Kyle Schwarber, former Middletown HS standout, is top seed in MLB Home Run Derby

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Kyle Schwarber, a former Middletown High School Middies standout who leads the National League with 28 home runs this season, will participate in the 2022 Home Run Derby on July 18 at Dodger Stadium, the Phillies confirmed Tuesday.

It will be Schwarber's second Home Run Derby. When he played for the Chicago Cubs in 2018, he reached the Derby final and finished second to Bryce Harper.

The Braves' Ronald Acuña Jr., the Mets' Pete Alonso, the Cardinals' Albert Pujols, the Guardians' Jose Ramirez, the Mariners' Julio Rodriguez, the Rangers' Corey Seager and the Nationals' Juan Soto also are among confirmed participants. The Angels' Shohei Ohtani reportedly was invited to participate but declined.

Schwarber will be the top seed, taking on No. 8 seed Pujols in the first round.

From Schwarber via Instagram:

From the Phillies via Twitter:

Earlier this week, Schwarber was named a Major League Baseball All-Star for the second consecutive season.

Schwarber, an NL reserve, is one of 13 players on MLB rosters from Greater Cincinnati high schools, University of Cincinnati or Xavier University. Former Madeira High School standout Andrew Benintendi of the Kansas City Royals was named a first-time American League All-Star, and former Cincinnati Bearcats standout Ian Happ of the Cubs, Schwarber's Chicago teammate of from 2017 to 2020, joins Schwarber among the league's reserves.

Last week, Schwarber did an in-game interview with ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" during his team's game against the St. Louis Cardinals and joked during the 2nd inning of the broadcast about how he was unable to fulfill his grandmother's wish for him to emulate National Baseball Hall of Famer and former Big Red Machine great Johnny Bench:

Schwarber was a free agent who played the 2021 postseason and part of last season for the Boston Red Sox after a July trade from the Washington Nationals when he agreed in March to a four-year deal with the Phillies worth about $20 million per year. Days later, the Phillies added free agent and former Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos.

In January, Schwarber became the first to have his Middies' baseball jersey - No. 12 - retired, during halftime of a Middletown boys' basketball game that Schwarber attended at Wade E. Miller Arena. In March, Schwarber was among Middletown Athletic Hall of Fame inductees, for his achievements in football and baseball in the Class of 2011.

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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Kyle Schwarber is top seed in Home Run Derby at Dodger Stadium