The highly anticipated ESPN T-Mobile Home Run Derby will take place at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, July 10 in Seattle. Vice President of Production Phil Orlins alongside MLB commentators Karl Ravech and Eduardo Perez held a media conference Thursday, July 6 to discuss the event. Orlins has been with ESPN on and off for 31 years. Even after all this time, there is still quite a bit of anticipation for this event for him.
“This is always the most special event of the year for me,” said Orlins. “To see what this event has become is really impactful and special for me. It’s quite something.”
Derby Standouts: Arozarena
There are many sluggers that could certainly make an impact in this year’s Home Run Derby. Two-time Home Run Derby champion Pete Alonso is a threat, as is the powerhouse Vladimir Guerrero Jr. But there are others that are looking to make their mark, Randy Arozarena being one of them.
Sunday Night Baseball commentator Karl Ravech, who will also be calling the Home Run Derby, has his thoughts on Arozarena.
“To me, he’s about to become a lot bigger star, because I think the stage here with the audience that he’s going to get is going to be as large as any he’s played in front of, including the postseason,” said Ravech.
Arozarena has 16 home runs on the season and is about as likable a player as you could hope for.
“His personality is what separates him and it’s one of the reasons I’m as excited about this derby as any derby we’ve done,” said Ravech.
Eduardo Perez will be calling the Home Run Derby with Ravech, and as a former player himself, has his own perspective on the Rays slugger.
“We’ve seen his Randy-land in Tampa. We’ve seen what he means to that community,” said Perez. “We see that when he came here to Miami after Arizona and talking to the fans during pitching changes. He’s relatable. I think people love the genuineness that he has, the boots that he wears out on the field, he’s embraced it all.”
Pitch Clock
Of the many changes that have taken place in the 2023 MLB season, perhaps the most impactful has been the pitch clock. Every pitcher has 15 seconds with the bases empty and 20 seconds with runners on base to throw a pitch. Not only has the clock impacted regular season play, but also the Home Run Derby.
MLB initiated timed rounds back in 2015. This made it so that players would have five minutes to hit as many home runs as possible.
“The clock in baseball has changed everything,” said Ravech. “The Home Run Derby has become a much better event…if you think about the derby since then, most of them have had these seminal moments…’99 sticks out for the show that Griffey and McGwire put on. But then you get into Frasier, and you get into Harper… there has definitely been a pace to it which has improved it dramatically.”
Ultimately it’s all about the fans. And the fans back the idea of a clock speeding things up. ESPN’s MLB game viewership is up 7% from last year according to Nielsen.
“There’s no question that a clock in this sport has changed the sport as radically as any other change that we have seen in the history of the game,” said Ravech. “And certainly for the derby it’s for the better. There’s no question about it.”
Underrated Competitors
There are big names coming into this year’s Home Run Derby that we all know: Alonso and Guerrero Jr. the most notable. But there are others that might be overlooked that could surprise a lot of people on Monday.
Perez thinks that Luis Robert, Jr. of the Chicago White Sox has the ability to make an impact in the derby.
“It was a couple years ago when (the White Sox) played in Oakland in the postseason, I think it was a Wild Card, and (Luis Robert, Jr.) hit a blast out there,” said Perez. “And I was like ‘wow I can’t wait to see this guy in a Home Run Derby’… a lot of people out of Chicago just don’t know a lot about Luis Robert, Jr. We’re about to find out if Luis Robert, Jr. can become a household name.”
Ravech, on the other hand, points out that a lot of people just don’t know about Adolis Garcia of the Tampa Bay Rays. And he could be the one this year that shocks a lot of people.
“I don’t think the world knows Adolis Garcia very well,” said Ravech. “And I think given how strong he is, the event, the time requirements are not going to wear him down…he’d be the guy that I think has a chance to do this as somebody who may not be yet known on the national stage.”
Looking ahead to the derby, no one knows what will happen. That unknown element is the major attraction of an event of this caliber. No matter what happens, something spectacular is bound to happen. It is such a remarkable event that even the announcers can forget what they are doing and can turn into fans.
“We’re on the field.. we’re looking at the players’ reaction right next to us,” said Perez. “I become a fan just like the players do. And you forget that you are actually trying to break down a swing because you are in awe of what they do.”
