Bobby Witt Jr. to participate in the Home Run Derby

The phenom will become the fifth Royals hitter to participate.

On Sunday, Bobby Witt Jr. was selected to his first All-Star game, to be held in his native Texas. Today we found out that he will also participate in the Home Run Derby, to be held July 15 at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN.

Witt joins Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson, Mets first baseman Pete Alonso and Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm as announced participants in the Derby. Witt has 15 home runs this year, after hitting 30 last year.

The 24-year-old will be playing in the same city his dad spent eleven years as a pitcher for the Texas Rangers. Witt grew up in nearby Colleyville and is excited about returning.

“I’m just going to enjoy it, and whatever happens, happens,” Witt said. “Just have fun being back in Texas.”

Pitching to him will be his brother-in-law, former big league pitcher James Russell. The rules of the derby will change a bit this year, as explained by Jon Hoefling at USA Today.

Instead, all eight hitters will compete against one another in the first round, with the four best performers advancing to the knockout-style semifinals. The semifinals will see the competitors ranked 1-4 based on how many home runs they hit in the first round. Tiebreakers will be determined by each hitter’s longest home run.

Through the first two rounds, each hitter will have three minutes, or 40 total pitches (whichever comes first), to rack up as many home runs as they can. Each will be granted one 45-second timeout that can be used whenever but cannot be used during bonus time. The finals will only grant hitters two minutes or 27 pitches (excluding bonus time).

Witt will become the fifth Royals player to participate in the Home Run Derby, joining Bo Jackson (1989), Danny Tartabull (1991), Mike Moustakas (2017), and Salvador Perez (2021).

As far as any concerns that participating in the Derby will affect Witt’s swing for the second half, fear not. Notions that there is a Derby curse or hangover effect have been debunked. Last year’s Home Run Derby champion, Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., actually improved his hitting following the All-Star break, with more home runs per at-bat.