On Wednesday afternoon, we learned that Luis Robert Jr. is going to be in the Home Run Derby. He is well deserving of this honor as he is one of the best home run hitters in the game.
Of course, he is the first White Sox player to compete in the event since Todd Frazier did it back in 2016. It is about time one of these White Sox players earned that privilege.
Robert Jr. has 25 home runs on the season. He is second in the American League only to Shohei Ohtani. He is also remarkably tied for third in all of Major League Baseball.
He won’t win MVP this season playing in the same league as Ohtani but he may be in the mix for a nomination. That is going to be fun to watch.
Luis Robert Jr. is facing a stud in the first round of the Home Run Derby.
On the same day, we learned that Robert (1 seed) will face Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman (8 seed) in the first round. This is a matchup between two of Major League Baseball’s two young studs.
Adley Rutschman has 11 home runs. He is one of the most exciting all-around catchers to ever come up and now we are seeing him take big steps in the league. Everything he does well defensively is matched by his offense. Baltimore hopes to have him playing at this level for a very long time.
This will not be an easy matchup for Luis Robert Jr. With that said, it is a round that he can win if he gets his home run swing going to its full potential. He does have more than double the amount of regular-season home runs at this point.
That doesn’t mean it’s a lock for him either. Rutschman is a very talented hitter that could be a great dark horse pick for this event.
The other home run derby matchups here are amazing as well. With all of the star power going to the event, it isn’t all that surprising to see good matchups.
Adolis Garcia (4-seed) of the Texas Rangers is going to face Randy Arozarena (5-seed) of the Tampa Bay Rays. This is a good matchup between two very solid hitters on division leading teams. The winner of this will face the winner of Luis Robert Jr. and Adley Rutschman.
Peter Alonso of the New York Mets (2-seed) is going to face Julio Rodriguez (7-seed) of the Seattle Mariners. The winner of that will take on the winner of Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts (3-seed) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (6-seed) of the Toronto Blue Jays.
This is going to be a very fun tournament to watch. Having Luis Robert Jr. in it will make it even better, especially knowing that he is the one seed with a chance to win.