It doesn't matter whether you think that the Home Run Derby is the greatest of baseball's sacred traditions or just the dumbest thing since the designated hitter was invented. You're going to be watching tonight because there's nothing else on.
This year, Mets fans have the added bonus of the Derby being held at Citi Field, where we don't see long home runs hit too often. It should be a joy to watch the left-handed power present at this season's even take aim at the Shea Bridge and the Pepsi Proch in right field.
All that said, the Home Run Derby is basically glorified batting practice, so to make it more interesting, here are some betting odds:
National League
| Player | Team | 2013 Home Runs | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bryce Harper | Washington Nationals | 13 | 11/2 |
| Pedro Alvarez | Pittsburgh Pirates | 24 | 11/2 |
| David Wright* | New York Mets | 13 | 9/1 |
| Michael Cuddyer | Colorado Rockies | 16 | 12/1 |
* Team captain
American League
| Player | Team | 2013 Home Runs | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Davis | Baltimore Orioles | 37 | 11/4 |
| Prince Fielder | Detroit Tigers | 16 | 15/4 |
| Yoenis Cespedes | Oakland Athletics | 15 | 11/2 |
| Robinson Cano* | New York Yankees | 21 | 6/1 |
* Team captain
Would you look at that? Defending champion Prince Fielder isn't the favorite in tonight's event! It's actually Derby newcomer Chris Davis, who has amazingly hit 37 home runs this season already. That's his career high in homers, and we've still got a lot of baseball to play this year. Davis's wonderful first half, in addition to the way he makes hitting home runs look so effortless, has made him the favorite to win the Derby.
One guy not favored to do well tonight is Mets third baseman David Wright. Wright has hit only 13 dingers this season, which is 18th-best in the National League. He's mostly there because he plays for the Mets, but remember, Wright may actually be good at these Home Run Derby things.
In 2006, the only other time he participated, Wright hit a total of 22 home runs, including 16 in the first round alone. He ended up finishing as the runner-up to Ryan Howard, which was no small feat in a Derby that featured Miguel Cabrera and David Ortiz.
Unfortunately, what many Mets fans remember about that 2006 Home Run Derby was the way Wright's power dropped off in the second half of the season. Before the event, Wright hit 20 homers in 87 games. Afterwards, he hit just six homers in 67 games. That might just be a coincidence, but there will be a lot of Mets fans hoping that Wright just takes it easy and hits a bunch of line drives to right field tonight.
By the way, if you can't make it out to Citi Field tonight, there are alternative means of watching tonight's event. It is on television! ESPN will be showing the Home Run Derby starting at 8:00 p.m. tonight with Chris Berman, John Kruk, and Nomar Garciaparra acting as commentators. Fans in the stadium will be subjected to ESPN's morning show duo of Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic calling the action.