Alonso favored to win record-tying 3rd Home Run Derby crown

Two-time champ Pete Alonso is the betting favorite to win the 2024 Home Run Derby after MLB finalized the field Wednesday.

This will be Alonso's fifth time participating in the All-Star break competition. He won his first two appearances but failed to reach the finals in the past two derbys.

If the Mets slugger wins a third, he'll tie Ken Griffey Jr. for the most derby titles.

Adolis García is the second favorite. He participated in the Home Run Derby last season but lost in the first round to the eventual runner-up Randy Arozarena. García will look to excite the hometown Rangers crowd with a deeper run this time around.

Two of the game's best young shortstops, Gunnar Henderson (+550) and Bobby Witt Jr. (+600), will compete in their first Home Run Derby. Henderson has the most dingers out of anyone in the field this year with 27, which ranks third behind MLB leader Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani.

Marcell Ozuna, switch-hitting José Ramírez, and derby debutants Teoscar Hernández and Alec Bohm round out the eight-man field.

Last year's champ, Vlad Guerrero Jr., opted out of defending his title.

It's worth noting the change to the competition's format. All eight players will now participate in a round-robin instead of the single-elimination bracket, in which seeding was based on how many home runs the player had hit in the season.

From there, the top four performers will be seeded in two head-to-head semifinals, with the winners advancing to the finals.

The Home Run Derby goes Monday at 8 p.m. ET.