Trevor Story getting home run derby advice from Charlie Blackmon
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Charlie Blackmon knows Coors Field better than just about anyone. And while he’ll probably be off fishing during the actual event, he’s making sure teammate Trevor Story is fully prepared for the home run derby Monday.
The full list for the home run derby is set, and Story will face tough competition in Shohei Ohtani (Angels), Trey Mancini (Orioles), Salvador Perez (Royals), Matt Olson (A’s), Pete Alonso (Mets), Juan Soto (Nationals) and Joey Gallo (Rangers).
Story has an advantage though: not only is it being played at his home ballpark, he also has Blackmon, a former derby participant, to lean on. Story got to practice last weekend with bench coach Mike Redmond, who will pitch to him in the derby, with Blackmon advising him.
Trevor Story and #Rockies bench coach Mike Redmond practicing for the HR derby pic.twitter.com/Bxq5PuGYFm
— Danielle Allentuck (@d_allentuck) July 3, 2021
Blackmon’s biggest piece of advice to Story is to control his nerves. Competing in the derby is different from a normal game, and there’s nothing that quite compares with trying to hack as many homers in a three-minute span as possible.
“My experience at the derby was that you are going to be way more nervous than you think,” Blackmon said. “The home run derby is very different. It will make you very nervous.”
Blackmon’s advice is to swing it at 85-90 percent effort, knowing that the atmosphere, and Coors Field altitude, will kick in and guide him the rest of the way. He also said to be patient, and not hit pitches down the line. Instead, focus on hitting fly balls to center field early, until Story finds his swing. Then, work on pulling them.
“Trevor is going to be fine,” Blackmon said. “He’s got a lot of ability. He handles situations really well, he’s got a ton of power.”
Because of the elevation, balls naturally fly farther at Coors Field than other ballparks. Blackmon has seen plenty go into the upper deck seats, but nothing that has made it past there. He thinks that could be possible with the group of sluggers coming to town. The longest home run at Coors Field is 504 feet, hit by Giancarlo Stanton in 2016.
Ohtani, who leads the league in homers with 32, could be the favorite, along with Pete Alonso, who won the competition in 2019.
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