As the reigning Home Run Derby champion and this coming All-Star Game’s hometown hero, Giancarlo Stanton is one of two leading favorites expected to win this week.
Apart from having virtual home-field advantage playing half of his time in Marlins Park, Miami’s Stanton is also the current epitome of a Home Run Derby great, having just broken the contest’s record for most homers last year (61). Not only that, he also holds three of the top-five records for longest home runs ever since ESPN started tracking home run distances in 2009. However, he’s not the man situated on the top spot of said list, which actually belongs to his fellow rival at this year’s HR Derby.
Prediction: Stanton nearly pulls off the repeat before falling in the final round to the next man featured here.
Most of the New York Yankees’ recent success can be attributed to one man: Aaron Judge. The six-foot-seven outfielder is the current leader in the majors in home runs (30), and it was his 496-foot blast in mid-June that set a new record for the longest home run since 2009.
Judge is on pace to hit over 60 homers this season, which would put him in company with only five players in MLB history who’ve accomplished such a feat. Three of those mashers are even alleged culprits of steroid abuse from the late-90’s and early 00’s, whereas Judge is knocking balls out of parks this year with sheer power as well as precision – the Fresno State product is also currently third in the AL in batting average (.329).
Prediction: Even though he fails to break last year’s record set by the Marlins slugger, Judge still does enough damage in the final round versus Stanton to win this year’s edition of the Derby.
If not for Judge’s banner campaign, Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger should’ve been the toast of the majors amongst all rookies. At just 21 years of age and despite making his first big-league appearance almost a month into the regular season, Bellinger has gone yard 25 times already, one shy of Stanton’s NL-best mark of 26.
Having played most of his games in pitcher-friendly Dodgers Stadium works to Bellinger’s advantage as well. Considering that Marlins Park has fallen victim to Stanton’s gigantic blasts time and again, the Scottsdale native may just turn some heads this week with an impressive and abundant display of power himself.
Prediction: Bellinger nearly outduels Judge in the semifinal round.
He may not have home-run distance records to his credit yet, but Minnesota’s Miguel Sano has one of the most powerful swings in the majors as we speak. The 24-year-old Dominican has smacked 20 long balls this season and could very well end up with the longest homer in this year’s Home Rub Derby with his massive swing.
However, Sano is hitting just .276 for the season and is a .258 hitter during his three-year MLB career. As such, the hard-hitting righty’s relative inaccuracy at the plate compared to his peers this week may cost him a decent shot winning the Derby.
Prediction: Sano gets eliminated by Mike Moustakas in the first round.
With 25 homers prior to the All-Star Break, Kansas City’s Mike Moustakas has already trumped his career-best of 22 home runs in a single season (2015). He’s one of the main reasons why his Royals are hanging in the standings this year, and his 25 dingers are also good for third-most in the AL.
On the other hand, Moustakas isn’t as consistent with the long ball as one would expect. He’s only hit 20 or more home runs in three of his seven seasons in the majors, including this year’s campaign.
Prediction: Moustakas reaches the semis after beating Sano, but gets knocked out of contention from the contest by Stanton.
The 2017 Rockies have sluggers a plenty, and centerfielder Charlie Blackmon is just one of their hitting juggernauts.
While Blackmon only has 20 homers for the season, his keen eye for contact is what makes him such a dangerous opponent across the mound, currently ranked fifth in the NL in both batting average (.319) and slugging percentage (.583). Then again, 13 of Blackmon’s 20 homers came in the first two months of the season, which means that his relative power outage from June up to the All-Star break may be his downfall at the Derby.
Prediction: Bellinger outclasses Blackmon in the first round.
Make that two Yanks set to appear in this year’s Derby, with catcher Gary Sanchez joining his teammate Aaron Judge in this week’s festivities.
Sanchez was New York’s coveted upstart last season before Judge, hitting 20 home runs in just 53 games. However, and while the 24-year-old Dominican has refined his overall play this 2017, he’s only hit 13 homers through 56 games. As such, Sanchez was even the derided by Tampa Bay’s Logan Morrison for being selected in this year’s Derby.
Prediction: Sanchez has the misfortune of losing to Stanton in the opening round of play.
Like the Yankees, the hosting Miami Marlins have two players representing the team in the Derby: Stanton and first baseman Justin Bour.
Bour has 20 homers for the season already, and his 279-pound frame is a testament to his mammoth-like capabilities of going yard. However, 11 of Bour’s 20 dingers came in the month of May alone, and he’s even missed nine games in mid-June to raise doubts about his overall preparedness heading into the All-Star week. The 29-year-old D.C. native has only hit four long balls in the 23 games following his nine-game absence.
Prediction: Bour suffers the same fate as New York’s Sanchez by losing in the first round to different Yankee in Judge.
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