MLB needs its stars to participate in the Home Run Derby.

Jul 16, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; National League designated hitter Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers (17) jogs up to the plate during the first inning during the 2024 MLB All-Star game at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports / Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Shohei Ohtani made his mark on All-Star week, showing up to the red carpet with an amazing outfit, and launching a three-run home run in the All-Star Game. The NL lost, but fans got what they paid for seeing the face of the league hit a no-doubter on the big stage.

Despite all of the attention that players like Paul Skenes and Aaron Judge have gotten recently, the face of the league remains Shohei Ohtani. Nobody captivates an audience quite like him, and the reaction from when he hit the home run proves just that.

While Ohtani was front and center on the red carpet and at the All-Star Game itself, he was absent during Monday’s Home Run Derby despite ending the first half with a National League-leading 29 home runs. Ohtani’s absence during the Derby was evident when looking at the ratings the event generated.

Home Run Derby ratings prove Shohei Ohtani’s absence had a negative impact

The Sports Business Journal came through with some staggering numbers:

“The Home Run Derby on Monday night drew its lowest audience since 2014, hindered by its head-to-head competition with the Republican National Convention for the first time. ESPN and ESPN2 combined to draw 5.45 million viewers for the event from 8:20-10:59 p.m. ET, which was won by Dodgers OF Teoscar Hernández. ESPN drew just under 5 million for its portion, while ESPN2’s StatCast version averaged 456,000. This year’s viewership is the lowest since A’s OF Yoenis Céspedes won his second Derby just over a decade ago, when ESPN aired the event by itself and also suffered from an hour-long rain delay. The Derby was down 11% from 6.11 million viewers last year, when Blue Jays DH Vladimir Guerrero Jr. won.”

Yes, the RNC was on at the same time as the Home Run Derby, but it’s very clear why the ratings were as low as they had been in a decade. The absence of star power was glaring.

Ohtani isn’t even the only one who chose to sit out. Guys like Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Elly De La Cruz, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. all sat on the sidelines watching. Mookie Betts and Ronald Acuña Jr. were out injured. The biggest draw of the derby was probably Pete Alonso, and that’s not good enough.

The Home Run Derby is an event that pulls in ratings as long as the best players in the sport participate. For whatever reason, stars refused to do so this season, and the ratings suffered because of it.

Ohtani participated in the Home Run Derby once, back in 2021. Unsurprisingly, according to the Sports Business Journal, that year’s Home Run Derby brought in the highest ratings in the last five Derbies.

If he were to do it again, chances are, the ratings would go through the roof. Hopefully, once Ohtani is fully healthy, he’ll be a willing participant.