Remembering the Justin Morneau Derby

This year is the 15th anniversary of the 2008 Home Run Derby. While that year may seem arbitrary to almost every other fanbase, and the Texas Rangers fondly remember the show Josh Hamilton put on, it was the year of Justin Morneau. Having been named an MVP just two years prior, and getting votes the season before, it was the Minnesota slugger providing the fireworks at old Yankees Stadium.

By 2008, Morneau had fully established himself alongside of Joe Mauer as a superstar in Ron Gardenhire’s Twins lineup. Despite just one All-Star appearance to his name, Morneau had blasted more than 100 homers during his first 569 career games, and he was every bit as talented as the other half of the M&M Boys moniker.

Invited to participate in the 2008 Home Run Derby at Yankees Stadium, Morneau came into the event with a .903 OPS and 14 longballs through the Twins first 95 games. It wasn’t gargantuan power numbers by any means, but he was a consistent producer that sent the ball out with a pure left-handed swing.

The field included Morneau, Hamilton, Lance Berkman, Ryan Braun, Dan Uggla, Grady Sizemore, Chase Utley, and Evan Longoria. With juicers and true sluggers involved, Morneau wasn’t ever going to be the betting favorite. Minnesota was often trounced by New York, and they were less than four years into a playoff drought dating back to 2004. On this night though, it was Morneau’s time to shine in the Bronx, kind of.

Still utilizing the old format in which players had just 10 outs and no time limit, batters could stand in the box and take their time when looking for the perfect pitch to send barreling into the night. Hamilton did that plenty during the first round, rocketing an astounding 28 dingers into the seats. It was a performance unlike anything we had ever seen before, and that round was the calling card of the entire event.

It wasn’t an individual show though, as Morneau crushed eight dingers of his own to tie Berkman, and join Braun in round two as a foursome. Hamilton clearly felt the effects of his heavy lifting in round one as he launched just four home runs in round two. The rules made it so the finals were comprised of a total between the first two tilts, and Morneau’s nine during his second time up trumped both Braun and Berkman’s 14.

A showdown of David and Goliath proportions was set to take place.

Both gassed from the swings they had taken to send baseballs into the night, Morneau and Hamilton combined to hit just eight home runs during the final round. The Twins slugger grabbed the title when he hit five, and Hamilton could only muster three with his last at bat. Despite rocketing 35 on the night, Hamilton’s timeliness cost him and allowed just a second place finish.

The derby will always be remembered for Hamilton’s incredible opening salvo, but it was the Twins Morneau who held the crown when everyone dispersed. Often the case, playing alongside Mauer or in smaller markets, Morneau was quiet about his accolades despite generating otherworldly numbers.

Just a few years later Morneau was on pace for a second MVP when he posted a 1.055 OPS through 81 games before injury ended his season. A .345 average and 18 home runs could’ve led to a career-year for the Canadian, but the baseball gods had other plans. He eventually wound up winning a batting title in 2014 with the Colorado Rockies, but much like his night in New York, the accomplishment is routinely forgotten.

Now a consistent face on Twins broadcasts, it’s great to see Morneau stay in the public light. He was at the pinnacle of individual performance on July 14, 2008, but rarely is remembered for doing so. It may have been the Hamilton derby, but it was the Morneau trophy when all was said and done.