Chicks dig the long ball. It was true in December 1959 when Mark Scott created the Home Run Derby as a TV series, and it remains true today. Every fan remembers the 2017 Home Run Derby fondly when New York Yankees star Aaron Judge took home the hardware with an incredible performance.
Today’s Derby doesn’t have the same allure, in terms of player participation, as the original in 1959, partly because baseball players earn significantly more now than they did then and also because it’s physically exhausting.
The first Derby had Hall of Famers like Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, and Willie Mays going head-to-head during the offseason, with the winners receiving significant cash prizes. The TV program had 26 episodes and went off the air after Scott suffered a heart attack in July 1960. Twenty-five years later, Major League Baseball added the Derby to their All-Star week festivities, but it’s much different.
Swinging maximum effort 40 times per round when you’re supposed to be recovering from a strenuous first half of the baseball season and enjoying your only week off for six months is equivalent to coming into work on a Saturday. That’s why Judge, the best hitter on the planet, isn’t interested in participating in the Derby unless it’s in Yankee Stadium.
Judge won the second-most watched Derby ever in 2017, the only time he participated. Since then, despite playing 93 fewer games than second-place Kyle Schwarber (287), Judge has more home runs (332) than anyone in baseball. He has nothing to prove, and he’s doing what’s best for him and the Yankees by sitting out. Nothing would be worse for the Bombers than him pulling an oblique on his 73rd swing of the night when he could be enjoying the view from the sidelines.
The most-watched Derby ever happened in 2008, when the Yankees hosted the All-Star Game. However, there are no plans for MLB to allow them to host again anytime soon. The Bronx Bombers have won the Derby more times than any other team, with Tino Martinez (1997), Jason Giambi (2002), Robinson Cano (2011), and Aaron Judge all capturing the crown. Without Judge in the mix, the only Yanks with double-digit home runs are Ben Rice and Trent Grisham, but it doesn’t seem likely that either of them will compete this year.
Sans Judge and Shohei Ohtani (who is unlikely to participate while he builds up arm strength to return to the Dodgers starting rotation), the Derby won’t be as competitive as it could be, but it will still be fun. Cal Raleigh, who, as of June 9, leads baseball in home runs, has expressed interest in participating. Schwarber, Corbin Carroll, Pete Crow-Armstrong, James Wood, Pete Alonso, Matt Olson, and Junior Caminero could round out the field, giving MLB a good balance between emerging superstars and household names.
The Yankees have a great chance to win the pennant again this year, so it’s good to see that Judge has his priorities in order and isn’t letting his ego make a decision that could torpedo everything. But we must say, it’s definitely “bucket list” worthy to see Judge take part in the event at the new Yankee Stadium some day.
