MLB announces new Home Run Derby format with brackets, timed rounds

For the second straight season Major League Baseball has announced significant changes to its Home Run Derby format.

According to a press release on Sunday afternoon, the league will be shifting to a bracketed, single-elimination tournament format, which means they'll lower the number of participants from ten to eight. Each round will now be timed as well, with each batter having a baseline of five minutes per round.

The eight-player contest will be conducted as a single-elimination tournament in which the loser of each bracket is immediately eliminated. Brackets in the first round will be seeded based on 2015 home run totals through July 7th, with ties broken by awarding the higher seed to the batter with more home runs hit since June 15th. If a tie remains, a coin flip will determine the higher seed. In each matchup, the higher seed will hit second.

During each of the three rounds, each batter will have five minutes to hit as many home runs as possible, and any swings that do not result in a home run will not be counted. Timers will count down from five minutes beginning with the release of the first pitch, and any home run hit after the timer reaches one minute remaining will stop the timer immediately when the ball lands in home run territory. The timer will not start again until the batter hits a ball that does not land in home run territory, or swings and misses at a pitch.

It's also noted that batters may be awarded bonus time during their turn based on the length of their home runs hit. For example, if a batter hits a home run equals or exceeds 475 feet, 30 seconds of bonus time will be added to the round.

It's definitely different. The timing element has the potential to be quite confusing though, which could do more harm than good. The idea, clearly, is to keep the first round from dragging on and on and on, as it always seemingly does. Simply eliminating two participants will help combat that, but we'll have to see how much impact the timed rounds have.

On the other side, the bracket format throughout should add some drama and make it a little more fun for fans. Like the NCAA Tournament, everyone will have their own opinions on how it will all play out.

The 2015 Gillette Home Run Derby be held on Monday, July 13th at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, and broadcast live by ESPN and MLB.com beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET.