The 2024 Home Run Derby will be held on Monday, July 15, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN and will be live-streamed on ESPN+. This is one of baseball’s most exciting events of the year, but the MLB is constantly trying to tweak the format to provide the best product for fans. The rules have changed again for 2024, so we will review the new format, participants and best bets below.
2024 Home Run Derby Format
First Round
The bracket format has been tweaked and will no longer be used in the first round. All eight batters will receive three minutes or 40 pitches (whichever comes first) to hit as many long balls as possible. Players will still have a bonus round, but instead of it being timed, it will be three outs. If they hit a home run of at least 425 feet, they will get an extra out for a total of four. They can hit as many home runs as they can in bonus time, but anything that isn’t a home run counts toward one of their three or four outs. Competitors can call a 45-second timeout in each round, but it cannot be used in bonus time.
Second Round (Semifinals)
The four batters that hit the most home runs in the first round will advance to the second and be given a seed. The No. 1 seed will go head-to-head with the No. 4 seed, and the No. 2 seed will face the No. 3 seed. If players had the same number of home runs in the first round, the higher seed would go to the player who hit the longest home run. Batters will again be given three minutes or 40 pitches to hit the most home runs they can with the same bonus time rules as the first round. The same bonus round process will be used in the semifinals. In this round, a tiebreaker will be determined by a 60-second swing-off to hit as many home runs as possible, and if still tied, it will move to a three-swing swing-off until a winner is determined.
Final Round
The remaining two players will duke it out in the final round with less time and pitches. Instead of three minutes or 40 pitches, the final round will be shortened to two minutes or 27 pitches, whichever comes first. Bonus time will still be handled the same way, with three additional outs and the opportunity to earn a fourth. The player that hits the most home runs in the final round will be the winner and earn $1 million of the $2.5 million prize pool for the event.
2024 Home Run Derby Participants and Odds
Pete Alonso +340
Marcell Ozuna +400
Bobby Witt Jr. +475
Adolis Garcia +500
Gunnar Henderson +500
Teoscar Hernandez +950
Jose Ramirez +1300
Alec Bohm +1600
2024 Home Run Derby Best Bets
Adolis Garcia +500
Since the Home Run Derby started in 1985, three players have won the event at their home stadium. Ryne Sandberg did it in 1990, Todd Frazier pulled it off in 2015, and then Bryce Harper accomplished the feat in 2018. This year’s derby will be held at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. It’s already a hitter-friendly park, but the familiarity and comfortability of being in his home stadium could give Garcia an edge.
If hitting in his home ballpark isn’t enough, the Texas Rangers’ outfielder can rely on his power to lead him to a victory. He has 17 home runs this season; eight have come at Globe Life Field. Garcia was bounced in the first round from last year’s derby, but not before he hit 17 home runs.
Pete Alonso +340
Alonso will compete in his fifth straight Home Run Derby and is looking for his first win since 2021. Last year, he had an unfortunate matchup against Julio Rodriguez in the first round, who set the record for the most home runs in a single round with 41. Alonso has hit 18 home runs this season, and eight have been on the road. He’s the most experienced derby competitor and shouldn’t be thrown off by the new rules.
Gunnar Henderson +500
Henderson is the youngest competitor in this year’s derby. That may make you think he is a longshot, but the 23-year-old has hit 27 home runs this season, the second-most in the American League behind only New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge. He has seen the ball incredibly well in his second big league season. Henderson hit 28 home runs over 150 games in 2023 and already has 27 through 94 this year. Twelve of his home runs have come on the road, and despite it being his first derby, he has a good chance to win with the power he has displayed this season.