MESA, Ariz. – Yankees prospect Garrett Martin won the 2024 Arizona Fall league Home Run Derby in a dramatic comeback fashion, with a last-second long ball to take the crown. Martin defeated Milwaukee Brewers No. 8 prospect, Brock Wilken, after launching ten homers over the fence in the final 90-second round of the contest.
The Home Run Derby consisted of eight athletes, including Minnesota Twins No. 19 prospect Kala’i Rosario as the reigning champion, who was invited back to defend his title.
Fans were given three rounds of action, with all participants guaranteed a spot in the first two rounds. The two players with the highest accumulative home run count moved onto the finals.
Wilken was the first to step up to the plate, and set the tone as the one to beat after achieving a single-round record with 14 no-doubters. Martin garnered the second best performance of the round after earning nine homers, and Rosario finished closely behind with eight.
Wilken picked up where he left off and added 10 to his total in the second round. Martin, Rosario, and Kansas City’s No. 1 prospect Jac Caglianone, finished the round with seven each. However, Martin’s accumulative 16 total pushed him ahead to the finals.
The contest lived up to its billing in the third round, as the competition grew to the most intense level of play.
Wilken stepped up the plate for the final time and hammered nine over the fence to total 33 on the night.
Knowing how many home runs needed to take the title, Martin wasted no time getting to work. His raw power rocketed nine balls into the outfield to tie Wilken with just under a minute left in the round. Receiving one last pitch with less than three seconds on the clock, Martin took one big swing and tallied his tenth and final homer of the night to be crowned the Home Run Derby champion.
Despite finishing second, Wilken’s 33 total blasts are the most in the three-year history of the AFL Home Run Derby, after Robert Perez Jr. hit 32 in the derby's inaugural event in 2022.
The total number of home runs accumulated by each contestant:
Brock Wilken (MIL): 33
Garrett Martin (NYY): 26
Kala’i Rosario (MIN): 15
Jac Caglionone (KC): 14
Peyton Williams (TOR): 8
Moises Ballesteros (CHI): 8
Carter Jensen (KC): 7
Josue Briceno (DET): 5
Comments