Minor leaguers belted home runs in derby staged on aircraft carrier
There has been a lot of talk about pitchers participating in the home run derby this season during the All-Star festivities or maybe a pitcher’s only derby. It seems like a fun twist on a tradition that seems to need updating every few years.
But putting pitchers in the home run derby evens seems a bit lackluster compared to how the California and Carolina Leagues staged their home run derby this week in San Diego.
Four of the best power hitters from both leagues came together Monday night on the deck of the USS Midway, a retired aircraft carrier, and launched home runs out into the ocean on the eve of the Class A Advanced California League vs. Carolina League All-Star Game.
Each hitter got 10 swings each and had to first hit the ball over a 10-foot tall fence positioned about 150 feet from the plate. To be counted as a home run, a ball had to fly beyond several buoys in the water positioned about 350 feet from the plate.
The only thing cooler than actualy participating in this home run derby might have been retrieving the balls out in the ocean with these guys.
The eight hitters involved took their hacks with their fellow All-Stars and fans standing around the batting cage or out near the fence. Kyle Petty, a 25-year-old prospect in the Seattle Mariners organization, won the derby beating Aderlin Rodriguez, a prospect in the Orioles’ system in the final.
Dawel Lugo (Arizona), Chris Shaw (San Francisco), Travis Demeritte (Texas), Bobby Bradley (Cleveland), Yu-Cheng Chang (Cleveland) and Drew Ward (Washington) also participated.
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Kyle Ringo is a contributing writer to Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo
