The Gillette 2015 MLB Home Run Derby takes place this Monday night (June 13), at the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, and it will be a whole new ball game-literally, since the league has changed the format.
For those who plan to watch, here is everything you need to know, including the start time, TV info, free live streaming options, a list of players participating (including stats and odds) and an explanation of the new format.
Time: 8 P.M. (EST) on ESPN.
Free Live Streaming: free live streaming is available on PC’s and devices through MLB.com, as well as WATCH ESPN (for PC’s) and the WATCH ESPN app for Android, iOS or Windows (for tablets and smartphones).
Services are free but may require a sign-in using a participating cable provider.
Players/Stats/Odds
Here is a list of players participating, along with their derby stats and odds of winning (courtesy of
:Player | Team | HR | Avg. HR distance | Odds |
Albert Pujols | Los Angeles Angels | 26 | 399.6 feet | 6/1 |
Todd Frazier | Cincinnati Reds | 25 | 398.4 feet | 4/1 |
Josh Donaldson | Toronto Blue Jays | 21 | 408.1 feet | 7/1 |
Joc Pederson | Los Angeles Dodgers | 20 | 430.5 feet | 6/1 |
Manny Machado | Baltimore Orioles | 19 | 387.2 feet | 7/1 |
Anthony Rizzo | Chicago Cubs | 16 | 402.1 feet | 9/1 |
Prince Fielder | Texas Rangers | 13 | 413.0 feet | 4/1 |
Kris Bryant | Chicago Cubs | 12 | 406.9 feet | 9/2 |
Format:
This year’s Derby features a new format, in an effort to boost lagging viewer numbers and breathe new life into what was once the most popular event of All-Star weekend.
First and foremost, the number of participants this year will be 8 instead of 10 and they will compete against each other in a single-elimination bracket tournament (see chart below).
Participants are seeded in the bracket based on their respective home-run totals through July 7
Besides the bracket system, the other big change is that players now have a 5-minute time limit to blast as many homers as they can- no more worrying about outs and misses.
The clock will run until the final minute- at that point, every time a player hits a home run the clock stops and won’t start again until the player swings and misses (or hits a non- home run).
Finally, there are now time-outs and distance bonuses, with each player getting one 45-second timeout during each 5-minute round.
Players can extend the round by 30 seconds longer for each home run traveling farther than 475 feet and a whole minute longer with every pair of bombs landing at least 420 feet from home plate.
What do you think of all these changes? Do you plan to watch the 2015 MLB Home Run Derby?
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