After being officially invited to this year’s Home Run Derby on Tuesday, Joc Pederson quickly arrived at an easy answer.
He talked with his family, his wife, and mentors in the game. Then he thought back to four years ago, when as a rookie All-Star he reached the final round of the 2015 home run derby in Cincinnati, memorably finishing as the runner-up to hometown hero Todd Frazier.
“I think the two highlights of my career have been participating in the home run derby in 2015, and playing in the World Series,” he said. “That’s how I thought about it.