The 2023 Home Run Derby bracket has been set, which features Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star Mookie Betts due to face Toronto Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the first round.
Home Run Derby seeding was decided based on players’ long ball totals through games played on the Fourth of July. Betts earned the No. 3 seed by virtue of hitting 23 home runs through the designated period. Guerrero earned sixth in the field with 13 homers.
If Betts advances to the second round, he would face the winner of the matchup between two-time champion Pete Alonso and Julio Rodríguez. Defending champion Juan Soto is not among the eight participants in this year’s Home Run Derby.
This marks a second time Guerrero is going to take swings against a Dodgers representative. He memorably combined with Joc Pederson to put on an impressive and thrilling power display in the semifinals of the 2019 Home Run Derby at Progressive Field.
Betts has admitted one goal is to not finish in last place, and he otherwise is looking to become the first Dodgers player to ever win the Home Run Derby.
Mike Piazza (1993, 1994), Rául Mondesi (1995), Hee-Seop Choi (2005), Matt Kemp (2011, 2012), Yasiel Puig (2014), Pederson (2015, 2019), Corey Seager (2016), Cody Bellinger (2017) and Max Muncy (2018) have all taken their turns to no avail.
Pederson was the most successful of the Dodgers who have participated in the Home Run Derby when he reached the finals but lost to Todd Frazier in 2015, who represented the host Cincinnati Reds at the time.
The Home Run Derby at T-Mobile Park is Monday, July 10, at 5 p.m. PT and will be televised exclusively by ESPN.
2023 Home Run Derby bracket
(1) Luis Robert Jr. vs. (8) Adley Rutschman
(2) Pete Alonso vs. (7) Julio Rodríguez
(3) Mookie Betts vs. (6) Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
(4) Adolis García vs. (5) Randy Arozarena
Robert and Alonso both had hit 25 home runs through Tuesday, but the tiebreak was most since June 15, giving the Chicago White Sox slugger the No. 1 seed.
Home Run Derby rules
The single-elimination bracket with three rounds total remains in place. In each bracket and round, the higher seed hits second.
Batters have three minutes per round in the first and second rounds, and two minutes for swings in the final round. The clock starts with the release of the first pitch and the round ends once the timer reads zero. A home run at the buzzer will count if the pitch was released prior to time running out.
Derby participants can earn 30 seconds of bonus time by hitting at least two home runs of at least 440 feet during a regulation period. Batters are entitled to one 45-second timeout during every regulation period.
Ties in any round are broken by a 60-second swing-off with no stoppage of time or additional time added. If a tie remains after the swing-off, batters will engage in successive three-swing swing-offs until a winner is decided.
As part of an agreement between MLB and the Players Association (MLBPA) prior to the 2019 season, the prize pool was increased from $725,000 to $2.5 million. The Home Run Derby winner receives $1 million.
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