Major League Baseball has finalized the eight-person field for next Monday’s Home Run Derby. The full list of participants:
- Mets 1B Pete Alonso
- Phillies 3B Alec Bohm
- Rangers OF Adolis García
- Orioles SS Gunnar Henderson
- Dodgers OF Teoscar Hernández
- Braves DH Marcell Ozuna
- Guardians 3B José Ramírez
- Royals SS Bobby Witt Jr.
Alonso and García return from last year’s event. The New York first baseman is in the event for the fifth consecutive time. Alonso won back-to-back times in 2019-21 (there was no Derby in 2020 because of the pandemic) but has successively been knocked out by Julio Rodríguez in the last two events. García was dropped by Randy Arozarena in the first round last year. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. won the event but decided not to try to defend his title.
This year’s festivities are taking place at Arlington’s Globe Life Field. Under the collective bargaining agreement, the Derby winner will receive $1MM. The runner-up takes home $500K, while every other participant receives $150K. The player who hits the longest home run wins $100K.
This year’s event involves a few rule changes, as Buster Olney of ESPN recently wrote. The first round no longer features head-to-head matchups. The top four home run hitters will move to the second round, with the longest homer serving as a tiebreaker. MLB is also limiting hitters to 40 swings per round and is changing the bonus round from a clock to a limit of three outs (four if a player hit a 425-foot homer in the bonus round).
why does this seem very…. weak
Because it is. Great talent. No mega stars like Judge Trout Harper Ohtani etc. Not many next level stars. Does have have some young stars and Pete.
How many actually watch? it’s not what it was. For a real competition, let MLB pick the pitchers. The old weekly series from the 50s or 60s was fun even in reruns because of the stars and format. I know I won’t be watching.
metsfan79 Perhaps maybe you should watch more baseball if this seems weak to you
He’s not wrong. None of the home run leaders are on that list.
#2, 5, and 6 in NL
#2, 3, and two players that are tied at #11 in AL
Only ones not among top HR hitters is Witt who is an up and coming superstar and Bohm.
Agreed. Missing the big names.
Always ends up being an enjoyable watch regardless.
@vogt Witt and Henderson are literally the next in line to be among the faces of MLB. Id rather watch this than that ogre judge or the troll Alonso take big dope batting practice.
Yeah I know right? Who wants to watch the best power hitter in the game launch dingers. “Ogre Judge!?” Really bruh? Someone’s got the napoleon complex lol.
HatlessPete, not really Napoleon complex calling Judge an ogre, but ok …
He’s like an onion. He has layers.
I think Pete wins it but I’m rooting for Teo.
Never doubt a past champ. I expect Pete and Adolis in the finals.
Agreed. Alonso’s won what? 2 already and Garcia is fun to watch swing the bat
The derby is just needlessly complicated anymore. Why is it an endurance competition? We tune in to see power hitters hit nukes, not which 5 tool 20-something wunderkinds can hit the most fence scrapers in 40 swings. Let em take all night if they have to if it means we can see Judge and Ohtani and the rest of the game’s most prolific power hitters showcase the game without fear of injury.
ntorsky: Obviously none of these players are doing it for the money. That’s also why Ohtani and judge don’t have to participate. They’re leading their respective leads in HR’s, so why bother? They have nothing to prove. I think some of the participants want bragging rights. But someone like Alonso is very competitive and it would cool to win it for a third time.
“Obviously none of these players are doing it for the money.”
I would disagree on this. Alonso made about the same in winning his first homerun derby by itself than his first two seasons in the majors. Its probably why you see a lot of younger players do it. Also im sure when Boras or any agent comes to the table they will use he is a two time homerun champ to get a few more dollars and probably use it if they ever go to arbitration.
If he wins Gunnar will actually make more from this than his season salary this year. Even runner up he is pretty close (750k salary vs 500k runner up)
Nobody in history has ever been injured swinging a baseball bat before
Stanton begs to differ
@losrojos that’s an ignorant statement as it happens quite often.
The home run derby is Pete Alonso’s World Series. Hopefully they trade him at the break for some young talent. I watch him everyday, hes no allstar. He wants way too much money, good riddance
Alonso could pull a Juan Soto where he wins it and then moves teams
Alonso to Houston?
There’s zero percent chance Alonso gets traded so don’t bother.
It’s time for you to become a fan of another team.
What a weak lineup. It’s obvious that major stars don’t want any part of this. Glad to at least see Henderson there though.
Wish Judge would go up against the Alonso
I’m not a Judge fan, but he would be awesome in the derby.
His 2017 derby performance was so memorable. He hit moonshots and several 500+ ft home runs. It was an amazing display.
The guy can certainly hit monster shots. I don’t like him, but I’d welcome him with open arms if he joined my favorite team haha.
Where did Julio Rodriguez go? I thought he was like Alonso and Griffey where he would constantly participate in it
Tbh he probably doesn’t deserve to with his horrible season so far
Also where is vladdy? He could try to make history by defending his title
Why no Juan Soto after winning it in 2022? No judge? Harper?
Why is bohm and teo here does no one want to participate in the event
All your answers are a click away? Have you heard of GOOGLE
You realize these guys decide whether to accept the invite or not
Les Nessman agrees on Julio Rodrigees.
Why would a player like Julio take time away from a break, a short vac. To participate if not in all star game? Doesn’t need the money but time away might be best thing for him right now.
Julio probably doesn’t need anything else messing with his swing rn.
Homerun derby watchers are for 2 people:
Compulsive gamblers
Brainless drones
Which one do you fall under?
The username easily answers that question.
Compulsive Drone?
First time on the internet if you take that username at face value and not that of a troll looking for ironic clicks.
No his is definitely at face value. Nothing Ironic about his name.
He’s a liberal, so he’s a brainless drone.
3 extremely overrated players
1 3rd best player in MLB
1 Average OF
1 Player who the Braves hypocritically gave 3rd chances too
2 Great 3b
that ‘3rd chance’ had paid off huh?!…can’t wait to see the triggered response! lol
He should’ve been blackballed from MLB for what he did. He’s a scumbag.
I’m a Huge Braves fan & I don’t agree with what Ozuna has done..but I would rather have him than a guy who is sexually exposing a young girl like what Wander Franco has done..he’s the one who deserves a lifetime ban
Wander Franco deserves much worse than a lifetime ban.
Growing up in the 80s and 90s, the various sport’s leagues all-star game skills contests were can’t miss tv. Everyone I knew watched the slam dunk contest or home run derby and it attracted every big name in the sport. Nowadays players can’t be bothered, obviously they’re making more than ever before but it just seems like they don’t care about putting on a show for the fans anymore and it’s only about them. They used to participate for free to put on a show, now the league has to pay them in an effort to convince them to show up and they still don’t want to participate. I guess I’m just glad to grow up when I did knowing it will never be like that again.
It’s work; they should be paid.
They are already very highly compensated. All-star games are for the fans and to promote the game, at least they used to be. Maybe all sports need to do away with all-star games all together since the players don’t want to be there anyways.
Ain’t that the truth… man.
Home Run derby’s should be done for charity, IMO.
I think you should work for charity in my opinion.
I do work for a charity you jerk off
Yeah, if everyone did at least 8 hours a month of volunteering, the world might be a better place.
You give your pay check to charity jerk off? I call bs.
The entire all star week is for charity. it always has been. what are you even talking about?
“The Home Run Derby prize pool totals $2.5 million, with the winner collecting $1 million and the runner-up $750,000.”
Yep.
Still don’t understand how Bohm was even a choice. Love the guy, but he doesn’t hit home runs.
Ozuna? Really?
A night the entire sports world will focus on baseball they roll out a woman beater to promote the game.
Bauer should throw to him. Full circle.
hard sex isn’t women beating
It is if she said no at any point but he continued.
She also is under indictment for lying and embezzlement, so there’s that…
Not an Elly bandwagon guy but him not being here seems like a massive miss
Agreed. Showcase the young stars.
Wow Pete Alonso greatness spanning two decades. Good to see an Ozuna rebound.
Does the collective bargaining agreement have every major game in Texas now?
All star game was planned in 2020 for this season. Rangers won the World Series a year before they were supposed to be a world series type team. has nothing to do with the agreement. it just happened that way.
Ozuna gonna blast em
“Phrasing!” – Sterling Archer
heard by his girlfriend right before he hit her.
I hope Jose Ramirez gets in a groove, think he could hit a bunch if he gets in a rhythm.
He should either hit from the left side or do what adley rutschman did and swing with both
I remember in his last one he would only hit gapper doubles and the commentators chuckled about it
Darn. I wanted Chadwick Tromp and Nicky Lopez to get in.
My money is on Gunnar.
I would have loved to have seen Oneil Cruz in that mix
Ozuna for me.
Maybe he can hit home runs harder than he hits his wife.
The writer got this wrong
it is NOT 40 swings. it is 40 PITCHES. which means these hitters better have the best BP guys throwing to them or else its not gonna be good at all
That’s rough. Don’t get acunas guy. He threw him sliders all last year
Still don’t understand why MLB is letting someone participate who was suspended for choking and hitting his wife. Yes, I know, all Braves fans will say that it wasn’t entirely true, or some other nonsense. Protect him all you want, but he has patterned behavior and if Bauer is blackballed, he should be too.