Only Mike Trout has drawn more walks this season than Bryce Harper, who with 78 walks leads the National League as he strikes fear into opposing pitchers. During this Monday night’s Home Run Derby, the Washington Nationals slugger will get plenty of pitches to hit.
Home Run Derby 2018 odds: Bryce Harper leads Kyle Schwarber on the betting lines
Harper and Schwarber are the betting favorites at the sportsbooks to win this year’s edition of the MLB Home Run Derby, which is set to take place on Monday night.
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Bryce Harper is a +225 favorite on the odds to win the Home Run Derby at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. At just 25 years of age, Harper has already accumulated 173 home runs over the course of his career with 23 of those home runs coming through the first half of this season.
In addition to being the most prolific hitter in this year’s Home Run Derby, Harper will also have the home crowd behind him in Washington, D.C.
Harper is the No. 2 seed in the Home Run Derby and his first round opponent is Atlanta’s Freddie Freeman (+850 to win the Derby). Freeman is an excellent contact hitter batting .315 this season with 61 RBI, but he his not known for his power stroke with only 16 home runs so far in 2018.
The top seed in the tournament is Milwaukee’s Jesus Aguilar (+500), who is tied for sixth best in the majors with 24 home runs and is the leading home run hitter in this competition. Even more impressively, those 24 home runs have come in only 272 at bats.
Aguilar will face Rhys Hoskins (+650) in the first round. Hoskins has only 14 home runs this year, but his power is a serious threat as was illustrated when he burst onto the major league scene with 11 home runs in 18 games last year.
The best value on the Home Run Derby odds board might be on Max Muncy at +700. The career minor leaguer has come out of nowhere this season with a breakout season for the Los Angeles Dodgers, smashing 22 home runs in just 225 at bats. Muncy’s first round opponent will be Chicago’s Javier Baez (+550), whose all-or-nothing approach at the plate makes him a dangerous power hitter when he finds a groove.
The No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup pits Chicago’s Kyle Schwarber (+333) against Houston’s Alex Bregman (+1100). Since returning from a minor-league stint last season, Schwarber has been hitting the ball well, carrying the momentum of late last season into an 18 home run first half this year.
Home Run Derby Betting Odds
Bryce Harper +225
Kyle Schwarber +333
Jesus Aguilar +500
Javier Baez +550
Rhys Hoskins +650
Max Muncy +700
Freddie Freeman +850
Alex Bregman +1100
For more odds information, betting picks and a breakdown of this week’s top sports betting news check out the OddsShark podcast with Jon Campbell and Andrew Avery. Subscribe on iTunes or listen to it at OddsShark.libsyn.com.
