MLB Home Run Derby 2011: 5 Biggest Snubs

Home Run Derby captains Prince Fielder and David Ortiz announced their derby teams earlier this week, and with their choices came controversy over those players that the two sluggers left off their rosters.

Fielder chose Matt Kemp, Rickie Weeks and Matt Holliday to anchor the National League derby team, while Ortiz picked Jose Bautista, Robinson Cano and Adrian Gonzalez to represent the American League. This slideshow will bring to light some of the best power hitters not on their respective league's rosters.

Justin Upton

Arizona Diamondbacks slugger Justin Upton was left off of the National League's Home Run Derby roster despite hitting 14 home runs so far this season. Upton is currently tied for 15th in the NL with 14 home runs.

Selecting Upton to the Derby could have given the hometown fans something to look forward to in Monday's Derby, but instead, Fielder elected to leave Upton off of his team. On Tuesday, Upton hit a home run in Miller Park in-front of Fielder to help further the drama that has quickly surrounded Upton's non-selection.

With one more home run on the season, Upton will have his fourth straight season of 15 or more home runs for the Diamondbacks.

Curtis Granderson

New York Yankees outfielder Curtis Granderson is having one of his best seasons in years, as he has already hit 25 home runs, just three shy of Jose Bautista's league leading 28 long balls.

Although the ball seems to leave the yard in a hurry inside Yankee Stadium, Granderson is proving to be a deep threat with each at-bat this season. By hitting 25 home runs already this season, Granderson has ensured that he will have his fifth consecutive season with 22 or more home runs, something that definitely merits Derby consideration next season.

Lance Berkman

After struggling in his final few years as a Houston Astro and last season as a New York Yankee, Lance Berkman has rediscovered his swing after landing in St. Louis to start the 2011 season.

Currently, Berkman is in sole possession of fourth place in all of baseball with 23 home runs, and naming him to the National League's derby team would have been a great story, considering his struggles from years past.

With his high home run total on the season, Berkman, who just recorded his 350th career home run, has now hit 20 or more home runs in 11 of his 13 major league seasons.

Mark Reynolds

With the 2011 season's midway point just around the corner, Orioles third baseman Mark Reynolds has been nothing short of amazing as of late for the team that took a chance in acquiring him during the offseason.

Reynolds currently has 20 home runs for the O's, five of which have come in the team's past five games. Had Ortiz selected Reynolds for this year's Derby, the American League could have ridden Reynolds' hot streak into a possible victory.

Although he often posts high strikeout numbers, Reynolds also puts up a high number of home runs each season. He's hit 17 or more long balls in each of his seasons in the major leagues, the highest of which was a 44 home run season for Arizona in 2009.

Troy Tulowitzki

Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki has emerged as one of the league's best home run hitters in recent years, as he has logged 32 and 27 home runs in the last two years respectively.

He already has 17 long balls on the season so far and would have made for an exciting Derby. However, Fielder elected to select Cardinals slugger Matt Holliday, a player with five less home runs than Tulowitzki.