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2018 Home Run Derby Odds: Nationals' Bryce Harper Leading the Betting Lines
July 16, 2018
Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper has had his share of struggles at the plate so far this season, but his power numbers have still been solid, and he's been set as the favorite on the odds to win the Home Run Derby for Monday night's contest.
Harper is the +225 betting favorite (wager $100 to win $225) on the 2018 Home Run Derby odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com, with baseball's annual All-Star Game festivities taking place this year at Harper's home field, Nationals Park in Washington D.C.
And Harper is the only experienced Home Run Derby participant in the field this year, as he was the runner-up to Yoenis Cespedes in the event back in 2013. Harper slugged a total of 24 home runs in the three rounds of the 2013 Home Run Derby at Citi Field in New York but came up short in the finals against Cespedes.
So far this season Harper has hit 23 home runs in his 94 games played, after he hit 29 home runs in an injury-shortened 111-game campaign back in 2017. Harper's career high in home runs was 42 back in 2015; that is the only time in his career he has hit over 30 home runs in a single season. The Nats outfielder enters the All-Star Break with an ugly .214 batting average.
It's then Kyle Schwarber of the Chicago Cubs at +333 on the 2018 Home Run Derby odds at the sportsbooks, and he has 18 home runs so far on the season. Schwarber belted 30 home runs in just 129 games for the Cubs last season. Cubs second baseman Javier Baez is also set for Monday's contest; he has 19 home runs on the season and is listed at +550 odds.
The rest of the Home Run Derby field is then Jesus Aguilar of the Milwaukee Brewers at +500 odds, Rhys Hoskins of the Philadelphia Phillies at +650 odds, Max Muncy of the Los Angeles Dodgers at +700 odds, Freddie Freeman of the Atlanta Braves at +850 odds and Alex Bregman of the Houston Astros at +1100 odds. Aguilar leads that group with 24 home runs.
The event will continue to have a bracket format, with the first-round "quarterfinal" matchups featuring Aguilar vs. Hoskins, Bregman vs. Schwarber, Muncy vs. Baez and Harper vs. Freeman. Harper is the No. 2 seed in the field; the No. 2 seed won the Home Run Derby last season, with the New York Yankees' Aaron Judge topping Miguel Sano of the Minnesota Twins in the event finals at Marlins Park in Miami.
For more odds information, betting picks and a breakdown of this week's top sports betting news check out the OddsShark podcast with Jon Campbell and Andrew Avery. Subscribe on iTunes or listen to it at OddsShark.libsyn.com.