Angels' Shohei Ohtani first player to commit to Home Run Derby

According to Alden Gonzalez of ESPN, Ohtani is the first player to officially commit to participating in this year's event, the first Japanese-born player to take part in an MLB Home Run Derby, and the first individual to do so after making at least one MLB pitching start. 

Per ESPN stats, Ohtani heads into Friday's action third in all of MLB with 19 home runs on the season. As Rhett Bollinger of the league's website noted, Angels manager Joe Maddon recently said he's good with Ohtani participating in the Derby and also the All-Star Game as a dual-threat. 

Chicago White Sox rookie Yermin Mercedes and New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso are among players who have expressed interest in competing in this year's Derby. Alonso won the 2019 Derby held at Progressive Field in downtown Cleveland, while last year's All-Star festivities were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.