New York Mets star Pete Alonso goes for his third straight title on Monday night in the 2022 MLB Home Run Derby at Dodgers Stadium. The showcase event is the lead-in to Tuesday's 2022 MLB All-Star game, and it pits eight of Major League Baseball's most powerful hitters. Alonso is the No. 2 seed behind Philadelphia's Kyle Schwarber, but he's the favorite to win. Alonso will square off in the first round with seventh-seeded Ronald Acuna of the Atlanta Braves, while Schwarber will face Albert Pujols of the Cardinals. The other matchups will be former Dodgers shortstop and current Texas Ranger Corey Seager against Seattle Mariners rookie Julio Rodriguez, and Cleveland Guardians star Jose Ramirez against Juan Soto of the Washington Nationals.
The 2022 Home Run Derby will begin at 8 p.m. ET on Monday. Alonso is a +200 favorite (risk $100 to win $200) on the money line in the latest 2022 Home Run Derby odds from Caesars Sportsbook. Schwarber is right behind at +300, while Soto (+600) and Acuna (+750) are the only others shorter than 10-1. Rodriguez and Seager are both +1000, Ramirez is priced at +1600 and Pujols is +2000. Before locking in any 2022 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby picks or predictions, you need to see what SportsLine baseball expert John Bollman has to say.
Bollman is on a tremendous run picking baseball games for SportsLine. He is 197-170 with his last 367 MLB picks after he went 380-309-1 in 2021. He returned $3,855 for $100 bettors last season and finished as SportsLine's No. 1 baseball expert.
It's no surprise: In 2018 Bollman, who has a master's degree in biostatistics, worked in the Toronto Blue Jays' analytics department, focusing on high-performance sports science and player development. He combines that MLB front-office experience with a deep statistical background to deliver incredible success on MLB picks.
Now, he has studied the latest 2022 Home Run Derby odds and locked in his picks. Head to SportsLine now to see them.
2022 Home Run Derby expert preview
One player Bollman is shying away from on Monday night is Acuna, who has experience in the event but also faces a huge opening test. The 24-year-old faced Alonso in the second round in 2019, but Alonso hit a monstrous blast at the buzzer to advance. The Mets star beat Vlad Guerrero Jr. in the final for the first of his two titles. Acuna hit 25 homers in the first round in 2019 then managed just 18 in the second. Alonso hit a record 35 in the first round last year.
Acuna certainly has the power to compete, and he showed that strength to all fields in the 2019 competition. But he has just eight homers in 56 games since returning from his injury, and entering Saturday, he had just one in his past 18 games. He has been visibly struggling to get comfortable at the plate, and while he hasn't played the entire season, he is eighth on his own team in homers. His struggles and his matchup with Alonso don't bode well for him to advance.
On the other hand, the expert knows experience plays a big part in success at the Home Run Derby, and players like Soto and Seager have it. Soto upset top-seeded Shohei Ohtani last season in a swing-off, and he has the longest home run ever at the Derby, a 520-foot moon shot. The 23-year-old has 19 home runs this season for the Nationals, and he hit 34 last season in posting a .999 OPS. He has hit 117 home runs and has a .968 OPS in 553 career games.
Seager has 22 home runs this season for the Rangers, and he is in the Derby for the first time since his rookie year in 2016. The 28-year-old played seven years with the Dodgers and hit at least 15 homers in the five full seasons he played in L.A. Seager is very familiar with the stadium and could get some backing from the fans. Seager hit 48 homers over the 2016 and '17 seasons and has 22 in 337 at-bats this year, with five in his past eight games entering Saturday. See his other Home Run Derby picks at SportsLine.
How to make 2022 Home Run Derby picks
Bollman is staying away from Acuna because of the tough road he faces, but the expert has two other confident best bets. One is a strong play on the winner, and he also predicts the final matchup, a wager that would net a significant payout. You can only get these selections at SportsLine.
So who wins the MLB Home Run Derby 2022? And which player will the winner square off against in the final? Visit SportsLine to see John Bollman's top 2022 Home Run Derby picks, all from the expert who has crushed his MLB picks over the past two seasons, and find out.
2022 MLB Home Run Derby odds, participants
See 2022 MLB Home Run Derby picks here
Pete Alonso +200
Kyle Schwarber +300
Juan Soto +600
Ronalda Acuna Jr. +750
Julio Rodriguez +1000
Corey Seager +1000
Jose Ramirez +1600
Albert Pujols +2000
