The Home Run Derby has been very entertaining over the past few years thanks to guys like Yoenis Cespedes, Todd Frazier, Giancarlo Stanton and most recently Aaron Judge.
Over the years these winners have combined for hundreds of home runs, but not every participant finds success in the Home Run Derby. Since the debut of the Home Run Derby back in 1985, a total of 19 players failed to hit a single home run during their time in the event and one failed to hit one twice. Here’s a list of some of the worst performances from the Home Run Derby.
1990 Home Run Derby
The 1990 Home Run Derby took place at Wrigley Field and it was by far the worst one in the history of the event. A total of five home runs were hit in the event and they came from three different players. Ryne Sandberg won the event with a total of 3, while Matt Williams and Mark McGwire finished with one each.
The five players who went without a home run were Ken Griffey Jr., Jose Canseco, Cecil Fielder, Bobby Bonilla and Darryl Strawberry.
1993 + 1994 Home Run Derby
Mike Piazza is a 12-time All-Star, 10-time Silver Slugger Award and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016, but the 1993 NL Rookie of the Year never had any luck in the Home Run Derby. Piazza participated in the event in 1993 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards and in 1994 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh and ended up going without a home run in each event.
1997 Home Run Derby
Jim Thome is one of the greatest home run hitters in the history of the game. The five-time All-Star and 1996 Silver Slugger Award winner sits 7th on the all-time list with 612 home runs and is one of just nine players to hit 600 or more home runs during their career. However, Thome put together one of the worst Home Run Derby performances in front of the Cleveland Indians faithful when he failed to hit a home run during the 1997 Home Run Derby at Jacobs Field in Cleveland.
Thome wasn’t alone, though, as 1997 Silver Slugger Award winner Nomar Garciaparra also failed to hit a home run during the Derby.
2005 Home Run Derby
Jason Bay didn’t waste any time making a name for himself once he got his call up to Major League Baseball, but his one appearance in the Home Run Derby was one to forget. With all of Canada standing behind Bay in the tournament, the 2009 Silver Slugger Award winner came up very short and didn’t record a single home run.
2012 Home Run Derby
Robinson Cano was crowned the 2011 Home Run Derby champion after he defeated Adrian Gonzalez 12-11 in the final round and finished with a Derby-high of 32 home runs, so a lot of people expected big things from him the following year at Kauffman Field in Kansas City. However, the then-Yankees second baseman failed to hit a home run in the event and then followed that up with a Derby-low of four the following the year.
2014 Home Run Derby
The 2014 Home Run Derby was the last time a participant failed to hit a single home run during the event. Looking to prove himself to the rest of league, a young Yasiel Puig came up very short and finished in last without a single home run.
These aren’t the only players to go without a home run in the Home Run Derby. Gary Gaetti (1989), Chris Sabo (1991), Howard Johnson (1991), Greg Vaughn (1996), Gary Sheffield (1996), Troy Glaus (2001), Bret Boone (2003) and Brandon Inge (2009) all finished with zero home runs during their time in the event.
(H/T MLB.com)
