You have to check out Fanatics Sportsbook's newest big-money contest, the MLB Long Ball Jackpot.
It’s already paid out some big winners… Maybe you’ll be next?!?!
Fanatics MLB Long Ball Jackpot: An Introduction
Here's how it works:
- Opt in and bet a minimum of $5 on a player to hit a home run. You can only select one player.
- If your player hits the longest home run on the MLB slate, you split $50,000 in FanCash with everyone else who bet that player.
- But because the longest home run on a given day is pretty random and about 270 players are eligible on a 15-game slate, there have been some huge winners already.
- Home run distance is measured via MLB's StatCast, which captures "the flight of the path based on radar as far as the radar will allow us to track it" and "if the radar loses it, we project beyond it based on the physics." So, it's not a perfect measurement.
While Fanatics is the first sportsbook to run a competition based on the length of home runs in baseball, several other sportsbooks offer similar contests.
For example, DraftKings runs the NBA King of the Court contest, in which the player who bets the highest PRA total on the slate wins. Of course, this more often than not results in minuscule payouts, given how top-heavy the league is.
On the contrary, the Long Ball Jackpot offers much greater randomness, resulting in much higher payouts.
As such, the contest is far more strategic.
Long Ball Game Theory
On the surface, you’d think you want to target players who hit a ton of homers.
But the game theory in this contest runs deeper, with more statistical variables to consider.
For starters, average home run distance and launch angle are of vital importance for picking Long Ball Jackpot winners. Any search for this contest should start by identifying a group of players who thrive in these categories.
Additionally, you have to take the weather, specifically wind speed, into account. Heavy winds can drastically impact the distance of any home run. At the same time, take into account the ballpark, as some are far easier than others to hit longer homers.
Finally, taking a contrarian stance in this contest is the best route. There’s little correlation between how elite a hitter is and how long he can crush a home run on any given day.
To maximize potential profit, you must get creative with your selections so your winnings are not split among a large group.
MLB Long Ball Jackpot: Contest Picks for Tuesday
Yordan Alvarez
@ Rockies, 8:40 PM ET
Coors Field is a magnet for moon shots, given the altitude.
Meanwhile, Yordan Alvarez is one of the sport’s 10 best — and longest — hitters.
He’s been mashing to start the season, ranking second among qualified players with a 1.400 OPS. He’s already hit three home runs, on pace to crack 30 dingers for the fifth time in six seasons.
Yordan’s batting stance and overall mechanics in the box are large contributors to his shocking power at the plate. Alvarez has a wide stance, with some downward action on his right leg, which allows him to turn his body more directly into rotational power.
He is impressively patient with a heavily loaded back leg, which results in a transfer of energy that allows him to launch baseballs with high-speed exit velocities.
His hitting mechanics are very technical, with a brute force resulting from his ability to turn on pitches with incredible momentum by rotationally driving his body weight through his swing, thus making heavy contact with the baseball.
When it comes to hitting moonshots, backing Yordan Alvarez at Coors Field is an easy choice for Tuesday’s Longball Jackpot.
Pick: Yordan Alvarez Home Run (+295, Fanatics)
Jorge Soler
vs. Braves, 9:38 PM ET
The longest home run recorded in the Statcast era came from Nomar Mazara, who launched a 505-foot dinger off of Reynaldo Lopez, then playing for the White Sox.
Despite an impressive start to the season, Lopez is still homer-prone. He also struggles more on the road.
In 22 career at-bats against Lopez, Jorge Soler has recorded a ridiculous 13 hits, four of which were homers.
Though Soler is way past his prime, I'm willing to take a shot on a guy that boasts elite bat-speed, launch-angle velocity, and just an overall knack for launching long homers. He’s hit three home runs upwards of 450 feet in his career, including an absolute moonshot in Game 6 of the 2021 World Series.
Soler typically mashes four-seam fastballs, which Lopez relies on heavily despite a relatively versatile arsenal.
While Lopez’s fastball command has looked good in the early going, Soler could launch one if a high-volatility four-seam gets left in the zone.
Pick: Jorge Soler Home Run (+460, Fanatics)
