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Home Run Derby 2015 Review: How awesome was that?

By Josh Hill

Jul 13, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; National League third baseman Todd Frazier (21) of the Cincinnati Reds at bat during the 2015 Home Run Derby the day before the MLB All Star Game at Great American Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 13, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; National League third baseman Todd Frazier (21) of the Cincinnati Reds at bat during the 2015 Home Run Derby the day before the MLB All Star Game at Great American Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Home Run Derby is in the books, and fans are raving about the new format that was installed in what was the most exciting Derby in years. 

For the first time in a very long time, the Home Run Derby was a blast to watch. That seems like an obvious statement, as home runs are always fun and the Home Run Derby is nothing but wall to wall homers — but for years the Derby has been bogged down by repetitiveness when it comes to players watching balls pass them by, waiting for the “right” pitch.

While there was strategy involved in that format, it was boring and had started to push fans away from the event. Last year’s Derby at Target Field was fun, but we really only remember two home runs — the bomb that Giancarlo Stanton hit and the bomb that Yeonis Cespedes hit.

Baseball did itself a solid this season by changing the format to take away the element of strategy and give this ADHD generation what it wants — constant homers.

Guess what: the new format worked. Not only did it work, but it has fixed the Home Run Derby and restored the glory that it once held.

The Derby adapted in the 1990s when it evolved into an event more about the individual than leagues, and the game has adapted again for the better. The new format saw at-bats timed, with bonus time given for distance. What ended up happening was an event that was just as long as the other events of years past but one that was injected with intensity and — for lack of a better term — awesomeness.

The second matchup of the night was the clincher, as Todd Frazier’s come-from-behind win against Prince Fielder in what was essentially overtime, was as thrilling as any home run we’ve seen hit at the Derby. The new element of one-on-one competitiveness has added an extra edge to the Derby that was missing sorely in years past.

From there, we had buzzer beater home runs, intense matchups that went down to the wire; all without sacrificing the long bombs that made the Derby what it was.

Maybe it was the hometown player winning the Derby that made it special, as the crowd was electric during Frazier’s last round run. But all throughout the night, there was an element of pressure and the thrill of release that was lacking in all previous Derby’s we’ve seen.

There was no tediousness in waiting for the “right” pitch and no waiting around that made us fee like we wasted our time. Even with the timeouts that were allotted to the batters, the Derby breezed by and we’re all left with a feeling we haven’t felt in a long time — anxious waiting until next year’s Derby.

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