Home Run Derby 2013: 3 Ways to Improve Flawed Exhibition

The list of contenders at the 2013 Home Run Derby, especially on the National League side, wasn't exactly the most impressive collection of sluggers to ever grace a baseball diamond.

Sure, there were some big-time mashers like Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis and Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez, but, overall, I think we can all agree that the "captains" this year steered the boat into an iceberg.

But from catastrophe progress can be made.

Here are my suggestions to improve Major League Baseball's flawed Home Run Derby.

Nix 'Captains' Idea

Not only were National League captain David Wright and American League captain Robinson Cano less deserving than some other candidates this year, but some of their selections for the derby were highly questionable.

First of all, while Wright is still a very good hitter, he's not the home run hitter he once was. He has 13 home runs through 90 games this season.

Second of all, selecting Michael Cuddyer just because he's his buddy bud (and ignoring his more deserving teammate Carlos Beltran in the process) was pretty unethical in my opinion. Cuddyer, like Wright, is a very good hitter (batting .330 this season), but he ranks eighth in the National League with 16 home runs. That's not bad, but it's not great, either. We want to see some moonshots at the derby.

According to ESPN Home Run Tracker, Cuddyer has just two "no doubts" this season (when the ball cleared the fence by at least 20 vertical feet and landed at least 50 feet past the fence). Wright also has two. Cuddyer and Wright rank way down the list in terms of average true distance.

Home Run Leaders Participate

It seems pretty obvious, but it wouldn't hurt to pick the derby contestants based on how many home runs they've hit during the season.

This year, from top to bottom, the American League contestants would have been Chris Davis (37 home runs), Miguel Cabrera (30), Edwin Encarnacion (25) and either Adam Dunn or Raul Ibanez (24). Perhaps if there's a tie, fans  vote on who advances (I would hope it would have been the monstrous Dunn).

The National League contestants this year would have been Carlos Gonzalez (25), Pedro Alvarez (24), Domonic Brown (23) and Paul Goldschmidt (21). If a player couldn't participate for whatever reason, you would just move down the list.

The NL contestants under this format would have been particularly intriguing because Alvarez, Brown and Goldschmidt are all young, rising sluggers.

It seems pretty logical, but, hey, who am I to push logic on Major League Baseball?

Shorten It

More is not always better. Unless you're Bobby Abreu circa 2005 (41 dingers) or Josh Hamilton circa 2008 (35), you shouldn't be given 10 outs.

Three rounds, combined with commercials and whatever MLB throws at us on the side, can actually become boring.  

As Bleacher Report National lead writer Dan Levy suggested, why not give contestants 15 swings instead of 10 outs? It would speed up the Derby and keep fans on the edges of their seats instead of napping comfortably in them.

Of course, asking MLB for less commercial time and more on-the-field action figures to be about as successful as, well, some of the contestants were in the derby this year.