In Iowa, you can’t vote on the Cy Young winners or MVPs, but you can bet on the Home Run Derby winner on Monday.
Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission administrator Brian Ohorilko tells PlayIA that skills competitions are among the approved wagers in Iowa. The three-point shooting contest during the NBA’s All-Star festivities would be another example.
Major League Baseball’s Home Run Derby begins at 7 p.m. Monday on ESPN. Viewers can tune in to Statcast-driven coverage on ESPN2 as well.
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Home Run Derby odds
| Home Run Derby Participant | DraftKings Sportsbook | William Hill Sportsbook | FanDuel Sportsbook | BetMGM Sportsbook | Betfred Sports | PointsBet Sportsbook | Bally Bet Sportsbook |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shohei Ohtani (Angels) | +300 | +275 | +240 | +250 | +250 | +250 | +250 |
| Joey Gallo (Rangers) | +450 | +450 | +420 | +450 | +450 | +450 | +350 |
| Pete Alonso (Mets) | +550 | +500 (+600 with $25 super boost bet) | +450 | +500 | +500 | +500 | +450 |
| Matt Olson (A's) | +650 | +600 | +600 | +700 | +500 | +600 | +750 |
| Juan Soto (Nationals) | +750 | +850 | +800 | +900 | +800 | +900 | +600 |
| Trevor Story (Rockies) | +800 | +900 | +800 | +850 | +1000 | +800 | +600 |
| Salvador Perez (Royals) | +800 | +900 | +1500 | +800 | +1500 | +1000 | +800 |
| Trey Mancini (Orioles) | +1000 | +1200 | +1500 | +1200 | +1800 | +1200 | +1000 |
Expect some high-altitude fireworks. The host Colorado Rockies store baseballs in a humidor during the season because dried-out baseballs leave Coors Field too easily. MLB says the balls for the Home Run Derby won’t be stored in a humidor, however. They don’t want to dampen Monday’s moonshots.
Betting on the Home Run Derby
The Home Run Derby bracket is set up much like a March Madness bracket.
It’s a single-elimination tournament and each batter gets three rounds. Rounds one and two will last three minutes. The third round lasts two minutes. The higher seed gets to bat last. Once they pass the lower seed’s home run total, they can stop swinging, regardless of how much time remains in the round.
Players get bonus time and the Home Run Derby has a tie-breaking process as well.
Many of the legal sportsbooks in Iowa have Home Run Derby prop bets as well.
At Caesars Sportsbook, you can bet on the championship round matchup: Shohei Ohtani over Joey Gallo, for example.
At Betfred in Iowa, you can bet on whether the Home Run Derby winner will come from the American League or National League. There’s a bet for the longest home run hit as well.
A look at the competitors
MLB.com’s Andrew Simon put together summaries of all eight derby competitors. He has a more detailed breakdown at MLB’s official website:
1) Shohei Ohtani (33 HR) — LA Angels
Longest HR of 2021: 470 feet, June 8 vs. Royals
Hardest-hit HR of 2021: 117.2 mph, June 28 at Yankees
8) Juan Soto (11 HR) — Washington Nationals
Longest HR of 2021: 437 feet, June 2 at Braves
Hardest-hit HR of 2021: 113.4 mph, June 29 vs. Rays
4) Salvador Perez (21 HR) — Kansas City Royals
Longest HR of 2021: 460 feet, May 4 vs. Cleveland
Hardest-hit HR of 2021: 114.2 mph, May 4 vs. Cleveland
5) Pete Alonso (17 HR) — New York Mets
Longest HR of 2021: 443 feet, June 30 at Braves
Hardest-hit HR of 2021: 115.4 mph, April 21 at Cubs
2) Joey Gallo (24 HR) — Texas Rangers
Longest HR of 2021: 462 feet, July 7 vs. Tigers
Hardest-hit HR of 2021: 114.3 mph, April 27 vs. Angels
7) Trevor Story (11 HR) — Colorado Rockies
Longest HR of 2021: 466 feet, June 20 vs. Brewers
Hardest-hit HR of 2021: 110.2 mph, June 23 at Mariners
3) Matt Olson (23 HR) — Oakland A’s
Longest HR of 2021: 445 feet, May 23 at Angels
Hardest-hit HR of 2021: 111.7 mph, May 23 at Angels
6) Trey Mancini (16 HR) — Baltimore Orioles
Longest HR of 2021: 451 feet, July 2 at Angels
Hardest-hit HR of 2021: 111.9 mph, April 10 vs. Red Sox
