“I can’t get into the derby, man…”
What idiot uttered these words yesterday around 8:45 pm? Yes, that idiot was me as I walked into 97.1 The Ticket last night for my shift.
As a guy who has always been on board with Bryce Harper’s “Make Baseball Fun Again” campaign, I should have been welcoming this year’s Home Run Derby with open arms, especially given the wealth of young talent participating and the lull in the current Detroit baseball scene.
The night had all the makings for a captivating and entertaining program, and boy, did it deliver exactly that (and then some). From start to finish, baseball’s youngest and brightest stars were on full display, even despite the absence of Christian Yelich. When you combine the new and improved format with the abundance of big flies reaching the seats by the second, you ultimately get the type of television that had me and the rest of the studio glued to the TV cheering with every swing.
The timed clock speeding up the process, along with the bracket-style elimination played out perfectly this year, making a wildly enjoyable night of embracing the long ball.
As I often am, I was completely wrong in being reluctant to buy into the entertainment value of the derby leading up to Monday night’s event, but I quickly admitted my mistake, and watched every pitch of the last two rounds. Yay me. Anyways, let’s forget about me and get to the important stuff.
Major League Baseball ought to be proud of the show they put on this year for the annual Home Run Derby. The league took a huge step forward in its effort to continue to appeal to a younger demographic by demonstrating a youthful and exciting product with star-power to fuel the MLB brand. Last year it was Bryce Harper making baseball fun again at the Home Run Derby, but this year, it was a collection of young and exciting superstars making the magic happen from beginning to end. For one night, it seemed like there was a buzz around Major League Baseball from a national perspective – something baseball often lacks as it’s largely resorted to a sport whose popularity is found only in certain pockets of the country.
Maybe it’s just me, but it feels like a broken record playing over and over:
"Young people aren’t interested in baseball…"
"Millennials don’t care about the game…"
"Baseball is dying…"
"The league doesn’t market its star players…"
Blah blah blah.
Well, with last night’s epic second round showdown featuring Vlad Jr. and Joc Pederson, we witnessed first-hand the promise of the days ahead for Major League Baseball. Not to mention, the man that eventually brought home the crown, Pete Alonso of the Mets…Oh yeah, he’s 24-years-old and tied for the second most home runs in the National League with 30 bombs at the all-star break. As for Vlad Jr. – he’ll have to celebrate his record-breaking first round performance with a juice box or a pop because he’s just 20-years-young. I know the numbers at the plate haven’t been there yet for Vlad Jr. (.249 batting average, just eight home runs and 47 strike outs in 253 plate appearances) but he’ll get there, I’m sure of it. And when he does, Major League Baseball will have a premier superstar fully capable of enhancing the sport on all levels.
If Mike Trout doesn’t want to advance the game of baseball as MLB’s chosen superstar, no problem. After last night, it’s clear Vlad Guerrero Jr., Pete Alonso, Jock Pederson, Ronald Acuña Jr. and the rest of the up-and-comers appear more than capable of taking this league by storm as its wave of prominent superstar ambassadors.
No Trout? No problem. Give me all the Vlad Jr. content I can handle. Pete Alonso, Joc Pederson, Alex Bregman, Cody Bellinger, Christian Yelich, and the rest of the exciting cast of rising stars can serve as the faces of Major League Baseball. I’m ready for it.
Last night’s Home Run Derby was fun. It was exciting. It gave me hope that baseball can, and will be fun in the days ahead.