The eight-man bracket for the 2023 T-Mobile Home Run Derby is set.
T-Mobile is the sponsor of both the event and the venue this year, as the competition will take place at T-Mobile Park in Seattle at 8:00 p.m. EDT on Monday, with television coverage on ESPN.
The bragging rights that come with winning the Home Run Derby are nice, but they aren't the only source of motivation in the baseball-bashing competition.
The Breakdown
| Participant | Seed | Odds | HR (as of July 6) | 2023 Salary |
| Luis Robert | 1 | +500 | 25 | $9,500,000 |
| Pete Alonso | 2 | +300 | 26 | $14,500,000 |
| Mookie Betts | 3 | +1000 | 23 | $25,000,000 |
| Adolis Garcia | 4 | +650 | 22 | $747,760 |
| Randy Arozarena | 5 | +950 | 16 | $4,150,000 |
| Vladimir Guerrero | 6 | +360 | 13 | $14,500,000 |
| Julio Rodriguez | 7 | +550 | 13 | $5,912,500 |
| Adley Rutschman | 8 | +1700 | 11 | $733,900 |
All odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 6:30 PM ET Friday.
The $1 Million Prize
The winner of the Home Run Derby gets a $1 million prize, which matters far more to some participants than others. Pete Alonso -- the favorite in this year's competition -- more than doubled his salary by claiming the $1 million prize for winning the competition in 2019, and $1 million exceeds this year's salaries of 2023 Home Run Derby participants Adolis Garcia and Adley Rutschman. The latter will have to overcome a difficult draw, as he faces No. 1 seed Luis Robert in the first round of the eight-man bracket. As of press time, Robert sits second among 2023 Derby participants with 25 homers, which trails only Alonso's 26 long balls.
Contract Talks
Juan Soto was also highly motivated when he won the Home Run Derby in 2022, ending Alonso's three-year, two-Derby reign. Soto was in the middle of a contract standoff with the Nationals and was eager to showcase his power-hitting ability and prove he was worth more than the 15-year, $440 million offer he had just turned down from Washington. While Soto didn't end up with a mega-extension, he at least managed to force his way off the rebuilding Nationals and onto the Padres, with his Derby victory perhaps playing into San Diego's interest. Among 2023 participants, Alonso, Garcia, Randy Arozarena, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are arbitration-eligible after the season.
Finishing What They Started
Soto won't be back to defend his crown in 2023, but 2022 finalist Julio Rodriguez is back after losing to Soto by just a lone homer last year. Rodriguez is part of a must-see first-round matchup against Alonso. Invited to participate as a rookie last year, Rodriguez defeated Corey Seager and Alonso while finishing the competition with 81 long balls. If the 22-year-old Rodriguez wins it this year, he will become the youngest champion in Home Run Derby history.
Another former Home Run Derby finalist looking for redemption in 2023 is Guerrero, who broke the records for home runs in one round (40) and in a single Home Run Derby (91) in 2019 but ran out of gas before falling to Alonso in the final. Guerrero's first-round opponent is Mookie Betts, who earned the No. 3 seed. Betts certainly isn't in this competition for the money, as he's in the midst of a 12-year, $365 million contract with the Dodgers.
The Thrill Of Opportunity
Garcia faces Arozarena in an all-Cuban 4 vs. 5 matchup. Even if neither is able to land the $1 million grand prize -- which would be nearly a quarter of Arozarena's salary -- simply having the opportunity to participate in MLB's All-Star festivities is a nice consolation prize. Both Arozarena and Garcia, as well as Robert, defected from Cuba and no doubt have an appreciation for the glitz and glamor that come with playing professional baseball in the United States.
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