Time To Knock The Cover Off The Ball

By Mark Halpern

What do Shohei Ohtani, Pete “the Polar Bear” Alonso, Trevor Story, Trey Mancini, Salvador Perez, Matt Olsen, and Juan Soto have in common? They are the participants in this year’s All-Star Game Home Run Derby at Coors Field in Colorado. The participants have a huge advantage compared to other parks. Coors field is the one park where a simple fly ball is a Homerun due to thin air. 

     Pete Alonso will be defending his title, and like last year, he will have some great competition. Shohei Ohtani is currently leading the majors in home runs and has massive power. Juan Soto has excellent vision and sports a powerful pop. Colorado Rockies own Trevor Story will be a challenger as he is a constant threat to go yard. Salvador Perez is an excellent addition; he currently has 20 Home Runs on the season and a big bat. Matt Olsen is an exciting addition and can hit the ball to either side of the park, and Trey Mancini, who missed the entire 2020 season for treatment for Colon Cancer, is an uplifting addition and will be fun to watch.

     This Homerun derby isn’t like the early days of the home run derby when 2-4 select players enter like Mantle, Mays, Aaron, Kiner, and Jackson. The prizes were never like they are today, and to me back then, it was more of a pride issue than I want that trophy.

     This year’s group of players isn’t like Mcgwire, Griffey, Sosa years when the rules were different (10 swings compared to 3:00min), and all of the participants were the top leaders in Home Runs at the all-star break. I want the rules back to 10 swings this way, so you’re not tired out after the first round. In three minutes, you can have 20-25 swings and times that by three rounds, injuries come to mind. David Wright wasn’t the same after he entered years back, and there were a few others who suffered nerve damage.

     In this park, I expect most of these players to knock the cover off the ball literally. I would not be surprised if we see a few 500ft home runs. Once that ball hits the bat and is in the air at Coors Field, anything is possible. There is no short porch here like Yankee or Fenway Stadiums. This Feild is wide-open: of the participants, I expect the finals to be between Alonso and Ohtani with Alonso defending his crown, and that is how the old man sees it.