2023 MLB Home Run Derby: Vlad Guerrero Jr. wins after epic performances from Julio Rodriguez, Adley Rutschman
Guerrero powered his way through with rounds of 26, 25 and 21; Randy Arozarena hit a total of 82 in his runner-up performance
SEATTLE — The latest edition of baseball's annual power showcase was one for the ages. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. won the 2023 MLB Home Run Derby at T-Mobile Park, following the first-round matchup everyone was waiting for: hometown hero Julio Rodríguez vs. Derby king Pete Alonso. Julio did not disappoint, shattering the single-round record with 41 homers in an electrifying performance in front of his home crowd.
In the opening round, Randy Arozarena kicked things off with 24 homers to win his matchup with Adolis Garcia. Then Adley Rutschman switch-hit his way to 27 dingers before Luis Robert Jr. topped him by one with a walk-off in their face-off. After that, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. casually hit 26 out to defeat Mookie Betts. Then came the Rodríguez-Alonso battle.
In the semifinals, Arozarena put up a cool 35 to defeat No. 1 seed Robert and seal his spot in the finals. Rodríguez hit 20 home runs in his second appearance of the night, but Guerrero matched him before even reaching his bonus time and then walked it off.
Said Rodríguez afterward of the fatigue that set in during the second round: “It feels like your mind is there, but your body is not.”
In the finals, Vlad hit another 25 longballs before Randy came close — but not quite — to matching him in the bonus round.
Asked afterward if he would compete in the Derby again next year, Guerrero said through an interpreter, “If you’re asking me now, no … maybe if you ask me next year.”
Here's our round-by-round breakdown, with results, reactions and highlights from Seattle.
FINALS
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 25, Randy Arozarena 23
ZC: Randy started off slowly, spraying some grounders, but then he found his groove, and he entered the bonus round four shy of Guerrero’s 25. But he had only 30 seconds to try to beat that because none of his dingers in the round went 440 feet.
It was a valiant effort from Arozarena, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. claimed the Derby title and promptly celebrated with Randy’s crossed-arms pose. Note that Blue Jays manager John Schneider actually threw to Guerrero, making him one of the more professional BP throwers to feature in the Derby.
Ken Griffey Jr. presented the trophy, and local legend Marshawn Lynch placed the gaudy Home Run Chain around Guerrero’s neck.
SEMIFINALS
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 21, Julio Rodríguez 20
HK: Strategy take: Going first was bad for Julio’s chances. He used up so much energy hitting 40 home runs in the first round, when he needed only 22 to beat Pete.
ZC: Julio runs into trouble against Guerrero. This is going to be a fascinating social experiment as Seattle fans have to choose whom to root for in the finals.
ZC: I do enjoy the mid-round strategy sessions with other players. "What do you think guys? Should I hit more homers or fewer homers?"
HK: When they all take care of their tired friend? That's my favorite.
Randy Arozarena 35, Luis Robert Jr. 21
HK: The crowd is definitely saving up their cheers for Julio now, resting their voices during the other rounds.
ZC: Randy Arozarena unsurprisingly was up for the fight in the semifinals, launching 35. Luis Robert Jr., meanwhile, hit the most viscerally powerful homers. Just all over the place. He clanked one off the batter’s eye in straight-away center field. This is a man so powerful he does not need to be tactical with his homer hitting.
HK: Credit to the Derby catchers for staying at all locked in on this. Have they even touched a baseball?
ZC: But it’s Arozarena headed to the finals. Get ready for some playoff Randy madness.
FIRST ROUND
No. 7 Julio Rodríguez 41, No. 2 Pete Alonso 21
HK: I think I speak for everyone when I say this is the matchup we’re all here to see.
I have to admit, I was actually a little anxious that there was getting to be too much pressure on Julio in this Home Run Derby. He’s the only contestant for whom the expectations surrounding his performance have been building for a full year. He is so, so beloved in this city that even his slight sophomore slump this season has been kind of hard to watch! Mariners fans want so badly to have reason to root for him and the team.
But he just set the record for the most home runs ever hit in a single round of the Derby.
ZC: He was hitting home runs so fast that I could not watch him swing because there were too many longballs landing in the upper deck. That 41-homer round is the new single-round record, and the previous record came with tiebreakers involved.
ZC: Pete Alonso was hitting homers, but the crowd was restraining any and all excitement in solidarity with the hometown hero, which created a very strange atmosphere. The dream continues for Seattle as Pete falls well short.
HK: Pete is gonna be so sad. :-( That is my analysis.
No. 6 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 26, No. 3 Mookie Betts 11
ZC: The net result of the Robert-Rutschman round is that Guerrero’s 26 homers somehow feel underwhelming.
If nothing else, Mookie wins major points in Seattle for going with Ken Griffey Jr.’s backward cap look.
HK: The difference in swing violence between Guerrero and Betts is so dramatic. Guerrero was swinging out of his shoes on every one — and I was going to say something about Betts, but I noticed shortly after his round that Guerrero is wearing a back brace of some kind, and that makes so much sense. Betts’ five-tool approach to baseball was no match for Guerrero’s willingness to sacrifice his back to launch bombs.
No. 1 Luis Robert Jr. 28, No. 8 Adley Rutschman 27
ZC: The only thing that worried me about Rutschman is whether he was going to literally nail me with a home run ball out in the auxiliary press box. He came quite close. OK, then he switched to hitting right-handed and crushed the bonus round. That was impressive for a Pacific Northwest kid.
HK: I was worried about Rutschman going with the sentimental pick — his dad throwing to him — but that turned out to be a sound strategy.
Um. Wow. ← me watching the bonus 30 seconds he took from the right side. The swarms of fielding children didn’t even turn around to look at home plate. They all just faced out, watching the balls fly over their heads. Also, I think if I could somehow be brand-new to baseball as an adult, switch-hitting would be the skill that blows my mind the most. Well, maybe after what Shohei Ohtani does.
I wonder if switch-hitting is a secret to excelling at the Derby because so much of it is about battling fatigue, and being able to switch to fresh muscles (?) at some point might give you an advantage. Big Inigo Montoya saying, “I am not left-handed” while dueling vibes. Is this a reference people get?
ZC: Luis Robert ... not impressed. He matches Rutschman’s total before the bonus round starts, including one homer that hit the very top row of the left-field stands here. He walks it off a couple of swings into his bonus time.
HK: Welp. Shows you what I know. Robert demonstrated that another tactic for avoiding fatigue is simply to be tireless. Also, there’s so much talk about how young Adley is, but Robert is the same age! And he finished second in Rookie of the Year voting back in 2020.
No. 5 Randy Arozarena 24, No. 4 Adolis García 16
ZC: OK, but how many homers could Randy hit in his special good-luck cowboy boots? It feels like Arozarena is only going to grow more powerful as he gets closer to the finals. The man lives for national television heroics.
HK: That's what I was going to say! Randy flourishes as the pressure mounts — unless he gets carried away and starts to strike a pose after every single home run. He’s probably the player the most hurt by the timed format — as opposed to the “outs” version of the Derby from years ago — because his power is diminished by his not having the time to freeze with his arms crossed after every homer.
