2011 MLB Home Run Derby: Contestants, Predictions and More

The 2011 Home Run Derby Contestants are set, and they are ready to take the field at what has become one of the fans' favorite events of All-Star weekend. And who can blame the fans. It is always fun to watch athletes that are adept at belting baseballs out of the park tee off on belt high pitches with balls that may be a little juiced.

This year the venue gives us the added bonus of watching the sluggers trying to land a ball in the swimming pool behind the center field fence at the Diamondbacks' home, Chase Field.

I'd like to suggest they make a successful pool shot worth two points—kind of like a three point shot in basketball. Why not?

Alas, that is not one of the changes made to this year's competition. There is one notable change, however. This year the Home Run Derby contestants were selected by the captain of each squad. This year's captains are David Ortiz for the American and Prince Fielder for the National League.

Check out the lineups below. I'll follow up the lineups with my prediction.

This is pertinent information in case you are pondering which player you should drop some major coin on in a little wager concerning the winner of the Home Run Derby.

Of course, if you fall into that category, that would only be the second most pertinent news I will give you. The first is that you may have a serious gambling problem. Okay, the contestants:

The National League's Home Run Derby representatives are:

Prince Fielder - Milwaukee Brewers

Matt Holiday - St. Louis Cardinals

Rickie Weeks - Milwaukee Brewers

Matt Kemp - L.A. Dodgers

The American League's Home Run Derby representatives are:

David Ortiz - Boston Red Sox

Jose Bautista - Toronto Blue Jays

Robinson Cano - New York Yankees

Adrian Gonzalez - Boston Red Sox

I am going to go out on a huge limb with my prediction. I am calling that Jose Bautista will win. While it might not be the most provocative pick, it is the only one that makes sense to me. This guys' swing is in a groove in a way we haven't seen since the contestants forearms were bigger than my thighs.

He will probably jack around 25 home runs, and wreck that insanely grooved swing, and hit about four home runs the remainder of the year.

Bautista is the only logical choice—unless you are betting with odds. My esteemed editor disagrees. He just bet me—yeah, we have gambling problems—that Prince Fielder would take it.