Rockies Morneau and As Donaldson round out home run derby field

The five-man teams for the home run derby that will precede the MLB all-star game are now complete, and fans in the host city of Minneapolis will get to cheer for an old favorite. The National League squad added Colorado first baseman Justin Morneau, who played for the Twins from 2003 until he was traded away in 2013. The American League team added Athletics third baseman Josh Donaldson, who was already a member of this year’s AL all-stars.

You might recall that Morneau won the 2008 home run derby as a member of the Twins. Or you might not, as the big story of that event was Josh Hamilton’s Ruthian display in the first round. This will actually be the third time Morneau competes in the competition, and it represents a bit of a consolation prize after he lost a late lead to the Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo in voting for the NL’s final all-star spot.

Donaldson leads all MLB third baseman with 20 home runs. In fact, he hit No. 20 in a day game Thursday, shortly before the announcement of his selection. Here is what he told the San Jose Mercury-News:

“It’s going to be pretty cool. I like to hit homers in batting practice, so I look at it as another round of BP with a lot more people watching.”

The complete teams for the home run derby look like this:

American League

Captain — Jose Bautista, Blue Jays

Yoenis Cespedes, Athletics

Josh Donaldson, Athtetics

Brian Dozier, Twins

Adam Jones, Orioles

National League

Captain — Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies

Todd Frazier, Reds

Justin Morneau, Rockies

Yasiel Puig, Dodgers

Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins

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