2023 MLB Home Run Derby Odds - Baseball Betting

2023 MLB Home Run Derby Betting

This has the potential to be one of the best Home Run Derby contests in recent memory. All eight of the contestants participating in this year’s derby are bonafide stars, and the first-round matchups have been set. On the left side of the bracket, No. 1 seed Luis Robert Jr. will take on No. 8 seed Adley Rutschman and No. 4 seed Adolis Garcia will face No. 5 seed Randy Arozarena. Meanwhile, on the right side of the bracket, No. 2 seed Pete Alonso will take on No. 7 seed Julio Rodriguez and No.3 seed Mookie Betts will battle No. 6 seed Vladimir Guerrero Jr. As the event gets closer, there will be Home Run Derby betting available at BookMaker Sportsbook!

The 2023 Home Run Derby will take place on Monday, July 10, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN from T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington.

MLB Betting Lines

2023 Home Run Derby Format

The Home Run Derby has evolved over the years. While baseball is a purist’s sport and any changes to the game itself is met with extreme resistance, changes to the derby have generally been met with acceptance.

Originally, the derby—like the game itself—was void of a clock. Rather than having a set timeframe to hit the ball out, players were given five outs to hit as many homers as they can. Any ball hit that didn’t clear the outfield wall was an out. Until 1990, it was very simple: within those five outs, the player that hit the most home runs won.

While the original format was simple enough, it wasn’t very exciting. So, in 1991, the three-round format was born, allowing players to go head-to-head. The rules around the rounds varied, but the general idea remained: the contestants would be whittled down to two going head-to-head for the title of Home Run Derby champion.

The format was changed again in 2015 and the “outs” were eliminated in favor of a time limit. Eight players are seeded 1-8 based on how many home runs each player has hit so far in the season. The No. 1 seed faces the No. 8 seed, the No. 2 versus the No. 7, the No. 3 versus the No. 6 and the No. 4 vs. the No. 5. Each players get five minutes to hit as many home runs as they can. The winner of each head-to-head matchup advances to the next round and then there are the semifinals and the final. If a tie occurs there is a 1-minute swing-off to declare the winner. Players can get an extra 30 seconds of bonus time in each round if they hit at least one home run measuring 440 feet or more. Each batter is also allowed one time out per round.

MLB Home Run Derby Champions (2000)

Pete Alonso became one of the few players to win the event back-to-back times when he won the competition in 2021. Yoenis Cespedes and Ken Griffey Jr. are the only other players to have won the event in back-to-back contests. A hometown representative has won the Home Run Derby just three times in its history with former Chicago Cub Ryne Sandberg doing it at Wrigley Field in 1990, Todd Frazier of the Cincinnati Reds putting on a show in the Queen City sending blast after blast into the night sky at Great American Ball Park and Bryce Harper thrilled the fans in 2018 at Nationals Park.

Most Home Runs in a Single Round

The structure of the rounds and the derby itself has changed over the years, leaving these numbers a bit hard to compare. Despite the apples to oranges comparison, it’s worth noting some of the familiar names on this list.

Most Home Runs in a Single Derby

Format matters here. The new time limit has made it possible for some of the early records to be obliterated. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit an amazing 91 home runs in the 2019 contest and yet he still didn’t win, as Pete Alonso beat him in the final. We’ve seen a trend recently toward more and more home runs with eight players hitting 50+ home runs since 2018, so 100 homers isn’t inconceivable.

Most All-Time Home Runs

Kudos to Pete Alonso for continuing to give the fans what they want by participating in the Home Run Derby. One of the premier sluggers in the game will take part in his fourth straight Home Run Derby in 2023, and he is far and away the all-time leader when it comes to long balls at this event. As long as he continues to participate, Alonso will only grow his lead in the current head-to-head format too.

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