Los Angeles superstar Shoe Hei Otani leads the National League with home runs, but last month he touched on why he wouldn’t attend the Monday night’s home run derby.
“As current rules, that’s pretty difficult,” Otani said of the fast-paced swing. “I don’t think there’s a lot of opportunity for now.”
The two-way star recently spoke with tweaks that he would like to see in his future Home Run Derby.
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“I’m not going to decide,” Otani said. “But personally, I think there are limitations to focusing on the number of pitches, number of swings, and distance.”
The Home Run Derby consists of a bonus period (non-home run swing) where “you can have 3 minutes or 40 pitches (either 40 or 40 pitches) to hit as many home runs as possible.”
This creates total confusion, and players slugging within the time frame to reach the second round of the “Knockout Style” of four best hitters, consisting of two minutes or 27 pitches, and reach the same format in the championship round.
Not only is the TV broadcast somewhat confused as players are starting home runs before the previous ball lands, but this format is not worth the risk of injury, especially due to Ohatani and recovery from UCL surgery in 2023 and lip surgery in 2024 with his other arm.
Previous home run derby styles rely on an out-of-system (any home run), and pacing is far better for National League home rankings.
Otani doesn’t seem alone in his desire for an old home run derby, but if rules change occurs in the public push, Otani will probably compete for yet another praise to add to his MLB prowess one day.
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Photo credit: Kevin Jairaj-Rusa Today Sports
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