2012 Home Run Derby

Dating back as far as I can remember, the Homerun Derby has been my favorite part of the All-Star festivities. The simple fact is this: Forget about pitcher's duals, forget about diving snags, hell, forget about walk-off base-hits; the single most exciting thing in baseball is the HOMERUN. It has so many nomenclatures to define home runs: Homers, Taters, Longballs, Goin Downtown, and my personal favorite, GOODBYE MR. RAWLINGS!  As per the rules last season, each league has a captain with players whom the captain has personally chosen. Lets take a look at this year's participants that will be competing in the 2012 Homerun Derby, live from Kauffman stadium on Monday, July 9th, televised on ESPN at 5pm PST.

NATIONAL LEAGUE:

Captain: Matt Kemp ~ Dodgers

Lots of questions surround whether or not the injured Matt Kemp, who is the captain of the NL Derby squad, on whether or not he was even going to participate in this years Derby. He says he's participating, so I'll take him at his word. The 2011 Derby held in Arizona was not kind to Kemp; he managed only 2 dingers and was out by the first round. While Kemp certainly isn't the favorite for this year's HR Derby, don't count out the 2nd best player in baseball (only to Texas' Josh Hamilton.)

Carlos Gonzalez ~ Rockies

Gonzalez is a 30/30 threat (30 HRs, 30 Steals) this year, but his selection by Captain Matt Kemp has left a few folks (myself included) scratching their heads. He's one of baseball's best five-tool players, but he isn't cut out for the Home Run Derby's style. That means he's the type of hitter who hits line-drives, rather than the lofty "rain makers" that are more of a requirement for a Homer contest. Look for Gonzo to be out by the end of the first round.

Carlos Beltran ~ Cardinals

Beltran is having a stellar first half and is already approaching his homer total of 2011; despite being the elder statesman of the Derby at 35 years old. Don't forget, Beltran knows Kauffman Stadium VERY well; he played there for 6 years of his career.  This is Beltran's first Derby, and for good reason: He's a line-drive, contact hitter who wasn't built for Derby success. I look for Beltran to make it to the 2nd round of the Derby and then he'll be eliminated.


Andrew McCutchen ~ Pirates



"Cutch" replaces my personal favorite to win, Giancarlo Stanton of the Fish.  Stanton went down with a knee injury, and Andrew McCutchen has taken his spot in the Derby.  Cutch is having the best half-season of his career and is killing the ball.  He's leading the Pittsburgh Pirates in their best season in 20 years, en route to hitting 18 home runs. Look for Cutch to be in the finals with a great performance.


AMERICAN LEAGUE

Captain: Robinson Cano ~ Yankees

As much as it pains me to stay objective in this article (my hatred for the Evil Empire is palpable), I have a hard time not giving Cano the credit he deserves.  He has one of the sweetest swings this baseball fanatic has seen since Griffy Jr. and Cano is the returning champion after edging out Adrian Gonzalez by one homer in the final round of the 2011 Derby in Arizona.  He has 20 home runs on the season, including a season-long 440-foot go-ahead shot to center against the New York Mets which leads me to believe that the AL has the distinct advantage in this contest.

Mark Trumbo ~ Angels

I was surprised when Cano chose Mark Trumbo to help represent the American League. This could be due to the fact that he is kind of a "face in the crowd" when compared to the other superstars that are participating in the Derby.  Because this is Trumbo's first selection to participate in the Derby, look for an early exit; which has nothing to do with his stature (6’4”, 220-pounds) or his ability. The Derby is a different breed of competition that requires a hitter to step away from their normal swing in place for a slight uppercut and a need to "kill" the ball due to the fact that a batting-practice fastball doesnt have the velocity of a "game" fastball.  Some people in the media are picking Trumbo as the "darkhorse," but this fan doesn't believe the hype. Look for a 2nd round exit from Trumbo.

Jose Bautista ~ Blue Jays

"Joey Bats" didn't fair very well in last year's competition (only 4 HRs), but look for a complete 180 degree turnaround this year.  He may not have done particularly well last competition, but you can't ignore the fact that he is tied for the major league lead with 27 home runs in 85 games.  I would not be surprised to see Bautista in the finals, but he is not my overall favorite.

Prince Fielder ~ Tigers

This man-child is my favorite to win this year's HR Derby.  It is almost as if God himself sat in heaven and thought, "I'm going to create a human whose sole purpose will be to crush baseballs into the stands." The 275-pound monster is a former derby champion, and look forward to much of the same in Kansas City. Some of his detracters state that he does not have the stamina to win the derby again, as he is a few years older than the last time he won the contest.  Prince owns the 24th-longest homer in the big leagues this season at 456 feet. Fielder only has 15 homers this season, but look for him to equal, or best that total in the first round.  I fully anticipate the finals to be Prince Fielder vs. Andrew McCutchen.