HOME RUN KING: Miners infielder beats Chinook to win annual derby

ANCHORAGE — Preston White set the tone during the 2017 Alaska Baseball League Home Run Derby.

White, a Birmingham Southern College junior spending the summer with the Chugiak-Eagle River Chinooks, smacked 10 dingers in the first round. He earned the No. 1 seed in the semifinals. And then White made Mat-Su’s Nick Brooks wait. Brooks belted 13 home runs in the finals to win the league’s annual derby Sunday afternoon at Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage.

“I was really nervous,” Brooks said of watching as White hit during the final round. “I’m not a huge fan of going first. I like to know what I have to do.”

Brooks said he was impressed with White, who combined for 20 home runs in the first two rounds before finishing with seven in the finals.

“That kid’s got some pop. He showed it in the earlier rounds,” Brooks said.

In the semis, Nick Brooks scored team bragging rights. In the finals, the Mat-Su Miners infielder grabbed the trophy.

His work in the finals came a round after he edged Mat-Su teammate Quin Cotton 10-9 in the semis.

“We were talking smack a little bit about how was going to go first,” Brooks said after the event. “It was nice to face Quin in that level, have that friendly competition.”

Brooks and Cotton were the second and third seeds in the semifinals after each hit nine home runs during the first round. Cotton, a Grand Canyon University product, hit first, and sprayed nine shots over the Mulcahy left field wall. Brooks answered with nine homers of his own before one final pitch in his allotted three minutes of time to hit. Brooks smacked the final pitch of his round deep over the left field wall.

“Right when I hit it, I knew it was gone,” Brooks said. “No doubt about it, it was gone. It was kind of a cool feeling.”

The 10^th home run brought his Mat-Su teammates to their feet.

“Quin was one of the first guys out there, that was cool,” Brooks said.

Brooks hit a total of 32 home runs in three rounds.

Brooks, who is tied for second in the ABL with three home runs during the regular season, said he had to make a late change to his strategy. Going in, Brooks said he expected the old home run derby format, which allows players a set number of swings. The ABL has adopted the format now used by Major League Baseball, which gives each player an allotted amount of time with one time out. Each player got three minutes in each round to hit as many homers as they could.

Brooks also gave praise to Mat-Su head coach Ben Taylor, who pitched to the Miners players in the competition.

“Good pitching by B.T. really helped me out,” Brooks said.

Brooks said he was looking for pitches at the inside middle portion of the plate.

“Middle-in. He threw a couple in-in on me that hit me in the elbow. I’d rather him miss there than miss away,” Brooks said.

Brooks said he didn’t tire out during the three rounds.

“I kind of rode the adrenaline train a little bit,” Brooks said. “It actually carried me through in the later rounds.”

Brooks and Cotton were among 11 participants in the derby, and three Miners. Mat-Su infielder Blake Benefield, who leads the league with six home runs during the regular season, also competed. Benefield hit five home runs in the first round.

Brooks is now the fourth Miners player to win the league’s home run derby. Former Mat-Su catcher Adam Martin, a Western Carolina product, won the inaugural derby in 2011. Former outfielder Gio Brusa followed with a victory in 2013. Last season, former Miners outfielder Cam Montgomery won the home run derby.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.