The 2025 MLB All-Star festivities started several days ago with the Futures Game, and the draft began last night. Tonight, everything continues with the crown jewel of it all: the Home Run Derby.
In an era where All-Star games across every major sport are fading into irrelevance, the Midsummer Classic reigns supreme in its relevance. Still, even baseball’s grip on the All-Star Game is slipping, leaving the sole hope for the week in the hands of the big-time sluggers who crash onto the scene once a year to hit long ball after long ball.
Even then, the superstars who once made up the field of participants have slowly receded in their interest in the competition. But unlike the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest, where it’s extremely uninteresting to watch nobodies—Mac McClung being the lone exception—do dunks that everybody has seen before, in the Home Run Derby, it doesn’t matter who’s hitting the ball; it’s just fun seeing that five-ounce baseball go 450+ feet.
With all that on the table, here are this year’s competitors:
Cal Raleigh (38 home runs) — Seattle Mariners
James Wood (24) — Washington Nationals
Junior Caminero (23) — Tampa Bay Rays
Byron Buxton (21) — Minnesota Twins
Brent Rooker (20) — Oakland Athletics
Matt Olson (17) — Atlanta Braves
Jazz Chisholm Jr. (17) — New York Yankees
Oneil Cruz (16) — Pittsburgh Pirates
Um, where is Pete Alonso?
For the first time since 2018, Alonso is not competing in the Derby. It’s shocking, really, given that for years it’s felt like he cared more about winning this event than he did about playing the actual games. After all, he won it in 2019 and 2021, so he’s quite good at it.
In terms of the competitors in the field this year, Raleigh is the obvious front-runner. He’s on pace for 65 home runs this season, which would break the American League record of 62 that Aaron Judge set just three years ago.
Where the rest of the competition falls is anybody’s guess. James Wood and Oneil Cruz possess a ton of pop, while Byron Buxton and Brent Rooker could be two overlooked guys who surprise everybody. And don’t sleep on Matt Olson. Ronald Acuña Jr. was originally slated to be in that slot, but once he dropped out, Olson jumped in and took his place. The home crowd will be heavily in his favor, and sure, that doesn’t mean that much during the Home Run Derby, but it certainly doesn’t hurt.
The most underrated part of every iteration of this hallowed event is the pitchers. Whether the hitter is getting good pitches to hit or not is extremely consequential to the outcome. Just look at the last several Rangers players who have participated. Joey Gallo was one of the favorites in 2021, but Tony Beasley couldn’t throw him a quality pitch to save his life, and his Home Run Derby journey ended in the first round. Corey Seager attempted a run at the title the next year, but his dad, Jeff, was just as bad as Beasley. Finally, Adolis García, the home run, bat-flipping, swag machine that he is, flamed out in the first round thanks to a tough outing by Franmy Peña. The pitching is important, so don’t sleep on it!
For me, I have Oneil Cruz taking this thing over James Wood. Cruz’s raw athleticism and strength will immediately pop off the screen, and I believe that’ll translate to some balls heading over the fence. As someone who’s been rooting for Cruz to take the Pirates to new heights (unfortunately, he has fallen well short of that goal), it’d be fun witnessing him win the Home Run Derby.
I hope everybody has a good time watching this evening’s festivities. Yes, the All-Star Game might be going out of style, but chicks still dig the long ball, and there’s sure to be plenty of those tonight.