Sluggers ready to launch with new format – Sportsnet.ca

They say everything’s bigger in Texas, and that’s sure to be the case at this year’s Home Run Derby.

With a new format and a field loaded with Derby veterans, hometown favourites and young superstars, the 2024 edition of the Midsummer Classic staple should offer a fresh take on the contest.

Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers, will try to contain the eight sluggers as they swing for the fences Monday night, competing for the newly unveiled Home Run Derby chain.

Some of the most notable storylines to keep an eye on will be Bobby Witt Jr.’s return to his home state, Pete Alonso taking another shot at becoming just the second player to win the Home Run Derby three times and Adolis Garcia looking to claim the crown in front of the Rangers faithful. 

You’ll be able to watch as the collection of eight current and former MLB All-Stars launch dingers through the July Texas heat Monday on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+, starting at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.

But before the festivities start, here’s what you need to know about the 2024 Home Run Derby.

How it Works

The clock-based format that MLB introduced in 2015 is back, but the league is shifting the rules.

Last year, hitters were seeded one through eight and placed in a bracket, setting up head-to-head matchups with three rounds.

In 2024, there will once again be three rounds, but the eight-man field will not be seeded for the first round. However, the one-on-one showdowns will return in the semifinals, with the top four hitters being reseeded one through four based on how many home runs they hit in the first round.

If there is a tie in the first round, the player who hit the longest home run in the round will advance.

From there, Nos. 1 and 4 and Nos. 2 and 3 will battle to advance to the championship round.

Additionally, MLB is introducing a pitch limit in 2024. In the past, hitters could see as many pitches as they could during their two- or three-minute rounds. But this year, the first round and semifinals will finish when either 40 pitches have been thrown or three minutes pass, and the final will conclude after 27 pitches or two minutes.

Hitters will still be able to earn “bonus time,” which in the past had been 30 extra seconds per round. Now, if the competing sluggers earn extra swings, they will be able to continue hitting until they make three outs, and if they hit a homer 425 feet or further during the extra period, they get a fourth out.

Teammates and friends will still be able to lend a hand to the competitors, as each hitter can still use a 45-second timeout in every round.

The Field

Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles — 28 home runs
Marcell Ozuna, Atlanta Braves — 26 home runs
Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians — 23 home runs
Pete Alonso, New York Mets — 19 home runs
Teoscar Hernandez, Los Angeles Dodgers — 19 home runs
Adolis Garcia, Texas Rangers — 17 home runs
Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals — 16 home runs
Alec Bohm, Philadelphia Phillies — 11 home runs

The Case for Each Competitor to Win

Gunnar Henderson: After winning Rookie of the Year in 2023, Henderson has only further cemented his status as a future face of baseball in the first half. His case to win this year’s Derby comes in the fact that he hits the ball harder than the rest of the field more often. Henderson has the highest average exit velocity (94.7 m.p.h.), hard-hit rate (58.6 per cent) and average bat speed of all the competitors, skills that he’s put to use to blast the third-most homers in all of MLB.

Marcell Ozuna: Ozuna has emerged as a force in the middle of the Braves lineup over the past three seasons, launching 89 home runs since Opening Day 2022, the seventh-most in MLB over that timeframe. The thing that Atlanta’s designated hitter does that might set him apart in this competition is he hits home runs really far. Of all eight hitters, he’s the only one to have hit the 440-foot mark on at least four of his homers this season. Globe Life Field generally plays favourably to the long ball, so Ozuna shouldn’t have any problems clearing the walls in Arlington.

Jose Ramirez: During Ramirez’s first shot at the Home Run Derby in 2022, the star third baseman might be coming in with a better shot at the crown in 2024. In his first go at the competition, the switch-hitter swung right-handed thanks to a thumb injury that later required surgery to fix. The problem with that is Ramirez has traditionally shown much more power from the left side; 15 of his 23 blasts this season and 165 of his 239 career homers have come while swinging left-handed. So, perhaps, flipping around to his stronger side will bode well for Ramirez as he looks to avenge his first-round exit from two seasons ago.

Pete Alonso: This will be Alonso’s fifth straight year competing in the Home Run Derby. The two-time champ won in 2019 and 2021 and was unable to capture that elusive third title in 2022 and 2023. Only Ken Griffey Jr. has won the contest three times. Alonso seems to simply be built for the Derby, embracing the competition every year, and his experience could be a separating factor on Monday night. Only Alonso, Ramirez and Garcia have MLB Home Run Derby experience under their belts, so while the other contestants are figuring out the best strategy, Alonso can stick to what he knows best — hitting dingers at the Derby.

Teoscar Hernandez: In his second trip to the All-Star Game, Hernandez is going to be swinging for the fences after hitting 19 first-half long balls for the Dodgers. It’s hard to imagine any of the other seven players will enjoy the moment as much as Hernandez, who has been witness to the show that reigning champion and his good friend Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has put on at the power showcase, and now the roles will be reversed. If Hernandez can carry the good vibes from his strong start into Texas, he might just have a shot at winning the whole thing.

Adolis Garcia: A hometown player hasn’t won the Home Run Derby since Bryce Harper and his dad took the belt in 2018. Not an All-Star himself this year, Garcia has still had a strong season, and is less than a calendar year removed from an all-time post-season run, helping the Rangers win their first World Series. The Cuban right-fielder also participated in the 2023 Derby, losing to Randy Arozarena in the first round. This year, with the crowd on his side, Garcia has a chance to prove himself on the national stage, once again.

Bobby Witt Jr.: Garcia might have the hometown Rangers on his side, but this week’s All-Star experience is a homecoming of sorts for Witt Jr. The Royals shortstop grew up just 30 minutes north of Globe Life Field. There are, undoubtedly, going to be impressive displays of pop put on with some of MLB’s top home run hitters swinging for the fences Monday, but Witt Jr. can take things to another level. He’s the only hitter of the eight to have hit a 450-foot or longer home run this season (with two of them), and his longest blast went 468 feet.

Alec Bohm: While Bohm might not have the mountain of home runs or ooze potential like some of his fellow Derby challengers, he could surprise with a strong showing. The first-time All-Star enters the week leading MLB in doubles and has actually won a Home Run Derby in the past. Bohm won the Coastal Plain League — a collegiate summer league located in the southeastern United States — Derby in 2016 and has the pitcher who threw to him then, Scott Wingo, returning to offer up meatballs once again on Monday. So, perhaps, he can channel that experience and get some of those regular-season doubles to carry over the wall.