At 23 years and 266 days old, Soto becomes the second-youngest player ever to win the Derby. He is the second Washington Nationals player to win the event (Bryce Harper won in 2018) and the first Dominican-born major leaguer since Robinson Cano (2011). Washington’s star outfielder may have taken the crown Monday night, but the Derby was full of surprises — from Rodriguez usurping back-to-back champion Pete Alonso in the second round to Albert Pujols upsetting Kyle Schwarber in the first round. To celebrate the summer holidays, we asked ESPN MLB experts Alden Gonzalez, Buster Olney, Jeff Passan and David Schoenfield for their pre-Derby predictions and post-Derby suggestions. See how accurate our pundits were in their predictions, relive the Derby’s biggest dramatic moments and see what it all means next.
MLB All-Star Home Run Derby bracket
(1) Kyle Schwarber vs. (8) Albert Pujols (4) Juan Soto vs. (5) Jose Ramirez (6) Julio Rodriguez vs. (3) Corey Seager (7) Ronald Acuna Jr. vs. (2) Pete Alonso
Round 1
Julio Rodriguez (32 home runs) beats Corey Seager (24 home runs) Pete Alonso (20 home runs) beats Ronald Acuna Jr. (19 home runs) Juan Soto (18 home runs) defeats Jose Ramirez (17 home runs) Albert Pujols (20 home runs) beats Kyle Schwarber (19 home runs) in overtime
Round 2
Julio Rodriguez (31 at home) beats Pete Alonso (22 at home) Juan Soto (16 home runs) beats Albert Pujols (15 home runs)
Finals
Juan Soto (19 home runs) defeats Julio Rodriguez (18 home runs)
Samples from the 2022 Home Run Derby
Gonzalez: Heading into the 30-second bonus time in the opening round, stuck on 10 home runs and seemingly trailing, Pujols stepped out of the batter’s box to take a breather. A crowd quickly swelled around him. Most of the players on the field at Dodger Stadium surrounded the future Hall of Fame first baseman and began to applaud. Soto, who would later beat Pujols in the 2nd round, deified him with his cap. Pujols’ oldest son, AJ, watched in tears. It was an organic moment of appreciation as Pujols wraps up his final season in baseball. Many of those who formed that semi-circle are fellow Dominican players who grew up worshiping him. Over the years, all of them took advice from Pujols as they reached stardom. Schoenfield: As a longtime Mariners fan, this felt like Rodriguez’s official arrival on the national stage, even if Soto beat him out in the end. Rodriguez’s 32-run home run was spectacular, and when he raised his arms in triumph, it wasn’t just a moment for him or even the Mariners fans. It was a moment for all baseball fans: The game’s next big star is here. You have to remember, the Mariners haven’t had a homegrown star since Felix Hernandez — and Hernandez was a pitcher, which means you only have to watch TV once every five or six days. With Rodriguez, Mariners fans see something every game: his power, his speed, his defense. He’s full of the youthful energy you’d expect from a 21-year-old, but he also seems to have an earlier maturity, like when he struggled early in the season and didn’t get overwhelmed. Oh, and since the Mariners are currently riding a 14-game winning streak, fans are starting to dream of the franchise’s first playoff berth since 2001. Seattle teammate Ty French put it this way, talking about the team’s slow start and recent surge: “This is baseball. I can go 0-for-30 or JP [Crawford] he can go 0-for-30 or Julio can go 30-for-30.” I think he was joking.
Update from the derby
Exchange it! Soto spent Monday afternoon coyly answering questions about his hometown team potentially trading him in the next two weeks, then went out and showed the world why every executive across baseball is salivating at the prospect. With 19 home runs in the final round — and 53 overall — Soto became the Home Run Derby champion, defeating the 21-year-old rookie who put together an incredible performance that included 32 home runs in the 1st round and beating two-time defending champion Alonso in 2nd round. Soto had hit just 10 home runs before taking a timeout with 32 seconds left in regulation, then hit five more — the last at the buzzer. Before the 60-second bonus time, he was just three clear of Rodriguez’s final lap total. Forty seconds later, Soto bent to a knee, threw his bat in the air and hugged his teammates. I am playing 0:58 Bad Bunny surprises Juan Soto with his Home Run Derby championship chain as the Nationals slugger explains what it felt like to compete. “Right now, I’m not even thinking about it,” Soto told ESPN’s Buster Olney on the court after taking the Derby chain around his neck from Bad Bunny. “I think I’m a champion.” Running out of gas After hitting 30-plus home runs in each of the first two rounds on Monday night, Rodriguez looked a little stressed when he hit just 18 chips to start the final — and it cost him. Soto ends Pujols’ night Face it, you didn’t even expect Pujols to make it this far, did you? Well, it was fun while it lasted, but after getting past No. 1 seed Schwarber in the first round, Pujols’ latest HR derby appearance came to an end when Soto hit him — setting up a final Soto-Rodriguez showdown. Rookie squeeze three-peat dream The rookie advances, eliminating the two-time defending champion, with Alonso falling short of becoming the first Derby three-peat winner (he remains tied with Yoenis Cespedes and Ken Griffey Jr. with two in a row). With Julio facing either Soto or Pujols in the finals, we’re guaranteed our second all-Dominican final, matching 2010 when David Ortiz beat Hanley Ramirez. I am playing 0:33 Julio Rodriguez defeats Pete Alonso in Round 2 of the Home Run Derby. J-Rod puts pressure on the reigning champ Julie-ooo!! After a slow start when he called a timeout with 1:44 left and just seven home runs, J-Rod found his groove — and what a sweet swing it is. He hit 16 more in that 1:44 and then added eight more in his overtime minute to finish with 31. Longest of this round: 450 feet. It’s game on, Pete. And the crowd goes wild! I am playing 0:31 Kyle Schwarber bows to Albert Pujols after losing to him on a swing-off in the first round of the Home Run Derby. It’s the results of the ’69 Mets of Home Run Derby: Pujols leads off, hitting seven home runs in one minute of overtime to knock out Schwarber. Two more rounds, old man! Pujols isn’t done yet We’re tied as Schwarber goes 0-4 to end his streak and stay tied with Pujols at 13 home runs. Tribute to a legendary player The oldest player to ever compete in the Derby, Pujols may have been the emotional favorite, but he wasn’t the favorite to win a contest that rewards stamina as much as raw power. It got off to a slow start with just one home run in the first 56 seconds and had to call an early timeout. Not a good sign. Some of us shed a few tears at that moment for Pujols. And then we threw in some more when all the All-Stars surrounded Pujols before his final 30 seconds to commemorate one of the great careers in major league history. A true legend. Soto heats up in Ramirez loss Soto moves on – not even needing the 60 seconds of overtime to defeat Ramirez. His biggest blast was the 17th of the round: a 482-foot rocket just down the fairway to right-center. You get the feeling he might just be warming up for a few tracks at Titanic’s home in the next couple of rounds. I am playing 0:27 Juan Soto shuts out Jose Ramirez in the first round with 18 home runs and celebrates with an emphatic swing of the bat. Ramirez sets up a fight with Soto Ramirez didn’t show the raw power of Rodriguez or Alonso — no surprise there — but he finished with 17 home runs, enough pressure that Soto won’t be able to make it to the second round. Soto beat Shohei Ohtani in that epic overtime duel last year, including a Statcast era record 520-foot shot. Let’s see if he can pull a Willie Stargell and hit one out of the ballpark. The dream of the three bogs lives on One thing about Alonso in the Home Run Derby: He never panics. Midway through his round he ran into trouble, struggling to find the perfect launch angle and instead hitting low putts that didn’t make it to the warning track. But he found his swing and struck out Acuna Jr. with just under 30 seconds left in his bonus round. It wasn’t a dominant round, but the dream of a three-peat lives on. I am playing 0:43 Julio Rodriguez started the Home Run Derby with 32 home runs in the first round. Seattle compliments the rookie beautifully With his win over Seager, Rodriguez is the first Mariner to advance to the Derby semifinals since Griffey Jr. in 1998. Guess who’s in the venue today: The Kid himself. Griffey’s advice: “Let Julio be Julio.” Rodriguez came out of the gate hot Rookie nerves? Not for Julio Rodriguez. The 21-year-old phenom put together one of the most impressive rounds in Home Run Derby history, finishing with 32 home runs. He started hitting a series of high fly balls that burst over the fence, turned into some low screeching liners that cleared the fence, and then started hitting a few that cleared the whole dang stadium. Junior knows good content when he sees it. pic.twitter.com/qgGGrfFYEH — Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) July 19, 2022 We’ve come in alone, but the message has been sent: Julio is coming for your crown, Pete Alonso. We are moving forward! The 2022 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is underway with Mariners phenom Julio Rodriguez starting in Los Angeles.
Predictions before the Derby
Who will win the Home Run Derby and who will they beat in the finals? Gonzalez: Soto wasn’t happy about being caught up in trade rumors right before the All-Star break, and this is the perfect place for the game’s best pure hitter to vent his anger. Soto has been very hot this month and will dethrone Pete Alonso in the finals.
