Stanton feels no pressure in quest to be 3rd repeat champ
SAN FRANCISCO — Giancarlo Stanton is plenty familiar with what everybody is saying, with what everybody wants when it comes to Monday’s Home Run Derby at Marlins Park, and he wants to be clear about all the pressure he feels defending his title against the talented field at his home ballpark: “Honestly, none at all.”
None from Aaron Judge, the New York Yankees’ rookie phenom who leads the major leagues in home runs. None from Cody Bellinger, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ rookie phenom who almost leads the National League in home runs despite spending most of April in the minors. None from Justin Bour, the Miami Marlins’ first baseman with 20 dingers of his own. And none from the other four competitors, including the Yankees’ Gary Sanchez, Stanton’s first-round opponent who last summer went on a power binge that saw him set all sorts of records.
“I don’t care,” Stanton said, his trademark knowing smile starting to curl. “I’ve already won one.”
Indeed Stanton did, last year in San Diego, with a record 61 home runs in the second year of the timed format. Tossing to Stanton that daywas Pat Shine, then a Marlins coach and Stanton’s regular batting-practice pitcher, who Stanton asked to return to the team this weekend for a limited engagement.
Shine was with the Marlins in San Francisco over the weekend, getting back into a groove with Stanton during BP before he — they — look for a repeat performance Monday night.
“He has an awful ERA,” Stanton said, “but that’s what I need.”
For all the good-natured fun the Derby provides, Shine said there is some legitimate strategy to it.
“There is in terms of timing, the timing in between [each pitch],” Shine said. “The rhythm between I see him get set and then I go. Set, and go. Set, and go. There’s kind of a rhythm.
“And the stamina part of it is what people don’t understand. He’s at a huge advantage because of the physical shape he’s in.”
Another potential advantage for Stanton: experience. But history has not been kind to would-be repeat winners. Only twice in the competition’s more than three-decade history has a player won in consecutive years, Ken Griffey Jr. 1998-99 and Yoenis Cespedes in 2013-14, though not every champion has sought to defend his title.
At 27 years old, Stanton is the wily vet of this group, competing in his third Derby with 67 Derby dingers to his name, last year’s gaudy total plus six from 2014. He is 24 homers away from tying Todd Frazier’s all-time Derby combined record of 91.
The other seven hopefuls have combined for zero— in the major leagues, anyway. Bour won the 2011 Florida State League Home Run Derby, and he is a bit of a dark horse in this year’s field.
Consider: Stanton’s average exit velocity is 90.8 mph, according to Statcast, but Bour isn’t far behind at 89.9 mph. (Judge leads everybody at 96.1 mph, and Minnesota’s Miguel Sano, another Derby participant, is second at 94 mph.)
“Whenhe hits them, they stay hit,” Marlins manager DonMattingly said. “I’m actually looking forward to it. I don’t really look forward to those things that much, but this is one I’m going to watch.”
Said Stanton, who noted that Bour is scheduled to hit first in Monday’s contest: “[Fans] are going to have a good surprise for the beginning.”
Stanton-Judge is the popular choice for the dream final, but Bour faces Judge in the first round. Don’t expect him to roll over.
“You don’t do these events just to compete,”
Bour said. “You do them to win.”
But for Stanton, no pressure.
“You got to have a formula and everything just like hitting in a game, but it more reminds me of when my dad was throwing tome back in the day,” Stanton said. “It’s the only time you can just kind of be free like you’re a kid again.”