2008 Home Run Derby Contestants

2008 Home Run Derby Contestants
July 14, 2008

The Home Run Derby is an event played prior to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. It is a contest among the top home run hitters in Major League Baseball to determine who can hit the most home runs. The event is currently sponsored by State Farm Insurance. Former sponsors included Century 21 Real Estate and Service Merchandise.

Overview

Eight players, who are generally on the All-Star Game rosters , are selected for the Home Run Derby and compete in a traditional playoff system where the players with the most home runs advance to the next round. Each player gets ten "outs" per round, where an out is defined as any swing that is not a home run in this case. Should a tie exist between players at the end of any round, there will be a five swing swing-off to determine who will advance. Until 2006, the home run count was reset after each round. However, a rule change was made for the 2006 Home Run Derby which causes the home run count for the four players advancing to the second round to carry over. The home run count for the final round is still reset to zero.

The 2008 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby
(better known as the State Farm Home Run Derby for sponsorship reasons) will be held on Monday, July 14, 2008 at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, New York City. ESPN will televise the event live at 8:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time with radio being broadcast on ESPN Radio and XM Satellite Radio.

2008 Roster
The eight participants are Lance Berkman of the Houston Astros, Dan Uggla of the Florida Marlins, Chase Utley of the Philadelphia Phillies, Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers, Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers, Grady Sizemore of the Cleveland Indians, Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays, and Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins.

Vladimir Guerrero of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim was originally going to participate to defend his 2007 title, but he ultimately declined to spend time with his family.
Credit: Wikipedia

Relate: MLB 2008 All Star Game Schedule and P2P Channel