The baseballs will fly Monday night at Petco Park in San Diego as the MLB presents its annual Home Run Derby.
Eight sluggers -- six of which are All-Stars -- will take part in the long ball contest as the MLB returns its revamped bracket format for this year's event. The 1-8 seeds were determined by the amount of homers each player had as of this past Wednesday. Five National League players and three American Leaguers will be a part of the contest.
Here are our round-by-round predictions for the 2016 MLB Home Run Derby
Mark Trumbo (1) vs. Corey Seager (8)
Trumbo leads the MLB with 28 homers and will be partaking in his second Derby. During his debut in 2012 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Trumbo blasted 13 homers over two rounds. Two Orioles have won the Derby before, Cal Ripken Jr. (1991) and Miguel Tejada (2004).
At age 22, Seager will look to become the first rookie to ever win the Home Run Derby as he enters as the seventh rookie to take part in the contest all-time. Seager leads the Dodgers with 17 long balls this season and could seek the advince of teammate Joc Pedersen, who partook in the event last year before losing in the finals. No Dodger has ever won the Derby.
Though the rookie could give him a run for his money, Trumbo is unlikely to have an early exit.
The Pick: Trumbo.
Robinson Cano (4) vs. Giancarlo Stanton (5)
Cano is second on the Mariners with 21 homers and will be partaking in his fourth Derby all-time. The Seattle second baseman won the contest back in 2011 at Chase Field in Arizona, launching 32 bombs, which tied him for fourth on the all-time Derby list. In his 2012 and 2013 follow-up appearances, however, he combined for just four long balls. Ken Griffey Jr. is the only Mariner to ever win the contest, having done so in 1994, '98 and '99.
Stanton has shaken off a slow start and leads the Marlins with 20 homers this season. The outfielder has five home runs in July -- all of which have come in his last five games. Stanton is taking part in his second Home Run Derby after going deep six times in the 2014 event. A player representing the Marlins has never won the Derby.
This one can go either way and should be a good head-to-head clash, but Stanton is swinging a hot bat and should move on.
The Pick: Stanton.
Todd Frazier (2) vs. Carlos Gonzalez (7)
Frazier is the reigning Derby champion after winning the contest last year in Cincinnati when he played for the Reds. The White Sox third baseman is tied for second in the majors with 25 round trippers this season. He has participated in each of the last two competitions, making it to the finals in both. The White Sox have one Derby winner in their history, Frank Thomas in 1995.
Gonzalez is third on the Rockies with 19 homers this season, 14 of which have come at the hitter-friendly Coors Field. In his only appearance in the Derby to date, Gonzalez hit four homers in Kansas City back in 2012. The Rockies haven't had a player ever win the Derby.
Frazier will have a tough task building on the momentum of his win last year, but given his penchant for big Derby performances, he'll move on.
The Pick: Frazier.
Adam Duval (3) vs. Wil Myers (6)
Duval has had an explosive start to his first full season, ranking tied for second in the NL with 23 homers at the break. He'll look to become the second straight Reds player to win the Derby as Frazier did last year prior to being dealt to Chicago this offseason. Two other Reds have won the event, including Dave Parker (1985) and Eric Davis (1989).
Myers leads the Padres with 19 homers and he'll represent the home team at Petco Park looking to match Frazier's heroics in front of the Cincinnati faithful last year by winning at his own park. A win would be even sweeter for Myers because the Padres have never had a player emerge victorious in the Derby.
This will be a fun one to watch and could really go either way. Duvall is the favorite, but we'll stick with the hometown guy to generate an upset with the support of his fans behind him.
The Pick: Myers.
Semifinals: Trumbo (1) vs. Stanton (5)
This would be an absolute battle between two legitimate sluggers. While it's hard to pick a winner, Stanton will overcome the demons from his first Derby attempt and get into a groove, swinging his way into the finals.
The Pick: Stanton.
Semifinals: Frazier (2) vs. Myers (6)
As much as we like the thought of the hometown kid going all the way to the finals, the magic will run out here. Frazier will out-slug his opponent, swinging his way into the third final round of his career, with a second title in his sights
The Pick: Frazier.
Finals: Frazier (2) vs. Stanton (5)
Given the 5-3 tilt in the Senior Circuit's favor as far as competitors go, it wouldn't be surprising to see an all-NL showdown in the finale, but this seems to be the most likely final two. Frazier will put up a good fight, but in the end Stanton will emerge as the first Marlins player to take home the hardware.
The Pick: Stanton.
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