Pirates Sluggers in HR Derby

It’s really hard to even remember the last time a Pirates slugger played in an All-Star game let alone in the Home Run Derby.

The Bucs have two prospects in the South Atlantic League HR Derby today. Alen Hanson and Gregory Polanco of the West Virginia Power are participating in the Miller High Life Home Run Derby from the deck of the USS Yorktown, which is stationed at Patriots Point in South Carolina.

The championship round will be held before the SAL All-Star Game at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park tonight beginning at 5:15 p.m.

Hanson and Polanco have each hit ten homers in the first half of the season.

The photos were tweeted by WV Power.

Of the two prospects, the switch-hitting Hanson is really intriguing to us. He boots balls around the infield at an alarming pace–27 errors in 66 games, but just keeps on slugging (.561) and his OPS stands at .938.

In fact, check out what Baseball America said about him a few weeks ago when they called him the biggest breakout prospect of the year.

"Baseball America: Hot Sheet for June 1:  Say hello to the biggest breakout prospect of the year so far. Hanson has always intrigued scouts with his speed and flashes of ability to hit in games, but this year he has shown more power and a well-rounded skill set. He’s hitting .345/.404/.597 on the year, good for a 1.001 OPS that ranks third in the SAL. With a 58 percent success rate stealing bases (14-for-24), he’s going to have to become more efficient, but there’s plenty of time for Hanson to add polish."