WGL Sports Performer of the Day (7/11/16)
Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton (2016 HR Derby Champion)
For the second time in less than a week, Giancarlo Stanton is the WGL sports performer of the day. Stanton put on a homerun derby performance for the ages on Monday night. He came out guns blazing from the very beginning, posting a derby high of 24 HR in the first round, annihilating Robinson Cano by the score of 24-7. In the second round, Stanton knocked out the top seed, beating Mark Trumbo 17-14. And in the final, Stanton had plenty left in the tank, belting 20 homeruns to dethrone the reigning champion, Todd Frazier, by the score of 20-13. Through the first two rounds, Stanton already had tied the record of 41 homeruns in a single derby. So it goes without saying that he completely blew the record out of the water with 61.
It’s worth pointing out that Stanton wasn’t even named to the National League All-star team this season. He had a miserable first half, batting just .233 with 20 HR and 50 RBI. After being left off of the All-Star team, Stanton had no reason to head west to San Diego to take part in this year’s derby. But to his credit, he accepted MLB’s offer to participate and put on a show for the fans. And boy, did he put on an amazing show, proving once and for all that he is the game’s premier power hitter. Sure, he set the record with 61 HR, but the nature in which he did it was simply incredible. While other competitors were hitting wall-scrapers, Stanton was blasting moonshots, with the majority of those homeruns traveling over 440 feet. His longest blast was 497 feet, and he was responsible for the EIGHT longest homeruns in the entire derby. All of Stanton’s homeruns combined to travel 5.14 MILES. He even hit multiple baseballs completely out of the stadium, something that didn’t even seem possible in pitcher-friendly Petco Park. And the best news of all? With next year’s All-Star festivities taking place in Miami, it is a near certainty that Stanton will be back to defend his title in front of his home crowd.
