With the MLB All-Star game being staged on baseball’s version of Cape Canaveral at Coors Field in Denver, there’s plenty of buzz this year around the eight contestants who will be sockin’ dingers through the thin, mile-high air.
Who are we kidding? Do you even know who’s participating in the home run derby outside of MLB home-run leader Shohei Ohtani? Well, if the NBA playoffs, Euro 2020 and the Stanley Cup Final left you in a bit of a baseball fog, here’s a rundown of the eight players who will be looking to be crowned baseball’s newest long-ball king on Monday night (5 p.m. PDT, ESPN, ESPN2).
Pete Alonso — New York Mets
Joey Gallo — Texas Rangers
Trey Mancini — Baltimore Orioles
Matt Olson — Oakland Athletics
Shohei Ohtani — Angels
Salvador Perez — Kansas City Royals
Juan Soto — Washington Nationals
Trevor Story — Colorado Rockies
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.