We’ve officially reached the mid-way point of the 2016 MLB regular season, which means that this year’s All-Star festivities will gladly lead off with yet another smashing installment of the Home Run Derby slated for this Monday night at Petco Field in San Diego.
Defending champ Todd Frazier and previous Derby winner Robinson Cano are just two of the eight mighty contenders from this year’s field of sluggers, but whom exactly did the experts from around the web predict as king of the long ball this year? Let’s find out below. And for more All-Star Week coverage, check out our National League and American League previews for the much-awaited All-Star Game itself right after this.
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Expert Picks for the 2016 MLB All-Star Weekend Home Run Derby
CBS Sports
Expert
Prediction
R.J. Anderson
Giancarlo Stanton
Despite hitting just 20 homers this season to warrant a mere fifth seed at the Home Run Derby this Monday, Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins has been considered by oddsmakers as the overall favorite to win the tournament with a price of +300.
R.J. Anderson, on behalf of the entire CBS Sports team, also agrees with this notion as he predicted the 2014 NL home run champion and Silver Slugger awardee to win it all in Petco Park. Anderson highlighted in his round-by-round analysis that Stanton’s statistics when it comes to pure long-ball contact is out of this world, leading all participants in average true home run distance (421.8 feet) and home-run-to-fly-ball ratio (23.8 percent) for the season.
With Stanton not having to worry about getting on-base and delivering quality hits as with his regular-season tasks, expect the 26-year-old righty to exhibit his daunting power with full force and reckless abandon this Monday and finally win the tournament that has been catered to his main strengths once and for all.
Call to the Pen
Expert
Prediction
Michael Cambria
Giancarlo Stanton
Michael Cambria of Call to the Pen – Fansided’s dedicated page to everything baseball – also went with Stanton as this year’s Home Run Derby king. The FS columnist praised the California kid for overcoming his injuries of late and enter Monday’s event in terrific shape as well, having hit five long balls in his last 18 at-bats as of this writing. One of those dingers happened to be a 470-foot blast in Citi Field, one of the longest in the stadium’s history.
Cambria also stated that having Barry Bonds, who won the Home Run Derby himself back in 1996, as Stanton’s hitting coach this season has finally proved to be fruitful, even if it took the three-time All-Star to rediscover his powerful swing longer than expected.
ESPN
Expert
Prediction
David Schoenfield
Wil Myers
Not everybody jumped aboard the Stanton bandwagon, as David Schoenfield of ESPN believes that the Padres’ very own Wil Myers (+600) will deliver the goods for the city of San Diego this Monday.
The former AL Rookie of the Year is having quite a fourth season in the big leagues, and his gaudy numbers are made all the more impressive considering that he’s basically played half of his games at pitcher-friendly Petco Park, where 13 of his 19 homers for the season have come from. And like Stanton, Schoenfield also mentioned that Myers enters Monday’s Home Run Derby in sizzling form, having gone yard 11 times in the month of June alone.
Did you have another slugger in mind who could just as easily take home the Home Run Derby title this year? Create a betting account now to put your own wicked prediction to the test right away!
