Boys competing in last year's event in the 9-10 age group as they prepared to take their swings.
By Donald Wittkowski
The Phillies, currently mired in next-to-last place in the National League East, could certainly use some hitting help these days.
Perhaps they could tap some of the slugging talent that was on display Sunday at the Phillies Home Run Derby in Sea Isle City.
Well, truth be told, these young hitters will take a bit longer to make it to the big leagues. So, the Phillies, or any other MLB team looking to add some power to the lineup, will have to wait for their services.
The boys and girls who participated in the Home Run Derby at Sea Isle's Dealy Field ranged in age from 7 to 12. They tested their skills against an automatic pitching machine, racking up points each time they collected a hit.
Some of the competitors wait to accept their awards.
The top three finishers in each age group for boys and girls will advance to regional competitions. The winners of the regionals will compete in the Home Run Derby championship Sept. 4 in Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Phillies.
Lauren Martino, a 10-year-old from McLean, Va., showed impressive power Sunday in Sea Isle. She slammed two home runs en route to winning the competition for girls 9 and 10.
"You've got to stay focused and stay comfortable. You can't get nervous," Lauren said of her batting tips. "If you get too nervous, you won't concentrate and it just won't work."
Lauren, who plays third base in a softball league in McLean, Va., is an old pro at the Home Run Derby. She was good enough to advance to the championship in 2014, taking second place overall.
She has been vacationing with her grandparents this summer in Sea Isle, so the competition at Dealy Field worked out perfectly. Her father, Paul Martino, noted that the family scheduled their vacation to coincide with the Home Run Derby.
Cheryl Castor, assistant superintendent of the Sea Isle City Division of Recreation, said it is "a tradition" for many families to hold their vacations around the derby.
Paul Bradley's late father, Jack, founded the Home Run Derby 46 years ago. Now, he and his brother, John, oversee the program.
The Division of Recreation teamed up with Paul Bradley to run the event. Bradley's late father, Jack, began the Home Run Derby 46 years ago. Now, Paul and his brother, John, oversee the program.
"I've been doing this for so long that I pitched to some of these kids' moms and dads when they were in the derby," Paul Bradley said Sunday at Dealy Field.
About 100 boys and girls took their best swings Sunday in Sea Isle. Bradley estimated that 10,000 to 15,000 kids compete annually in Home Run Derby contests in more than 50 locations.
"It is more than the competition. It's about having fun," Bradley explained about the popularity and longevity of the program.
Renee and Sean Knight, of Mullica Township, N.J., watched their 9-year-old son Ryan compete.
Ryan Knight, a 9-year-old Little Leaguer from Mullica Township, N.J., entered the Home Run Derby for the first time Sunday. Overcoming some initial jitters, he impressively knocked three balls to the outfield as his mother and father cheered him on.
"You did the best you can, right,?" Renee Knight told her son.
"It was a little bit scary, because you don't know when the balls are coming out of the pitching machine," Ryan said. "The pitches were faster than I expected."
Ryan Knight's idol is Phillies slugger Ryan Howard. In addition to sharing the same first name, they both are lefthanded batters, both play first base and both wear No. 6.
Who knows, maybe Ryan Knight will be the next Ryan to play first base for the Phillies. He certainly showed some promising power at Sunday's Home Run Derby.
Boys competing in the 9-10 age group prepare to take their swings in Sunday's Phillies Home Run Derby in Sea Isle City.
