MLB Home Run Derby 2024 format explained: How have the rules changed?

Over the last decade or so it seems that Major League Baseball is constantly evolving. Several changes in recent history have made games speed up and the sport has become more appealing to an entirely new audience. In an attempt to improve the Home Run Derby, format changes have been put in place.

You can watch the T Mobile Home Run Derby on ESPN on Monday, July 15 at 8 p.m. ET but be sure to check out all of the MLB All-Star Week events.

2024 Home Run Derby format

There will be eight participants in this year's derby: Alec Bohm, Adolis Garcia, Marcell Ozuna, Bobby Witt Jr., Gunnar Henderson, Jose Ramirez, Teoscar Hernandez and the man everyone is chasing, Pete Alonso.

In the first round, all eight hitters will essentially compete against one another. Each hitter will get either 3 minutes or 40 pitches, whichever comes first. The top four hitters will advance to the second round.

The second round of the derby will be the head-to-head format with players seeded based off of how many home runs they hit in the first round. Once it is down to two sluggers, the final round will be decided in a head-to-head matchup in which each batter will get 2 minutes or 27 pitches, whichever comes first.

Perhaps the coolest addition to this year's Home Run Derby is the bonus pitches. At the end of their timed round, each hitter will be given an untimed bonus round where they will continue to hit until three outs are recorded. If a player hits a home run beyond 425 feet during this round, they will be rewarded an extra out and the bonus round will continue until a fourth out is recorded.

Ties will still be settled by a 60-second swing off and each batter is entitled to one 45-second timeout each round.

While this new format is slightly different than what fans are used to, the changes that have been made feel like improvements to an already entertaining event.

How the Home Run Derby format has changed from past years

With the new rules in place, let's take a look back to a season ago and point out the differences. In 2023, players were seeded before the contest and the entire derby was head-to-head format. Each round was only timed and there was no pitch limit. Hitters were able to obtain a bonus 30 seconds if they hit home runs in their regular rounds past a certain distance.

While this was the format that baseball fans had grown accustomed to over recent years, the traditional format of the Home Run Derby was much more simple but very time-consuming.

It used to be that each hitter was granted 10 outs per round. Any batted ball that did not go over the outfield fence in fair territory was an out. Hitters would keep swinging until the 10 outs were recorded. There was no timer or pitch limit. There were no bonuses and only the final round was head-to-head.