2015 Home Run Derby Participants: Updated Lineup, Date and Format

The participants for the 2015 MLB Home Run Derby have been unveiled, and the eight-player competition is set to take on a revised format when the sport's biggest sluggers step to the plate on July 13 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. 

This year, MLB has done away with the classic 10-out-per-round structure. Instead, batters will compete in a head-to-head, bracket-style format that allots each participant five minutes to club as many home runs as possible. 

According to MLB.com's Paul Casella, "A running clock will begin counting down upon release of the first pitch, though it will stop for any home run hit during the final minute. The clock will stop immediately after those home run balls land and will not begin again until a non-home run ball lands or the batter swings and misses."     

MLB PR tweeted out an official overview of the new format and contest guidelines: 

Participants

With new competitive guidelines primed to breathe some new life into the Derby, here's a rundown of who will be sending moonshots into the Cincinnati stands. 

Player	Team	Home Runs (Through July 8)
Kris Bryant	Chicago Cubs	12
Josh Donaldson	Toronto Blue Jays	21
Prince Fielder	Texas Rangers	13
Todd Frazier	Cincinnati Reds	25
Manny Machado	Baltimore Orioles	18
Joc Pederson	Los Angeles Dodgers	20
Albert Pujols	Los Angeles Angels	26
Anthony Rizzo	Chicago Cubs	16

The official bracket for this year's competition was revealed by Major League Baseball: 

An infusion of young talent in the form of Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Joc Pederson will draw plenty of attention on the National League side.

Pederson leads that trio with 20 home runs to date, but the pair of Chicago Cubs sluggers should provide formidable competition for the Los Angeles Dodgers wunderkind and hometown favorite Todd Frazier. The Cincinnati Reds third baseman leads NL derby competitors with 25 home runs—the second most among all NL batters. 

On the AL side, back-to-back champion Yoenis Cespedes was omitted from this year's field. While he's batting a solid .292, Cespedes has mashed just 12 home runs so far this season. At the time of the announcement, every AL participant had jacked at least 13. 

However, another two-time champion, Prince Fielder, will have a chance to join Ken Griffey Jr. as just the second player ever to win three Home Run Derbys. A champion in 2009 and 2012, Fielder will enter this year's show with five previous appearances under his belt. 

ESPN Stats & Info provided a detailed overview of each player's average home run distance this season: 

According to the Los Angeles Times' Mike DiGiovanna, Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols was the first confirmed participant in this year's field. 

The 35-year-old slugger has already tallied 26 home runs this season, which ranks as the second most among all players behind the Miami Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton. Stanton is currently on the disabled list after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured hamate bone in his left wrist and will not be able to participate. 

Back on June 29, Pujols noted the circumstances under which he would participate in this year's Derby. 

"I think it would be the last one," Pujols said, according to MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez. "Like I told you last year, I won't do it if I'm not at the [All-Star] Game. If that happens, I think I'm all for it."

Recently selected as an All-Star for the first time since joining the Angels, Pujols is slated to start at first base as the replacement for the injured Miguel Cabrera. 

According to ESPN.com, Pujols' best-ever Home Run Derby finish came back in 2003, when he finished as the runner-up behind the Angels' Garret Anderson. 

Pujols also competed in the 2007 and 2009 long-ball showcases, but he didn't advance past the second round on either occasion.  

This year should represent one last shot at redemption for one of the league's most seasoned masters of the dinger, "who ranks eighth all-time with a total of 50 Derby home runs," according to MLB.com's Joey Nowak.    

Conversely, fans will have to wait at least another year to see young sluggers Mike Trout and Bryce Harper in action in the contest. Gonzalez reported that Trout eventually intends on participating in the event, but he won't this year. Harper has also indicated he won't be competing in the derby, via SportsCenter.