Willson Contreras keeps stacking milestones in a week that has already had just about everything.
The Red Sox first baseman was named an All-Star for the fourth time in his career, and on July 8 he picked up another notable first: he became Boston’s first Home Run Derby participant since 2011. The Derby is set for July 13, and Contreras joins Jac Caglianone, Ben Rice and Junior Caminero among the confirmed entrants.
Boston’s last Derby reps were David Ortiz and Adrián González back in 2011. Robinson Canó of the New York Mets won that event with 32 home runs, while González finished a close second with 31. Ortiz had won the year before, when the All-Star festivities were held in Anaheim.
Contreras looks like a natural fit for this stage. He has already launched 20 home runs in 87 games with Boston and is on pace to blow past his career high of 24, set in 2019. Playing at Fenway Park has helped push that total, and his confidence appears to be riding high.
The timing also adds another layer. On June 30, Contreras was involved in his second benches-clearing incident in as many series and was hit with a seven-game suspension for his role in the confrontation.
He is still waiting on a ruling from MLB on his appeal. Other players involved in the fight have already learned their fate: Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli received five games, and Nate Eaton got two.
Both suspensions have already started.
Contreras had already more or less put himself in the Derby conversation before the league made it official. On June 7, he essentially volunteered for the event, noting that he would already be in Philadelphia for All-Star Game festivities.
He’ll face a crowded field, even with the participant list still incomplete. Caminero and Rice are tied for fourth in MLB with 26 homers apiece, while Caglianone has 14 but brings plenty of power of his own.
If Contreras wins it, he’d give Boston another derby champion this year. Over the winter, Wlyer Abreu won the Pepsi Fesival Jonrón in his native country of Venezuela.
In Other News...
Red Sox Just Got A Tense New Twist In Suspension Drama
Major League Baseball trimmed Nate Eatons suspension from three games to two after the dust-up involving the Red Sox and Nationals, a small but meaningful development for Boston as it tries to navigate the fallout from the altercation. Cade Cavalli also saw his punishment reduced, going from seven games to five, which keeps the discipline from the incident moving in a slightly less punishing direction for the teams involved.
The bigger issue for Boston is the timing. The Red Sox were already dealing with a short bench in Tuesdays game, and the possibility of roster absences stacking up around the same time has only added to the tension. Willson Contreras appeal is still unresolved, and with his status hanging over the next day or so, Boston is left waiting on how much more this suspension picture might shift before the break. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Suddenly Linked To A Franchise Defining Shortstop Gamble
The idea of the Red Sox getting involved with Francisco Lindor is the kind of rumor that instantly changes the temperature around a roster. Boston has spent plenty of energy trying to stabilize shortstop in recent years, and Lindors name carries the sort of star power that would make any front office at least take a look, especially with his long-term contract and the possibility of him anchoring the position for years.
There is plenty of reason for caution, though, because the fit is about more than name value. Lindor has been off at the plate this season, and any pursuit would come with a major financial commitment that would have to make sense for a club that has generally been careful about paying big money deep into a players later seasons. For now, it is all just a possibility, but it is the kind of possibility that can linger around a team until someone decides whether the price is worth the gamble. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Fans Wont Like What Arias Delay Could Mean
Franklin Arias has done just about everything a Double-A hitter can do to force the issue in Portland, putting together a loud offensive season that has kept his name in the conversation around Bostons future. The Red Sox have seen this movie before with top prospects who stack up big numbers in the minors and then wait a little longer than expected for the next step, so Arias situation has started to feel familiar for fans tracking the pipeline.
Arias is still sitting in Double-A even as the deadline approaches, and that delay has naturally raised questions about how Boston is handling one of its most productive young bats. Whether the Red Sox are simply being patient or keeping their options open, the longer he stays put, the more the conversation shifts from development to what his timeline might mean for the clubs bigger plans. [Read more 🡒]