It’s been some time since we’ve seen a Twin compete in the Home Run Derby.
The last to do it was Miguel Sano in 2017, losing to Aaron Judge in one of the most exciting competitions in recent memory. The most famous performance came from Justin Morneau in 2008. The only Twin to ever win the derby took down Josh Hamilton in the final season at the old Yankee Stadium.
Although Hamilton’s 28 home round (in the 10 out structure) was the highlight, Morneau outlasted him in the finals to bring home the crown.
This year Teoscar Hernandez stole the show in an electrifying finish to the derby. His 14 home runs in the final round were just enough to beat Bobby Witt Jr., who’s tying attempt hit the wall in dead center, missing a swing off by mere feet. It was a great moment for Hernandez, who has wanted to be in the competition for years.
With sluggers like Alonso and Adolis Garcia failing to make it out of the first round, it begs the question for Twins fans: Although the Twins don’t necessarily have any prototypical mashers, who are the guys that would be fun to see in a future derby?
3 Twins who need to be in the Home Run Derby next season
Royce Lewis
If he's healthy, there's no excuse for Royce Lewis to not be in the Home Run Derby next season.
Twins fans probably don’t want to see him in the derby because of his injury prone legs, but he would be a fun watch for sure. His home run rate is always impressive, just look at his season stats in such a limited sample size. Lewis has 10 home runs in just 24 games and under 100 at bats. He has a flair for the dramatic and a feel for the moment, which was put on display in last season’s home run derby.
Lewis is the Twin with the best chance to win the derby. He has extreme power and youth on his side, not to mention sneaky size to generate power at a solid 6’2, 200 lbs. I think Lewis is the Twins’ best chance to bring home another derby trophy, and it would be nice to see him finally someday be healthy enough to compete.
Byron Buxton
Buck is electric, simply put.
A Byron Buxton derby entry would feel somewhat similar to Julio Rodriguez’s recent attempts. Buxton’s simple swing and tall, powerful levers could be conducive to generating derby power. He features impressive marks when it comes to his exit velocity, bat speed, barrel rate, and hard hit numbers. Health is again an issue here, but we’re playing the optimism game today.
If he were able to sneak into a derby, he's absolutely a dark horse candidate to make a deep run.
Matt Wallner
Wallner might be the sneaky pick here, but he hits the ball hard.
He found himself in rarified air last week after recording his second hit ball with an exit velocity of 116 mph or higher this season. The only others with multiple of that variety: O’Neil Cruz, Giancarlo Stanton, Shohei Ohtani, and Vladdy Guerrero Jr. That’s pretty elite company right there. At just 26 years old, he should have the stamina to compete in a timed derby. He might not be able to win the competition, but there would almost certainly be some balls hit that make you say, “woah.”
116.7 MPH off the bat of Matt Wallner 😳 pic.twitter.com/yiQlrHT1CL
— MLB (@MLB) July 9, 2024
Honorable Mention: Carlos Correa
For name value alone Carlos Correa is the guy, even if he's a stretch in terms of being a realistic option.
He’s the most popular name on this Twins team and has been since his Houston days. He’s not a typical power hitter and has always been more of a well-rounded hitter. But if there’s anyone with a flair for the dramatic or the ability to play to the crowd and feed off of some villain energy, it’s Correa.
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