'Biggest guy I've ever seen' wins Fall League HR Derby in honor of late father

MESA, Ariz. -- All that anyone could talk about during batting practice for the 2025 Arizona Fall League Home Run Derby was Tony Blanco Jr. From “that’s the biggest guy I’ve ever seen” to “he’s a beast,” the 6-foot-7, 243-pound Pirates prospect drew a fawning crowd of his peers. Once he unleashed his right-handed swing and began to connect, it delivered a sound very few can produce.

Then the event itself started. One of his homers was recorded at 122.9 mph, harder than any home run hit during an MLB game or MLB Home Run Derby in the Statcast era (2015). Another at 119.7 mph landed onto a nearby roof, sending the entire ballpark into a frenzy, including many of Blanco’s fellow Fall League participants standing at field level. Everyone who saw the ball and where it landed agreed on one thing: It’s the furthest ball they’ve ever seen hit.

Fittingly, the last swing of the night came from Blanco, who hit his first opposite-field home run of the event -- a walk-off shot -- before pinwheeling his bat into the air and being embraced by teammates. It was a night that meant so much more than just the Pirates' No. 30 prospect getting to hold up a trophy and call himself Home Run Derby champion.

“My dad never saw me in a Home Run Derby when he was alive. This is for him,” an emotional Blanco said via interpreter Erick Salcedo, a Salt River coach who served as his pitcher during the event.

Blanco’s father, Tony Sr., passed away in April during a tragic accident in the Dominican Republic. A 2004 Futures Game participant who enjoyed a 56-game stint in the Majors with the Nationals in ‘05 went on to a decorated international career, primarily in Japan. He also had an eight-game spell in the Fall League back in 2005, just months after Tony was born.

“I feel proud, for Tony, especially,” said fellow Pirates prospect Esmerlyn Valdez, also via Salcedo. “To win the Home Run Derby for his dad -- he loves his dad. To be able to win today is for him and his family, his dad -- I’m proud right now.”

As part of the new-look format in 2025, Blanco and Valdez began the Home Run Derby as teammates, much like they have been with the Salt River Rafters during their Fall League tenure. Each participant got 90 seconds to accumulate as many home runs as possible in a preliminary round (getting a bonus point for each homer beyond 425 feet), before moving into a seven-out, team-based quarterfinal and semifinal round. Still standing after that? You make the Finals -- against your teammate.

Blanco and Valdez jumped out to a commanding lead after combining for 18 homers (26 points) in their first set of swings. They padded their lead through the next two rounds, creating an insurmountable cushion. Fans situated on the left-field berm (and even beyond it) were routinely gifted with frozen ropes off their bats.

“When I was a kid, I was watching [Home Run Derbys] on TV,” Blanco said. “Now to be able to see [kids] catching the ball for me, it means a lot. It's a special moment.”

The duo have been can’t-miss during their turn in the desert. Valdez leads the Fall League with eight home runs, ranking him among the top 40 roundtripper campaigns in AFL history. Blanco -- on consecutive days in October -- teed off on a 464-foot homer and 120.4 mph double, just a brief glimpse into his immense power potential.

In the final round, each player got nine swings (alternating three at a time) to deliver as many homers as they could. After nearly two hours of hacks, both were running on fumes -- Valdez finished with two and smiled as he watched Blanco on the same number with one swing to go. The Pirates' No. 15 prospect was one of the first people out to celebrate with Blanco after the ball cleared the fence. The two continuously leaned on one another during the post-event interview, comforting each other as they battled back tears.

The Fall League has been hosting an official Home Run Derby event for the past four seasons. There have been countless memorable moments – Heston Kjerstad’s jaw-dropping shot in 2022, a four-way tiebreaking swing-off in ‘23, Brock Wilken’s Josh Hamilton-esque run in ‘24 -- throughout the years, something not lost on the pair of Pirates prospects.

“Before the Fall League, we talked and we wanted to compete against each other in the Home Run Derby,” said Valdez. “To be able to compete and take it [home] to the Pirates [is special].”

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Here are the final home run and point totals for each participant, grouped together with their respective teams:

Tony Blanco Jr.: 24 HRs (32 points)
Esmerlyn Valdez: 16 HRs (23 points)

Ethan Petry (WSH No. 8): 12 HRs (15 points)
Tommy White (ATH No. 7): 10 HRs (12 points)

Parks Harber (SF): 6 HRs (7 points)
Ryan Galanie (CWS): 3 HRs (3 points)

Luke Adams (MIL No. 8): 5 HRs (5 points)
Thomas Sosa (BAL): 3 HRs (3 points)