Claremont Little League Annual Home Run Derby
Updated 5/8/2023:
The number of home runs necessary to skip the pre-qualifying round and go straight to the qualifying round in the 2023 home run derby is one (1) home run. If you're not sure if you made it, check the home run club page. Because only one home run is necessary to skip the pre-qualifying round, there will be no pre-qualification event since anybody who hit a home run advances to the qualifying round on what would normally be closing ceremonies day: May 20th. To give everybody has much of a chance as possible, the time by which you can qualify will be the start of the qualifying round that's currently scheduled for 2:30pm on May 20th. This means that home runs hit in all city tournament games will count towards qualifying for the home run derby.
The annual Home Run Derby contest is a big event for the kids as the winner gets $100, a nice trophy, and everlasting fame by having his name put on our Home Run Derby champion sign on Field 1.
It is imperative that any home runs your players hit are recorded on the league website up until the qualifying event so the league has updated figures. We don’t want a player who should have qualified miss out because a home run wasn’t reported.
The entire home run derby event is broken down into 3 rounds:
Pre-qualifying round: Generally held the week before closing ceremonies to allow players who don’t automatically qualify to later rounds a chance to enter the race.
Qualifying round: The first round of the home run derby held during closing ceremonies. This round contains those players who have automatically qualified and those that have qualified from the pre-qualifying round.
Final round: The main event where all who make the cut compete for the title of “Home Run Derby Champion”
Due to the pitching speed and level of skill at the Major Division level, there are different qualification criteria for Majors players compared to lower divisions. Note that all “home run” events listed below are “over the fence home runs”. No “in the park home runs” count in the context of the home run derby.
Who Can Enter the Home Run Derby?
Majors division players: Those majors’ players hitting more than some number of home runs determined by the home run derby coordinator prior to the pre-qualifying round date will automatically be entered into the qualifying round. For those majors’ players who have not hit the predetermined number of home runs by the pre-qualifying round date but still have hit at least one home run need to attend the pre-qualifying round if they wish to compete.
Minors and lower division players: Those minors and lower division players who have hit at least one home run prior to the pre-qualifying round date are eligible to attend the pre-qualifying round. No minors and lower division players can automatically qualify for the qualifying round.
Any player who has not hit any home runs prior to the pre-qualifying round date is not eligible to participate in any round of the home run derby. The majors level qualifying homeruns will vary from year to year based on the field of players hitting home runs. In 2015, the qualifying number was three (3) home runs. In 2017, the qualifying number was four (4) home runs.
Hitting a home run after the pre-qualifying round:
Should a player meet the minimum home run number to enter the qualifying round after the pre-qualification round date, or a player hits the requisite one home run after the pre-qualification round date, the Home Run Derby coordinator will make every reasonable attempt to accommodate those players in advance of the qualifying round for participation in the Home Run Derby.
In all rounds:
· Players can choose their own pitchers.
· An out is a swing that results in something other than a home run
Pre-qualifying round:
The pre-qualifying round will be held the week before closing ceremonies. Check the Claremont Little League calendar online to find the date. Each player competing in the pre-qualifying round is given 5 outs. The number of players that move on from the prequalifying round is determined by trying to make the number of players in the qualifying round be somewhere between 10 and 15.
Qualifying round:
The qualifying round will be the first round of the home run derby that happens on closing day. Each player competing in the qualifying round is given 10 outs. The top 5 scoring players move on to the final round.
Final round:
The main event. The top 5 scoring players from the previous round will get 10 outs to hit as many home runs as possible. The player scoring the most home runs will be crowned Home Run Derby Champion. In case of a tie, the home run derby coordinator will choose some home run-like way to break the tie. The decision of the home run derby coordinator is final.