Home Run Derby draw pits Pujols against Bryant, Fielder vs. Frazier
— -- Chicago Cubs rookie Kris Bryant has been drawn into the same opening round as Los Angeles Angels slugger Albert Pujols in the All-Star Home Run Derby that will determine baseball's homer king.
Baltimore's Manny Machado will face Dodgers rookie Joc Pederson in the other matchup in that part of the bracket announced Wednesday.
Texas' Prince Fielder faces Cincinnati's Todd Frazier and Toronto's Josh Donaldson takes on Chicago's Anthony Rizzo in the other bracket of the annual contest that will be held at Great American Ball Park on Monday.
The four players who prevail in the first round of the new derby format advance to the semifinals, and the winners in the semis move on to the final.
This will be Pujols' fourth time competing in the Home Run Derby. He reached the semifinal in 2003, 2007 and 2009 but has never won the event.
Pujols, who leads the American League with 26 homers, said he is looking forward to the new format. Instead of being given a number of outs per round each player will have five minutes to hit as many home runs as possible. The clock will stop after home run balls land in the final minute.
Players can earn an extra minute if they hit two home runs that land 420 feet or more and a bonus 30 seconds if one of those blast lands 475 feet or more. The maximum bonus time a player can get is 1:30.
"If anything it'll be better because you don't have to sit around so much like you did in the past,'' he said. "If I hit in the first round we had to wait until everybody hit and sometimes you sat an hour and a half, two hours.''
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