Get ready for moonshots over the Chop House, baseballs disappearing deep into the Georgia night, and one player standing tall as the king of the long ball. The 2025 T-Mobile Home Run Derby blasts off at Truist Park in Atlanta on Monday, July 14th, the centerpiece of All-Star Week festivities leading up to Tuesday’s Midsummer Classic.
With eight of MLB’s biggest bats, a fast-paced bracket format, and memories of last year’s nail-biter still fresh, fans can expect a spectacular power show.
This year’s Derby field mixes young phenoms, veterans, and hometown heroes. Here’s the order in which they’ll bat tonight:
- James Wood, Nationals – The towering lefty rookie whose raw power has made him one of baseball’s most exciting young sluggers.
- Brent Rooker, Athletics – A breakout slugger who’s quietly mashed in Oakland’s lineup.
- Junior Caminero, Rays – One of the game’s top prospects turned MLB star, with a compact swing that generates plenty of lift.
- Oneil Cruz, Pirates – The 6’7” shortstop whose jaw-dropping bat speed turns mistakes into tape-measure shots.
- Byron Buxton, Twins – Injuries have slowed him at times, but when healthy, his explosive power plays anywhere.
- Jazz Chisholm Jr., Yankees – Now in pinstripes, Jazz brings flair, charisma, and surprising pop to the contest.
- Cal Raleigh, Mariners – “Big Dumper” has been launching towering blasts in Seattle.
- Matt Olson, Braves – The local favorite and 2023 MLB home run leader, looking to put on a show for the Atlanta faithful.
The Derby consists of three rounds: the first round, semifinals, and finals.
First Round:
- Each slugger gets three minutes or 40 pitches (whichever comes first) to hit as many homers as possible.
- After regulation, there’s a bonus period that lasts until the player records three outs (swings that don’t result in homers).
- Hit a blast of at least 425 feet during bonus, and you keep swinging until recording a fourth out.
- The top four homer totals advance to the semifinals.
- If there’s a tie, the player with the longest single home run advances.
Semifinals:
- Seeded 1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3, based on first-round totals.
- Each hitter gets two minutes or 27 pitches (totals reset; first-round homers don’t carry over).
- Ties are broken by successive three-swing swing-offs until someone wins.
Finals:
- Same format: two minutes or 27 pitches.
- Most home runs in this final period claims the championship.
Strategy note: Each player can call one 45-second timeout per round, but not during bonus periods or tiebreakers.
The 2024 Derby at Globe Life Field in Arlington was a slugfest for the ages. 225 home runs hit, covering over 92,590 feet (about 17½ miles combined). Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. wowed fans with 50 total homers, but the Dodgers’ Teoscar Hernández edged him 14-13 in the finals to take the title.
Truist Park’s cozy right field should favor left-handed bats like Matt Olson and James Wood, while righties like Cruz and Caminero have enough raw power to clear any wall. Atlanta’s hometown crowd will roar for Olson, but don’t sleep on the rising stars ready to steal the spotlight.
Whether it’s sheer distance, consistency, or clutch bonus-time heroics, only one slugger will walk away crowned as the 2025 Home Run Derby Champion. Get ready: first pitch flies Monday night, and it promises to be must-see TV.
