Stanton out to impress at Home Run Derby

MIAMI -- Giancarlo Stanton will not be getting a breather during the All-Star break after all. The Marlins' right fielder will instead be swinging for the fences in San Diego as a member of the 2016 T-Mobile Home Run Derby lineup.
Stanton was selected on Thursday to take part in the main event to be held tonight at Petco Park. The 26-year-old has been matched up in the first round with Seattle's Robinson Cano. The Home Run Derby will feature eight players and will begin at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and be televised on ESPN and simulcast on MLB.com.
:: Complete Home Run Derby coverage ::
The Derby leads into Tuesday's 87th All-Star Game presented by MasterCard (7:30 p.m. ET on FOX).
In 16 career games at Petco, Stanton has five home runs.
• Home Run Derby game
The invitation is a highlight in what has been an otherwise rough first half for Stanton, who has struggled with a .233 batting average. But of late, the 6-foot-6, 245-pounder has been heating up.
Just last week, he made history against the Mets at Citi Field. On Monday and Tuesday, Stanton had a streak of home runs in four consecutive at-bats, which matches a Major League mark that has been done 39 times total.

Even in a down year, Stanton still has connected on 20 home runs and 50 RBIs. His second blast on Tuesday set another milestone, as it was the 200th homer of his career.
Although he wasn't selected to the National League All-Star squad, Stanton made it clear when the All-Star teams were announced on Tuesday that he was willing to participate in the Derby, if asked.

"Unfortunately, I missed two Home Run Derbies I was supposed to be in," Stanton said. "Now, I've got some catching up to do."
A three-time All-Star, Stanton missed two Midsummer Classics due to injuries. He was expected to be part of the Home Run Derby in 2012 and 2015 but was unable to attend. In 2014, he put on a show at the Derby in Minnesota at Target Field, when he reached the finals.
• HR Derby Bracket Challenge

Six of the Derby participants will play in the All-Star Game. Stanton and White Sox third baseman Todd Frazier, the defending Derby champion, are the two wild cards.
Here's how it will work.
The players were seeded one through eight based on home runs totals through Wednesday. As the top seed, Mark Trumbo takes on No. 8 Corey Seager in the first round, with the winner of that head-to-head battle facing the winner of No. 4 Cano and No. 5 Stanton in the semifinals.
On the other side of the bracket, No. 3 seed Adam Duvall faces No. 6 Wil Myers and No. 2 Frazier meets No. 7 Carlos Gonzalez in the first round.
The winners of those two dinger duels will meet in the other semi. Then the last two sluggers standing hack for the hardware in the final round.

And now for the rules:
• Single-elimination tournament in which the winner of each matchup advances and the loser of each matchup is eliminated.
• If the second batter hits more home runs than the first batter in any matchup, he will be declared the winner and not attempt to hit additional home runs.
• Four minutes per batter for each round. Clock starts with the release of the first pitch. In the first round and semifinals, each batter is entitled to one 45-second "time out." In the finals, each batter is entitled to two 45-second "time-outs."
• Thirty seconds of bonus time will be awarded for two home runs that each equal or exceed 440 feet.
• Ties in any round will be broken by a 60-second swing-off with no stoppage of time or additional time added. If a tie remains after the swing-off, batters will engage in successive three-swing swing-offs until there is a winner.

Stanton is among the strongest players of his generation, and he promises to put on a show in San Diego.
According to Statcast™, his longest home run this season is 475 feet off Hector Neris of the Phillies on May 6.
His hardest hit home run is 116.8 mph, on April 30 against Chase Anderson of the Brewers. His average home run distance this year is 420 feet.