Prince Fielder Wins Home Run Derby

Prince Fielder is the winner of the 2012 Home Run Derby at the All-Star game in Kansas City. He bested Jose Bautista 12 home runs to seven in the final round.

Fielder put on quite a show Monday night, launching high and deep home runs.

The other star of the show was Mark Trumbo. The 26-year-old Angels slugger hit some of the longest home runs on the night. He just missed making it to the final round, losing a swing-off with Bautista  — the two were tied after the first two rounds.

Former Met Carlos Beltran made it to the second round.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the evening was the reception Robinson Cano got. As captain of the American League team, Cano picked its participants. The fans in Kansas City were hoping Cano would pick hometown All-Star Billy Butler, but he did not, and they let Cano know how they felt. Whenever Cano failed to connect the crowd cheered wildly. And the crowd had plenty to cheer about — he failed to hit even one home run.

Overall it was a fun event, in spite of Chris Berman’s annoying presence (he’s got a great last name but he is unwatchable). But just like baseball games, the Home Run Derby went on for far too long — nearly three hours. It dragged at times. Perhaps they need to cut down the number of outs (10) each player gets per round.