Fansided

5 most memorable Home Run Derby performances since 2000

By Ryan Morik

NEW YORK - JULY 14: Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers swings during the 2008 MLB All-Star State Farm Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium on July 14, 2008 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)
NEW YORK - JULY 14: Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers swings during the 2008 MLB All-Star State Farm Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium on July 14, 2008 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK – JULY 14: Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers swings during the 2008 MLB All-Star State Farm Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium on July 14, 2008 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)
NEW YORK – JULY 14: Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers swings during the 2008 MLB All-Star State Farm Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium on July 14, 2008 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images) /

Texas Rangers. 2. 126. Scouting Report. player. Pick Analysis. 2008 HR Derby. Josh Hamilton

When you think of the Home Run Derby pre-the four-minute time limit, you think of Hamilton’s performance at the 2008 Home Run Derby at the old Yankee Stadium.

Hamilton’s battles with drugs and alcohol were, and still are, well documented. He was suspended three times as a minor leaguer, taken by the Cubs in the Rule 5 draft in 2006, was traded to the Reds, and then was traded to the Rangers. In 2008, Hamilton finally put up the numbers that the then-Devil Rays hoped for when they drafted him in 1999.

At the break, Hamilton had taken the league by storm with his successful comeback. He had 21 homers and a .919 OPS when he came to the Bronx.

In the first round of the Derby, he blasted 28 home runs, a record that stood until this past season. The record prior was 24 by Bobby Abreu in 2005, and he was just the second person to hit more than 18 in a single round.

Despite the record-breaking performance, Justin Morneau took home the title. However, Hamilton’s moonshots into the upper deck at Yankee Stadium, and the crowd chanting his name, is arguably the best moment in Home Run Derby history.

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