Bregman looks to become first Astros player to win Home Run Derby

As Alex Bregman prepares for the Home Run Derby, he looks to become the first Astros player to win the competition.

When Alex Bregman suits up for Monday’s Home Run Derby at Progressive Field in Cleveland, it will mark the 12th time the Astros have had a participant in the competition. In those first 11 tries, however, every Astro came up short.

Bregman’s inclusion in his second derby makes him just the third Astros player to participate in multiple derbies, joining Killer B’s Jeff Bagwell and Lance Berkman. He held his own in 2018’s derby, hitting 15 homers in the first round but falling short of opponent Kyle Schwarber‘s 16.

Here’s a look at how other Astros have fared in years past.

Lance Berkman – 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008

Berkman actually came the closest to winning the derby of any Astros player. The 2004 derby, played at Minute Maid Park, was one for the ages, with Berkman advancing to the final round against future Astros shortstop Miguel Tejada. It would be Tejada who ultimately prevailed.

Berkman managed only one homer in his first derby in 2002, and also failed to make it out of the first round in 2006, hitting three homers. He made it to the semifinals in 2008 at Yankee Stadium, but that was the night of the legendary performance by Josh Hamilton (who ultimately lost to Justin Morneau).

Jeff Bagwell – 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999

Bagwell’s first two appearances were unspectacular. He hit just three homers in 1994 and two in 1996. His following two appearances were better, but he still did not get particularly close to winning.

In 1997, Bagwell hit four homers in the first round to advance to the semifinals, but managed just one homer in the second round to fall out of the running. His 1999 performance was similar, as he hit five homers in the first round but just one in the second.

The One-Timers: Glenn Davis (1989) and Moises Alou (1998)

Davis was the Astros’ first participant, which came under an old format in 1989. Davis hit two homers, trailing the NL’s Eric Davis and the AL’s Ruben Sierra.

Alou’s inclusion in his first season in Houston was one of four straight years in which the Astros had a participant. He was one of four players to hit seven homers in the first round, but the other three advanced to the semifinals while Alou did not. This was by virtue of a tiebreaker in which Alou, who at the time had the fewest regular season homers of the four, was eliminated.

***Statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference***