Henry Roldán
The Home Run Derby has become the highlight of Major League Baseball’s mid-season break. During this event, the most powerful ballplayers in the circuit, many of them Latinos, demonstrate their strength by hitting balls left and right.
As a result, in this edition, we present a list of Latino players who have won the Home Run Derby in its many versions in the Major Leagues.
Juan Gonzalez – 1993
Juan González is one of the most powerful Puerto Rican outfielders in history, and in the 1993 Home Run Derby he proved it in a tough battle against Ken Griffey Jr.
At Oriole Park at Candem Yard, the two outfielders engaged in a final that went to two extra rounds and ended up with the Latino winning the crown.
Sammy Sosa – 2000
Ken Griffey Jr. was again a victim of Latin power when in the 2000 season, he was defeated in the Home Run Derby by Dominican Sammy Sosa.
The Cubs’ legend beat the outfielder 9-2 in the final and ended up taking 26 balls between the three rounds, winning his first contest.
Miguel Tejada – 2004
In the 2004 Home Run Derby, Dominican Miguel Tejada became the villain after defeating Lance Berkman of the Houston Astros in front of his home fans at Minute Maid Park.
Tejada comfortably outperformed Berkman in the final, hitting five home runs after the home player only hit four in his round. He finally hit a career-high 27 home runs in the Derby.
Bob Abreu – 2005
In honor of the inaugural World Baseball Classic, the 2005 Home Run Derby did not have equal representatives from each League, but one representative per country at Comerica Park in Detroit.
Bob Abreu took the Venezuelan flag to the Derby, and he did it proudly, defeating Iván Rodriguez 11-5 and setting a record for the tournament at the time with 41 home runs.
Vladimir Guerrero – 2007
In a Latin final between Vladimir Guerrero and Alex Rios, the Dominican got the better of the Puerto Rican.
Despite hitting just 17 home runs in the Derby to Rios’ 19, Guerrero outscored him 3-2 in the final round and took the top honors in the event.
David Ortiz – 2010
David Ortiz won the 2010 Home Run Derby by defeating fellow Dominican Hanley Ramirez, extending the Dominicans’ supremacy in this event.
“Big Papi” easily dispatched Ramírez in the final with an 11-5 score and finished with 32 homers over the three rounds played.
Robinson Canó – 2011
In 2011, we experienced one of the most exciting Home Run Derby in recent years when the final was starred by two Latinos: Dominican Robinson Canó and Mexican Adrián González.
The final ended with Canó giving an extreme 12 home runs to surpass the Mexican’s 11, which gave him his first Derby crown. He gave 32 full-round stakes in total.
Yoenis Cespedes – 2013 and 2014
After some very good years, Latin blood has entirely disappeared from the Home Run Derby titles, with Yoenis Cespedes being the last of the dynasty to win the crown.
The Cuban won the Derby in consecutive years by defeating Bryce Harper 9-8, in 2013 at Citi Field, and Todd Frazier 9-1, in 2014 at Target Field.
