Over the past week, some of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game participants have been announced (and, no, South Carolina baseball fans, Christian Walker has not been named an All-Star yet).
Among those slated to play in the Midsummer Classic is Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm. Bohm's selection is not all that surprising—he is having a nice year while playing for one of the most popular teams in the league, and his team has the best record in the sport—but the fact that he is doing the Home Run Derby is a bit more surprising.
Bohm has hit just 11 home runs this season and is viewed (correctly) as a good hitter who doesn't bring a ton of power to the right-handed batter's box as he has never hit over 20 home runs in a season.
Still, when Bohm steps up to the plate to take his hacks in Arlington, Texas on July 15th, there is an intriguing reason for Gamecock fans to tune in and watch.
According to The Athletic Phillies beat writer Matt Gelb, Alec Bohm has chosen Scott Wingo as his pitcher for the Home Run Derby.
Wingo, a South Carolina baseball legend who scored the winning run in the 2010 College World Series (driven in by Bohm's current Philadelphia Phillies teammate Whit Merrifield), pitched to Bohm in a Minor League home run derby several years ago when he was coaching and Bohm was playing summer ball in the Coastal Plain League. The duo teamed up for the victory that day, so Bohm has asked his former coach to run it back for the 2024 MLB Home Run Derby.
During his Gamecock career, Wingo was one of the best second basemen of the modern era, and his ability to do the "little things" well made him into a fan favorite. After his time in garnet and black ended, Wingo had a short stint as a professional but has been in coaching for nearly a decade, including a two-year stint with his alma mater.