Poll: Who Will Win The 2024 Home Run Derby?
The 2024 All-Star break festivities are already well underway, with the Futures Game in the books and the second of three draft days currently taking place. Tonight, the Home Run Derby will take center stage at 7pm Central time, with these participants:
- Mets 1B Pete Alonso
- Phillies 3B Alec Bohm
- Rangers OF Adolis García
- Orioles SS Gunnar Henderson
- Dodgers OF Teoscar Hernández
- Braves DH Marcell Ozuna
- Guardians 3B José Ramírez
- Royals SS Bobby Witt Jr.
The winner will get $1MM, with $500K for the runner-up and $150K for everyone else in the field. There’s also a $100K bonus for the player who hits the longest home run. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. won last year but opted not to defend his title, so there will be a new champion, though Alonso has two previous titles from 2019 and 2021 and will be looking for a third.
This year’s format will be different from previous versions, with Cole Jacobson of MLB.com providing a rundown. The primary change is that there will be no head-to-head matchups in the first round, as the four players with the most home runs will advance. If two players tie, the longest home run will be a tiebreaker. Previously, the knockout-style bracket system started right away but this year’s version won’t see that until the field has been narrowed to four. Once the knockout stage begins, ties will be settled by 60 seconds of extra time. If the players are still tied, they will engage in three-swing showdowns until they are no longer tied.
In the first two rounds, players with have three minutes, which drops to two minutes in the final round. The three-minute rounds will now have a 40-pitch maximum while the two-minute round will feature a 27-pitch maximum.
The bonus time is also different. Previous versions featured 30 seconds of automatic extra time, which jumped to 60 seconds if the player hit two or more home runs 440 feet or longer. This year, the bonus time will continue until a player record three “outs,” which is a swing that doesn’t result in a home run. If a player hits a home run 425 feet or longer in the bonus period, he will get a fourth out.
Of the eight players competing this year, Henderson has the most homers this year with 28. He is followed by Ozuna at 26, Ramírez at 23, Alonso and Hernández at 19, García at 17, Witt at 16 and Bohm at 11.
Who do you want to win and who do you think will win? Have you say in the polls below!
Who Do You Want To Win The 2024 Derby?
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Teoscar Hernández 22% (1,921)
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Pete Alonso 18% (1,644)
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Gunnar Henderson 16% (1,389)
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Bobby Witt Jr. 11% (1,013)
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Marcell Ozuna 11% (950)
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José Ramírez 8% (730)
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Alec Bohm 7% (652)
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Adolis García 7% (625)
Total votes: 8,924
Who Do You Think Will Win The 2024 Derby?
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Pete Alonso 26% (1,512)
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Teoscar Hernández 23% (1,337)
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Gunnar Henderson 14% (815)
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Marcell Ozuna 11% (659)
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Adolis García 8% (491)
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Bobby Witt Jr. 7% (415)
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José Ramírez 5% (308)
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Alec Bohm 5% (281)
Total votes: 5,818
MLB Finalizes 2024 Home Run Derby Participants
Major League Baseball has finalized the eight-person field for next Monday’s Home Run Derby. The full list of participants:
- Mets 1B Pete Alonso
- Phillies 3B Alec Bohm
- Rangers OF Adolis García
- Orioles SS Gunnar Henderson
- Dodgers OF Teoscar Hernández
- Braves DH Marcell Ozuna
- Guardians 3B José Ramírez
- Royals SS Bobby Witt Jr.
Alonso and García return from last year’s event. The New York first baseman is in the event for the fifth consecutive time. Alonso won back-to-back times in 2019-21 (there was no Derby in 2020 because of the pandemic) but has successively been knocked out by Julio Rodríguez in the last two events. García was dropped by Randy Arozarena in the first round last year. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. won the event but decided not to try to defend his title.
This year’s festivities are taking place at Arlington’s Globe Life Field. Under the collective bargaining agreement, the Derby winner will receive $1MM. The runner-up takes home $500K, while every other participant receives $150K. The player who hits the longest home run wins $100K.
This year’s event involves a few rule changes, as Buster Olney of ESPN recently wrote. The first round no longer features head-to-head matchups. The top four home run hitters will move to the second round, with the longest homer serving as a tiebreaker. MLB is also limiting hitters to 40 swings per round and is changing the bonus round from a clock to a limit of three outs (four if a player hit a 425-foot homer in the bonus round).
MLB Announces 2024 All-Star Rosters
The starting lineups for the 94th All-Star Game were revealed earlier this week, and the league now announced the rest of the National League and American League rosters for the upcoming Midsummer Classic on July 16 in Arlington. Each roster is comprised of 32 players — the nine starting position players determined by fan voting, and then 23 pitchers and backup position players selected by both a player ballot and input from the Commissioner’s office.
Specifically, the league’s share of the reserve picks will help adhere to the stipulation that every team must have at least one All-Star rep. This rule could also be observed via substitutions that will inevitably be named to the rosters in the coming days, as some players won’t participate in the All-Star Game due to injury or personal choice. The starting pitchers for the ASG won’t be announced until July 15, with those decisions made by each team’s manager (Diamondbacks skipper Torey Lovullo for the National League, and the Rangers’ Bruce Bochy for the American League).
The Phillies own baseball’s best record, so it isn’t surprising that they led the field with seven players named to the NL team. The Dodgers had six players named to the NL squad, while the Guardians and Padres each had five players receive All-Star nods. Thirty-two of the players selected are first-time All-Stars, and four are rookies to MLB altogether — Shota Imanaga, Mason Miller, Jackson Merrill, and Paul Skenes.
National League
- Catcher: William Contreras, Brewers
- First base: Bryce Harper, Phillies
- Second base: Ketel Marte, Diamondbacks
- Third base: Alec Bohm, Phillies
- Shortstop: Trea Turner, Phillies
- Outfield: Christian Yelich, Brewers
- Outfield: Jurickson Profar, Padres
- Outfield: Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres
- Designated hitter: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers
- Pitchers: Tyler Glasnow/Dodgers, Ryan Helsley/Cardinals, Jeff Hoffman/Phillies, Shota Imanaga/Cubs, Reynaldo Lopez/Braves, Chris Sale/Braves, Tanner Scott/Marlins, Paul Skenes/Pirates, Matt Strahm/Phillies, Ranger Suarez/Phillies, Robert Suarez/Padres, Logan Webb/Giants, Zack Wheeler/Phillies
- Backup position players: CJ Abrams/Nationals, Pete Alonso/Mets, Luis Arraez/Padres, Mookie Betts/Dodgers, Elly De La Cruz/Reds, Freddie Freeman/Dodgers, Teoscar Hernandez/Dodgers, Ryan McMahon/Rockies, Jackson Merrill/Padres, Marcell Ozuna/Braves, Heliot Ramos/Giants, Bryan Reynolds/Pirates, Will Smith/Dodgers
American League
- Catcher: Adley Rutschman, Orioles
- First base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays
- Second base: Jose Altuve, Astros
- Third base: José Ramírez, Guardians
- Shortstop: Gunnar Henderson, Orioles
- Outfield: Aaron Judge, Yankees
- Outfield: Juan Soto, Yankees
- Outfield: Steven Kwan, Guardians
- Designated hitter: Yordan Alvarez, Astros
- Pitchers: Tyler Anderson/Angels, Corbin Burnes/Orioles, Emmanuel Clase/Guardians, Garrett Crochet/White Sox, Logan Gilbert/Mariners, Clay Holmes/Yankees, Tanner Houck/Red Sox, Seth Lugo/Royals, Mason Miller/Athletics, Cole Ragans/Royals, Tarik Skubal/Tigers, Kirby Yates/Rangers
- Backup position players: Carlos Correa/Twins, Rafael Devers/Red Sox, Jarren Duran/Red Sox, David Fry/Guardians, Riley Greene/Tigers, Josh Naylor/Guardians, Isaac Paredes/Rays, Salvador Perez/Royals, Marcus Semien/Rangers, Kyle Tucker/Astros, Bobby Witt Jr./Royals
MLB Announces 2024 All-Star Starting Lineups
Major League Baseball announced the starting lineups for the 2024 All-Star Game this evening. The starting lineups are determined by fan vote. Starting pitchers and reserves, which are determined by a combination of player vote and the league office, will be announced on Sunday. Each team will eventually get at least one All-Star. 10 teams had at least one starter. The Phillies, which have three-quarters of the NL’s starting infield, lead the way.
The game will be played at Texas’ Globe Life Field on July 16.
American League
- Catcher: Adley Rutschman, Orioles (2nd selection)
- First base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays (4th selection)
- Second base: Jose Altuve, Astros (9th selection)
- Third base: José Ramírez, Guardians (6th selection)
- Shortstop: Gunnar Henderson, Orioles (1st selection)
- Outfield: Aaron Judge, Yankees (6th selection)
- Outfield: Juan Soto, Yankees (4th selection)
- Outfield: Steven Kwan, Guardians (1st selection)
- Designated hitter: Yordan Alvarez, Astros (3rd selection)
National League
- Catcher: William Contreras, Brewers (2nd selection)
- First base: Bryce Harper, Phillies (8th selection)*
- Second base: Ketel Marte, Diamondbacks (2nd selection)
- Third base: Alec Bohm, Phillies (1st selection)
- Shortstop: Trea Turner, Phillies (3rd selection)
- Outfield: Christian Yelich, Brewers (3rd selection)
- Outfield: Jurickson Profar, Padres (1st selection)
- Outfield: Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres (2nd selection)**
- Designated hitter: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers (4th selection)
* Currently on injured list with a left hamstring strain
** Currently on injured list with a stress reaction in his right leg
MLB Awards 2024 All-Star Game To Texas Rangers
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced today that the Texas Rangers will host the 2024 All-Star festivities. The 94th “midsummer classic” will be held July 16th of that year.
This will be the second time the Rangers have played host to the game, though it will be the first at Globe Life Field, which opened in 2020. The only other time the club hosted was in 1995, at the Ballpark in Arlington.
“Major League Baseball is pleased to award the 2024 All-Star Game to the Rangers and the Cities of Arlington and Fort Worth, which presented a robust bid for All-Star Week,” Manfred says in the statement. “The Rangers stepped up under difficult circumstances and Globe Life Field served as terrific host for the 2020 Postseason, including the World Series. We are excited to once again feature Baseball’s newest ballpark on a global stage next summer.”
The next two All-Star games will be hosted by AL West teams, since the Seattle Mariners are hosting the 2023 contest. The 2025 host has not yet been announced, but 2026 will be in Philadelphia to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.