Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Homers in First At-Bat Following Home Run Derby Win

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is still swinging them out of the park…

The 24-year-old Canadian-Dominican professional baseball first baseman and Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter’s Home Run Derby continued on Friday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.,Guerrero became the first Derby champion to go deep in his first plate appearance after the MLB All-Star break as Toronto opened the second half of the season with its sixth win in seven games.

Brandon Belt drove in the tiebreaking run in the seventh inning, Matt Chapman had three hits and an RBI and Whit Merrifield drove in two runs as the Blue Jays won 7-2 to move to 17-7 against National League opponents.

Guerrero won the MLB All-Star Home Run Derby in Seattle on Monday night, matching his father Vladimir Guerrero Sr.‘s 2007 title to become the first father-son duo to accomplish the feat. The younger Guerrero is also the first Blue Jays player to win a Home Run Derby crown.

On Friday night, Guerrero led off the second inning with a 426-foot drive off Arizona starter Ryne Nelson for his 14th home run.

He is the fifth Derby winner to homer in his first game back, joining Prince Fielder (2009), Ryan Howard (2006), Ken Griffey Jr. (1998) and Tino Martinez (1997).

Guerrero connected on a 2-2 slider from Nelson.

“It just kind of slipped out of my hand, popped a little bit, right where he wants it,” Nelson said. “Right there, that’s a pitch I have to execute and not leave it over the plate.”

Toronto is 51-41, a season-best 10 games above .500.

“I liked the way we played,” Guerrero said through an interpreter. “We’re going to continue to play with the same intensity. It’s excellent right now.”

Javier Baez Agrees to Six-Year, $140 Million Deal with Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers have found what they’ve been searching for in Javier Baez

The Major League Baseball team has agreed to a six-year, $140 million deal with the 29-year-old Puerto Rican professional baseball player and free-agent shortstop, according to ESPN sources.

Javier BaezThe deal also includes an opt-out, according to the source.

It would be the second-largest free-agent deal in Tigers franchise history, behind Prince Fielder, who signed a nine-year, $214 million deal with Detroit in January 2012.

While he struck out a league-high 184 times last season, Baez hit .265 with 31 homers, 87 RBIs and 18 steals. He also brings Gold Glove defense to Detroit with his signature no-look tags.

The Tigers had been looking for a shortstop since it went 77-85 last season, finishing third in the AL Central behind the Cleveland Guardians and the Chicago White Sox.

Baez was selected in the first round of the 2011 draft. The two-time National League All-Star had been close to signing a long-term extension with the Chicago Cubs before the 2020 season, but the COVID-19 pandemic put negotiations on hold.

Those contract talks never resumed, and the Cubs traded Baez to the New York Mets this past July.

Alex Rodriguez Among 13 First-Timers on Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot

Alex Rodriguez is getting his first chance…

The 46-year-old Dominican American former professional baseball shortstop and third baseman, businessman and philanthropist is among 13 first-time candidates on the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame ballot of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Alex RodriguezA-Rod, as he’s nicknamed, is joined by fellow first-timers David Ortiz, Ryan Howard, Tim Lincecum, Justin Morneau, Jimmy Rollins, Jake Peavy, Carl Crawford, Prince Fielder, Joe Nathan, Jonathan Papelbon, A.J. Pierzynski and Mark Teixeira, the Hall and BBWAA said.

A-Rod and the first-timers join 17 holdovers.

Steroids-tainted stars Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens make their 10th and final appearance on the BBWAA ballot along with Curt Schilling, who fell 16 votes shy of the necessary 75% in last year’s balloting. Schilling appeared on 71.1% of ballots, Bonds 61.8% and Clemens 61.6%.

Holdovers include Bobby Abreu, Mark Buehrle, Todd Helton, Tim Hudson, Torii Hunter, Andruw Jones, Jeff Kent, Andy Pettitte, Manny Ramirez, Gary Sheffield, Sammy Sosa, Omar Vizquel and Billy Wagner.

Sosa also will be on the ballot for the final time after receiving 17% last year.

BBWAA members with 10 or more consecutive years of membership are eligible to vote. Ballots must be postmarked by December 31 and results will be announced Jan. 25.

Any players elected will be inducted into the Hall at Cooperstown on July 24 along with anyone elected by the Golden Days Era and Early Baseball Era committees, which are scheduled to meet on December 5.

No one was elected by the BBWAA in last year’s vote, and Schilling asked after the vote that the Hall remove him from the ballot.

“It’s all right, the game doesn’t owe me anything,” he said during a live video stream on his Twitter account.

Clemens has denied using performance-enhancing drugs and Bonds has denied knowingly using them. Bonds also has been accused of domestic violence and Clemens of maintaining a decade-long relationship with a singer who was 15 when they met.

Rodriguez was suspended for the 2014 season for violating MLB‘s drug policy and collective bargaining agreement, and Ortiz’s name was alleged to have appeared on a list of players who tested positive during 2003 survey testing.

Bufoni to Appear at the 2016 Kids’ Choice Sports Awards

Leticia Bufoni is ready to Kid around…

The 23-year-old Brazilian professional street skateboarder is among several top athletes who’ve signed on to take part in the 2016 Kids’ Choice Sports Awards.

Leticia Bufoni

Bufoni, who became the only female athlete to win three X Games gold medals in the same year back in 2013, is nominated in the Queen of Swag category.

In addition to Bufoni, other top athletes set to participate include Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry and Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.

In addition, Nickelodeon has lined up Nick Cannon, along with several other top athletes, to hit the stage at UCLA‘s Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.

Also taking part are Curry’s Warriors teammate Klay Thompson and fellow NBA pro Iman Shumper (Cleveland Cavaliers); NFL players Antonio Brown (Pittsburgh Steelers) and Von Miller (Denver Broncos); MLB player Prince Fielder (Texas Rangers); NHL player Tyler Toffoli (Los Angeles Kings); Triple Crown-winning jockey Victor Espinoza (American Pharoah); professional snowboarder Jamie Anderson; and professional skateboarder Tony Hawk.

The awards show is set to tape Thursday and will air from 8:00-9:30 pm ET/PT on July 17.

Seattle Seahawks two-time Super Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson will return as host, and retired NBA star Kobe Bryant is set to receive the Legend Award.

Ramirez Set to Sign Contract with Milwaukee Brewers…

Former Chicago Cubs star Aramis Ramirez will be playing for the Milwaukee Brewers next season.

The 33-year-old Dominican third baseman will reportedly sign a three-year contract with the Brewers, pending completion of a physical, according to FOX Sports.

Aramis Ramirez Heading to Milwaukee Brewers

Ramirez’s deal is reportedly worth between $34 and $37 million, according to FOX Sports.

The free agent would add some serious muscle to Milwaukee’s lineup, especially if the team isn’t able to re-sign star first baseman Prince Fielder, and with reigning MVP Ryan Braun facing a possible 50-game suspension for failing a drug test.

Ramirez, a two-time All-Star selection and the recipient of the National League’s Hank Aaron Award in 2008, has hit over .300 five times in a little more than eight seasons in Chicago. This season, he hit .306 with 26 home runs and 93 RBIs. He is a .284 hitter lifetime with 315 home runs in 14 seasons.