Solely 13 collegiate stars have gone on to take first place within the MLB Residence Run Derby because the All-Star weekend occasion was launched in 1985. The newest to take action was Florida product Pete Alonso, who gained the 2021 occasion at Coors Area in Denver with the New York Mets. It was his second consecutive derby win, turning into the primary former faculty baseball participant to attain the feat. Alonso’s 2019 crown got here at Cleveland’s Progressive Area.
Earlier than Alonso, solely two MLB gamers in historical past had efficiently defended their Residence Run Derby title — Ken Griffey Jr. (1998-99) and Yoenis Cespedes (2013-14).
Let’s have a look again on the full record of former faculty baseball gamers to raise the trophy:
| YEAR | PLAYER | MLB TEAM | COLLEGE | CAREER MLB HRS | CAREER NCAA HRS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Wally Joyner* | California Angels | BYU (1981-83) | 204 | 43 |
| 1987 | Andre Dawson | Chicago Cubs | Florida A&M (1973-75) | 438 | Stats N/A |
| 1992 | Mark McGwire | Oakland Athletics | USC (1982-84) | 583 | 53 |
| 1995 | Frank Thomas | Chicago White Sox | Auburn (1987-89) | 521 | 49 |
| 1996 | Barry Bonds | San Francisco Giants | Arizona State (1983-85) | 762 | 45 |
| 1997 | Tino Martinez | New York Yankees | Tampa (1986-88) | 339 | 54 |
| 2001 | Luis Gonzalez | Arizona Diamondbacks | South Alabama (1987-88) | 354 | 23 |
| 2002 | Jason Giambi | New York Yankees | Lengthy Seaside State (1990-92) | 440 | 1992 stats N/A |
| 2006 | Ryan Howard | Philadelphia Phillies | Missouri State (1998-01) | 382 | 50 |
| 2015 | Todd Frazier | Cincinnati Reds | Rutgers (2005-07) | 218 | 42 |
| 2017 | Aaron Decide | New York Yankees | Fresno State (2011-13) | 239** | 18 |
| 2018 | Bryce Harper | Washington Nationals | School of Southern Nevada (NJCAA)# (2010) | 288** | 31 |
| 2019, 2021 | Pete Alonso | New York Mets | Florida (2014-16) | 172** | 23 |
- #Junior School
- *Denotes that participant was a co-winner
- ** Denotes lively complete
That is 12 totally different winners unfold out throughout 9 totally different conferences and two divisions within the NCAA — Dawson performed for Florida A&M again when the Rattlers performed in Division II — with one other from junior faculty (Harper). The one two NCAA conferences with a couple of consultant is the Pac-12 (McGwire, Bonds) and the SEC (Frank Thomas and Pete Alonso).
