The Home Run Derby Field

The time has come. The 2021 Home Run Derby takes place at 8 pm ET at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado. This year we have a pretty stacked field with a wide variety of participants. Here is the field below with betting odds as always provided by Bovada.

Shohei Ohtani +225

Joey Gallo +450

Pete Alonso +550

Matt Olson +650

Trevor Story +850

Salvador Perez +900

Juan Soto +900

Trey Mancini +1200

Now you have the odds here is the first-round matchups.

1 Ohtani vs 8 Soto

4 Perez vs 5 Alonso

2 Gallo vs 7 Story

3 Olson vs 6 Mancini

I am going to give a brief analysis of each of these players, looking at how they could fare in this competition. I am not the most familiar with baseball, so many of my picks will be value-based. Bear with me.

Now as the great Anakin Skywalker said,

Home Run Derby tomorrow 👀 pic.twitter.com/3eIsaVDhoB

— Peter van Seventer (@PetevanSeventer) July 11, 2021

Shohei Ohtani

Stats-33 HR and .697 SLG

Ohtani has been the star of baseball this year. He has excelled in both pitching and hitting as some compare him to a modern-day Babe Ruth. Ohtani is the favorite at +225 but it adds up. He leads the league in home runs this year and looks unstoppable. I don’t necessarily love the value, but I think Ohtani will perform well on Monday and I will take him for the derby.

Another milestone for Shohei Ohtani 👏👏

He hit home run No. 32 which breaks Hideki Matsui’s record for most homers by a Japanese player in a major league season.

(via @Angels) pic.twitter.com/oNOgH3DDga

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 7, 2021

Joey Gallo

Stats- 24 HR and .522 SLG

Gallo is the second favorite in this Home Run Derby with odds of +450. Gallo has done well with the long ball this season. Honestly, throughout his career, he has had great success hitting home runs. He’s had two seasons so far over 40. That being said, I do not like his value and I will not take him on Monday. This mainly has to do with the fact that Trevor Story is his matchup. I think that Story will do well because of the home crowd and him being used to this ballpark, which in my eyes, spells trouble for Gallo.

Pete Alonso

Stats- 17 HR and .485 SLG

Alonso has not had the best of seasons but in my eyes, that does not matter. He is the 2019 champion and the reigning champ as there was no Home Run Derby last season. Oftentimes players only go for the award once but Alonso is ready to defend his crown. In a recent interview, he talked about the upcoming Home Run Derby and looks ecstatic to be back.

“I had so much fun during the first one…as long as I have an opportunity to do it, I want to do it”

Pete Alonso discusses the decision behind competing in the 2021 Home Run Derby pic.twitter.com/eryFt8AuAv

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 23, 2021

Alonso’s attitude is exactly what you need for the Home Run Derby. In the interview, he mentions Coors Field and how he thinks should perform there. Alonso said, “I love it out in Colorado. I usually spend some time out West in the offseason, so I know what the altitude’s going to be like, and I’m going to be hopefully ready to compete and take another chain home.” I am not going to take Alonso’s odds at +550 but I will take his matchup odds in the first round versus Perez.

Matt Olson

Stats- 21 HR and .549 SLG

I am not going to lie. I do not know much about Matt Olson. Now to clarify I do not follow baseball that well. He is probably a great player and this year he made the All-Star team for the first time. His team, the Athletics have a good record this year so he is clearly adding to their success. I will not be taking his odds at +550 for the derby. I will take his first-round matchup versus Mancini as I think he will show out for his first All-Star game.

Trevor Story

Stats- 11 HR and .448 SLG

Okay, so Story has not had a great year. He is struggling at the plate and needs to get back into the groove of things. I like Story though because he has had a past of hitting bombs being a 2x Silver Slugger and a 2x All-Star. My favorite part for Story is that it is in his home stadium. He plays at Coors Field all year long and is ready to take home the crown. The great Jared Carrabis also loves Story as he hits absolute BOMBS. I love Story’s odds at +850 and he will be another one of my picks for the Home Run Derby.

GET SHIT PUMPED BY TREVOR STORY pic.twitter.com/5fHV73dr2t

— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) July 4, 2021

Salvador Perez

Stats- 21 HR and .501 SLG

Alright, so as I am writing this, I looked up Perez. Perez is a 7x All-Star, a 3x Silver Slugger, and 1x World Series MVP. He is a beast, to say the least. He is not necessarily known for his home run hitting though, as he has not had one season over 30 HR. I do think this year he eclipses 30, however, I do not like his matchup. He takes on Alonso in the first round and I honestly just do not believe that will end well for Perez.

Juan Soto

Stats- 11 HR and .444 SLG

Soto is 22 years old but is already a very accomplished star. He is a World Series champion, 1x All-Star, Batting Champion, and 1x Silver Slugger. His highest HR total was in 2019 when he had 34. Soto can hit the long ball but this year he has not been very consistent about it. His first-round matchup with Ohtani is tough but if there was someone to step up in this moment, don’t be surprised if it’s Soto. If he beats Ohtani this may be the perfect time for Soto. Soto at +900 is great value, so if you are looking for a fun bet to sprinkle on, take Soto. I am going to sprinkle on Soto as well, almost as a small hedge for Ohtani, because I think the winner of that will be in the final.

World Series champion
Batting Champion
Silver Slugger

And now…

JUAN SOTO IS AN ALL-STAR.

(He’s only 22.)#NATITUDE pic.twitter.com/sUzmR0p5oY

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 4, 2021

Trey Mancini

Stats- 15 HR and .449 SLG

Mancini has been one of the lone bright spots for the Orioles. He has the lowest chance at winning the Home Run Derby with odds at +1200. I do not expect him to perform that well. Again I am not a baseball enthusiast so maybe I am missing out on some value here. Baltimore please do not be mad at me, I will defend Mancini and say he has had 20 HRs or more in three seasons during his career. Maybe this is the perfect opportunity for him to prove the doubters like me wrong.

Video Analysis Home Run Derby

Here is some more information regarding the Home Run Derby. I was honored to be a guest for Graeme Wallace and talk with him in more detail about who looks primed to take home the Home Run Derby crown.

Home Run Derby Picks

Overall, this should be a fun Home Run Derby. I am not a big baseball fan but I love watching the All-Star game and festivities because, in my opinion, they have the best format for it out of all the major sports. Good luck to all the betting on this event and here are my final picks.

Ohtani +225

Story +850

Soto +900 (half unit sprinkle)

For more content regarding gambling and fantasy insights in general follow me on Twitter! For more sports and fantasy content follow Belly Up Sports and Belly Up Fantasy Sports or check out the Belly Up Fantasy Sports site!

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Go play the greatest and latest in sports gambling at https://simbull.app/bellyupfantasy. Wall Street meets sports gambling in this innovative app. Simbull brings the fun of being able to play for the long term by purchasing, selling, and trading stocks of your teams. When your teams win you win a payout. When they lose you DON’T! The value of your teams’ share is all that matters and it’s easy to use. Just download the Simbull app on your play store and use the promo code BELLYUPFANTASY for a $10 deposit bonus of at least $10 or more. Join the fun of investing in your team for the long haul where the sportsbook edge is put back into your hands as the player. For the latest and most fun in sports gambling download Simbull and again use the promo code BELLYUPFANTASY for your $10 deposit bonus today! https://simbull.app/bellyupfantasy