One of the biggest knocks on Major League Baseball’s home run derby is that it occasionally causes players to alter their swings. In the case of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. that might be a good thing.The Blue Jays first baseman made the American League all-star team for a third consecutive season and yet it’s easy to make the case that his first half was underwhelming. Two years ago, he led the majors with 48 homers. And through the first 91 games this season, Guerrero hit just 13. There are 57 players in the big leagues who have more.The power outage wasn’t enough to keep Guerrero away from one of MLB’s marquee events. He got an invite to Monday night’s derby in Seattle because of his reputation as one of the game’s premier sluggers, even if that hasn’t always been evident during a somewhat lacklustre first half. After all, stars bring ratings and few in the game are as marketable as the son of a Hall of Famer.Perhaps it was the start of a new chapter. Despite entering the derby with the second-lowest home run total of the eight participants, Guerrero put on a show at T-Mobile Park. First, he took down Mookie Betts, then hometown favourite Julio Rodríguez and finally Randy Arozarena to become the first player in Jays history to win the derby. “I feel very happy,” Guerrero said through a translated interview on ESPN’s broadcast. “I always believed that God would guide me through this. I’m just happy to be in this moment right now.”Even though Guerrero hasn’t been much of a home run hitter this season, he entered the night with the second-best odds according to most major sportsbooks, trailing only two-time champ Pete Alonso. Reputation played a role, as did the fact that Guerrero had the highest average exit velocity of anyone in the field and the highest rate of hard-hit balls.The problem for much of the season has been too many ground balls, but that wasn’t an issue in the derby, where Jays manager John Schneider was grooving batting practice fastballs. Without having to worry about high velocity or nasty movement down in the zone, Guerrero put his exceptional strength on full display.In the first round, Guerrero destroyed Betts by 15 home runs. Of the 26 homers that Guerrero slugged, 15 travelled more than an estimated 400 feet. His longest blast went 456 feet, and his total distance for the round was approximately 3.19 kilometres. By comparison, Betts hit just 11 for a total estimated distance of 1.32 kilometres.During the semifinal, Guerrero was matched up against Rodríguez, who was hitting in front of his home crowd. Rodríguez put on a show in the opening round by hitting an astonishing 41 homers to upset Alonso, but fatigue likely set in soon after as he finished the second round with less than half that number.That opened the door for Guerrero to punch his ticket to the final. He tied Rodríguez’s total after three minutes and then advanced with his third swing in bonus time. All but six of his home runs went at least 400 feet as Guerrero added 2.66 kilometres to his night’s tally.He also made the final in his only other derby appearance, back in 2019. That year he set what had been a record for home runs in a single round with 40, but he eventually ran out of gas and was defeated by Alonso at Progressive Field in Cleveland.This year, Guerrero was matched up against Arozarena and fatigue once again looked like it would be a factor. Guerrero was the last player to hit in the semifinal and had just a few minutes to recover before stepping into the batter’s box once again.Guerrero got off to a rough start in the final, then found a groove about 15 seconds in. He slugged 20 homers across the first two minutes and then five more in his minute of bonus time to set the record for the final round with 25 — 17 were hit more than 400 feet. Arozarena kept the tension alive until the very end. He had nine home runs when he called time with just over a minute remaining on the clock. He was four back after two minutes, but the Cuban only hit two in his 30-second bonus time to finish with 23.With that, Guerrero Jr. and Sr. become the first father-son duo to win. Vlad Sr., a Hall of Famer, won the 2007 derby in San Francisco. Sixteen years later, Vlad Jr. has some hardware of his own to show off.“My family is the one that pushed me to do this,” the Jays slugger said. “This one is for them.”Monday night was a special moment for the Guerrero family and for Jays fans all over the world. What would be even more meaningful is if he carries that powerful stroke into the second half and leads the Jays to a strong finish.Some players avoid the derby because it messes up their swing. For Guerrero, it might have been exactly what he needed to get going down the stretch.Gregor Chisholm is a Toronto-based baseball columnist for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @GregorChisholm or reach him via email: gchisholm@thestar.ca
One of the biggest knocks on Major League Baseball’s home run derby is that it occasionally causes players to alter their swings. In the case of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. that might be a good thing.
The Blue Jays first baseman made the American League all-star team for a third consecutive season and yet it’s easy to make the case that his first half was underwhelming. Two years ago, he led the majors with 48 homers. And through the first 91 games this season, Guerrero hit just 13. There are 57 players in the big leagues who have more.
The power outage wasn’t enough to keep Guerrero away from one of MLB’s marquee events. He got an invite to Monday night’s derby in Seattle because of his reputation as one of the game’s premier sluggers, even if that hasn’t always been evident during a somewhat lacklustre first half. After all, stars bring ratings and few in the game are as marketable as the son of a Hall of Famer.
Perhaps it was the start of a new chapter. Despite entering the derby with the second-lowest home run total of the eight participants, Guerrero put on a show at T-Mobile Park. First, he took down Mookie Betts, then hometown favourite Julio Rodríguez and finally Randy Arozarena to become the first player in Jays history to win the derby.
“I feel very happy,” Guerrero said through a translated interview on ESPN’s broadcast. “I always believed that God would guide me through this. I’m just happy to be in this moment right now.”
Even though Guerrero hasn’t been much of a home run hitter this season, he entered the night with the second-best odds according to most major sportsbooks, trailing only two-time champ Pete Alonso. Reputation played a role, as did the fact that Guerrero had the highest average exit velocity of anyone in the field and the highest rate of hard-hit balls.
The problem for much of the season has been too many ground balls, but that wasn’t an issue in the derby, where Jays manager John Schneider was grooving batting practice fastballs. Without having to worry about high velocity or nasty movement down in the zone, Guerrero put his exceptional strength on full display.
In the first round, Guerrero destroyed Betts by 15 home runs. Of the 26 homers that Guerrero slugged, 15 travelled more than an estimated 400 feet. His longest blast went 456 feet, and his total distance for the round was approximately 3.19 kilometres. By comparison, Betts hit just 11 for a total estimated distance of 1.32 kilometres.
During the semifinal, Guerrero was matched up against Rodríguez, who was hitting in front of his home crowd. Rodríguez put on a show in the opening round by hitting an astonishing 41 homers to upset Alonso, but fatigue likely set in soon after as he finished the second round with less than half that number.
That opened the door for Guerrero to punch his ticket to the final. He tied Rodríguez’s total after three minutes and then advanced with his third swing in bonus time. All but six of his home runs went at least 400 feet as Guerrero added 2.66 kilometres to his night’s tally.
He also made the final in his only other derby appearance, back in 2019. That year he set what had been a record for home runs in a single round with 40, but he eventually ran out of gas and was defeated by Alonso at Progressive Field in Cleveland.
This year, Guerrero was matched up against Arozarena and fatigue once again looked like it would be a factor. Guerrero was the last player to hit in the semifinal and had just a few minutes to recover before stepping into the batter’s box once again.
Guerrero got off to a rough start in the final, then found a groove about 15 seconds in. He slugged 20 homers across the first two minutes and then five more in his minute of bonus time to set the record for the final round with 25 — 17 were hit more than 400 feet.
Arozarena kept the tension alive until the very end. He had nine home runs when he called time with just over a minute remaining on the clock. He was four back after two minutes, but the Cuban only hit two in his 30-second bonus time to finish with 23.
With that, Guerrero Jr. and Sr. become the first father-son duo to win. Vlad Sr., a Hall of Famer, won the 2007 derby in San Francisco. Sixteen years later, Vlad Jr. has some hardware of his own to show off.
“My family is the one that pushed me to do this,” the Jays slugger said. “This one is for them.”
Monday night was a special moment for the Guerrero family and for Jays fans all over the world. What would be even more meaningful is if he carries that powerful stroke into the second half and leads the Jays to a strong finish.
Some players avoid the derby because it messes up their swing. For Guerrero, it might have been exactly what he needed to get going down the stretch.
Gregor Chisholm is a Toronto-based baseball columnist for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @GregorChisholm or reach him via email: gchisholm@thestar.ca
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