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Los Angeles Angels phenom Shohei Ohtani was announced as a participant at the 2021 MLB Home Run Derby during the All-Star festivities at Coors Field this season. The HR Derby will take place on Monday, July 12th in the confines of Coors in Denver, Colorado, prior to the All-Star Game. This will be the first time Ohtani is competing in the derby and he is the first Japanese-born player to partake in the event. He is also the first pitcher to compete in the derby — a lot of firsts for Ohtani.
The derby and All-Star game was initially set to take place at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia, home of the Atlanta Braves, before being moved to Coors Field, hosted by the Colorado Rockies.
Ohtani enters this Friday third in MLB with 19 HRs this season. He’s got the second-best odds to take home AL MVP this year at +175, behind Toronto Blue Jays 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. This could be one of the more exciting HR derby’s in recent memory. Ohtani could be joined by Vlad Jr., Ronald Acuna Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr. in the HR derby in what many consider a launching pad at Coors Field.