Top Sluggers from Triple-A to Compete in 2014 Home Run Derby
Published on July 8, 2014 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1) News Release
Jesus Aguilar, Mike Hessman, and Dan Johnson of the International League and Allan Dykstra, Mike Jacobs, and Francisco Pena of the Pacific Coast League have been named the six participants for the 2014 Triple-A All-Star Home Run Derby. The Home Run Derby will take place on Monday, July 14 at Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, North Carolina at 6:30 p.m. EST.
The International League's newly crowned all-time Home Run King, Toledo's Mike Hessman, enters his fourth Triple-A Home Run Derby looking for his first win in the event. Hessman crushed his 259th career home run in the IL on June 30 to break the record held for over seven decades by Buffalo's Ollie Carnegie. Current Buffalo slugger Dan Johnson won the 2010 Triple-A Home Run Derby as a member of the Durham Bulls. This year he leads the IL with 17 long balls. 24-year-old Jesus Aguilar has 12 home runs so far in a season in which he has made both his Triple-A and Major League debuts.
Las Vegas first baseman Allan Dykstra was MVP of the Double-A Eastern League last season. The 2013 Mets Co-Minor League Player of the Year has 12 home runs so far in his first season in Triple-A. Reno's Mike Jacobs has hit 100 homers at the Major League level, including 32 for the Marlins in 2008. He'll try to follow in the footsteps of former Reno slugger Matt Davidson, the 2013 Triple-A Home Run Derby champion. Francisco Pena of the Omaha Storm Chasers, son of Yankees bench coach Tony Pena, has already hit a career-high 15 home runs this season.
Fans will come to see Triple-A's top sluggers, but the star of the Derby may very well be the ballpark's primary target - the DBAP's Snorting Bull. Each home run hit off of the sign made famous in the classic baseball film Bull Durham will give those in attendance a chance to win steaks and much more, culminating with one lucky fan winning $15,000 if the Snorting Bull is hit a combined fifteen times throughout the competition. In the final round, 76-year-old local Home Run Derby legend Clay Council, who threw an unforgettable round of batting practice to Josh Hamilton in the 2008 MLB Home Run Derby, will pitch to this year's Triple-A finalists.
Statistical Information:
International League Participants Age 2014 Total Career High HR Career to Date
Jesus Aguilar, Columbus 24 12 23 (2011) 84
Mike Hessman, Toledo 36 15 39 (2008) 418
Dan Johnson, Buffalo 34 17 37 (2010) 294
Pacific Coast League Participants Age 2014 Total Career High HR Career to Date
Allan Dykstra, Las Vegas 27 12 21 (2013) 87
Mike Jacobs, Reno 33 12 36 (2005) 263
Francisco Pena, Omaha 24 15 15 (2014) 55
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