Last year, Yoenis Cespedes wowed everyone who witnessed the Home Run Derby.
2014 American League Home Run Derby participants: Can Yoenis Cespedes repeat?
Will Yoenis Cespedes repeat as the Derby champ, or will another American Leaguer take home the trophy?
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
This year, he has some pretty compelling competition. In the American League, the Derby lineup was chosen by Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista. He couldn't help but choose Cespedes, who will look to outslug Bautista again. Joey Bats also chose Cespedes' Oakland teammate and MVP candidate Josh Donaldson, Orioles outfielder Adam Jones, and the hometown favorite, Twins' second baseman Brian Dozier.
Even if an American Leaguer doesn’t win this year, these guys should be fun to watch.
Yoenis Cespedes
Cespedes’ most notable achievement so far this season has been his amazing throw from the right field corner to nail a runner at the plate, but he’s also been hitting. He currently has 14 home runs and 56 runs batted in for the first-place A’s and has been a fixture in the middle of their batting order. His slugging percentage doesn’t jump off the stat sheet, mostly due to his .246 batting average, but he has an admirable .195 isolated power figure, and he proved last year that he can hang in the Home Run Derby without a shadow of a doubt.
Jose Bautista
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Bautista has the edge in the American League if you look at career numbers. He has nearly 30 more home runs than the next guy -- Adam Jones -- and he leads the rest of the group by more than 100. Of course, he's been around the longest, but it would be ill-advised to count Bautista out. He has been one of the league's most productive power hitters over the last few years, and as the captain, he'll determine the order. This year's Derby will be in a head-to-head format, so Bautista might be able to maneuver his way into a first-round matchup with Justin Morneau rather than, say, Giancarlo Stanton.
Josh Donaldson
With 20 homers this year, Donaldson leads the AL participants in long balls in game action, but the Derby isn’t quite the same challenge. It’s undoubtedly much easier, but on-field power doesn’t always translate into huge Derby numbers. Donaldson has as good a shot as any of the American Leaguers though, and he might be able to use last year’s All-Star snub as motivation to make his mark on this year’s game.
Adam Jones
While you might think Chris Davis or Nelson Cruz would be the representative from Baltimore, Jones has an impressive resume as well. He's second among the participants in slugging percentage this season and trails Bautista by just one with 16 dingers. If it were a base on balls derby, Jones would have no chance to win whatsoever, but since they'll be trying to crush the ball over the fence instead, the Orioles outfielder might just surprise some people.
Brian Dozier
Perhaps Bautista learned a lesson from the 2012 Home Run Derby. That year, Robinson Cano chose the participants, and since the game was in Kansas City, many thought Cano would invite Billy Butler to take part as the hometown representative. He did not, and the #BooCano movement ensued. To this day, Cano is still booed in Kansas City, even though he plays for a different team and Butler doesn't hit home runs. Dozier has 18 home runs this season, but his slugging percentage is the lowest of the group, though that is due to a .242 batting average. The cheers for Dozier might be the loudest, and that will almost certainly help him hit the ball farther. Science be damned.
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