NEW YORK, NY: For the Home Run Derby on Monday, Major League Baseball has confirmed the eight-person field.
The complete roster of attendees:
•Mets 1B Pete Alonso
•Phillies 3B Alec Bohm
•Rangers OF Adolis García
•Orioles SS Gunnar Henderson
•Dodgers OF Teoscar Hernández
•Braves DH Marcell Ozuna
•Guardians 3B José Ramírez
•Royals SS Bobby Witt Jr.
From last year's competition, Alonso and García are back. For the fifth time in a row, the first baseman from New York is participating in the event. Alonso emerged victorious twice in 2019 and 2020 (the pandemic prevented the Derby in 2020), but Julio Rodríguez eliminated him in the following two competitions.
Randy Arozarena benched García during the opening round of the previous season. The winner, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., made the decision not to seek reelection.
The 2024 Home Run Derby is being held at Globe Life Field in Arlington. The victor of the Derby will receive $1 million as under the collective bargaining agreement. Every competitor receives $150K, with the runner-up taking home $500K. $100K is awarded to the player who hits the furthest home run.
A few rules have changed for this year's competition, according to a recent article by ESPN's Buster Olney. Head-to-head matches are no longer included in the first round. The longest home run will be used as a tiebreaker to determine which of the top four home run hitters advances to the second round.
MLB has also changed the bonus round from having a clock to a restriction of three outs (four if a player hits a 425-foot home run in the bonus round). Additionally, hitters are now only allowed 40 swings per round.
The Home Run Derby kickstarts the events taking place this upcoming week. The All-Star Game will take place Tuesday. After All-Star week, Major League Baseball and its fans can look forward to the trade deadline.
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