Oakland Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes successfully defended his title in the 2014 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby on Tuesday at the Target Field in Minneapolis.

Cespedes overpowered Cincinnati Reds third baseman Todd Frazier, 9-1, in the final round of this year's Home Run Derby to become the first back-to-back winner of the event since Ken Griffey, who won the 1998 and 1999 editions of the All-Star skills event.

Cespedes paced himself throughout the contest and saved his best for the final round as he made things look easy, hitting home runs into the second and third decks, including a 452-foot homer, which was adjudged as the longest shot of the event.

"I'm somebody who's very conscious of the power that I have," Cespedes said via ESPN. "So I don't need to put more of a swing or more of an effort in order to hit a home run. I just have to look for a good pitch and put a good swing on it, and it usually takes care of it."

Cespedes was actually on the verge of being eliminated in the first round after hitting just three home runs and ended up tied with Athletics teammate Josh Donaldson.

The defending champion, who has 14 home runs and 56 RBIs this season, squeaked into the second round with a 2-1 win over his teammate in the tiebreaker.

After struggling in the opening round, the 28-year-old Cespedes got into the groove, defeating Adam Jones, 9-3, in the second round and Jose Bautista, 7-4, in the third round.

Frazier, who has 19 home runs and 53 RBIs this season, also needed a tiebreaker against Justin Morneau in the second round.

The 28-year-old slugger then defeated Troy Tulowitzki in the second round, before advancing to the finals with just one home run against Giancarlo Stanton, who failed to hit a homer in the semifinals.

Frazier had the luxury of choosing who would hit first in the final round after winning the coin toss. He opted to bat second, thinking that Cespedes was tired after the semifinals, but it actually backfired as the defending champion picked up from where he left off in the previous round.

"I thought he'd be a little tired. But he wasn't. Obviously," Frazier said after the event.

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