The Home Run Derby, Major League Baseball All-Star Weekend's marquee event outside of the All-Star game itself, has nearly complete rosters selected by the respective captains.
Robinson Cano, New York Yankees second baseman and American League captain has tapped Chris Davis of the Baltimore Orioles, Prince Fielder of the Detroit Tigers, and possibly Fielder's teammate Miguel Cabrera.
Cabrera has recently experienced some back pain, but said if his injury subsides then he would like to participate. "If that's [his back] OK, I will do it," Cabrera said. "I hope he can wait or he can have somebody else be ready. [Cano] talked to me one week ago for that. I told him, maybe I'll do it but you've got to put Prince on there. You've gotta put Prince first, then me. He won last year, so he deserves to be there again."
Cano and Fielder have both won the Derby before, while Davis is the AL's home run leader with 31 bombs, followed closely by Cabrera who has socked 28.
The National League roster is complete, selected by team captain David Wright who plays for the All-Star host New York Mets. Joining Wright will be Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper, Colorado Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, and fellow Rockies player Michael Cuddyer.
Of all the participants, Cuddyer certainly has the lowest national profile, despite being one of MLB's top hitters in 2013. Wright said he grew up with Cuddyer, however, and is no stranger to his talent.
"I think that he's one of the more underrated players and a friend, and our relationship had a lot to do with it and his production had a lot to do with it. He has 15 or 16 home runs and had a 27-game hitting streak, so, for me, that was my choice."
Some fans worry that their star players' swings will be affected adversely by the pursuit of a Home Run Derby crown, but last year's victor, Fielder, says his swing was fine.
"My swing stays the same," he said. "I think actually it helps me, because I actually start the swing the same. I swing like I want to swing. I feel like I'm a good hitter, but sometimes I try to become that too much and take away from my regular swing, instead of trying to just hit the ball as hard as I possibly can. Obviously sometimes you want to try to do something, but I think every now and then I get too much into that. So I think it actually helps me get my aggressiveness back as far as not trying to be too perfect."
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