On July 10, MLB's top sluggers will get together at Seattle's T-Mobile Park for the 2023 Home Run Derby. Baseball's annual power spectacle has been revived in recent years by the introduction of a clock, and also a new generation of young players eager to take their hacks and put on a show. Padres star Juan Soto won the 2022 Home Run Derby at Dodger Stadium, but will not defend his crown this year.
Below you'll find the first-round bracket and rundowns of the eight players the players confirmed for the 2023 Home Run Derby.
Participants are seeded based on their 2023 home run totals as of July 4. That gives us the following first-round match-ups:
(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 each had 25 home runs as of July 4, but according to MLB.com, Robert gets the top seed on account of his higher home run total since June 15.
2023 Home Run Derby
Julio Rodriguez
Seattle Mariners CF
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| As expected, Mariners star Julio Rodríguez will participate in the Home Run Derby in his home ballpark . Rodríguez, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, was the runner-up to Soto at Dodger Stadium last year. "L.A. was cool, I enjoyed it, but being able to be at home and put on a show for the Mariners fans, I know it'll be really exciting. It was a no-brainer for me," he told MLB.com about returning to the Home Run Derby . Julio was the first player to commit to the event. |
Vladimir Guerrero
Toronto Blue Jays 1B
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| Vladimir Guerrero Jr. , who holds the single-round (40) and total home run (90) records, will return to the Home Run Derby this year . Despite those records, Vlad Jr. has never won the Home Run Derby. Pete Alonso beat him 23-22 in the first round of the 2019 event. This will be Guerrero's second Home Run Derby. "No plan at all. I'm just going to go hit homers. I'll just enjoy it and hit homers,"; Guerrero told MLB.com about his Home Run Derby approach. His father, Vlad Sr., won the 2007 Home Run Derby. |
Mookie Betts
Los Angeles Dodgers RF
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| Dodgers outfielder and 2023 National League All-Star starter Mookie Betts will participate in this year's Home Run Derby. Betts confirmed the news June 29 and added that his mother ordered him not to finish last . "It's the last thing I haven't done. My wife kind of compared it to [NBA superstar LeBron James] not doing the dunk contest. And that's not a knock or anything, but she just feels like for what I'm trying to do in baseball, bring awareness to Black culture, I should probably be more involved," Betts told MLB.com about the Home Run Derby . This will be Mookie's first Home Run Derby. |
Randy Arozarena
Tampa Bay Rays LF
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| For a large portion of the season, the Rays have had the best record in all of baseball. Along the way, they've been one of the most prolific power-hitting teams, too, so it makes sense that they'd get someone in the field. Randy Arozarena had 15 homers as of July 1, when he was officially named to the Derby field. We know he isn't shy about performing for a huge audience due to his playoff exploits, so it wouldn't be surprising to see him put on a show in the Home Run Derby. |
Pete Alonso
New York Mets 1B
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| Two-time Home Run Derby champion Pete Alonso announced during Sunday Night Baseball on July 2 that he would join the field again this year. He won the 2019 Derby in Cleveland and then repeated in 2021 in Colorado (there wasn't an All-Star Game in 2020). Last year, he was bounced in the second round by Julio Rodríguez. |
Adley Rutschman
Baltimore Orioles C
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| All-Star and Orioles "sophomore" catcher Adley Rutschman will participate in the Derby for the first time, the club announced on July 3. The 25-year-old Oregon native has 11 home runs in 79 games this season, and for his brief MLB career he's tallied 24 homers in 697 at-bats. While Rutschman figures to be an underdog in Seattle, he has a shot to make history -- no catcher has ever won the Home Run Derby. |
Luis Robert
Chicago White Sox CF
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| On July 5, Luis Robert became the seventh slugger to officially join the field of eight for July 10th's Derby. At the time of the announcement, Robert had 25 home runs, tying him for third in the majors with Pete Alonso, trailing only Shohei Ohtani and Matt Olson . Robert becomes the first White Sox player since 2016 to take part in the Home Run Derby, when defending champion Todd Frazier did so. Robert will be looking to become the first White Sox hitter to win the event since all the way back in 1995 when Hall of Famer Frank Thomas won it. |
Adolis Garcia
Texas Rangers RF
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| Adolis García of the Texas Rangers is the eighth and final combatant to commit to the 2023 Derby. The 30-year-old slugger topped 20 homers during the first half of the season, and for his career he's averaged 31 homers per 162 games played. Over the past two seasons, García has some of the best quality-of-contact indicators of any hitter, so he's well suited to this event. He'll aim to become the third Ranger to win a Home Run Derby. Rubén Sierra shared the crown in 1989, and Juan González won it in 1993. |
