The sphere for the upcoming 2025 Dwelling Run Derby underwent a late-hour change Saturday, as Matt Olson of the host Atlanta Braves was introduced as a alternative for teammate Ronald Acuña Jr., who will now not take part. Acuña, nonetheless, will nonetheless be a beginning outfielder for the Nationwide League throughout Tuesday evening’s All-Star Sport. Acuña is in his comeback season from surgical procedure to restore a torn ACL in his left knee, and he is additionally been coping with again tightness in latest days.

As for the 31-year-old Olson, he stays one in all MLB’s main energy hitters. This season, he is slugging .481 with 17 dwelling runs in 92 video games. He is additionally not far faraway from a 2023 marketing campaign by which he led the majors with 54 dwelling runs. On the batted-ball degree, Olson in 2025 is within the 97th percentile amongst big-league hitters in common exit velocity and the 96th percentile in hard-hit fee. 

This 12 months’s Derby is a part of All-Star week at Truist Park, the house of Olson’a Braves. The Derby is scheduled for Monday, July 14 at 7 p.m. ET. Final 12 months, Teoscar Hernández of the Los Angeles Dodgers gained the Derby. He isn’t collaborating this 12 months, which suggests we’ll have a brand new champion. That new champion will obtain this: 

Beneath, you will discover the opposite seven contestants. 

Jazz can be heard

On Thursday, Main League Baseball introduced that New York Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. could be the eighth member of the Derby discipline. 

The 27-year-old Chisholm is having fun with a powerful marketing campaign in his first full season within the Bronx. In 61 video games, Chisholm is slashing .251/.346/.530 (141 OPS+) with 17 dwelling runs. Boding nicely for Chisholm’s efficiency within the Derby is that he is presently within the 96th percentile amongst big-league hitters in anticipated slugging proportion and 98th percentile in barrel fee, which is the share of batted balls which have the best mixture of launch angle and exit velocity for energy manufacturing. 

Rooker is in

Athletics slugger Brent Rooker turned the seventh entrant within the forthcoming Derby earlier Thursday. 

Rooker, 30, has hit .270/.346/.489 (130 OPS+) with 19 dwelling runs in his first 94 video games this season. He is on tempo to report his third consecutive 30-plus homer season, having already established himself as one in all simply 12 gamers with no less than 30 homers in every of the final two campaigns.

Rooker sits within the 79th percentile in common exit velocity, in addition to within the seventy fifth percentile in hard-hit proportion. His most exit velocity this season is 112.4 mph.

Junior a contemporary face to discipline

Tampa Bays Rays younger slugger Junior Caminero will take part within the upcoming 2025 Dwelling Run Derby. MLB introduced the information Wednesday, making him the sixth confirmed participant.

Caminero, who simply turned 22 mere days in the past, leads all major-league third baseman with 21 dwelling runs this season. He is slashing .252/.294/.496 on this, his second MLB season, and he is not far faraway from a 2023 marketing campaign by which he hit 31 homers in 117 video games throughout two minor-league ranges. 

Not surprisingly, Caminero hits the ball onerous, as his max exit velocity of 116.5 mph is in 97th percentile amongst big-league hitters in 2025. And nearly nobody boasts higher bat velocity. Caminero’s common barrel velocity of 78.0 mph is second solely to that of his fellow Derby combatant Oneil Cruz.

Incoming Cruz missiles

Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Oneil Cruz, one of many hardest hitters in baseball, will take his hacks on this 12 months’s Dwelling Run Derby, MLB introduced Tuesday. 

Cruz, 26, recorded the toughest hit ball of the Statcast period (since 2015) again on Could 25. The 122.9 mph missile cleared the proper discipline bleachers at PNC Park and landed within the Allegheny River for a house run. Cruz additionally has the second hardest hit ball of the Statcast period. That was a 122.4 mph single again in 2022.

This season Cruz is hitting .203/.315/.402 with 15 dwelling runs and a league-leading 28 stolen bases.

Buxton going dwelling for Derby

Minnesota Twins star Byron Buxton, a Georgia native, will partake within the 2025 Dwelling Run Derby. Main League Baseball made the announcement on Monday, per week earlier than the Derby is slated to be held at Truist Park, the regular-season dwelling of the Atlanta Braves.

Buxton, 31, is among the most fun gamers within the sport, albeit additionally one in all its most oft-injured. In 73 video games up to now, he is hit .270/.334/.544 (138 OPS+) with 20 dwelling runs and 16 stolen bases. Fifteen of his dwelling runs have been categorized as “no doubters” by Baseball Savant’s methodology. 

Buxton’s contributions have been price greater than 3 estimated Wins Above Substitute, in keeping with Baseball Reference’s calculations.

With Buxton, James Wooden, Cal Raleigh, and Ronald Acuña Jr., we now know 4 of the eight members on this 12 months’s Derby.

Wooden to convey lumber

Rising Nationals famous person James Wooden has joined the sphere for the 2025 Dwelling Run Derby, Main League Baseball introduced on Thursday. Wooden simply hit his one-year anniversary within the league, as he debuted July 1, 2024, and in simply 165 profession video games, he is made a monstrous affect. 

The 6-foot-7, lefty-swinging 22 12 months previous is hitting .283/.387/.547 (164 OPS+) with 22 dwelling runs in 322 at-bats this season. He has prodigious energy, as 12 of his 22 dwelling runs are slotted within the “no doubters” class, per Baseball Savant. 

Not that it issues a lot in a Dwelling Run Derby, however Wooden has hit one dwelling run in his profession in Truist Park in Atlanta, the place the Derby is hosted this season. It was an opposite-field shot earlier this season.

HR chief Raleigh is in

Main League Baseball’s present dwelling run chief, Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, will take part within the 2025 Dwelling Run Derby, the league introduced on June 27.

“I am excited to signify the Mariners and our fanbase on the [Home Run] Derby,” stated the switch-hitting Raleigh, who has already belted 32 dwelling runs this season. “It is going to be further particular for me attending to do it in Atlanta, the place I spent quite a lot of time enjoying baseball as a child.”

Batting Round: Will Cal Raleigh lead MLB in dwelling runs this season or will Mariners catcher decelerate?

Mike Axisa

The 28-year-old Raleigh has hit a number of history-making dwelling runs throughout the 2025 season, together with changing into the primary catcher to achieve 30 homers earlier than the All-Star Break and in addition the primary switch-hitter to take action.

Raleigh is 2 homers away from matching his single-season profession excessive (34) earlier than the All-Star Sport. He is additionally, maybe clearly, on tempo to shatter the single-season report for many dwelling runs hit by a catcher; that mark at present belongs to Kansas Metropolis Royals backstop Salvador Perez, who homered 48 instances in 2021.

Acuña has performed excellently since coming back from the torn ACL that prematurely ended his 2024 marketing campaign. In 29 video games up to now, he is hit .385/.496/.692 (227 OPS+) with 9 dwelling runs, 16 runs batted in, and 4 stolen bases (on 4 makes an attempt). His contributions have already been price an estimated 2 Wins Above Substitute, in keeping with Baseball Reference’s calculations.

Though Acuña would not lead the Braves in dwelling runs — he is tied with Sean Murphy for fourth, behind Matt Olson, Austin Riley, and Marcell Ozuna — he’s a logical option to signify the house market. If nothing else, he is the largest star on the roster: a former Most Precious Participant Award winner and four-time All-Star who additionally counts a Rookie of the 12 months Award and three Silver Slugger Awards amongst his earned {hardware}.