The new Home Run Derby format was actually pretty great
Change can be a difficult thing to deal it, particularly in baseball. The game is so immersed in tradition that it’s tough to adjust when things are altered.
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Because of that, there was some concern over whether the new Home Run Derby format would deliver. It’s not like the old format was perfect, but the new rules introduced by Major League Baseball seemed convoluted and confusing.
In my haste to judge, I said the new format would “fall flat” weeks before the event took place. Was the threat of change so daunting that I just couldn’t accept doing things differently? Had I finally become part of the old guard?
Naw, I’m just an idiot.
The new format wasn’t perfect, but it sure as hell was an upgrade over the old format. That’s not just my opinion, the fans seemed to agree.
Given that this was MLB’s first experience with the brackets and timed rounds, the league is sure to make some tweaks to the event in the upcoming seasons.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at what worked during the Derby, and what MLB should look to change moving forward.
THE GOOD
FOUR MINUTE ROUNDS
With rain in the forecast, MLB made some last minute changes in order to ensure the event took place. The biggest change was probably giving each player four minutes to hit instead of five. This was an overwhelming success. Four minutes felt perfect. I never felt as though the rounds took too long, but they also lasted long enough for players to put up strong showings.
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It was also a constant barrage of action. Players weren’t taking consecutive pitches, and we didn’t have long wait times in between rounds. Once guys got started, it was on, and it was constantly exciting.
Would adding another minute ruin that? We don’t really know. Some of the players looked pretty exhausted after trying to hit bombs for four consecutive minutes, so adding another might be asking too much. Given how well things went last night, MLB might be better off keeping the rounds at four minutes.
THE CONTINUOUS CLOCK
Another part of the last minute changes included a continuous clock during rounds. When the new rules were first introduced, the clock was set to stop each time a player hit a home with less than a minute left on the clock.
That wasn’t the case last night, and it was fantastic. A continuous clock added drama and suspense to the event. We could see how many home runs a player trailed by, look at the clock, and stress about whether they would make it. On top of that, this new rule introduced us to something we didn’t even know we needed: Buzzer beater home runs! That was one of the coolest parts of the event.
THE HOME FANS
Can a player from the hometown team always participate in the event? Make it happen, MLB.
THE AVERAGE
THE BRACKET FORMAT
I still have mixed feeling about the brackets. On the one hand, it sucks that Prince Fielder hit the second highest amount of homers in the first round, but was eliminated because he went up against Todd Frazier. At the same time, the fact that these players went head to head made the timed format even more exciting. When Frazier bested Fielder with a last second blast, that was really exciting, even if it meant Fielder was eliminated.
I suspect we’ll have to live with the bracket format, and that will lead to some really great players getting eliminated in the first round. This could somehow be tweaked, maybe allowing a losing player to advance with the winners if they out-homer 2-3 of them, but that could get confusing. There’s potential here, and I’m not willing to give up on it just yet.
THE BAD
BONUS TIME
Did anyone really understand how bonus time worked? It was based on home run distance, but every single player reached that mark. As a result, they all got 30 seconds added once the initial four minutes had elapsed. I thought this was supposed to work differently when I read the rules, so perhaps it was another way MLB was trying to speed up the event.
Either way, I’m not sure it worked. It was kind of nice to see players get a quick break in between their normal time and bonus time, but, other than that, it seemed pretty lame.
VERDICT
Overall, MLB has to be looking at the new format as a rousing success. It wasn’t perfect, but it was definitely an upgrade over the old method. Given that this was the first time they tried something like this, that’s a tremendous outcome.
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The new Home Run Derby format reinvigorated an event many fans had stopped caring about. MLB will certainly proceed with the same setup moving forward. By making a few tweaks, they can probably come pretty close to finding the perfect balance of suspense and entertainment the fans want.
They came pretty damn close to that on their first try.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
