Staff Picks: 2023 MLB Homerun Derby
Derby picks from our writers
The 2023 Home Run Derby is tonight. This season it is hosted in Seattle, Washington. The seeds are: 1) Luis Roberts, 2) Pete Alonso, 3) Mookie Betts, 4) Adolis Garcia, 5) Randy Arozarena, 6) Vlad Guerrero Jr, 7) Julio Rodriguez, 8) Adley Rutschman.
The field features budding and current superstars. Credit to the MLB for having an event that their premier players want to be a part of.
Matt Poirier (@BSTRONG415) - Vlad Guerrero Jr.: I went back and forth on this one, but give me Vlad over Luis Roberts in the finals. Vlad’s swing is made for the Home Run derby. Among the contestants, per Statcast the Toronto Blue Jays slugger has the highest hard hit % at 56.3. He also has the highest average exit velocity in the derby at 94.3 MPH. The 24 year old has had an off year with only 13 long balls, but 10 of those have been on the road.
Steven Brown (@StevenBrownMLB) - Adolis Garcia: Don’t sleep on a guy with raw power like Garcia. The guy can absolutely mash and might feel compelled to go the extra mile knowing there’s some friendly competition playing alongside him with childhood best friend Randy Arozarena also competing in the tournament.
Chris Henrique (@ChrisHenrique) - Randy Arozarena: Whenever he’s been on baseball biggest stage, Arozarena has shined. The Rays’ superstar left fielder has been won the AL Rookie of the Year, ALCS MVP and he’s a career .333 hitter in the postseason with 11 homers and 17 RBIs. He’s a big game player and now he has a chance to elevate his status by winning the Home Run derby. With 16 homers heading into the break, he will have a tough task in the first round against García. I like guys who perform in the clutch on the big stage, I’m Team Arozarena tonight.
Andrew Parker (ByAndrewParker) - Pete Alonso: How on Earth can I not pick Pete Alonso? He has won two of the last three of these events and contains some of the best raw power of the group tonight. Alonso hit 35 home runs in the first round in 2021, so he is very capable to putting up a big number tonight and winning this thing.
Jamie Gatlin (@JamieGatlin17) - Pete Alonso: While this year’s bracket is stacked with young stars, Pete Alonso will win the third derby of his MLB career. The Mets slugger has hit 174 home runs overall in his three derby appearances. In an event where Alonso thrives, the Polar Bear is hard to bet against. He takes down Adolis Garcia in the finals.