm going to give this one to Sammy because of his previous Home Run Derbies. Sosa moves on!
Matchup Two: Hank Aaron (2) vs. Babe Ruth (3)
Who would win? This one is pretty tough, to be honest. These two guys both hit so many home runs and, in my opinion, are pretty even in this stage of the competition. The only way to predict who would win is to analyze their career slugging percentages, a category in which Ruth is the all-time leader. Ruth moves on!
The Final Round:
Matchup One: Babe Ruth (3) vs. Sammy Sosa (8)
Who would win? This round is pretty one-sided. Everyone in the stadium would be pulling for the Babe and, naturally, he'd come up in the clutch. No contest.
RUTH WINS!
Would you also predict the Sultan of Swat to win the All-Time Home Run Derby? Let me know in the comments section down below. Thanks for reading this post and I hope you enjoyed it. Check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."
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