Matt Chapman To Participate in 2019 Home Run Derby

The Oakland A’s will get some representation in the 2019 Home Run Derby Major League Baseball announced Sunday. Third baseman Matt Chapman will join the field after a back injury sidelined Brewers slugger and MLB home run leader Christian Yelich for the event.

Chapman is the first A’s player to participate in the Home Run Derby since Yoenis Cespedes and Josh Donaldson were both in the 2014 contest in Minnesota. Cespedes won that event.

The event will be the first for Chapman, who also earned his first All-Star nod this year. He has 21 home runs in 388 plate appearances this season after belting 24 in 616 PAs a year ago. Chapman’s 21 home runs are tied for the 16th-most in baseball.

Other participants in this year’s derby include Pittsburgh’s Josh Bell (27 home runs), the Mets’ Pete Alonso (29), Toronto’s Vlad Guerrero Jr. (8), the Dodgers’ Joc Pederson (20), Houston’s Alex Bregman (23), Cleveland’s Carlos Santana (19) and Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna (21).

Chapman and Guerrero will square off in Round 1. The winner will go on to face the winner of the Bregman-Pederson matchup. Alonso, Santana, Bell and Acuna are on the other side of the bracket.

The event is set to begin Monday at 5:00 PM PT from Progressive Field in Cleveland.