For the second time in his young career, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is blessing baseball fans with a Home Run Derby appearance.
The Blue Jays first baseman is one of eight participants set to partake in the slugfest on Monday, July 10. It's Guerrero Jr.'s first time at the event since 2019 when he lit the world on fire during his rookie season.
Guerrero Jr. is aiming to become the first Toronto player to win a Home Run Derby. He came close four years ago but was unable to get the job done. Does that change in 2023?
MORE: Who is participating in the 2023 Home Run Derby?
The Sporting News takes a look at the Blue Jays history at the Home Run Derby.
Blues Jays history in Home Run Derby
Joe Carter: 1991, 1992, 1996
Joe Carter was not only the first Blue Jay to participate in a Home Run Derby but made it to three during the 1990s.
The 1991 Home Run Derby holds the most history with Toronto, as it was the first time the event was held in Canada. Taking place at the then-called SkyDome, Carter would hit just two home runs in the competition and finished tied for third out of the four AL participants. Cal Ripken Jr., was the champion in '91, ripping 12 homers.
The next year, Carter again participated in the American League portion of the Home Run Derby. He doubled his total from the year before, ending with four, but still ended tied for third out of the four AL members. Mark McGwire and his 12 dingers come out victorious.
After a three-year hiatus from the Home Run Derby, Carter returned to the stage in 1996. Once again, the Blue Jays outfielder managed just two home runs, one of the lowest totals out of the 10 participants. Home run king Barry Bonds won the derby that year with 16 homers.
Shawn Green: 1999
Shawn Green made his one and only Home Run Derby appearance in 1999. Hosted at Fenway Park, the former Toronto right fielder didn't fare much better than Carter, managing to hit just two home runs in the competition. Ken Griffey Jr. went on to win, slugging 16 total home runs.
Carlos Delgado: 2000, 2003
Carlos Delgado participated twice in the Home Run Derby during his time with Toronto. The first came in 2000, one year after Green represented the Blue Jays in the event. It was the first year the MLB changed the format to rounds, and Delgado became the first Blue Jay to advance past the first round, as his five home runs were enough to advance to the semifinals. However, his one dinger wasn't enough to get by Ken Griffey Jr., who went on to lose to Sammy Sosa in the final.
In 2003, Delgado was in the Home Run Derby again, however, he did not fare as well as his first go at it. The infielder slugged just two home runs and did not advance out of the first round. Garrett Anderson edged out Albert Pujols in the final to win the 2003 Home Run Derby.
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Troy Glaus: 2006
Troy Glaus' one and only Home Run Derby was one to forget. The Blue Jays infielder finished the first round with the lowest total out of the eight batters, managing to hit just one ball over the fence. Ryan Howard beat out David Wright for the title that season.
Alex Rios: 2007
Before 2007, there wasn't a Blue Jay that seriously threatened to win the Home Run Derby. That changed with Alex Rios.
In 2007, Alex Rios had one of the best performances ever by a #BlueJays player in the home run derby. He was narrowly beaten out by ... Vladimir Guerrero. pic.twitter.com/dy0MKQsEqG
— 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 Canada 🇨🇦 (@sportingnewsca) July 16, 2018
Like everyone else in the first round, the Blue Jays outfielder struggled with just five home runs, but it was tied for the most out of the eight participants, so Rios advanced to the second round.
Then he came alive, smacking 12 home runs in the second round to give him a total of 17, earning him a spot in the final. Going against Vladimir Guerrero Sr., Rios hit just two home runs and lost once Guerrero Sr. smacked three out of the park.
Even though Rios' total (19) was higher than Guerrero Sr.'s (17), the new format only accounted for home runs in the final round to decide a champion, a variation from years prior.
Vernon Wells: 2010
Vernon Wells continued the trend that most Blue Jays had set before Rios' performance in 2007. The Toronto outfielder slugged just two homers in the first round of the 2010 Home Run Derby, failing to advance past the first round. David Ortiz earned the title that year, besting former teammate Hanley Ramirez in the final round.
Jose Bautista: 2011, 2012, 2014
Jose Bautista performed at the Home Run Derby three times in a span of four years during the early 2010s, giving fans quite the performance with his thunderous bat.
His first one wasn't quite as exciting. Bautista slugged four home runs in the first round of the 20211 event, which was not enough to advance to the second round. Robinson Cano beat out Adrian Gonzalez by a single homer in the final of that year's event.
The 2012 Home Run Derby is the most notable one from Bautista. The Blue Jays slugger ripped 11 home runs in the first round, four more than the next-closest player, to secure his spot in the next round. He then struggled immensely in Round 2, hitting just two homers. However, since total home runs from the first two rounds were the deciding factor for the final two participants, Bautista's 13 total dingers put him in a swing-off against Mark Trumbo for the final spot. He edged out Trumbo 2-1 to set up a final with Prince Fielder.
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In the final, Bautista put up a respectable seven, but Fielder launched 12 of his own to win the 2012 Home Run Derby. Bautista's 20 home runs set a Toronto record at the time for the most total homers at the event.
Bautista's last Home Run Derby came in 2014. It was another strong showing from the Blue Jays slugger, as his 10 home runs in Round 1 were the most out of the eight participants and earned him a bye directly to the semifinals. Unfortunately for Joey Bats, he could not best Yoenis Cespedes in the semis, losing 7-4. Cespedes went on to beat Todd Frazier for the 2014 trophy.
Josh Donaldson: 2015
Josh Donaldson's 2015 Home Run Derby appearance was the second in his career, but the first as a Blue Jay. That year was the first time the Home Run Derby was formatted as a true bracket, with a single-elimination quarterfinal, semifinals and finals set up.
Donaldson was paired against Anthony Rizzo in the quarterfinals and beat out the first baseman 9-8 to advance to the semifinals. It was another close contest in the semis, this time against Todd Frazier, but Donaldson came out on the wrong side, falling 10-9. Frazier went on to take out Joc Pederson in an epic final that saw Frazier smack 15 while Pederson had 14.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: 2019
The last time a Blue Jay participated in the Home Run Derby was in 2019 when Guerrero Jr. made his Derby debut. The infielder was in his rookie season but got the call to take the big stage. He did not disappoint.
Guerrero Jr. first blew Matt Chapman out of the water in the quarterfinals, smashing 29 in comparison to Chapman's 13, a single-round record at the Derby.
Then in the semifinals, he went to war against Joc Pederson. Both players smacked 29 home runs in regulation and required three swing-offs. First, the pair were tied at 37 after the initial tiebreaker, then 38 in the second. Finally, Guerrero Jr. managed to edge out Pederson in the third swing-off, finishing with a total of 40 while Pederson notched 39.
It was another battle for Guerrero Jr. in the finals, taking on Pete Alonso. The two infielders each crushed over 20 homers in the final round, but Alonso slightly edged out Guerrero Jr. 23-22 to win his first Home Run Derby.
