Athletics Nation - 2014 MLB Home Run Derby Open ThreadAn SB Nation blog for Oakland Athletics fanshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47025/an-fave.png2014-07-14T21:30:51-07:00http://www.athleticsnation.com/rss/stream/56644002014-07-14T21:30:51-07:002014-07-14T21:30:51-07:00Home Run Derby: Tweeting our way to a Cespedes win
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<figcaption>Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>How a Home Run Derby champion is tweeted to the finish.</p> <p>Twitter was fun tonight.</p>
<p>From the pre-game:</p>
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<p>Contemplating destroying baseballs. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HRDerby?src=hash">#HRDerby</a> <a href="http://t.co/TRQtjJHKyi">pic.twitter.com/TRQtjJHKyi</a></p>
— #ASG (@MLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB/statuses/488827228864516097">July 14, 2014</a>
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<p>Sabermatics:</p>
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<p>Welp, Chris Berman called sabermetrics "sabermatics." We can all go home now.</p>
— Jacob Rosen (@WFNYJacob) <a href="https://twitter.com/WFNYJacob/statuses/488857708443885568">July 15, 2014</a>
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<p>On who should be pitching:</p>
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<p>Home Run Derby night and only 5 tweets saying I should pitch to every participant <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BabySteps?src=hash">#BabySteps</a></p>
— <span>Phil Hughes</span> (@PJHughes45) <a href="https://twitter.com/PJHughes45/statuses/488883405610688513">July 15, 2014</a>
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<p>On Chris Berman's unique pronunciation of "<span>Yoenis Cespedes</span>":</p>
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<p>I can't hear the broadcast from here, is it true Chris Berman still does not know how to pronounce Yoenis? Please, someone at ESPN, tell him</p>
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) <a href="https://twitter.com/susanslusser/statuses/488842056370900992">July 15, 2014</a>
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<p>It is Yo-EHN-is. Not Yo-EEN-is. It is CESS-puh-des. Not Suh-SPED-is.</p>
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) <a href="https://twitter.com/susanslusser/statuses/488842589643087873">July 15, 2014</a>
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<p>Family time with <span>Brandon Moss</span>:</p>
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<p>Brandon Moss' son made a mess in the dugout. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HRDerby?src=hash">#HRDerby</a> <a href="http://t.co/VCAFP0tSyR">pic.twitter.com/VCAFP0tSyR</a></p>
— #ASG (@MLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB/statuses/488844099751911424">July 15, 2014</a>
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<p>On <span>Yasiel Puig's</span> first round failure:</p>
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<p><span>Billy Burns</span> has hit more home runs today than Yasiel Puig.</p>
— Melissa Lockard (@oakclubhouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/oakclubhouse/statuses/488863350982336512">July 15, 2014</a>
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<p>On John Sterling taking over for Chris Berman:</p>
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<p>"GETTA GIANCARLOAD OF THIS GUY!" RT <a href="https://twitter.com/_mistermet">@_mistermet</a> Imagine John Sterling doing the home run derby. Horrifying.</p>
— Bryan Murphy (@Every6thDay) <a href="https://twitter.com/Every6thDay/statuses/488879955376222208">July 15, 2014</a>
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<p>"LLLOOOOK AT TULO PULLLLL-O!" RT <a href="https://twitter.com/_mistermet">@_mistermet</a> Imagine John Sterling doing the home run derby. Horrifying.</p>
— Bryan Murphy (@Every6thDay) <a href="https://twitter.com/Every6thDay/statuses/488880541265981441">July 15, 2014</a>
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<p>On Giancarlo Stanton losing to <span>Todd Frazier</span> 1-0 in the National League Final:</p>
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<p>I've never cried because of a Home Run Derby before.</p>
— Grant Brisbee (@mccoveychron) <a href="https://twitter.com/mccoveychron/statuses/488883209350836224">July 15, 2014</a>
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<p>I can’t even what</p>
— <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.athleticsnation.com/">Athletics</a> Nation (@athleticsnation) <a href="https://twitter.com/athleticsnation/statuses/488883265273462784">July 15, 2014</a>
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<p>Why AN member <strong>4-6-3</strong> can't record the Derby on his DVR:</p>
<p><a href="http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/assets/4757804/Screenshot_2014-07-14_21.16.55.png" target="_blank"><img alt="Screenshot_2014-07-14_21.16.55_medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/assets/4757804/Screenshot_2014-07-14_21.16.55_medium.png"></a></p>
<p>Our men on the sidelines:</p>
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<p>A's boys getting some TV time <a href="http://t.co/W9t3gGWaB7">pic.twitter.com/W9t3gGWaB7</a></p>
— A's Ticket Services (@ticketservices) <a href="https://twitter.com/ticketservices/statuses/488891416550973440">July 15, 2014</a>
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<p>On Mike Gallego's performance:</p>
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<p>Looking like Mike Gallego will repeat at the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HomeRunDerby?src=hash">#HomeRunDerby</a></p>
— <span>Jerry Blevins</span> (@JerryBlevins_13) <a href="https://twitter.com/JerryBlevins_13/statuses/488891511409369088">July 15, 2014</a>
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<p>Gallego going for Tommy John after this.</p>
— Carl Steward (@stewardsfolly) <a href="https://twitter.com/stewardsfolly/statuses/488891668251152384">July 15, 2014</a>
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<p>Cespedes clearly loves this game:</p>
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<p>Sorta like Larry Bird in the 3-point contest, Cespedes looks like he gives a darn. Which is cool. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HRDerby?src=hash">#HRDerby</a></p>
— Gabe Lacques (@GabeLacques) <a href="https://twitter.com/GabeLacques/statuses/488888477401231360">July 15, 2014</a>
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<p>Thank you La Potencia.</p>
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<p>The champion: <a href="http://t.co/L6sVLVr5mG">pic.twitter.com/L6sVLVr5mG</a></p>
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) <a href="https://twitter.com/susanslusser/statuses/488900656472662017">July 15, 2014</a>
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<p>Any more choice tweets tonight? Embed them in the comments below.</p>
https://www.athleticsnation.com/2014/7/14/5900529/2014-mlb-home-run-derby-tweeting-yoenis-cespedes-victoryJeremy F. Koo2014-07-14T20:52:47-07:002014-07-14T20:52:47-07:00Yoenis Cespedes repeats as Home Run Derby champion
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<img alt="Wait, did Chris Berman SPELL my name wrong on the trophy also??" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wZGvS_B_eckpkNE2KYZuGywBGOk=/0x91:4000x2758/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/35616044/20140714_jla_aj5_444.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Wait, did Chris Berman SPELL my name wrong on the trophy also?? | Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>It's a Cespedes miracle!</p> <p>Yoenis Cespedes and Ken Griffey Jr. That is the entire list of players who have won back-to-back Home Run Derbies after Cespedes successfully defended his 2013 crown with another victory in 2014. Add Prince Fielder to the list and you have everyone who has ever won more than one Derby at all since the contest debuted in 1985.</p>
<p>Cespedes got off to a slow start in the first round, hitting only three bombs within his allotment of seven outs. In the damp Minnesota air, though, that was good enough to tie for third on the AL team in a situation where the top three hitters from each league moved on. Cespedes then defeated teammate Josh Donaldson in the swing-off to make it through the first round, breezed past Adam Jones of the Orioles in the second round (9-3), out-hit team captain Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays in the third round (7-4), and then smashed NL champ Todd Frazier of the Reds in the final round (9-1) to seal the title. The nine homers Cespedes hit in the final round were as many as Frazier had hit in all three rounds combined to that point, so there was little doubt about the impending outcome when the Reds' third baseman stepped to the plate.</p>
<p>The victory by Cespedes is the third for an Athletics player, joining Mark McGwire in 1992 and himself last year. Of course, despite being one of the most decorated players in Home Run Derby history, and a current All-Star, and a member of back-to-back division winning teams, ESPN announcer <strike>Chris Berman</strike> Chrous Bormorg still can't say his name right. He's closer than last year, as he's now going with "yo-EH-knees" which he could possibly pass off as mostly proper Spanish pronunciation if he could convince anyone that he was saying that <i>because</i> he knew how to properly pronounce Spanish and not just because he couldn't be bothered to ask anyone how to pronounce things before going to his job in which one of his main duties is to pronounce things correctly (technically, an "i" sounds like an "ee" in Spanish, as you may have noticed when Pedro Gomez said the name in the trophy ceremony at the end, but the clearly accepted pronunciation is "yo-EHN-iss").</p>
<p>The weather clearly played a role in this Derby. Rain delayed the start for over half an hour, and the home run totals were relatively low. Yasiel Puig failed to hit even one in the first round, and Brian Dozier, Justin Morneau, and Todd Frazier were each limited to two (Frazier beat Morneau in a swing-off to advance out of the first round). Troy Tulowitzki managed only a pair in the second round, and the NL's third round ended up as a 1-0 victory for Frazier over Giancarlo Stanton. That's right, Stanton went a whole round without hitting a dinger. That's when you know the weather is broken and needs to be fixed. Maybe an open-air stadium in Minnesota was a dumb idea after all.</p>
<p>Excluding his swing-off with Donaldson, Cespedes hit 28 total home runs within his limit of 28 outs (in four total rounds). He hit 32 last year, when he had 25 outs to work with in three rounds. MLB.com hasn't posted videos of the final rounds yet as I write this, so here is Yo knocking a bunch of dingers in the second round.</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" height="224" width="400" src="http://m.mlb.com/shared/video/embed/embed.html?content_id=34577495&topic_id=81536970&width=400&height=224&property=mlb">Your browser does not support iframes.</iframe></p>
<p>Yo knows homers. Literally better than anyone else in baseball, in batting practice at least. Now let's hold our breaths and hope that he doesn't miss the first week of the second half with a hand/wrist injury, like he did last year (four games with wrist soreness). Don't worry about things you can't control, though. Just enjoy an A's player being at the top of the national spotlight for an evening. Until Derek Norris hits a walk-off, pinch-hit homer to win the All-Star Game on Tuesday, of course.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>On a personal note, I have to say that I enjoyed this Derby more than in years past. The new format really did help things move along with fewer outs in the early rounds, and the bracket style definitely makes every sporting event more fun. The only downside I could possibly come up with is that receiving the second-round bye meant that Bautista and Stanton had to sit around for a really long time before their third-round matchups, and it's tough not to notice that each then struggled in those third rounds. But otherwise, MLB really nailed it with this format. And I don't compliment MLB unless I really mean it.</p>
https://www.athleticsnation.com/2014/7/14/5900525/yoenis-cespedes-athletics-repeat-home-run-derby-champion-back-back-backAlex Hall2014-07-14T20:29:48-07:002014-07-14T20:29:48-07:002014 MLB Home Run Derby Open Thread (3)
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<p>Todd Frazier is your National League Champion with 10 total home runs. Cespedes has like a billion. FINAL ROUND! FIGHT!</p>
https://www.athleticsnation.com/2014/7/14/5900477/2014-mlb-home-run-derby-open-thread-3-al-champion-yoenis-cespedes-vJeremy F. Koo2014-07-14T19:38:58-07:002014-07-14T19:38:58-07:002014 MLB Home Run Derby Open Thread (2)
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<p><span>Josh Donaldson</span> is out, but <span>Yoenis Cespedes</span> is through after a swing-off between the two <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.athleticsnation.com/">Athletics</a>. I think these are the rules:</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/yFOvldn_IRw?rel=0" height="315" width="560"></iframe></p>
https://www.athleticsnation.com/2014/7/14/5900365/2014-mlb-home-run-derby-open-thread-2-adam-jones-v-yoenis-cespedesJeremy F. Koo2014-07-14T16:45:22-07:002014-07-14T16:45:22-07:002014 MLB Home Run Derby Open Thread
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<img alt="Cespedes won the derby in 2013." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-F6PFOoBCNcZNYZfwzxH9c04c_0=/0x0:4000x2667/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/35607746/173516159.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Cespedes won the derby in 2013. | Mike Ehrmann</figcaption>
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<p>There are two Oakland Athletics in the field of 10 participants.</p> <p>UPDATE: The start of the Home Run Derby <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2014/7/14/5899903/mlb-home-run-derby-2014-delay-rain">has been delayed by rain</a>. That's either bad luck, or it's Josh Donaldson with the most badass intro in the history of sports. The contest is expected to begin at 5:30 p.m.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>The 2014 MLB Home Run Derby has arrived, and against all odds the Oakland Athletics have two participants among the field of 10 hitters -- Yoenis Cespedes and Josh Donaldson. The A's don't usually get a lot of love in this kind of thing, given their homer-suppressing home park and their relative lack of national attention, but between Cespedes winning last year's edition and the A's putting together a powerful and dominant offense this season (as well as the expanded field of players, up from eight to 10) they were able to get a second player included. This is the first time since 2004 that a team has sent two players without one of them being a team captain who got to pick his own teammate; that year, Baltimore's Miguel Tejada won the whole thing while being joined by fellow Oriole Rafael Palmeiro.</p>
<p>The A's have brought home the Home Run Derby Trophy (does it have a name?) twice: Mark McGwire in 1992, and Yoenis Cespedes in 2013. Before Cespedes last year, the A's hadn't been represented since Jason Giambi took part in 2001.</p>
<p>There is a new format this year. Each league has a five-man squad. In the first round, each player gets seven outs to hit as many homers as possible. (An out is a swing that doesn't result in a homer; each round has seven outs this year instead of 10.) The top three from each league advance. In the second round, the Nos. 2 and 3 from each league square off head-to-head. The winner of each of those matchups faces the No. 1 from his respective league in the third round. Finally, the winners of each league go mano-a-mano to determine the champion. If it sounds complicated, then check out the bracket <a target="_blank" href="http://espn.go.com/mlb/allstar14/story/_/id/11191959/mlb-new-format-2014-home-run-derby">in visual form</a>. The bottom line is that the rounds will go faster with fewer outs, and every new round starts with a 0-0 score rather than a cumulative total from previous rounds (but the Round 1 winners still receive a big boost via a bye to the third round).</p>
<p>The field is listed below, including their 2014 home run totals. <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24620498/home-run-derby-tracking-the-years-longest-home-runs" target="_blank">Click here for an interesting look</a> at the longest homers hit by each player this season.</p>
<h3>AL</h3>
<p><b>Jose Bautista, Toronto, 17 homers.</b> The AL team captain. He is one of the favorites to win.</p>
<p><b>Yoenis Cespedes, Oakland, 14 homers.</b> The reigning champ. He is always a favorite to win a contest based on hitting things a long way. The only person to win two consecutive years was Ken Griffey Jr. in 1998-99. (The Derby started in 1985.) He could totally do it.</p>
<p><b>Josh Donaldson, Oakland, 20 homers.</b> It rains way more in Minnesota than in Oakland. He's gonna win just because we all think he's in a slump.</p>
<p><b>Adam Jones, Baltimore, 16 homers.</b> Finally, an offensive environment in which it won't matter that Jones can't take a walk. In a contest rewarding aggressive hitting, he'll win.</p>
<p><b>Brian Dozier, Minnesota, 18 homers.</b> He's a good slugger, but he was clearly picked as a nod to the host team, his Minnesota Twins. Which means that he'll win, because baseball.</p>
<h3>NL</h3>
<p><b>Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado, 21 homers.</b> The NL team captain. Unfortunately, this contest isn't being held in Coors Field. But he'll still win, to boost his value at the trade deadline.</p>
<p><b>Justin Morneau, Colorado, 13 homers.</b> Hey look, a team captain picked his mostly undeserving teammate. Morneau won in 2008, but it's hard to justify his inclusion in 2014. Which means he'll win. <i>(Edit: My bad, Morneau makes sense as a former Twins MVP.)</i></p>
<p><b>Yasiel Puig, Dodgers, 12 homers.</b> He'll probably waste all of his energy running out all his hits, despite the shouts from all around him that it's just a hitting exhibition. "What do you mean I'm out? I made it all the way to third base and that small child who fielded the ball never tagged me!" But then he'll win anyway just so that ESPN has more reasons to talk about him.</p>
<p><b>Giancarlo Stanton, Miami, 21 homers.</b> This is the most exciting part of the derby. Stanton might be the biggest, burliest, sluggeriest slugger in baseball right now, and this is his first Derby. He is the clear favorite to win.</p>
<p><b>Todd Frazier, Cincinnati, 19 homers.</b> Meet Todd Frazier. He plays baseball for the Reds. Whether or not you've heard of him tells you how closely you follow baseball. He's not unknown, and he's been good since 2012, but he's nowhere near being a household name and he was actually slightly below-average at the plate last year. He's sort of a poor man's Donaldson, a solid-hitting third baseman with some power and above-average defense. The Bringer of Mist and Drizzle, if you will. And he'll win precisely because you've never heard of him.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Good luck to Cespedes and Donaldson! How do you say "good luck" in baseball terms? Uhh, break a bat, fellas! Follow along with us in the comments as we watch this silly but strangely captivating event.</p>
https://www.athleticsnation.com/2014/7/14/5899809/2014-mlb-home-run-derby-open-thread-athletics-yoenis-cespedes-josh-donaldsonAlex Hall2014-07-10T16:05:12-07:002014-07-10T16:05:12-07:00Josh Donaldson named to Home Run Derby
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<img alt="Bringing rain in Minnesota just doesn't sound as challenging as in California." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VLewOszkA7d6IDgzVXjjc4M-KSU=/0x36:4000x2703/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/35454938/20140710_sal_bs4_068.JPG.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Bringing rain in Minnesota just doesn't sound as challenging as in California. | Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The A's now have a 20 percent chance of winning the Derby.</p> <p>All-Star weekend keeps getting more and more interesting for Oakland Athletics fans. We already knew that Yoenis Cespedes would be defending his title at the Home Run Derby, but now we know that he will be joined by a friend. Just a couple hours after Josh Donaldson launched his 20th home run of the season, to the opposite field, in a park with a notoriously deep and tall right-field fence, off of a pitcher who is known for keeping the ball in the park and had allowed only six dingers all year in 17 starts, the Bringer of Rain was named to the Derby as the final participant.</p>
<p>Your lineup:</p>
<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>The final participants in the 2014 <a href="https://twitter.com/Gillette">@Gillette</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HRDerby?src=hash">#HRDerby</a>: <a href="https://twitter.com/BringerOfRain20">@BringerofRain20</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/JustinMorneau">@JustinMorneau</a>. <a href="http://t.co/c9ocbsJx4Y">pic.twitter.com/c9ocbsJx4Y</a></p>
— All-Star Game (@AllStarGame) <a href="https://twitter.com/AllStarGame/statuses/487367442155331585">July 10, 2014</a>
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<p>Yo and Donnie will not be the only pair of teammates. The final NL spot went to Troy Tulowitzki's Colorado mate, Justin Morneau, who ... I'll be honest, I forgot he was still playing. But I guess his noggin has cleared up after his major concussion and he's having a solid year. I mean, I'd rather see Anthony Rizzo or Justin Upton or Paul Goldschmidt or Evan Gattis or Curtis Granderson or Michael Morse or Andrew McCutchen or Carlos Gomez or Mark Reynolds or Pedro Alvarez or Hunter Pence, but to be honest I probably won't watch it anyway so MLB shouldn't really care what I think on this. I mean, if one of the A's wins I'll watch a recording, maybe, but still. Out of that list, Gattis and Pence stand out to me as two guys who I <i>really</i> would have rather seen. Except Gattis is on the DL, d'oh. Of course, now that I've said this, we all know that Morneau will win while breaking a record for most homers in the final round or something. After all, he won in 2008.</p>
<p>Morneau is the fourth different Rockies player to be named to the Derby in the last three years, joining Tulo, Michael Cuddyer ('13), and Carlos Gonzalez ('12). What a strange coincidence. I wonder if there's anything that makes hitters from the Rockies look like better home run hitters. Nah, now I sound like some crazy conspiracy theory kook. In order to find another Athletic in the Derby (before Cespedes last year), you have to go back to 2001 for Jason Giambi.</p>
<p>In case you forgot, or didn't care in the first place, there is a <a target="_blank" href="http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/mlb/home-run-derby-to-feature-bracketed-play-as-part-of-new-format?ymd=20140623&content_id=81241076&vkey=news_mlb">new set of rules</a> for this year's Derby. That's why there are five players from each league instead of four. And, in case you can't discern who is who in that picture above, the teams are:</p>
<p><b>AL:</b></p>
<p>Jose Bautista (Tor, he's the team captain, which is a thing now)<br>Yoenis Cespedes (Oak, defending champ)<br>Josh Donaldson (Oak)<br>Adam Jones (Bal)<br>Brian Dozier (Min, likely here because his team is hosting)</p>
<p><b>NL: </b></p>
<p>Troy Tulowitzki (Col, team captain)<br>Justin Morneau (Col)<br>Giancarlo Stanton (Mia, finally)<br>Yasiel Puig (LAD)<br>Todd Frazier (Cin, Pence must be busy on his home planet that day)</p>
<p>The last time a pair of teammates made it was in 2011, when the Red Sox sent David Ortiz and Adrian Gonzalez and the Brewers sent Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks. Yes, a relative of Jemile Weeks once participated in a Home Run Derby. He finished in last place. Both of those teammate pairings came about from a team captain picking his buddy, though. In order to find an instance before this team captain nonsense, you have to go back to 2004, when Miguel Tejada and Rafael Palmeiro both represented the Orioles (and Tejada won).</p>
<p>Did you know that Brandon Inge once took part in the Derby? And Chris Young? <i>Chris Young??</i> OK, Morneau isn't such a bad choice.</p>
https://www.athleticsnation.com/2014/7/10/5889027/athletics-josh-donaldson-named-home-run-derby-yoenis-cespedesAlex Hall