The 2012 Home Run Derby's second round counts St. Louis Cardinals star--and former Kansas City Royals fixture--Carlos Beltran among its final four competitors, but it won't have the 2011 derby's best story: Robinson Cano and his BP-throwing father were shutout Monday, as Kauffman Stadium booed throughout in a display that was more stereotypically Philadelphian than Missourian.
Cano hit 32 home runs in last year's derby in Phoenix, edging out Adrian Gonzalez by a single home run. In Monday night's competition Cano simply couldn't get started, flipping popups out to shallow center field. 2009 Home Run Derby champion Prince Fielder, who dominated that competition in Busch Stadium, finished fourth in the first round, taking advantage of Cano's loss to narrowly advance.
After the first round Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays, who disappointed in 2011, carries 11 home runs for the Home Run Derby lead. But it's a long competition, and any of the remaining competitors, including the Cardinals' Beltran, could pull away in the next rounds.