An Open Letter to Major League Baseball Regarding the Home Run Derby

Dear Major League Baseball,

We were all a little skeptical about how the annual Home Run Derby would turn out this year with new rules. After last night please continue to run the contest this way.

It was the most exciting Home Run Derby that I can remember. The amount of home runs in general increased, there was added drama with the time limit, and the tournament format gave us a "walk-off" feeling that everyone who watches baseball loves. There was just a different feeling to the event that made it more fun.

Last year I sat in the rain in Minneapolis for well over three hours watching the derby. It was a great experience live, but I remember thinking that it took far too long to get through it. Thankfully, with the time limit, this event was easy to watch and held Chris Berman to just "it's gone" instead of "back, back, back, back, back, back, way out of the ballpark, back, back, back, oh my goodness, back, back, back, back, gone!"

Seeing Joc Pederson blast 14 home run's in the final round made me believe that it was over. The hometown kid Todd Frazier still had a chance, but it seemed unlikely. He started very slow and then started knocking them out of the park one by one. The ending will be remembered for a long while, and that alone should make you want to keep the format.

I know that baseball is not a timed event, but this isn't a game. I've always believed that the purpose of the Home Run Derby is fun. Multiple gimmicks have been tried in the past (AL vs. NL, Nations vs. Nations, tournament style) but the best one has been found.

Last night was amazing. My Twitter feed couldn't keep up with the amount of tweets coming in about the event. For an exhibition isn't that exactly what you want? People are talking about baseball!

I beg you to capitalize on it and continue it. If you do, I know that I will continue watching.

Sincerely,

A Long-Time Home Run Derby Fan Who Loved Last Night.

P.S. How about that Todd Frazier guy?