MLB Home Run Derby 2017: Start Time, Live Stream Info, Prediction For All-Star Competition

Some of the best young players in all of baseball will compete Monday night in the 2017 MLB Home Run Derby. Giancarlo Stanton is favored to successfully defend his title, but Rookie of the Year candidates Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger should provide him with plenty of competition.

The Home Run Derby kicks off the All-Star break Monday night when it starts at 8 p.m. EDT on ESPN. Fans that can’t get to a TV can watch the event with a free live stream online with WatchESPN.

READ: MLB Home Run Derby 2017 Betting Odds

Stanton won last year’s contest by hitting a record 61 home runs throughout the derby’s entirety, and there are plenty of reasons to think he’ll be victorious, once again. He ended the first half of the season tied for the National League lead with 26 home runs, and the Miami Marlins' outfielder will be hitting in his home ballpark.

The format of the Home Run Derby has changed over the years, and the current one was instituted in 2015. The eight competitors are seeded No.1 through No.8, and there are four head-to-head matchups based on the bracket. The four first-round winners will advance to the semifinals, followed by one last head-to-head round in the finals.

Each player has four minutes in a round, and they are awarded an extra 30 seconds if they can hit two home runs of more than 440 feet in a round. A 60-second overtime will decide any ties, and each player will get three swings in double-overtime if the extra minute isn’t enough to determine a winner. One time out is allotted to a player in each of the first two rounds, and players get two timeouts each in the finals.

The bonus time for long home runs could certainly help Judge’s chances. The New York Yankees' slugger, who leads MLB with 30 homers and ranks in the top five in the other two Triple Crown categories, is known for hitting balls well out of the ballpark. He has the season’s longest homer at 496 feet, as well as seven other homers of at least 440 feet.

Judge’s teammate, Gary Sanchez, has the fewest homers of anyone in the derby, but he actually leads all of the contestants with an average distance of 420.9 feet. Judge is right behind him with an average of 416.4 feet for his home runs, and Charlie Blackmon has hit his 20 home runs for an average of 413.4 feet.

Cody Bellinger has 25 homers on the year, but he might be leading MLB if he started the season in the majors with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He’s played just 70 games before the All-Star break, hitting a homer once every 10.28 at-bats.

Blackmon ranks last among the eight contestants, hitting a homer in every 18.4 at bats. He’s also the oldest competitor in the derby at 31 years old.

Justin Bour and Mike Moustakas are the only other players in the derby that are older than 27 years old. Bellinger is the youngest at 21 years old, and he’s followed by Miguel Sano, who turned 24 in May.

READ: Max Scherzer, Chris Sale Should Start 2017 All-Star Game

Prediction

First Round: Stanton over Sanchez, Sano over Moustakas, Judge over Bour, Bellinger over Blackmon

Semifinals: Stanton over Sano, Bellinger over Judge

Finals: Bellinger over Stanton