Guerrero to pitch to Prince Fielder during All-Star Home Run Derby on Monday

KODAK, TN - Biloxi Shuckers' Hitting Coach Sandy Guerrero has been asked by Texas Rangers' slugger Prince Fielder to be his pitcher during Monday night's All-Star Home Run Derby at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. This will be the sixth time Fielder and his longtime friend Guerrero have teamed up for a Home Run Derby. Fielder and Guerrero won the event in 2009 in St. Louis and again in 2012 in Kansas City.

"Prince is trying to be just the second player in Major League Baseball history to win three Derby's, said Guerrero, as Ken Griffey Jr. is the only player to win three. "It's always fun and I am always glad that he looks to me to be there with him. To be in a room with the best of the best in the game is an incredible moment for anybody."

The two-time champion of the event and Brewers first round pick (seventh overall) in 2002, Fielder will join the eight-man competition on Monday as the No. 7 seed in the newly-formatted Derby. Fielder has 13 home runs this season and 301 over his 11-year Major League career. He will face hometown favorite Todd Frazier of the Cincinnati Reds in the first round. The winner will face off against the Josh Donaldson/Anthony Rizzo winner.

"It's going to be hard no matter who you go with, especially Frazier," Guerrero said of facing Frazier in the first round. "He's in the hometown and has the crowd in front of him. The thing that goes in our favor is that he has to go first. The bottom line is we have to hit more home runs than whoever we're facing. So, the strategy will be to not waste any pitches that are close to the zone, since right now the outs don't count against you. Prince is strong enough to where he can hit balls out anywhere in that park… I guess our strategy is me trying to throw strikes where he likes it he hits it out of the park."

Guerrero enters his 13th season as a coach in the Brewers organization. He previously coached at Double-A Huntsville (2003-08, 2014), where he spent time with Fielder and Triple-A Nashville (2009-11). In addition, he spent two seasons as hitting coordinator from 2012-13. The 48-year-old Guerrero also pitched to Corey Hart during the Derby in 2009 and to Rickie Weeks in 2011.

Asked if he is nervous when he appears at the center of the baseball world for one night, Guerrero added, "I am very nervous. I remember the first one when I was in Triple-A Nashville at the time, and I got the news he was going to the Derby and he called me right after a game said, 'Hey! How are you doing?' And, I was like, 'Hey, Prince. How are you doing?'"

"He had a nice game that day, so I thought he was calling to talk to me about the game and then he goes, 'You have to go with me to St. Louis.' And, I'm like, 'St. Louis? I'm in Nashville right now.' He goes, 'No, for the Home Run Derby.' And, I'm like, 'What?! When is that?' He goes, 'Tomorrow.' I'm like, 'Uh-oh!'"

"So, I got in my car, drove into Huntsville (where I lived), packed my bags, got on a plane to St. Louis, got to St. Louis at 1:30 in the afternoon, took a taxi to the field, put my uniform on, and started throwing to him from right there. But, never the less, there was not one second that I was not nervous. I thought I was going to take a nap on the plane. I was tired, I drove after a game, and through the night, did not sleep well because of the nerves… It was nerve racking."

Before coaching, Guerrero had a 19-year playing career that included stints in the minor leagues with Toronto and Milwaukee. He also played professionally in Mexico, Taiwan and the independent Northern League.

The former infielder played in the Brewers' farm system with Class-A Stockton (1986-88), Double-A El Paso (1989-90) and Triple-A Denver (1991-92). In 1998, Guerrero won a league championship in Taiwan, claiming the batting title with a .361 batting average.

Guerrero's father, Epy, was a renowned Major League scout in the Dominican Republic, while his brother, Mike, is the first base coach with the Brewers. Sandy and his wife, Jessica, reside in Huntsville, Alabama.

This year's Derby will introduce a new streamlined format featuring brackets and timed rounds. Brackets in the first round were seeded based on 2015 home run totals through Tuesday's games. The format is an eight-man, single-elimination, head-to-head tournament. So it's possible that a player in the first round ends up with the second-highest total and is still eliminated. The contestants were seeded based upon season home run totals through Tuesday. The derby will be on a clock. Each hitter has five minutes to hit as many homers as he can with the ability to earn up to 90 more seconds of bonus time based upon distance of home runs.

The Gillette Major League Baseball All-Star Home Run Derby will air on ESPN at 7:00 pm CT on Monday night. Shuckers shortstop Orlando Arcia will play in the Futures Game on Sunday at 2:00 pm CT on MLB Network. Pitching Coach Chris Hook is serving in the same capicity for the U.S. squad during the Futures Game. 

The Shuckers face off against the Tennessee Smokies tonight at 6:05 pm CT in game three of a five-game series. The Shuckers are 2-0 in the current set and 3-4 over the current 10-game road trip. Biloxi has the best record in the Southern League at 51-32 and tied for first place in the second half with an 8-7 record.

Tickets are currently on-sale for the next homestand at MGM Park, which begins on Wednesday, July 15 and runs through Tuesday, July 21 against the Chattanooga Lookouts (MIN) and Mobile BayBears (ARI). The next Post-Game Fireworks show is Friday, July 17.

In addition to purchasing tickets at the MGM Park Box Office, fans may also use the options listed below from Ticketmaster. In order to purchase tickets over the phone, please call Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000. The MGM Park Box Office does not process any phone sales. All phone sales must be made through Ticketmaster with the number provided.

In order to purchase tickets online, please visit www.ticketmaster.com or www.BiloxiShuckers.com. Tickets may also be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets. Please visit www.ticketmaster.com for additional locations in your area. ** There are no refunds or exchanges for individual game tickets**