MIAMI -- Reds left fielder and first-time National League All-Star Adam Duvall received another big invitation. Duvall will be a participant in tonight's 2016 T-Mobile Home Run Derby (8 p.m. ET/7 CT on ESPN and simulcast on MLB.com) at Petco Park.
The new Derby seeded and timed format, which debuted last year at Great American Ball Park, pits Duvall as the No. 3 seed in the eight-man competition. His first-round foe will be No. 6 Wil Myers of the hometown Padres.
Duvall, who was elected to the All-Star Game presented by Mastercard on the players' ballot on Tuesday and will be joined by Jay Bruce as the Reds' representative, has enjoyed a breakout season for Cincinnati. The 27-year-old enters the All-Star break batting .249 with 23 home runs and 61 RBIs in 83 games. He is tied for third in the NL in homers, tied for seventh in extra-base hits, tied for sixth in RBIs and is 10th in slugging percentage.
"I'm super-excited," Duvall told WLW-AM radio after his selection Thursday. "They asked me if I would go. I was 100 percent sold. I told them yes and was just waited to see who was selected and who would go."
On July 31 of last season, Duvall was acquired by the Reds in a trade from the Giants for pitcher Mike Leake. He entered the season as a platoon player before quickly breaking out and making the position his own for the club.
Duvall will be the eighth Reds player to participate in the Home Run Derby. One of his fellow competitors this year is former Reds third baseman Todd Frazier, the defending champion who won in thrilling fashion last year in front of his home fans. Frazier, now with the White Sox, is the No. 2 seed this year.
When asked Wednesday how he felt about one of his players participating in the Home Run Derby, Reds manager Bryan Price wasn't too concerned about someone like Duvall having his swing affected. Frazier entered the All-Star break in a funk last year and stayed in one for an extended period of the second half.
"I saw Fraz when he got done, and he went all the way to the end, and he was fried," Price said. "It was something to see. It was like someone who had just run a triathalon. For me personally, I don't think it will ruin a player or ruin their swing. You hate to deprive your guys of an opportunity to play and perform in something like that."
Duvall also had no qualms that showcasing his slugging talents could hurt his second-half performance.
"I just think it's a great opportunity," he told WLW. "It's a blessing to even be considered for it. They've given me the opportunity and I'm jumping at it."
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 Robinson Cano and No. 5 Giancarlo Stanton in the semifinals.
On the other side of the bracket, No. 3 seed Duvall faces No. 6 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.