Baseball's Home Run Derby Needs a Face Lift

The Home Run Derby is Major League Baseball's equivalent to the NBA's slam dunk contest. It is an All Star Game festivity that excites fans. Seeing the major league sluggers go on home run binges, even though it's in a batting practice environment, is something to see. The event has lost a lot of its luster over the years because many of the stars that the fans want to see don't participate.

This year's derby could have included sluggers such as Ken Griffey, Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds. Griffey and Bonds declined to participate, without giving a reason. Rodriguez is nursing a strained hamstring. It would have been remarkable to see those three superstars competing against each other in the home run derby. Griffey had a chance to enjoy his reemergence as one of the game's top players, Bonds could have put on a show for his hometown fans, and Rodriguez could have taken out some of his New York frustrations on some baseballs. It could have been memorable, but now people may not even tune in.

Through the years, players have cited various reasons for sitting out the All Star Game festivities. Many of them are carrying around nagging injuries that could use some rest. Others have stated that they don't travel in to the All Star Game location until right before the Home Run Derby, making it difficult to get prepared. Some have claimed that the high volume of swings that they take during the Derby puts them at risk for injury. All of these reasons are valid enough, but the fans deserve a true showcase of the best power hitters that the game has to offer. Major League Baseball should tweak the Derby to make it safer for the sluggers to participate.

As it stands right now, the Derby consists of three rounds. Each hitter gets 10 outs in the first two rounds and 5 outs in the final round. Given that there are eight participants in the Derby, there can be very long waiting periods between a hitter's first and second round. Such a delay makes it difficult for the competitors to stay loose and avoid injury. Eliminating the multi-round format would help ease a lot of the players' injury worries.

Having ten contestants in a competition that consisted of one 'ten-out' round would be the proper Home Run Derby. Imagine being able to see Ken Griffey and Barry Bonds go toe-to-toe in a one round Derby. Sure, you would see less of the contestants if there were only one round. But, you would get more superstars involved and it would be more intense. Most importantly, the winners with a new Home Run Derby format would be the fans and they are the reason for the All Star Game in the first place.