The 2014 MLB Home Run Derby will be headlined by some big bats. Toronto Blue Jays’ right fielder Jose Bautista and Colorado Rockies’ shortstop Troy Tulowitzki will be the captains in the Derby.
Bautista is batting a career-high .305 this season. He had belted 15 home runs and 49 RBI. He will be participating in his third Home Run Derby, reports Bleacher Report.
Tulowitzki, who will be in his first Derby, leads the National League with a .356 batting average, according to ESPN. He ranks second in the league with 18 homers. He has recorded 45 RBI.
The format of the Home Run Derby this year will be different from the previous years. Each league will have five participants. The two leagues will alternate who hits, with a National League player always hitting first. Each hitter will get seven outs, as opposed to the 10 outs seen in the most recent derbies.
The top three hitters from each league will advance. The participant who hits the most home runs in each league will have a bye into the next round. The second place and third place finishers in each league will square off. The winner there will match up with the No. 1 seed for a berth in the finals, according to MLB.com.
With this format, the finals is guaranteed to feature one player from each league. Since the Derby began to feature captains, which has been in place in each of the last three years, five of the six finalists have come from the American League.
The Home Run Derby is set for July 14 at p.m. ET on ESPN. The All-Star game is the following night on FOX.