With the MLB Home Run Derby coming up and only one participant announced, what would the dream 2023 Home Run Derby look like?
The Home Run Derby is one of the most exciting contests in all of sports. The most powerful, electric and exciting players in baseball get together and take place in a tournament style home run hitting competition. What's more exciting than 500-foot home runs and 115 MPH exit velocity lasers?
This season has seen a ton of players hit 450-foot home runs as baseball continues to make a push towards growing as a sport. But as the Derby draws closer and closer, every baseball fan begins putting together their dream matchups for that season's Home Run Derby. Questions and theoretical situations run through their heads as they scramble to put together a perfect dream bracket.
MLB Home Run Derby 2023: What a dream bracket could look like
What if teammates Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani faced off? What if two rookies got to take the big stage against each other? Will last year's winner participate this year? What about the MLB leader in home runs? Will Aaron Judge be back in time for the contest?
These questions race through the heads of baseball fans, with some of these dreams coming true, but others remaining as dreams.
With the 2023 Home Run Derby just a few weeks away, it makes sense to take a look at some of the candidates for this season's Home Run Derby. The Seattle Mariners' Julio Rodriguez, 2022's Runner-Up, is the only confirmed participant. He will be representing the hometown Mariners, as the Derby takes place at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.
Which dreams will turn to reality this year? What would a dream Home Run Derby bracket look like for the 2023 Home Run Derby?
No. 1 seed Shohei Ohtani vs No. 8 seed Luis Robert Jr
The 2023 dream bracket kicks off with the 1 vs 8 matchup. There is nobody better to take the 1 seed than the Angels Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani is currently tied for the league lead in home runs with 25.
Shohei Ohtani didn't get off to a great start in his Home Run Derby career, as he lost in the first round in 2021. That doesn't mean the Japanese superstar won't make a return to the contest. Ohtani has broken statcast norms this season with some of the most ridiculous swings of the season. His power is ridiculous, with many labeling him as the best player in baseball.
The White Sox outfielder, Luis Robert comes in at fourth on the MLB home run leaderboards. Robert has 21 home runs on the season with some of them being tape measure shots, maxing out at 433 feet. Robert has consistently hit for power, as he was the first player in the MLB to reach 20 home runs and 20 doubles. The White Sox slugger would bring some excitement to the Derby for sure.
Robert has never taken part in the Derby. Shohei hasn't returned since 2021. This matchup would bring out the best in these two stars.
No. 4 seed Corbin Carroll vs No. 5 seed Elly De La Cruz
The 2023 dream bracket continues with two of the game's best young stars. Last year, the Mariners rookie, Julio Rodriguez, took the baseball world by storm in the Home Run Derby. In 2023, Elly De La Cruz and Corbin Carroll have potential to do the same thing.
Corbin Carroll leads all rookies in home runs with 16 homers this year. The Diamondbacks young star has been incredible in every facet of the game, but his power has stood out for many. Carroll has a max exit velocity of nearly 114 MPH this season, which ranks him in the top 10 percent in the league. He's doing this as a rookie.
The Reds rookie sensation, Elly De La Cruz has dominated the baseball media landscape over the last few months. De La Cruz has hit baseballs as hard and as far as anybody in the game, between the minor leagues and his short time in the MLB. He has seen exit velocities north of 116 on multiple occasions, with a max home run distance of 458 in the MLB. There are few players in the MLB that are more exciting and entertaining than De La Cruz.
These two young stars have been two of the most electric and exciting players in the entire game. What better way to showcase the future of the game than to have a rookie vs rookie matchup in the Home Run Derby?
No. 2 seed Matt Olson vs No. 7 seed Julio Rodriguez
Both of these two participants should come as no surprise. The Braves' Matt Olson is a two-time Home Run Derby veteran who lost in the first round in 2021. He has improved tremendously since then. The Mariners' Julio Rodriguez is already confirmed in the Derby and had one of the most electrifying Derby's in history last season.
Matt Olson has possibly been the game's top slugger during the 2023 season. He's tied for the league lead in home runs with the Angels Shohei Ohtani. Olson also ranks seventh in the league in average exit velocity (94.0 MPH). The slugging prowess doesn't stop there. Matt Olson also has the hardest hit ball in the entire MLB this year. A ball that was hit nearly 119 MPH according to Baseball Savant.
Julio Rodriguez may not have the home run numbers that the rest of the dream field has, as he has just 13 this season. But the second year star earned his spot in the Derby a year ago, when he lit the baseball world ablaze by slugging 81 home runs in three rounds of competition. Pair that with the fact that Rodriguez is playing in his home stadium, representing the Mariners and this is a match made in heaven.
This matchup would have two of the game's best sluggers. It would be sure to bring fireworks to the fans in Seattle, Washington on July 10th.
No. 3 seed Pete Alonso vs No. 6 seed Ronald Acuña Jr
There may not be a more exciting potential matchup in the entire league than a Pete Alonso vs Ronald Acuña matchup. These could be the two best Home Run Derby participants in the entire league, both being multi-year veterans of the Derby.
Pete Alonso has a shot at being the best Derby participant in the history of the contest. Alonso has participated in the Home Run Derby three times, and he has two Derby wins. In the third one, he won in the first round before losing to Julio Rodriguez in the second round. He also has the second most home runs in the entire league.
Braves slugger Ronald Acuña is one of the MLB's most exciting players. He has participated in the Home Run Derby a few times. Acuña has never won the contest, but he remains as one of the league's standout stars. His slugging is among the best as he ranks in the top 6 in average exit velocity, max exit velocity and max home run distance.
This matchup would be a rematch of the first-round matchup between these two in 2022. Alonso won the first matchup 20 home runs to Acuña's 19. The 2023 matchup has the potential to be even more exciting than last year's.