The field is set for the 2013 All-Star Home Run Derby at Citi Field on July 15.
ESPN:
Captains Robinson Cano and David Wright made their picks Monday night for the All-Star Home Run Derby.
Wright, representing the National League, selected Washington’s Bryce Harper and two from Colorado: Carlos Gonzalez and Michael Cuddyer.
For the AL, Cano chose Prince Fielder from the Tigers and Baltimore’s Chris Davis before announcing his final pick was still undecided.
If you can’t get excited about this year’s Home Run Derby then you need to go buy a pulse. Not only is there a Yankee facing a Met in New York and two-time champion Prince Fielder (2009, 2012), but you have 20-year-old phenom Bryce Harper and a masher in Chris Davis, who is challenging Roger Maris’ clean home run record of 61 bombs in one season.
Personally, I’m rooting for Davis, who already has an incredible 33 home runs — that’s a historic pace, folks. However, history also tells us it’s usually not the season’s top slugger who wins the derby. In fact, I searched every year back to 1998 (MLB.com won’t let me search sortable HR stats past that year) and not once has a player won the Home Run Derby who was also leading MLB in home runs at the All-Star break. It really is incredible. The closest was in 2001 — during the steroid era — when Luis Gonzalez, who had a ridonculous 35 home runs at the break — beat MLB leader Barry Bonds in the Derby (who had 39 home runs).
My money is on David Wright. He’s a little bit of an under-dog and he’ll be on his A-game in front of his home crowd.
Josh Helmuth is the editor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @JHelmuth or subscribe at Facebook.com/CraveOnlineSports for the latest in sports on your newsfeed.
Photo Credit: Getty
