The 2023 MLB Home Run Derby will kick off the upcoming days of All-Star festivities. With the first half of the baseball season finished up, the home run derby and All-Star game will serve as an entertaining segue into the second half of the season. It will take place on July 10th with coverage kicking off at 8PM.
Even though there are no Phillies participating in the derby this year, there is still room to make this competition even more entertaining as a fan by placing some (responsible) wagers.
How the 2023 MLB Home Run Derby Works
The list of eight participants will face off in a bracket format. Here, the batters will face off in single elimination format. There are a total of three rounds.
Each player will have three minutes in the first two rounds. Each player also gets a 45-second timeout to use each round. The final round is 2 minutes with it’s own 45-second timeout as well.
Along with this, each participant is awarded a 30-second bonus at the end of each round, where they can be awarded an additional 30 seconds with at least two home runs of 440 feet.
If a tiebreaker is needed, there will be a 60-second swing-off with no timeouts.
The Home Run Derby Ballpark
This year, the home run derby will take place at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park, which is not the most friendly ballpark for hitters during a regular game. According to Baseball Savant, T-Mobile Park is the worst ballpark for hits, and ranks in the bottom half of ballparks for homeruns.
All of this should get thrown out of the window when a family member or friend is tossing meatballs over the plate for batters to hit. However, it is something to keep in the back of our minds if betting an over on the total number of home runs hit, possibly.
The 2023 MLB Home Run Derby Field
The field for this year’s derby is star-studded and sure to be filled with entertainment. This year’s list of participants includes only two players from the National League, with the other six coming from the American League.
This should, in theory, cause a shift in the league of the winner, as the past four winners have come from the National League, starting with Bryce Harper in 2018.
Hometown favorite Julio Rodriguez returns to the derby in a rematch against Pete Alonso, who he defeated in the second round last year. Rodriguez hit the second most dingers in HR derby history last year, but still fell one homer short of reigning champion Juan Soto.
Among the list of competitors, Pete Alonso, Mookie Betts, and Luis Robert are all tied with 26 dingers on the year, which lead the pack among the eight competitors.
2023 MLB Home Run Derby Betting Odds
First-Round Matchup Odds, Odds on Bet365
- 1 Luis Robert Jr. -220 vs. 8 Adley Rutschman +175
- 2 Pete Alonso -185 vs. 7 Julio Rodriguez +155
- 3 Adolis Garcia -150 vs. Randy Arozarena +120
- 4 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. -185 vs. Mookie Betts +155
Overall Winner, Odds on Fanduel
- Pete Alonso (Mets) +300
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays) +350
- Luis Robert Jr. (White Sox) +400
- Julio Rodriguez (Mariners) +500
- Adolis Garcia (Rangers) +700
- Randy Arozarena (Rays) +800
- Mookie Betts (Dodgers) +1500
- Adley Rutschman (Orioles) +2000
Total Homeruns Hit, Odds on Fanduel
- Over 274.5 Homers: -122
- Under 274.5 Homers: -104
Player from Winning League, Odds on Bet365
- American League (-260)
- National League (+210)
Best Home Run Derby betting promos
DraftKings has an exciting promo to keep fans excited. If you place a $5 bet on any MLB Market, you’ll get $200 in free bets if your team wins!
