Video: Cody Bellinger Prospect Video Highlights
Check out prep highlights of the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger.Balls will undoubtedly by flying out of Marlins Park tonight, and it's a great mix of experience and young stardom at this year's MLB Home Run Derby in Miami.
Six of the eight participants in this year's event participated in American high school baseball during their younger years. While Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez and Twins slugger Miguel Sano hail from the Dominican Republic, the six others played America's pastime as preps.
Check out their high school résumés below, and also photos of four entrants, courtesy of our MaxPreps professional photographers network.
Giancarlo Stanton, Miami MarlinsNotre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) - Class of 2007The defending champion of the derby came into the big leagues as Mike Stanton, and that's the name he went by as a prep star in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles.
Stanton's senior year baseball stats on MaxPreps show a batting average of .393 with 12 homers and 32 RBIs in 29 games. He struck out 20 times and walked 23 times for a squad that went 18-11.
But baseball was hardly his best sport as a prep. He was All-CIF Southern Section in football as a wide receiver and defensive back, and he also led his team in scoring on the basketball court. To learn more about how he is remembered at Notre Dame High,
click here to read Mitch Stephens' article from 2014.
File photos by Nicholas Koza
File photo by Josh Thompson
Bellinger was part of the MaxPreps Top 100 players in 2013 and finished off his career with a solid season for Hamilton, a 21-7 team that participated in the National High School Invitational that season. The current Dodgers slugger hit .429 with 19 RBIs, 13 stolen bases, nine doubles, two triples and a homer in 28 games his senior year, plus he hurled 29 innings on the mound with a 1.21 ERA and 35 strikeouts compared with 10 walks. Opponents hit .206 off him.
Bellinger, the son of former MLB player Clay Bellinger, played in the Little League World Series along with some of his Hamilton teammates,
according to MaxPreps correspondent Jason Skoda's story from 2012.
File photos by Alyson Boyer Rode
The "Moose" was taken No. 2 in the MLB Draft after a dominant senior season for one of Los Angeles' most consistent baseball programs. Playing shortstop and pitcher, he led Chatsworth to the section title (with the championship game at Dodger Stadium) and a 30-4 record. He finished his tenure as California's all-time home run king with 52 and his team won the section title in each season.
Moustakas also starred on the football field, playing quarterback at Chatsworth. His 2004 season stats included 1,980 passing yards and 21 touchdowns in 11 games - as a sophomore. He also rushed for two touchdowns.
File photo by Juliann Tallino
File photos by Rick Rowell
The Yankees slugger was a big player in a small town. Judge starred at a school in a town of just over 1,000 people and earned MaxPreps Small Schools All-American Team honors in 2010 after he batted .500 with 37 hits, 32 RBIs, eight doubles and seven home runs. He also pitched and had a 6-0 record with 65 strikeouts and a 0.88 ERA in 48 innings pitched for a team that finished 19-8.
Judge, listed at 6-foot-7, also averaged 16.9 points and 11.6 rebounds for his final two years of high school basketball. In football he was a massive target at tight end and grabbed 17 touchdown passes as a senior to go with 54 catches for 969 yards.
File photos by Mark Bahrenfuss
Blackmon was a better pitcher than hitter in high school, moving on to junior college with what was described as "crafty" skills by
sportsonearth.com. He transferred on to Georgia Tech and only pitched his first year there.
Blackmon was an All-Region outfielder after his senior season in high school. His accolades extended well beyond the diamond as well. Blackmon was a three-time Academic Player of the Year, participating in three years of basketball and one year of football.
Justin Bour, Miami MarlinsWestfield (Chantilly, Va.) - Class of 2006Bour has massive power now, and he had massive power in the prep world too. The Marlins slugger hit .523 as a senior with 23 RBIs and six home runs, good enough to earn All-Met honors from the Washington Post in a season that saw his team win a division title. Bour was also an honorable mention pick for the All-Met team as a junior.
He didn't just hit. He also had a fastball in the mid-80's and played on the football team.
