12 Jul Getting to know….. Miami Marlins HOMERUN DERBY WINNER Giancarlo (Mike) Stanton

This past Monday night, Giancarlo Stanton set the record for most homers to win the 2016 Home Run Derby. Ari Hirsch of The Country Vues interviewed Giancarlo Stanton a few weeks ago. Stanton hit 20 homers in the final round to best defending champion Todd Frazier of the Chicago White Sox. Overall, the Miami Marlins slugger hit a record 61, shattering the single-night mark of 41 by Bobby Abreu in 2005. His longest shot was estimated at 497 feet. He hit the eight longest homers of the competition and 20 of the 21 deepest drives. Born: November 8, 1989 Panorama City, California Height: 6-foot-6 Weight: 240 pounds Descent: Irish, African-American, and Puerto Rican Contract: On November 17, 2014, the Marlins and Stanton agreed to a 13-year, $325 million extension. The deal is the biggest in sports history. The deal involves a no-trade clause and Stanton can opt out of the contract after he turns 30. His salary will go up every year he plays for the Marlins. Favorite Baseball Player Growing up: Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez Favorite Professional ball player: Lebron James What’s the story with your name. Are you Mike or Giancarlo? My mom calls me Cruz. Teammates call me Bigfoot. Most baseball fans know me as Mike Stanton. I like them all, but I prefer Giancarlo, which is actually my middle name. On September 11, 2014 you suffered multiple facial fractures, dental damage and a facial laceration requiring stitches after being hit in the face by a pitch from Brewers starter Mike Fiers. How are you feeling these days? I got lucky. I got hit in the best part of the worst place. It did not affect my sight. I’m feeling great now. I’m wearing protective gear on my face and I’m ready to play ball. Is it true that Barry Bonds beat you in a home run derby before this season? Definitely not! He was hitting homers with us but it wasn’t a home run derby. He was on my team for hitting drills. He is still a beast. But no home run derby vs. me. Media is wrong. We were hitting extra at batting practice on the back fields off a curveball machine. Getting work in. 5 of us. Last round we split into groups to face each other in a situational hitting competition with imaginary runners on base and the losing team picks up the balls. Not a home run derby.We added Bonds to make it 3 on 3. Bonds was on my team. But the fact that he could jump in there and still hit homers is unreal, and crazy to watch. What do you think of the New York Mets this year? The entire East is going to be really competitive this year and the Mets are definitely part of that. They have some great pitching especially with Syndagaard, Degrom, Harvey & Matz. It should be a fun season!