Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will not participate in this year’s Home Run Derby, Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae has learned.
Per Mae, Guerrero Jr. is looking forward to being in the 2021 All-Star game in Colorado, but would rather use the time to regroup and refresh mentally for the second half of the season as opposed to taking part in the Derby.
The 22-year-old, who sits tied atop the MLB’s home run leaders at 23 with Shohei Ohtani, recently said that he was “more yes than no” when it came to participating in the event, but that the final determination would be based on how his body felt.
“The main reason I’m leaning to yes is because I will have the privilege to have my dad there and my brothers (there) and that will be great,” Guerrero Jr. said. “And of course, in 2019, I enjoyed the moment. I had fun. It was all great. Now, on the other hand, I gotta see how my body feels. That will be the main reason, how I feel, if I decline or not.”
Guerrero Jr. made history when he participated in the 2019 Derby.
On his way to eventually beating Matt Chapman of the Oakland Athletics in the first round, the Blue Jays star hit 29 home runs, which surpassed Josh Hamilton’s mark of 28 in 2008 for the most in any single round in history.
The next round, Guerrero Jr. matched his own record, finishing with another 29, and nearly hit 30, but his last drive in bonus time couldn’t quite clear the left-field wall at Progressive Field. The young star’s captivating run ended with 91 total homers, but he came up just short of being crowned champion, losing to Pete Alsonso whose 23 final-round home runs beat him by a single homer.
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