By Trevor Fitzpatrick
Tim Piasentin (Coquitlam, BC) put on a show during the Canadian Futures Showcase Home Run Derby on Saturday.
His victory was hard fought, as he blasted a total of 22 home runs across four rounds – two normal three-minute rounds and two 30-second swing-offs.
His opponent in the finals was Stetson University commit Esteban Dessureault (Trois-Rivieres, Que.). He matched Piasentin’s three jacks in the first overtime, but got out swung 4-3 the second go around.
Both players were visibly exhausted afterwards. All that the two captains of the All-Star game Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion could do as they awarded Piasentin his belt and bat was chuckle.
Bautista smiled as he walked up and asked, “Do you think you have enough left in the tank for the All-Star Game?” Piasentin, with a big grin, shook his head and replied, “I don’t think so.”
A University of Miami commit, Piasentin prides himself on his power at the dish and was grateful for the chance to show it off in front of the large crowd.
“It’s one of my tools that makes me who I am as a ballplayer, so to put on a show like this today, it means a lot,” he explained, “I was just swinging as hard as I could up there, I’m a mess right now, my arms are shaking.”
The Home Run Derby is one of the main attractions of the Canadian Futures Showcase each year. The stands are busier compared to the other days and even the non-participant players get into it, lining up around home plate to support their fellow prospects.
One of the reasons is that the players are allowed to use metal bats for some extra pop compared to the wooden bats they use throughout the rest of the showcase.
“It did feel a little weird,” admitted the Dawgs Academy product, “I don’t swing metal much anymore, but thankfully we had enough time to warm up in the cages.”
It was certainly worth it for the new hardware though. The championship belt and prize bat will need to find themselves a new mantle when Piasentin returns home.
“I’m not sure where I’ll put it,” Piasentin said while laughing, “I might just have to wear it around for a while.”
Round by round recap (home runs hit):
Round one:
Tim Piasentin: 9
Jalen Jacob (Maple, Ont.): 8
Esteban Dessureault: 7
Justin Rompre (Ste Anne De La Perade, Que.): 7
Robert Omidi (Mississauga, Ont.): 6
Kieran Cutler (Paradise, NL): 4
Gino De Santis (Chatham, Ont.): 3
Cameron Dube (Cambridge, Ont.): 1
Round two:
Piasentin: 6
Dessureault: 6
Jacob: 5
Rompre: 3
Round three (30 second swing off):
Piasentin: 3
Dessureault: 3
Round four (30 second swing off):
Piasentin: 4 (walk-off)
Dessureault: 3
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