The All-Star break is here, which means that it’s time for the actual big leaguers to take center stage for the next couple of days. Tonight, we’re going to see eight of baseball’s biggest sluggers take to the plate and swing for the fences in this year’s edition of the Home Run Derby.
What channel is it on this year?
It’s not on a channel, per se. It’s on Netflix this year, so don’t tune in to ESPN expecting to see dingers all over the place like you have for the past, oh I don’t know, thirty-something years. The show will get on the road
at approximately 8:00 p.m. ET, so if you’re planning on watching then hopefully you’ll have everything settled with your Netflix subscription by then. Welcome to the future, folks!
Who’s in it?
Here’s the batting order for this year’s Derby:
- Willson Contreras, BOS (.542 SLG, .256 ISO, 20 HR)
- Jordan Walker, STL (.532 SLG, .238 ISO, 22 HR)
- Jac Caglianone, KC (.461 SLG, .201 ISO, 15 HR)
- Kyle Schwarber, PHI (.560 SLG, .306 ISO, 32 HR)
- Ben Rice, NYY (.599 SLG, .320 ISO, 29 HR)
- Junior Caminero, TB (.555 SLG, .276 ISO, 28 HR)
- Munetaka Murakami, CHW (.540 SLG, .308 ISO, 20 HR)
- Bryce Harper, PHI (.497 SLG, .237 ISO, 20 HR)
How does this year’s format work?
Here’s an excerpt from MLB’s article on this year’s Home Run Derby format:
Instead of trying to hit as many homers as possible during timed rounds, each of the eight Derby participants will start each round with a finite number of swings: 20 in Round 1, 15 in Round 2 and 15 again in the final round.
All swings will count against a player’s swing allotment, whether it results in a homer or not. However, a player who homers on his final swing of a round can keep swinging until he doesn’t hit one out.
The players with the top four home run totals from the first round will advance to the semifinals, where they’ll be seeded based on their first-round homer totals. They will face off head-to-head (No. 1 vs. No. 4 and No. 2 vs. No. 3) to determine the two finalists.
Ties will be broken in the first round by home run distance and there will be “Swing-Offs” for the Semis and Finals. Exciting!
Who are we rooting for?
I don’t know, anybody but the Phillies? Personally, I will be cheering on Munetaka Murakami because he rules and he’s awesome. You can cheer for whoever you want, though.
