Home run king; Miners outfielder wins ABL derby

ANCHORAGE — The Mat-Su Miners have the most coveted mid-season trophy in the Alaska Baseball League.

With a mammoth display of power and poise, Justin Kirby took home the 2019 ABL Home Run Derby title on Sunday. Kirby mashed 13 home runs in the first round and flew his seventh home run over the fence to reclaim the title for the Miners. Although the Miners are more focused on the trophy given out at the end of the season, Kirby was happy to take the trophy home to Palmer for the fifth time since 2011.

Kirby is also the ABL home run king in the last four years. Nick Brooks won it in 2017, a year after Cam Montgomery hoisted the trophy. Adam Martin won the first ABL Home Run Derby in 2011. Former Miners outfielder Gio Brusa also was an ABL home run champ.

During his interview with the public address announcer following his big win, Kirby thanked the people of Palmer.

“They’ve been really friendly. They love us, they support us a ton they’re always showing out at the games. It’s just really special. I think it’s awesome. It feels good to be able to make them proud,” Kirby said after his win.

The Home Run Derby at the ABL All-Star Game was the pinnacle of power in the Last Frontier. Each team put forward two competitors who each had three minutes and two 45-second timeouts to put as many balls over the fence as they could. Teammates lobbed batting practice fastballs from 45 feet away behind an L-screen, protecting themselves from possible errant hits. After his Freshman All-American season at Kent State, Kirby never thought he would have the chance to play such a high level of baseball so high up on the globe.

“I did not ever imagine I’d be playing in the Alaska Baseball League in the home run derby. It’s pretty cool. It’s just a lot of fun, pretty much glorified [batting practice] just having fun with your teammates,” Kirby said.

Kirby led off the affair with 13 home runs in the first round. Kirby admitted to being nervous leading off the derby, but took an early lead that he held through the other nine hitters.

“My swing just naturally just kind of gets good loft on the ball, so just try not to chase too much stuff, try not to waste too much energy and you know, just go fast. You know honestly, the rules are done with the time limit, go as fast as you can swing at everything go for the best,” Kirby said.

Kirby also offered an on-point prediction, noting that he was excited to watch University of Arizona slugger Blake Paugh take his hacks, who is playing for the Anchorage Bucs.

Current ABL batting average leader and Kirby’s teammate Erik Webb had his turn at the plate next. While Kirby hit lots of long fly balls and looked to be at ease in the batters box, turning on pitches with grace and fluidity, Webb took a more barbaric approach to the derby. Shorter in stature, Webb tomahawked his way to eight home runs in the first round. During his timeout, Webb also got some extra sustenance in the form of a slice of cheese pizza that was fed to him by a teammate.

“When he comes out with that you’ve got to do it,” Webb said with a laugh.

Webb said the pizza was a pre-planned shenanigan, and his strategy was to broaden his hitting zone and put on a show. Webb enjoys the opportunity to share the field with so much talent from around the country.

“Getting to meet new people that I don’t usually get to play against, it’s great. You get to sit back today, this is all fun,” Webb said.

Webb was one of the 15 Miners named to the ABL All-Star Game team. Those Miners were part of the winning National team, which took the All-Star Game 3-2 after Kirby won the derby. Following Kirby was University of Kentucky pitcher Hunter Rigsby playing for the Anchorage Glacier Pilots. With hair everywhere and a flat, quick swing, Rigsby put 11 balls out of the park, much to the delight of his Pilots teammates who oohed, aahed, and jumped out of their seats cheering on their teammate. Kirby’s prediction was spot on though, and Bucs slugger Paugh slugged 12 homers en route to a matchup in the finals against Kirby.

While the All-Star Game puts the best talent in Alaska on one field, rarely does a local get the chance to show what he’s got. Kenai grad Paul Steffensen participated in the Home Run Derby as the only local Alaskan participant. Steffensen was able to hit a handful of homers, but was robbed by the tall fence at Mulcahy Stadium on multiple occasions.

“We’re looking up and in, but it ended up kind of changing because it was like a little bit too up. I was getting under them a little bit too much,” Steffensen said.

Steffensen was proud to show off his home state to some of the most promising young baseball players in the country. Steffensen hopes to continue improving and compete with the best ballplayers in the state by doing what he does best.

“That’s the goal right there is to be mashin’ dingers,” Steffensen said.

Prior to the Sunday finale, each ABL team had games to play in front of scouts as part of their showcase. Scouts from big league clubs around the country packed their radar guns and tool sheets hoping to discover the next big leaguer to come out of the ABL.

“I would say it’s in the top three. Years ago when I was playing, this was the elite place to be, but now it’s not. But you’ve still got kids that are participating up here that are going to be future big leaguers,” said Cincinnati Reds scout Rick Bordi.

Bordi has been making the trip up to the Last Frontier for over two decades, and loves the reprieve from the Lower 48 heat when he comes to Alaska. Bordi said he had a half-dozen players he would be submitting reports on to Reds scouts nationwide to keep an eye on. Bordi was watching the home run derby as purely a spectator, but said that he keeps a keen eye on the players rounds of batting practice.

“You can kind of pick up on that we can identify the kids who have power and they did a pretty good selection of bringing those guys into this home run derby contest,” Bordi said.

Paugh led off the final round with a bang, sending six baseballs out of Mulcahy Stadium. Paugh’s hat had a tendency not to be tight enough to remain on his head during his swing, and he ditched the hat during each round for better mobility. With six home runs in the final round, Kirby had work to do. Kirby took his timeout with just under a minute left and was able to hurt two baseballs hard enough to get over the fence and reclaim the title for the Miners. Kirby said that he never doubted if he would win the derby.

“I have the best BP thrower in the game Sam Thompson so, never a doubt,” Kirby said. “The bigger the trophy the better.”

With the Miners sitting in second place as the second half of the season starts, he has some advice for other ABL teams.

“Don’t let the Miners get hot,” Kirby said.