Defending champion Giancarlo Stanton is seen to be head and shoulders above everyone in the league when it comes to blasting dingers at the home run derby stage, which is well-deserved. However, enter Aaron Judge: a 6’7, outfielder who’s frequency in hitting a homer make it seem like he’s from a video game.
With Judge being a New York Yankee, you know that argument is never going to end. Let’s now see what some of the sport’s experts are predicting for the tournament. Read on!
Before going with the safe pick of a Giancarlo Stanton (+140) and Aaron Judge (+800) finale, and picking Judge to take home the crown mainly because of things like this, Bleacher report’s Paul Kasabian shared some interesting thoughts and numbers in his piece.
Although he believes that this year’s crop of contestants could be one of the most powerful in recent memory, he thinks people shouldn’t expect much, since the venue – Marlins Park – is consistently at the bottom of the league in terms of home run factor.
There was also quick fun fact about Gary Sanchez (+1,500). Kasabian didn’t say that the Yankees catcher was his sleeper pick, but he shared that Sanchez’s 420.9 feet average in his homers are the highest among all contestants.
Sports Illustrated
EXPERT
PICK
Emma Span
Aaron Judge over Giancarlo Stanton
Like Kasabian, Sports Illustrated’s Emma Span is going with the safe, Stanton-Judge finals match. It’s not the most intriguing pick in the world, but then again, no one’s really standing out as a threat to those two power hitters.
Span is expecting the two to have great head-to-head battles with the others in the early rounds, and looks forward to the rare possibility of rookies facing up against each other (Judge and Cody Bellinger).
Span, however, has an interesting take on Stanton’s potential path to the finals. She put a lot of respect in his power – as she should, since Stanton unloaded 61 homers that collectively travelled 5.15 miles in the 2016 event – and believes that the Miami Marlin, who will have the home crowd’s back, will ease past every opponent on his way to the finals.
With a complete a 180°, though, she ultimately picked Judge to bag his first homer run derby plum, saying that the rookie will continue his fairy tale campaign.
Sports Chat Place
EXPERT
PICK
Mark Roberts
Giancarlo Stanton over Aaron Judge
Rounding out the list is Sports Chat Place’s Mark Roberts, who’s also seeing a Stanton-Judge finale. Unlike the other two experts, though, he’s Team Stanton.
Roberts’s take is quick and short: he praised the defending champ’s towering presence – 6’6, 245 lbs – which is expected to give the Marlin the right power to once again pile up a large amount of long balls.
With Judge, meanwhile, he cited the impressive productivity (30 homers, 66 RBIs, .330 avg). The rookie slugger, as you may know, is currently positioned well to capture the Triple Crown.
