Home Run Derby 2025 field: James Wood, Cal Raleigh, Ronald Acuña Jr. confirmed to compete

Yahoo

2 days ago

The 2025 MLB Home Run Derby will take place on July 14, and the eight-player field is starting to come into view.
Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. was the first to commit to the event, to be held at his home park of Truist Field in Atlanta, and he'll be joined by seven of MLB's top power hitters in the crowd-pleasing event.
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Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh and current MLB home runs leader will also be participating in this year's Derby. James Wood became the latest player confirmed to be taking part on Thursday, which leaves five spots up for grabs.
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández is the reigning Derby champion after beating Kansas City Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. in the 2024 final. He does not plan to defend his title this year.
Here's every slugger who has been announced to be competing in this year's event.
Who is competing in the 2025 MLB Home Run Derby?
James Wood, Nationals outfielder
The 6-foot-7 Washington Nationals slugger is having a breakout season, having eclipsed the 20-home-run mark by the end of June. Wood, 22, was a part of the Juan Soto trade that brought a package of young talent to the Nationals from the San Diego Padres.
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Wood has been such an offensive threat this season that on June 29, the Los Angeles Angels intentionally walked him four times. The last player to receive such an honor from an opponent was Barry Bonds in 2004.
Cal Raleigh, Mariners catcher
MLB's home run leader is a Seattle Mariners catcher nicknamed "The Big Dumper," and he's on pace to blow away every personal best and maybe even challenge the AL home run record if he keeps this up. It's a beautiful sport.
With two straight 30-homer seasons and Platinum Glove-winning defense behind the plate, Raleigh was one of the most underrated players in baseball entering this season. By now, even casual baseball fans should know his name, as he's making his case to be considered one of baseball's elite players, if he isn't already there.
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Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves outfielder
The Atlanta crowd will have a hometown hero in Acuña, who will likely have the fewest home runs of any player in the Derby field due to the fact that he started his season two months late after returning from a torn ACL, which made him miss much of 2024.
Acuña has been on a tear since his return, though, and has 40-homer power when healthy. He became the fifth player in MLB history to post 40 homers and 40 stolen bases in a single season before winning MVP in 2023, and the Derby will be a prime chance for him to show a national audience that he's still one of MLB's brightest stars.
Who is out for the 2025 MLB Home Run Derby?
The Home Run Derby field rarely lines up with the homer leaderboard at the All-Star break, and 2025 will be no exception. As talented as the field is, some of MLB's other top players have turned down the event:
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Aaron Judge : The reigning AL MVP and three-time home run champion won the event in his rookie year in 2017 and hasn't competed since, saying he won't do it again until the All-Star Game returns to Yankee Stadium. He reiterated that stance earlier this month.
Shohei Ohtani : MLB's biggest international star, who competed in the Derby in 2021, said he didn't think it was "feasible" for him to compete due to the format of the Derby. He is also currently stretching himself out as a starting pitcher again, so the event might be too much to add to his plate.
Pete Crow-Armstrong : Arguably the breakout star of the 2025 season, PCA has dazzled with his two-way impact, but he told reporters that he has "a different kind of power" than what succeeds in the Derby. Consider him out.
Elly De La Cruz : The Cincinnati Reds' star is among the elite of the elite when it comes to exit velocity, but he has so far declined to take part in the Derby, citing potential fatigue the next week when regular-season play resumes.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr .: The Toronto Blue Jays' $500 million man, who won the event in 2023 and hit the most homers ever in the event in 2019 (91), is a firm no.
Teoscar Hernández: The reigning champ will not defend his title, reportedly citing the toll of the competition and the fact that he has already missed time due to injury this year.
What are the rules of the 2025 MLB Home Run Derby?
After a decade of a pure one-on-one tournament format with timed rounds, MLB tweaked the format in 2024.
Instead of four matchups in the first round, last year all eight hitters competed to reach the top four, with a limit of 40 pitches across three minutes plus three bonus outs (in which they keep hitting until they fail to hit a homer three times). The hitters were then seeded for the semifinal and final rounds, the latter of which featured two minutes and 27 pitches.
It was a complicated format, and it's unclear if MLB will use the same rules this year.
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When is the 2025 MLB Home Run Derby?
The 2025 Home Run Derby will take place in Atlanta at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, July 14, the day after the 2025 MLB Draft and the day before the 2025 MLB All-Star Game. As usual, the event will be televised on ESPN.