Major League Baseball has benefitted greatly from the implementation of the pitch clock and other rules for this season. The viewership has reflected that as well. But it appears the MLB could stand to go back to its roots with the Home Run Derby.
Monday night’s edition of the derby in Seattle only had warning track power in terms of viewership. The broadcast across ESPN and ESPN2 averaged 6.11 million viewers, down 11% from last year’s competition at Dodger Stadium.
It was also the lowest figure for the derby since 5.9 million tuned in for the 2018 contest. Just over 5.5 million watched Blue Jays star Vladimir Gurrero Jr. win the derby. The ESPN2 StatCast broadcast averaged 596,000 viewers.
Many have complained that the timed rounds and emphasis on hitting as many home runs as possible in that short span has lessened the luster of admiring monstrous swings when competitors are in the box.
Some hope that the Home Run Derby would revert back to traditional rules of batters having 10 outs instead of racing the clock.
