August 3, 2011

Tater Trot Tracker

Trot Times for August 2

by Larry Granillo

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Yesterday, I made a special note of the four multiple home run days hit across the league on Monday. Well, if four was special on Monday, then the five on Tuesday must be even more special. Of course, there were forty-two home runs hit in total on Tuesday as opposed to the twenty-six on Monday, so maybe that dilutes it somehow. I doubt Ryan Howard, Alfonso Soriano, Garrett Jones, Mark Teixeira, and Omar Infante would care, though.

Tuesday was also notable for another reason: I was unable to get a reliable trot time on three different trots. Now this happens on occasion, when a certain broadcast cuts away (or zooms in too closely) during a trot and I have no idea when the player stepped on the plate. Usually, the opponent's broadcast will offer an alternative view that I can use, but not Tuesday. Instead, I'm stuck with three trots with no times. It's a bit sad.

Now how about some real trots?!

Home Run of the Day: Jose Reyes, New York Mets - 20.58 seconds [video]
The home run from Reyes was significant, as it tied up the game, but the shot gets the Home Run of the Day honors for a different reason. Watch the video. The Mets broadcast was doing something special during Reyes' at-bat, allowing a young boy to announce Reyes' turn at the plate. And then Reyes hit the home run, giving the kid the call of a lifetime. What a fun thing to watch.

Slowest Trot: Alfonso Soriano #2, Chicago Cubs - 25.33 seconds [video]
One of six home runs hit by the Cubs on Tuesday. Soriano hit his second blast early in the game, with it coming in the fourth inning. His first trot wasn't much slower than the second, but three other players managed to land a trot time between the two.

Quickest Trot: Marlon Byrd, Chicago Cubs - 17.83 seconds [video]
Yesterday, I mentioned my disappointment in Orlando Hudson's trot because he slowed down at home plate even though he could just run through the plate on the way to the dugout. In my criticism, I mentioned Marlon Byrd and how, playing at Wrigley Field, he is forced to slow down at the plate because the Cubs dugout is on the third-base side. The implication was that, if Byrd had a chance to run through home plate, his trot times would be much quicker. Well, Tuesday Byrd got the chance. The game was in Pittsburgh, meaning the Cubs, as the visitors, were on the first-base side. His blast went down the foul line, giving Byrd a moment to pause before putting on the afterburners around the bases. As he approached home plate, though, Byrd slowed his last few steps a bit. It wasn't as bad as Hudson, but it definitely contributed to a slower trot time. I know I shouldn't complain over a 17.83 second trot, but I know Byrd (and Hudson) can do so much better.

All of Today's Trots

Alfonso Soriano #2...25.33    Michael Morse........21.35
Ryan Howard #2.......25.13    Mark Trumbo..........21.32
Chris Davis..........25.08    Brennan Boesch.......21.25
Aramis Ramirez.......25.05    Yuniesky Betancourt..21.17
Alfonso Soriano #1...24.79    Lonnie Chisenhall....21.14
Ryan Howard #1.......24.78    Kevin Youkilis.......21
Yunel Escobar........24.46    Jason Kipnis.........20.72
Mark Reynolds........24.27    Jose Reyes...........20.58
Brandon Wood.........23.86    Russell Martin.......20.48
Mike Napoli..........23.76    Paul Goldschmidt.....20.47
Matt Holliday........23.44    Alex Avila...........20.41
Geovany Soto.........23.4     Omar Infante #1......20.33
Edgar Renteria.......23.07    Rick Ankiel..........19.28
Garrett Jones #1.....22.97    Omar Infante #2......19.19
Mark Teixeira #1.....22.87    Desmond Jennings.....19.18
Tyler Colvin.........22.7     Scott Sizemore.......19.08
Garrett Jones #2.....22.32    Ian Desmond..........18.96
Torii Hunter.........22	      Marlon Byrd..........17.83
Jose Bautista........21.87    Jaime Garcia.........N/A
Mark Teixeira #2.....21.56    Casper Wells.........N/A
Nelson Cruz..........21.35    Justin Upton.........N/A