Going… Going… GONE!!!

David Rainey • July 18, 2022

Predicting the Home Run Derby


        Monday night, eight of Major League Baseball’s best long ball hitters will swing for the fences to determine this year’s Home Run Derby Champion! Let me clear something up quickly, it will be seven of the current best home run hitters, and one all-time great hitter that has no business being in the bracket.  Those eight contestants are: Phillies’ left fielder Kyle Schwarber, Nationals’ (for now) right fielder Juan Soto, Guardians’ third baseman José Ramírez, Ranger’s shortstop Corey Seager, Mariners’ center fielder Julio Rodríguez, Braves’ right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr., Cardinals’ first baseman (the all-time great I mentioned) Albert Pujols and two-time defending champion, Mets’ first baseman Pete Alonso.


        These eight men will face off in a single-elimination bracket to determine this year’s champion.  Pete Alonso, who has won the last two Derbies, is the odds-on favorite at +200.  He is followed by Kyle Schwarber at +300, with Pujols having the longest odds at +1800.  See, I’m not the only one who believes Albert Pujols shouldn’t be in this event, but I digress.  Let’s dive into the bracket.


The bracket looks like this! We’re going to go matchup by matchup.

A drawing of a bracket with alonso and acura jr.

ROUND 1


Kyle Schwarber (+300) v. Albert Pujols (+1800)

        Kyle Schwarber.  That’s it.  That’s the analysis.


        Fine, I’ll elaborate.  But it’s only because I respect the player Albert Pujols has been in his career.  Now let me preface this by saying, I am fully aware that this may come back to bite and Pujols may win this whole thing.  Karma has a funny way of doing that.

        Anyways, I’m taking Schwarber here.  His 28 homers are 2nd in baseball, and he’s been on a tear this year.  But I’m mostly taking him because he drew the matchup with Pujols.  All due respect to the legend, but my concern is the stamina aspect.  I don’t think The Machine can quite operate like a well-oiled machine anymore, and I just can’t see him being able to keep up with the rate I believe Schwarbs will hit his homers at. 


Juan Soto (+600) v. José Ramírez (+1400)

        This could be a closer matchup than I think people believe.  José is an underrated power hitter, in my opinion; however, he’s running into Soto at the wrong time.  First, Soto is going to want his revenge on Pete Alonso after Alonso knocked him out of the tournament last year.  So, he’ll be on a mission.  Secondly, Soto is one of the hottest hitters in baseball right now, and he’s someone who believes the Derby helps his swing.  Lastly, unless you have no interest in baseball at all, you’ve seen the headlines regarding his contract situation.  Soto has turned down an ungodly amount of money from the Guardians, and he’s going to try to show the Guardians and the world exactly what he believes he’s worth.  It’s Juan Soto moving on for me.


Pete Alonso (+200) v. Ronald Acuña Jr. (+700)

        Mr. Acuña is BACK, and he’s here to try to take the Home Run Derby Crown from two-time defending champ Pete Alonso.  Sadly, I think this mission ends about as quickly for him as Stannis Baratheon’s attempt to take the Iron Throne.  Go back and watch the last two Home Run Derbies and you’ll see that this is what Pete Alonso was born to do, and the Derby is his world.  Well, for now at least.  Alonso to round 2.


Corey Seager (+1200) v. Julio Rodríguez (+900)

        The veteran versus the young phenom.  Everyone wants to see what the favorite for the Rookie of the Year award will do in his first Derby.  J-Rod has a ton of pop, and I think he could be exciting to watch.  But, and there’s always a but, Corey Seager is the hottest hitter in baseball and has caught fire at the right time.  Seager has 5 home runs in his last 8 games and seems to have found his stride.  Something else I feel people aren’t considering here, he will have the crowd behind him.  Seager spent eight seasons with the Dodgers before signing with the Rangers this offseason, so this is somewhat his home ballpark.  I like Seager in this a lot. 


So now my bracket looks like this.  I’ll give a briefer breakdown of round 2!

A diagram of a bracket with alonso acura jr. and soto

ROUND 2


Schwarber vs. Soto

        As I mentioned before, Juan Soto is going to be a man on a mission.  I think that carries him past Schwarbs in a close round 2 battle.


Alonso vs. Seager

        This is going to be a hot take, but I believe this is where Pete’s reign comes to an end.  Call it homerism if you’d like, but I think it’s Corey Seager’s time to shine.  I think this one goes into the Derby equivalent of overtime, but with the crowd behind him, I think Corey Seager pulls out the upset.


CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND


Soto vs. Seager

        We have a slugfest lined up for the finale.  The man on a mission versus the possible people champ.  Unfortunately for Juan Soto, I believe he comes up short yet again.  But he shouldn’t stress too much.  He’s about to be a VERY VERY rich man.

        Against the popular opinion, I think the final addition to the competition ends up riding back to Arlington a champion.  There may be a little bit of bias seeping through the cracks here, but I really do believe there is something to coming into the competition on a hot streak.  Like I mentioned earlier, Seager finished the first half of the regular season on fire, and I see it carrying over into the Derby.


        So, here’s my final bracket!  My 2022 Home Run Derby Champion is Corey Seager!  My sportsbook isn’t allowing me to bet on the Derby, at the moment, but if I could, I really LOVE the odds on Seager.  I think there’s a ton of value there at +1200.  If I had to make another betting pick, it would be Alonso followed by Soto.  I think those two guys are the next two I could see taking home the trophy is Seager doesn’t get the job done!

A diagram of a bracket with the names schwarber and alonso on it

        I wanted to see how my bracket would fair against the public’s bracket.  So, I created Twitter polls over the last few days with each matchup and allowed anyone who could see it to vote in order to determine the winners of each matchup. I took those poll results and created the The Kneaux Public Derby Bracket!  Here it is!

A diagram of a bracket with a few names on it

Follow David Rainey on Twitter.

A quick share helps us a lot!

Saints Pregame: Domecoming vs Falcons

By Matt Miguez • October 5, 2026
Twenty years ago, the city of New Orleans was forever changed. The "Rebirth" game when the Superdome reopened after Hurricane Katrina was more than a football game already. However, when Steve Gleason blocked the first punt of the game and it was returned for a touchdown, everyone in the building knew it was over.

Recap: LSU Pummels McNeese in Non-Conference Game

By Chrissy Smith • October 5, 2026
BATON ROUGE -- No. 11 LSU did exactly what it was supposed to do Saturday night — and then some. The Tigers dominated McNeese from the opening whistle, rolling to a 63-14 victory inside Tiger Stadium while putting together one of the most productive offensive performances in school history. LSU finished with 731 yards of total offense , the second-most in a single game in program history. The Tigers also ran 101 offensive plays, setting a new school record. For head coach Lane Kiffin, though, the night was about more than piling up points against an FCS opponent. Kiffin Wants LSU Playing Its Standard LSU led 35-0 at halftime and had every reason to take its foot off the gas. Kiffin chose not to. When asked about using a running clock in the second half, Kiffin said LSU needed to continue playing its game. “You play the game and we decide when the game’s over, by the way that we play, and how physical that we play,” Kiffin said. That mentality showed up throughout the night. Even with the game firmly in hand, LSU continued to play with energy and gave plenty of younger players valuable snaps. Kiffin said the number of plays was particularly important because the Tigers will need that depth during the stretch ahead. “A lot of snaps for guys,” Kiffin said. “The goal was to get (that up) to evaluate those guys because they are going to need to play with the injuries we have down the stretch.” Offense Finds Plenty of Contributors Quarterback Sam Leavitt completed 18 of 23 passes for 176 yards and three touchdowns, while Corey Barber Jr. caught two touchdown passes. The running game was just as impressive. Harlem Berry rushed for 125 yards and a touchdown, while Stacy Gage added 110 yards and two touchdowns. Five different Tigers — Berry, Dilin Jones, Gage, Landen Clark and freshman defensive tackle Deuce Geralds — scored rushing touchdowns. Geralds' touchdown was particularly memorable. Kiffin joked afterward that he had checked with LSU historian and former Tiger Anthony “Booger” McFarland to determine whether anyone had previously recorded a sack and offensive touchdown in the same game. Kiffin said Geralds now holds the record outright. After a 35-6 victory over Texas A&M last week, LSU has now put together back-to-back dominant performances. The competition gets much tougher from here. But Saturday night showed that LSU has plenty of players capable of making plays — and Kiffin is making sure they understand the standard doesn't change simply because the opponent does. LSU is 4-1 and now turns its attention to Kentucky next Saturday on the road.
Show More