The 2014 Major League Baseball All-Star Home Run Derby takes place Monday evening, July 14, at Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins. The television broadcast begins at 8:00 p.m. EDT on ESPN. Just as with most sporting events, baseball fans like to predict the winners, and we at All Out Sports Network have our opinions as well.
This year’s captains are Jose “Joey Bats” Bautista for the American League and Colorado’s Troy “Tulo” Tulowitzki for the National League. Regardless now of which sluggers “should have’ participated, the rosters are now set, and they are as follows (with home runs included as play closes on July 13):
HOME RUN DERBY PARTICIPANTS
American League |
|
| Jose Bautista, TOR — 17 | |
| Josh Donaldson, OAK — 20 | |
| Brian Dozier, MIN — 18 | |
| Adam Jones, BAL — 16 | |
| Yoenis Cespedes, OAK — 14 | |
National League |
|
| Troy Tulowitzki, COL — 21 | |
| Todd Frazier, CIN — 19 | |
| Justin Morneau, COL — 13 | |
| Yasiel Puig, LAD — 12 | |
| Giancarlo Stanton, MIA — 21 | |
New rules take effect this year:
- Hitters get seven outs in each round, down from ten. To review, any swing NOT resulting in a home run — even a foul or a miss — counts as an out.
- It is now a bracket-style tournament.
- The first-round winner from each league gets a second-round bye, which is a huge advantage because he gets to rest. Second and third place from each league advance to Round 2.
- Round 2 winners advance.
- The semi-final round is between Round 1 and 2 winners of the same league facing each other. Winners advance.
- The final round also gives each hitter seven outs.
- In case of tie, each hitter involved gets three swings. If still tied, each gets one swing until someone advances (or wins).
With this said, I predict Miami’s Giancarlo Stanton to win. Stanton uses so little effort in his swings that he will conserve strength for each successive round. He is so strong that he does not need to make the most solid contact to put the ball over the fence. True, all of these hitters can make that claim, but Stanton is the best in that regard as his 21 home runs (5th in the Majors and tops among all 10 participants) indicate.
Here are the predictions of some other All Out Sports Network writers:
- Julian Beck: Reds’ Todd Frazier
- Tristan McKinstry: Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig
- Alexandro Zatarain: Colorado’s “Tulo”
- Manny Alcala: Marlins’ Giancarlo Stanton
- Pete Schwichtenberg: Oakland’s Yoenis Cespedes
For fans who like the long ball, Monday night will provide plenty of reason to cheer.
Please comment below to give us your predictions.
PHOTO CREDIT: www.awfulannouncing.com