MLB Home Run Derby 2024: New rules, format, tiebreakers, predictions, and more

July 14, 2024

The All-Star holiday is fast approaching, which means the eyes of the baseball world will be on what happens at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on both Monday and Tuesday. Monday’s events include the annual MLB Home Run Derby, an event whose field can best be described as “interesting.” This season’s edition also sees tweaks to the rule set, so if you’re not aware of the changes to the event, you’ve come to the right place, as we’re here to explain all of the changes.

As for the field, there’s a mix of regulars and some interesting newcomers. First, Pete Alonso will be in the Home Run Derby again this year, looking to tie the record for most Derby wins. And Adoris Garcia, the obligatory local representative, will no doubt be looking to get the crowd going, as he did almost regularly in last year’s postseason. Jose Ramirez played in the 2022 Derby, but ended up being seriously hampered by a thumb injury that forced him to bat right-handed. This time he’ll be batting left-handed, and he’ll hope to get past the first round this time.

Additionally, the players currently in second place in the home run race throughout the season in both the American and National Leagues will also be competing in the event. Marcell Ozuna and Gunnar Henderson will each be looking to make an impact in their Derby debuts, while Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. will be looking to prove he has what it takes in terms of power. Finally, Alec Bohm and Teoscar Hernandez will be looking to prove that while they may not be the home run hitters on their teams, they are just as good when it comes to hitting home runs.

2024 MLB Home Run Derby Rules

This is where all the changes come into play. First, there will be no more seeding, which means no more revealing brackets; brackets won’t be revealed until the second round. Instead, seeding for the semifinals will be determined by how the top four batters performed in the first round. In the event of a tie, the batter with the longest home run will determine the higher seed. Meanwhile, the previous tiebreaker format (a 60-second “swing-off” with no timeouts) will remain in place, but will only be used from the semifinals onwards. No. 1 will play No. 4, No. 2 will play No. 3, and so on, per the traditional bracket format.

This season, there is a 3-minute time limit per batter in the first two rounds, as well as a 40-pitch limit. The 2-minute time limit for the final game remains the same, but the number of pitches in the final game will also be limited to 27 pitches. Additionally, batters can earn “bonus time” by hitting extra bases during the regular period, but “bonus time” is now measured by the number of pitches a batter needs to record three outs (i.e. swings short of a home run). Additionally, batters can earn a fourth out by hitting a home run of at least 425 feet during the bonus period. Additionally, timeouts can no longer be called during the bonus period, but batters can still call one timeout during regulation time.

Home Run Derby Predictions 2024

I’m going to make a bit of a bold prediction here. It’s easy to say that either of the home run leaders, like Marcell Ozuna or Gunnar Henderson, can carry their season-long performances into the Derby, but it’s just as likely that they’ll both disappoint a bit in their respective debuts. Pete Alonso is certainly a two-time Derby winner, but this will be his fifth time playing, so he has the most experience of the field, but that doesn’t guarantee him a win.

Adolis Garcia is also an interesting candidate, but the odds of a home-grown player winning are rarely in the home-grown player’s favor. Since it became an All-Star event in 1985, a home-grown player has only won three times in the tournament’s history. Jose Ramirez seems like a reasonable choice, considering he’s experienced, a left-handed hitter, and healthy this time around. With that in mind, I’ll be choosing between three underdogs, specifically: Longest home run by any player so far this season: