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With the MLB All-Star game being staged on baseball’s version of Cape Canaveral at Coors Field in Denver, there’s plenty of buzz this year around the eight contestants who will be sockin’ dingers through the thin, mile-high air.
Who are we kidding? Do you even know who’s participating in the home run derby outside of MLB home-run leader Shohei Ohtani? Well, if the NBA playoffs, Euro 2020 and the Stanley Cup Final left you in a bit of a baseball fog, here’s a rundown of the eight players who will be looking to be crowned baseball’s newest long-ball king on Monday night (5 p.m. PDT, ESPN, ESPN2).
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Pete Alonso — New York Mets

(Tim Hubbard / Los Angeles Times)
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Joey Gallo — Texas Rangers

(Tim Hubbard / Los Angeles Times)
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Trey Mancini — Baltimore Orioles

(Tim Hubbard / Los Angeles Times)
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Matt Olson — Oakland Athletics

(Tim Hubbard / Los Angeles Times)
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Shohei Ohtani — Angels

(Tim Hubbard / Los Angeles Times)
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Salvador Perez — Kansas City Royals

(Tim Hubbard / Los Angeles Times)
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Juan Soto — Washington Nationals

(Tim Hubbard / Los Angeles Times)
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Trevor Story — Colorado Rockies

(Tim Hubbard / Los Angeles Times)