Chris Marrero hasn’t played in the majors since 2013. Even then, he has just 133 big league plate appearances to his name. But the 28-year-old former first-round pick has kept on trucking.
And on Monday night, Marrero was a star.
Marrero, now with the Boston Red Sox organization, won the 2016 Triple-A Home Run Derby after clubbing 18 home runs in the finals to edge Kyle Jensen of the Reno Aces. It was an impressive performance by the once highly-regarded Washington Nationals prospect, who recently was named an International League All-Star amid a breakout first half with Triple-A Pawtucket.
“This was cool,” Marrero said after Monday’s triumph, according to MiLB.com. “The fans were really into it. They kept the adrenaline going.”
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Marrero, who spent last season split between the Red Sox’s and Chicago White Sox’s farm systems, is tied for second in the International League with 16 home runs. The first baseman/outfielder has been an offensive force for the PawSox, driving in 43 runs and posting an .868 OPS through 84 games.
Clearly, it’s been a season of highlights for Marrero, who joined the Red Sox organization as a free agent in August 2015. And his performance in the Derby was made even more special by the fact that he had legendary former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith in his corner as a celebrity captain.
“I had Steve Smith there, that was incredible,” Marrero said, per MiLB.com. “This is a memory I’ll have the rest of my life. … (Smith) was motivating me.”
Perhaps Marrero can build on his successful performance, to the point where a major league call-up — and thus another lifelong memory — becomes a possibility.
