White Sox third baseman Todd Frazier advanced to the finals of the Home Run Derby for the third consecutive year but was denied in his bid to repeat as champion Monday at Petco Park. Soon-to-be Hall of Famer Mike Piazza went 0-fer in two derbies, Matt Kemp hit two in one year and one in the other, Raul Mondesi hit two in his only try and Yasiel Puig was shut out in 2014.
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Stanton was asked earlier in the day about what motivated him to accept this invitation.
I can’t remember the last time the clear favorite won the Home Run Derby, but Stanton was incredible last night.
Perhaps the secret to the home run derby is time away. The rules may be different from just two seasons ago with a timed clocked, but the home run ball still happened and very often. Before we got our first glimpse of Giancarlo Stanton, it seemed like it might be Trumbo’s night. One of those blasts traveled 497 feet over the batter’s eye – the longest of the night.
“Right now, it’s hard”, Ozuna said when asked if any player had as much raw power as Stanton. “That’s why I came here and I’m taking it with me”, Stanton said on the telecast while hoisting his Home Run Derby trophy. This season, both Stanton and Trumbo did.
That occasion could include Marlins ace Jose Fernandez swinging for the fences in a hitting competition among pitchers. He hit 28 home runs in the first round in a display that hasn’t been matched. Frazier hit 13 home runs before time expired to eliminate Gonzalez and face Duvall in the semifinals. The advantage of going first though is that it puts pressure on the opponent. Trumbo did his best to keep the crowd involved as he was the first player ever to hit a home run off the scoreboard and first ever to hit the roof. He lashed six homers in the first round, but was shut out in his next trip up and failed to reach the finals. He was hitting every single ball well over 400 feet.
Stanton, who is not a member of the National League All-Star team, defeated Baltimore Orioles outfielder Mark Trumbo, 17-13, in one semifinal after routing former champion Robinson Cano of the Seattle Mariners, 24-7, in the first round.
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But Stanton was in a class by himself this night.
