Poll: Who Will Win The 2025 Home Run Derby?

The 2025 home run derby takes place tonight at 7pm Central as part of the 2025 All-Star festivities in Atlanta. The field of eight consists of…

• Byron Buxton, Twins
• Junior Caminero, Rays
• Jazz Chisholm Jr., Yankees
• Oneil Cruz, Pirates
• Matt Olson, Braves
• Cal Raleigh, Mariners
• Brent Rooker, Athletics
• James Wood, Nationals

Per MLB.com, here is the format:

“In the first round, the eight players each have three minutes or 40 pitches (whichever comes first) to hit as many homers as possible. There is also a bonus period for each player that lasts until they record three outs (any swing that doesn’t result in a home run) within the period. If a player hits a home run of at least 425 feet within the bonus period, the period is extended until the player records a fourth out.

The players with the top four homer totals advance to the semis. In the event of a first-round tie, the player who hit the longest home run during the round advances.

In the semifinals, the format shifts to “knockout style,” with No. 1 vs. No. 4 and No. 2 vs. No. 3. The seeds are determined solely by the number of home runs each player hit in the first round. Players will have two minutes or 27 pitches in the semifinals and finals, and home run totals from the first round don’t carry over.

Ties in the semifinals or finals are broken by successive three-swing “swing-offs” until there is a winner.

The winners of the two semifinal matchups advance to the finals, where the limits are reduced to two minutes and 27 pitches. The player with the most home runs after that period is crowned Home Run Derby champion.

One final note: Each batter is entitled to one 45-second timeout in each of the three regulation periods, but timeouts can’t be called during the bonus periods or tiebreakers.”

According to Yahoo Sports, $2.5MM will be given out as prize money. The winner gets $1MM and the runner-up $750K. The rest of the money will be shared amongst the other participants. Last year’s champion was Teoscar Hernández of the Dodgers but he is not defending his title. He spent some time on the IL in May due to a groin strain and doesn’t want to risk reaggravating that injury, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. He also fouled a ball off his foot here in July and missed a few games.

Of this year’s eight participants, Olson is the only one with previous derby experience. Ronald Acuña Jr. was originally in the lineup to represent the home team but he was scratched with some back tightness, so Olson has stepped in. In 2021, Olson hit 23 home runs in the first round but was edged out by Trey Mancini’s 24, with that year’s format being a head-to-head bracket style. He has 276 career home runs in regular season play, including 17 this year.

Olson should be the hometown favorite but Buxton might also get some support since he grew up in Georgia. Per Betsy Helfand of the Pioneer Press, Buxton’s son is very excited to bring him a towel and Gatorade during the event. Buxton has 154 career home runs, including 21 so far in 2025.

Raleigh is having a monster season, with 38 home runs already in the bank. The record for most home runs in a season by a primary catcher is Salvador Perez with 48, so Raleigh is on pace to destroy that. Raleigh’s previous career high was his 34 homers last year, so he already eclipsed that before the break.

Chisholm spent some time on the IL but has 17 home runs in just 65 games this year. Cruz only has 16 this year but strikes out a lot while his Statcast data is off the charts, so perhaps his stuff will play up in the derby setting. Rooker hit 30 home runs in 2023, 39 last year and is up to 20 already this year. Caminero and Wood are each playing a full major league season for the first time. Caminero has 23 home runs and Wood 24.

Here are two polls for MLBTR readers, the first asking who you want to win the derby and the second asking who you think will win.

Photo courtesy of Kevin Jairaj, Imagn Images