The Home Run Derby's BIG Problem 

Remember when everyone was saying that old format sucked because it took too long? That’s what made it special.

As a baseball fan, I don’t care how long any of it takes; I miss the 10 outs derby’s

Quite literally the perfect way to make the HRD even better

The bracket system in general is a problem to me. Like last year Julio hit 81 home runs and lost to Soto who only hit 53. The second person always has a massive advantage and anyone in the lower seeds of the bracket that makes it to the finals is dead tired.

It's really a microcosm of everything. We give up the fun of things to make them faster and easier

I think the idea for timed rounds may have been a result of the 2009 Derby, in which Carlos Pena swung at maybe every sixth or seventh pitch and put the whole audience to sleep.

I remember watching Josh Hamilton go nuts at the HR derby live. Still can't believe he didn't win.

Watching this past Home Run Derby, I sensed something was a bit off. And you clarified exactly what I was feeling. The current Home Run Derby feels rushed. Love your idea!

Nobody is gonna catch this...but I chuckled at the choice of music at the beginning of the vid. It's Peach's Ice Garden from Super Mario Sluggers. Probably the hardest park in the game to hit home runs in besides inside-the-parks. 😂

Agree the current format needs to change. Right now it's completely soulless and flat atmosphere. In recent Derby's the announcers are routinely talking about other things, flat out ignoring the hitter which is ridiculous. The Josh Hamilton round in Yankee Stadium is so memorable simply due the fact each HR was allowed to marinate with the viewing audience, his back story sure helped too lol, but that whole vibe couldn't and wouldn't exist with the current format. They need to go back to a variation with the "Outs" format so people can regain an appreciation for the HR's being hit. Who cares how long it takes as long as it's a riveting show. God forbid it takes time away from the Celebrity softball game /s

I want MLB skills comps. Throwing accuracy (could be multiple versions of this), Fielding range test with ball launchers (infield and outfield versions) Hitting accuracy, Home to Home sprint time. Etc.

I know this isn't my typical video, but I wanted to try something new. Let me know what you think, and I may intersperse my usual longer story videos with shorter videos on random topics. Also, I know it's clickbait lol you don't have to tell me twice Hope you enjoy!

It was even worse than ever this year, you could barely see the home runs

2 videos in 4 days?!?! the goat cannot be stopped.

My other big issue is the head-to-head tournament format. Take 2017, when Justin Bour hit the 2nd-most home runs in the 1st round (22) but lost to Albert Pujols, while Miguel Sano it the 2nd-least in the 1st round (11) but advanced. The format should have the top 4 hitters advance in the first round, top 2 in the 2nd, then a head to head championship.

My main gripe with the Home Run Derby is that every team doesn't get a rep. With how quickly the Derby goes by, I'd think give every team a rep. Do a preliminary round earlier in the day, or the day before, then hype up your top 8 instead of MLB just deciding based on reasons.

Watching the Hamilton home run derby was the first one I ever got to watch and it was the most fun I’ve ever had by myself in a room watching baseball

I loved the old HRD. The ones I remember watching back in the day didn't feel like they took too long at all. I would personally go back to the old format but have a pitch clock with a time frame. Something like a 10 second cooldown once a ball has been struck, 3 seconds in the event of a swing and a miss, and 0 in the event of a passed ball. Then 10 seconds each to throw the pitch after the cooldown had passed.

I thought there was a rule that the pitcher couldn't throw the next ball until the previous ball had landed. They must have gotten rid of that, because now it seems like the HR derby is rapid fire. You make a good point that on TV you have no clue where many of these balls are going. The camera doesn't have time to follow each one before the next ball is already in the air. BTW, I think your suggested changes to the derby would work. You can't have it take all night, but there has to be a bit of time between each HR so everyone can digest and appreciate things.

I miss the 10 out rule too. As an M's fan, it was so awesome to see Julio go off in round 1 with 41 bombs, and you could tell with how the ball was leaving his bat. But I felt like I couldn't fully appreciate them and that's a bummer.

I literally just told my daughter last night that this new format sucks. Part of what made it special was watching how far the balls go, and allowing the hitter to admire it himself. This will change when a big-time star misses a couple games cuz he strained his lats, from swinging so fast and hard It’s like watching MLB the Show Battle Royale’s version of HR Derby. Pitches are being thrown so quickly. Just not fun to watch anymore.

How about a reverse pitch clock? The pitcher can't toss within 8 seconds of the last one but have an overall time limit to encourage them to not slow things down too much

Never forget when Harper won the derby over schwarber because they were pitching before the ball was even coming down

I think the old format could work just fine if you just add a pitch clock and a limit on takes.

I agree, the old HRD were fun to watch but took way too long for sure. I also watch for the comradery. The new format has it's pluses but I don't feel connected to those HR that you pick up mid way and there's still confusion as to what swing landed where, etc. There has to be a happy middle ground. Appreciate the video!

I like your proposal to change the rules. What I would do is, each batter has 5 minutes OR 10 "outs" (any swing that does not result in a home run. Could also change the outs to a set number of pitches. Either way it'd work.), whichever comes first. Clock stope when the ball is in the air. If the batter hits a home run, he has 7 seconds to be in the box and ready for the next pitch before the clock starts or he loses an out (or pitch). If he hits a fly ball to the wall, the clock starts the moment the ball hits the ground. No bonuses for long home runs. First tiebreaker is fewest outs per round. If that also results in a tie.. each batter gets 2 minutes under the current (2023 "arcade") rules. This way the rounds are a little more relaxed and fans (especially at home) can enjoy the 500 foot moonshots that take 5+ seconds to leave the park without taking time away from the batter. And if there is a need for a tiebreaker the pace quickens a bit and there's a bit more pressure on the batter & his pitcher to work faster. Also, I would give an award to the guy who hits the longest home run of the night. The fans want to see someone hit the ball 600 feet.. the guy who hits the longest shot in the derby should be recognized and rewarded for it even if he's knocked out in the first round.

Agreed, it needs some changes for sure. Your solution is good, and really any solution that lets us appreciate and admire the balls being hit would be an improvement. The old format needed some rules on timeouts and maybe a pitch clock, but overall was much more fun to watch.

Your ideas for the new format are genius! I love it…now make it happen!

I agree 💯%!!! I was at the Derby this year and I would watch ball 1 land, and by the time I turned back to look at the batter he was about to swing at ball 3. So I had the choice of trying to find ball 2 mid air, or just skip it all together. It was very frustrating

I just got back from seeing the home run derby in person in Seattle, and it is even more jarring to watch in person than on tv. At least on tv you can have the split-screen and sorr of make sense of it all. When I went, I think I literally missed about half the homers because I was having trouble keeping up. The jumbotron operator was having trouble keeping up, too. On the board they were keeping track of the home run distances. This meant there were times where I would look up at the board and see "484 ft," and think, "huh, apparently he hit a massive bomb in there somewhere. I hope I can find the clip online somewhere, because I missed it!" ...or maybe I didn't, and the operator was still 3-4 homers behind...

Agreed. I was lower level at Coors and even live you miss things because it's kind of a natural reflex to move back to the batter when you hear the crack.

Here’s the best way to do it: 10 hitters first round. 3 minute time limit. Top 4 advance. Second round is head to head with each batter getting 25 pitches, extra pitches added for moonshots, each pitch must be thrown after the ball hits the ground and within 7 seconds. Final round both men get 20 pitches with the same limitations as the previous round

I’ve never agreed with a video more. I will ALWAYS remember Mark McGwire hitting I think 13 HRs at Boston? Was such a simple round but so legendary.

Your 100% right....especially with Berman calling them....its. trash now I don't even watch it anymore

I preferred the older format myself, ATB. Thanks mate!

I definitely think those format changes could improve the derby as an event. Another video idea for you: You could look at the most questionable selections to participate in the derby over the years.

This year's homerun derby was SO quick. I was literally gone for an hour and missed the whole thing

The camera work for the home run derby is like watching some kids video who just discovered you can zoom digitally zoom.

awesome "Major Leauge" soundtrack in the background!! and I totally agree with u all the way with ur conclusion. they need to go back to go back to the 10 out format

I agree with the changes you proposed also did you add pokemon music to the end of the video 😅😂

I nominate u for MLB commish lol. That sounds like a perfect happy medium !!

Im a Die Hard Mets Fan! You got me bro... I thoroughly enjoyed this video. That being said, they definitely need to revert back to the old Derby Format! Looking forward to your next video.

Yes great suggestions. Hope they listen and implement this.

I liked and subscribed for the smash music. I have never watched baseball before this year but im trying to get into it.

If you've seen "Dark Knight" then paraphrasing the Spanish guy in the mob: "I would like to see proposal."

This year's Derby was the first one I've watched in a very long time and I had no idea that they even changed the format. First thing I thought while watching was that it was absolutely terrible to watch on TV. It's probably better when you're there,but on TV,it's impossible to enjoy. Any suggestions is better than what they are doing now. Personally,I think they need a pitching machine so everyone gets consistent pitches.

The moment I saw Bobby Abreu I figured you'd talk about how the home run derby screwed up his swing for a month afterwards

That Peach’s Castle from Mario Super Sluggers playing in the background?

That thumbnail got me it worked lol

I'm a fan of your proposal. They should give it a try. Need a little extra time between pitches and it should be a ball count, not a time limit. This works well

It sucks. I want the home run derby to be as unforgiving as possible. Let's actually implement the rules of baseball and punish failures. A batter only gets three outs like the usual half-inning of a baseball game. Fly balls that are caught, and grounders that don't get past infielders are automatic outs. For this to work the MLB would need to hook up the best high school players in the area and get them to play defense. Additionally batters get unlimited amount of pitches but three consecutive takes are penalized with an automatic out. They need to reward extraordinary feats as well. Add bonuses for hitting at least one home run to five different directions in the outfield (left, left center, center, right center, right). Add bonuses according to the batter's longest home run. Add even higher bonuses for hitting the foul pole. Add even higher bonuses for hitting home runs from both sides of the plate.

That Major League movie song in the background...love it!

I do like the bonus balls idea but there will always be the potential to have an advantage for the second batter

Who else knows the music from Mario super sluggers ?

The old format was way better, and it has history. History is very important in baseball. The new format is actually kind of irritating to watch, and pretty boring too.

Love this idea! One question though, if you're going to go with a pure 25 pitches, wouldn't you want to eliminate poor pitches from occurring? It would really suck for a hitter who is on to be with a pitcher who is off. Would a pitching machine solve this? If you don't want a pitching machine, would it be better to go with 25 swings instead?

The only thing I'd say is to have it be more of a FFA, because there may be times where a player hits 30 home runs, but loses because their opponent hit 40 homeruns, while no one else hits 30 in the round. It makes it so you get to see the most powerful hitters in later rounds.

Agreed, the HR derby, as it stands , leave some room for desire. Your point of not being able to actually see the HRs is spot on. It is nice being able to see the trajectory of the ball and get the distance on it right when it is hit. Also, I have a problem with the head-to-head bracket lineup. Since there is no defense component to this event, it should be more like an Olympic event. Head-to head only makes sense if there is defense involved or ONLY two competitors. In this year's event, Arozarena should not have made it to the second round as his score of 24 was 5th out of 8. In 2022, Seager was knocked out in round one despite having the second highest number of HRs. Soto ended up winning despite him performing in the bottom half for the first two rounds. In 2021 Both Ohtani and Perez were eliminated despite being tied for 3rd best performance. Story, who came in 7th out of 8 got to advance to the next round. It just feels weak. Either let all players do the same number of rounds or let the best performances get through. In addition to the suggestions in the video, It would also be cool if they did bonus based on shot placement ... example: 1 bonus ball for each set (left, right, center) of HRs

Love the Pokémon music in the background ⚾️⚡️

Pitching while the ball in the air is scary to me because you have a whole bunch of kids out in the outfield fielding balls. If one of those kids is looking up they could get smacked with a 100 MPH line drive. If you want to get rid of that rule, take the kids out of the field4

Was watching the HR derby on Monday and wish I knew what balls were actually home runs after they got hit off the bat. Hard to guess if it went out or not just by looking at the swing angle and where the pitch contact was made.

Well said. I hope some changes are made.

Under your format, what happens to a pitch out of the zone/not swung on? Does that count as a pitch? If pitching machines are precise enough, I think they'd have to be incorporated.

Are there any baseball video games that let you do a HR Derby...using the original 1959 rules (nine innings, three outs per inning, called strikes count at outs)? I wonder if they ever did try that format after that show's original airing?

I remember some years in the old format the Derby lasting longer than the ASG.

This was my exact thought tonight. Imagine a slam dunk contest where after every dunk there is ZERO time between. There's no possible way to in any way take in a 500 footer.

The current format is nuts, the old format with a fixed number of balls/outs was way better. I'd love to see Ohtani in the derby again but I doubt he'd do it again cause it's way too exhausting for a guy doing double-duty a whole season.

I was thinking bring back outs plus have the seven second pitch clock - I do like your idea, though! Safer for fans + the kids in the outfield, we get to admire the homers, and there is very little downtime. Everyone wins.

As someone who was at the Derby in Coors I fully support this suggestion. In person it was even worse because you had no split screen and you had to either choose to watch where one ball was landing or take your eyes off to watch the next one. If you didn't you'd miss the swing and possibly not be able to see where the next hit went. It's entirely too fast and you don't get to appreciate the home runs.

I like the 10 outs. I like the pitch clock from when the ball lands to the next pitch but if the pitcher fails to throw the ball in the time allotted, it is considered an out. then a time out somewhere in the middle. and get rid of the bracket system. also, bring back the gold ball or whatever bonus they want to do. I think that would make most people happy and it wouldn't take as long as the old format.

Good suggestions, I would enjoy these changes to the derby...still better than the old format

I love the old format but I don’t really miss having it end at 1 am eastern

I love this post and I couldn't agree more! After watching the derby I just didn't enjoy it near as much as when you could see the flight of the balls and how far they were going. They didn't need to change the format!

I was thinking maybe it’s the old format with a max timer between each pitch and it would serve some penalty like the pitch clock but that wouldn’t be fun

The whole time I was watching it, I was thinking it was exciting but I missed watching the HRs. I like your idea. I also think you could simply go back to the old format of 10 outs but add a pitch clock. Just keep it the 15 seconds after the ball lands. Add in a rule about only getting to take one pitch per HR, and a 30 second timeout and you can have guys still fresh for most of it, but working at a decent pace. Maybe change it to a point system for distance instead. 1 for a HR under 450, 2 for a HR 451-499, then 3 points for 500+.

There’s problems with both old and current format. But I do just miss the Chris berman spectacle celebrating all of the nukes. They barely even acknowledged the HRs in the modern format. Guys are gassed in the final round after hitting like 100 HRs no one remembers.

Love your assessment, hate your proposal. This would be so confusing to viewers, to batters, there would be MORE light cheating, too much for the participants to pay attention to. The list goes on. I think it would be worse than either of the previous formats.

I was third deck at Coors and Ohtani was hitting them over my head by 50ft. Couldn't look away from the field though cause the next ball would already be in play. Slowing it down some would be good imo.

I love your suggestion it would make it more interesting, and more strategic for the competition. The is because in 25 pitches if your opponent only hits one then you only have to hit 2 to advance. I think what would level the playing field is if they used a pitching machine that would make the pitches to every player arrive at the plate in approximately the same position and the same speed, because let’s face it making contact with a pitch at 80mph vs 65mph makes a difference.

Maybe 10 seconds but 7 is ok too Great vid btw

I definitely was not expecting to hear the Pokémon GSC National Park theme in this video.

With the mario and pokemon music in the background, nice

I miss admiring the dongs. New formatis too fast for me to truly enjoy in the same way, but I can still appreciate it fir what it is now.

Another major problem (besides going by time instead of outs) is that winning simply depends on how well the pitcher is locating his tosses.

One question... in your proposal, does a taken pitch count towards the 25? If it does, that's my only complaint. Either way, I think I would prefer the old format of 10 outs per batter plus a pitch clock. Say 10 seconds after it lands or 10 seconds after the last pitch is thrown if the previous pitch was not hit out. My thought is that limiting it to 25 pitches sets a hard limit on the number of home runs that can be hit. With the 10 out format there will always be a possibility for a new high bar. And although it's doubtful anybody would go 25 for 25, it's possible, and if that were to happen, then that's it, no more derby records.

The thumbnail got me here, lol. I completely agree with you though, the homerun derby is boring, maybe its better if youre there, but its just not fun to watch on tv

Only thing I would really change is to make it SWINGS instead of pitches. Also the music selection for this video was great

Love the Mario 64 music in the background 😂

I agree with what you said I think we should not have a 7 second rule though. This would give the hitter time to get a high five or chest bumb from a teammate. Instead to keep the time down I think a 10 minute timer or 7 minute timer to get all 25 pitches off or lose them. Personally I feel this gives the hitter a lot of time to hit the bombs and mess around a little bit. I also do not totally love the idea of getting more pitches if you hit the ball further. A home run is a home run. I understand that the long shots are exciting but the playing field is fair if every hitter had the 25 pitches. Just my thoughts! Loved your video!

I like the thought of a 25 pitch round, but without any bonuses. If it comes down to a tiebreaker, then the distances should be tallied up to select the winner. And go to using a pitching machine instead of an actual pitcher - OR having one pitcher for the entire series rather than different pitchers for each contestant.

Yo honestly your suggestion fr is the most perfect solution

They need to go back to the 10 out rule. Give them 1 timeout but wait for the ball to land and have a ump stand behind to signal when they can go.

Spot on. This format takes away from the majestic homer aspect and makes it more of a sprint competition. I actually like both formats but wish there was a better way to showcase the current one.

You went Foolish mode when you planted the Smash Bros Brawl theme in there.

I think during the prime of NHL all star week 2008-2018ish i think that is by FAR the best. The random funny things like goalie speed laps to real skills like the normal speed laps, to the random team skills nd the old fully breakaway challenge. I think most sports have a problem that the allstar games are either fun as hell but oldheads dont like it and its not as marketable or they try to get the most money and play it safe. Wish the MLB and NBA could step out there a little bc the athletes in each sports are insane

Totally agree. I said the same thing to my wife. It was simply annoying. I shut it off after a couple of hitters. I want the old school version based on outs.

I'd like to see the teams back in their uniforms for the ASG too. You can't even tell what team they're on without squinting, and that's not the point of the thing. And why is every player in Mariners colors? Ridiculous.

2 categories that can be advanced through -- Most HR's & Longest (w/ a min distance & min total HR attached to it - maybe 490-500 feet & min HR depending on balls/time format)....Semi-Finals having 2 slots reserved for each category, Finals, 1 of each. Finals being a standard 10-out classic style round though. No seeding or Head 2 Head though until finals, so someone with the Most HR approach with, say, 40 in a round doesn't get bounced by the Long-Ball approach.

I also Noticed that in the older format players got to rest in between pitches, now they gas out quicker than before.

I wish each stadium could have cameras at the edges of each corner or something (center field included)so we could see where they land honestly