PHR STANDINGS AS OF MAY 29, 2009

ONLY PLAYERS WITH 17 OR MORE HOMERS

PHR.....GP.....GL.....HR.....PLAYER..........LG

61.5....48.....116....18.....A. GONZALEZ.....NATIONAL
59.1....40......99....17.....J. FOX..........PACIFIC COAST
59.1....46.....117....17.....R. IBANEZ.......NATIONAL
52.2....46......96....17.....S. RODRIQUEZ....PACIFIC COAST
44.0....54......86....17.....R. RIVERA.......MEXICAN

PHR STANDINGS AS OF MAY 25, 2009

ONLY PLAYERS WITH 15 OR MORE HOMERS LISTED

PHR.....HR.....GP.....GL.....PGA.....PLAYER..........LEAGUE

64.4....17.....43.....120....395.....R. IBANEZ.......NATIONAL
62.0....17.....45.....119....377.....A. GONZALEZ.....NATIONAL
60.4....17.....40.....102....425.....J. FOX..........PACIFIC COAST
59.1....15.....34.....100....441.....S. DUNCAN.......INTERNATIONAL
54.1....15.....46.....120....326.....C. PENA.........AMERICAN
54.1....16.....42.....100....380.....S. RODRIQUEZ....PACIFIC COAST
52.8....16.....43......99....372.....C. JOHNSON......CAROLINA
45.5....15.....34......96....313.....J. CRUZ.........MEXICAN

A 60 HOMERS CLUB DATE IN HISTORY

ON MAY 25TH 1935
George Herman Ruth (The Bambino and The Sultan Of Swat)
ALSO KNOWN AS BABE RUTH HIT HIS LAST HOME RUN, #714. RUTH WAS THE FIRST
PLAYER TO HIT 60 HOMERS IN ONE SEASON IN 1927 WITH THE NYY.

PHR STANDINGS AS OF MAY 22, 2009

ON TRACK TO HIT 60 HOMERS IN 2009
Raul Ibanez
Jake Fox
A. Gonzalez

Only players with 14 or more homers listed.

PHR.....GP.....HR.....GL.....PGA.....PLAYER..........LEAGUE
65.2....37.....17.....105....459.....J. FOX..........PACIFIC COAST
65.2....40.....16.....123....351.....R. IHANEZ.......NATIONAL
62.5....42.....16.....122....381.....A. GONZALEZ.....NATIONAL

58.0....43.....15.....123....349.....C. PENA.........AMERICAN
56.3....41.....14.....124....341.....A. PUJOLS.......NATIONAL
55.4....41.....16.....101....390.....C. JOHNSON......CAROLINA

54.6....39.....15.....103....385.....S. RODRIGUEZ....PACIFIC COAST
47.0....46.....15......98....326.....J. CRUZ.........MEXICAN
46.3....42.....14......97....333.....S. SOTO.........MEXICAN

PHR STANDINGS AS OF MAY 19, 2009

Only players with 13 or more homers listed.

PHR.....GP.....HR.....GL.....PGA.....PLAYER..........LEAGUE
69.0....35.....17.....107....486.....J. FOX..........PACIFIC COAST
63.8....39.....15.....125....385.....A. GONZALEZ.....NATIONAL
57.3....37.....13.....126....351.....R. IHANEZ.......NATIONAL

56.4....38.....13.....127....342.....A. PUJOLS.......NATIONAL
54.0....40.....13.....126....325.....C. PENA.........AMERICAN
53.7....37.....14.....105....378.....S. RODRIGUEZ....PACIFIC COAST

48.6....38.....13.....104....342.....J. DUNIGAN......CALIFORNIA
48.6....38.....13.....104....342.....C. JOHNSON......CAROLINA
47.3....39.....13.....103....333.....R. HUGHES.......SOUTHERN

45.8....44.....14.....100....318.....J. CRUZ.........MEXICAN
41.9....45.....13......99....288.....S. SOTO.........MEXICAN
41.9....45.....13......99....288.....C. RIVERA.......MEXICAN

PHR STANDINGS AS OF MAY 15, 2009

JAKE FOX IS RED HOT. ON TRACK TO HIT 70 PLUS HOMERS IN THE AAA PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE.


ONLY PLAYERS WITH 13 OR MORE HOMERS LISTED.

PHR.....HR.....GP.....GL.....PGA.....PLAYER..........LEAUEG

73.3....16.....31.....111....516.....J. FOX.........PACIFIC COAST

68.4....15.....36.....128....417.....A. GONZALEZ....NATIONAL

59.6....13.....36.....129....361.....A. PUJOLS......NATIONAL

59.2....13.....36.....128....361.....C. PENA........AMERICAN

55.1....13.....34.....110....382.....J. DUNIGAN.....CALIFORNIA

49.1....14.....41.....103....341.....J. CRUZ........MEXICAN

43.2....13.....42.....102....310.....S. SOTO........MEXICAN

PHR STANDINGS AS OF MAY 13, 2009

only players with 12 or more homers listed.

PHR.....HR.....GP.....GL.....PGA.....PLAYER..........LEAUEG

68.8....14.....29.....113....483.....J. FOX.........PACIFIC COAST

64.6....13.....33.....131....394.....A. PUJOLS......NATIONAL

62.6....13.....24.....130....382.....C. PENA........AMERICAN

54.6....12.....32.....112....375.....J. DUNIGAN.....CALIFORNIA

52.4....12.....33.....111....364.....C. JOHNSON.....CAROLINA

48.0....13.....39.....105....333.....J. CRUZ........MEXICAN

44.3....12.....39.....105....308.....W. ORTANEZ.....MEXICAN

43.2....12.....40.....104....300.....S. SOTO........MEXICAN

PHR STANDINGS AS OF MAY 10, 2009

Carlos Pena- Tampa Bay Rays leads all players with 13 homers.


Twenty Players now have 10 or more homers.

Listed by PHR's

PHR....HR....PGA.....GP.....GL.....PLAYER.............LEAUGE
66.6...13....406.....32.....132....C. PENA............AMERICAN
65.5...12....462.....26.....116....J. FOX.............PACIFIC COAST
63.5...12....387.....31.....133....A. PUJOLS..........NATIONAL
59.4...11....366.....30.....132....A. DUNN............NATIONAL

57.9...11....355.....31.....132....E. LONGONIA........AMERICAN
57.6...12....400.....30.....114....J. DUNIGAN.........CALIFORNIA
57.1...10....357.....28.....132....C. UTTLEY..........NATIONAL
54.7...10....385.....26.....116....M. JONES...........PACIFIC COAST

54.0...10....333.....30.....132....A. SORIANO.........NATIONAL
52.2...10....370.....27.....114....G. HALMAN..........SOUTHERN
51.3...10....313.....32.....132....J. BRUCE...........NATIONAL
51.3...10....313.....32.....132....A. GONZALEZ........NATIONAL

48.0...10....333.....30.....114....M. SPENCER.........CALIFORNIA
48.0...10....333.....30.....114....R. HUGHES..........SOUTHERN
46.7...12....324.....37.....107....W. OTANEZ..........MEXICAN
46.7...12....324.....37.....107....J. CRUZ............MEXICAN

45.5...12....316.....38.....106....S. SOTO............MEXICAN
41.6...11....289.....38.....106....R. RIVERA..........MEXICAN
41.6...11....289.....38.....106....C. RIVERA..........MEXICAN

PHR STANDINGS AS OF MAY .4, 2009

W. OTANEZ - MEXICAN LEAGUE

S. DUNCAN - INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE


ONLY PLAYERS WITH 10 OR MORE HOMERS LISTED.

PHR.......GP....HR....PGA...PLAYER..........LEAGUE
78.5......22....12....545...J. FOX.........PACIFIC COAST
68.5......26....11....423...C. PENA........AMERICA
65.5......22....10....455...S. DUNCAN......INTERNATIONAL
50.8......31....11....355...W. OTANEZ......MEXICAN
49.2......32....11....344...S. SOTO........MEXICAN

PHR STANDINGS AS OF APRIL .29, 2009

ONLY PLAYERS WITH 9 OR MORE HOMERS LISTED.

PHR.......GP....HR....PGA...PLAYER..........LEAGUE
90.9......19....12....631...J. FOX.........PACIFIC COAST
69.5......21.....9....429...C. PENA........AMERICA
69.5......21.....9....429...A. GONZALES....NATIONAL
52.8......30....11....366...W. OTANEZ......MEXICAN
46.4......31....10....322...S. SOTO........MEXICAN
44.7......29.....9....310...C. PRESICHI....MEXICAN
43.2......29.....9....300...J. CRUZ........MEXICAN
41.8......31.....9....290...R. RIVERA......MEXICAN
41.8......31.....9....290...C. RIVERA......MEXICAN

PHR STANDINGS AS OF APRIL .27, 2009

Jacob Quirin Fox: J. Fox is the first player to hit 11 homers this season. He has been hitting the long for the Iowa Cubs of the Pacific Coast League. Jake was born on 07/20/1982 in Beach Grove, IN. He went to Michigan State. He stands 6 feet tall at 210 lbs. Throws and bats right handed.


ONLY PLAYERS WITH 9 OR MORE HOMERS LISTED.

PHR.......GP....HR....PGA...PLAYER..........LEAGUE
88.0......18....11....611...J. FOX.........PACIFIC COAST
74.7......19.....9....473...C. PENA........AMERICA
55.7......28....10....357...W. OTANEZ......MEXICAN
49.7......29....10....345...S. SOTO........MEXICAN
47.6......27.....9....333...C. PRESICHI....MEXICAN
46.3......28.....9....321...J. CRUZ........MEXICAN
44.9......29.....9....310...R. RIVERA......MEXICAN
44.9......29.....9....310...C. RIVERA......MEXICAN

PHR STANDINGS AS OF APRIL .24, 2009

ONLY PLAYERS WITH 8 OR MORE HOMERS LISTED

PHR.....GP.....HR.....PGA.....PLAYER...............LEAUGE
76.1....17......8.....470.....C. PENA..............AMERICA
53.3....27.....10.....411.....W. OTANEZ............MEXICAN
52.5....21......8.....381.....A. CAZANA............MEXICAN
48.0....27......9.....333.....S. SOTO..............MEXICAN
47.9....27......9.....333.....C. RIVERA............MEXICAN
44.0....26......8.....308.....I. FRANCO............MEXICAN

PHR STANDINGS AS OF APRIL .22, 2009

I. FRANCO
W. OTANEZ


ONLY PLAYERS WITH 8 OR MORE HOMERS LISTED.

PHR......GP.....PGA......HR.......PLAYER.................LEAUGE
51.8.....25.....360......9........W. OTANEZ..............MEXICAN
47.6.....24.....333......8........I. FRANCO..............MEXICAN
46.0.....25.....320......8........C. RIVERA..............MEXICAN
46.0.....25.....320......8........A. CAZANA..............MEXICAN

PHR STANDINGS AS OF APRIL. 19, 2009

ONLY PLAYERS WITH 7 OR MORE HOMERS ARE LISTED. PLAYERS LISTED BY PHR.

PHR.....GP.....PGA.....HR.....LEAUGE...........PLAYER
97.4....12.....583.....7......AMERICAN.........C. QUENTIN
91.6....11.....636.....7......PACIFIC COAST....J. FOX
57.2....17.....411.....7......MEXICAN..........J. ORTIZ
54.8....21.....380.....8......MEXICAN..........C. RIVERA
52.4....22.....364.....8......MEXICAN..........I. FRANCO
45.8....22.....318.....7......MEXICAN..........C. PRESICHI
43.8....23.....304.....7......MEXICAN..........W. OTANEZ
43.8....23.....304.....7......MEXICAN..........R. RIVERA

Only C. Quentin of the CWS has hit 7 homers from MLB. MLB playes 162 games. J. Fox is on track to hit 91 homers this year, he plays in the AAA PCL. Minor leagues play 144 games in a season. While the early numbers are impressive, I don't think anyone will hit 60 homers this year.

HOME RUN LEADER BOARD AS OF APRIL, 12 2009

FIVE OR MORE HOMERS

HR.....LEAUGE......PLAYER
7.......ML..........J. ORTIZ
6.......ML..........I. FRANCO
6.......ML..........R. RIVERA
5.......ML..........J. AMADOR
5.......ML..........A. VALENCIA
5.......ML..........J. ZULETA
5.......AL..........E. LONGORIZ
5.......ML..........W. OTANEZ
5.......ML..........R. SAUCEDO
5.......ML..........M. MCDOGAL

HR STANDINGS AS OF APRIL 11, 2009

PLAYERS WITH 4 OR MORE HOMERS

HR.....LEAUGE.....PLAYER
7.......ML........JOSE ORTIZ
6.......ML........IKER FRANCO
5.......ML........JAPHET AMADOR
5.......ML........RUBEN RIVERA
5.......ML........ABRHAM VALENCIA
5.......ML........JULIO ZULETA
5.......ML........WILLS OTANEZ
5.......ML........ROBERT SAUCEDO
5.......ML........MARSHALL MCDOUGAL
4.......AL........EVAN LONGORIA

Long Ball leaders as of 04/10/09

player....................... HR.... League

Jose Ortiz....................6......ML
Iker Franco...................6......ML
Japher Amador.................5......ML
Ruben Rivera..................5......ML
Abraham Valencia..............5......ML
Julio Zuletz..................5......ML
Evan Longoria.................4......AL

2009 home run race for the title- MLB opening day

The Mexican League has started and the rest of MiLB will start soon. Opening day in MLB has two players tied for first, and 29 others tied for 3rd.

HR......PGA......GP......PHR......PLAYER
5........2.2.....11......292.6....J. ORTIZ of the Mexican League
2........2.0......1......322.0....T. CLARK of the ARI. D-BACKS
2........2.0......1......322.0....F. LOPEZ of the ARI. D-BACKS
1........1.0......1......161.0....29 other players hit HR opening day.

In the Mexican League 4 players are tied with 4 homers and eleven are tied with 3.

KEY: HR-HOME RUN PGA-PER GAME AVG. GP-GAMES PLAYED PHR-PROJECTED HOME RUNS

Jose Ortiz leads all organized baseball players with 5 homers. He plays for the Saraperos de Saltillo of the AAA-A Mexican League.
Stats: AVG. .395/ HR. 5/ RBI. 9/ SB. 1/ BORN 06-13-1977/ HEIGHT 5' 9"/WEIGHT 177/
BATS R/ THROWS R

Birthplace: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

NOTE: A DUNN HAS 1 HR. R HOWARD AND A DUNN ARE THE FAVORITES TO WIN THE LONG BALL TITLE THIS YEAR, AS PER MY ODDS LISTED LAST WEEK

Odds to win the 2009 Home Run title

2009 future odds to win the HOME RUN title and to hit 60 homers.

player.......................title............hit 60 or more

Ryan Howard...................6-1................18-1

David Ortiz...................8-1................26-1

Carlos Delgado................12-1...............40-1

Nelson Cruz...................25-1...............60-1

Adam Dunn....................6-1.................18-1

Chris Utley...................15-1...............50-1

Dallas McPherson..............20-1...............75-1

Any other A.L. player.........5-1................15-1

Any other N.L. player.........5-1................13-1

Any other Minor Leagueer......150-1..............300-1

Minor League's play 144 game season/ MLB play 162 game season.

2009 HOME RUN TITLE CONTENDERS

These are the top contenders for the 2009 home run title for organized base ball.

player...............HR/08'....career HR......PHR/09

N. Cruz*.............37..........37...........51

R. Howard............48.........177...........50

D. McPherson*........42..........42...........48

D. Ortiz.............42.........345...........43

R. Bram..............37..........71...........43

A. Pujols............37.........319...........42

C. Carter*...........39..........39...........41

A. Dunn..............32.........276...........40

*Minor's All are on the reserve list. Minors play a 144 game season.
The PHR'S are based on career games played divided by career homers times games in a season (MLB: 162 MILB: 144).

I don't see any player hitting 60 homers this year. Stay tune for the future book odds.

Forrest E. "Frosty" Kennedy
Birth: Mar. 21, 1926
Death: Jun. 5, 1998

Minor League Baseball Player. On September 6, 1956, while a 30-year-old first baseman for the Plainview (Texas) Ponies of the Class B Southwestern League, he blasted his 60th home run of the season against the San Angelo Colts. He was the last of three minor leagers to hit 60 in 1956.
* * * * * * * *
´Frosty´ Kennedy hits a homer for hype
By Danny Andrews
Herald Editor

Anyone who lived in Plainview in the mid-1950s probably knows the name “Frosty” Kennedy, even if they never saw him play a game for the Plainview Ponies.

That was the minor league team that moved here in 1953 when the Lamesa franchise folded in the old West Texas-New Mexico League.

Twenty-seven-year-old outfielder Forrest Kennedy, who hit .403 for Lamesa, came along in the package and was an instant hit - no pun intended.

Many folks enjoyed summer evenings at Jaycee Park, watching the local team which finally folded after the 1961 season, briefly having an association with the Kansas City Athletics.

“He was a real character,” longtime Plainviewan Luther Bain recalled with a hearty laugh, echoing the remembrance of many others about Kennedy who died June 5 in Covina, Calif. at the age of 72.

Frosty sported massive arms and showed them off by wearing cutoff sleeves as did another more famous slugger of the day - Cincinnati first baseman Ted Kluszewski.

He always had a big chaw of tobacco, which liberally stained his uniform, and former Plainviewan Tom Locke recalls Frosty removing his chaw, wadding it up and rolling it toward the opponents´ dugout when he´d hit one out of Jaycee Park.

Discretion being the better part of valor - and arrogance - he probably didn´t do that on the road.

Those hometown homers earned him a wad of money stuck in the wire mesh screen by appreciative fans - he said he collected $269 for a game-winning shot against Clovis in the 13th inning of a playoff game.

Walt McAlexander, a 1962 PHS grad who served as the Ponies´ bat boy one season, says he used to listen to veteran KVOP sports announcer Tut Tawwater do the games - “live” here and by “re-creation” from the Western Union wire for road games. Walt recalls Frosty rumbling toward the mound after striking out his last time up on a night where he already had three or four hits.

Rather than fighting, Frosty wanted to congratulate the pitcher on finally getting him out.

Walt, who was a sports writer for the Lubbock paper for 14 years, then worked in sports information at Texas Tech, was excited about seeing Frosty´s name and picture at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. for being one of the 11 men to ever hit 60 or more homeruns in a season.

Of course, the first to do it was Babe Ruth, the legendary “Sultan of Swat,” in 1927, the year after Frosty was born.

Tut Tawwater alleges the league´s pitching in 1953 and again in 1956 when Frosty hit 60 round-trippers in the restructured Southwestern League, “was pathetic. . . about like high school.”

Former Herald Sports Editor Bob Carroll said Frosty took advantage of “invitingly close” fences at Jaycee Park (358 feet to center compared with about 400 now) for a number of “cheap” homeruns.

When I mentioned that to Frosty in a feature story I did back in 1985, he snorted, “Hell, I didn´t hit no cheap ones.”

He claimed he could have hit 120 homeruns in a well-lighted major league stadium.

Frosty recalled that he hit his Babe-matching 60th homer in San Angelo on the last evening of a 144-game season. Trying to help him, the San Angelo catcher was telling him what pitches were coming, but Frosty says he went 1-for-8 in a doubleheader the night before and it really didn´t help him.

His history-making homer in the third inning hugged the leftfield foul line and the umpire called it fair on a close decision.

In 1953 Frosty hit .410 with a 40-game hitting streak, 224 hits and 169 RBIs. Three years later (he played in Amarillo in 1954 and Yuma, Ariz. in 1955), he batted .327 with 184 RBIs (the major league record is 190) and scored 151 runs.

Playing for 12 different teams, Kennedy averaged .342 during a 10-year minor league career that began in 1948, hit 228 homers with 1,083 runs batted in and 1,572 hits.

Although he signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, he never made it to the majors in an era when there were more than 400 minor league teams in America - soon to greatly dwindle with the popularity of television.

Frosty also said something else pretty brash in that 1985 interview: “I´m the greatest player ever. Babe Ruth hit 60 homers but never batted .400. Ted Williams and a lot of other guys hit .400 but never hit 60 homers. I did both.”

Considering that Joe Bauman hit an all-time record 72 homeruns and batted over .400 for Roswell in 1954, Frosty might have been just a bit, shall we say, off base about being “the greatest.”

But give him a homer for hype - and no cheap shot either.

(Danny Andrews is editor of The Herald.)