Yermínator wants a shot at HR Derby crown

CHICAGO -- Yermín Mercedes took a recent walk down a path of hypothetical individual accolades during an interview with MLB.com.

Let’s start with being considered for the 2021 American League Rookie of the Year Award. The White Sox designated hitter simply wants to “keep working hard and be prepared for every moment.”

Then, there’s making the AL All-Star squad. Mercedes smiled and spoke of wanting to play alongside the greatest players in the game.

But when the topic came up of taking part in the 2021 T-Mobile Home Run Derby at Coors Field on July 12, Mercedes flashed a broad smile and quickly put his name out there for consideration.

“I want to be there,” said Mercedes during this chat at the end of last week’s series in Cleveland. “[MLB], hear me right now. I want to be in the HR Derby for sure. I want to show my fans and everybody I can hit homers.

“Yes, yes, I want to be there,” Mercedes added for extra emphasis.

As of Monday’s off-day, Mercedes ranked third on the White Sox with seven home runs behind José Abreu at 11 and Yasmani Grandal at nine. He’s tied for 49th overall in the American League. Mercedes has homered twice since April 29 -- oddly enough, both on 3-0 counts, but in decidedly different circumstances -- and has five extra-base hits during that 34 game stretch.

Yet, Mercedes is a perfect candidate to swing for the fences during the Derby. For starters, there’s probably nobody who has hit a more talked-about homer than Mercedes’ connection off Minnesota position player Willians Astudillo’s 47 mph eephus in the ninth inning with the White Sox holding a 15-4 lead and on that much-talked-about 3-0 count.

The skillset really needing to be focused upon from that particular moment was hitting a ball 429 feet with an exit velocity of 109.3 mph, per Statcast, on Astudillo’s pitch not even reaching 50 mph. Maybe Astudillo could be Mercedes’ pitcher for the competition. Then again, maybe not. This goal is real for Mercedes and doesn’t warrant any sort of moment-stealing side notes.

Despite hitting .202/.276/.289 over his last 34 games, Mercedes stands as a prime contributing factor as to why the White Sox are four games ahead of the Indians atop the American League Central. There was a void to fill when left fielder Eloy Jiménez was sidelined before the season due to surgery to repair a ruptured left pectoral tendon, and after manager Tony La Russa gave Mercedes a starting opportunity as part of their opening series in Anaheim, the rookie responded with a remarkable 8-for-8 showing.

By the end of April, Mercedes had a slash line of .415/.455/.659 to go with five doubles, five home runs and 16 RBIs. If Mercedes’ big league arrival with authority at age 28 doesn’t rate as this season’s top tale, it’s certainly among the best. Check out Nathalie Alonso’s story on Mercedes’ perseverance for greater context.

We haven’t even talked about Mercedes’ pure power potential to leave fans cheering and gasping in Colorado. He has the game’s highest average home run distance, according to Statcast, at 439 feet. His 485-foot first-inning blast off of Kansas City starter Brad Keller during a 6-0 victory on April 8 landed at the back of Guaranteed Rate Field’s left-center-field stands and holds up as baseball’s longest homer this season.

When asked how far he could hit baseballs during the Home Run Derby, Mercedes grinned and said maybe 500 feet.

“For me, it’s just hit the ball,” said Mercedes, who also knew his 485-foot blast was the longest drive this season. “Keep working, keep working. I’m feeling great.”

It also wouldn’t hurt to have a character in the Derby competition such as Mercedes, who has a hamburger named after him at a local Chicago establishment and had the nickname “Yermínator” shaved into his head from a recent haircut. His theatrics in regular-season at-bats would transfer over to the Derby, and ultimately, it’s all about entertainment.

Mercedes’ great story would be enhanced by a Derby addition for a player trying to make the most of his long-awaited moment.

“I never have this vision I’m going to be right here, right now, but we are here,” Mercedes said. “The thing we want is to be here all the time. I know what I am. I know a lot of years, maybe I didn’t get to hit.

“God [gave] me the opportunity right now. We have it, so just keep working, doing what we need to do.”