Acuña vs. Alonso: Tale of the Tape for '22 Derby

On Monday night, baseball’s biggest sluggers will battle it out at Dodger Stadium in the annual T-Mobile Home Run Derby (8 p.m. ET on ESPN). Here’s a breakdown of the first-round matchup between No. 2 seed Pete Alonso and No. 7 seed Ronald Acuña Jr. (Seeding is based on 2022 home run totals through July 12.)

OTHER FIRST-ROUND MATCHUPS

• Schwarber vs. Pujols
• Seager vs. J-Rod
• Soto vs. J-Ram

FAST FACTS

Pete Alonso, Mets
Born: Dec. 7, 1994 (Age 27)
Birthplace: Tampa, Fla.
Drafted: 2nd round, 64th overall, 2016 (Mets)
Debuted: March 28, 2019 (Mets)
Bats: Right
Jersey number: 20

Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves
Born: Dec. 18, 1997 (Age 24)
Birthplace: La Guaira, Venezuela
Signed: July 1, 2014 (Braves)
Debuted: April 25, 2018 (Braves)
Bats: Right
Jersey number: 13

2022 NUMBERS

Alonso (24 HR): The two-time defending Home Run Derby champion leads the first-place Mets in long balls, and he ranks third in the NL behind Kyle Schwarber and Austin Riley.

Acuña (8 HR): A late start to 2022 due to a torn ACL last season has limited Acuña to single-digit home runs, but that hasn’t stopped him from showing off his light-tower power. He leads the Majors in average home run distance this year at 437 feet (among those who have hit more than one homer).

CAREER NUMBERS

Alonso (130 HR): Alonso’s 130 home runs in his first 459 career games are the second-most ever behind Ryan Howard (142). With six more long balls this season, Alonso will reach the 30 home run threshold for the third full season in a row, excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 season.

Acuña (113 HR): Despite injuries and COVID-19 limiting him to one full season since his debut in 2018, Acuña has 113 career home runs at just 24 years old. His 105 career home runs before turning 24 is tied for the 23rd-most ever.

DERBY HISTORY

Alonso (3rd appearance): Alonso has won the past two Derby titles, making him just the third player ever to go back to back. Now he will have his sights set on a third Derby win, which would match Ken Griffey Jr. for the most by any player. He set a single-round record in 2021, when he went deep 35 times in his first-round matchup against Salvador Perez.

Acuña (5th appearance): Acuña is making his second trip to the Derby. He was defeated by Alonso in the second round in 2019. The Braves star still made a strong impression, utilizing the entire field to crack 44 homers.

STATCAST CRED

Alonso: Since his debut in 2019, Alonso has 44 home runs of at least 420 feet, which is the second most in baseball over that period behind Jorge Soler.

Acuña: Acuña already has four home runs of at least 440 feet this season, which is tied for the third most in the Majors. The Braves star’s 495-foot blast on Sept. 25, 2020 is tied for the sixth-longest of the Statcast era.