Sluggers Take the Stage in the Home Run Derby
An IBWAA writer previews tonight's big event.
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Pregame Pepper
Did you know…
…The Home Run Derby almost always features a player from the host stadium’s home team. The last time a player won the Home Run Derby in his home ballpark was Bryce Harper in 2018, playing for the Washington Nationals. He defeated The Chicago Cubs’ Kyle Schwarber in the finals, who is now his teammate with the Philadelphia Phillies.
…The champion of the first official Home Run Derby was Dave Parker of the Cincinnati Reds in 1985. Ten years later, the Texas Rangers hosted the All-Star festivities for the only other time in the Home Run Derby Era before this year. Frank Thomas defeated Albert Belle to win the 1995 Derby championship.
Leading Off
2024 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby
By Matthew Veasey
Tonight from Globe Life Field, fans of Major League Baseball will be entertained by one of the most fun spectacles that the sport has to offer with the T-Mobile Home Run Derby.
Originally inspired by a television series called “Home Run Derby” which ran from 1959-61, the modern MLB version was introduced as part of the annual All-Star Game buildup festivities beginning in 1985.
Over the ensuing decades, there have been many format changes to the event, and the format has changed for this year’s competition once again.
Each of the eight contestants will take part in an “open” round in which they will attempt to hit as many home runs as possible within three minutes or 40 pitches, whichever comes first, with one timeout allowed. Once a hitter has finished this timed period, they will continue into an untimed period during which they can add to their total by hitting as many homers as possible before recording three non-homer outs. For any 425-foot or greater homer during this period the hitter would earn an additional out. The top four home run totals will advance, with ties broken by the longest home run hit by anyone involved in the tie.
The final four will be involved in a semi-final head-to-head competition in which they will be seeded based on their performance in that opening round. The scoring format will remain the same as that opening round, with the winners now advancing to the finals.
In the finals, the two remaining contestants will square off with the time and pitch limits reduced to two minutes or 27 pitches. Most home runs win.
During the entirety of the competition, there will be occasional magenta-colored balls used. Should a player homer with one of these a $10,000 donation will be made to Team Rubicon, an international disaster response NGO, by T-Mobile and MLB.
The eight players taking part in the 2024 Home Run Derby are Pete Alonso of the New York Mets, Alec Bohm of the Philadelphia Phillies, Adolis García of the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers, Gunnar Henderson of the Baltimore Orioles, Teoscar Hernández of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Marcel Ozuna of the Atlanta Braves, José Ramírez of the Cleveland Guardians, and Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals.
Here is a brief breakdown of each of the eight contestants:
Pete Alonso (29) – winner of the 2019 and 2021 derbies, Alonso has blasted 210 career home runs in 778 games. The 2019 National League Rookie of the Year is a four-time all-star and makes his third straight appearance for the NL this season.
Alec Bohm (27) – not a traditional home run hitter, Bohm has 55 in 549 career games. He is a first-time all-star this year who entered play on Sunday second in RBIs in the NL. His .419 career slugging percentage is the lowest among the competitors and enters as the longest shot to win it.
Adolis García (31) – the Cuban native has crushed 114 homers over the last three+ seasons and was the Most Valuable Player of Texas’ American League Championship Series victory a year ago. He comes in cold, with just five homers over his last 42 games into Sunday play.
Gunnar Henderson (23) – the youngest player in this year’s competition has taken the AL by storm and over the last two has helped the Orioles become one of the top teams in baseball. His 27 homers this year are second only to Aaron Judge and are the highest 2024 total of any player in the competition.
Teoscar Hernández (31) – 178 career home runs over 905 games, Hernández is an all-star for the second time in his nine-year big-league career. He won a Silver Slugger Award in both 2020 and 2021 with Toronto.
Marcell Ozuna (33) – The oldest player in the competition, his 262 career homers are also the highest career total of this year’s participants, though they have come in 1,401 games over 12 seasons. He is an all-star for the third time and won Silver Sluggers with Miami in 2017 and Atlanta in 2021. His 26 homers into Sunday are second in the league only to Shohei Ohtani.
José Ramírez (31) – The driving force behind Cleveland’s AL Central Division leaders, Ramírez entered play on Sunday tied for third in the AL in home runs. His 239 career homers are second to Ozuna among participants, coming in 1,384 games across 12 seasons. He is a six-time all-star, four-time Silver Slugger, and has finished in the top six in AL MVP voting a half-dozen times.
Bobby Witt Jr. (24) – Who is the best young shortstop in the game today? Henderson or Witt? Witt comes in with 66 homers over his first 404 career games and is a first-time all-star. His 22 stolen bases are the most of anyone in the competition…but this is not a speed competition.
Recent winners of the Home Run Derby include some of the biggest names in the game: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (2023), Juan Soto (2022), Bryce Harper (2018), and Aaron Judge (2017).
There have been Hall of Famers to win it as well over the history of the competition: David Ortiz (2010), Vladimir Guerrero (2007), Frank Thomas (1995), Cal Ripken Jr. (1991), Ryne Sandberg (1990), and Andre Dawson (1987).
Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. is the only three-time winner of the Homer Run Derby, taking the crown in 1994 and then in both 1998 and 1999 as a member of the Seattle Mariners.
Besides Griffey and Alonso, the only player to win consecutive Home Run Derbies was Yoenis Cespedes of the Oakland Athletics, who won the competition in both 2013 and 2014.
Barry Bonds won the Derby in 1996, prior to any suspected PED involvement. Other PED-tainted players to win it were Mark McGwire (1992), Juan Gonzalez (1993), Sammy Sosa (2000), and Jason Giambi (2002).
The record for most homers in a single round is 41 by Julio Rodriguez in the first round last year. The most total homers over an entire single-year derby are 91 by Vladdy Jr. in 2019.
My prediction for this year’s Home Run Derby: Alonso, Ozuna, Henderson, and Ramírez advance to the semis. Ozuna wins it all. I saw Ozuna recently when Atlanta came in to face the Phillies last week. He looks homerish every single time he steps to the plate.
Matt Veasey is a retired three-decade Philadelphia Police supervisor and instructor, now the voice behind @PhilliesBell on X/Twitter, the most informative and interactive Philadelphia Phillies news and history social media account. His email is matthew.veasey@verizon.net
Extra Innings
Oriole Park at Camden Yards is famous for its warehouse beyond the right field stands. The stadium opened in 1992, and the first player who blasted a batted ball off the warehouse was Ken Griffey Jr. during the 1993 Home Run Derby.