The field is set. And a lot of baseballs in Seattle are about to be absolutely punished.
Texas Rangers slugger Adolis Garcia was named as the final participant in the 2023 Home Run Derby Wednesday. He joins a star-studded, eight-player field with a nice mix of veterans and young stars.
The field also includes two-time champion Pete Alonso, Randy Arozarena, Mookie Betts, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Luis Robert Jr., Julio Rodríguez, and Adley Rutschman.
El Bombi throws his name in the mix! 💣
Adolis García rounds out the @TMobile #HRDerby lineup. pic.twitter.com/Q3SnUZLy7j
— MLB (@MLB) July 5, 2023
Garcia will face fellow Cuban and his friend, Arozarena, in the first round. MLB.com’s Kennedi Landry asked Garcia recently if he could beat Arozarena. Garcia offered a simple, one-word answer: “Si.”.
Garcia has 21 home runs this season and led MLB with 69 RBIs entering the day. Rangers fans have been pitching him as a derby candidate all season.
ADOLIS GARCIA SHOULD BE IN THE HOME RUN DERBY. PERIOD.
@Rangers | #StraightUpTX | 📺: BSSW pic.twitter.com/JWr1DPpP8h— Bally Sports Southwest (@BallySportsSW) July 3, 2023
The early odds from sportsbooks have Garcia right in the middle of the pack in terms of winning the event. According to SportsbookReview.com, Garcia is at +600. Alonso is the favorite at +250, followed by Guerrero (+300), Rodriguez (+450) and Robert (+550).
Garcia can at least boast he’s currently ahead of Arozarena (+800).
Here’s a look at the bracket, which MLB released Wednesday.
Get ready for a bunch of BIG FLIES because the Home Run Derby bracket is set 🍿
📺 July 10, 8 ET on ESPN and ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/1AYm1dpmf2
— ESPN (@espn) July 6, 2023
The 2023 MLB Home Run Derby will be held at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park on July 10 and will air on ESPN at 8 p.m. (ET).
