The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

One of the fastest growing events on the Bahamas’ sports tourism calendar, the 2021 edition of the Don’t Blink Home Run Derby In Paradise, has been postponed due to the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Professional baseball players Todd Isaacs and Lucius Fox made the official announcement on the latest edition of their Paradise Vibes Only (PVO) Podcast, hosted by Tim McCaster.

Traditionally hosted in early January, the derby has grown in stature to be showcased prominently by several international media outlets, including the MLB Network, and features both minor and major league prospects from around the league.

“I had some of my friends and some past participants texting me saying how bad they wish they were coming down to The Bahamas this year. It sucks for all of us, we are all feeling it, but I feel like 2021 is going to be our best year,” Fox said. “I feel like the people are going to be missing it that much they are going to be craving it. Everything that we do is going to be amplified, it’s going to be magnified and I feel like we are going to step up to the plate and knock it out the park again like we do every year.”

No new date has been set for the fourth edition of the event, but both players have pledged that the event will continue its expansion.

“The thing about the Home Run Derby that is so cool for us is that people everywhere are actually starting to recognise us and the event,” Isaacs said. “It brings people from different avenues together, they have so much fun and so much excitement, it’s going to be an incredibly special year.”

Fox added: “We wanted to do something that was easily understood. You don’t even have to know baseball to enjoy it. It’s going to get bigger...We are definitely working. Trust me we have something up our sleeves, just wait on it.”

Bo Bichette of the Toronto Blue Jays won the inaugural event in 2018 and repeated as champion in 2019. Miami Marlins outfielder Lewis Brinson captured the title in 2020.

In addition to the derby, the participating players traditionally host an annual kid’s clinic at the Atlantis resort in Paradise Harbour for aspiring student-athletes.

In 2020, the partnership with the Charles Johnson Foundation brought with it Major League Baseball’s Play Ball Initiative, the branch of the organisation which hosts children’s camps around the world.

Hundreds of clinic participants were drilled at various skill positions, including hitting, fielding, pitching and base running.

“It was super exciting to partner with Play Ball and we can’t wait for what will happen in years to come,” Fox said.

“Doing this for the kids, having guys from the major leagues and minor leagues that they watch on TV here present for them to see them, take pictures with them, ask them questions - it’s something we never had. It’s special. We’re just proud to make this event successful for them. It just showed the other kids behind me that it’s possible...hopefully I can make it to the big leagues and inspire the kids even more.”

Community outreach efforts like the kid’s camp remain a mandate of the group for the further development of the next generation of baseball players.

Proceeds from the event have benefitted the Cancer Society of the Bahamas, the Sister Sister Breast Cancer Support Group and the Hurricane Dorian Relief Effort.

Isaacs is currently a free agent, but was most recently a member of the Colorado Rockies organisation. He spent the bulk of last season in Grand Junction at the Rookie Level but also received the highest call up of his career when he was called up to the Albuquerque Isotopes of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League.

Fox is now listed at No. 26 in the Kansas City Royals organisation among its minor league prospects. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fox was set to make his 2020 debut in AAA baseball with the Durham Bulls of the International League.

In August, the pair joined the MLB’s Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) programme to discuss the development of the sport in the country and the impact of the derby.

“We played a lot of games in stadiums with a lot of fans and a lot of excitement, but honestly, I never felt anything like stepping on that stage at the Derby,” Fox said. “The crowd is really close. It’s not like a regular game, where the fans are in the stands far away. You can feel the energy as soon as you step foot on the beach. And looking out into the ocean, this beautiful water, you want to hit the ball as far as you can.”

Hosted at the Montagu foreshore, the unique concept showcases the natural aesthetic of the Bahamas and the country’s young baseball talent.

“I’m really humbled and excited for what we can accomplish in the future. It was a lot of fun to feel this energy,” Isaacs said at the conclusion of last year’s event. It’s all about the fans and creating an atmosphere for baseball to flourish in the country.

“The Bahamas is a breeding ground for talent on and off the baseball field and in all professions in the world, so for us to bring this amount of people out and create something for people to recognise the amount of talent we have here is incredible. I’m looking forward to the number of Bahamian professional players to continue to grow so we could have even more competitors next year.”