Who wants to see some dingers? Eight of the league’s top sluggers will duke it out in the Home Run Derby, taking place Monday night at Dodger Stadium on the eve of the All-Star Game.
There’s plenty of intrigue, including Pete Alonso eyeing the record books and one of the all-time greats in Albert Pujols going for a final shot at glory.
Here’s a rundown of what you need to know for the 2022 Home Run Derby.
The Format
The eight-player bracket features three single-elimination rounds — quarterfinals, semifinals and final — with batters facing head-to-head in order to advance.
Batters have three minutes during the first and second rounds then two minutes in the final to hit as many home runs as they can in the time limit. Of course, bonus time can be awarded, such as hitting a homer 475 feet or beyond.
The lower-seeded player bats first with the higher-seeded player needing to surpass their opponent’s total within the allotted time.
Home run totals do not carry over with each player starting the following round with a clean slate.
The Field
1. Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia Phillies
2. Pete Alonso, New York Mets
3. Corey Seager, Texas Rangers
4. Juan Soto, Washington Nationals
5. Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians
6. Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners
7. Ronald Acuna Jr., Atlanta Braves
8. Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
The First Round Matchups
(1) Schwarber vs. (8) Pujols: Schwarber will make his first Home Run Derby appearance since finishing runner-up in 2018. Current teammate Bryce Harper (then with the Washington Nationals) edged Schwarber 19-18 in bonus time during the final. Schwarber is second in the majors entering the All-Star break with 29 homers, trailing only New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge (33), who is not participating. Schwarber has been on a summer heater with 18 of his dingers coming since June 1.
Pujols’ final season in the majors sees him make a record-tying fifth Home Run Derby appearance, although he hasn’t won it … yet. He came close during his first time in 2003 but lost 9-8 to Garret Anderson in the final. The 42-year-old will also become the oldest player to compete in the event. Pujols is the active home run leader with 685 — including six this season. He will be in tough facing Schwarber in the first round, but wouldn’t it be something if Pujols could pull off the win during his swan song season?
(2) Alonso vs. (7) Acuna: Alonso is chasing history, looking to become the first three-peat Home Run Derby champion as well as tie three-time winner Ken Griffey Jr. for the most titles. Alonso hit 57 homers in 2019 — 35 of them in the first round alone — and 74 in 2021 for an all-time record total of 131. He’s tied for fifth in the majors this season with 24 homers.
It’ll be a rematch as Alonso defeated Acuna 20-19 during the second round in 2019. Can Acuna avenge the loss and spoil Alonso’s bid? Injuries have limited Acuna to just eight homers this season, although when he has hit the ball deep he’s hit it very deep with a major league-leading average of 437 feet. That could play a factor if he’s able to mash one over 475 feet to score bonus time.
(3) Seager vs. (6) Rodriguez: Seager was a late addition to the All-Star Game as he was named as a replacement for Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer on Thursday. It’s a homecoming for Seager, who spent seven seasons with the Dodgers before signing as a free agent with the Rangers this year. Seager has 22 homers in 2022 and is well on pace to shatter his single-season best of 26 from 2016. He will look to improve upon his previous derby appearance during his rookie year of 2015, when he lost in the first round to Mark Trumbo.
Speaking of rookies, Rodriguez is the lone freshman in the field and just the 14th ever to appear in the Home Run Derby. Only two rookies have ever won the event: Judge in 2017 and Alonso in 2019. The 21-year-old Rodriguez leads all rookies this season with 16 home runs — quite impressive considering he went homerless during his first 20 games and didn’t hit his first until May 1. Could we see a first-round upset?
(4) Soto vs. (5) Ramirez: Soto hit his 20th homer of the season Sunday ahead of the All-Star break, and amid reports he rejected a 15-year, $440-million deal and the Nationals are looking to trade him. The 23-year-old makes his second straight appearance after losing to Alonso in the semis last season (Soto will have to wait until the final for a potential rematch as they’re on opposite sides of the bracket this time). Considering that event was held at Coors Field, Soto hit the longest recorded homer in the event since 2015 at a whopping 520 feet.
Ramirez makes his Home Run Derby debut and could become the first switch hitter to win the title outright — Ruben Sierra was co-champion with Eric Davis in 1989. J-Ram has 19 home runs this season including a pair Saturday. This matchup looks like a coin flip.
