Ronald Acuna Jr. (Danville 2015) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Bluefield 2016) Among First 6 Name to Home Run Derby
In less than a week, eight of MLB's biggest hitters will be crushing baseballs out of Progressive Field in the 2019 T-Mobile Home Run Derby. And we're finally about to know exactly who will be slugging it out with the brand-new $1 million prize on the line.
In less than a week, eight of MLB's biggest hitters will be crushing baseballs out of Progressive Field in the 2019 T-Mobile Home Run Derby. And we're finally about to know exactly who will be slugging it out with the brand-new $1 million prize on the line.
The full Derby bracket will be revealed tonight at 10 ET on ESPN, and the field will be set for Monday in Cleveland.
Coming off a power-packed NL Rookie of the Year campaign in which he hit 26 homers in just 433 at-bats, Acuna has shown that was no fluke, slugging 20 long balls so far this season. A Derby win for Acuna would be the first by a Braves player.
If he wins, Acuna will be the youngest winner in Home Run Derby history, as he's just 21 … but of course, if the even younger Vlad Jr. wins (he's 20), he'd take the honor. The youngest-ever Derby champion is
Less than three months into his Major League career, Guerrero will have a chance to put his impressive power on display at the Derby (did you see the Home Run Derby batting practice he took?). Vlad Jr. will be the youngest player ever to participate in the contest, and he could also make franchise history by becoming the first Blue Jays player to win it.
The son of Hall of Famer Vlad Sr. will be 20 years, 114 days old for the Derby -- 116 days younger than Griffey was for the 1990 showcase. The younger Guerrero was even in attendance when his father won the event in San Francisco in 2007.
Other Home Run Derby Contestants
Josh Bell
Carlos Santana
Christian Yelich