The 2010 Home Run Derby competitors are gradually being unveiled, and it should all lead up nicely to the typical, power-packed slugfest.

Thus far, the participants include Miguel Cabrera, Robinson Cano, David Ortiz, Vernon Wells, Corey Hart, and Matt Holliday.

These six certainly represent a great variety of home run hitters but the lineup could stand to take on a little pizazz.

L.A. Angels ace Jered Weaver was officially named to the American League All-Star team this afternoon, according to MLB.com and confirmed by the Angels.

Weaver will be replacing New York Yankees ace CC Sabathia, who manager Joe Girardi says will not be able to pitch due to the way their rotation schedule is playing out.

Weaver will probably not be able to pitch for the same reason, unless tonight's game against the Chicago White Sox is postponed. The game is currently in a 45-minute rain delay.

The All-Star teams were announced two days ago, and, as always, the fans, players, and managers all made some idiotic decisions .

So Bleacher Report's Featured Columnists decided to see if we could do better.

In this slideshow are the results of a poll conducted during the last week of All-Star voting.

Yesterday I took a look at the July 31 trade deadline needs of the buyers in the National League East, so today I will look at the needs of the buyers in the National League Central.

Unlike the East, which had four teams as potential buyers, the Central only has two teams that should be buyers — the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals.

The Milwaukee Brewers are kind of hanging around, but unless they go on a tear in July, they shouldn’t be buyers. The Chicago Cubs are a mess and we all know the plight of the Houston Astros and Pittsburgh Pirates.

So, we're now more than halfway through the MiLB season.

And what an incredible season it has been for one of the up-and-coming leagues in American sports.

Here’s a look at the unheralded players who played well yesterday.

I guess now we know why he couldn't stop eating. Rim-shot! From the Bloomington Pantagraph :

Will they ever get it right?

Since the All-Star game counts for home-field advantage of the World Series they should try to get it right.

Right off the bat, why is there need for a replacement DH? So we have to find the second-best DH instead of making that spot for someone more deserving?

Cue David Ortiz:

.259 BA, .364 OBP, 17 HR, 54 RBI, 43 R

Snub Paul Konerko and Kevin Youkilis:

Konerko - .296 BA, .384 OBP, 20 HR, 57 RBI, 46 R

The 2010 MLB trading deadline draws near and the temperature on the hot stove is being turned up as we head into the all-star break. Teams are lining up who they will pursue and the price tag any acquisition will come with.

Heavy focus has been centered around Seattle Mariners left-hander Cliff Lee but there are many, many options out there teams could go after instead of Lee or others. Nevertheless, many notable players figure to change uniforms over the next three weeks.

In my “10 things we learned about baseball in June” post, I referred to June as the “Month of the Injury.” In June we saw star players such as Dustin Pedroia, Victor Martinez, Chase Utley, and Jason Heyward, amongst others, hit the disabled list.

Now it looks like July is picking up right where June left off. Though the first four days we have seen a lot of quality players hit the DL. Let’s take a look.