Mike Moustakas to participate in ASG Home Run Derby

We don’t know if Mike Moustaks will win the “Final Five” vote to be an All-Star, but we do know he is headed to Miami.

ESPN’s Buster Olney reports that Mike Moustakas has been invited to participate in next week’s Home Run Derby, along with Yankees sluggers Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge, and Twins third baseman Miguel Sano for the American League squad. The National League squad will feature Dodgers rookie Cody Bellinger, Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon, and Marlins sluggers Giancarlo Stanton and Justin Bour. Bour is also in the “Final Five” vote.

Moustakas is tied for fifth in the American League with 22 home runs, tying a career high and putting him on pace to shatter Steve Balboni’s too-long-held record of 36 set in 1985.

The announcement comes as a bit of a surprise; he is currently in the Final Five voting for a place at the All-Star Game and other candidates were perceived to be bigger ‘gets.’ It is possible that a lot of other people said no, but there’s no question that Moustakas deserves to participate. He will be the first Royal to participate in the derby since Danny Tartabull in 1991. The only other participant in Royals history was Bo Jackson in 1989.

Let’s hope Moustakas hits more home runs than Robinson Cano did in 2012. It shouldn’t be that hard, considering Cano hit zero.

The Home Run Derby airs live on Monday, July 10 at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN.