2021 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby

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7:20 PM ET

MLB InsidersESPN

The Home Run Derby and All-Star return after a year without either event is exciting enough. Add to that this season’s Home Run derby taking place in thin air at Coors Field in Denver with long ball professionals including Shohei Ohtani, Joey Gallo and Pete Alonso spotlighting the field, and well, tonight is going to be a lot of fun. .

To celebrate the Midsummer holidays, we asked ESPN MLB experts Alden Gonzalez, Buster Olney, Jeff Bassan, Jesse Rogers and David Schoenefeld to predict everything from who will hit the longest home distance in the entire derby to who will save the moment we are all in. We’re talking Monday night to which team will emerge victorious in the Midsummer Classic and which game they want to see more.

Check out our predictions ahead of fun Monday night events, live updates during the Home Run Derby, and our biggest takeaway after being crowned the King of Long Ball in Denver.

Watch: Home Run Derby on ESPN | Statcast edition on ESPN2

MLB All-Star Home Run Derby Arch

(1) Shohei Ohtani vs (8) Juan Soto

(4) Salvador Perez vs (5) Pete Alonso

(2) Joey Gallo vs (7) Trevor Story

(3) Matt Olson vs (6) Tre Mancini

Live updates from the MLB All-Star Home Run Derby

It’s almost Sho-time

In the field of elite baseball players, the Angels’ two-way sensation Shuhei Ohtani is what everyone will see when the Home Run Derby begins at Coors Field. He leads the bigs with 33 home runs, and his batting practice sessions are legendary—and throw 100mph on the hill, too. Will this be the night the Home Run Derby champion adds to his impressive collection of 2021 achievements? If the recent eruption before BP’s derby hitting it into the deep, deep reaches of Coors Field is any indication, it might as well be.

Bib Ahtani pic.twitter.com/babnSf2EDK

— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) July 12, 2021

Pre-Derby Predictions

Who will win the Home Run Derby?

Basan: Ohtani. It’s my fault.

Schoenefeld: What do you want me to bet against Ohtani? No way.

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Olney: Alonso. He won in 2019 despite the fact that his cousin was really nervous and struggled to throw hits. Now he’s got bench coach Dave Gauss throwing at him – and you can see him rolling incredibly well.

Rogers: Gallo. He finished the first half with 11 home runs in his last 12 matches. This will be carried over to the derby.

GONZALES: I’m going against the tide here and picking Trevor’s story. He obviously knows this park well, and has actually averaged more distance on the home run than Otani’s. (Yes, on 21 fewer times. He plays half his games at Coors Field. But come on – work with me here.) More than that, it would be a great moment for a Colorado Rockies fan base who is still mourning the passing of Nolan Arenado and soon he will do the same with Story.

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Check out the longest running Home Run Derby rider rides for the 2021 season so far.

Who will hit the longest distance on home soil at night and how far?

Bassan: Joey Gallo, 533 ft.

Schoenefeld: While Ohtani has definitely hit some tape-ready shots this season, I’m going with Gallo as well. He made a 495-foot long home run in 2018, and since 2017, he and Giancarlo Stanton have been tied 16 times on home soil for at least 450 feet. Now, factor in the elevation of Coors Field and I’m going with a 529-foot blast.

Olney: Oh my. Moon Shot I’ll Say 586 Ft, in honor of Frank Robinson, who has beaten many homeowners in his career.

Gonzalez: Undoubtedly Otani. Mike Trout thinks he might “leave the field,” which seems impossible given how tall Coors Field’s ceiling is and how high it is on the right field. But this Otani…on Coors Field…without the humidifier…hit potentially badly injured baseballs. I’ll go with 515 ft.

Rogers: Ohtani will launch one on the Rockies early in the competition. You’ll rise 509 feet.

What’s the moment we’re all talking about long after the Home Run Derby is over?

Olney: Something Otani does – win, lose, or smash the upper deck at Coors Field.

Basan: Otani will run for the ages. While coordinating the derby may not win it all, in 2021 he will do what Vladimir Guerrero Jr did in 2019.

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Schoenefeld: Otani beat Alonso 23-22 in the second round, including one stretch of five straight 450-foot runs that sends Coors Stadium in a frenzy.

Gonzalez: I think Ohtani is going to be the story here, but I also think Gallo is going to get hot and put on an epic run at some point. Galo Ohtani won’t even face the final, and that would be a really fun pairing.

Rogers: I agree with Jeff. Early on, Ohtani would kick off and hit like 10 consecutive pitches. We may not see him in the finals, but we’ll talk about that first round.

Who will win the All-Star Game on Tuesday and by what score?

Schoenefeld: MLS won 11-10 as hitters became wild and a 21-point game in the 1998 All-Star Game at the Coors.

Bassan: National League, 3-2.

Gonzalez: I agree with Dave. Let’s go with MLS winning 13-8. Most importantly: Attacking has increased over the past few weeks, due in part to Major League Baseball’s crackdown on foreign materials, and that will reach another level in this environment.

Olney: MLS will raise its winning streak to eight. I will say 7-3.

Rogers: The NL is stacked on the hill. They won 7-3.

Who is the All-Star Player of the Year pick?

Olney: Everyone will be looking for a reason to make Ohtani the best player, which would be an advantage at night – and let’s face it, he’ll have more chances of doing more damage than anyone else, down the hill and in the plate. Mathematics says: Take me.

Schoenefeld: Raphael Davers goes 3 for 3 with a home run, a double and four RBIs.

The return of the classic baseball game in the middle of summer! Here’s what you need to know about the Home Run Derby, the All-Star Game, and the rest of this year’s festivities in Denver. full coverage

Watch: HR Derby, 8 p.m. ET on ESPN

Corridor: Fernando Tates Jr..

Gonzalez: Guerrero scores three hits, two of which go for extra bases, and skips AL.

Rogers: Nick Castellanos. why? Because he’s the kind of player who wants to be the best All-Star player. This is good enough for me.

What All-Star Game Are You Most Excited To Watch?

Schoenefeld: Well, Otani could have fought against Jacob Degrom, but Degroom wouldn’t do a junk, so let’s go with all that Otani’s court. I hope it’s early in the game when the NL guys are still in the game, because I’d love to see him take on Tatis and shoot a few fast balls at 100mph.

Olney: Tates vs Otani. I don’t know what will happen, but it will be the best match in All-Star Game history.

Gonzalez: The best moment may come in the beginning, when he faces Ohtani Tates to lead from the bottom of the first. Arguably the two most dynamic and brilliant players in the sport are battling it out head-on. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Rogers: I’ll have Aroldis Chapman vs Tatis with the match on the line, please. Tatis wins that battle.

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