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New breed of slugger on deck for HR Derby


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Video: Baseball from NBC Sports
Nats name Riggleman
Jim Riggleman was officially introduced as the manager of the Washington Nationals.

Dan Uggla
Missing 11 recent games due to a sprained left ankle has cost Uggla some numbers, but when he was named to the derby, he was leading the majors with 23 homers. That's heady territory for a player who three years ago, was a Rule 5 selection from the Arizona Diamondbacks organization.

Uggla remains stuck on 23 homers, but that still leaves him only eight home runs short of his career high. And there is little doubt that Uggla won't get cheated in the derby, as few players swing harder.

But Uggla and the other right-handed hitters will be facing the disadvantage of the spacious left-center and center-field areas in Yankee Stadium.

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Ryan Braun
The position has changed, but the offensive dominance continues for last year's NL Rookie of the Year.

On April 30th, Braun had endured a three-week homerless spell and his season total stood at only three. But all that changed in May, when Braun belted 11 homers — including three two-homer games — and drove in 22 runs.

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And now Braun sits among the league leaders in homers, RBI, doubles and total bases — numbers that vaulted him up the NL voting and into the starting lineup with a late surge.

Evan Longoria
For a guy who started his season as a Durham Bull, Longoria sure has become a household name rather quickly, hasn't he? The Rays held him off their Opening Day roster to keep him from getting a full year of service time, but that idea lasted only two weeks before an injury brought Longoria to the majors — to stay.

It's hard to say what's been more impressive about his game. He's already hit 16 homers and driven in 53 runs while hitting .278. But his defense is drawing Gold Glove raves. Maybe that's why he got more than nine million internet votes in the race for the final roster spot.

One day after that was announced, Longoria also found his way into the derby — and onto the national stage for the first time. Not bad for a 22-year-old who has spent three months in the major leagues.

Tony DeMarco is a contributor to NBCSports.com and a freelance writer based in Denver.


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