MLB tweaked the rules for this year’s Home Run Derby, instituting a bracket system and a timer for each player’s round. The changes were initially met with much scorn, but after Monday night, the critics have been silenced. Todd Frazier of the hometown Cincinnati Reds prevailed over Joc Pederson in the final, 15-14, hitting the winning home run in his 30 seconds of bonus time.
The Derby began with the quietest matchup of the night, as Josh Donaldson hit nine homers to eliminate Anthony Rizzo. Frazier then launched 14 homers to eliminate Prince Fielder, who hit 13 bombs (the second-highest total in the first round). Pederson surpassed a game Manny Machado 13-12, and AL home run leader Albert Pujols topped Kris Bryant 10-9.
In the semifinals, Frazier launched ten homers to eliminate Donaldson, who hit just nine. Pederson then pulled an upset by eliminating Pujols 12-11, the lone low seed to eliminate a high seed all evening. Pederson then launched 14 homers in the final to present a daunting task for Frazier, but he was up to the challenge and went deep 15 times to clinch the victory.
It really was a great Home Run Derby, with the timer adding some urgency to the proceedings and eliminating some dead time. The event still wasn’t perfect – the four minutes per round (reduced from five) seemed a bit long, and the same amount of bonus time was awarded to everyone in each round, which made it seem like less of a bonus and more of a necessity. But all things considered, it was definitely a step in the right direction, and next year’s event at Petco Park should go much smoother…even if we might see a total of 12 homers in the entire Derby.
