The 2023 HR Derby: Round-by-round breakdown
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A trio of two-time Home Run Derby champs, the son of a Derby champ, a hometown hero, an MVP, a native Northwesterner and a Cuban native launched majestic dingers Monday night at T-Mobile Park, but only one walked away with the trophy.
In the end, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was the 2023 Home Run Derby winner, becoming the only father-son duo to win the title with his Hall of Fame father.
Tracking every home run in the derby
The Blue Jays slugger, who received the No. 6 pick, had to go through Mookie Betts in the first round before dispatching hometown hero Julio Rodriguez in the semifinals, after the Seattle star hit a first-round Derby record with 41 homers. Vlad Jr. then defeated Randy Arozarena in an epic final showdown.
Read on for a round by round breakdown.
- This HR Derby was a marathon, not a sprint (no, really).
T-Mobile Home Run Derby: Complete coverage
the final
No. 6 Vlad Guerrero Jr. defeated No. 5 Randy Arozarena.
Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays: 25 final homers
As the lower seed, Guerrero had to start in the final immediately after exiting the semifinal round by defeating Julio Rodriguez. The Blue Jays slugger got hot after the initial timeout, crushing 14 home runs in the final 1:13 of regulation — a homer every 5.2 seconds. Guerrero finished the short two-minute regulation period with 20 homers, then hit five more in the minutes of his bonus period. He hit a pair of 445-foot homers to get the bonus and hit 112 mph on one of his homers.
Longest HR: 445 feet
Hardest HR: 112 mph
AVG HR Distance: 408 feet
Avg HR Departure speed: 104.6 mph
Arozarena, Ray: 23 Finals homers
Aerozarena totaled 82 home runs, the second most of any Derby participant, but it was not enough to surpass Vlad Jr.’s 25 home runs in the final round. After a slow start in the final, Arozarena almost made up for it, hitting 15 home runs in the final 90 seconds, going on a blistering pace to finish. It was quite a performance from the electric slugger, who continues to find a knack for shining in the biggest moments.
Longest HR: 438 feet
Hardest HR: 109 mph
AVG HR Distance: 397 feet
Avg HR Departure speed: 101.2 mph
The semi-finals
No. 6 Vlad Guerrero Jr. defeated No. 7 Julio Rodriguez
Guerrero, Jace: 21 semifinal homers
Vlad Jr. smashed 21 tape-measure home runs in just three minutes to advance to the final round. His 21 home runs traveled an average of 416 feet with nearly a quarter of them (5) traveling 440+ feet, including two over 450 feet. A short HR output from his counterpart, Rodriguez, allowed Vlad Jr. to advance to the final round shortly after the start of his bonus period.
Longest HR: 453 feet
Hardest HR: 112 mph
AVG HR Distance: 416 feet
Avg HR Exit Velo: 105.6 mphv
Rodriguez, Mariners: 20 semifinal homers
After setting the single-round home run Derby record with 41 homers in the first round, Rodriguez quickly cooled off in the semifinals. After 32 homers in regulation in the opening round, he managed 16 in the semifinals. Nine of Rodriguez’s final 10 swings failed to turn homers in regulation, and he hit a lot of high fly balls with low exit velocities that failed to clear the fence. He added four homers in the bonus period to finish the round with 20 and didn’t hit one over 426 feet.
Longest HR: 426 feet
Hardest HR: 107 mph
AVG HR Distance: 399 feet
AVG HR EXIT VELO: 99.0 mph
No. 5 Randy Arrozarena defeated No. 1 Lewis Robert Jr.
Arozarena, Ray: 35 semifinal homers
Arozarena used a fiery final minute to put together a strong semifinal performance, riding a frenetic pace that helped him defeat Adolis Garcia in the first round. After getting his extra 30 seconds of bonus time thanks to 447-foot and 442-foot home runs, Arozarena slugged 12 homers in the final 46 seconds of regulation time to reach 30 homers. Arozarena added five more in the full minute of bonus time.
Longest HR: 447 feet
Hardest HR: 109 mph
AVG HR Distance: 407 feet
AVG HR Departure speed: 100.7 mph
Robert, White Sox: 22 semifinal homers
Robert won the first round with a 27-HR from Rutschman, but couldn’t overcome a 35-HR barrage from Arozrena in the semifinals. Although he didn’t make it to the finals, Robert compiled some of the Derby’s most impressive home runs. At the end of his semifinal round, he had the six longest home runs of the night, including a 484-foot home run in the semifinals.
Longest HR: 484 feet
Hardest HR: 113 mph
AVG HR Distance: 415 feet
Avg HR Departure speed: 103.8 mph
Episode 1
No. 7 Julio Rodriguez defeated No. 2 Pete Alonso
Rodriguez, Mariners: 41 first-round homers
Seattle’s hometown hero put on a show from the start in his first round, hitting homers at a blazing pace and never letting up. Rodriguez broke the all-time Derby record with 41 home runs in the record-setting round, besting Vlad Guerrero Jr.’s 2019 semifinal total of 40. He hit 10 homers in less than a minute and 20 in less than two minutes He finished regulation with 32 homers on 44 swings, then added nine more in bonus time. Rodriguez posted his third career home run derby round of 30-plus homers — and it was the most impressive as the young Mariners slugger made history in front of his home fans.
Longest HR: 452 feet
Hardest HR: 109 mph
AVG HR Distance: 404 feet
Avg HR Departure speed: 101.9 mph
Alonso, Mets: 21 first-round homers
Alonso, a two-time Derby champion, had an insurmountable challenge in the first round following Rodriguez, who set the single-round record with 41 home runs. For the second derby in a row, a heavyweight matchup between Alonso and Rodriguez went to the Seattle superstar. Slower than last year and without his usual Derby pitcher, Alonso hit just 21 first-round homers.
Longest HR: 457 feet
Hardest HR: 113.0 mph
AVG HR Distance: 419 feet
Avg HR Departure speed: 106.0 mph
No. 5 Randy Orozarena defeated No. 4 Adolis Garcia
Arozarena, Ray: 24 first-round homers
Arozarena was able to produce a strong first round, thanks to a wild bonus round featuring five homers in 30 seconds. A slow start and slow finish limited his numbers in regulation — he went homerless in his first five swings and failed to homer in seven straight swings in the final minute — but the Rays outfielder still managed to hit 19 homers before bonus time thanks to an extremely fast pace. .
Longest HR: 442 feet
Hardest HR: 110 mph
AVG HR Distance: 405 feet
Avg HR Departure speed: 103.3 mph
Garcia, Rangers: 17 first-round homers
In a first-round matchup, Garcia couldn’t beat his friend and former Cardinals minor league teammate Arozarena, hitting 17 home runs compared to Arozarena’s 24. Garcia’s biggest problem was a cold stretch of late, when he homered just twice. Last minute of time (with extra 30 seconds).
Longest HR: 438 feet
Hardest HR: 110 mph
AVG HR Distance: 400 feet
Avg HR Departure speed: 102.3 mph
No. 1 Lewis Robert Jr. defeated No. 8 Adley Ratsman
Robert Jr., White Sox: 28 first-round homers
Robert showed why he was the top seed in this tournament. Rutschman 27 on the heels of launching the first round home run, Robert hit 27 … before he reached the extra minutes of his bonus time. Robert launched 28 home runs that averaged 426 feet while hitting seven 440+ foot home runs, topping out at 470 feet.
Longest HR: 470 feet
Hardest HR: 112 mph
AVG HR Distance: 426 feet
AVG HR Departure speed: 105.6 mph
Rootsman, Orioles: 27 first-round homers
In an electric first-round performance against Lewis Robert Jr., Rutsman showed that after he scored 21 runs off the left-hander — including a 445-foot bomb to right field — in regulation, Rutsman returned to his 30. Seconds of bonus time and turned and batted right-handed. He didn’t miss a beat, adding six more homers for a 27-homer showing.
Longest HR: 445 feet
Hardest HR: 108 mph
AVG HR Distance: 398 feet
AVG HR Departure speed: 102.6 mph
No. 6 Vlad Guerrero Jr. defeated No. 3 Mookie Betts
Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays: 26 first-round homers
Guerrero opened his first round with a bang, clubbing a 453-foot blast after four pitches without a homer. He quickly managed to hit two homers of 440-plus feet — later adding a 456-foot bomb — to get his full minute of bonus time. Despite starting to tire after his timeout midway through regulation, Guerrero smashed nine homers in his 60-second bonus period to reach an impressive total of 26.
Longest HR: 456 feet
Hardest HR: 112 mph
AVG HR Distance: 402 feet
Avg HR Departure speed: 104.0 mph
https://www.mlb.com/news/2023-home-run-derby-results
Bates, Dodgers: 11 first-round homers
On pace for the first 40-HR season of his career, Bates had the unfortunate task of facing Vlad Jr. in the first round. With little room for error, Bates fell short of Guerrero’s first-round total of 26 with just 11 home runs. He finally cooled off enough, going homerless over the last seven swings.
Longest HR: 427 feet
Hardest HR: 103 mph
AVG HR Distance: 396 feet
AVG HR Departure speed: 98.7 mph
