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Home Run Derby 2021: Format, Start Time, Live Stream, TV Schedule and More
July 11, 2021
Eight of the best power hitters in baseball will compete in Monday's Home Run Derby.
The exhibition event is expected to be even more entertaining than it typically is because of the long-ball potential in Denver.
MLB home run leader Shohei Ohtani is the headliner in the field. He has to navigate a tricky path to follow up on his favorite status.
That has been a difficult feat to achieve for previous No. 1 seeds in the current format of the Home Run Derby. None of the top seeds since 2015 came out on top.
2021 Home Run Derby Info
Date: Monday, July 12
Start Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: ESPN app and ESPN.com
Preview
The eight participants were placed into two sides of a bracket based off their home run total at the end of Wednesday's action.
As the league leader, Ohtani landed the No. 1 seed, but he drew a difficult matchup with Juan Soto, who is one of two players in the Home Run Derby with fewer than 15 home runs.
Joey Gallo drew the No. 2 seed, which has been the lucky slot for winners, including 2019 champion Pete Alonso.
Gallo faces off against Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story in what could be one of his final showcases inside Coors Field depending on what the team does at the trade deadline.
No. 3 seed Matt Olson or No. 6 seed Trey Mancini will face the winner of the Gallo-Story matchup in the semifinals. Ohtani or Soto will take on Alonso or Salvador Perez in the semifinal on the left side of the bracket.
Each player has three minutes to hit as many home runs as possible. Bonus time can be added in each round if a home run eclipses 475 feet.
According to Statcast, Story has the best average home run length of the eight participants at 419 feet. Ohtani also ranks in the top 10 in that category with an average distance of 417 feet.
Ohtani is the overwhelming leader in expected home runs, while Perez is second in the majors in that category.
Perez does not get brought up in the discussion of the league's best power hitters, but he could be an underrated pick to win a tough matchup with Alonso and potentially Ohtani.
Alonso could be viewed as a favorite behind Ohtani since he captured the 2019 Home Run Derby title and beat out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the championship round.
The right side of the bracket will have less attention on it, but the fireworks could be just as massive from Gallo, Olson, Story and Mancini.
Keep an eye on Gallo as a potential winner since he is on one of the hottest home run hitting tears in the majors.
Gallo produced six home runs in his final four June games and went yard on five occasions in 24 at-bats to start July.