"When you get into a home run derby, you want to show that you can win," said Peralta, who gets to channel his inner slugger. As a teenager, he tried out for the Brewers and other clubs as an outfielder before scouts focused on his sensational throwing arm and convinced him to convert.
"It's more fun than you can imagine," Peralta said. "I always get second place. [Mariners pitcher] Joel Peralta, he's always up there. Cruz always hits the farthest one, but he never hits the most. Two years ago, we [the pitchers] beat Gomez. He only hit, like, eight in the first round, and I hit 12.