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Let’s make our picks for the 2023 MLB Home Run Derby.
The field at the 2023 MLB Home Run Derby features some of the biggest power hitters in baseball — even if it’s a disappointment that Shohei Ohtani won’t be participating. The derby adopted a bracket format in 2014 that puts eight hitters in a head-to-head competition, where the goal is to hit more home runs than your opponent during each round. The winner of each matchup advances until a champion is determined.
Chicago White Sox slugger Luis Robert is the top seed in this year’s derby after entering the All-Star break with 26 home runs. New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso also has 26 dingers on the year, and is looking to become the event’s first three-time winner since Ken Griffey Jr. did it in the ‘90s. Julio Rodriguez of the Seattle Mariners is the hometown favorite. As a rookie last season, Rodriguez hit 81 total homers, including 32 in one round, but ultimately fell to champion Juan Soto. Rodriguez’s 81 derby homers were the second most all-time.
The 2023 MLB Home Run Derby takes place on Monday, July 10 from T-Mobile Park in Seattle. It’s set to begin at 8 p.m. ET. Here’s everything you need to know, including our prediction for the champ:
MLB Home Run Derby bracket 2023
Here’s the matchups for the derby:
No. 1 Luis Robert, White Sox vs. No. 8 Adley Rutschman, Orioles
No. 4 Adolis Garcia, Rangers vs. No. 5 Randy Arozarena, Rays
Winner of each matchup faces each other for the right to advance to championship round.
No. 2 Pete Alonso, Mets vs. No. 7 Julio Rodriguez, Mariners
No. 3 Mookie Betts, Dodgers vs. No. 6 Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays
Winner of each matchup faces each other for the right to advance to championship round.
MLB Home Run Derby rules for 2023
The Home Run Derby is a bracket-style contest where hitters are paired in a head-to-head matchup to see who can smack as many home runs as possible. If a player finishes with more homers than their opponent, they will advance to the next round until a winner is crowned.
Batters get three minutes in the first two rounds, and two minutes in the championship round, to smack homers. Per MLB.com, the clock starts for the round when the first pitch is released. The round at the buzzer for the round, but if a pitch has been released the batter can still hit it for a home run that will count for their total.
Here’s more on the rules from DK Nation, including overtime tiebreakers and timeout rules:
Batters will have three minutes to hit as many home runs as they can and are granted one timeout to be used per round. The timeouts will last 45 seconds and serve as a breather for the hitter and their pitcher. Each player has the chance to earn an additional 30 seconds of bonus time if they hit two home runs that travel at least 440 feet during regulation. If the competitors are tied at the end of the round, the matchup will move to a tiebreaker in which each hitter will get one minute to hit as many home runs as they can. If that doesn’t decide things, we move to a swing-off, with each hitter alternating sets of three swings.
The one-minute tiebreak gives way to a “swing-off” if a winner isn’t determined. In the swing-off, batters will get three pitches to hit until a winner is determined.
Home Run Derby predictions 2023
I’ll take Robert over Rutschman, and Garcia over Arozarena in round one on the left side of the bracket. On the right side of the bracket. I’ll pick Alonso over Rodriguez, and Guerrero Jr. to upset Betts.
Give me Garcia over Robert and Alonso over Guerrero in round two. I’ll pick Alonso to defeat Garcia in the title round, and claim his third Home Run Derby title.
How to watch 2023 Home Run Derby
Date: Monday, July 10
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Location: T-Mobile Park, Seattle, WA
TV: ESPN
Stream: WatchESPN
