Home Run Derby Disaster

Major League Baseball is trying to desperately to get more viewers watching their product. Right now, there is a decline from what we have seen in other sports. It is not to say MLB is pushing the panic, but there seems to be a worry that things are not getting better by any means. They tried to do something different with the bracketed competition for the Home Run Derby, and it completely sucked despite getting a worthy winner in Oakland's Yoenis Cespedes. He deserves the title without question, but the final should have been pitting Jose Bautista against Cespedes. 

The fact we got a final of Cincinnati Reds third baseman Todd Frazier versus Cespedes when we should have had Giancarlo Stanton facing off against him is a goddamn shame. Stanton grew cold having to wait for over an hour to hit a baseball. Stanton brings back memories of Josh Hamilton where we remember the first round of home runs, but he didn't win the tournament. Hell, Stanton didn't even get there. MLB could still do the competition, but they need to rework how the bracketing works so they avoid an issue like this year where Stanton gets ousted because he can't ride the momentum which is exactly what Cespedes did to win a back-to-back Derby crowns, the first person to do it since Ken Griffey, Jr.. (H/T @cjzero for the GIF)

To make it more competitive, select the 10 players, do the traditional ten outs for the first round but instead of brackets, rank them from the most home runs in the competition to the least amount. It's a free for all for the first round where the top home run hitters get to pick when they go and then eliminate five batters advancing only four to the second round. The top home runner hitter faces off against the least amount of homers with seven outs instead of ten, and it goes to brackets to finish it off. This adds more of a strategy to it without anyone getting cold. 

This whole day ended up being a disaster for MLB. There was an hour delay. The weather is unseasonably cold for Minneapolis and everyone is talking about how bad the Derby was this morning. Not a great way to  start All-Star week.

Charlie.