The MLB Home Run Derby had a different look this year as it returned to Minneapolis, where the competition began 29 years ago. In 1985, the HR Derby was not televised and was just a shadow of what it would become years later—a display of pure entertainment outside the typical circumstances of a night at the ballpark. Dave Parker took home the title in 1985. It wasn’t until Cal Ripken in 1991 that a player hit more than ten home runs in a Derby. Television coverage started in 1993 on a delayed feed and went live in 1998.
There have been some very memorable years, and if you’ve had the privilege to be at the Home Run Derby, you know that there are only a handful of events that are as exciting and unique. In 2005, I was in attendance and the experience was a memorable one. Bobby Abreu hit 24 in the first round and 41 total Home Runs that night at Comerica Park in Detroit, a total that has been unmatched since. Josh Hamilton crushed 28 in 2008 at Yankee Stadium in one round and went on to have a final tally of 35 total bombs. Those two performances remain the best of this competition. We will most likely never see 41 again as long as we have this current format, which seems to make the hitters more nervous. Something needs to change.
From 2000 to 2013, the format consisted of ten outs and briefly went to a match play format in 2000 until it was changed back in 2003. This year, the format has been minimized to only seven outs. It’s now a different competition for better or worse. A total of ten hitters, five from each league, go head-to-head and the leader of each league getting a bye to the third round. Kill it in the first frame and you’re in the finals. Time is the enemy in this event.
This year’s contest started slowly, with Todd Frazier (2) Brian Dozier (2) and Troy Tulowitzki (3) putting on average displays before José Bautista, a.k.a. “Joey Bats,” putting on an impressive display with 10 home runs. However, he left the batters box with an out to give, something that was very odd. Giancarlo Stanton was the highlight of the first round, hitting an absolute rocket into the upper deck in CF that measured 510 feet. Stanton and Bautista, due to the revised rules, took the on ramp to the finals in a flash. Everything was beginning to heat up at Target Field with the exception of Stanton and Bautista, who were left in the cold waiting for their next turn.
Yoenis Céspedes came on strong in the AL playoff, hitting nine home runs versus Adam Jones’ four. Céspedes caught fire after a disappointing first round, hitting 12 HRs in 20 Swings and did not have back-to-back outs during that span. Last years champion refused to go down quietly, putting on a display of power we have only seen a handful of times. He continued in round three with 30 swings and never went more than two swings without a home run. It was quite incredible to see. Conversely, Bautista waited 1 hour 54 minutes without a swing. How is that fair?
With the extended waiting periods for certain players, such as Bautista and Stanton. Major League Baseball needs to be reminded of the genesis of this event: entertainment. Lucky for us, we got to see a great showing from Yoenis Céspedes.
The format was incredibly hard to follow, especially for the casual baseball fan. Instead of putting more emphasis on the first rounds, they let people like Céspedes hang in there when they clearly would have been eliminated in previous years. The HR Derby has always been an event that benefits the hot bat and momentum. Oddly enough, it was the latter rounds that we saw the benefit of this new format, albeit a small one.
We watch the Derby for the showcase of raw power. Todd Frazier had one home run in the finals and an embarrassing first round, yet was still in the running. He stood to benefit from Stanton’s long wait from his first at-bat. Stanton, who had six home runs in round one, was hostage to the time he had to wait in the batting cage while the others participated in the merry-go-round of hitting while trying to advance. There were far too many chances for these hitters, almost to the point of confusion. Céspedes had four at-bats for Bautista’s two. Not only did Céspedes have the chance to get warm and continue the momentum, his night went from a simmer to a boil in a matter of minutes.
Looking at the numbers, Frazier hit a mere 10 home runs to Céspedes’ 21 leading to the final round, yet they met in the finals while Bautista’s 15 was an afterthought. Frazier had one decent round of six home runs in the NL Playoff to eclipse Tulowitzki’s 4. In the end, it didn’t matter. The best hitter won.
In theory, there should be more parity to the contest, allowing ESPN to showcase the biggest names equally while maintaining a more linear structure. The lack of continuity in this year’s HR Derby was a disappointment. If it weren’t for Yoenis Céspedes, this year would have been a miniature disaster. He put on an utter display of raw power and staunch consistency, hitting multiple HRs over 500 feet. He showed why he’s one of the best hitters in the game today. Once he beat Bautista, it was over. Frazier can’t hit like the A’s franchise star. The finals were basically a formality, which hurt the contest’s integrity.
The Cuban phenom hit a total of 30 home runs last night, 11 short of Abreu’s record 41 bombs in 2005. Wait or go first, Frazier had no chance. Céspedes becomes the first player to win back-to-back Home Run Derby titles since the great Ken Griffey Jr. in 1998 and 1999.
Major League Baseball needs to think about adding some features to the All-Star Weekend, such as a skills competition or adding an aspect to the hitting display that will leave the viewer wanting more, while keeping their attention. Home runs are great part of our game, but after a while they become mechanical in events like this when there is so much going on and so many contestants. A solution would be to go back to the previous format of five outs and two rounds, allowing us to focus on a competition drenched in head-to-head tussle. I would also like to see a skills completion where targets are set up around the field and the hitters have to hit the targets, or even an event that involves pitchers demonstrating their abilities as well, while keeping the event focused on the hitters. Instead of just a Home Run Derby, why can’t we have a pitching competition to show why hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports? Even better, make them a part of the event in a service capacity.
The Home Run Derby format was a disappointment and since the All-Star game now has meaning to teams in the playoff hunt, why not change it up. Instead of wasting our time with slow pitch batting practice, they should think about having pitchers throw 95 MPH fastballs right down the middle to a target, most home runs wins. After all, the reason Miguel Cabrera isn’t in the Derby is because of the slow pitch style. It hurts his rhythm, and not having big names in the event hurts the game’s promotion to the passive fan. Let’s make it a true display of what baseball means: hitting a real Major League meatball pitch to the nosebleeds. After all, pitchers only face six batters in the All-Star game if they’re lucky. Let’s make them a part of this contest as well. They’ve changed the event almost every year so why not give it a shot. The whiff would be more entertaining out than a sad liner to left center. Ask Yasiel Puig, he probably would love the idea. We were cheated out of seeing such a superstar embarrass himself trying to hit batting practice.
For more on sports injuries, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on twitter @Phrappie, and our department, @MLBFB. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
Main Photo:
