Hit for 10 Outs: Pros and Cons of Home Run Derby
Considering the two types of Home Run Derby
There is no doubt that between 2014 and 2022, the Home Run Derby has evolved.
For those that didn’t follow the derby during that time frame, there were a few simplistic changes.
The number of “outs” (i.e. didn’t hit a homerun) allowed went from 10 to 7 at first, and then it eventually went from “outs” to a timed session of two minutes per batter per round.
There are pros and cons to both approaches to the derby. In this article, we will discuss both of them in detail.
Hit 2 Minutes - Pros
1. Good amount of time
Two minutes is a good amount of time for a batter to hit a good number of extremely long home runs.
Even for the best hitters, sometimes they really have to be able to get into the groove and figure out the time of the pitcher's pitches, and two minutes should be plenty of time for the batter to do that.
2. Easier on the networks
In modern day sports, it’s important to consider advertising, as this is a chunk of the pie for the networks.
3. Make things more interesting
This form of the game can make things more interesting, as far as getting into a groove quickly and being efficient with the opportunities given.
4. Find your groove
In order to actually win the derby, especially in the later rounds, you have to be able to find your groove relatively early- or else the batter will have to wait for lots of homeruns in a row.
This does not usually happen when a batter wins the derby, although there are exceptions to that.
5. Test of endurance
The 2 minute hit can be a good test of endurance in arm strength, in addition to home runs.
It shouldn’t be lost on anybody that having the ball come at you for two minutes, with the expectation that you're going to make the ball travel 300 plus feet almost every single time, is an extremely challenging feat.
As a result, one thing that this style of Home Run Derby tests even in the early rounds is muscle endurance for the reason just mentioned.
6. Fewer swings by the hitter
This form of the game may require fewer swings by the hitter, which reduces the length of time it can take.
If one hitter gets hot enough, the game can go on for an annoyingly long time.
One example of this is during the 1999 Home Run Derby, when Mark McGwire came barrelling out of the gates in the first round, hitting 13 home runs.
With that many swings, it took quite a few minutes!
Hit 2 Minutes - Cons
1. No pressure
The “outs” approach doesn’t put pressure on the pitcher to make lots of good pitches.
It can be safely assumed that fans don’t want to watch a batter stand up there and take lots of pitches.
In the “outs” approach to the derby, there is no pressure on the pitcher to actually make lots of good pitches.
At the time there wasn’t an actual timeline in which he had to get the batter to a certain number of outs, which had the potential to significantly increase the duration of the derby.
2. No timeout option
In this version of the Home Run Derby, there is no option for the batter to take a timeout if, for whatever reason, they lose their groove and need a second to re-calibrate.
In the timed version of the derby, they are allowed one timeout per round if they need it.
If the timeout was instituted earlier, there could have been more entertaining derbies in the past.
3. Potential limited swings
For extremely high performing home run hitters during derbies, this could potentially limit swings.
While it’s rare that in the old days one batter would be up there for more than two minutes, that still doesn’t mean it never happened, especially in the early rounds.
However, in order for a batter to compete at a high level in the first couple of rounds of the derby, you usually have to hit somewhere between 6-10 dingers.
If they are somewhere between getting the ball in the gaps but not getting the ball all the way out of the park, that could have the potential to cause them to not hit as many homers.
4. Increased injury
As it lasts two minutes, it has a slightly higher chance of increasing injury.
Since the derby usually lasts at least three rounds, and it is pretty much a guarantee of -7-10 swings per round at minimum, there is at least an increased chance that someone could get injured trying to get the ball that far that many times.
However, the players are professional athletes- so there’s usually nothing to worry about.
5. The batter will face more pitches
This way of playing could force the batter to face more pitches than doing it the previous way.
In this style of the derby, it could also make the derby last longer- and if balls are barely getting out of the park, which is a risk in some of the larger parks in Major League Baseball, then it could potentially turn the derby into a snooze fest.
Now let’s discuss the pros and cons of the timed derby!
Timed Derby - Pros
1. Endurance and muscle strength
The length of the at bat could be a better way to test endurance and muscle strength.
It could be safely argued that, unless you're just casually taking batting practice, trying to swing the bat for two minutes straight can be a very tiring process, especially when you're trying to go yard on every pitch.
In the derby, batters need to be able to do that at a very high rate. They also need to get a feel, to get into the rhythm of the pitcher early.
Taking an extra 30 seconds to a minute to do that with the pitcher could potentially cost them a lot of precious home runs, which would not be the case in the other approach to the derby.
2. More chances
Batters often have more chances than the two minute way, and batters don’t have to be as picky.
The number of pitches a batter will get in the timed way is much more equal than what you would get in the “outs” approach to the derby.
The reasoning for that is because in the “outs” approach, every time you hit the ball fair but it’s not a home run, it’s an out.
This means that batters will have to be much more selective with every pitch they swing at.
3. An even number of good pitches
Batters will get the equivalent to an even number of good pitches, which are equal to getting 10 outs.
Since the pitchers know that hitters only have two minutes to maximise the number of home runs to hit, that means there is a greater chance they will throw more quality pitches.
4. Size of park factor is taken away
There is no doubt that there is a huge discrepancy when it comes to the ranges of sizes of ballparks and how much power you need to hit a home run.
Unless it’s one of the parks you play in a lot, chances are you’re going to need to figure out how much power to generate in your swing to get the ball out.
While you certainly understand the effort needed during batting practice, each hitter is only going to be allowed so much time before the derby starts.
5. Opportunity for time out
While you’re swinging for a long time, one of the upsides to the timed derby is the fact that the hitter can take a time out whenever it is deemed necessary to give their bodies a break.
For those not familiar with the mechanics of baseball, hitting requires more than just your arms.
You also have to engage your legs and have your legs and feet set and then move them in a certain way during the duration of the swing, something which can be an extremely tiring process.
Timed Derby - Cons
1. Predictability is taken away
While it may sound simplistic, it’s true. One of the reasons most baseball fans watch the derby is to see how their favourite player is going to perform.
Outside of potentially catastrophic events, one of the things that is not a mystery is approximately how long each at bat is going to take.
2. De-promotes efficiency for the batter
Since all batters are going to get approximately the same number of pitches no matter what, this doesn’t encourage hitters to get lots of home runs early, as you can get a lot of pitches in two minutes.
3. Outside of injury, there is no way to end the round early
One of the things that can be a mystery in sports is whether or not the athlete is even going to finish a certain round.
To some extent, that is true in all sports- whether it be running, basketball or baseball.
That part of the mystery does not really exist in a timed home run derby.
4. The above problem could be exacerbated at bigger ballparks
At larger ball parks, batters have to propel their bodies with significantly more power than at smaller ones.
This could slightly increase the chance for injury, even doing it for two minutes, especially at an increased pace. This doesn’t tend to happen during the derby.
5. Timeouts make it harder to plan for commercials
All major sports feature regular commercials.
Since networks don’t know exactly how long a timeout is going to be, that can make it somewhat harder for them to plan when a batter will restart their at bat again.
