Aaron Judge announced on Monday that he would be participating in the 2017 Home Run Derby in Miami next week. Judge was asked to compete several days ago, but took some time to decide whether or not he would actually join in. Thankfully, he has decided to bless us all with putting his batting practice skills on display next Monday.
With half of the MLB season in the books, Judge leads all of baseball in home runs. His mammoth shots have been incredible to watch, and the chance of him going deep in every at-bat makes him coming to the plate must-see tv. His longest homer of the season fell just shy of the 500-foot mark, which he should easily be able to surpass in the derby.
Judge is leading everyone at the moment in most significant categories. He’s the runaway favorite for Rookie of the Year, and would almost certainly win the MVP award if it was handed out today. In addition to that, he’d also be taking home the Triple Crown. It has been an outstanding season for Judge so far. He was the leading vote-getter in the American League for the All-Star Game, and will serve as the Yankees’ only starter in the game.
Joining Judge in the Home Run Derby will be teammate Gary Sanchez. Judge said that they both plan to have the Yankees’ regular batting practice pitcher throwing to them in the derby. Footage from Judge’s batting practice exploits have been shown multiple times on Yankees’ broadcasts this season. Clearly this is working for him, and he should stick with what isn’t broken.
The Home Run Derby will be July 10th at 8:00 pm ET from Marlins Park in Miami. Hopefully one of the Yankees can bring home the title.