Washington Nationals: Juan Soto Highlights A Stacked Home Run Derby Field

The 2021 Home Run Derby is finally set!

Earlier this afternoon, the Washington Nationals superstar Juan Soto tweeted that he was participating in this year’s home run derby.

For an event that has recently started to struggle at attracting the biggest names in the sport to take part, this is a major coup for MLB. Only 22, Soto is already one of the best hitters on the planet. After finishing second in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2018, Soto put on a show during the 2019 World Series, hitting .333, with three homers and seven RBIs.

Soto is the first Nationals player to participate in the derby since Bryce Harper won it at Nats park in 2018. The Nationals star will be facing stiff competition as he is up against the reigning champ, a hometown hero, and a two-way phenom. Not to mention the rest of the field is just as formidable.

Logistics

When: Monday, July 12

Time: 8 PM ET

Where: Coors Field, Colorado

Where To Watch: Fox

The Field

Juan Soto will join Shohei Ohtani, Pete Alonso, Salvador Perez, Trevor Story, Trey Mancini, Joey Gallo, and Matt Olson in one of more star-studded lineups in recent memory.

For fans not on the west coast, this will be the perfect opportunity to get a glimpse of the two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani. “Shotime” leads the league in homers with 32 and just broke Hideki Matsui’s single-season MLB record for most home runs hit by a Japanese-born player. Shohei is looking to be the first Angel to win the event since Vladimir Guerrero in 2007.

Pete Alonso is back to defend his crown, after putting on a show in 2019 when he defeated Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the finals. The slugger has his eyes on becoming the first repeat winner since Yoenis Céspedes did so in 2013 and 2014.

Trevor Story is the hometown hero and will be looking to put on a show. The 28-year old has been shrowded in trade rumors and this might be his last hurrah at Coors Field. Story will be looking to become the first player to win the derby at his home park since Bryce Harper accomplished this in 2018.

In a field full of young stars, Perez is the veteran of the bunch. After missing all of the 2019 season and parts of last year with injuries, Perez is having another stellar year. He already has 20 homers on the season and is quickly approaching his career-high of 27. The seven-time All-Star is looking to be the first Royal to ever win the derby.

After missing all of the 2020 season due to stage 3 Colon Cancer, Mancini is starting to look like his old self. In a derby full of storylines, his is by far the most heartwarming. The face of the Orioles will be looking to be the first O to win the award since Miguel Tejada in 2004.

Joey Gallo was the last to announce his participation in the event and it is about time. He already has a pair of 40+ home run seasons under his belt (2017, 2018), but had yet to throw his name into the ring. Recently, Gallo is having one of the best streaks of his career, belting 10 homers in his last 10 games. The slugger will be looking to be the first Ranger to win the derby since Juan Gonzalez in 1993.

Rounding out the field is the Oakland A’s superstar Matt Olsen. While he lacks the name recognition of some of the others, Olson is no stranger to launching moonshots, having hit 123 from 2017-present. Olsen will be attempting to be the first Athletic to win the derby since Céspedes in 2014.

With last year’s derby canceled due to COVID, expect this year’s participants to put on an impressive display.