Tonight at 8:00 p.m., Citi Field in Queens, New York will host the annual Home Run Derby, where two teams of five players in each league will face off against one another in a friendly power hitting competition, that can be live streamed here for free.
Mets third baseman and captain David Wright will serve as the captain for the National League squad. Joining him on the home run roster will be Pedro Alvarez of the Pittsburgh Pirates, a late replacement for Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, another Colorado Rockies player Michael Cuddyer, and Washington Nationals phenom Bryce Harper.
The American League group is terrifying. New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano captains the team, and selected American League home run leader Chris Davis of the Baltimore Orioles, Prince Fielder of the Detroit Tigers, and Yoenis Cespedes of the Oakland Athletics, who is replacing Miguel Cabrera who bowed out thanks to back tightness.
The American League unit seems to have the advantage, with Davis having belted an MLB-high 37 home runs in the first half of the season, as well as Fielder, who is aiming to join Ken Griffey Jr. as the only three-time Home Run Derby kings.
Don't count out the National League, however. Of all the Derby participants during the regular season, Wright has clocked the furthest home run of 2013, a mammoth 464-foot blast off of Atlanta Braves closer Craig Kimbrel.
Alvarez shows up on the list twice, smashing a 456 foot shot off of Hector Ambriz of the Houston Astros, and a 454-footer off of Atlanta's Julio Teheran.
Also working in the National League's favor? Of the eight contestants, three out of the top five in terms of average home run distance are National Leaguers. Cespedes leads the way with an average home run distance of 407 feet, but he is followed by Alvarez, Cuddyer, and Harper before Davis clocks in at No. 5.
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