The Mid-Summer Classic is upon us, but before the MLB All-Star game on Tuesday night, we have the annual Home Run Derby. This year’s contest takes place at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas and will feature a revamped format.
Gone is the head-to-head brackets from previous years. Now, all eight hitters will compete directly against each other. The top four hitters will move on to the semifinals. If there’s a tie after the first round and bonus period, the tie-breaker is the longest home run hit in the first round.
Once we get to the semifinals, then the brackets come back. The matchups are 4 vs. 1 and 3 vs. 2, based on how many home runs they hit in the first round. If there’s a tie in the semifinals or finals, there will be a 60-second swing-off. If it’s still tied, they’ll go into three-swing “swing-offs” until someone wins.
Another new wrinkle will be a limit on pitches, putting a little more pressure on the player’s personal pitcher. In the first two rounds, batters get three minutes and can see up to 40 pitches, with one 45-second timeout. For the championship round, the hitters only get two minutes and no more than 27 pitches. The timer for the bonus period is gone. Instead, hitters get three outs and can hit as many as they can. If a player hits one longer than 425 feet, they’ll get an extra out.
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Our predictions on who will win are below. Enjoy the Home Run Derby!
CLICK HERE TO BET THE HOME RUN DERBY
Gunnar Henderson, Orioles
Home Runs: 27 | Longest: 430 feet
Alec Bohm, Phillies
Home Runs: 11 | Longest: 427 feet
Pete Alonso, Mets
Home Runs: 18 | Longest: 446 feet
Bobby Witt, Jr., Royals
Home Runs: 15 | Longest: 468 feet
Marcell Ozuna, Braves
Home Runs: 23 | Longest: 446 feet
Jose Ramirez, Guardians
Home Runs: 17 | Longest: 428 feet
Adolis Garcia, Rangers
Home Runs: 17 | Longest: 428 feet
Teoscar Hernandez, Dodgers
Home Runs: 19 | Longest: 431 feet
CLICK HERE TO BET THE HOME RUN DERBY
Jay’s Picks: Teoscar Hernandez (+1000) and Marcell Ozuna (+450)
Bobby’s Picks: Jose Ramirez (+1200) and Pete Alonso (+300)
