NOTE: This event is not affiliated with Camden Chat.

Welcome to the 2023 Home Run Derby. The concept is easy: put together a team of sluggers that hits more home runs than your opponents, win prizes and bragging rights.

Rules

Pick a group of players whose 2022 MLB HR total is less than or equal to 162. You have the choice to pick either seven or eight sluggers for your team. The difference:

1. If you pick seven players, that's your team for the entire season. For better or for worse, through suckiness, injuries, demotions to the minors, those are your guys.
2. If you pick eight players, you will designate one as a bench player. His totals will not count towards your score until you sub him in for another player. You can do this at any point in the season but only one time. Once your original player is out of the lineup, there is no putting him back in.

There is no minimum number of home runs your slugger must have had in 2022. He doesn't even have to have played in the MLB yet. There's no real reason NOT to pick an eighth slugger even if you have maxed our your 162 on the top seven. But it's up to you.

Gameplay

Once you have picked your team, sit back and watch the dingers roll in. The only decision you have to make is if and when to substitute your bench player.

If you notify us that you want to activate your bench player before any games are played that day, he is active that day. If you notify us after the start of any MLB game that day, he will be active the next day.

Prizes

Each month, the player whose team hit the most dingers in that month of play will win 50 high fives. There are also prizes for the overall leader at the All-Star break, the overall winner at the end of the season, and player who comes in second place overall. The amount of those last three prizes is TBD, based on how many players we get.

If we get 15 players, the breakdown will be 100 high fives for the leader at the All-Star break, 100 for coming in second place at the end of the season, and 250 high fives to the overall winner. These numbers will be adjusted up or down based on the actual number of players we have.

If we do not get 10 players, the derby will be canceled.

Signing Up

Signing up for the 2023 HR Derby is a two-step process:

1. Send your entry fee of 50 high fives @Stacey-Folkemer on Venmo. If you cannot use Venmo for some reason, email me (stacey.long2 at gmail) to discuss. Put your CC user name in the comment line. (if you have one)
2. Send your list of sluggers to homerunderby2023@gmail.com by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29th. This email address is being managed by a trusted third party agent and no one will have access to the picks until 5:01 p.m. on March 29th.

If you have never played HR derby before, you can check out last year's spreadsheet to see how things are done.

Just as with last year, CTWhale97 will be running the spreadsheet, and I will be handling the high fives.

That's it! May the odds be ever in your favor.

If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments.