You can learn a lot about a person when you ask them what rules they used when playing home run derby as a kid. But in MLB, the Derby is back again this year — with a new format, again.

The 2024 T-Mobile Home Run Derby (7 p.m. CT, ESPN) hosted at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, will be gracing us with names like Alec Bohm (11 home runs), Adolis García, Gunnar Henderson (27), Teoscar Hernández (19), Marcell Ozuna (26), José Ramírez (23), Bobby Witt Jr.(16) and my personal favorite, Pete Alonso (18).

New this year is the next evolution of formatting, and what fans are hoping will sustain the flame of one of the most well-known events in all of sports. Rather than an out-of-the-gate bracket resulting in a knockout-style tournament, this year’s Derby will allow each player a round of hitting before being placed in a bracket for the round’s Top 4 hitters (with the longest home run being the tiebreaker). Thankfully, gone are the days of the No. 1 vs. 8 seed, where the Derby’s top home run hitter could be ousted with a bad round — or worse, the No. 1 and 2 seeds meet in the semifinal and suck any real buildup out of the finale.

The NBA Slam Dunk Contest feels like an equivalent in that for many fans, it is the highlight of All-Star festivities. And much like the dunk contest, MLB has had its challenges luring in the game’s biggest names to participate rather than opt-out to rest or avoid the “home run derby curse.” This year’s most obvious holdouts are each league’s leaders in home runs, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. But with a blend of veterans and rising stars who are participating this year, MLB hopes to keep the spark alive.

García, who made a name for himself in last year’s Derby, and later a walk-off in Game 1 of the World Series, will be making his second appearance in the Derby. Looking every bit as intimidating as Pedro Cerrano while not having made the All-Star roster, García will be a fan favorite as he looks to add to the list of players to win the Derby in their home ballpark.

Ramírez will be making his second Derby appearance, and first since tangling with Tim Anderson last August … but I digress.  Bohm, Witt, Henderson, Hernandez, and Ozuna will all make their Derby debuts. Bohm, a Futures game alum and this year’s starting third baseman for the National League, will be entering with 11 home runs, the clear underdog. Witt, who is just in his third year of service and the second-fewest home runs entering the Derby, is looking to stake his claim in a ballpark fewer than 20 minutes away from his old high school. Henderson through the All-Star break has nearly matched his 2023 total of 28 home runs in just his second season and leads the field in home runs entering the contest. Making his second All-Star appearance and already a journeyman, Hernandez is also on pace to top his career high of 32 home runs in 2021, a year that saw him win the Silver Slugger. At just 33 years old Ozuna, the NL leader in RBIs, will be the oldest player in this year’s pool and will look to do what no other Brave has done before — win a Derby.

As for my favorite, Alonso has participated in each Derby since 2019, an era in which he was a perennial leader in home runs. You can bet you’ll see him doing a set of deadlifts before his round as he looks to tie The Kid’s record of 3 titles. Alonso is a man who cares about the event, curse be damned, and at only 29 years old, I’m hoping he’s got a few more in him.

Thinking back, you can probably call to mind a Derby or two. Maybe it’s the winner, or maybe just an unforgettable performance (like Ken Griffey Jr. in Fenway or Vlad Guerrero Jr. in Cleveland). For the last few years, I’ve watched the Derby with my brother and friend Matt. Eating wings, complaining about the format, guessing which ball off the bat will go 500 feet, then arguing that “no, that ball definitely went farther than 500 feet, they must have it wrong.”

While we don’t have a horse in this race (shout-out to Luis Robert Jr. for putting on a show with a tree trunk in 2023, and obviously Frank Thomas for taking home the crown in 1995) let me take this opportunity to strongly encourage you to find your own tradition if you don’t already have one. The only thing cooler than seeing people hit a ton of home runs is watching people hit a ton of home runs with your friends.