Taylor Trammell won the Redsfest Home Run Derby with the help of his partner, a young fan named Luke
It's likely that Reds center field prospect Taylor Trammell knew ahead of time that hitting a Wiffle ball is slightly different from hitting an actual baseball.
In that respect, he was happy to have his Redsfest Home Run Derby partner, Luke Hubbard, available to pick up the slack on Friday at Redsfest.
"It's tough," Trammell said, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, after celebrating his Derby win with his young partner. "We've got people here watching. You have big leaguers here, and even they struggled. I'm just glad we got to bring out the hardware."
Trammell was one of about a dozen Reds prospects paired with youth players from the Reds RBI Baseball and Softball teams for a highly-spirited round of Home Run Derby on the Wiffle ball field at Redsfest. While at first glance it would be easy to surmise that the professional ballplayers would steal the show, it was actually the kids who kept the contest at a high level of competitiveness.
Trammell deflected praise following his duo's first-place finish to his young partner, heaping credit for revving it up in the final moments to steal the crown.
"It means more to me that my partner picked me up in the last round," Trammell said, gesturing to Hubbard. "We had eight [home runs]. And needed eight. He turned it on -- he's a grinder."
Hubbard, flanked by his parents and kid brother, Zach, posed for several pictures with Trammell and his trophy, and the teammates then huddled to make sure the moment was properly shared on Trammell's social media avenues.
We came. We conquered. Proud 2018 wiggle ball champs!!! My boy Luke showed offf his clutch gene tonight! #redsfest2018 @Reds pic.twitter.com/eKzZLMC417
— Taylor Trammell (@Taytram24) December 1, 2018
"This was my first Home Run Derby," Hubbard said, admiring his grand prize. "It means a lot."
Added Trammell: "He came in and was clutch. He did his thing. I'm glad I have a new friend here."
Alyson Footer is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow her on Twitter @alysonfooter.
