MLB has spent the last few years dragging itself into the modern era. The pitch clock works. The automated strike zone is coming. But the Home Run Derby has always been a tougher sell for reform. Too many people love the old format, whatever that old format happened to be.
Now the league is trying something in between. Monday night’s Derby in Philadelphia will give each hitter 20 swings in the first round. The top four advance. Fifteen swings per round after that. No round can end on a home run. It’s not the old 10-outs format and it’s not the pure timed sprint either. It’s a compromise, and the early reviews are positive from at least one guy who will actually be swinging the bat.
Yankees rookie Ben Rice, who will make his Derby debut at Citizens Bank Park, told reporters the new setup should help everybody. He specifically mentioned the chance to take a breath between swings. That’s not nothing when you’re launching balls into the second deck under stadium lights and national TV pressure.
Rice is having a monster season. The Dartmouth grad is second in the American League with 29 home runs. He’s hitting .279 with a .971 OPS across 390 plate appearances. He stumbled a bit in June but has turned it around in July with six homers in 11 games. The momentum is real entering his first Derby.
The Field and the Format
The eight-man bracket includes Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Junior Caminero, Jordan Walker, Munetaka Murakami, Willson Contreras and Jac Caglianone. Harper and Schwarber are the headliners, but the format change levels things out a little. Nobody has to chase pitches and gas themselves early. Pacing is now a legitimate strategy.
MLB is betting that the swing limit keeps the broadcast moving without killing the drama. ESPN’s Jeff Passan has argued the timed format created urgency, and he’s not wrong, but the league heard the complaints from fans who wanted more sustained power displays instead of frantic sprint sessions. Twenty swings in round one gives viewers time to appreciate the spectacle without the event dragging into a fourth hour.
The first pitch is scheduled for roughly 8 p.m. ET on Netflix. That’s right, Netflix. The streaming giant is carrying the Derby live as part of MLB’s continuing effort to meet younger audiences where they already sit.
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Rice isn’t a typical rookie. He was a 12th-round pick out of Dartmouth. Not exactly a baseball factory. He’s already exceeded every projection and now he’s in the Derby alongside established stars. His voice carries weight because he represents the kind of player who benefits most from structural changes — someone smart enough to use the format to his advantage.
If the new rules produce a show that keeps casual fans tuned in and hardcore fans engaged, expect this format to stick around. If not, well, it’s baseball. They’ll try something else next year.
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