Third baseman Todd Frazier (pictured) of the Cincinnati Reds has been chosen to participate in MLB's 2014 Gillette Home Run Derby on Monday, July 14. As a part of the MLB All-Star Game festivities, the HR Derby will be held at Minnesota's Target Field
Frazier, who leads N.L. third basemen and ranks second among all Major League third basemen with 17 home runs, will become the first Reds player to compete in the Derby since Ken Griffey, Jr. in 2000. Overall, Frazier will be the eighth player in Reds history (ninth appearance) to participate in the Derby. The others include Dave Parker (1985-86), Eric Davis (1989), Paul O'Neill (1991), Chris Sabo (1991), Ron Gant (1995), Reggie Sanders (1995) and Griffey. On the season, the 28-year-old Frazier is already just two homers shy of matching his career best of 19 set in 2012 and matched in 2013. During the month of June, he hit eight home runs, which tied for the most in the N.L. and was his personal best for any calendar month.
Frazier's National League teammates in the Home Run Derby will be Colorado's Troy Tulowitzki (who is tied for second in the N.L. with 18 home runs this season), Miami's Giancarlo Stanton (N.L. home run leader with 21 home runs on the season) and LA Dodgers' Yasiel Puig (12 home runs).
The A.L. competitors will be Toronto's Jose Bautista, 2013 Derby champion Yoenis Cespedes of the Oakland Athletics, outfielder Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles and second baseman Brian Dozier of the host Minnesota Twins.
Each league also will add one more representative on Thursday, April 10.
This year's Home Run Derby will introduce a new format, which features a maximum of seven outs per round and bracketed play after the first round. The player who hits the most home runs in each league in the first round will automatically receive a bye to the third round (Semi-Finals). The next two players from each league with the most home runs will square off against one another in a head-to-head matchup in the second round. The winners of these matchups will advance to the third round to face-off against their league's top seed. The final round will feature the winners of the A.L. and N.L. Semi-Finals matchups going head-to-head for the 2014 crown.
In addition to coverage on ESPN and MLB.com, the 2014 Gillette Home Run Derby, which is part of Gatorade All-Star Workout Day, will be broadcast live on ESPN HD, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN and ESPN Radio in the U.S. as well as ESPN International beginning at 8:00 p.m. (ET)/7:00 p.m. (CT) on Monday, July 14th. For more information, please visit allstargame.com.
Source: MLB Press Release
Photo Credit: Cincinnati Reds
