Overview
- Multiple outlets cite The Athletic reporting that Major League Baseball will drop the timer used since 2015 and move to a swings-based Home Run Derby for 2026, though MLB has not issued an official announcement.
- Under the reported rules each hitter would get 20 swings in round one and 15 swings in the semifinal and final, and a round cannot end on a home run so a final homer allows continued swings until a non-homer is recorded.
- The Derby is said to keep its eight-player field with four advancing after the first round, head-to-head matchups in the semifinal and final, first-round ties decided by the longest homer and later ties settled by a three-swing tiebreaker.
- Netflix will carry the Derby for the first time, and reports say the streamer used feedback from the league and players to shape the new format and presentation for the July 13 event at Citizens Bank Park.
- Reported prize payouts remain unchanged with $1 million for the winner, $500,000 for the runner-up, $150,000 for other participants and $100,000 for the longest homer, and Cal Raleigh enters as the defending champion.