The 2022 MLB Home Run Derby is set to take place tonight at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles. The most exciting night in baseball is a must-see event, so here is a quick rundown of the upcoming action.
The festivities will get started with Kyle Schwarber taking on Albert Pujols in the first round. Seeing Albert compete in front of the Los Angeles fans will be one of the highlights of the night, but he has no shot of taking out the current NL home run leader. Schwarber will face off against the winner of the Juan Soto and Jose Ramirez matchup. This is a battle of two of the sweetest swings in baseball, but Soto’s history in the derby should get him into the next round.
Pete Alonso will look to make history on the other side of the bracket. He can become the first player to win the Home Run Derby three times in a row. Unfortunately, he gets the toughest draw of the night against Ronald Acuna Jr. Watch out for the upset here as Acuna has the easier power stroke in baseball. This should be the most exciting round of the night until the finals, so it is surely one you do not want to miss.
The final first round matchup will see Corey Seager take on rookie sensation Julio Rodriguez. The quick swing of Rodriguez plays perfect in these home run hitting contests. This along with his youth should give the rookie center fielder a slight edge over his opponent despite Seager really finding his power stroke this year in Texas.
The back half of the derby is when anything can truly happen as the players start to get a little tired. Kyle Schwarber has the easiest path to the finals. He will likely be opposed by the winner of the Alonso and Acuna Jr. matchup. Everyone may be rooting to see history tonight, but Schwarber dashes those hopes by putting together a huge final round performance. This finally puts away the demons of the 2018 Home Run Derby when Schwarber had the title stolen by Bryce Harper.
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