Major League Baseball

A look at the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game from a player's perspective

Updated Jul. 30, 2021 8:13 a.m. ET

By Ben Verlander
FOX Sports MLB Writer

One of the coolest feelings ever comes when you hear your name called to be part of the All-Star Game.

I was fortunate enough to have that experience twice. While it was at the minor-league level, the experience was still pretty incredible, and a lot more goes into it than some might think.

It all starts with the manager walking into the clubhouse and announcing who the team’s All-Stars are going to be.

After that announcement, it's high-fives and hugs all around from your teammates.

My first All-Star Game experience came in 2013, my first season after being drafted. I was named to the All-Star team, and I was also invited to participate in the home run derby.

Needless to say, I accepted.

So the All-Star break comes around, and most of your teammates head home, but you go to the location of the All-Star Game. It hits you when you arrive and walk into the locker room for the first time. You see name tags above lockers, new teammates you’ve never met, fresh jerseys hanging in those lockers and a goodie bag filled with presents waiting for you in your seat.

I have to say, the game itself is great, but it’s the experience of feeling and being treated like a superstar that really makes it fun. Even at the minor-league level, the gifts were pretty awesome. From Oakley sunglasses to Bose headphones to shot glasses with the ASG logo on them, they never seemed to disappoint.

And at the major-league level, the gifts only get better.

Next up for me? That was the Home Run Derby.

Participating in a Home Run Derby is absolutely incredible. But there is a lot that goes into competing in one. It definitely isn’t the same as just going out and taking batting practice.

The first decision comes before you’re out on the field or in front of the crowd: "Do I wear my hat forward or backward?"

Ken Griffey Jr made the backward hat in the Home Run Derby popular, and to this day, many players will go that route.

For me, though, the move was always forward.

From there, it was down to the batting cages to warm up and then out to the field to be introduced – that's when the nerves start kicking in.

Next thing you know, it’s time to roll: packed house, teammates on the field next to you, no batting cage behind home plate.

That last part might not sound weird, but not having a batting cage while you’re essentially taking BP is actually very strange.

So you get up there, and the goal is to hit just one home run. Because of course, the biggest concern of all is that you'll embarrass yourself in front of everyone by failing to hit a single dinger. But once you get that first one out of the way, mentally, it’s smooth sailing. The rest of the derby becomes about pacing yourself, saving some stamina and not tiring out too fast.

Then your turn comes to an end, and you’re hounded by your new teammates on the field.

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After the Derby, the only thing left is the All-Star Game itself. From individual photo shoots to the big team photo to autograph signings to the national anthem, everything leading up to the game is special.

Even getting dressed for the game is special. Everything you put on is brand new: the cleats, the arm sleeve, the jersey, even the bat you’re going to use.

The pregame locker room is so fun. It's a bunch of the best opponents from every team around the league, thrown together in one locker room. There’s a lot of storytelling and advice shared among the league’s best.

Then it’s game time, and everyone gets lined up on the base lines in front of a sold-out crowd.

Always a part of that sold-out All-Star Game crowd? Your family. Besides being a fun experience for the player, this event is always a good time for the family of an All-Star.

I would know. After all, I've gotten to experience this both as a player and as a family member.

Everything is bigger and better for an All-Star Game. That includes the anthem, the fireworks and the crowd. It's all amplified.

The nerves are there as the first pitch of the game pours in, and then it becomes a fun exhibition with the game’s very best. No strict rules, no cutthroat mentality. Just great baseball players having fun playing against one another.

As a hitter, you expect to play only a few innings and to get two at-bats, so you try to get your money’s worth. You always see lots of big hacks from hitters at All-Star games.

On the other side, pitchers are trying to throw their absolute hardest.

Eventually, the game comes to a close, and with that, so does the All-Star experience. It’s fun, it’s stressful, it’s nerve-wracking, and in the blink of an eye, it’s over.

But I can promise you that everyone enjoys the experience. It’s something nobody takes for granted. It’s a few short days during which you’re treated like an absolute superstar, and then the second-half grind is underway.

In just a few days, Major League Baseball’s best will conveve in Denver for the 2021 Home Run Derby and All-Star Game (7:30 p.m. ET Tuesday on FOX).

For some players, it will be their first, while other players have done this many times before.

No matter which side of that you’re on, though, it’s a special experience.

Ben Verlander is an MLB Analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the "Flippin' Bats" podcast. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Verlander was an All-American at Old Dominion University before he joined his brother, Justin, in Detroit as a 14th-round pick of the Tigers in 2013. He spent five years in the Tigers organization. Follow him on Twitter @Verly32.