Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis, who leads the majors in home runs, headlines the American League roster for the 2013 Home Run Derby at Citi Field.
2013 Home Run Derby participants: MLB HR leader Chris Davis headlines AL team
MLB home run leader Chris Davis joins a pair of former derby winners on the AL’s Home Run Derby squad.
Davis, who joined some exclusive company over the weekend due to his home run-hitting prowess, will be joined by a pair of past derby winners and a fellow first-time participant with loads of raw power.
Chris Davis
Davis has always been considered a guy with tremendous power, and he showed it in 2012 while slugging 33 home runs. He has taken his power -- or at least, his consistency with it -- to a new level in 2013, eclipsing his home run total from last year in almost 200 fewer plate appearances. Davis joined Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds and Reggie Jackson as the only players in MLB history to hit 35 or more home runs before the All-Star break.
Davis has never participated in the Home Run Derby prior to this year, but he is the favorite to win the contest, according to Bovada.
Fielder is one of only two players to win more than one derby, joining three-time winner Ken Griffey Jr. As a Brewer, Fielder won the 2009 contest in St. Louis, beating Nelson Cruz in the final round. Three years later, Fielder was victorious once again, easily dispatching Jose Bautista and others in Kansas City.
Fielder has 16 home runs this year after hitting 30 in his first year with the Detroit Tigers in 2012. He has more career home runs than any other player in the contest.
Robinson Cano
Cano is the designated captain of the squad and won the derby in 2011 in a thrilling victory over Adrian Gonzalez. In his follow-up performance in last year's contest, Cano was blanked.
The New York Yankees second baseman has 21 home runs this season and is on pace for a single-season career-high in homers. His previous high was 33, set last season.
Like Davis, Cespedes will participate in the contest for the first time. The 27-year-old second-year player has struggled at the plate this season but still boasts 15 home runs after hitting 23 in his rookie season.
Cespedes boasts the highest average true home run distance of any of the eight participants in this year’s derby, averaging 407.9 feet per homer.
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