Baseball Betting: The MLB All-Star break takes place from Monday through Wednesday but we still get some action on Monday as ESPN will televise the Home Run Derby. A total of 10 players will compete in the 20th Annual Gillette Home Run Derby. This year’s contest takes place at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which is the site for Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game. The National League team in the Home Run Derby is captained by Troy Tulowitzki of the Colorado Rockies but the favorite is Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins. The American League is captained by Jose Bautista and he is the top choice for that team. Let’s take a look at the contest and Home Run Derby predictions.
National League Team
Tulowitzki is joined by Stanton, Yasiel Puig of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Todd Frazier of the Cincinnati Reds. There is also a slot for a player that has yet to be named.
American League Team
The American League team has Bautista, Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles, Brian Dozier of the Minnesota Twins and defending champion, Yoenis Cespedes of the Oakland Athletics. There is also a player yet to be named.
Different Format
The 2014 contest will have a new format with five players from each league getting seven outs instead of the 10 they have received in previous years. The new format has the player who hits the most homers in each league in the first round getting a bye to the semifinals. The next two top home run hitters in each league will then face each other in the second round with the winners making it to the semifinals. The semifinal winners in each league will then make it to the final.
Home Run Derby Predictions
Stanton is going to be a popular pick but he will be overvalued with baseball betting odds of about 2-1. There should be more value on Bautista who has experience in this event as he took part in the 2011 and 2012 Home Run Derby. Since the start of the 2010 season, Bautista ranks second only to Miguel Cabrera in most home runs in the league.
