2009 Southern League Home Run Derby Participants Announced
July 7, 2009 - Southern League (SL1)
Birmingham Barons News Release
HOOVER, AL - The Birmingham Barons announced on Tuesday the participants for the 2009 Southern League Home Run Derby Presented by Virginia College. Fellow Barons David Cook and Stefan Gartrell headline the event that will take place at Rickwood Field on Sunday, July 12.
Mobile BayBears All-Star selections Sean Coughlin and Ricardo Sosa will join Cook and Gartrell to represent the South Division. Josh Bell, Todd Frazier, Marshall Hubbard and Andrew Lambo will represent the North Division.
The Home Run Derby will consist of three rounds, with four hitters making the second round and two making the final round. Home run totals are not cumulative. South Division Manager Ever Magallanes and North Division Manager Phil Plantier made the selections. The Home Run Derby will follow the Celebrity Softball Game and will begin at 5:00 PM.
A short bio of each player is listed alphabetically below:
Bell has crushed right-handed pitching this season, hitting .306 and all eight of his home runs against them this season. The Chattanooga third baseman is slugging .455 on the season, but .541 against righties.
Cook used a huge month of June to catapult himself into the top of the league rankings. The outfielder knocked eight home runs and 29 RBI in the month while slugging a ridiculous .613. He currently ranks second in the Southern League with 17 home runs while his .523 slugging percentage places him fourth. He paces the league in RBI with 59.
Coughlin hasn't been with the BayBears long, but he used a huge June to propel himself to the top of the Southern League leader board. The starting first baseman for the South Division hit .384 with six home runs in the month and currently has 11 home runs in 2009, including the four he hit for Class A Visalia before his May 12 promotion to Mobile.
Frazier has been a force all season for the North Division's top offensive team. The former first-round draft pick has hit eight home runs and slugged at a .495 clip this season. He leads the league with 31 doubles.
Gartrell has been a consistent slugger all season for the Barons. He is tied for third in the Southern League with 15 home runs, despite not hitting more than five in any month this season. On June 19, Gartrell had his finest moment of the season, hitting a game-tying, two-run home run in the fifth before hitting another two- run, walk-off home run in ninth. He produced all four RBI in the 4-2 win against Huntsville. His .533 slugging percentage ranks him second in the league.
Hubbard will be the big bopper from the North Division. The 6-2 left hander has cranked 11 bombs on the year, including six dingers in June alone for West Tenn.
Lambo has been one of the Southern League's top hitters all season. The top prospect in the Dodgers farm system, Lambo has hit eight home runs and 27 doubles for Chattanooga.
Sosa doesn't just share a name with the former Chicago Cubs' slugger Sammy Sosa, he also shares an ability to hit home runs. The Southern League's other Cuban third baseman has hit nine round-trippers in 2009, which is good for tenth place in the league.
Tickets to the 2009 Southern League Home Run Derby and Celebrity Softball Game as well as to the 2009 Southern League All-Star Game are available online at barons.com or by calling the Regions Park Box Office. Tickets for both events can also be purchased by visiting the Regions Park Box Office.
The 2009 Southern League All-Star Game will be played on Monday, July 13 at Regions Park in Birmingham, AL.
The Barons won the South Division First-Half Title and will open the playoffs on Thursday, September 10 at Regions Park. Game two will be played Friday, September 11 at Regions Park. Tickets to both games are available online, in-person at the Regions Park Box Office or by calling the Barons at (205) 988-3200.
Southern League Stories from July 7, 2009
- Barons Complete Sweep with Wild 7-6 Win - Montgomery Biscuits
- Diamond Jaxx Finish Off Sweep of Stars - Huntsville Stars
- Carolina Blanked Tennessee - Carolina Mudcats
- Suns Blank Braves to Take Series - Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
- Jaxx Sweep Stars and Win Sixth Straight Game Tuesday - Jackson Generals
- Suns Finish Off Braves - Mississippi Braves
- Torra Added to All-Star Roster - Mobile BayBears
- BayBears, Lookouts Rained Out at Hank Aaron Stadium - Mobile BayBears
- 2009 Southern League Home Run Derby Participants Announced - Birmingham Barons
- Peterson on DL, Jenkins Activated - Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
- Mudcats Walk to 6-0 Win Over Smokies - Knoxville Smokies
- Papelbon Promoted to Triple-A Iowa - Knoxville Smokies
- Thomas Added to Southern League All-Star Roster - Knoxville Smokies
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