A dash of innovation breathed new life into MLB‘s Home Run Derby one year ago, with the best sluggers in the world smashing balls over the fence and giving the event its traditional flavor.
Now, the event returns with the rules intact after rave reviews. Eight players throw down in a single-elimination bracket, the rounds are timed, and almost like a video game, batters get bonus points for distance—which means going yard isn’t just about squeaking the ball over the fence.
The eight lucky competitors in this must-see event are seeded based on their home run production this year, with the tiebreaker going to the man with the most four-base shots since June 1.
When: Monday at 8 p.m. ET
Where: Petco Park, San Diego
TV: ESPN
For those who want it in bracket form, MLB illustrated the scene:
The batters, of course, hog the spotlight. One shouldn’t underestimate the locale, though, as ESPN.com’s David Schoenfield hinted at the difficulty Petco Park could present: “A key factor, of course, will be how the ball flies at Petco Park in San Diego, which historically has been one of the most difficult parks in which to hit a home run.”
That’s not meant to suggest these sluggers aren’t up to the task.
Mark Trumbo of the Baltimore Orioles leads the pool with 28 dingers, an improvement on his 22 from 2015 over stints with two different teams. As such, he’s the runaway favorite, though there’s no guarantee he’ll run away with the event.
Todd Frazier presents a problem for Trumbo. The Chicago White Sox slugger won it all as a member of the Cincinnati Reds last year. He thrived in the new format, with his quick swing and incredible endurance lifting him to the title.
Those Reds don’t lack for representation, not with Adam Duvall boasting 23 homers of his own.
Duvall as a No. 3 seed is where things begin to get tricky, though. He has to deal with the sixth-seeded Wil Myers, a guy with a hot enough bat to win the whole event.
Myers is the hometown hero this week as a member of the San Diego Padres. More importantly, he not only belted 19 homers before the deadline, but he’s been on absolute fire since June started, as Dan McLaughlin of Baseball Crank illustrated:
One can’t chat up the depth of the bracket without pointing an earnest finger at the Miami Marlins’ Giancarlo Stanton, either.
Tied with Myers at the deadline with 19 blasts, Stanton slots fifth. He appeared in the 2014 iteration of this event to iffy results, but it’s easy to fall in love with his chances this week.
Thank the new format. Bat quickness and the distance of each bomb could propel Stanton past the field. ESPN Stats & Info helped explain why:
Even the last seed, Corey Seager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, boasts plenty of name recognition and enough underdog potential to make a great story if he can find a way to best the field.
Seager is in the middle of a monster rookie year, having hit seven homers in May and eight in June while sitting on a .298 average with 41 RBI. He has a hot enough bat and swing right now to make a show of this.
On the other hand, Seager also represents the risk of the Home Run Derby. Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times wrote at length about the risk that teams take by allowing young players such as Seager to enter the event. Plaschke pointed to Yasiel Puig’s brutal struggles after the event a few years ago and Joc Pederson‘s issues last year.
“Yes, Pederson was already slumping when he entered the Derby, but is it really a coincidence that he hit just .178 after the event—52 points worse than in the first half—with only six home runs in 62 games after hitting 20 in the first 89?” Plaschke wrote.
Alas, the MLB deems the risk worthy, and the fans obviously do as well. The new format, over time, could help to mitigate such issues and concerns while also making for a more entertaining affair.
“Entertaining” is about the gist of it. The new-look Home Run Derby has a wider scope to create household names and superstars while getting more in depth with the stats and numbers behind each shot over the fence.
The latest version of a classic starts Monday.
All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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