CINCINNATI, OH -- Major League Baseball released the bracket for the 2015 Home Run Derby, which will take place Monday, July 13th at the Great American Ballpark, home to the MLB's Reds. It features power-hitting stars Albert Pujols and Todd Frazier.
All-Star Weekend is always a bright spot in a baseball season, and this Home Run Derby is sure to make it that. With a great mix of polished and beloved stars to new fan-favorite youngsters, fans, managers, GMs, and players alike are sure to enjoy this one.
Former champion Prince Fielder is involved, along with two Rookie of the Year candidates in Joc Pederson and Kris Bryant. Pujols ranks eighth all time in Home Run Derby home runs with 50.
The bracket is broken into two sides, with the winner of each competing in the final. The four individual quarterfinal matchups are as voted by the fans. The matchups are as follows.
Left side of bracket
#1 Seed - #8 Seed
Albert Pujols - Kris Bryant
#4 Seed - #5 Seed
Joc Pederson - Manny Machado
Right side of bracket
#3 Seed - #6 Seed
Josh Donaldson - Anthony Rizzo
#2 Seed - #7 Seed
Todd Frazier - Prince Fielder
The higher the seed, obviously the more votes the contestant received for the Home Run Derby itself. Pujols and Frazier are power hitters that are no surprise to anyone on this bracket. Josh Donaldson set a new record for All-Star Game votes in 2015, and he was well represented in Home Run Derby contention as well, earning the third seed.
MLB's groundbreaking new Statcast technology will provide exact measurements for the distances of each homer. Also, the new format this year brings a bit of a twist to the traditional competition, as each batter is just competing for a higher total than one other batter, not than four.
Cincinnati's turn at the Home Run Derby takes place on Monday at 8:00 PM ET, and many home fans will surely be there to come cheer on hometown slugger Todd Frazier.