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Home Run Derby: Top 10 Greatest Performances

By Paul Ashley |
Milwaukee Brewers batter Prince Fielder hits a double off San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Barry Zito in the first inning at Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI. Fielder then scored on Corey Hart's two run home run in a 7-5 win over the Giants. (Photo by Allen Fredrickson/Icon SMI/Icon Sport Media via Getty Images)
Milwaukee Brewers batter Prince Fielder hits a double off San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Barry Zito in the first inning at Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI. Fielder then scored on Corey Hart's two run home run in a 7-5 win over the Giants. (Photo by Allen Fredrickson/Icon SMI/Icon Sport Media via Getty Images)
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Regardless of the participants from year-to-year, the Home Run Derby is a must-watch event.

The Home Run Derby began in 1985.  Even though the formats have varied since then, the same main goal has remained throughout each derby: Hit as many Home Runs as possible.

The first derby winner was Dave Parker of the Cincinnati Reds inside the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minnesota.  Parker finished his 19 year playing career with 339 Home Runs, so the derby is not necessarily all about the greatest Home Run hitters of all time.

Throughout the history of the derby, players have either been given a set amount of “outs” or a set amount of “time” to work with in their plate appearance.

The derby is about endurance within your alloted “outs” or “time” to perform.  This is a skill that not even the best in-game Home Run hitters possess.

For example, Alex Rodriguez hit 696 career Home Runs and Barry Bonds hit 762.  However, in the 2001 Home Run Derby, A-Rod hit 2 Home Runs and Bonds hit 10.  The winner of that derby?  Luis Gonzalez, a player who hit 354 career Home Runs.  Luis Gonzalez did hit a whopping 57 Home Runs in 2001, but he only averaged 22 Home Runs per season across his career.

This is what makes the Home Run Derby so much fun, it shows off a skill that a player may not be remembered for based on their career numbers.

The Home Run Derby is a taxing effort, so much so that big name players skip it in order to limit the risk it could have on the second half of their season.

The possible risks of performing in the derby make all of the performers efforts even more impressive regardless of their result.

As there have been so many great Home Run Derby performers, it is tough to narrow it down to just 10.  It is even more tough to pick an overall top performer, but here it goes.  The top 10 Home Run Derby performances of all-time:

12 Apr 1998: Outfielder Juan Gonzalez of the Texas Rangers in action during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at The Ball Park in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers won the game, 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Dunn /Allsport
12 Apr 1998: Outfielder Juan Gonzalez of the Texas Rangers in action during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at The Ball Park in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers won the game, 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Dunn /Allsport /

#10: Prince Fielder

Fielder’s performance in the 2012 Home Run Derby lands him at #10 on the list.

The 2012 derby had 8 participants in round one.  The top 4 from round one moved to round two.  The top two from round two moved to the finals.  The totals carried over from the first round to the second round, but they reset in the final round.

Although Fielder barely made it to the second round with only 5 Home Runs in the first round, he hit an incredible 11 Home Runs in the second round.  That comeback alone would have earned him a spot on this list, but he outdid himself with his performance in the final round.

Prince Fielder was matched up with Jose Bautista in the 2012 derby finals.  Bautista added 7 Home Runs to bring his derby total to 20.  Fielder added 12 Home Runs to bring his derby total to 28.

This performance gave Fielder the 2012 Home Run Derby trophy at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

Prince Fielder also won the derby in 2009 after defeating Nelson Cruz in the final round.

#9: Cal Ripken

Ripkin’s performance in the 1991 Home Run Derby lands him at #9 on the list.

The format in the ’91 derby involved three rounds.  The top 4 from round one moved on to round two.  The top 2 from round two moved on to the finals.  The Home Run totals reset between each round.

From 1885-1990, the participants only had 5 “outs” to work with in each round.  The ’91 derby was the first on that allowed 10 “outs” in each round.  Previously, players were only given 5 “outs.”

With the 5 “out” format, the most Home Runs any player had hit in a single derby was 4.  With the expanded “outs” available, Ripken was able to hit 12 Home Runs.  The seven other derby participants hit a combined 15 Home Runs, so this was quite the performance.

Ripken’s 12 Home Runs earned him the 1991 derby trophy at the SkyDome in Toronto.

#8: Juan Gonzalez

The performance of Gonzalez in the 1993 Home Run Derby lands him at #8 on the list.

The format for this derby was the same as the 1991 derby featured at #9 on the list.

Although this derby featured Mike Piazza, David Justice, Bobby Bonilla, Barry Bonds, Albert Belle, and Cecil Fielder (the father of #10 on our list), it came down to a Juan Gonzalez and Ken Griffey Jr. showdown.

The two sluggers both hit 4 Home Runs a piece in the final round which forced a playoff.  Gonzalez won the playoff 1-0.

Choosing the top performer from this derby was tough as Griffey Jr. hit an iconic Home Run that landed 465 feet away from home plate off of the B&O Warehouse.  However, I have to give the #8 spot to the winner of the derby, Juan Gonzalez.

Gonzalez won the 1993 Home Run Derby at Camden Yards in Baltimore.

Please enjoy this great early 90’s style recap video of the derby:

PITTSBURGH, PA – JULY 11: Ken Griffey Jr #24 of the Seattle Mariners and Albert Belle #8 if the Cleveland Indians poses together for this portrait prior to the start of the 1994 Major League Baseball All-Star game Gatorade Home Run Derby July 11, 1994 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Griffey was the winner of the Gatorade Home Run Derby. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – JULY 11: Ken Griffey Jr #24 of the Seattle Mariners and Albert Belle #8 if the Cleveland Indians poses together for this portrait prior to the start of the 1994 Major League Baseball All-Star game Gatorade Home Run Derby July 11, 1994 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Griffey was the winner of the Gatorade Home Run Derby. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

#7: Albert Belle

The performance by Belle in the 1995 Home Run Derby lands him at #7 on the list.

The format in the ’95 derby involved three rounds with 10 “outs” allocated to each player per round.  The top 4 from round one moved on to round two.  The top 2 from round two moved on to the finals.  The Home Run totals reset between each round.

In round two of the event, Belle needed three Home Runs to secure a trip to the finals.   However, he only had one Home Run in the round with 1 out left.  Instead of rolling over in defeat, he rallied to hit six straight Home Runs to advance to the finals!

Although Albert Belle lost to Frank Thomas in the finals, he hit 16 total Home Runs which were the most out of anyone in the event.  The impressive feat took place at Globe Life Park in Arlington.  At the time, the park was called the Ballpark in Arlington.

Since Thomas was able to take home the trophy, Belle deserves some sort of recognition for his performance.  I’m sure #7 on this 2018 list is just as high of an honor as being declared the actual derby winner in 1995, right?

#6: Miguel Tejada

The performance by Tejada in the 2004 Home Run Derby lands him at #6 on the list.

The ’04 derby had the same format as the 1995 derby featured at #7 on the list.

Tejada hit 7 Home Runs in the first round and an incredible 15 Home Runs in the second round.

This derby took place in Minute Maid Park in Houston and fan favorite Lance Berkman matched up with Tejada in the finals.  Tejada was able to defeated Berkman 5-4 in the final round of an exciting Houston derby.

Before this derby, the most Home Runs hit by one player throughout the entire event was 26.  Sammy Sosa completed this feat in 2000 and Albert Pujos reached this number in 2003.

Tejada broke the record for most Home Runs in a single derby by hitting 27 in 2004.

#5: Todd Frazier

Frazier’s performance in the 2015 Home Run Derby lands him at #5 on the list.

The 2015 Home Run Derby had a one-on-one bracket format.  Eight participants faced off in a round one quarterfinals.  The 4 winners moved on to a round two semifinals.  The final two remaining faced off in the finals.

Each player had 4 minutes per round to hit more Home Runs than their opponent.

In round one, Frazier defeated Prince Fielder 14-13 with :25 remaining on the clock.  In round two, he defeated Josh Donaldson 10-9 with only :05 left on the clock.

The 2015 derby finals came down to Todd Frazier vs. Joc Pederson.  Frazier outperformed Pederson 15-14 with :25 remaining in the final round.  This brought his Home Run total to 39 overall for the event.

He needed every single one of those 39 Home Runs to win the 2015 Home Run Derby trophy at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.  As Frazier was a member of the Cincinnati Reds at the time, it was a special moment.

DENVER – JULY 6: Ken Griffey Jr. participates in the Home Run Derby prior to the 69th MLB All-Star Game at Coors Field on July 6, 1998 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
DENVER – JULY 6: Ken Griffey Jr. participates in the Home Run Derby prior to the 69th MLB All-Star Game at Coors Field on July 6, 1998 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) /

#4: Ken Griffey Jr.

Griffey Jr. had 7 different Home Run Derby appearances, but his performance in 1999 lands him at #4 on the list.

The ’99 derby had the same format as the ’95 derby featured on this list at #7.

Griffey Jr. had won the derby in 1998 at Coors Field in Colorado, so he was searching for back-to-back victories.  Up to this point, nobody had two consecutive derby victories.

In the first round, Griffey Jr. struggled with only 3 Home Runs.  Jeff Bagwell had 5, Jeromy Burnitz had 6, and Mark McGwire had 13.  Lucikly for Griffey Jr., Larry Walker, Nomar Garciaparra, B.J. Surhoff, Shawn Green, Sammmy Sosa, and John Jaha all had 2 or less Home Runs in round one.

Griffey Jr. stepped up in round two by hitting 10 Home Runs.  The other three round two competitors, Burnitz, McGwire, and Bagwell, combined for 10 Home Runs in the round.

His second round effort led him to a second straight Home Run Derby finals appearance.  He defeated Burnitz 3-2 in the final round.

This back-to-back derby victory came at Fenway Park in Boston.

#3: Giancarlo Stanton

Stanton’s performance in the 2016 derby lands him at #3 on the list.

The 2016 derby had the same format as the 2015 derby featured at #5 on the list.

In the first round, Stanton hit an outstanding 24 Home Runs.  His first round opponent, Robinson Cano, was just slightly behind with 7 Home Runs.

In the second round, Stanton defeated Mark Trumbo 17-14.  The previous year’s derby winner, Todd Frazier, met up with Stanton in the finals.

In the finals, Stanton defeated Frazier 20-13.  This dominating 61 Home Runs performance led Stanton to a Home Run Derby victory at Petco Park in San Diego.

There were 12 derbies that saw 61 Home Runs or less after combining all of the competitors totals.  So this 61 Home Run performance by Stanton alone is quite amazing.

#2: Josh Hamilton

In the 2005 derby, when Bobby Abreu hit 24 Home Runs in the first round, it seemed like a record that would stand for a long time.  However, Josh Hamilton’s performance in 2008 lands him at #2 on this list.

The 2008 derby had 8 participants in round one.  The top 4 from round one moved to round two.  The top two from round two moved to the finals.  The totals carried over from the first round to the second round, but they reset in the final round.

According to Mark Lelinwalla of the New York Daily News, Josh Hamilton had a dream that he would perform in a Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium while he was in the midst of his addiction recovery.

Months after successfully overcoming drug and alcohol addiction and just before being reinstated by Major League Baseball, Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton had a vivid dream involving Yankee Stadium. “I had a dream before I got back into baseball. … I was at a Home Run Derby and it happened to be at Yankee Stadium,” said Hamilton

Although Hamilton did not win the derby, between his 28 Home Runs in the first round, the final year of Yankee Stadium, and the story to go along with his performance, this was an unforgettable derby moment.

He also added a Home Run that traveled 502 feet just in case the rest of his performance was not enough.

MIAMI, FL – JULY 10: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees during the T-Mobile Home Run Derby at Marlins Park on July 10, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL – JULY 10: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees during the T-Mobile Home Run Derby at Marlins Park on July 10, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images) /

#1: Aaron Judge

The rookie had high expectations to live up to in the 2017 Home Run Derby and his performance lands him at #3 on the list.

The 2017 derby had the same format as the 2015 and 2016 derby’s featured at #3 and #5 on the list.

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The first round may have been the best part of this performance.  Before Judge even stepped up to the plate, Justin Bour had an eye-popping 22 Home Runs in the first round.  Judge stepped up to the plate and topped it with 23 Home Runs.

He needed every bit of his regular time, plus some of the :30 bonus time in order to get out of the first round.  The :30 bonus time was earned if two Home Runs over 440 ft were hit in the round.

The second round was a little easier for Judge.  He defeated fellow rookie Cody Bellinger 13-12 with 1:00 left on the clock.

In the final round, he was matched up with Miguel Sano.  Sano went first and totalled 10 Home Runs.  Judge then stepped up and hit 11 Home Runs with 2:00 still left on the clock.

Judge hit 47 Home Runs in this event, which is currently the second most total Home Runs hit in one derby.

This was a phenomenal performance by the rookie slugger.

Next: Relief Roundup: A night of big offense

This is our list of the top 10 Home Run Derby performances. Who do you think was too high? Too low? Comment below!!

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