This year's Home Run Derby features a few interesting variables. For one, three of the NL's four participants—including Carlos Beltran of the St. Louis Cardinals— have never taken part in the Derby before. The other is that Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City is normally a terrible park for home runs. It allowed the second fewest in the majors in 2011, and though part of that can be attributed to the team that plays there, it is far from a hitter's park.
These topics are discussed in the new Home Run Derby preview video from Amy K. Nelson and SBN Studios. As far as the latter part goes, Nelson mentions that Derbies in the past that have taken place in pitcher's parks (San Francisco's AT&T Park and St. Louis' Busch Stadium, for instance) have actually featured some of the longest homers in Home Run Derby history.
Check out the full video here:
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