Corey Seager became the second Los Angeles Dodgers rookie to participate in the Home Run Derby and the franchise’s seventh player to participate in the annual event. The 2016 Derby stuck with the single-elimination and timed rounds format that was introduced last year.
Hitters had four minutes in each round, with the option to take a 45-second timeout; they also have two 45-second timeouts in the finals. What’s more, 30 seconds of bonus time were awarded for two home runs that traveled at least 440 feet.
As the No. 8 seed in the tournament, Seager faced Baltimore Orioles slugger Mark Trumbo, who leads the Majors with 28 home runs and was the No. 1 seed. Seager got off to a slow start before finding his rhythm.
The rookie shortstop, who had his father throwing to him, didn’t bother using the timeout and hit 12 homers in the allotted time. Seager earned the 30 seconds of bonus time and added three more homers to run his total to 15.
Trumbo began his round at a slow pace and reached eight homers before electing to utilize his timeout. The decision was a sound one as he reeled off eight consecutive home runs, without needing extra time, to eliminate Seager.
One of Trumbo’s homers reached the roof of the Western Metal Supply building in left field at Petco Park, and 10 of his 16 homers traveled over 440 feet. Despite getting eliminated in the first round, Seager compares favorably to other Dodgers who have participated in the Home Run Derby.
