HOME RUN DERBY
Oneil Cruz hit 21 home runs, more than anybody else, in the first round of last night’s MLB Home Run Derby, but he was eliminated in the semifinal round by Seattle’s Cal Raleigh, who out-bombed Cruz, 19-13. Cruz hit the longest homer of the night, a 513-foot blast with an exit velocity of 118 miles per hour.
Raleigh went on to win the Derby, beating Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero 18-15 in the championship round.
ALL-STAR GAME
The Pirates’ Paul Skenes will be the National League’s starting pitcher tonight in the All-Star game at Atlanta. It will be his second All-Star start in his second Major League season, and he said he couldn’t imagine ever turning down the opportunity. Detroit’s Tarik Skubal will start for the American League.
At MLB Network’s All-Star news conference, Skenes was thankful that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts named him the starter.
In a far-ranging session, Skenes was dubious about the idea of bringing to the big leagues the ball/strike challenge system used in the minors.
Skenes says the All-Star break allows players such as himself– and teams such as the Pirates – to get a fresh on the rest of the season.
Skenes will pitch only one inning, and he’ll face an American League lineup that includes leadoff hitter Gleyber Torres of the Tigers, Tigers outfielder Riley Greene, and Yankees slugger Aaron Judge. Should anyone get on base, the cleanup hitter is Major League home run leader Cal Raleigh, the Home Run Derby winner from Seattle.
MLB DRAFT
On the second day of the MLB Draft, the Pirates concentrated on position players in the opening rounds and then stocked up on pitchers. They started by taking shortstop Gustavo Melendez out of Puerto Rico and catcher Adonys Guzman of Arizona. Then they took a right-handed pitcher, five straight position players, four straight right-handed pitchers, a couple of outfielders, and two more pitchers. In all, they ended the draft with nine pitchers, eight of them righties; six infielders; three outfielders, and two catchers.
One other Pirates note: last year’s top draft choice, Konnor Griffin, confirmed that x-rays were negative and he anticipates being back in the lineup Friday for Greensboro after being hit by a pitch on the right wrist in the MLB All-Star Futures Game on Saturday.
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