The Daily Sweat: Can Pete Alonso recapture his Home Run Derby title?
Pete Alonso's swing was made for the Home Run Derby.
The New York Mets first baseman has been very good at MLB's annual pre-All-Star Game signature event. Alonso won in 2019 and again in 2021 after the 2020 Derby didn't take place. He was expected to contend for a third straight Derby title last year, but Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodríguez upset him in the semifinals before Juan Soto won last year's Derby.
This year, Alonso is back, trying to match Ken Griffey Jr. as the only three-time winner of the contest. And the odds are in his favor, as Alonso is the favorite to win Home Run Derby at BetMGM, with +300 odds.
It won't be easy. MLB has a pretty good field for Monday's event.
Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. returns, and he barely lost to Alonso in the 2019 finals. He's certainly capable of upsetting Alonso. Rodríguez will have the home fans in Seattle behind him.
Here are the odds for all of the competitors:
Pete Alonso +300
Vladimir Guerrero +350
Luis Robert Jr. +450
Julio Rodríguez +500
Adolis García +650
Randy Arozarena +1000
Mookie Betts +1200
Adley Rutschman +2000
Betts might not be the best player to take; he told ESPN that he doubts he can win because he doesn't have the power of the other competitors. But maybe Betts is just getting his opponents to overlook him.
Alonso is a good bet, even as the favorite, because he has proven that he is good at this. But others down the odds have a good chance as well. Hey, at least there's something to bet on this Monday.
Here's the first look at the sports betting slate for Monday:
It's MLB All-Star break
The worst week of the sports year is here. With baseball's regular season on break for a few days, there's not much going on. The Home Run Derby is the highlight, mostly because there's very little else. There's some NBA summer league if you want a game to watch (it's odd there's no WNBA on Monday).
What's the best bet?
Well, I'm not exactly going to endorse betting the Memphis Grizzlies' summer league team over the Cleveland Cavaliers'. The Home Run Derby is a fun event to take someone with longer odds, and I have a feeling Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena will shine Monday. Let's go with Arozarena at +1000.
