Jul 4, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. (88) laughs in the dugout before a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Take a look as MLB releases the bracket for Monday’s Home Run Derby from Seattle.
The bracket is set for Monday’s T-Mobile Home Run Derby: pic.twitter.com/LalzHSLi1Z
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 6, 2023
White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr is the top over all seed this year as he leads the filed in home runs on the season. This sets up nicely for him as well. Luis will be the first White Sox to participate in the derby since Todd Frazier in 2016 and he hopes to be the first to win since Frank Thomas (Yes, the guy from the nugenix commercials) did it in 1995. He’ll face Adley Rutshman who is a switch hitting catcher for Baltimore with 11 homers on the season. No switch hitter has ever won the derby and neither has a catcher.
Pete Alonso is the 2 seed, looking for his 3rd title in the derby. He has his hands full though on that side of the bracket. Julio Rodriguez will be in front of the home crowd. He had 2 rounds of 30 or more homers last year. And the only guy who’s hit more derby homers in a single event is Vlad Jr who’s facing Mookie Betts (no Dodger has ever won) in the first round.
Seattle’s T-Mobile park is a somewhat homer friendly place. It ranks 7th in the league. Wind isn’t usually a huge factor either. The folks at BallParkPal.com break it down:
“According to the Ballpark Pal distance model, balls hit more than 300 feet typically carry about 1.3% less than the MLB average, attributed partly to the sea-level altitude and below average temperatures in Seattle. It seems the stadium architects anticipated relatively short carry distances as the field measures 5th smallest in MLB. It’s most comparable to Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati as the dimensions around the perimeter are very similar. Like GABP, nearly every portion of the outfield fence is a bit closer than standard. Given the smaller dimensions, Ballpark Pal rates T-Mobile Park above average for home runs (7th)”
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