00:00All right, let's take a look at Home Run Derby on Monday night.
00:03I'll have coverage for you along with Joe Ranieri for Home Run Derby here on Sports Grid and the All
00:08-Star Game,
00:09because I'll be off. It's my All-Star break.
00:11The 2026 Home Run Derby field is pretty cut and dry at this point.
00:15Late ads here.
00:16Munitaka Murakami, who comes off the injured list in time over the weekend to join the field here.
00:22But I think the easy go-to here is the one that I picked last year, and he came up
00:26just short.
00:27That is Junior Kamenaro.
00:29I just, I think he's going to win it, Tom.
00:32You know, I don't know.
00:33I mean, I'll talk more about this tomorrow night, but the thing that I know, because again, I'm around,
00:38is that Junior Kamenaro, Tom, at home and on the road, has been practicing for the Home Run Derby.
00:43Every batting practice, this guy is practicing at home on the road.
00:46I saw it here in Miami for three straight days, and this was going back about a month ago,
00:50is that I think this guy wants it.
00:52I think he's going to do it.
00:54I know that there are some rule changes, which we'll get into as well,
00:56but to me, it is cut and dry.
00:58I don't need to look at any of the other names.
01:00I think this guy's going to win it.
01:01Yeah, I was watching the Rays Mariners game on Friday night, and they cut to it at whatever point during
01:08the broadcast of him taking batting practice with those swings.
01:12And I think it makes a lot of sense.
01:14Where Murakami, I couldn't possibly trust coming off of an injury.
01:17But Kamenaro, based on where he is with the odds, and based on the at least somewhat success that he's
01:23had at the Home Run Derby,
01:24he has some experience, I think it makes sense.
01:26We're not taking some super long shot.
01:28We're not taking one of the guys deep down the list.
01:29We're not saying, oh, he could win.
01:31Why don't you just take a flag?
01:31No, the odds are realistic enough.
01:33We're not betting on the favorite.
01:34We're getting enough value.
01:35And he wants it.
01:36He appears that he wants it.
01:38And Schwarber and Harper, they're there because they're the home team.
01:42They're there to put on a show.
01:43I don't know if Jordan Walker or Jack Caglione has enough experience or know how to pace themselves.
01:49Kamenaro really checks all the boxes that we possibly want.
01:52Yeah.
01:52Yeah.
01:53I've seen his BPs recently in person.
01:56He was swinging hard in the clip that they showed in the Rays.
01:59I saw it here in Miami.
02:01We watched batting practice, and we were like, what is he doing?
02:04What is the point of this?
02:06Because guys don't do that.
02:07And they're like, he's practicing for a Home Run Derby.
02:09I'm like, oh, okay.
02:09By the way, the new system in this year's derby is 20 swings in the first round, 15 swings in
02:17the second and third.
02:19And so the clock system is gone.
02:21I love this idea.
02:22I think this is going to be much, much better for the Home Run Derby.
02:26That's the one good thing about baseball.
02:28They do tinker with a lot of these ideas, pitch clock, contests, and they generally have work.
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