Home Run Derby 2008

[Dryden]

We wouldn't have gotten Volquez for Griffey. That's like 5-10 wins right there at the half-way point. Only time will tell who that trade worked out better for. People in Cincy seem to assume that it worked out best for the Reds given our pitching woes, but Hamilton may just be a once-in-a-lifetime kind of talent. He may end up pushing 200 RBIs this season!

No, we would not have gotten Volquez for Griffey directly, but given EV's career trajectory within the Rangers organization, I think the Reds could've still gotten him for something other than Hamilton, as I don't think the Rangers thought that highly of him. I understand you always need to stockpile young pitching, but when I look at the 25 guys that ended the season on the Reds roster last year, there were about 8 or 10 I wanted to see back in 2008. Aw shit, who am I kidding? There were maybe five guys worth bringing back. Hamilton was one of them.

Somebody in the AL would've taken Griffey in April, so it's possible the Reds and Rangers could've worked out a three-team deal. Nobody is going to take on Griffey now.

 

[sepia5]

In my opinion, I don't believe that Hamilton will be a once-in-a-lifetime talent. I think he's back, will be on top, and is here to stay.

Well, we'll see, I suppose. I was living in St. Petersburg, FL last year, right down the road from Tropicana Field, when Hamilton was making his comeback w/ the Reds. I remember there being a segment on Hamilton on a local talk radio station, essentially addressing whether Hamilton could actually get back to fulfill his potential. During the segment, a prominent MLB scout was interviewed and said he and many of his peers believed and continued to believe Hamilton was the best high school prospect ever in their professional lifetimes. That's why it was so surprising that the Rays actually drafted him at #1. An unfortunate reality of the MLB draft is that the best players are almost never taken at the top when a small market team is drafting first (which is usually the case), because those teams know that, in all likelihood, they won't be able to afford the player in the long-term. Hamilton, however, was so good the Rays didn't think they could justify not taking him #1, and even paid him a $4 million signing bonus.