Final Vote hopeful Muncy to compete in Derby

As Max Muncy's Final Vote candidacy hangs in the balance -- he ranked third in Wednesday's final update, with voting set to close at 1 p.m. PT -- the Dodgers' surprise slugger is the first to confirm he will participate in this year's T-Mobile Home Run Derby on Monday at Nationals Park.
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The 27-year-old, who clubbed his 21st home run on Tuesday, has a .272/.412/.617 slash line and an impressive 1.029 OPS in 69 games for the Dodgers. Muncy spent all of last season in the Minor Leagues after hitting five home runs in 96 games with the A's from 2015-16.

Oakland released Muncy at the end of Spring Training in 2017, and the Dodgers signed him as a free agent shortly after as a utility man. He wasn't on Los Angeles' radar last season, but the Dodgers were scrambling for options at the hot corner when Logan Forsythe hit the shelf this April. With Justin Turner and Corey Seager also making appearances on the disabled list, Muncy's bat began heating up with Los Angeles, and the Dodgers had no choice but to keep the left-handed hitter in the lineup.

In all, eight players will participate in the Home Run Derby. The full field will be announced Wednesday at 7 p.m. PT.
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In the meantime, fans can cast votes for the final player on each league's roster -- on computers, tablets and smartphones -- exclusively online, as well as via the MLB At Bat and MLB Ballpark mobile apps, until Wednesday at 1 p.m. PT.
Turner, who won last year's Final Vote for his first National League All-Star berth, told Muncy to enjoy the campaign.
"You never know when you'll get the opportunity again and the last thing I want to do is, it comes to an end, I not get in and you look back and think I wish I would have done this," said Turner. "That's what I meant by telling him to embrace it and don't feel like you're doing too much or asking too much of people because he's having an unbelievable year and deserves to be there."
On Tuesday, July 17, while watching the 2018 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard live on FOX, fans can submit their choices for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet with the 2018 All-Star Game MLB.com MVP Vote.
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