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Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez won the 2024 MLB Derby on Monday night in Arlington, Texas, raking in an extra $1 million. Runner-up Bobby Witt Jr. of the Royals will take home $750,000.
Witt was alive until his final swing, trailing Hernandez 14 to 13 when he stroked a deep fly ball off the center field wall for his last out.
Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson had 28 homers coming into the contest, the third-most in baseball and the most of any of the competitors. But he was eliminated in the first round, as Hernandez, Witt, Alec Bohm, and Jose Ramirez advanced to the semis.
Unlike Henderson, who would have more than doubled his $756,200 salary for the season, Witt and Hernandez came into their title matchup with hefty salaries. Witt and the Royals agreed to a long-term deal this winter that will pay him more than $280 million, while the veteran Hernandez signed a one-year, heavily deferred deal with the Dodgers this offseason for $23.5 million.
The derby prize has been set at $1 million since 2019. Before then, winning the competition earned a player only $125,000. The big payout is rivaled by the NHL’s skills competition, which distributed $1 million to winner Connor McDavid earlier this year, but it far exceeds all-star competitions in other leagues. For example, the 3-Point Contest alone awarded $60,000 for the NBA and $2,575 for the WNBA in each league’s last all-star game.
The 2024 derby followed a new format intended to help players avoid tiring out too quickly. Hitters weren’t seeded coming into the competition as they had been in previous years, a pitch limit was instituted alongside the timer (not including bonus pitches), and the rules for extra pitches changed.
This edition of the Derby, though, might end up best remembered for a catastrophic performance of the national anthem by country singer Ingrid Andress.
The All-Star Game follows Tuesday night, highlighted by the National League’s starting pitcher, Pirates rookie Paul Skenes. He’s the first No. 1 pick in league history to make the All-Star Game the following season.
