Milwaukee Brewers: Jesus Aguilar the Top Seed in Home Run Derby

MILWAUKEE, WI - JULY 08: Jesus Aguilar #24 of the Milwaukee Brewers hits a home run in the eighth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Miller Park on July 8, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI - JULY 08: Jesus Aguilar #24 of the Milwaukee Brewers hits a home run in the eighth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Miller Park on July 8, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

The Milwaukee just added their fourth representative at the All Star Game in Jesus Aguilar. But the game isn’t the only thing Aguilar will be participating in during the All Star festivities.

For the first time since 2011, the Milwaukee Brewers will have one of their own in the Home Run Derby. Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks both participated that year, and Weeks infamously swung and missed on the first pitch.

Jesus Aguilar was announced as a participant in this year’s Home Run Derby, held at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. To make it even better, Aguilar was given the No. 1 seed going into the Derby.

Aguilar will face off against Rhys Hoskins of the Philadelphia Phillies in the first round. Should he win that round, he will face the winner of Kyle Schwarber and Alex Bregman.

The Derby this year is missing a lot of star power. J.D. Martinez, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, and Mike Trout are all among MLB leaders in homers but aren’t participating. That gives Aguilar the top seed since he has 23 homers this year, the most in the group.

Bryce Harper, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, and Javier Baez are the other players in the bracket and will start on the opposite side of Aguilar.

Can Aguilar win?

Oh he can win this thing. He has the power and an effortless swing that can keep him fresh throughout the night. The Derby is a matter of stamina and pacing yourself. Aguilar has enough strength to last throughout the night and doesn’t have to swing as hard as possible to hit them out.

Will this hurt Aguilar’s swing?

Maybe. Aaron Judge struggled to start the second half last year after winning the Derby. But Aguilar might be different. He doesn’t have an uppercut swing, so he shouldn’t be at too much risk of falling into that trap.

Aguilar is a good hitter that just happens to be really big and strong. For a guy like Aguilar, being in the Home Run Derby is a dream come true. He has so much power, he finally gets a chance to show it off.

Given his approach at the plate is not home run oriented, I don’t think this will ruin his swing. So this should just be a fun ride to watch as he tries to be the first Brewers player to win the Derby since Prince Fielder in 2009.

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The Milwaukee Brewers players are excited to see Aguilar make the All Star team. And now they will get a chance to watch him do what he does in batting practice every day on the national stage.