SOUTH JORDAN, Utah -- Some scouts believe that high schooler Grady Emerson will be the first name called at the MLB Draft next summer. He certainly looked the part of a first overall selection at the Home Run Derby X finals on Saturday night. Leading off for the Dodgers, the 17-year-old Emerson showed off the kind of power stroke that could be in the middle of a Major League lineup for the next decade.
The teenager scored 32 points on 20 home runs in the first round. Showing the remarkable stamina of youth, Emerson returned to add 30 points on 19 more home runs -- including seven in a row to start his round -- in the finals as the Dodgers defeated the Yankees, 72-71 for the Home Run Derby Finals.
But while home runs are the literal name of the game, what sets HRDX apart from a traditional home run derby (besides being a co-ed, three-on-three event), is that players can earn points on defense. So, it wasn't Emerson's bat that finished off the Yankees, it was his glove that won it all, his hand closing around a Todd Frazier fly ball that failed to get over the wall.
That final point was the difference.
"I saw the timer go off, and I didn't see the ball at first," Emerson said, "I didn't know where Adrián González was, I didn't know where Mya [Perez] was. I just ran off like 'I got it.' It finally went in the glove, and knowing that was the winning catch was obviously so cool. I just started jumping. I blacked out there for a little bit, I'm not going to lie, but it was really cool."
Emerson had recently been the leadoff hitter for Team USA at the U-18 World Cup in Japan, arriving back in America just a few days before the tournament began. What his team needed in Salt Lake was a little different than what Team USA was asking for in Okinawa.
"Obviously, [with Team USA], I'm trying to get on base, set the tone, you know, not trying to do too much," Emerson said with a laugh. "Here, you want to set the tone, but you want to let some big flies go."
Emerson's performance combined with a barrage of moonscraping fly balls from Texas A&M slugger Mya Perez (27 points on 16 home runs in the final) meant that González -- himself a first overall pick in the 2000 Draft -- never swung the bat. Though he led all hitters with 120 points from the HRDX season coming into the weekend, the Dodgers didn't need his calm, powerful swing once in the semifinals or the finals.
That didn't bother González one bit.
"What Mya and Grady did was amazing. It was so much fun to watch," González said. "The main thing is one, they're both young. So, to be able to go out there with confidence and do what they did, and just continue to just enjoy the moment and not put pressure on themselves, that was just really amazing to watch. It was great to see the home runs fly, and just overall, being able to cheer them on, it was incredible. It really was."
Perez, who scored 45 points across two rounds, found herself just trying to emulate her teammates -- even if one of them never took an at-bat on Saturday.
"I love playing side-by-side with them, and I was going to give it my all and do my best for the team," Perez said. "So, that's what I did. I looked at Adrian and how he swings and how Grady swings, and I was on the corner trying to swing like them. So they're great role models to look up, too."
Perez's performance also impressed the Yankees' Jocelyn Alo.
"I actually remember watching her when she was in travel ball, and I was like, 'Oh, this girl is going to be trouble when she gets to college,'" Alo said. "That translated right over when she got there and she's got a sweet lefty stroke.Something about a lefty swing, I really love."
Though González never needed to hit, the outcome was far from assured. Frazier started the finals off with a solid 26 point round. Alo, the all-time NCAA home run leader, followed with 22 points of her own. Nick Swisher, his team's bellcow and the unofficial hype man for the entire tournament, then put up 13 before tagging Frazier back in for the final minute of the contest.
In the end, it just wasn't enough.
"I could have done a lot better, if you want the truth," Frazier said. "I I rushed a little bit. All of a sudden my brain started going faster than my hands, and that's what happened. I think I hit one out of the seven eight swings I had. That's not going to help the team. And ultimately, Adrián González didn't get one at bat today, so I gotta kick his butt."
For Swisher, it was an emotional defeat. A HRDX original since 2022, Swisher made the finals as a wild card, not winning a contest during the regular season. After helping his team defeat the Cardinals on Friday, he led his club to a victory over the previously undefeated Nationals in the semifinals on Saturday.
You could tell how much he wanted this, from the slow walk he made to the stage, the way he rolled his shoulders back before hefting his special orange bat high, staring into it to center himself and get locked in before stepping into the box.
Eventually, there just wasn't enough in the tank.
"I mean, it was a lot easier to bounce back when I was a lot younger," Swisher joked. "Running around for two days in the outfield takes a little toll on your body, and with one minute [left in my at-bat], I was gassed. I was giving up too many catches. I flipped it over to my guy, Todd, and he was the same. He was a little gassed up, too. We had a fantastic run at this. Nobody thought we were going to beat the Nationals in the semifinals, and the fact that we got ourselves to the finals, I was really proud of that. But we're gonna do a little more cardio next year. We'll get ourselves ready for 2026. Only thing I can say is fans, get ready for what we're about to do."
While the Dodgers were celebrating the victory, lifting the trophy and soaking in the adulation, Swisher took a look around the stadium for an extra moment before heading for the clubhouse.
"I looked around the crowd tonight for a minute, and I just remember back when we started in 2022 in London," Swisher said. "What we've built here is something that sports have never seen before. I could not be more honored to be part of this. I could not be more honored to be part of Home Run Derby X. This game is taking over, and as soon as we get this out to the masses, as soon as people start seeing what we're doing here, they will come."
Here are how the two semifinals finished:
Semifinal one: Yankees 71 - Nationals 69
The Nationals had gone 3-0 before Saturday when eventually the balls stopped soaring over the outfield walls. Ian Desmond did his best to give his team a chance -- scoring 47 points across his round and when he tagged in for Ali Newland. Ryan Zimmerman, who led off for the team, blamed himself.
"I didn't lead it off like I had in the past, and it was too big of a hole for us to get out of," Zimmerman said. "But they did great. Desi was obviously unbelievable, like usual, but I think we had a lot of fun together this year, and we'll be ready next year."
While most fans in Salt Lake will remember Desmond for what he did on the stage, there are a few others who will remember him for what he did before the game on Friday. Desmond invited kids from the Children's Tumor Foundation to the game, spending time with them in a suite before it began.
"Back in 2012, I partnered up with the Children's Tumor Foundation," Desmond said. "It's a genetic disorder that attacks the spinal cord, and it's like one-in-2,000 in the country. It's one of the most unknown disorders and it's near and dear to my heart. I lost a friend, Ethan Brown to it. The Children's Tumor Foundation and neurofibromatosis itself is definitely worth googling."
Semifinal two: Dodgers 62 - Bees 53
The hometown Bees may not have had enough power to pull off the victory, but they definitely showed it off in the field. Cole Tucker, Hannah Flippen, and José Reyes raced around the outfield, attempting diving catches, making leaping grabs, and generally trying to make sure they caught anything that didn't get over the fence.
"By trade, Hannah, José and myself, we're all middle infielders," Tucker said. "We're fast people. We we play with a lot of energy and passion and speed, and that showed up out there on defense. That's who we are. We might not have the Todd Frazier, Nick Swisher, Adrián González pop, but we bring a lot of energy and a lot of love on defense."