SEATTLE — It’s MLB All-Star week, and now that the Futures Game and Celebrity Softball Game are over, it’s time for the Home Run Derby at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.
The eight participants and the brackets are set, meaning it’s time to find out who will win the Derby. Will New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso win for his third time and tie Ken Griffey Jr’s record, or will another player take the crown?
The event begins at 8 PM ET on Monday night and airs on ESPN.
In 2015, MLB changed the format to have players face off against each other in seeded positions by home run totals. The cutoff was June 15, and Luis Robert Jr. was ahead of Pete Alonso on that date, which is why he’s the number one seed.
Here is the seeding:
- No. 1 Luis Robert Jr. vs. No. 8 Adley Rutschman
- No. 2 Pete Alonso vs. No. 7 Julio Rodríguez
- No. 3 Mookie Betts vs. No. 6 Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
- No. 4 Adolis García vs. No. 5 Randy Arozarena
Here are the rules per CBS Sports:
- Each contestant gets three minutes in the first and second rounds to hit as many home runs as possible. Contestants in the finals, or the third round, get two minutes.
- Each contestant gets a bonus of 30 seconds at the end of each regulation period and can earn another 30 seconds if he hits at least one home run 440 feet.
- Each contestant gets one 45-second time-out during each regulation period. Timeouts can not be called during bonus time.
- Any round ending in a tie will be decided by a 60-second "swing off" with no timeouts or bonus time. If there is still a tie after that, there will be successive three-swing "swing offs" until the tie is broken.
- There is a $2.5 million prize pool. The Home Run Derby champion gets a cool $1 million.
Here are your participants:
Luis Robert Jr., White Sox
Current season total: 26 home runs
Robert is the first White Sox player to participate in the derby since Todd Frazier in 2016. The only White Sox winner in the derby so far was Hall of Famer Frank Thomas, who won in 1995.
Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles
Current season total: 12 home runs
Rutschman, a switch hitter, is a first-time All-Star and derby participant. 2023 will be the second straight year a switch hitter has been in the derby. The last one was José Ramirez of the White Sox, who Juan Soto eliminated in the first round.
Pete Alonso, New York Mets
Current season total: 26
Alonso won the award in 2019 and 2021, so will he continue the pattern and win again in 2023? He’s hit 174 home runs in only three derbies and holds the lead in that category. Albert Pujols is in a distant second with 106 home runs, and he did that in five derbies.
Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners
Current season total: 13
Rodriguez hit 81 home runs last year and 31 in one round to eliminate Alonso. He’s looking to become the fourth hometown player to take home the crown. Bryce Harper did it in 2019, Todd Frazier as a member of the Reds in 2015, and Ryne Sandberg in 1990. Rodriguez also wants to become the second Mariners player to win the derby.
Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers
Current season total: 26
If Betts were leading off in the contest, you could almost guarantee he’d advance to the next round—he hit his 10th leadoff home run against the Angels this past weekend, setting a new franchise record for the Dodgers in July. He’s also on pace for his first 40 home run season.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays
Current season total: 13
Guerrero had a stunning first appearance in the derby in 2019 when he hit 91 home runs, including 40 in a round—both are derby records. If Vlad can win, he and his father, Vladimir Guerrero Sr., will become the first father-son duo to win the derby. Senior did it 16 years ago as a member of the Angels.
Adolis García, Texas Rangers
Current season total: 23
As a first-time participant, García will join Joey Gallo (2021) and Corey Seager (2022) as Texas’ third straight player in three derbies. The last time Texas had a home run derby champion was 30 years ago when slugger Juan Gonzalez won.
Randy Arozarena, Tampa Bay Rays
Current season total: 16
Arozarena is the first Rays player to appear in the Home Run Derby since Carlos Peña in 2009. Arozarena is on pace for a career-high in home runs. He finished with 20 in 2021 and 2022 and is on pace for 30.
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