Brewer Daily News for July 16th: Updates on Nelson, Home Run Derby

Good morning everyone and welcome to the Tuesday edition of Brewer Daily News. Lately, Milwaukee Brewers’ pitching prospect Jimmy Nelson has been making waves in the minor leagues. Secondly, in unrelated news to the Brewers, the MLB’s annual Home Run Derby was last night, with Oakland A’s slugger Yoenis Cespedes winning it all.

Jimmy Nelson will more than likely see time with the Brewers soon. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Nelson, 24, has been working his way up through the Brewers’ farm system, pitching for Triple-A Nashville since June. In the Brewers’ organization, Nelson is currently listed as the number eight prospect and could be up with the team this year. This past Sunday, Nelson pitched with the U.S. Futures’ team in a game against the World Futures. Nelson pitched one scoreless inning and walked one batter.

"“If hard work is what it takes,” Nelson says, “then I’ve got a good chance. This is what I want; this is what we all want. To be up here. I’ll do what I have to do to get here.” – via Brewers.com"

In Nashville this season, Nelson has started in six games and is sitting on a record of 1-3 with an ERA of 3.62. Nelson has had issues with his command before as a starter, possibly citing him in a bullpen role once he’s up in the majors, but he’ll have time to fine tune his work out on the mound.

Last night, the annual Home Run Derby took place at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets. For the American League, captain Robinson Cano selected Chris Davis, Prince Fielder and Yoenis Cespedes to hit along with him. In the National League, captain David Wright selected Pedro Alvarez, Bryce Harper and Michael Cuddyer to bat.

Yoenis Cespedes slugged a total of 32 home runs in last night’s Home Run Derby. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

After the first round, Cano, Wright, Fielder and Alvarez were eliminated, all having less than seven home runs. Cespedes hit 17 home runs, which gave him the clear advantage heading into round two.

In the second round, Davis was only able to slug across four homers, giving him a total of 12 which eliminated him. Cuddyer and Harper both hit eight, but Harper had one more (16) than Cuddyer (15) in the total. Cespedes hit six homers in the second round.

The final round consisted of a battle between Harper and Cespedes. Harper went first, hitting eight home runs. Cespedes would go on to hit nine home runs, beating Harper and winning the Home Run Derby. Cespedes is the first Cuban-born player to win the Derby.

Tonight the American League will play the National League in the 84th All-Star Game. The starters will be Max Scherzer (13-1, 3.19 ERA) for the AL and Matt Harvey (7-2, 2.35 ERA) for the NL with the game beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT on FOX.