MLB All-Star voting races are heating up and the All-Star break is around the corner, which means that it will soon be time to see baseball's biggest stars take center stage in the Midsummer Classic at Truist Park in Atlanta, Ga. But prior to the 2025 All-Star game, baseball fans will get an appetizer in the form of the Home Run Derby, in which some of the game's best sluggers will aim to test the limits of Truist Park on July 14.
The Derby certainly hasn't been short on stars in past years, and this year is no different. The Home Run Derby field is officially set with eight sluggers.
During a June 25 appearance on , Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. became the first player to announce he'd be participating in the Derby. But Acuna, who had missed a July 8 game against the Oakland Athletics due to back tightness, withdrew from the Home Run Derby on July 11, saying he was doing so as a "precaution." Acuna's Braves teammate Matt Olson replaced him in the Derby, ensuring there will be a representative of the Braves at Truist Park.
MLB's home run leader and Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh announced his intention to take part in the first Home Run Derby of his career on June 27. It will be a family affair for Raleigh, as his father Todd will throw to him and his younger brother, Todd Jr., may catch at the event.
On July 3, Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood announced via Instagram that he would be taking part in the Home Run Derby for the first time in his career. Then, the Derby got its fourth contestant on July 7 when Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton on Instagram announced his intention to participate, later revealing his son Brixton's adorable plan to help his father during the competition.
Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz was added to the list of participants Tuesday, making him the fifth player to commit to the Home Run Derby. On Wednesday, Tampa Bay Rays rising stra Junior Caminero entered the Derby via an Instagram post. On Thursday, Oakland Athletics outfielder Brent Rooker took to Instagram to announce that he'll be participating in the Derby, making him the seventh player.
Finally, New York Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. became the eighth and final participant added to the Derby on Thursday, July 10. Chisholm confirmed his interest in the event after a two home run night for the Yankees against the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday. Since his return from a stint on the injured list, Chisholm has been on an absolute tear, with seven home runs in his last 12 games.
Full List of Every Player in the 2025 Home Run Derby
Player
Participated in HRD Before?
Home Runs
Average exit Velocity (mph)
Max exit Velocity (mph)
Average launch angle (degrees)
Matt Olson
Yes
17
93.7
113.8
14.4
Cal Raleigh
No
33
92.0
113.2
23.7
James Wood
No
22
94.0
117.9
6.2
Byron Buxton
No
20
91.5
112.5
18.1
Oneil Cruz
No
15
96.1
122.9
8.4
Junior Caminero
No
21
91.2
116.5
10.1
Brent Rooker
No
19
91.5
112.4
14.5
Jazz Chisholm Jr.
No
17
90.0
112.1
11.9
Who's out? Players who have declined to participate in Home Run Derby
Unfortunately for MLB, some of baseball's brightest stars have already declined to participate in the Derby. Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Elly De La Cruz, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., just to name a few. Perhaps most notably, four-time Derby participant and two-time champion Pete Alonso also won't be taking part in the festivities this year, citing a desire to enjoy the time off during the All-Star break. As mentioned earlier, Acuna, the first player to enter the Derby, withdrew on July 11.
Home Run Derby participants by the numbers
With the field of eight sluggers presumably set, let's take a deeper statistical dive into the participants for the 2025 Home Run Derby. We'll rank the sluggers in a series of Statcast metrics, first with average bat speed.
Player
Avg. Bat Speed (mph)
Oneil Cruz
78.6
Junior Caminero
78.0
James Wood
76.1
Cal Raleigh
75.1
Byron Buxton
74.9
Brent Rooker
73.8
Matt Olson
73.7
Jazz Chisholm Jr.
73.4
Next, we'll rank the sluggers by barrel rate.
Player
Barrel Rate (%)
Oneil Cruz
22.5
Cal Raleigh
20.0
Jazz Chisholm Jr.
19.0
James Wood
18.6
Matt Olson
16.3
Byron Buxton
15.0
Brent Rooker
14.4
Junior Caminero
11.0
Finally, we'll take a look at the Home Run Derby participants ranked by their hard-hit percentages, another key metric when evaluating home run hitters.
Player
Hard-Hit %
Oneil Cruz
58.1
James Wood
55.8
Matt Olson
54.1
Byron Buxton
53.9
Cal Raleigh
49.2
Junior Caminero
47.7
Brent Rooker
47.5
Jazz Chisholm Jr.
45.6
