Home Run Derby Preview 2024

Handicapping a mediocre Derby field

It’s forever an All-Star Week highlight. On Monday, 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Major League Baseball’s annual Home Run Derby will be staged at Globe Life Field, Arlington, Texas. It seems that each and every year the rules of this encounter change. They have been tweaked again in 2024, mainly with the Top 4 advancing from Round 1 with head-to-head beginning with the semifinals. The impact remains energetic and is often seen as the top memory of All-Star Week, ahead of the game itself.  

Recruited for the Derby are eight powerful competitors, with just three of them, Pete Alonso (Mets), Adolis Garcia (Rangers) and Jose Ramirez (Guardians) as repeat performers. Rounding out the field are Alec Bohm (Phillies), Gunnar Henderson (O’s), Teoscar Hernandez (Dodgers), Marcell Ozuna (Braves) and Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals).    

Before handicapping and picking the order of finish, here are a few betting tips gleaned from years of personal observation.

1-Cherchez the pitcher. Placement and a repeatable de…