Why would the captain of the American League's derby team receive such a reception in the hometown of the Royals, an AL team? The crowd answered that question in the form of a chant between boos:
"Bill-y Butler!"
Cano had hinted weeks ago that Royals designated hitter Billy Butler would be one of his selections for the Derby lineup. But when he made his final picks, Cano instead went with the Angels' Mark Trumbo, Detroit's Prince Fielder and Toronto's Jose Bautista.
Bautista has 27 home runs this season, tied for best in the majors. Trumbo has 22, tied for sixth in the AL, and Fielder has 15, tied for 18th. Butler has 16 home runs, which is tied for 16th in the AL.
"It's not like I didn't pick him because I didn't like him,'' Cano said afterward. "Just a tough decision. I didn't pick Adam Dunn, who had [25] bombs. You had Edwin Encarnacion, who had 23. The thing is you get to pick three guys. It's a tough decision.''
A Fielder vs. Bautista final may have justified his selections in the end, but the Royals-friendly crowd never let up on Cano, even long after he was eliminated from the competition.
"I [won't] say it was low-class,'' Cano said. "This is for the fans, and that's what they felt like. It didn't bother me at all.''
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