After hitting 13 homers and driving in 28 runs in May, Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder was named National League Player of the Month. In recognition of his achievement, Fielder will receive a trophy for his display case and a trophy television set for his living room.

The Sharp Aquos LC-52D92U -- a 52-inch, high-definition, flat-panel LCD gift from a big-time Major League Baseball sponsor -- would provide the perfect gathering spot for Fielder and his family to relax while watching movies and big events like the 78th All-Star Game, which is to be held five weeks from tonight in San Francisco.

There is, of course, one potentially significant problem with the latter part of that plan.

Fielder is a virtual lock to participate in the all-star festivities next month at AT&T Park. He leads the league with 20 homers and trails first-place Albert Pujols by 87,000 votes in fan balloting for a starting position.

"I'd be stunned if Prince didn't go," said veteran outfielder Geoff Jenkins, who was voted onto the all-star team by fans in 2003. "I think it's going to be a great experience for him."

Asked if he had made any other plans for the second week in July, the soft-spoken Fielder smiled and said "Not really. I was just going to hang out here (in Milwaukee)."

And if baseball has other ideas...

"That would be great," Fielder said. "But, I really haven't thought about it too much. It's not something I can control, so I don't worry about it. I just want to keep on doing what I've been doing."

Given his lead in the home-run standings, it's very likely that Fielder will be one of eight players asked to participate in the Home Run Derby that is the highlight of Workout Day preceding the All-Star Game.

Fielder said he has participated in one home run derby during his career -- the one that preceded the Class AA All-Star Game when he was with Huntsville. "I hit a couple," he said, adding that the experience of hitting in front of a crowd without a batting cage felt "a little weird."

Much like the game next month, Fielder hasn't given the upcoming Derby much thought. "I'm sure it would probably be cool, but I never really thought about doing that," he said.

Asked if he watched previous derby's on TV, Fielder said "I watch them all. Especially around the all-star break, when they show all of them. I like watching those. I like to see the guys from back in the day. I think that's pretty cool."

Based on the experience of previous Brewers participants, Fielder's inclusion in the derby could cause a mixture of excitement and concern. All three Milwaukee players to partake in the Home Run Derby -- Jeromy Burnitz in 1999, Richie Sexson in 2002 and Carlos Lee in 2005 -- saw their power production dip after the "break." Here is a look at their batting average, homers and RBI before and after the all-star break:

Burnitz: .281, 26, 73 (before); .247, 7, 30 (after).

Sexson: .282, 19, 62 (before); .275, 10, 40 (after).

Lee: .268, 22, 76 (before); .262, 10, 38 (after).

Although he suffered a broken hand when he was hit by a pitch four days after the All-Star Game, Burnitz later attributed some of his second-half problems to bad habits formed while swinging for the fences. Sexson also was troubled by hamstring issues after his all-star appearance. Lee seemed to run out of steam. Other players, notably 2005 winner Bobby Abreu, have experienced fatigue and swing issues after the Home Run Derby.

Brewers hitting coach Jim Skaalen is aware of the potential for problems, but doesn't think Fielder will be impacted.

"I don't think he'll change his approach," Skaalen said. "I really don't. It's easy for me to sit here and say that. But, I think one of the reasons why he's doing what he's doing is the consistency of his approach out there. He's staying in a great hitting position and his tempo is perfect most of the time.

"You can see where a lot of those guys struggle. I like to think that he knows what's got him to where he is and he can stay within what he's doing. He's a quick study. The at-bats where his swing does leave him, he gets right back on track so quickly.

"If Prince participates, I don't see him getting in any troubles."

Brewers bench coach Dale Sveum, who throws batting practice to Fielder before nearly every game, was an all-star coach while with Boston in 2005 and threw to Red Sox slugger David Ortiz.

"Ortiz had one of the best rounds ever, but he got beat by Abreu that year," Sveum said. "I'm pretty sure that Ortiz scuffled for a few weeks (after the Derby). I don't know if it was scuffling, or if he didn't hit a home run for two or three weeks after that. But, I can see how that would happen. You have to change something to try to hit homers. And, it's a lot of swings that you change."

Both Sveum and Skaalen agreed with an opinion that is gaining ground throughout the major leagues: the home run derby, which debuted in 1985 and has evolved into one of ESPN's higher-rated programs, is too long.

"It's a different ordeal," Sveum said. "Guys take a lot of pitches. B.P. (batting practice) is a rhythm type of thing. What you see now is that everybody takes pitches, especially when they get tired. They take a pitch. They hit. They take a pitch. They hit. It just seems like the (derby) drags on. They probably should tweak it. There is a burnout factor there."

Fielder, who played his first full big-league season a year ago, began to experience a little burnout in August and September. As the innings and games mounted and his batting average dipped, he tried to compensate by driving himself harder in the batting cage. He learned a valuable lesson about diminishing returns.

"I told myself I wasn't going to do that this year," Fielder said. "I like hitting. It's fun for me. But, I didn't realize that it was making me tired at the same time."

When he arrived in Arizona this season, Fielder vowed not to leave good swings in the cage.

"We hit a lot in spring training. But, I told myself that once the season starts, I'll just kind of get loose in BP and see what happens. Ski (Skaalen) has helped me with that. If I'm getting frustrated, sometimes I'll hit one good and he'll say "That's it." Hitting is a lot of fun, but sometimes you don't realize that it's making you tired. That's what kills you.

"If I didn't do that to myself (last year), I would have never known about that. But, now I know what I need to do. It's something you have to go through."

Jenkins, who learned similar lessons as a young player, doesn't worry about Fielder swinging himself into a slump during the Derby.

"What's he supposed to do, say no?" Jenkins asked, chuckling. "How would that look for a young player? I don't think Prince will have any problems at all. He hits homers in BP every day and it doesn't affect him. If he came back (from the Home Run Derby) and started swinging the bat good, would anybody say that (the Derby) was why?

"Prince is going to be fine. He can hit. That's the bottom line. The man can hit."