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 sleepers to win this contest.
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.
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.
The Cleveland Guardians third baseman has 17 home runs this year along with 70 RBIs – second most in the majors, four behind Pete Alonso, who is the favorite to win the 2022 MLB Home Run Derby. Ramirez is one of the game’s best hitters today and currently has a .560 slugging percentage and 88.2 average velocity percentage.
