New Home Run Derby rules explained

In two weeks, Major League Baseball will have its All-Star Break. This is when the best and brightest stars will converge for the annual All-Star Game. But before the actual All-Star Game, we'll have the Futures Game and Home Run Derby. The Derby will take place on Monday, July 15.

Gunnar Henderson has already announced that he will be a part of the Derby, and several other sluggers will soon follow suit.

However this year, the Derby is taking on a different look. There are some new rules in place that will give it a different feel. Here is everything you need to know about this year's Derby.

New MLB Home Run Derby format, explained

The first round of the Derby will be somewhat reminiscent of the old format, where the top four home run totals determined who was in the next round. Instead of there being 10 outs however, the round is still timed.

Each player will receive three minutes and 40 pitches, plus a timeout. The hitters will have a chance to earn three bonus outs if they a 425-foot home run. If there are any ties, they will be broken by the longest home run between the tied hitters rather than via a playoff round.

The Semifinals will look exactly the same as they have in recent years, with a bracket-style format being used. Seeds will be determined by number of first-round home runs. Seeds one and four will matchup against one another while seeds two and three have their own matchup. The same bonus rules apply.

In the finals, the top two will face off. This time, it is a two-minute round, and hitters will receive 27 pitches. Once again, the same bonus rules apply.

The Home Run Derby has become a lot less interesting in recent years. First, they scrapped the old format and went with matchups and timed rounds. Now, they've changed the format again and have odd bonuses. Home run distances are also being prioritized.

But using two different formats for each of the first two rounds just doesn't make sense. MLB should stick to one or the other. All of the changes made over the past several years have been completely unnecessary. MLB would have been better off sticking with the old format of 10 outs and no matchups rather than what they've done over the past few years or what they'll do this year.