Home Run Derby Odds: Josh Bell Early Favorite at Progressive Field

Back, back, back, back, back…gone! That ball's headed towards Lake Erie! 

– Chris Berman if he were announcing the upcoming home run derby.

We now know all eight of the players who will be competing in the 2019 derby, and the bracket is set. If this is your first time watching the derby in a few years, you may not have realized that there are no longer "outs," but rather a time limit set for each player and head-to-head matchups in a bracket format.

This format has led to more home runs in recent years. It also adds another element to the decision-making process for bettors.

2019 Home Run Derby Odds

Josh Bell of the Pirates is the early favorite at DraftKings at +265., which is somewhat surprising. Sure, Bell is a great hitter and has already matched his career high with 26 home runs through Wednesday, but he is not as much of a big name as guys like Christian Yelich, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., or even his opponent in the first round, Ronald Acuna Jr.

Yelich, the home run leader through Wednesday with 31 dongs, is next up at +425. He'll likely be a popular choice not only because of how often he goes yard, but also thanks to his penchant for hitting the ball a long way..

Yelich's physique may also be better suited for multiple rounds of non-stop max swings compared to some of his larger competitors, who may tire out quicker.

The two rookie stars, Guerrero Jr. and Pete Alonso, are next up at +450 apiece. Both of them can also pile on the distance. In fact, Guerrero was recently seen "practicing" for the derby…

Wowzers.

Again, the only concern for a big fella like Guerrero is that he may tucker out if he makes it to the second or final round.

There's a big drop from those four players to the next four, with Joc Pederson next up all the way down at +900. Pederson may get some bets due to the fact that he made it to the finals back in 2015, the first year in which the current format was used.

Alex Bregman (+1150) is the only other derby veteran competing this year. His 15 homers in the first round of last year's competition fell one short of Kyle Schwarber's 16 .

This is an event that has tended to see significant odds swings and highly variable odds across the market in years past, so be sure to shop around and keep an eye on the odds over the next few days.