The 2025 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby is set to take place tonight at 8pm ET at Truist Park in Atlanta. Here’s who will be competing this year, along with their outlook heading into the competition.
Cal Raleigh, SEA, +295
Coming in with a whopping 38 home runs already under his belt, Raleigh currently leads all players in total home runs on the season as a catcher. A feat that has him poised to re-write numerous records in the second half of the season if he continues his torrid pace.
Raleigh is the favourite at most sports books, and for good reason. The 28 year old has power to spare, and may even mix things up by switch hitting during the competition.
Oneil Cruz, PIT, +320
He may only have 16 home runs on the year, the fewest amongst this year’s participants, but Cruz certainly doesn’t lack power in his swing. The 6’7″ slugger leads all qualified players in average exit velocity this season, and has recorded 6 of the 10 batted balls with an exit velocity of at least 120mph since he debuted 4 years ago.
In short, you don’t need to see Cruz at the plate to know he’s up to bat. You’ll hear him. His May 25th home run against the Brewers left his bat at 122.9mph, making it the hardest hit ball, base hit, and home run of the Statcast era.
James Wood, WAS, +475
Washington’s young superstar sits 8th in the majors with 24 long bombs at the All-Star break. He’s beginning to get the star treatment at the plate as well, as many teams are opting to give him a free pass rather than risk him taking them yard.
Still just 22 year’s old, the 6’7″ potential NL MVP candidate has some big shoes to fill, as previous Nationals participants Bryce Harper (2018) and Juan Soto (2022) have each brought home a derby title in the past.
Matt Olson, ATL, +800
The hometown favourite, Olson comes in to replace Ronald Acuna Jr. who was forced to withdraw from the competition due to back stiffness. The 1st baseman has amassed 134 homers since joining the Braves back in 2022 which is good for 5th most in the Majors during that span.
Olson will have the crowd behind him, and is intimately familiar with the confines of Truist Park, making his +800 odds fairly appealing to those looking to wager on the derby outcome.
Brent Rooker, ATH, +850
Currently on pace for his 3rd straight 30 HR campaign, Rooker has all the tools necessary to make a deep run in this year’s competition. The Athletics play in one of the most home run friendly parks in the majors this year, so it will be interesting to see whether Rooker’s results are the by product of his environment, or whether his power can carry over to the competition.
The A’s certainly haven’t lacked sluggers over their history, as Rooker will look to join Mark McGwire (1992) and Yoenis Cespedes (2014 & 2015) on the list of previous champions in franchise history.
Byron Buxton, MIN, +950
The prospect that everyone had been waiting to have his “break out” season since he debuted back in 2015, is finally showing the world what he can do when he says healthy. With 21 home runs on the season, the late blooming outfielder has already tied his career high in RBIs (56), and isn’t far off setting new records for runs scored, homers, batting average, hits, and a slew of other personal milestones as well.
Standing 6’2″ and weighing 190lbs, Buxton is on the slimmer side of things compared to some of his fellow contestants, but he can still pack a wallop. He’ll be a dark horse candidate who might surprise viewers who haven’t been watching much Twins baseball this year.
Jazz Chisholm Jr., NYY, +1100
Much like Buxton, Chisholm Jr. doesn’t have the prototypical build of a power hitter, but continues to mash the ball on field nevertheless.
Fans and sports books alike seem to be split on how the Yankee will fare, with some tabbing him as a potential dark horse, while others seem confident he’ll be an early elimination in this year’s competition. Still, Chisholm has managed to launch some moonshots this year, including a 442 footer on March 29th vs. the Brewers. With 17 round trippers on the season, and having missed a chunk of time to boot, Chisholm certainly won’t be a push over when the lights shine at Truist Park Monday.
Junior Caminero, TB, +1200
Tampa’s 3rd baseman can generate power all over the park, and sports a compact swing which usually translates well to these kinds of events. Still, because we don’t have a huge sample size on him, most sports books are tabbing him as the longest shot to bring home the crown this year.
If he were to win, at 22 years old, he’d become the youngest champion in home run derby history, eclipsing Juan Gonzalez’s record of 23 years, 265 days set back in 1993. With 23 bombs already to his credit, Caminero is having a career year at the plate. We’ll have to see whether that momentum carries over to the midsummer classic tonight.
Photo: A Continuous Lean. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.