2023 MLB Home Run Derby: Format, expert staff picks and more

Technically, Major League Baseball brands this gap in the schedule as the All-Star Break, but there’s one event far more important to MLB lore than an exhibition between big names who only play a few innings each — the Home Run Derby.

Let’s face it, people just want to see dingers. And this year’s field should provide plenty of them Monday night at T-Mobile Park in Seattle beginning at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

As a reminder on the format: each player is assigned a seed No. 1-8 based on their home run total through July 4 and will have to advance through their bracket draw to win the title.

Here’s how that looks for round one:

(1) Luis Robert Jr. vs. (8) Adley Rutschman
(2) Pete Alonso vs. (7) Julio Rodríguez
(3) Mookie Betts vs. (6) Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
(4) Adolis García vs. (5) Randy Arozarena

The winner of Robert vs. Rutschman will face the winner of Garcia vs. Arozarena to reach the championship round. The winner between Betts and Guerrero will compete against the winner of Alonso and Rodriguez for the same right.

Batters will get three minutes per round in the first and second rounds and two minutes in the final round. Players can earn 30 seconds of bonus time by hitting two home runs that travel at least 440 feet and they can also use one, 45-second timeout during each round. Whoever hits the most home runs in each round wins. Home run totals do not carry over to the next round.

Rodriguez is looking to become the second Mariners star to win the derby after Ken Griffey Jr. and the fourth player to win in his home ballpark — joining Bryce Harper (2019), Todd Frazier (2015) and Ryne Sandberg (1990). If Vlad wins, he’ll make MLB history with his dad, Vlad Sr., as the first father-son duo to each claim derby title on their resume.

Alonso, meanwhile, is attempting to become the second player ever to win the derby three times (also Griffey Jr.). Aside from the history, the winner gets a cool $1 million along with a Seattle-inspired home run chain.

JUST IN: The 2023 Home Run Derby Chain has been revealed pic.twitter.com/Mhz1NewBpO

— MLB Life (@MLBLife) July 6, 2023

All of which is to say Monday night is going to be fun. Here are some of our bets to make it all little more exciting.

[betwidget_gambbetmgm]