Given the overall lack of Red Sox visibility at
The Midsummer Classic, we might as well root for a
former Red Sox property in the
Home Run Derby. Right? Former top Boston prospect
Anthony Rizzo—now a legitimate MVP candidate with the Cubbies—is one of eight players who will compete in the newly-formatted derby. This year, players will have a five-minute window to hit as many HRs as they can—eliminating the "outs" format from the past. Rizzo may turn out to be one of the worst losses since
Jeff Bagwell. Since fleeing the organization in the
Adrian Gonzalez trade, Rizzo has hit .261 (.296 so far
this year), with 87 HRs and 263 RBIs. He finished 10th in last year's National League MVP balloting.