Pete Alonso will square off against some of the game’s best sluggers in Cleveland and will be competing for the $1 million award. The contest will air on ESPN, and it will start at 8 p.m.
Here are the matchups for the first round:
No. 1 seed Matt Chapman (21 home runs) vs No. 8 seed Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (eight home runs)
No. 4 seed Alex Bregman (23 home runs) vs No. 5 seed Joc Pederson (20 home runs)
No. 2 seed Pete Alonso (30 home runs) vs No. 7 seed Carlos Santana (19 home runs)
No. 3 seed Josh Bell (27 home runs) vs No. 6 seed Ronald Acuna Jr. (21 home runs)
Christian Yelich (31 home runs) was expected to be the No.1 seed, but he is sitting out due to back tightness. Matt Chapman will replace him.
Though Guerrero has only eight homeruns, he will be an interesting player to watch. The 20-year-old entered the season as the MLB’s top prospect, and he will look to join his father, Vladimir Guerrero Sr. as a HR Derby Champion.
While mostly known for his excellent defense at third base, Chapman owns a .887 OPS this season and is on pace for the highest HR total of his career.
Bregman is in the midst of another standout season with a .927 OPS and 56 RBI in 88 games. While Pederson’s numbers aren’t as gaudy, he still remains as solid power threat. Pederson has hit more than 20 homeruns in four of the past five seasons.
Alonso with his prestigious raw power should the favorite over Santana. Alonso has blasted 11 more homeruns, but Santana, who will be playing in front of his home crowd, is having the best season of his career. He owns a .958 OPS in 87 games for the Indians.
Bell and Acuna may be the most intriguing matchup of the night as they are two of the best young hitters in the National League. Bell is lighting the MLB on fire with a 1.024 OPS and a league leading total of 84 RBI. Meanwhile, Acuna, last seasons NL rookie of the year, owns a .882 OPS with 68 runs scored in 90 games.
