The 2022 MLB All-Star break will bring the slam dunk contest equivalent of baseball, and it’s no other than the Home Run Derby. It’s also better than its basketball counterpart (up for debate, but baseball fans have a pretty strong argument here). So with that said, who do you think will come away with the win at the 2022 MLB Home Run Derby? Here are the favorites, sleepers, and a long shot to win this contest.
Alonso is on a quest to become just the third player ever to win the MLB Home Run Derby three times. The first one, and the only one so far, to have pulled that feat was no other than the legendary Ken Griffey Jr. Alonso won the contest in back-to-back fashion, topping the field in 2022 and then again in 2020. With success and experience in this contest, Alonso deserves to be installed as the favorite to win the event this year. Plus, he isn’t too shabby this season with 24 home runs and a .527 slugging percentage.
The Boston Red Sox outfielder is hitting just .211 this season, as of this writing, but who really cares about that when we’re talking about the MLB Home Run Derby? Schwarber has power and that’s basically all that matters in the Derby. So far this year, Schwarber has 28 home runs, second-most overall in the majors. If the season ended today, Schwarber will have the highest ISO (.297) of his career.
Soto had a letdown June wherein he batted just .195, but he has really turned it on this July, just in time for the 2022 MLB All-Star festivities. Through his first 34 at-bats in the month of July, Soto has slashed .441 ./596/.941 with 5 home runs. Overall this season, the Washington Nationals star has 19 homers. Soto was a participant in the 2021 MLB Home Run Derby but got eliminated by Alonso in the semis.
Here’s what we said about Seager in our 2022 MLB Home Run Derby sleepers preview:
Seager never hit more than 26 homers in a season, but he’s already got 21 with the Texas Rangers, as of this writing. Not only that, but Seager is very familiar with the atmosphere at Dodger Stadium. After all, he had spent a good amount of time in his career playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers. In seven seasons with the Dodgers, Seager had hit 59 home runs with a .297 batting average, .364 OBP and .533 SLG. He will also be facing off with a rookie in the first round of the 2022 MLB Home Run Derby, and while he has not played in this event before, his experience playing at Dodger Stadium might be a bigger factor than what most people think.
Here’s what we said about Rodriguez in our 2022 MLB Home Run Derby sleepers preview:
That rookie Seager will square off at the 2022 MLB Home Run Derby is no other than Seattle Mariners young sensation Julio Rodriguez, who is a legitimate contender to win the 2022 Rookie of the Year award honors in the American League. Rodriguez is also making an appearance at the 2022 MLB All-Star Game, proof of just how incredibly good the 21-year-old Dominican is. To date, he has 16 home runs and 50 RBIs. He’s only given odds of +800 to win by TopBet sportsbook, but it must also be mentioned that rookies have won this event before. Aaron Judge and Pete Alonso came out on top of the field in this contest during their respective rookie campaigns.
Is there any gas left in the tank of the future first-ballot Hall of Famer Albert Pujols to pull off a huge upset victory at the 2022 MLB Home Run Derby? Pujols has actually taken part in this event a total of four times before but has yet to win. Whatever happens, Pujols, who has 6 homers this 2022, has 685 blasts in his career.
