Pedro Alvarez to replace Carlos Gonzalez in the 2013 Chevrolet Home Run Derby
David Wright, the National League captain for the 2013 Chevrolet Home Run Derby, has selected Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez to replace Carlos Gonzalez of the Colorado Rockies in the Derby, to be held on Monday, July 15th at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets.
Alvarez will compete in his first career Home Run Derby, and will become the fifth player in Pirates history to partake in the event, joining Bobby Bonilla (1990), Barry Bonds (1992), Jason Bay (1995) and Andrew McCutchen (2012). The New York native, who graduated from Horace Mann High School in the Bronx in 2005, has 23 home runs on the season, which is tied for second in the N.L. Alvarez, who was named to his first Midsummer Classic, is one of just three Pirates in history to hit at least 23 home runs prior to the All-Star break, joining Hall of Famers Willie Stargell and Ralph Kiner. In 2012, the Vanderbilt product hit a career-high 30 home runs, which was fourth among Major League third basemen and ranked third all-time among Pirates third basemen.
Gonzalez, who is an All-Star for the second time in his career, has withdrawn from the competition after suffering a sprained right middle finger earlier this week.
Wright and Alvarez are joined in the Derby on the N.L. squad by Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper and Rockies outfielder Michael Cuddyer. For the American League, Derby captain Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees has selected Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis, defending Derby Champion Prince Fielder and Oakland Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes.
The Chevrolet Home Run Derby will continue to raise funds for Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) as well as MLB's Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program. More than $3 million has been raised for charity over the past 10 years, with an all-time high of $615,000 donated through the 2012 event. Chevrolet and Major League Baseball will donate a significant amount of money to charity through the 2013 event. In addition, Chevrolet plans to award the winner of the Home Run Derby an all-new 2014 Silverado.
This year's Chevrolet Home Run Derby will continue to follow the format first introduced in 2011, featuring team competition between the A.L. and N.L. Last year, the A.L. defeated the N.L. by a final tally of 61-21, with Prince Fielder of the Tigers winning the individual title in Kansas City. Each of the captains will select a charity of their choice for which their team will be hitting during the Derby.
The donations from the 2013 Chevrolet Home Run Derby will include $150,000 to the winning captain's charity in his name; $100,000 to the BGCA in the name of the winning captain; $25,000 to the charity of the captain of the losing team in his name; and the remainder to the BGCA on behalf of Chevrolet and Major League Baseball.
The total amount of money distributed will be determined by the home runs hit during the competition. For each Gold Ball home run hit by a participant after the ninth out throughout the Chevrolet Home Run Derby, Chevrolet and Major League Baseball will combine to donate $23,000 to designated charities. The dollar figure was selected to coincide with the EPA-estimated best in class 23 miles per gallon highway that the all-new 2014 Chevrolet Silverado features, making it the most efficient V8 in a pickup. Chevrolet and MLB will combine to make an additional donation of $3,000 for every non-Gold Ball home run hit throughout the 2013 Chevrolet Home Run Derby.
The eight participants will each be paired with a youngster representing one of eight local RBI leagues throughout the New York City region. The child paired with the winner of the Chevrolet Home Run Derby will earn $50,000 towards a baseball field makeover for their RBI league. Chevrolet and MLB will also donate $10,000 worth of baseball equipment and uniforms to each of the other seven RBI leagues.
In addition to coverage on ESPN, the 2013 Home Run Derby will be broadcast live on ESPN HD, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN, ESPN Mobile TV, and ESPN Radio in the U.S. as well as ESPN International beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. CT on Monday, July 15th. For more information, please visit allstargame.com.