Although he was chosen by David Ortiz, Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira has elected not to compete in next week's Home Run Derby in Arizona after not being named to the AL All-Star team.
"If I'm not on the team, I'm not going to go to the Home Run Derby," Teixeira told MLB.com. "It's just too long of a trip, and I'm going to spend those days with my family."
Teixeira was originally chosen to represent the American League by Ortiz, the AL's captain in the Derby, along with Adrian Gonzalez and Jose Bautista.
Now that Teixeira is not competing, Ortiz will choose another player to take his place. Possible replacements include fellow Yankees Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson, and the 2008 Derby champion, Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers. Hamilton, however, chose not to compete in 2009 or 2010.
