Trumbo to participate in next week's Home Run Derby

For the fourth year in a row, an Orioles player will try to capture a Home Run Derby title.

Following Wednesday's win over the Dodgers, Orioles slugger Mark Trumbo told reporters he will take part in this year's event, which will feature four hitters from both the American League and National League.

"I'm doing it," Trumbo said on participating in the event.

Let's chalk that brief comment up to being a little tired after a 14-inning game to end an even longer road trip. In any case, this year's Home Run Derby will feature the league's top home run hitter.

Trumbo has been one of baseball's biggest surprises this season. Traded by the Seattle Mariners in the offseason, Trumbo signed a one-year contract with the Orioles and has easily surpassed expectations. His 26 home runs are the most in the major leagues, and helped lead him to just his second All-Star Game appearance. The 30-year-old outfielder/designated hitter hybrid has always been labeled as a power hitter, but his home run total this season is even more impressive considering he hit a combined 36 home runs over the last two seasons.

This won't be Trumbo's first rodeo in the Derby, however. In 2012, Trumbo competed as a member of the Angels in Kansas City, finishing third overall. He hit seven home runs in the initial round to advance, but fell short in the semifinals against Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista. Bautista lost in the finals to Prince Fielder.

Oddly enough, 2012 was the last time an Orioles player didn't compete in the Derby. Chris Davis took part in the 2013 event at Citi Field, smacking 12 home runs en route to a fourth-place finish. In 2014, Adam Jones made it to the second round, but was outslugged by then-Athletics outfielder and eventual champion Yoenis Cespedes. Last year, Manny Machado competed in a revamped Home Run Derby. Players competed in an eight-man, bracket-style format. Despite hitting 12 home runs - the fourth-highest total in the opening round - Machado lost to the Dodgers' Joc Pederson, who hit 13.

There hasn't been any official word on the format for this year's event, though the bracket-style competition was met with success from fans last July. The Derby featured a four-minute clock where players tried to hit as many home runs as they could. The clock added a sense of urgency from the hitters and helped speed things along, a welcomed shakeup from previous years where the Derby would last upwards of four hours.

Participants for this year's Home Run Derby are still trickling in as players accept invites, but as of Thursday, Trumbo will be joined by the Dodgers' Corey Seager and the White Sox' Todd Frazier. Frazier won last year's Derby in Cincinnati representing the host Reds.