Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Leaning Toward Participating in 2021 MLB Home Run Derby
June 15, 2021
Nobody in Major League Baseball has as many home runs as Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s 22, and the Toronto Blue Jays slugger may treat fans to a show at the 2021 Home Run Derby.
Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reported Guerrero is "leaning more to yes versus no" as he decides whether he will participate in the annual competition. This year's Home Run Derby is scheduled for July 12 at Coors Field in Denver.
The 22-year-old already has a career high in long balls and has also impressed in other areas with a .346/.451/.697 slash line and 56 RBI. His presence in the middle of the lineup is a major reason Toronto has a winning record at 33-31 and is in the middle of the American League wild-card race.
The Home Run Derby is nothing new for the Guerrero family.
Vladimir Guerrero, the 46-year-old father of the Blue Jays slugger, won the 2007 competition in San Francisco, which included launching a 503-foot home run.
Yet that victory and long homer may not even be the most memorable Home Run Derby moment for the Guerrero family. The younger Guerrero participated in the 2019 competition in Cleveland and was the star of the show even though he ultimately fell short of Pete Alonso.
Guerrero launched a record 29 home runs in the opening round and then followed with 29 more in the semifinals. It took a final-round record of 23 by Alonso to eclipse him by a single home run and take home the title.
Guerrero finished with 91 homers in the competition, which far surpassed Giancarlo Stanton's previous record of 61.
Perhaps there is an encore in store for 2021.