As Major League Baseball makes it way into the 2024 All-Star break, fans will be treated to the usual midseason showcase of home run power via the Home Run Derby — this year with a different format.
Some of the game’s biggest names — including Cleveland Guardians All-Star Jose Ramirez, along with young stars like Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson and Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. — will compete for long-ball supremacy at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
Live coverage: 2024 Home Run Derby live updates: Highlights as Jose Ramirez, Pete Alonso, others compete
The rules for this year’s derby changed significantly in an effort to tone down the frenetic pace of previous Home Run Derby competitions.
Here’s how fans can tune in to watch and what they need to know about the new setup.
How to watch the 2024 MLB Home Run Derby
This year’s Home Run Derby will take place on Monday, July 15, at 8 p.m. ET.
It will be televised on ESPN.
How can I stream the 2024 Home Run Derby?
Fans can stream the 2024 Home Run Derby using either ESPN’s website or app with a valid login. Fans can also stream the event with fubo, which offers a free trial.
What are the rule changes to the 2024 Home Run Derby?
Starting this season, each competitor will still get a timed round, but the hitters will see a maximum of 40 pitches.
The Derby pivoted to a timed format in 2015, becoming more like a race against the clock for hitter and pitcher to get into a rhythm and swing as many times as possible.
As ESPN’s Buster Olney reports, “Some past participants have spoken about how exhausting the event has become, and have privately fretted about what they perceive to be a heightened risk for injury because of the accelerated pace.”
The format also made it difficult for fans watching at home to appreciate each majestic homer, because the cameras generally would snap rapidly back and forth from where the ball lands back to the hitter for another swing.
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Hitters will have three minutes in each of the first two rounds, and two minutes in the championship round. Those rounds will pivot away from the usual head-to-head matchups with seeding. Now, the top four scores from the first round out of eight hitters will advance, with longest home run distance as a tiebreaker.
Bonus time will also be changed this year. It will no longer be timed, and will instead function until a hitter has made three “outs” — any swing that doesn’t result in a home run. Players can earn a fourth out in bonus time by hitting a home run of at least 425 feet.
In theory, bonus time now allows for an unlimited amount of home runs at a less frantic pace, giving hitters who are behind a shot to make up deficits to advance to the next round.
Who is in the 2024 Home Run Derby field?
The following athletes are confirmed to compete in this year’s Home Run Derby:
Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles, SS, 28 home runs
The Orioles’ young shortstop is in the midst of an outstanding season coming off a breakout Rookie of the Year campaign in 2023.
Henderson’s 28 home runs through the first half of the season match his total of 28 set last year in 150 games played (he’s played 92 so far this year entering the All-Star break, for context).
Marcell Ozuna, Atlanta Braves, DH/OF, 26 home runs
Marcell Ozuna, a two-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger award winner, is playing some of the best baseball of his career in 2024 with the Atlanta Braves.
Though primarily a designated hitter at this stage of his career, the 33-year-old certainly makes an impact despite not playing in the field nearly as often as he once did. His 77 RBI entering the All-Star break leads the National League, and trails only the New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge (85) in all of baseball.
Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians, 3B, 23 home runs
The best player on one of the AL’s best teams through the first half of the season is set to compete in this year’s Derby.
J-Ram enters the break with 23 homers. But as a switch hitter, which side of the plate will the Guardians star choose to bat from? Could he bat both right and left-handed in the competition?
Teoscar Hernandez, Los Angeles Dodgers, OF, 19 home runs
Teoscar Hernandez joins the Home Run Derby fray in the midst of a stellar season with the Los Angeles Dodgers — his third club in as many years.
He enters the break with 19 homers and 62 RBI, putting together his best individual season since he was an All-Star back in 2021 with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Pete Alonso, New York Mets, 1B/DH, 19 home runs
“The Polar Bear” is a two-time Home Run Derby champ, winning the competition in 2019 and 2021 (the 2020 competition was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
A third Derby victory would tie Alonso with Ken Griffey Jr. for the most Home Run Derby wins of all time, so he’s sure to be motivated.
Adolis Garcia, Texas Rangers, RF, 17 home runs
After making the All-Star team and winning a Gold Glove award in 2023 with a 39-homer, 107-RBI season, Adolis Garcia’s 2024 has been a bumpy ride due in part to injuries.
Still, he enters the break with 17 taters, and will compete in the Home Run Derby. While fans often lament their favorite team’s players competing under the view it could mess with their mechanics, maybe a good showing in the HRD is what Garcia needs to get on track and show his true talent in the second half.
Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals, SS, 16 home runs
A Texas native, Witt Jr. will return to his home state to compete on the big stage.
He hit 20 home runs as a rookie back in 2022 and upped that total to 30 last year. Though he doesn’t possess as much pure power as some of the other hitters in the field, his .323 batting average is comfortably the best of this bunch.
Alec Bohm, Philadelphia Phillies, 3B, 11 home runs
A former No. 3 overall draft pick, Alec Bohm seems to be gaining more confidence and playing up to the hype in his age 27 season.
His 33 doubles entering the All-Star break leads all of MLB, though he’ll need more than doubles power to advance though the Home Run Derby field.
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Publish date : 2024-07-15 20:00:00
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