5 days ago
La Grange Park Little League slugger to compete in national Home Run Derby
The La Grange Park Little League has had its own Home Run Derby for several years.
But last year the league hit the ball a few rows further by joining the national T-Mobile Little League Home Run Derby, an event that began in 2019.
Now, La Grange Park baseball player Max Michaels, 12, has qualified for the national home run competition at Volunteer Stadium in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, home of the Little League Baseball World Series. The event is set to take place Aug. 21 and will be shown on ESPN at 6 p.m. the following day.
Max qualified by initially hitting 55 home runs in three rounds in La Grange Park to qualify for the Regionals in Atlanta, Georgia. He then placed in the top four there to earn a spot in the national competition, where hitters are up against the clock to see how many homers they can hit.
'(I want to) have fun, try my best and win the whole thing,' he said. 'I am excited to see the other finalists that I got to know in Atlanta, but nervous about hitting in front of a crowd the size of Volunteer Stadium.'
Only eight hitters nationwide qualified for the national Home Run Derby, four each from the East and West regions.
Max took part in the Home Run Derby last year, but didn't qualify for the Regionals.
'Last year, I hit 35 and did not make it, so I knew I needed to hit more than that,' he said. 'I had two good rounds, so I thought if I hit 50 there would be a good chance to advance.'
Max has been looking forward to another crack at the Home Run Derby this summer.
'The Home Run Derby at La Grange Park Little League had been only open to 12-year-olds, but last year when the T-Mobile Derby came in, younger kids got to join. So, I joined last year, hoping I could beat some of my older buddies.'
Max's father, Nic Michaels, who is president of the La Grange Park Little League board, believes it was a good move to become part of the national competition last year.
'It obviously opened up a great opportunity for Max,' he said. 'I would love for others to get to experience what we have this summer.'
Michaels explained that the T-Mobile Home Run Derby has a structured format, unlike the La Grange Park competition, which allows everyone to participate.
'The players that were selected to participate had to have hit a home run during a Little League game or shown the ability to hit one during practice,' he said,
Michaels is very pleased for his son, but he's had hints over the years that something like qualifying for the National Home Run Derby might be in the cards.
As a 10-year-old, Max won the Hinsdale Mothers Day Tournament Home Run Derby and a couple of weekends later won the Field of Dreams Home Run Derby in Dyersville, Iowa. And Max's 35 home runs last year in the La Grange Park competition were good enough to win there.
'Max has experienced a lot of success at various home run derbies over the last couple of years,' he said.
Now that Max has qualified for the national tournament, his father is hopeful
'I would be lying if I said I didn't think he could win it,' Michaels said. 'But he already won by advancing to Atlanta for Regionals and now Williamsport for the Nationals. This has been a memorable experience already, and the result in Williamsport won't change any of that.'
Max did some preparation for the local competition and plans to do so again in preparation for his chance in Williamsport.
'For the local Home Run derby, I practiced in the cages with my dad,' he said. 'For Regionals, my all-star team was still in District play, so I kind of just went down to Atlanta and hit. For the championship, I will go to Hanesworth (Park) and the Bo Dome (Bo Jackson's Elite Sports in Lockport) with my dad to practice.'
During the summer, Max, who plays third base, first base and pitches, hit five home runs during the regular season and an additional four in the District and State games.
'My swing does not differ in the derby vs games, but that is something I have to work on for Williamsport,' he said. 'I tend to hit high fly balls, which wastes time. If I can keep the ball down, there is a better opportunity for me to see more pitches.'
And keeping his cool will be helpful, too, Max said.
'I think the biggest attribute during the competition is composure,' he said. 'When I was in Atlanta, everyone had 15-30 seconds of no home runs. The kids that freaked out and lost their composure allowed that 30-second slump to turn into 45 seconds or a minute. The guys that advanced stayed calm and just kept swinging for the fences.'
