Splish splash! Hitters take aim at river for home run derby

Obviously, everyone in the Derby has some pop in their bat, but the longest home run of the night might come from an unexpected source. The Cincinnati Reds third baseman was a longshot to win the title past year, but he made it all the way to the finals, falling to back-to-back champion Yoenis Cespedes. Hitters love it there because it’s one of the easiest places to hit a home run.

The derby takes place on Monday in Cincinnati. The eight participants were all seeded based on their home run totals at the time the brackets were created.

The Home Run Derby will be televised by ESPN beginning at 5 p.m. PT on Monday night. The Chicago Cubs rookie has 12 dingers, though he didn’t start the season in the big leagues.

There are so many great candidates – should you put your support behind Derby first-timer Anthony Rizzo, or on the very strong shoulders of two-time champ Prince Fielder?

Theres just a lot of home runs at the park, period. 345 batting average is second in the American League, and only Frazier and Bryant have better odds to win the Derby. “And I don’t know who wouldn’t want to be in the home run derby”.

Maddon has previously expressed his distaste for too much batting practice, saying it can cause hitters to lose feel for their swings.

Donaldson is ranked third and will face Chicago Cubs first baseman Rizzo in his matchup. Donaldson, Joc Pederson of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Manny Machado of the Baltimore Orioles all have 7/1 odds. People are well aware of how far guys like Pujols, Fielder, Pederson and Bryant can hit a baseball, but not many baseball fans realize just how powerful Todd Frazier is. Donaldson has 21 home runs, and he’s in the conversation for AL MVP.