One of the highlights of baseball that you can’t miss is the weekend of the All-Star Game. The 2015 All-Star game is set to take place in Cincinnati at the Great American Ball Park July 14.
Before the All-Star game occurs, though, there is also the Home Run Derby where the best of the best hitters in baseball go up against each other to see who can hit the most home runs. Within this, there are eight players from different teams who will battle against each other for the title.
Within the lineup, there is Albert Pujols from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, who is ranked eighth all-time with a total of 50 Derby home runs. Pujols will first be battling against Kris Bryant from the Chicago Cubs, who has a career batting average of .275 compared to against Pujols’ .315.
The second competition is between the Los Angeles Dodgers’ center fielder, Joc Pederson, and the Baltimore Orioles third baseman, Manny Machado. Both of these players are 23 and are in double digits for how many home runs they have acquired in their careers.
Josh Donaldson of the Toronto Blue Jays and Anthony Rizzo from the Chicago Cubs are up next. These two players have a gap of two between how many career home runs they have acquired.
And the final first set is Todd Frazier of the Cincinnati Reds, who will have home advantage, and Prince Fielder from the Texas Ranges,.
Every year, there is a different set of players who compete in this all-time American phenomenon. This year, it is a little bit different. During the Derby this year, a clock has been introduced. Batters will have five minutes to hit as many balls as possible over the wall. During the last minute of the Derby, if a batter makes it fly over the wall, then there is stoppage time. Another aspect for the batter is the ability to add bonus time to your score. Players must hit either greater than or equal to the distance of 475 feet to receive an extra 30 seconds. Or they can hit two home runs that are equal to or exceed 420 feet. In the case of a tie, there will be a 90-second swing-off, where players will hit as many balls with no stoppage time.
With the Home Run Derby nearing, it is another exciting year to see who will be the next Derby King.