A 514-foot homer? A Midsummer slugfest? Our Home Run Derby and All-Star predictions
Ryan Howard previews the game of baseball heading to Cleveland for the 2019 All-Star Game. (0:47)
It’s MLB All-Star Week in Cleveland, and as baseball’s biggest sluggers — minus one Christian Yelich, who pulled out of the Home Run Derby with a back injury — take aim at the Progressive Field fences and the brightest stars in the game prepare to battle for league bragging rights, we asked our experts on the scene in Ohio to weigh in with their long-ball and Midsummer Classic predictions.
Whether you are wondering who will be this summer’s home run king, which slugger will hit the long ball we’ll all be talking about or which All-Star showdown we can’t wait to see, we’ve got it all covered.
Jeffrey Passan: Pete Alonso. I know Progressive Field plays better to left-handed hitters. I also know Alonso has the sort of power that renders fences meaningless.
Joon Lee: I’m gonna go with Josh Bell. His emergence in Pittsburgh this year has gone a little under the radar, but the switch-hitting Pirates star has moon-tower power and has hit some of the most majestic home runs of the 2019 season.
Catch all of the action in MLB’s slugging showcase, live from Progressive Field in Cleveland. Also, you can check out the Statcast Edition of the Derby on ESPN2 (8 p.m.).
Dan Mullen: For the record, I had Christian Yelich for the win, but now I’m going to jump aboard the Pete Alonso train. Alonso has done nothing but destroy baseballs all season long, and I don’t expect him to slow down on the big stage. And besides, something has to go the Mets’ way eventually … right?
David Schoenfield: I know this isn’t a fielding contest, but I’m going Matt Chapman. The last-minute addition will shock everyone with a barrage of home runs. Plus, Chapman attended the Home Run Derby in Anaheim when he was 17, his dad will be pitching to him and he has always dreamed of participating. We already have a script to write.
Passan: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., because I couldn’t pick Alonso twice. And because Vladdy, like Alonso, has the most to play for — both can nearly double their $555,000 salary with the $1 million Derby-winning prize.
Lee: Everyone wants to see Vladdy Jr. hit some moonshots. His batting practices this season have been a sight to behold on a daily basis. At the Rogers Centre, people stop what they are doing to watch Vladdy slam baseballs into the second and third deck during BP.
This year’s All-Star Game is Tuesday at Progressive Field in Cleveland. Here’s what you need to know about the teams and all the festivities. Rosters, schedules, analysis
Mullen: Yelich’s last-minute absence opens the door for Vlad Jr. to make some serious noise Monday night. I’m not sure the rookie can put three rounds together, but if Guerrero puts on a show in the first two rounds, he’s going to have plenty of buzz and lots of fans in Cleveland in the final round.
Schoenfield: Considering Cleveland fans were really into the celebrity softball game on Sunday, they’re really going to be into Carlos Santana‘s efforts on Monday. If he gets on a roll, he could ride that fan support all the way to the title.
Passan: Alonso, 514 feet. That’s nearly 60 feet longer than his longest home run. Fine. The extra-juiced balls are coming out for this one.
Lee: Josh Bell, 490 feet.
Mullen: 506 feet by Josh Bell. How far over the Progressive Field fence is the closest Great Lake? Bell has a habit of depositing home run balls in the nearest body of water, and while he probably won’t hit one all the way to Lake Erie, he’s going to crush the longest ball of the night.
Schoenfield: Bell, 506 feet.
Passan: AL, 4-3. In the past 30 games that didn’t end with a tie, the AL is 24-6. This doesn’t really matter, but guessing a score for an All-Star Game is entirely logic-free, too.
Lee: The National League, 12-7, but I also could not tell you the score of literally any All-Star game ever played.
Mullen: NL, 9-7. The NL simply has more star depth than the AL does right now. But the real question here is: Will the All-Star home run record set last year be broken? I say yes, with a dozen balls heading into the Cleveland night.
Schoenfield: The AL extends its winning streak to seven games with a 6-4 victory.
Passan: Joey Gallo. He’s the likeliest player to arrive later in the game, when it’s still close, and hit an important home run. The All-Star Game MVP formula.
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Lee: Nolan Arenado, but who really knows?
Mullen: Cody Bellinger. This is the Year of Yeli and Belli, but since we don’t know if Yelich will participate Tuesday night yet, let’s go with Bellinger hitting a couple of bombs to win All-Star MVP.
Schoenfield: When in doubt, go with Mike Trout.
Passan: Justin Verlander vs. Cody Bellinger: In the 2017 World Series, Bellinger went 0-for-5 with five strikeouts — all swinging — against Verlander. Safe to say Bellinger 2.0 is looking for a different result this time.
Lee: Mike Trout vs. Hyun-Jin Ryu. Two of my personal favorite players to watch going up head-to-head.
Mullen: Justin Verlander vs. the heart of the NL lineup. At-bats against Verlander tend to end with a long ball or a strikeout right now, and I can’t wait to see which of those two results we get when the Astros’ ace takes the mound to face Yelich, Bellinger, Javier Baez and Nolan Arenado on Tuesday night.
Schoenfield: Hyun-Jin Ryu, Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler against Alex Bregman, George Springer and Michael Brantley in some fashion — aka a World Series preview.