By now you’ve heard of the “Shot Heard ‘Round the Desert.” Of course I’m referring to the massive home run hit by OF/1B Peter O’Brien earlier this week. It was massive. In fact, it was more than massive. According to Thesaurus.com, I could have used words like colossal, gargantuan, gigantic, mammoth, towering or even elephantine. I should use elephantine more often. We should all use elephantine more often. Anyways, behold:
According to MLB Advanced Media’s Mike Petriello, it was the hardest-hit home run ball ever recorded. In the year-plus that exit velocities have been recorded only a couple of balls have been hit harder and none of them left the yard. I could go on to tell you about how O’Brien can’t catch, struggles in the outfield, etcetera, etcetera. But for now, let’s just all sit back and marvel at one of the finest home runs we will ever see. And one fan, just one guy, epitomized the whole event.
I think this fan would agree, O’Brien got all of that one.
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3 Responses to Double Plus: Peter O’Brien Goes Beyond Yard in Historic Fashion
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@ryanpmorrison
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Agreed, we should enjoy this, both the notoriety for O’Brien and the attention it brings to the D’backs.
I also wanted to note that O’Brien has more At Bats this Spring than any other D’back. Either the D’backs are giving him a serious look for the 4th or 5th OFer, OR they are showcasing him as a player they might trade. As much as I’d like to see his power bat coming off the bench, I think he’s more valuable to the D’backs as a trade chip. Plus I also worry about the fact that he also leads the D’backs in strike outs this Spring.
These things are related. Yes, they’re giving him playing to time to see if he can stick, but I’m sure they’d listen to offers as well. And, with the at-bats come strikeouts, which have always been a big part of his game. He deserves this audition and I really think he makes the team, gets a bunch of pinch-hitting opportunities snags a rare start in the outfield and first base.
He did it again. O’Brien’s home run today went over the top of the batter’s eye. Then…he played first place. On a pickoff throw where the runner was a dead duck, he muffed the catch and the rally was on by the Brewers to tie the game. The amusing thing was that O’Brien ripped his cap off like he was a catcher going after a passed ball. I’m afraid he’s going to give away as many runs defensively as he adds to the club offensively. He’s a valuable asset right now…for an American League team that needs a DH exclusively to maximize his value. Time to trade high.