Junior Derby finalists excited to meet MLB stars

If not for a phone call from the college coach who recruited him, Luken Baker wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity to hit at USA Baseball’s Tournament of Stars. And he wouldn’t have been part of the Chevrolet Home Run Derby festivities Monday night at Target Field.

Baker won the preliminary portion of the Junior Home Run Derby on Sunday morning at Target Field, defeating eight other players. Using metal bats, he and Josh Naylor each went deep six times while making 15 outs in the first two rounds, and Baker won the tiebreaker by homering twice in three swings, while Naylor went 0-for-2. The Junior winner will be determined Monday night, when Baker and Naylor again will swing metal bats and get to interact with the big league All-Stars. click HERE for complete story